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.)

Popverse: The last anyone heard anything publicly was back at the end of May, when CBWU filed new complaints with the National Labor Relations Board over what was described as “increasingly hostile” behavior in terms of the wider work environment at Image. Can you offer any update as to the outcome of these complaints?

Comic Book Workers United: We do not have any new updates on our pending unfair labor practice charges at this time, as it is still in the investigation phase.

Overall, how would you characterize the work environment at Image right now, with regards to the issues that were related to the complaints?

As we anticipated, there was a period of growing pains for both staffers and management as we adapted to a new structure of work rules. As a whole, we believe we are all settling into a new normal that, with transparency and communication, can continue to improve over time – which is largely what we set out to do. We have also recently elected two shop stewards within the CBWU to act as union representatives in discussions with Image management. We are optimistic that this will help facilitate more frequent and productive interactions between Image and the union.

Has there been one obvious takeaway from the experience of forming the union and the long road to ratification and beyond? It’s clearly been a difficult process to where things currently stand, but would the group describe it as a positive one, overall?

Organizing a union is so much more than making an announcement on social media and calling it a day, it takes an enormous amount of time, energy, research, dedication, support, and even courage to maintain that momentum. As difficult as it was to get to this point, we can confidently say that we have gained an incredible amount of insight about the entire process, and how every word matters when negotiating a contract.

What advice would you offer staff at other publishers looking to follow in your footsteps?

Find an established union that you would like to work with (Teamsters, CWA, IWW, etc.) and make contact. They will have experienced staff on hand to help you along the way. 

Is there a limit to who can join the CBWU? For example, can managers at the company join? Could the Image partners join?

Management, owners, and supervisors/managers (as defined by the National Labor Relations Act) cannot organize or join unions.

Has there been discussion and/or movement to loop in staffers at Image studios like Skybound, Top Cow, etc.?

The partners’ companies are all separate entities from Image Comics, so they would have to form unions of their own.

Have comic creators reached out to CBWU to support and/or ask for advice on organizing themselves?

Comics creators are not employees of publishers – current US labor law forbids freelancers from unionizing. We cannot be more grateful for the words of support we have received from comics creators and workers, especially during the tumultuous first months of our union formation.

Right now, you can see unionization efforts, and the idea of collective bargaining to achieve a greater good receiving no small amount of public support, through things like the WAG and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Does this time, and that kind of support from the public, feel as if you’re more likely to succeed in the group's ambitions?

It's great to see all of the long overdue union actions happening around the country right now, in various industries. It's indicative of where we are as a society and the fact that a growing number of workers are seeing through the decades of anti-union propaganda we've all been subjected to. We've taken inspiration from union efforts before us, and we're moved by the many unions since then that have named us as an inspiration for theirs. The success of a company depends on its workers, and the strength of workers lies in their solidarity. Normalizing union workplaces and erasing the stigma around advocating for workers' rights makes it easier for the next wave of union efforts.

Is there a way that comic book readers and fans could show direct support for Comic Book Workers United? Does the group have a preferred course of action for those who want to help with your efforts?

The best way to show your support for us and others unionizing across countless industries is to keep the conversation going both online and offline, and to educate yourself on why workers want to organize and join unions.

More information about Comic Book Workers United can be found via the organization’s website.

Can comics get it together to unionize and change the way the industry works?