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| ==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
| The story begins with Fortress appearing unsure of his new powers and still adjusting to them. This leads to a run in with ], who assumes the worst about Fortress, still adjusting to his powers, Fortress accidentally knocks Dragon to the ground. Before the altercation can continue, they both run into Doc Seismic, and a fight ensues, resulting in Fortress finally taking down Seismic after absorbing all his energy. Dragon then thanks Fortress for his help, but after trying to bring him in, Fortress flies off unable to handle the amount of energy he absorbed. He then crashes down onto the ground and passes out after having a vision of all the Image Comics characters standing together.<ref>Image United #0</ref> | The story begins with Fortress appearing unsure of his new powers and still adjusting to them. This leads to a run in with ], who assumes the worst about Fortress, still adjusting to his powers, Fortress accidentally knocks Dragon to the ground. Before the altercation can continue, they both run into Doc Seismic, and a fight ensues, resulting in Fortress finally taking down Seismic after absorbing all his energy. Dragon then thanks Fortress for his help, but after trying to bring him in, Fortress flies off unable to handle the amount of energy he absorbed. He then crashes down onto the ground and passes out after having a vision of all the Image Comics characters standing together.<ref>Image United #0</ref> | ||
| Issue #1 begins with Fortress continuing to have his vision of the Image Universe characters, in said vision, they are facing an evil they cannot possibly stand against and they are all systematically taken down. Fortress snaps out of it to find himself on a roof in Chicago, before he can get his bearings, he sees Overt-Kill down in the street causing mass destruction. Upon seeing Overt-Kill he see's ] arrive on the scene to face down Overt-Kill. Dragon sees the commotion and joins the fray, teaming with Youngblood to stop Overt-Kill. | |||
| Meanwhile at Cyberforce HQ, Cyberforce are seeing violent incidents rising all over the country. Unsure of where to assist first, they conclude that all these incidents arising at the same time can be no coincidence and there must be a larger force at work. At that point Velocity runs in and informs them of big mess in downtown ], and they decide to go there first. | |||
| Back in Chicago, Dragon and Youngblood are still fighting down Overt-Kill, aren't having much success. Fortress, tired of standing by, joins the fray, just in time for Die-Hards' current body to be destroy by Overt-Kill. He uploads himself into a new body, and as he departs Youngblood HQ, Troll informs him that a new recruit is waiting before he runs out. Fortress, Shaft, Badrock and Dragon continue to engage Overt-Kill in Chicago. | |||
| At Youngblood HQ, Eddie Collins, ], is waiting to audition for the team with his father. Troll runs in and informs him Shaft is out in the field, and that he'll be handling the final evaluation. Eddie suits up and says that he is ready. | |||
| Back in Chicago, Badrock gets the upper hand on Overt-Kill and destroys his body. Overt-Kill launches his head off, but Shaft grounds him before he can escape. Fortress sees the battle is over, but cannot help but feel that worse things are coming and he must gather more forces. Diehard returns and takes Vogue to a hospital to be treated for her wounds. Dragon starts to leave but Fortress stops him by slamming him into a wall and starts screaming that the world needs them and terrible danger is coming. Dragon punches him down unsure of what Fortress is talking about, Shaft steps in and says that Youngblood will take him into custody. | |||
| Back at Youngblood HQ, Shadowhawk has apparently passed all evaluations with flying colors and Troll tells him that he's as good as in. Cougar runs by and tells Troll that Girth, Quantum and Crypt are all active in different locations and that Youngblood is splitting into three teams to assist. Troll tells Shadowhawk that while he must stay to coordinate the effort, they could use Shadowhawk in the field. Shadowhawk agrees with almost no hesitation. | |||
| In New York City, ] is sitting in a room when a voice tells him to rise, and that he is a piece of a plan that has already been set into motion. Jim is unsure of who it is and transforms into Spawn, demanding to know who it is and what they want. ] then reveals himself as the Omega Spawn, and says that he wants it all, and that Jim Downing is going to help him get it. | |||
| Back in Chicago, Dragon arrives back home to find Malcom watching TV and Angel attempting to help with the chaos. Dragon forbids her before he is called in by the Police Department. His only comment being, "What in the world is going on...?" | |||
| At Youngblood HQ, Shaft goes to visit Fortress in his cell, once there Shaft demands to know what he was going on about to Dragon earlier. Fortress says he only knows bits, but that it's going to get worse, and if they don't gather everyone against the coming threat, they will all die<ref>Image United #1</ref>. | |||
| ==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
Revision as of 22:24, 21 April 2010
| Image United | |
|---|---|
 Variant cover of Image United 1 (Nov 2009),art by Whilce Portacio | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Image Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | November 2009 – April 2010 |
| No. of issues | 6 |
| Main character(s) | Youngblood Shadowhawk Spawn Savage Dragon Invincible Witchblade Cyberforce The Darkness |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Robert Kirkman |
| Artist(s) | Whilce Portacio Jim Valentino Marc Silvestri Rob Liefeld Erik Larsen Todd McFarlane |
Image United is a 2009 six-issue comic book limited series published by Image Comics, with two issues released so far. Art for the series is done by six of the seven Image co-founders (Jim Lee having left for DC Comics) Whilce Portacio, Jim Valentino, Marc Silvestri, Rob Liefeld, Erik Larsen and Todd McFarlane, with each artist drawing the characters he created. It was recently revealed the Seventh Image Founder Jim Lee is contributing covers to the series. The series is written by Image partner Robert Kirkman.
