Image Comics publisher and cofounder Jim Valentino is out, and another cofounder, Erik Larsen, has been named the new publisher of Image Comics, the third largest publisher in the comics specialty market. Eric Stephenson, formerly director of marketing, will step into the position of managing editor. Valentino remains on board as a partner. The change is meant to jumpstart Image's marketing profile and realign the scheduling and character of the house's list.
Larsen expects to make Image's list more commercial, although he reaffirmed his belief in alternative comics and the continued growth in the bookstore market. "We'll be doing a lot more different kinds of books in different formats, from straight prose to children's books—something for everybody," he said. "What I hope to publish are the books that other creators have a passion for—whatever that might be."
Founded 12 years ago, Image has an unusual setup: it's a co-op of artist-run studios. Both Valentino and Larsen are also cartoonists, and Larsen's long-running Savage Dragon series enjoys a steady cult following. The Image Central office publishes such popular series as Liberty Meadows, Powers, A Distant Soil and Age of Bronze, all of which have been collected into trade paperbacks and have steady sales. Other Image studios run by Todd McFarlane and Marc Silvestri publish such popular series as Spawn and Witchblade.
