Image Central is expanding its relationship with Top Cow. Although the Top Cow Studio has always been affiliated with Image, it has  been operating  relatively independently, especially in terms of public relations and marketing. Now Image Central under the leadership of Eric Stephenson will be expanding its efforts with Top Cow to coordinate production, marketing, and sales efforts in much the same way that it has been doing with for the other Image partners including Robert Kirkman, Jim Valentino, and Erik Larsen. Given the increasing clout that Image has acquired thanks to the break-out success of Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, this move certainly makes good sense for Top Cow.

In related Image Comics news, the publisher announced that longtime staff member Sarah DeLaine will replace Betsy Gomez as the company’s PR and marketing coordinator. DeLaine worked with current Image Sales & Licensing Coordinator Todd Martinez at Rory Root’s cutting edge comic shop Comic Relief in Berkeley, California.