Background
Image United is a crossover event featuring the characters created by the six remaining founders including Youngblood, Spawn, Savage Dragon, Pitt, Shadowhawk, Witchblade, Cyberforce, and The Darkness. Whilce Portacio—whose sole Image Comics creation Wetworks is owned by DC Comics subsidiary Wildstorm—will be creating a new character for the series. The villain has been revealed as the original Spawn, Al Simmons, now known as Omega Spawn.
Plot
The story begins with Fortress appearing unsure of his new powers and still adjusting to them. This leads to a run in with Savage Dragon, who assumes the worst about Fortress, still adjusting to his powers, Fortress accidentally knocks Dragon to the ground. Before the altercation can continue, they both run into Doc Seismic, and a fight ensues, resulting in Fortress finally taking down Seismic after absorbing all his energy. Dragon then thanks Fortress for his help, but after trying to bring him in, Fortress flies off unable to handle the amount of energy he absorbed. He then crashes down onto the ground and passes out after having a vision of all the Image Comics characters standing together.
Issue #1 begins with Fortress continuing to have his vision of the Image Universe characters, in said vision, they are facing an evil they cannot possibly stand against and they are all systematically taken down. Fortress snaps out of it to find himself on a roof in Chicago, before he can get his bearings, he sees Overt-Kill down in the street causing mass destruction. Upon seeing Overt-Kill he see's Youngblood arrive on the scene to face down Overt-Kill. Dragon sees the commotion and joins the fray, teaming with Youngblood to stop Overt-Kill.
Meanwhile at Cyberforce HQ, Cyberforce are seeing violent incidents rising all over the country. Unsure of where to assist first, they conclude that all these incidents arising at the same time can be no coincidence and there must be a larger force at work. At that point Velocity runs in and informs them of big mess in downtown New York City, and they decide to go there first.
Back in Chicago, Dragon and Youngblood are still fighting down Overt-Kill, aren't having much success. Fortress, tired of standing by, joins the fray, just in time for Die-Hards' current body to be destroy by Overt-Kill. He uploads himself into a new body, and as he departs Youngblood HQ, Troll informs him that a new recruit is waiting before he runs out. Fortress, Shaft, Badrock and Dragon continue to engage Overt-Kill in Chicago.
At Youngblood HQ, Eddie Collins, Shadowhawk, is waiting to audition for the team with his father. Troll runs in and informs him Shaft is out in the field, and that he'll be handling the final evaluation. Eddie suits up and says that he is ready.
Back in Chicago, Badrock gets the upper hand on Overt-Kill and destroys his body. Overt-Kill launches his head off, but Shaft grounds him before he can escape. Fortress sees the battle is over, but cannot help but feel that worse things are coming and he must gather more forces. Diehard returns and takes Vogue to a hospital to be treated for her wounds. Dragon starts to leave but Fortress stops him by slamming him into a wall and starts screaming that the world needs them and terrible danger is coming. Dragon punches him down unsure of what Fortress is talking about, Shaft steps in and says that Youngblood will take him into custody.
Back at Youngblood HQ, Shadowhawk has apparently passed all evaluations with flying colors and Troll tells him that he's as good as in. Cougar runs by and tells Troll that Girth, Quantum and Crypt are all active in different locations and that Youngblood is splitting into three teams to assist. Troll tells Shadowhawk that while he must stay to coordinate the effort, they could use Shadowhawk in the field. Shadowhawk agrees with almost no hesitation.
In New York City, Jim Downing is sitting in a room when a voice tells him to rise, and that he is a piece of a plan that has already been set into motion. Jim is unsure of who it is and transforms into Spawn, demanding to know who it is and what they want. Al Simmons then reveals himself as the Omega Spawn, and says that he wants it all, and that Jim Downing is going to help him get it.
Back in Chicago, Dragon arrives back home to find Malcom watching TV and Angel attempting to help with the chaos. Dragon forbids her before he is called in by the Police Department. His only comment being, "What in the world is going on...?"
