Robserecaps Thirteen – episode 44 Image Comics & The Death Of Superman!
by Joe
I like when the Rob talks about DC Comics. He had a bad experience there early, but still speaks glowingly of people there, specifically the creator mentioned in the write up for this week’s episode.
- The Rob stars by laminating MAYBE he shouldn’t be telling some of these stories, but as he learns some of these tales are being lost to history, it’s good that he is
- the Rob puts over the Death of Superman being a great success, not a fluke and got way more people into Superman than ever before
- According to the Rob, Jim Shooter wrote the best Avengers, better than any X-Men title at that time
- Today’s top writers, Robert Kirkman, Mark Millar are successful because they think like artists
- A long time is spent talking about being a comic creator is a lonely business, lots of isolation, lots of work for not a much money as you would think
- While in town for a Sotheby’s auction, the Rob, Jim Lee and Marc Silvestri (along with Todd McFarlane who had already left) told Marvel of their intentions to leave and start Image
- Terry Stewart, then president of Marvel, offered them to stay, giving them the Epic imprint, which had barely been used in years
- the Rob states bad blood between him and Marc due to a west coast signing where the Rob had a longer line and Marc caused a scene over it
- By June of 1992, with only eight books, Image was the number two comic book company behind Marvel
- Inspired by the Kenner mail away opportunity for Boba Fett in the late 70’s. the August 1992 Image books each had a coupon to be mailed in to get Image Comic #0
- The Rob brings up the Legends (calls it “Tales” this time) of the Dark Night construction paper covers three times, TAKE THREE SHOTS
- The industry stood up “how could these morons beat DC Comics?” People at DC called the Rob aghast at this. “We publish Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, LOBO? HOW?”
- These DC insiders, who the Rob will not reveal, had an emergency meeting of how to “end” Image and by November of 1992, DC had a plan how to attack this assault on their market dominance
- Paul Levitz said to the Rob at San Diego Comic Con 1992 “DC is the best number two company around, once you hit number one, there’s too much pressure”
- the Rob gives props to Dan Didio for knocking Marvel off their perch for two months in 2011 with the new 52
- John Byrne’s Superman was good, but nothing holds a candle to Dan Jurgens’ run
- Nowadays, Image is content in being the ‘best number three comic company’ around
- the Rob states DC did a great job in keeping Superman dead for a year, but it was back in like nine months, dies in issue 75, on the cover as returned on issue 81
- the Rob states from the Jon Jackson Miller write up, the one day sales of Superman #75 made comic book stores world wide $30 million
- DC told retailers Superman would be back in a year/year and a half and be BIGGER than the Death of Superman. It wasn’t and it almost killed the comic industry. People at DC tried to spin it as Image’s late books being the real cause
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