The first presentation at the Diamond/Alliance Retailer Summit in Las Vegas on Monday evening was Image, which led off with publisher Jim Valentino. He didn't seem too happy with the recent tone of comic industry events, at one point urging the listeners to 'stop the fingerpointing, the blaming, and the namecalling.' He mixed his invective with exhortations to exploit the potential of the medium, and concluded with, 'Stop the whining; stop the bitching; start working; let's start tonight.'
In a more tactical mode, Image's Anthony Bozzi talked about some of Image's recent successes and future plans. Although Image had previously talked about its G.I. Joe overprints and reprints (see 'Image Goes Back to Press with G.I. Joe #1') the actual sales had not been revealed. Bozzi said that G.I. Joe #1 has now sold 130,000 copies, which would make it the number one seller in October (see 'Top 300 Comics -- October') if they had all been ordered in advance. Image also gambled heavily on Creeps #1, which sold out a 45% overprint.
Two future projects touted by Bozzi stood out. One is the 10th anniversary book planned to mark the anniversary of the founding of Image Comics. The four founders that remain with Image will each contribute a story featuring their flagship characters -- Valentino on Shadowhawk, McFarlane on Spawn, Larsen on Savage Dragon, and Sylvestri on Cyberforce. The four will also work together on a jam cover. Larry Marder will contribute a 'Beanworld-style' introduction. The book will first be released as 128-page regular and limited edition hardcovers. The limited edition hardcover will be an edition of around 1000, and will have a tip-in jam illo and a slipcase to differentiate it from the regular edition hardcover. The regular edition hardcover will sell for $24.95, and the plan is to print enough to keep it available for about a year before releasing the trade paperback, although it sounds like the trade edition will not be out for a year even if they miscalculate.