At Youngblood HQ, Shaft goes to visit Fortress in his cell, once there Shaft demands to know what he was going on about to Dragon earlier. Fortress says he only knows bits, but that it's going to get worse, and if they don't gather everyone against the coming threat, they will all die.
Reception
The series has sold solidly if unspectacularly, with the first issue selling just over 42,000 copies and the second selling around 27,500 . However, despite these numbers, both issues sold out, warranting additional printings.
Despite the good sales, the series thus far as received poor reviews. Comic Book Resources awarded the first issue 2 stars out of 5, another review from the website gave it 1 and a half stars out of 5. IGN awarded similar reviews, awarding issue #1 a 5.8 out of 10, and issue #2 a 4.3 out of 10..
Additional criticism has now fallen on the massive delays the project is suffering, while issues #1 and #2 shipped on time, issue #3 has yet to appear, it was originally scheduled for a January 2010 release, it has now been pushed back multiple times, and is now sitting at a May 19th, 2010 release date, a full 5 months after issue #2.
Rob Liefeld commented on his twitter regarding the delays saying:
"It goes without saying that Image United is a massive embarrassment. Damn shame the enthusiasm for the book not shared by all."
Said delays have also caused multiple spin off books to be produced. First was Image United #0, also written by Robert Kirkman, featuring the same jam style art contributions from Erik Larsen and Whilce Portacio, drawing Savage Dragon and Fortress respectively, and also additonal art by Image mainstay Ryan Ottley, handling art chores for Doc Seismic. The #0 was released to act as a prelude to the series and saw release in February.
The second book was to be called 'Image United Interlude,' also written by Kirkman, featuring art by Ryan Ottley, solicitations had the book focusing on the effects of Image United on other characters within the Image Universe, including Invincible. It was meant to follow the 'cataclysmic events' of Image United #3, but due to the delays with Image United #3, this book has also yet to see release and is currently slated for a May 1st release, but due to the additional delays to Image United #3, this seems unlikely.
Notes
- ^ Phegley, Kiel (July 25, 2008). "CCI: Image Gets "United"". Comic Book Resources.
- Wigler, Josh (November 16, 2009). "Jim Lee Covers "Image United"". Comic Book Resources.
- Newsarama Staff (October 16, 2009). "Teaser: IMAGE UNITED "His Evil Knows No Limits"". Newsarama.
- Wigler, Josh (October 15, 2009). "Al Simmons Goes Bad In "Image United," Kirkman Talks". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- Image United #0
- Image United #1
- http://imageunitedinfo.blogspot.com/2009/12/image-united-2-sells-out.html
- http://imageunitedinfo.blogspot.com/2009/11/image-united-1-sells-out.html
- http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=1614
- http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=1601
- http://comics.ign.com/objects/036/036342_list.html
- http://imagecomics.com/issue.php?item=10634
- http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/04/quote-of-the-day-rob-liefeld-on-image-united/
- http://comicbookrevolution.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=235:image-united-0-review&catid=57:image&Itemid=71
- http://imageunitedinfo.blogspot.com/2010/02/image-united-0-out-022410.html
- http://www.newsarama.com/comics/091223-image-united-interlude.html
- http://imagecomics.com/issue.php?item=10691
References
- Image United at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
External links
Interviews
 | This section includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this section by introducing more precise citations. (November 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
- Wigler, Josh (July 24, 2009). "CCI: Kirkman and McFarlane on "Image United"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- Rogers, Vaneta (October 21, 2009). ""Image United" Weekly - Erik Larsen". Newsarama. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- Geddes, John (October 29, 2009). "Comic all-stars team up for 'Image United'". USA Today. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- Rogers, Vaneta (October 30, 2009). "IMAGE UNITED Weekly - Jim Valentino". Newsarama. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- Geddes, John (November 3, 2009). "Robert Kirkman talks 'Image United'". USA Today. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- Rogers, Vaneta (November 4, 2009). "IMAGE UNITED Weekly - Rob Liefeld". Newsarama. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- Geddes, John (November 10, 2009). "Jim Valentino on Image United and ShadowHawk". USA Today. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- Rogers, Vaneta (November 11, 2009). "IMAGE UNITED Weekly - Whilce Portacio". Newsarama. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- Geddes, John (November 12, 2009). "Marc Silvestri discusses 'Image United' and big 2010". USA Today. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- Kirkman, Robert (November 16, 2009). "Kirkman Talks Image United". Techland.com. Time Inc. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
- Rogers, Vaneta (November 20, 2009). "IMAGE UNITED Weekly - Marc Silvestri". Newsarama. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
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