Image Comics has never been quite as huge as Marvel or DC Comics, but their output of excellent creator-owned books has far exceeded the “big two” in recent years. From horror to comedy to noir to superhero, Image Comics has it all. Their wide array of genres, themes, and creatives makes the library of series incredibly diverse and exciting for new readers, and that is something that DC and Marvel can’t exactly say for themselves.
While characters like Spider-Man and Batman will always be incredibly popular in the overall world of pop culture, the comics medium is notably being filled more and more with fresh new ideas from independent creators. Fans and readers are often more passionate about Invincible or The Walking Dead than they are about the latest issue of Batman, and that is a major problem for the larger comic publishers. It doesn’t mean their reign is over, but it does mean that there are some things they should learn from the smaller, more creator-focused Image Comics.
Image’s Self-Contained Stories Draw in New Readers
Comic Books With a Beginning, Middle, and End Are Alluring for Fans
One of the biggest issues facing Marvel and DC Comics is the fact that their series never truly end. This makes sense from a business perspective—why stop publishing a book that people continue to buy? The problem with this approach is that it often leads to staleness and a lack of meaningful progression. Characters that have existed for decades without significant growth can start to feel repetitive, causing fans to lose their personal connection to the stories.
Take Batman, for example: while his stories are frequently exciting and well-written, there’s rarely any real doubt that he’ll escape whatever perilous situation he’s in and return to the status quo by the start of the next arc. The predictability of DC and Marvel contrasts sharply with many of Image Comics’ most exciting titles, where stakes feel higher, character development is more impactful, and endings—when they come—give stories a sense of closure that mainstream superhero comics often lack.
The ever popular Invincible, from writer Robert Kirkman and artists Ryan Ottley and Cory Walker, is the perfect book to compare to Marvel and DC titles. It’s a superhero narrative, packed with bombastic action, superhero teams, crazy sci-fi ideas, and grounded stakes regarding the central characters. What makes Invincible different, however, is the fact that it’s all clearly leading somewhere—it’s building to a finale, an end. When Kirkman and company set out to create the world of Invincible, it was obviously clear to them that it would have to come to a satisfying end. Invincible works so well because it counters the problems that so many fans have with Marvel and DC books. It gave them a superhero story with actual stakes, actual tension, and an actual wrap-up.
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The Best Image Comics Since 2020, Ranked
In the last four years, Image Comics has given readers dozens of new series to fall in love with, and some of the best will linger for years to come.
While DC and Marvel will occasionally release miniseries or self-contained graphic novels, they really don’t have any major ongoing series that have a planned end-point in mind. It never feels like Action Comics is suddenly going to wrap up in a grand, sweeping finale, and The Amazing Spider-Man isn’t suddenly going to kill off Peter Parker and end the book there. There are certain expectations with Marvel and DC comic books that there simply aren’t with Image books, and that allows for readers to latch onto the creator-owned titles so much more personally and intimately.
With Image Comics, Not Everything Has to Be Superheroes
Some of the Best Image Books Are Non-Superhero Titles
Superhero comics are undeniably the most popular type of comic book, and iconic characters like Wolverine, Daredevil, Superman, and the Flash are major draws for both long-time fans and curious new readers. Comic books have become basically synonymous with superheroes in the last few decades, and while that is certainly a major facet of the medium, there’s room for other kinds of stories to be told as well. Image Comics has books like East of West, The Walking Dead, Chew, and Saga rounding out their eclectic collection of non-superhero titles. There’s so much to choose from with Image Comics, and that isn’t with the other major publishers.
Something that Marvel and DC could absolutely take from Image Comics’ success is the idea of diversifying their library of books. This doesn’t mean Marvel and DC have to stop releasing superhero stories, but it does mean they should push for more alternatives to the norm. As the two biggest publishers in the medium, any changes they make would undoubtedly impact the industry as a whole, for better or worse. They could even explore different genres of storytelling within their established continuity. Changing things up doesn’t mean doing away with what came before—it just means they shouldn’t rest on their laurels.
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Giving creators space to explore unique settings and narratives, Image Comics has delivered amazing content without relying on superhero stories.
DC and Marvel could take pre-established characters from their rosters and place them into books that are wildly different from the usual superhero fare. A Jonah Hex series could be a straightforward western with a twist, rather than a superhero story set in the Old West. Or they could create a book featuring entirely new characters on a distant planet with its own rules, systems of government, and political intrigue.
Superman and Batman don’t need to show up just because it’s a DC book, and Spider-Man and Iron Man don’t have to appear just because it’s a Marvel book. Expanding the scope of their worlds on a larger scale would give readers new ways to explore the Marvel and DC universes, appealing to those who might not care for superheroes but are interested in comic books as a medium.
If DC and Marvel Tell More Mature Stories, It Will Keep Readers Coming Back
Image Proves That Comic Books Aren’t Just for Children
While both Marvel and DC have attempted to create their own imprints for more mature content, only one has seen major success. DC’s Vertigo imprint has been a massive hit and stands as the closest either publisher has come to telling non-superhero stories under their main umbrella. Vertigo offers an impressive collection of stories that range from comics set firmly in the DC Universe but focused on smaller characters to those stories that are entirely outside of DC continuity and take place in their own worlds.
Marvel Comics, on the other hand, has struggled somewhat to bring about a group of books geared more towards adults. That isn’t to say that many of their series tackle mature themes and intense subject matter, but it is clear that they don’t have many mature series that are distinct and separate from the rest of the Marvel Universe.
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Image Comics’ Fresh Takes on Universal Monsters Are a Treat for Horror Fans
Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon from Image Comics have definitely rewarded fans of Universal’s classic monsters.
Image Comics has so many exciting, adult-oriented books releasing regularly, and this has kept the publisher popular with fans as they grow out of the more kid-friendly fare from other publishers. Invincible captures the appeal and excitement of a classic superhero book while introducing intense, bloody violence and tragic interpersonal issues. It’s a superhero book for people who grew up loving classic Marvel and DC titles but have since realized that those stories often lack real stakes.
Invincible pays homage to the kinds of stories that built the medium into what it is today, while also offering a fresh perspective. That’s all DC and Marvel need to do. They don’t need to alienate their audiences or make drastic changes to generate excitement. They just need to create new, compelling stories with old or new characters and commit to them. Nothing undermines an excellent comic more than having its impact erased by the status quo being restored in another title.
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Villains like WicDiv’s Ananke, TWD’s Negan, and Invincible’s Angstrom Levy are just a few of the iconic foes who debuted in hit Image Comics series.
A mature story doesn’t just mean a regular comic book with more violence or profanity. Those are often signs of a book trying to be edgy or shocking rather than telling an actual story for adults. For DC and Marvel, mature storytelling would mean moving away from relying on large-scale action every page, avoiding constant crossovers and event tie-ins, and allowing creators to build compelling and complex stories without holding back.
A book that is free to be whatever it wants has a much stronger chance of succeeding. Titles like Deadly Class, The Department of Truth, or Chew are perfect examples of this approach. These books aren’t constrained by what’s considered appropriate for their brand and are free to tell complete, exciting stories that readers can connect with and think about. That’s exactly what Marvel and DC need to do—take a cue from what Image Comics is doing and replicate it.
