You like to hold up Image as this company that the likes of IDW or Vertigo can't even touch, but I think you're wrong except for a few minor exceptions like Island. When I go to the image homepage the slider (which lists writers before artists) has two(!!)

When I was talking about that I meant on a sales level, which I don’t think any other publishers dealing with creator owned books on the monthly shelves can compete with right now.. 

I’ve been pretty open about not being into a lot (most?) of the books Image publishes. and realllly I don’t expect to be. My pride for working at Image, comes from the level of freedom given to creators. also the % of sales given to creators, which 

the likes of IDW or Vertigo realllly look like a joke next to.

My point was that I think the ways those companies could compete with Image was in really making the great books they push more of a priority with more thought put into quality design with no ads. . I think the reason Image is doing so well right now is because they had a resurgence with books like Saga, Sex Criminals, Pretty Deadly, Wik Div etc. I feel like those are all books by creators whose ideas are bigger than mainstream superhero comics. so when given freedom to do whatever they wanted they made something new. My problem with a lot of current Image books is that they keep pulling too much from DC and Marvel, but with creators who seem to have no voices of their own to really make singular work. so you get books that just feel like Vertigo comics from 2010. 

I really want Image to have some real market competition. on a sales of mainstream creator owned books level. and right now they just don’t. DH & IDW are playing too much of a licensed comics game & not pushing the quality books they have. (Empowered, Harrow County, Sabertooth Swordsman at DH– IDW has Stokoe and Campbell & the new Gibson book– so 2 great creators out of 3 doing licensed) 

I wish Image pushed Island more while we’re on the subject.I think the trades will shine. (Emma’s I.D. is our first ISLAND trade)  I wish Grant Morrison’s Heavy metal was real competition and not such a phoned in– same as it ever was– of the long drawn out death of Metal Hurlant. I wish more comic shops made real choices about what books to backed & didn’t just push what already sold. (the shops that do already are amazing)