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Intellectual = boring for Image Comics’ COO Robert Kirkman, and he’s hoping to “broom the borning out of comics”
Terminal, Kirkman’s latest comic book (and new superhero universe) at Image, aims to bring back the energy that brought us comics like Spawn, Youngblood, and Witchblade
NewsbyGrant DeArmitt, Staff Writer
Published on Wed Aug 19 2026
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Are comic books boring? No, but according to Image Comics’ COO & Skybound boss Robert Kirkman, there’s a way to make them boring… by being “intellectual” and too focused on the writers. Kirkman, who is a writer of such things as The Walking Dead, Invincible, and the new series Terminal, sees ’90s superhero comics by people such as his Image Comics business partners Todd McFarlane and Marc Silvestri, along with former Image bosses Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld, were much more in tune with what fans wanted… and he wants to get back to that.
“The ’90s comics were so focused on staying energetic and exciting and in your face,” Kirkman says in an interview with Den of Geek promoting his Terminal series, “And that’s something that we’re trying to bring back to comics […] I think as things have gotten more writer-driven, things have gotten a little bit more intellectual, and when I hear ‘intellectual,’ I hear ‘boring.'”
Terminal #2 by Robert Kirkman, Joe Casey, and Andy Kubert comes to comic shops everywhere August 26.
Interested? Here’s where to find your closest local comic store, courtesy of Sweet, and here’s a guide to how (and where) to read comics online. If you’re looking for the best comics in recent memory, check out the Eisner Awards winners and the Harvey Awards nominees. And if you like free comics, here’s everything we know about Free Comic Book Day 2027.
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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.
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