I’m not sayin’ that’s the case with Kirkman.

Is it only British creators who get an exemption.

Now somebody needs to update that file photo. It looks like a police mugshot. Try SMILING next time, Robert!

Damn… sometimes I wish I could interview people in the comics industry.

And you can have the best content in the world, but if nobody’s heard of your book / movie / four-issue miniseries, nobody’s going to buy it. Marketing is an integral part of publishing and doesn’t just mean making groovy posters for comic shop owners — its selling books in to bookstore chains, to schools, libraries, etc., which is beyond the purview of most comics creators. Even Jeff Smith — a man who made a one-title comics publishing company a going concern for ten-plus years — found his sales skyrocketing as soon as he got access to Scholastic’s mighty marketing machine.

Matt needs a hug.

Let’s hope they keep their current deal for people who want it since I think Image has been a great promoter of new talent in the industry over the last few years. I can’t imagine too many books like Phonogram or Casanova coming out from other publishers the way the industry is right now. I used to despise Image books in the 90s and stayed pretty much with Fanta, D&Q and self-published stuff but more and more Image books have creeped into my purchases as they’ve taken more risks and published “edgier” material. Let’s hope this only encourages and enables them to get even edgier.

The rumor we’ve heard most is the one about a new business model for Image - but one that would allow the publisher to get royalties, of sorts.”

I hope this new model doesn’t become the standard at Image. I would rather pick up a book people are pushing because they believe in the content and not because the creators gave them more money to push it. I always thought Image stood for independence. With the number of books published every month, things are going to get lost in the shuffle. I would hate to be the creator of a book that gets lost in the shuffle because I didn’t have as much money as the other guys to pay for marketing.

Unfortunately, marketing sells more books, movies, comics, albums and other such entertainment items than their actual content does. All style, no substance. That’s the world we live in now, shamefully.

Not that that makes Image any different theh Marvel or DC, but Image started that ball rolling and unfortunately showed salles wouldn’t drop because of lateness.

So that’s a “disease” that Image gets credit for.

As an Image creator I take “They are also breathtaking in their lack of discipline,” as a positive. There’s no one cracking the whip at Image, or telling you what to do and when to do it. It’s the kind of freedom you need to discover what’s important for yourself. That’s true creative freedom, and you need a lack of discipline to discover your own direction creatively.

Rich!

Ya me either but hopefully it doesnt escalate into the 90s east coast/west coast rapper fueds.