If you're not Generation Y, then you wouldn't even begin to understand how Image literally ran the comic book game from its inception in 1992 to about 1996 when the company partially broke-up. In the early 90s, Todd McFarlane and a few other Marvel illustrators were fed up with the business practices of Marvel Comics and sought creative control over their work. Marvel disregarded their demands and eight illustrators chose to leave the company and form an exclusive partnership in order to manifest what we now know as Image Comics. The company was created in 1992 and the world saw a blitzkrieg of mind-bending illustrations and deeply complex storylines like those in The Maxx, Spawn, Youngblood, Wetworks and Shadowhawk. The advent of Image Comics did to the comic world what The Matrix did to action films. Within just a few months, Image Comics owned 10% of the comic book industry -- surpassing DC Comics.

Things were going extraordinarily well in the comic book world. Personally, I think I owned every comic Image put out from 1992-1993 -- I even have the giant container with individually wrapped comic books to prove it. Within a few years, things started to get somewhat strange. Partners within Image claimed that Rob Liefeld (one of the creators of Image comics, and the mind behind 'X-Force') begin to use revenue gained from Image to promote and financially back his independent comic company, Maximum Press. Specifically, Marc Silvestri (the former illustrator of Marvel's 'Wolverine') claimed that Liefeld was recruiting artists from his studio, which forced Silvestri to leave Image Comics in 1996. All the partners within Image Comics put the pressure on Liefeld to resign from Image, and eventually later that year Liefeld left the company. After hearing the news, Silvestri literally returned with Image a few weeks later. It's important to note that aside from Todd McFarlane's 'Spawn', Rob Liefeld's 'X-Force' franchise held the greatest influence on my childhood. When you start talking about time traveling doppelgangers that have the ability to trap people in the universe and throw cybernetic implants in there for good measure, you have me for the rest of my life. I would put the 'X-Cutioner's Song' storyline as one of the greatest comic-book crossovers since 'The Infinity Gauntlet' which went down just a couple years prior.

Now would be a great time to tell you that I didn't attend my Senior prom.

Check out this newly released online comic from Masato Toys entitled 'Sonnen's War: Episode 1.'

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+62 # bosswell 2012-08-21 17:18

I'm ok with this

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+2 # Guest 2012-08-21 19:41

This is MMA Wtf right here

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+46 # TDM 2012-08-21 17:19

Every time I'm about to lose faith in humanity, the MMA community brings out something like this. Brilliant.

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+17 # BigEyeGuy 2012-08-21 17:38

Outstanding!

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+14 # Guest 2012-08-21 18:01

I want that miniature Junior Dos Santos to follow me around every time I party.

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+6 # Guest 2012-08-21 18:24

Freaking genius.

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0 # Guest 2012-08-21 18:30

good shit ! lmao

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+18 # Guest 2012-08-21 19:00

Quality... Anything with Nick Diaz in a Ninja costume gets my approval

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+1 # Deadwin / @Lycanthr0pe 2012-08-21 19:17

god damn Zeus who are you? Just when I think I have you figured out you Drop history that was forgotten about. Thank you on informing me about the history of IMAGE comics in the 90s.

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+4 # AokiShinya 2012-08-21 19:40

hhaha when the ninja reveals himself as nick diaz LMFAO

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+5 # Lefthea D. Kick 2012-08-21 20:19

Gotta love the Perosh face hahaha

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+3 # Guest 2012-08-21 23:26

TKZ and McKenzie smokin that ninja shit!

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+4 # Patrick 2012-08-22 00:26

I also used to own almost every Image comic in that period, but I traded most of the good ones in for, get this, Magic: The Gathering cards.

I haven't read comics since the mid-90's, but I'm starting again because of The Walking Dead. I've read all of those and I'm checking out some other series. I'm halfway through Invincible now. Any others you'd recommend?

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+1 # Guest 2012-08-22 04:43

Science Dog
I Kill Giants (just a series of seven issues)
Cowboy Ninja Viking

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+1 # Patrick 2012-08-22 04:54

Thanks. I will give these a try.

lol @ Science Dog being an actual comic book I thought it was just a character in Invincible.

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0 # Guest 2012-08-22 05:05

my roomates has read comics his whole life, If you like the walking dead, check out this called "The Crossed" warn you it graphic, also sandman, and The Boys

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0 # Patrick 2012-09-02 08:26

'Crossed' and 'The Boys' were awesome. I've read just about every 'Crossed' comic and a few from 'The Boys'.

'Crossed' is indeed not for the faint of heart, but the stories are great. Right up there with 'The Walking Dead'.

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0 # hooligun 2012-08-22 03:53

Absolutely trippin balls epic!

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+1 # Guest 2012-08-22 05:06

Quoting Mr. Temp:

my roomates has read comics his whole life, If you like the walking dead, check out this called "The Crossed" warn you it graphic, also sandman, and The Boys

sorry, my grammer is looks like shit

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0 # Patrick 2012-08-22 05:38

No problemo. Thx for the suggestions. I remember Sandman from the 90's. I guess I was too young to appreciate it then. I'll give it another try.

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+1 # gardeninja 2012-08-22 06:44

Rob Liefeld was the worst thing ever to happen to comicbooks... worst hack ever.

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+2 # Guest 2012-08-22 06:50

Search me on ISO HUNT/PB

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0 # Guest 2012-08-22 07:35

Excellent stuff but why is Cigano dressed up as a Mexican?

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0 # Guest 2012-08-22 08:02

LOVE IT.

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0 # Joe O. 2012-08-22 08:49

X-Cutioner's Song was freaking amazing. It had almost every major X-Men character, a great story, big fights, death, huge character revelations.. just so good.

Zeus, all your "Image Comics" and "X-Cutioner's Song" talk makes me think we could be buddies.

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+1 # Puck 2012-08-22 09:46

Mini Demetris Johnson in the club made me LMAO!

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-2 # GrimsGrind 2012-08-22 09:57

The Maxx, Wetworks, The Pitt!!!!! Lemme guess, Layzie wrote this article! Can't believe someone else is an Image fan haha, iLove The Maxx!!! Grinded

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+1 # Patrick 2012-08-22 10:05

I LOVED The Maxx! (although the ending was a bit disappointing).

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0 # Guest 2012-08-22 09:59

first time i've ever smiled after reading an article about sonnen :)

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0 # YoNeath 2012-08-22 12:08

No love for Jim Lee's WildC.A.T.S?!?! ?!

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0 # Guest 2012-08-22 20:18

This book looks like some of Greg Land's work, minus the "porn faces" though:/

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