Marvel Launches Imprint with Powers, Kabuki

by Heidi Macdonald -- Publishers Weekly, 4/19/2004

Popular comics writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming's Powers series and David Mack's Kabuki series will be moving from Image Comics to Marvel Comics in July, where they will launch a new creator-owned imprint to be called Icon Comics. Both titles have won devoted followings and critical acclaim and have been optioned for films.

Image will continue to distribute the six existing Powers trade paperbacks and five Kabuki trade paper titles, but new trade paperbacks will be handled through Marvel.

According to Marvel's publisher Dan Buckley, "We had been considering this kind of imprint for a while before talking to Brian and David. Starting with Brian and David on Powers and Kabuki really sets the standard for the whole line. We are very excited about this initiative."

The announcement was something of a surprise, as Marvel recently scuttled Epic, another line that included some creator-owned titles and was launched last year with mostly unknown creators (in the comics industry, artists and writers often do not own the copyright to the material they create). Although Marvel wouldn't comment on other plans for Icon, the line is apparently for well-established, bestselling Marvel creators. Bendis is one of Marvel's most successful and prolific writers, with such series as Ultimate Spider-Man, Alias and an upcoming relaunch of the Avengers to his credit.

The move also follows the recent realignment at Image, with Erik Larsen replacing Jim Valentino as publisher.