Image Comics workers union: Unionizing is "so much more than making an announcement and calling it a day"

Image Comics staffers' collective Comic Book Workers United made headlines when the group announced its formation in late 2021, becoming the first union in the comic book industry. Since then, progress has been incremental and slower than many would like — but, importantly, progress has been made: the group announced the ratification of its first union contract earlier this year, after all.

As Popverse considers the need for collective action in the comic book industry, we reached out to CBWU for an update on where things currently stand, the group's current relationship with Image Comics, and it’s feelings on its journey to date. The following Q&A was conducted via email, with the group speaking as one unified collective unit at their request.

(Note: Comic Book Workers United is made up of the staff of Image Comics, not its creators. Instead, it is a group of production artists and workers, editors, and other individuals employed as staff by Image Comics to package the books for publication. As the group points out in the below, under U.S. labor law, only staff is allowed to unionize.)