“Marvel Comics raided by upstart competitor”

The March 5, 1992 issue of Observer-Reporter newspaper carries this story from the Los Angeles Daily News in which the birth of Image Comics takes center stage. The departure of major artists from Marvel was the comic news of the time, and this story — published before the first Image book hit stores — is one filled with so much optimism and potential that it makes the first few years of Image a little sad to think about.

The company didn’t quite live up to the expected promises of creator ownership, with several of the artists soon hiring creators to work on their own titles, and I don’t think a single Image superhero book has ever come close to the star power of Marvel and DC’s characters. Still, it’s fun to look back at the days before Youngblood reached comic stores and imagine what could have been.

Enlarge Image!
Enlarge Image!

Enlarge Image!
Enlarge Image!