Image comics occupy a unique position in comics history. They exemplified two principles: that creators could create and own their properties and make money from it, but also that of style over substance.
To be fair the company was formed by artists, rather than writers, so there was always going to be the chance that while the comics they produced would be lovely to look at, the writing might leave a little to be desired.
Ten (actually more like 12, when it finally came out) years later, the remaining founder members put out a celebratory hardcover featuring the characters that they launched when Image first formed:
1.) Erik Larsen gives us the origin of his Savage Dragon. This had been a closely guarded secret that Erik had left hints about in his Savage Dragon comics. The origin takes all of those pieces and puts them together to reveal something nobody would have expected. Whilst the situation we see here is miles away from the Dragon some of us have grown to know and love, it casts everything in a new light. It's also interesting to see Erik doing something much more sci-fi than his usual work. It's a lovely if hideously violent story.
2.) Jim Valentino gives us a teen hero version of his Shadowhawk. Again, the original Shadowhawk went around breaking the backs of criminals, and was meant to be a darker take on Batman. Over the years Jim's take on superheroes has lightened and the new Shadowhawk is more like Spider-man. The art is okay if unspectacular and the story is lightweight.
3.) Marc Silvestri gives us a confusing story of his Cyberforce, who were essentially the X-Men but with a military cyborg background. In the story they venture out to a lost ship in the antarctic and encounter aliens. While the art was very nice in this section, the story is garbled, but apparently it set up a new version of Cyberforce by Ron Marz and Pat Lee.
4.) Todd McFarlane who seemed to have developed a worldbeating icon in Spawn, who had his own TV show and film, gives us a text piece with spot illustrations that gives us a potted history of the CIA agent who becomes an agent of the devil. It also features a certain Man of Miracles. As a primer for Spawn, it's not a bad little piece.
Ultimately Larsen's story is the most special and important but it's an interesting curate's egg.
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