Why Image?

This is a question that will be asked a hundred times overthe nextfow
months. The answer willbe as varied as the creative people involved in this
somewhat historical undertaking. Though I wouldn't profess to speak for
any other creator, I can give yousome insight as to why I stand with Image.

The entire reason that I am here doing what I am, can be summed
up in one word: RESPECT. Or, more spe the lack of it

Traditionally, comic companies have been the moving force in this
Industry. They had the name, financial backing, creative pool and charac-
ters. Because of this combination, it was almost suicidal to try to ply your
trade outside of the company boundaries. (This fear started in the '30s). As
fime went by and options became fewer, the creative pool became more
convinced that we couldn't survive without the big corporation backing us.
Luckily, there were a few shining lights along the way. The biggest of them,
for me, was Jack Kirby.

I was born in 1961 and was too young to be there when Mr. Kirby
seemed to be electritying the industry with his literally thousands of
creations. By the time I started collecting at age seventeen his legend had
grown to almost mythical proportions. Here was a man who had created,
co-created, or at least had a hand in the conception of nearly every
character I had ever heard of. In almost any other occupation, a person of
his steem would command respect fromboththe people he workedforand
from those who follow his work. Unfortunately, as far as I could tell, this
wasn't true.

By the mid '70s, I had heard and read about some of the struggles
Mr. Kirby had endured. It was this rude awakening that was always in the
back of my mind during my entire career working for Marvel and DC
Comics. Imean, if Jack Kirby could be shuttled to the sideline and generally
ignored, what chance did I have? The answer was none. Armed with this
reality, I kept a close eye on the further advancements of the comic industry
as a whole.

New companies seemed to spring up at the end of the seventies,
such as Eclipse, Pacific and First. All of them had their time in the sun and
allotthem raninto a few obstacles too. One ofthe things they accomplished
forthe creators was to offer a choice, offerownership and more importantly,
offer ‘ne acknowledgement that we mattered. People such as Kirby, Mike
Greil, Frank Brunner, Jan and Dean Mullaney and a host of other talented
oecole helped to pave the way tor much needed change in the industry. It
is these people, along with others such as Steve Ditko, Don Heck and Curt
Swan who putin years of service, with Marvel and DC, towhom I owe adebt
of gratitude. Their work affords me the luxury of having creative control and
a royalty payment on my work and itis my hope to acknowledge that what
they did mattered to me.

Sadly, I do not think that Marvel and DC feel the same way. They
insist that their characters are always more important in the creative
process than the creators. Almost all of us would probably agree that the
characters are very important, but not at the expense of forgetting those
whose visions led to the popularity of those characters. Somewhere along
the process the companies seem to have lost sight that actual human flesh
created every one of the characters that they now own. I think you will find
that rarely do the companies make mention of the people who initially
created the characters. I am not looking for them to go out of their way to
give the life history of the creator. However, I have read ten page articles
with information on characters given by the companies, without ever a
mention of the creator.

As the years went by, my heroes tumed into the likes of Alan Moore,
Frank Miller, John Byrne and George Perez. I got more enjoyment from
these four people than I thought I would at an age when comic books are
usually the furthest thing from ayoung man’s mind. But again, Istoodby and
watched as one by one they built up enormous populanty and readership
for the companies that changed the rules half way through the ball game.
Suddenly, the company had all the answers as to why the books were
selling, with no credit to the creative team that brought the books to the
attention of the public. None of these four men are currently working full-
time for the "big two.” All the things that seemed to be an attribute to
someone, such as Frank Miller, in the beginning of his career—his
passions, his visions, his opinions and his convictions—tumed out to be the
things that the companies couldn't deal with, or were actually negative
factors as the process continued. If he wanted to change the look and fee!
of a bad selling comic book ten years ago, why didn’t those same things
count eight years later? What it amounts to is, when a book isn't selling it
doesn't matter what you do on it and when the book is a success new ideas
are squelched and suddenly a status quo with a bag full of rulesis attatched
to it, Mentally, I wasn’t willing to accept these conditions any longer.
Whetherthatis a lack of characteron my part orseeing that there were other
options available is irrelevant. I made my decision.

I thank Marvel and DC Comics for giving me the opportunity to
provide my family with a living and a large forum to expose my talent. But
the fun had gone out of it forme. It didn't matter that they were paying good
money. My mind was wondering: In most other occupations the foreman
will ask the workers how to improve the working conditions. That has never
happened in comics. And why should it when the creators didn't count as
much as the characters? I can honestly say that in the six or so years I've
been in this business, other than Jim Salicrup, no one at the office ever
solicited my opinion on anything. Not that I had any great vision, but given
that I experienced some success, it seems reasonable that they might have
wanted to tap into some of my ideas.

What I am trying to say is why wouldn't comic companies ask Ditko
in 1968 why he thought his books sold? And Kirby in’64? Buscema in 65?
Starlin in'72? Byme in’75? Claremont in '78? Miller in 82? Moore in ’86,
etc. etc.? Every year, heck, every few months, there is a new hot guy. Why
not tap into those people? Because, as far as the companies are con-
cemed, it really doesn't seem to matter what we think.

Am I being a bit harsh on the big companies? Probably. Were there
not any good times? A thousand of them. Then why couldn't tum my cheek
afew more times? To tell you the truth, it would have been far easier to stick
with Spider-Man, collect a big check, fly to conventions and act fike a big
shot. Instead I am tuming my back on a sure thing for some, perhaps,
unattainable goal. My wife and I have a new daughter and I know that
because I am following my heart I will be a better husband and father. No
amount of money could buy me that. Also, I'd like to present a nice
atmosphere that I work in to my daughter so that she isn't turned off by the
whole comic process, Some day I hope that she willbe proud of me instead
of thinking that I'm getting the shaft.

Nowis the time for me to sink or swim. No one to blame but myself.
The future has never excited me more. I can draw cool characters,
monsters, silent issues, wordy issues, as a matter of fact noissues if I don't
want to, and better than all that I don't have to answer to anyone. Sound
egotistical? Call it what you will. Doing what I want, when I want, where I
want. I call it exciting as hell.

In the future I hope to do a Spawn/Spider-Man crossover. An Image
Comics team-up with Dark Horse, DC, Marvel, Tundra, Valiant or whom-
ever. Different characters. Different companies. Different creators. The list
is almost endless. I'm excited at the possibilities and I hope that you are, too,
It's time for us in this business to all play together and not divide the ranks.
We at Image are not out to bum anyone, quite the opposite. Given that we
feel so excited about our work, it should show through on the printed page.

With people working at different companies, such as Liefeld, Lee,
Silvestri, Larsen, Portacio, Valentino, Claremont, Miller, Moore, Simonson,
Keown, Byrne, Baron, Gaiman, Romita, Breyfogle, Gerber, Layton, Perez,
Grell and on and on and on, topped offby the King" himself, Jack Kirby, we
now have the potential to have all of us play in the same playground with
the same rules...1) Don't screw your neighbor and 2) Turn out the best
damn comics that have ever been on the stands.

You out there now have the most important job. Let us, the creators
and the companies know what you want and hopefully we'll be able to pull
off a few of them.

In closing, let me leave you with a thought:

If someone gave you something that helped you grow in your life,
would you thank them for their concem or figure that you would have done
it eventually.

I'd let them know they helped. That's good. That's honest. That's
respect,

—Todd McFarlane

