From: ast2r@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU (Andrew Symons Troth)
Subject: Re: Why do people HATE Image?
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 05:11:07 GMT

In article <9211162234.AA15893@PCS.CNU.EDU> rglass@PCS.CNU.EDU (Randall Glass) writes:
>  What is the real reason many people hate Image comics?
> I think just about 90% of the people on the net hate them,
> and not one of them explaining why! (ok, maybe 75%)
>  Is it because your favorite artist left your favorite book?
> or that you know your favorite artist will never draw any
> Marvel character ever again? (as in mcfarlanes case).
>  OR do you hate image for not doing anything that couldn't be
> done in a marvel comic?

My impression is that people who do not like Image generally have a low
opinion of the stories (as I do) and some even of the art (as I do in
some cases). Many people have a distinct lack of respect for the
"fan boy fave" artists who formed Image.

>  ORRRR do you hate image for 'stealing' all the good talent 
> from the big 2 (3?4?5?) for their own greedy purposes?
>
That's no reason, because it's an utterly false argument; Image didn't
"steal" anyone, the various creators left of their own volition to
form Image. They control it, and apparently no one is in control of 
them (which IMHO is one of the reasons the stories are not up to par--
which is not to say that Marvel and DC are putting out great literature
these days; in fact, one of the saddest comments one can make about 
Image is that its comics, aside from isolated elements like the printing
and coloring, are generally no better than average Marvel and DCs). It is
true that some of the Image creators were removed from their Marvel 
projects subsequent to starting an Image project, but you'll note that
Jerry Ordway and Al Gordon, who have announced a project for Image, are
nonetheless still consistently doing work for DC. One of the whole points
of Image is that the creators come and go as they wish.
 
> What are your reasons for hating Image?

Personally, I don't hte Image, and I don't think many people do hate it;
it's just that an awful lot of people, for a number of valid reasons,
have little respect for the products it puts out and the people who are
part of it.
>
> As for me, i don't hate them... this is a company founded by artists,
> so i started getting the books for the art (there's nothing else to
> go on at first anyway!). so far the stories are pretty mundane.
> i like Savage Dragon, Spawn (its ok). I get for the art: Wildcats,
> Cyberforce.  I'm interested in Wetworks, Pitt, and Darker Image.
> I will eventually settle down to the books that have GOOD stories.
> (thunder rumbles in the distant......)
> I think it's hard to judge a book with only 2-3 issues out.
>
The problem here, though, is that most of these books are miniseries
with only 3 or 4 issues total; is it wrong to judge a series by the time
it is half or three-quarters complete? As for my own scorecard, I will
continue to buy Spawn at least through the rash of guest writers, then
I may or may not stay with it. I bought the first two issues o of Savage
Dragon and gave it up for worthless.  It took me about two minutes each
to figure out that WildCATs, Youngblood, Brigade, and CyberForce were,
in essence, just cheap ripoffs of Marvel books I can't stand anyway. 
Shadowhawk sounded so distasteful and ill-conceived that I did nothing 
more than pick it up and page through it to remind myself of just how
unpleasant Valentino's art is. I can see some potential for Wetworks,
Pitt, and Darker Image, although I probably won't pick them up without
solid recommendations. I am, however, actually looking forward to
Wildstar: Sky Zero (the aforementioned Ordway/Gordon project). Oh, and
Supreme is just more Liefeld nonsense that I won't even look at. I think
that covers it.-- 
>+-------------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
>| Randall Glass     | "You don't need to see his identification"-ObiWanKenobi |
>| rglass@pcs.cnu.edu| "I'm crushing your head!"-Kids In The Hall              |
>| Newport News, VA  | "Woob,woob,woob!!!"-Curley, Three Stooges               |
>+-------------------+---------------------------------------------------------+

cheers,
	AST
:w
:q

Organization: Masters student, English, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA