VALENTINO TALKS ON HIS DEPARTURE FROM IMAGE

[MattBrady]

The former Publisher agreed to speak with Newsarama to set the record straight, and look back on his time as Publisher of the i.

Newsarama: There are conflicting perceptions of how you left the publisher's desk at Image Central. Was your leaving as amicable as the public statement said? If not, what really happened?

Jim Valentino: Well, let's start with the softballs and work our way up from there! Sheeesh!

Here's what I have to say about that; the real story is in the new normalman book. It's not hidden, it's not a sight gag and Newsarama readers, being the astute lot they are, will have no trouble picking it out.

So, I expect every one of them who is even mildly interested in this nonsense to buy a copy of the book! Who says this isn't the age of shameless self-promotion?

NRAMA: Can’t fault you for plugging where and when you can, but back to the topic, was your departure/replacement handled in accordance with the bylaws of Image as well as the laws concerning businesses such as Image?

JV: The Publisher is an employee of the corporation, even if he is also a shareholder/partner. California is an "at-will" employment state. That means the employer can terminate an employee for no reason whatsoever. So, it's perfectly okay to dismiss any employee. I was not voted out as an Image partner or Board member...yet. I may be after this interview, however, I'll keep ya posted - I'm kidding...sort of. Bottom line, they wanted a change. All I can do is wish Erik the best.

NRAMA: So did you leave to pursue creative work?

JV: No. I am in the beginning stages of osteoarthritis as such it hurts my hands to write, let alone draw. There is no way that I can return to "creative pursuits" on a regular basis, I'm only capable of producing perhaps one book per quarter, max.

NRAMA: Looking back at your time in the Image publisher seat, how did you find the place and how did you leave it? What are your proudest accomplishments and what didn’t meet your mark?

JV: If we remember, when I arrived Image was awash in titillation books, cross-branding- something I was directed by the entire Board to put an end to, and less than professional looking books - purely subjective, I admit.

When I left the chair I had brought the company into the black, paid the partners dividends for the first time in over a decade, removed their fees/taxes, created and managed two profitable revenue streams, opened the company to the book trade, negotiated the single best deal in Diamond history - when one considers relative market share, gave Image a positive face by participating in industry wide affairs such as Retailer summits, conventions, the CBLDF, ACTOR, Free Comic Book Day - with the later two, I sat on the Board of Directors and on the steering committee, respectively, etc.

My line got the company it's first Eisner nominations and awards since Bone and took the company away from the much derided "Image style" by presenting a diversified line of quality authors and titles - again, the later claim is purely subjective, your mileage may vary.

NRAMA: Speaking of Image today, it obviously isn’t the super-star powerhouse that it was in the early ‘90s any more so than the industry itself is the same as it was then. What were the biggest struggles that Image was facing, in your view?

JV: I think Image has the same problem right now that all publishers do and that is that it is becoming a two-company industry again.

Month-after-month the top ten is dominated by four brands: X, Spider, Super and Bat. A company like Image that doesn't pay the big bucks, well, okay, doesn't pay any bucks has a difficult time attracting top-seated talent. And fans are increasingly more reluctant to move beyond the tried and true characters they grew up with.

Now, I don't say any of this as a dis toward either Marvel or DC. Personally, I think they're both doing some truly great stuff, but history proves this is not a healthy paradigm. When we limit our potential demographic and toss in the attrition of publishers on top of that, thereby limiting not only content, but also options for the creator, the health, stability and future of our industry is in serious jeopardy.

NRAMA: Speaking of the diversity of material, you really pioneered the expansion of the Image brand, to include more books that would have been formerly seen as independent. As a whole, did that work as well as you had hoped?

JV: No, unfortunately. The problem is that people really do want to categorize things. Marvel is all about super-heroes, Slave Labor is Goth, Top Shelf is alternative. Everything is pigeonholed into a nice little box. I wanted Image to become more like a traditional book publisher; a Random House or Simon and Shuster, if you will. This left, as Brian Hibbs, one of the more progressive retailers, pointed out to me, "no company identity." My hope was that the identity would be quality, as subjective as that is. Hence the diversity of product I championed--everything from Mark Ricketts' Nowheresville to the library oriented Leave It To Chance hardcovers.

My vision was for a company that was not all things to all people, but, rather, something for everyone. If you didn't like Powers, you might like Rex Mundi or PvP or A Distant Soil or Ministry of Space, Jim Mahfood or one of the more "mainstream" offerings like Noble Causes or Invincible. There would be at least one book for damn near every taste. I still believe in that concept, despite all evidence to the contrary.

It seems to me that in a perfect world quality would be the only deciding factor. And, again, I go back to how subjective that term is. Still, in all, while I know we laid a couple of stinkers I believe we also had some really outstanding books from both new and established authors.

NRAMA: Speaking of that diversity a little, in the first story out about your removal and replacement as Publisher, sources cited Powers underperforming, Run going away, and the loss of Devil’s Due and other studios as reasons for your dismissal, what’s your side?

JV: Well, first, the whole bit about Powers came from a secondary and unidentified source. Obviously, someone who doesn't understand how Image actually works.
Image takes a flat fee off the gross from every book. What this means is that whether a book sells one thousand or one billion units, Image gets the same amount of money, the creator pockets the rest. When we formed Image we all agreed this was the only fair way to do things. Both Brian and Mike were very happy with the Powers re-launch as both so vociferously pointed out on the Bendis Board. If they were happy, I was happy. It was not an issue.

As for Run, what could we do? Millar came on this site and exonerated us in any blame for that one. The artist did not do the work. We acted responsibly in canceling the book. Millar went on to state there and then that MillarWorld round two would be done through either Image Central or Top Cow. So, let's see, if he wasn't foisting blame on me, I don't see where that one comes from, either.

The whole "losing the studios" bit really irks me, however.

Let's take a look at some history; the administration preceding mine "lost" Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Jeff Smith, Dale Keown, Sam Kieth, Sergio Aragones, we could go on for days. The administration succeeding me lost our most visible creator and our best selling non-partner book within 60 days of my vacating the chair. No one "blamed" either Larry or Erik and, you know what? No one should!

Image Central is predicated on the concept of self-determination for creators. What that means is that under the way we are structured a creator must have the inalienable right to leave the company if they believe it is in their or their character's best interest.

For some reason or another, the "finger of blame" has been pointed at me over this. I'm sorry, but with all due respect, I do not see where a Devil's Due comes even close to a Jim Lee.

Devil's Due left because they felt their brand was stronger than Image's. Okay, good luck, God bless ya! MV Creations did have an accounting problem that they neglected to tell either Eric Stephenson or myself about. When it was brought to my attention I solved the problem in a way that was more than satisfactory to Val Staples. In fact, we were talking with Val in January about his return to Image. My only caveat was that books would be accepted on a case-by-case basis. He wanted to go it alone and keep all of his books together. One must assume he changed his mind.

Did I get along with everyone that walked through the door? No, of course not! Who does?

NRAMA: When Powers and Kabuki left for Marvel’s ICON line, some sources alluded to the idea that this was in the works for a long time. Did you see this coming when you were sitting in the Publisher’s desk?

JV: I can categorically state that this is untrue.

There are things that went on behind the scenes that Brian has asked me not to discuss. Stuff that happened after I vacated the chair. Considering my personal friendship and loyalty to Brian and his to me, I will respect his wishes.

NRAMA: One of the first things Erik Larsen discussed about his tenure as Publisher would be a possible re-forging of the bonds with some studios that have left. Did you pick up on any kind of sense of frustration on any of the founders/partners’ parts that the studios were leaving?

JV: Yes. They were pissed off that these studios were coming in, branding themselves and going off to become our competition. They wanted an end to it. Considering how Image is structured, the only way I could see to end it was to keep them out!

However, if Erik is able to mend those fences and forge those bridges in a way that makes sense to him, more power to him! I wish him nothing but success in that endeavor.

NRAMA: So when is that 10th anniversary book coming out?

JV: (Laughter), Oh, that's Erik's headache, Erik's heartache now, you'll have to ask him. I will repeat that both he and I were done two effin' years ago and on time!! He claims he can move the other guys in ways I couldn't? God bless him!

NRAMA: Final thoughts on your time as publisher, looking back on what Image has now, as well as the formation of ICON?

JV: I'm not certain how to answer that first one. Bear in mind that I had Image scheduled up to October, I believe, so almost everything you'll see between now and then - with, I'm sure a few exceptions, is pretty much still me.

On the later, on ICON, it's just still too early to tell. Marvel has an entirely different business model than Image, so I doubt seriously that they'll be opening their doors to newcomers the Robert Kirkmans, B. Clay Moores and Jason Rands of the world the way that Image can.

However, if the ICON deal is in any way similar to or matches the Image deal, it could keep A-List mainstream creators, like your Bendis', out of Image's reach. It really all depends on the deal that's being offered and how expansive the imprint will become, doesn't it?

Image will, I hope, always be a place where both the new and established creator can get a foothold and present his ideas without fear that his creation will be stolen out from underneath him by a corporation. So long as Image Central stays true to that basic precept, I believe that it's all good.

Yes, Valentino said the true story is in his upcoming issue of normalman, and yes, that was normalman on the cover of the latest Previews....so yes, Jim will be back to tomorrow to talk all about it.

[RDuarte]

Jim Valentino is a classy guy.

NRAMA: So when is that 10th anniversary book coming out?

If I ran the world, I would have put the book out with the completed stories and have the creators who did not participate feel the wrath of the fans.

The sad part is that Erik's completed Savage Dragon and Jim's completed Shadowhawk stories wouldn't sell over 1000 books. 1500 books, tops. And I say that as a die hard Savage Dragon fan. The book is great, but people just don't pick it up. But you add McFarlane and Silvestri and you have a 20-30,000 seller. There is no justice in this world...

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

I doubt the Image HC will sell anywhere near 30,000 copies. The price point alone limits it. SPAWN sells about 30,000 copies a month, by icv2.com estimates. DRAGON is under 10,000 by the same estimates. And those are for sub-$3 books.

But a $25 hardcover book? They'll be lucky to sell 10,000, I'm guessing. But I'm ready to be wrong. The book's already been solicited. Anyone have the numbers handy for that month?

That said, Larsen and Valentino on their own wouldn't sell as well as Larsen and Valentino with McFarlane and Silvestri. I'm sure it'll double the orders, but not to 30,000.

On the other hand, I hope I'm wrong.

-Augie

[halflingsinger]

could the industry have it wrong? could jim be telling the truth that he is not to blame?

It is so funny that there are even politics and spin control in the "high stakes" world of sequential art.

I truly believe Mr. Valentino but, you know, with the right spin, i could disbelieve him again tomorrow.

[RDuarte]

Originally posted by Augie De Blieck Jr.
That said, Larsen and Valentino on their own wouldn't sell as well as Larsen and Valentino with McFarlane and Silvestri. I'm sure it'll double the orders, but not to 30,000.

Hey Augie! Love your column. I was just throwing out numbers (I really didn't think it would sell 30,000; maybe 20,000, but not 30,000) to make my point:

Workhorses like Larsen and Valentino WOULDN'T sell a lot of copies while a flash-in-the-pan (IMO) like McFarlane or a "hot artist" like Silvestri WOULD sell.

I love Savage Dragon and I recommend it to everyone out there. I was planning on buying the 10th anniversary book just to learn the Dragon's origin, but I think it'll come out in the regular book (rumored for issue 125) before it the hardcover comes out.

[halflingsinger]

bccb

[RDuarte]

Originally posted by halflingsinger
could the industry have it wrong? could jim be telling the truth that he is not to blame?

Whether he is to blame or not, I think Jim's a classy guy because he could easily have pointed fingers or given out "personal" information (like his conversations with Bedis) just to save his reputation. He didn't. He answered all of the questions and is letting his work and reputation speak for itself. There is no hype. There is no he said/she said. He's letting the interview speak for itself. That's classy.

Of course, when today's Lying in the Gutters is posted, everything we know about Jim will be proven wrong, but until then, I respect the man for the work he's done (as a creator and publisher).

[SHABBAZZ]

I totally agree that consistent quality should be the "Identity" people associated with the books cranked out while Valentino was the Publisher. Image was a company entirely dependent on the presence of Lee, Liefeld (still don't get it), Silvestri and others and the fact that Valentino was able to recreate Image without those big guns is one of the most impressive overhauls I've ever seen.

What crippled Image was the return of the "liscensed properties" and the ridiculous nostalgia (nostalgia for 10 years ago) they inspired. Overall GI Joe, He-Man, Transformers, Thundercats, you name it, have been mediocre or worse and thrive based on overblown nostalgia. These books cater to the same crowd eager to see Liefeld apply pencil to paper so here we are reliving the eighties and early ninties minus all that Frank Miller, Alan Moore baggage. Variant covers, delayed issue releases and Liefeld's epileptic pencilling are back and people are gobbling it up.

Just when books like Powers, Tellos, Sojourn, Bone, Hellboy, etc. seemed to be driving the industry away from the standard superhero paradigm here comes 8 versions of the Transformers to retard the progress.

Here's to looking forward to the day when people pull their heads out of their asses and 100 Bullets outsells the X titles.

[mrhelm]

I think the saddest thing to me is the mention of Valentino's arthritis. I was hoping we'd see a new regular series from Jim.

[Jeff Hoffman]

Originally posted by halflingsinger
could the industry have it wrong? could jim be telling the truth that he is not to blame?

It is so funny that there are even politics and spin control in the "high stakes" world of sequential art.

I truly believe Mr. Valentino but, you know, with the right spin, i could disbelieve him again tomorrow.

I'm not sure it matters what really happened in order to determine whether Jim is classy or not. That was a classy interview anyway you look at it.

[saiyanspider]

I didn't like his attitude towards the studios that left. His point that no one blamed the previous admin, was nothing but whiney finger pointing. It was that previous admin's fault that Jim left. Or that would have been my observation of it. I'm not saying that's right or wrong but the person in charge always is responsible for anything bad that happens. That's why any boss will be real jerks towards their employees. Remember people crap rolls downhill. This situation is no different. Valentino is the boss he is in charge so whether he is responsible for the studios leaving or not he is going to get the heat. Honestly considering his attitude in this interview, and the last one I just don't think he liked them very much which might have spilled over to any dealing, meetings etc.

The crack about the studios thinking they were bigger than Image, well in a way they were.

Dreamwave has Capcom, and Transformers, Both have huge audiences

Udon had Street fighter, nuff said.

Devil's Due has friggin GI JOE, a popular franchise which has been around for a while.

I applaud the goal and vision he had for Image, and I think he did a very good job on that end, I just think he is taking the Studio issue a bit to personal.

[doom]

i have been a huge fan of jim's since marvel launched guardians of the galaxy. i was saddened when he left to form image, but was happy because he was the guy out of the founding image people who was more writer than artist, which made me think image wasn't just going to be an art focused publisher.

i think he has helped a lot of young creators because of being in a position to mentor to them.

i hope he continues to mentor new talent and that he finds the right gig for himself given his current state.

maybe joe q. can cancel that new guardians book thats coming out and hire jim to write it instead, picking up where he left off in the 90s.

yeah, i would totally buy that.

[dollman]

Well I think Valentino took the high road as best as possible. Naturally some negativity is going to come out of the probing questions that Matt lobbied at him. But overall, I think he presented himself well.

That was an interesting comment about Image lacking a brand or identity. I totally agree with this. Used to be, you could equate Image with Spawn, Savage Dragon, etc. But none of these titles have captured the non-comic collecting public's imagination like Batman has with DC, or Spidey has with Marvel.

I think this is an inherent problem with a company that really was formed out of rebellion, and really is a melting pot of different studios. It's difficult to present an united corporate front when the very nature of its success is built upon creative and rebellious creators and/or studios.

[Val]

MV Creations did have an accounting problem that they neglected to tell either Eric Stephenson or myself about.

That is not entirely true. But no point airing it out, since the past can't be changed.

When it was brought to my attention I solved the problem in a way that was more than satisfactory to Val Staples.

That's also not true.
But, in fairness, Jim was willing to work with us and come to some sort of comprimise.
We could have walked away with nothing.

In fact, we were talking with Val in January about his return to Image. My only caveat was that books would be accepted on a case-by-case basis. He wanted to go it alone and keep all of his books together. One must assume he changed his mind.

Also, not true.
The same books we brought to Image now are books Jim was willing to bring back then.
And we were always willing to submit new books on a case-by-case approval basis.
It's the deal structure that has changed since Jim left that made it more helpful to creators and studios, and that was a factor that contributed to our return.

Of course, I can understand Jim's distaste for studios with licensed books. Even though we weren't looking to leave Image and become competition, I could see where it would not sit well despite the purely business side of the equation.

Jim's a good guy. I wish him nothing but the best, and we're happy that he gave us a shot a couple years ago.

[Sammycomic]

Much respect to the big V.

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

Originally posted by RDuarte
Hey Augie! Love your column. [...]

I was planning on buying the 10th anniversary book just to learn the Dragon's origin, but I think it'll come out in the regular book (rumored for issue 125) before it the hardcover comes out.

Thanks, kind sir. And with Erik so busy manning the Image ship these days, there probably is a really good chance that the hardcover will hit stores before DRAGON #125. #115 is delayed now until June, in all likelihood.

That buys Silvestri and McFarlane at least a full year to finish their stories.

-Augie

[Truthseeker]

Month-after-month the top ten is dominated by four brands: X, Spider, Super and Bat. A company like Image that doesn't pay the big bucks, well, okay, doesn't pay any bucks has a difficult time attracting top-seated talent. And fans are increasingly more reluctant to move beyond the tried and true characters they grew up with.

I think the industry is begining to develop along the lines of the movie industry. There are big blockbuster movies that are always in the top ten and dominate the top ten. But at the same time, ther is a thriving independent and foreign film market. These movies do not make the millions that the big movies do. But they are successful in their own right.

I think comics are developing that way as well. Books like Hellboy, The Goon, Blacksad and Bone succeed at their own level. These artists do not have the over head that the big companies do so a book that sells less can still be a success. I see more diversity than when I started collecting in the 90's anyway.

[samnoir]

Given the fact that Valentino can't draw more than one book a quarter due to his arthritis, I think he would be a perfect candidate for one of Alan Moore's ABC anthology books. It's too bad that Tomorrow Stories is not longer around and Alan Moore seems to be finishing up the ABC universe, because Valentino's retro-spoof Normalman style would be a perfect venue for that. I would love to see him do something in Tom Strong's Terrific Tales, although an original character that rifts on the Silver Age with a post modern twist would be seem to be perfect for both their strengths.

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[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

Originally posted by SHABBAZZ
Just when books like Powers, Tellos, Sojourn, Bone, Hellboy, etc. seemed to be driving the industry away from the standard superhero paradigm here comes 8 versions of the Transformers to retard the progress.

Somehow, I don't think the two correlate the way you'd like them to. For starters, TELLOS was dead long before GI JOE got restarted. HELLBOY is arguably more popular than ever now, with Dark Horse unable to keep up with the demand. POWERS is going to be a bigger seller than ever under the Marvel imprint. SOJOURN died along with its entire company, unrelated to CrossGen's issues with MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.

And BONE started during the Image heyday, when books you'd probably decry for choking the market were in full swing. Ditto HELLBOY, which was part of a line inspired by the creation of Image.

The industry standard of superheroes has never been in jeopardy for the past twenty years. Not even close. It's nice to think that we made strides in that direction in the 90s with HELLBOY and SIN CITY and all the rest, but those books were never in danger of reshaping the market.

And 8 different versions of TRANSFORMERS did not kill that burst of creativity or inventiveness. That's related to the depressed market more than anything. In fact, I think you could make the argument that it brought enough people back to comics to allow those independent books the chance to acquire a larger audience. You can't sell the comics without the eyeballs there to read them.

-Augie

[RDuarte]

Originally posted by Augie De Blieck Jr.
And with Erik so busy manning the Image ship these days, there probably is a really good chance that the hardcover will hit stores before DRAGON #125. #115 is delayed now until June, in all likelihood.

I HATE HATE HATE that Larsen is publisher for that very reason. He seems like a nice enough guy, he speaks his mind on the issues, and draws a book that doesn't sell because he loves it.

That buys Silvestri and McFarlane at least a full year to finish their stories.

Even with the year, something tells me it won't come out. And that's not me being pessemistic. That's me being realistic.

[Joe Quesada]

In my nearly four years as Marvel EiC, I have had several business and personal dealings with Jim. All I can say is that he is a class act who truly loves this industry and did a hell of a job from everything that I can tell.

Jim, we miss you already!

JQ

[Fresco]

Originally posted by mrhelm
I think the saddest thing to me is the mention of Valentino's arthritis.

Yeah, same here. Sucks to hear that about Jim.

Someone else mentioned it in this thread, and even though I'm completely biased in my love for ShadowHawk... Love to see Jim on Guardians of the Galaxy again (completely biased in that book too). Jim totally did right by me in the past, so he can do no wrong in my eyes ever.


Like I told you at WizardWorldTexas last year Jim... really looking forward to NORMALMAN!!!

[BClayMoore]

I owe Jim quite a bit and think the world of him.

And I hope people check out the normalman Twentieth Anniversary Special. It's gonna be a blast.

-BCM

[Jun Kim]

Jim was the first pro to take the time to review my portfolio and give me positive, encouraging feedback. You really helped me boost my confidence, Jim.

You are the classiest as any Publisher comes in this industry!

[ATKokmen]

Let me add my voice to those praising Jim Valentino. For a previous employer, I had a few opportunities to talk to him about possible ventures (none of which came to fruition) and have been in touch with him intermittently since then. I find him a remarkably thoughtful and professional fellow, and one of the great minds of comics publishing.

After normalman (which I'm eagerly anticipating!) I don't know what his next thing will be, but I'm looking forward to it.

All best, Mr. V!