I heard about this a few weeks ago, read about it again in Lying in the Gutters yesterday and figured it was true when I saw the Image Comics SDCC event schedule, but the Ney York Times openly confirmed it this morning: Robert Kirkman is a full Image Comics partner.

Mr. Kirkman was asked to join Image in part to reward him for his commitment to putting out his creations through the company for several years, said Eric Stephenson, who was promoted to publisher of Image last month. “Beyond that, Robert has a pretty strong vision of what he wants to do and what comes he wants to make,” Mr. Stephenson said.

That vision includes Invincible, which he created along with the artist Cory Walker, which was first published in 2003. It follows the title character, a k a Mark Grayson, the son of Omni-Man, a superhuman with alien origins, as he copes with his legacy, college and more. The comic received an A minus from Entertainment Weekly, which called it “a charming antidote to the histrionics present in so many fights-and-tights books,” adding that it had “the strongest female character seen in many a moon: Mark’s stoic mom.”

It’s truly nice to see a genuinely decent, kind and talented person like Robert Kirkman “make it” in the world. KFR first became aware of him back when we were still sporting the horrendous 4-Color Review logo and design when “Battle Pope” first dropped back in the day. Hard to believe, but Robert truly appreciated our coverage of the title more than I could have ever expected, certainly, and since then has always had time for a quick word through emails and at conventions, no matter how busy he is.

Rock the fuck on, Mr. Kirkman. Rock The Fuck On. Now all we need to do is get the rest of the comic book industry to see that your OG partner in crime Tony Moore is one of the most talented artists in the industry today, I’ll be able to retire a happy nerd.

Spread the word!