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Review – The Image Revolution (2014)

What is it? 

A documentary on the origin of creator-owned, comic book company, Image Comics.

Who’s it for? 

Comic book fans & artists fed up with work-for-hire.


image revolution poster

The Image Revolution is a documentary about the 90’s comic scene and the founding of Image Comics. This year marks the film’s first time on home video (Amazon Prime | Shoutfactory DVD ) and the 25th anniversary of Image. It was funded via Kickstarter at a budget just north of $11,000. The film is composed of new interviews intercut with television shows and home movies. Some of the footage is quite rough and the technical merit’s are merely passable. It’s also heavy on nostalgia and fanboy adoration, but that’s its charm.

During the 90’s, the top comic book artists were lauded on TV and treated like rock stars. These celebrity creators propelled sales into the millions each month. Tiring of the low pay, 7 of them formed their own studio. They granted ownership to the creators, not the company and their debut month saw them hit number two on the sales charts. It sent DC scrambling for ideas. As Rob Liefeld puts it, “We killed Superman. We broke Batman’s back.”

Watching this doc is like viewing an old home movie of your favorite birthday. It’s fun to remember a time when heroes wore spikes, the covers were chromium and comic books broke sales records. Image may favored style over substance, but they also reinvigorated the comic book industry.

In the 25 years since, the company has expanded beyond super-hero books and has remained one of the top 3 publishers. It’s responsible for putting out books like The Walking Dead. Think about that – one guy owns the rights to The Walking Dead – a guy who writes comic books. That’s thanks to Image Comics.

 

 

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