#3710938 - 01/11/1007:30 PMRe: We Copperheads really need to get our acts together...
[Re: Bronty]
NexusNexus
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Registered: 06/15/05
Posts: 2732
Agree with pretty much what everyone is saying here. A great period in comics in terms of overall creativity. But since this board is centered around slabs, there will never be much discussion here when the books are so common/cheap. Too bad because, again, there's a lot to talk about otherwise.
As much as DKR and WATCHMEN define the decade, for me the 80's are really about the creator-driven independent movement (which, frankly, set the stage for DKR and WM). So here's a list of my favorite independent publishers (in order):
1. First Comics (NEXUS, JON SABLE, BADGER, AMERICAN FLAGG!, GRIMJACK, LONE WOLF AND CUB)
2. Comico Comics (MAGE, GRENDEL, ELEMENTALS)
3. Eclipse Comics (MIRACLEMAN, MR. MONSTER, SCOUT)
Some series jumped around (or got their starts elsewhere, like Capital Comics), but off the top of my head, that would be my list. Pretty damn impressive and it's too bad all these companies went under. It's no surprise then that the 90's became such a creative wasteland as a result. But, I do believe the renaissance we've experienced in the aughts is at least partially due to influence of the 80's on modern creators. Long live the 80's!
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While classic titles like Hate and Eightball didn't show up until the end of the era, Fantagraphics has to be my favorite CA publisher - it seemed for a while there in the early 90s that there were always at least a couple titles a month by them worth picking up. Still a great publisher - but seems like mostly hardbacks and trades these days.
Agree with pretty much what everyone is saying here. A great period in comics in terms of overall creativity. But since this board is centered around slabs, there will never be much discussion here when the books are so common/cheap. Too bad because, again, there's a lot to talk about otherwise.
As much as DKR and WATCHMEN define the decade, for me the 80's are really about the creator-driven independent movement (which, frankly, set the stage for DKR and WM). So here's a list of my favorite independent publishers (in order):
1. First Comics (NEXUS, JON SABLE, BADGER, AMERICAN FLAGG!, GRIMJACK, LONE WOLF AND CUB)
2. Comico Comics (MAGE, GRENDEL, ELEMENTALS)
3. Eclipse Comics (MIRACLEMAN, MR. MONSTER, SCOUT)
Some series jumped around (or got their starts elsewhere, like Capital Comics), but off the top of my head, that would be my list. Pretty damn impressive and it's too bad all these companies went under. It's no surprise then that the 90's became such a creative wasteland as a result. But, I do believe the renaissance we've experienced in the aughts is at least partially due to influence of the 80's on modern creators. Long live the 80's!
I'm a Copperhead and I agree with this message.
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Terry Hammock '73-'10 Home Sweet Home brother, love ya
#3712687 - 01/12/1004:49 PMRe: We Copperheads really need to get our acts together...
[Re: Schmakt]
NexusNexus
If you have a dream about out-posting me, you better wake up and apologize.
Registered: 06/15/05
Posts: 2732
Originally Posted By: Schmakt
ack! No TMNT or Usagi on that otherwise very nice list of yours...
I was just making a list of publishers I liked (I guess I was inspired by the "Dead Universe" threads), not titles. I got all the TMNT and Usagi books, but their respective publishers didn't put out enough other stuff I liked.
As an aside, First and Eclipse both also made attempts to have universes. First with CROSSROADS and Eclipse with TOTAL ECLIPSE. Both were last gasp attempts to generate interest. The popularity of their books always lay with the creators, not necessarily with the characters. That's been a lesson learned out of the 80's. Just let the creators handle their creations. If they can't, or if they run out of things to say, then either put the series on sabbatical or just end it. Dark Horse has done a good job of handling Mignola and HELLBOY. No monthly grind, just a series of mini-series. Less chance for burnout. At Vertigo, they've simply made the series finite. SANDMAN, PREACHER, Y, et al are all stronger for it. In the 80's, only Matt Wagner was smart enough to figure this out with MAGE and GRENDEL. AMERICAN FLAGG, for example, should have ended sooner instead of devolving into a weak, watered-down product.
Still, at their peak, amongst the finest comics ever created.
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