God, do I hate 90s comics. No, not Morrison JLA(Rayner not withstanding), Spiderman 2099(which shouldn't work but does),Knightfall, or Kingdom Come. I'm talking about the BLOOD SCREAM DEATH EXTREME MURDER BLEED KILL!!!!!!! 90s comics.....the kind that Knightfall and Kingdom Come BLATANTLY ATTACK AND CRITICIZE!!! And it's oh so fun to look back and make fun of them. So let's look back at the originators of AWESOME!!!!!, early 90s Image and their launch titles, my thoughts on them, and where they are now.
Spawn: The granddaddy of GRITTY!!!, Spawn was about a former mercenary who liked to DEATHKILL. In the line of duty, he dies, makes a deal with the devil, and comes back to MURDERBLOODDEATHKILL!!!!! Created by Todd McFarlane, Spawn was the epitome of 90s, and it shows.The franchise is seemingly stuck in 90s fad limbo, never being able to make a come back of any sort. Once able to sell millions based on covers alone, the floundering title can now only manage to briefly surge in sales when its creator returns to art duty sporadically, hoping in vain that the title/character will reach their 90s popularity.
W.I.L.D.Cats: Essentially Jim Lee's Alien X-Men, the W.I.L.D.Cats have actually had some decent runs on their hands, particularly the Alan Moore run as well as the acclaimed Version 3.0 run. After the Wildstorm label went under, the characters, namely the 'Cats, were absorbed into the DC universe. Sadly, the sexy but sweet Voodoo was still given that distasteful occupation................oh how it sucks to be a fanboy for someone no one else really cares about.
Savage Dragon: Created by Erik Larsen, 'Dragon was somewhat different from the other Image titles. While still featuring big guns, bigger muscles, and biggerer boobs, it focused more on character and story than the other launch titles. The book is still going today, with Larsen still at the helm the whole ride through.
Cyberforce: Image's 2nd X-Men ripoff, Cyberforce was originally conceived as a sci-fi tale about forced technological evolutions gone wrong, but eventually, being and X-Off, was written to star mutants. The creator, Marc Silvestri, is currently nearing a relaunch/reboot of Cyberforce that will stay true to the original idea, with the mutant angle being completely written out and the characters(such as 90s Wolverine clone #498 Ripclaw and super cute speedster Velocity) given more realistic designs.
Wetworks: Image's 3rd X-men ripoff(just damn), Wetworks was about a "special ops 90s strikeforce........with SYMBIOTES!!!!". Basically X-force with faux Venom suits. Due to its delays, it never really caught on like the rest of the titles(though any of their longevity could be argued, as even the once mighty Spawn is now nothing more than a punchline). However, I give the creator, Whilce Portacio, some slack as his sister died around the time of planned release, and so I go easier on him than some of the other......cough "Liefeld" cough. And he could actually draw lol.
Shadowhawk: Bat-Bane, or "Bat who breaks backs.........WITH BLOOOOOOOOD!!!!" Shadowhawk was Jim Valentino's creations, and was originally intentioned as a Marvel character. However, intending to hop on the chugging Image train, Valentino made this character on his own. The joke is that Image was founded by 6 superstar artists......and Jim Valentino(or 6 fair to great artists....and Liefeld), as Valentiono did not have the popular detailed and dynamic art of his colleagues. Like Wetworks, Shadowhawk did not catch on like Spawn or W.I.L.D.Cats, but has had several mini-series'.
.......and.............finally.......YOUNGBLOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDD!!!!!!!: Created by industry hack darling Rob Liefeld, Youngblood was a team of superstar heroes(similar to Image's founders) who had to deal with the press, agents, and celebrity life. Original stuff, mind you. Totally not seen before and done way better in JLI/Booster Gold. Of course not, no way. Anyways, Youngblood SUCKED BLOOD MUSCLES, much like its creator, and is similarly a punchline. May it rest in pouch...peace. Oh...wait.....it's got a new ongoing? GGGGUUUUNNNNNNNN!!!!
Log in to comment