Image Comics is the premiere independent western comic book company in the industry, with the publisher now being 30 years old. The books published by Image have gone on to become some of the biggest properties in comics and beyond, including the likes of Spawn, Invincible, and The Walking Dead. In the case of its superhero franchises, however, many of Image's books come up short in one major area.

While the superheroes of books created by Todd McFarlane, Robert Kirkman and others are typically cool, the villains are a lot less memorable. This stems from a number of creative elements that separate them from the more traditional concepts seen at Marvel and DC. Here's why these indie comics bad guys don't seem to have much influence, and how this could be changed.

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DC and Marvel Outshine Image's Villains

The Batman Who Laughs smiles in DC Comics

Independent comic book creators at Image Comics own their properties outright, meaning that they're the ones making money from the sales of these books, as well as any adaptations. This offers tons of potential for royalties and earnings in perpetuity, but only if the comic takes off and becomes a major franchise. If the comic itself fails to sell, the villains and the stories surrounding them won't make much of a splash, either.

The work-for-hire nature of many comic creators at Marvel and DC have been incredibly contentious over the past several decades, but it does have its perks. There's a more immediate potential for success for new villains, as shown with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's The Batman Who Laughs. Debuting in 2017, this alternate take on the Dark Knight has gone on to appear in several comic books, not to mention appearances in toy lines and video games. This quick rise to prominence is namely due to his being a part of the Batman property, automatically attracting more readers. Thus, it's possible that creators are actually saving their best villain ideas for mainstream books that are more likely to get them royalties.

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Image Comics' Heroes Have Power Levels Often That Surpass the Villains

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Spawn is likely the most popular hero ever published by Image Comics, and he's currently experiencing a resurgence in said popularity. One problem that has constantly plagued the character, however, is his largely undefined and inconsistent power level. Sometimes, normal humans can at least put something of a dent in Al Simmons, with Frank Miller and Todd McFarlane's Spawn/Batman crossover of the early 1990s seeing Batman knock Spawn down. But other times, he's taking on demons, gods and monsters, making it incredibly questionable as to what he's capable of doing and taking.

With heroes such as these, it's almost impossible to create compelling villains for them. After all, if their powers change at the drop of a hat, it's hard to fathom a foe that can present a legitimate challenge to the protagonists. For as "overpowered" as Superman is constantly claimed to be, the scope and exact limits of his powers and weaknesses are at least defined. Books such as Who's Who in the DC Universe (by Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and Robert Greenberger) also help set mainstream heroes and their villains' power levels in stone. Image Comics lacks such directories for their heroes and villains, with these creative almanacs also making it hard to remember foes who've only shown up in older books.

One thing that quickly separated Spawn, Savage Dragon and even former Image characters the WildC.A.T.s from the Justice League and the Avengers was their lack of moral navel-gazing. These antiheroes would have no problem brutally hurting or even killing their opponents, which meant that they wouldn't last nearly as long as iconic enemies such as the Joker, Lex Luthor, Green Goblin or Magneto. One of Spawn's earliest kills was the dastardly ice cream salesman, Billy Kincaid, who was brutally killed by the end of his introductory issue to showcase Al Simmons' view of justice. Ironically, Billy would remain a recurring part of the Spawn mythology, showcasing how, with one issue, McFarlane may have actually struck creative gold.

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Image Comics Should Create More Formidable (and Memorable) Villains

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A single issue is usually not enough to make a villain iconic in their own right, but a single storyline should be more than enough. This is commonly seen in anime and manga, namely the Dragon Ball franchise. Some of Dragon Ball Z's deadliest villains were killed off by the end of the same saga that introduced them, yet they continue to dot the franchise's merchandise and further material. Cell's saga was the final part of the overarching Android Saga, yet the villain is instantly recognizable to this day.

This presents a way in which the superhero tales from Image Comics can produce more notable villains. Build them up across a singular arc, ensuring that their threat level is sufficient for the heroes they face, Throughout this plot, give them memorable, perhaps even gut-wrenching moments that will stick with readers for years to come, as in the case of Billy Kincaid. By doing this, these villains can be remembered long after they've been killed off, allowing for them to be used in merchandise and memorabilia. They might not ever match the infamy of the Joker, but they'll certainly be a lot less forgettable.