After Image

In the soundtrack of our lives, there's no ignoring Johnny Paycheck's "Take This Job and Shove It," a tune that seemed to be going through the heads of some of Marvel Comics’ most popular and notable young artists of the ’90s.

In the early part of that decade, Erik Larsen, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino ditched the corporate world and formed Image Comics, which helped ignite the huge comic-book boom that in the early ’90s. Together, the artists sought and received greater creative freedom and control, higher compensation, and the right to own their creations. Since then, most have gone their own successful ways and furthered their individual successes, even as Image continues as a major publishing entity.

On Saturday, May 3, the founding fathers of Image reunite, sign their works, and mingle with fans during the store’s Free Comic Book Day. McFarlane, creator of Spawn and head honcho of the McFarlane Entertainment empire, is jazzed about the get-together. "It's cool because we liked each other,” McFarlane tells New Times. “Other things got in the way, but we genuinely enjoyed each other's company. Someone at last year's San Diego Comic-Con figured it out for us: This will be one of the few times outside of [Image's] year one that we've been all together."