Rick Remender, his Giant Generator imprint, and Image Comics have today announced the signing of a three-year exclusivity deal on his future creator owned projects. The deal is in immediate effect.
In a press release Image delivered the news:
“Bestselling, creative trailblazer Rick Remender has signed a three-year exclusive contract with Image Comics, effective immediately. This exclusive gives Remender carte blanche on his upcoming titles and signals a wave of exciting plans for his Giant Generator imprint.”
Image Comics Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Eric Stephenson said:
“Working with Rick is like speeding down the open road in a convertible with the top down. When he’s behind the wheel of his Giant Generator comics imprint, there is always some new high speed adventure or undiscovered place to visit. All creativity and energy. If that isn’t the Image Comics spirit, I don’t know what is. Looking forward to finding out where he’ll take us next.”
Remender talked about the deal – saying that he had batted back offers with the Big Two to stick with Image:
“I’ve recently turned down very generous offers to write X-Men and Batman, and while flattered, that would ultimately be a step backwards artistically, and not where my heart is at.”
Adding,
“Image takes no OWNERSHIP, so my partners and I co-own 100% of our properties. It’s short-term vs long-term thinking. You want to build your own house? Make something that your children will inherit? Image is the only place. This contract is me saying that I bet on myself. I bet on my collaborators. I bet on our characters, stories, and owning what we make. Exclusively. With all we’ve got. Like our lives are on the line.”
Remender has had a long association with Image Comics for his creator owned work – dating back to 2005 with series Fear Agent (with Tony Moore and Jerome Opeña); Sea of Red (with Salgood Sam) and Strange Girl (with Eric Nguyen). He has served brief stints at Dark Horse – where he moved Fear Agent and launched other creator owned projects like End League – and other publishers. At Marvel Comics (2007-2015) he built his industry profile further with popular runs on The Punisher, Captain America, Uncanny X-Force, and more – even taking a shot at an event with the AXIS storyline in 2014. His first comics exclusivity deal was announced with Marvel in 2009, presumably ending around 2013.
From 2013 onwards he returned to Image and seemingly never left with new series and longrunning series galore. Remender’s work in the 2010s was part of a new renaissance for the publisher with critically acclaimed series by solid writer-artist pairings. During this period he created Black Science with Matteo Scalera (2013-2019); Deadly Class with Wes Craig (2014-2022); Low with Greg Tocchini (2014-2021); Tokyo Ghost with Sean Gordon Murphy (2015-2016); and Seven to Eternity with Jerome Opeña (2016-2021).
In 2016 he founded his Giant Generator imprint which is described as “the home studio of Rick Remender specializing in the development of unique and top flight entertainment born from comic books co-created with passion in partnership with the best artists in the world.”
A number of Remender’s longrunning Image series (and some shorter series) concluded in 2021-2022. Currently his most recent – and only running – series is The Sacrificers with Max Fiumara, which began in August 2023. October will see him team up with Andy Samberg and Joe Trohman for The Holy Roller. With the ink on this new exclusivity deal drying and New York Comic Con around the corner – a new slate of Remender written titles from his Giant Generator imprint will surely be announced.
