by KC Carlson
PREVIOUSLY ON NEVER-ENDING STORY (part 1) (part 2): After intense creative experimentation in the early 1970s, superhero comic books largely stuck to the basics by the end of the decade. There were more creative surprises ahead, but for now, comics’ biggest conflicts were behind the scenes, as a failing distribution system, combined with a poor physical product, would force comics to come up with creative solutions to stay alive. Meanwhile, many comic creators were restless, especially the new, younger talent who had been entering the field over the last decade or so. They also wanted better physical presentation for their work, including ever-expanding formats to experiment with — as well as better working conditions and more return for their creativity. Plus, the effects of growing intelligent critique and criticism from a more vocal fanbase would help push creators into even bigger flights of fancy. All of these factors seemed to indicate that interesting times were around the corner as the 1980s began.
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When I first started working at DC Comics, they were still in their legendary offices at 666 First Ave. in NYC. The offices were legendary because A) They were at 666 Fifth Ave. in a building with a giant “666″ in bright red neon at the top of the building. This wasn’t too exciting in the daylight, but at night, seeing a giant “666″ in flaming red neon made you think twice about a lot of things. B) By the time I got there, the offices were already past their capacity – yet they were still adding people. When Piranha Press editor Mark Nevelow moved into the building, they put him in a modified closet. When Archie Goodwin came over from Marvel, he had to share a conference room – as well as the conference table – with 4 other staffers. Close quarters doesn’t begin to describe how crowded it was.
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It’s time to do yet another one of these year-end lists with me yammering on and on about which comics I liked this year. But: Best? I’m not sure that I’m really qualified to say, since I read such a small percentage of everything published in any given year and I have this annoying tendency (at least in certain circles) to avoid anything even remotely “artsy”. Not that I don’t like art, but I don’t always know what I like, if you know what I mean.
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