Lets say that somehow Mcfarland, Liefeld, Larsen, Lee, and the other Image creators are satisfied with their current state at Marvel comics, and therefore Image comics is never formed. How does this affect the state of comic books (remember, the "dark age" of comics was already in effect by the time image came out in 92, but it didnt get really "dark" until 92)? Do Dark Horse or Valiant become the dominant "3rd brand"?