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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by Josh Crawley
In case you missed it, last Wednesday we posted an interview by me with Athena Voltaire‘s Steve Bryant about his Kickstarter-funded business model, among other things. For my first real interview (not that I recall ever doing a fake interview), it’s not too shabby.
In highly-related news, an Athena Voltaire Kickstarter campaign update (unless another pledge comes in before I finish this column): 84% funded 18 days in. That’s awesome! Remember: if Steve goes above that, it just means he can spend even more time making some kick-ass comic books!
And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming…
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by Wayne Markley
While it may come as surprise to most people outside of the comic book world, and most likely to a number of comic book fans, there are a number of genres of comics aside from superheroes. There are younger readers, there are barbarians, and there is crime, just to name a few. If you are willing to read more than just American comics, there is a whole world of genres, in both European comics and in Manga, where there is almost a book on every subject matter you could imagine. But in this column we are going to look at a handful of genres with books I think are well worth reading and of your time and money.
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by Josh Crawley
Before I get to the review (and other random bits), I’d like to draw your attention to a couple of people in the industry that are raising funds for some great causes.
Referring to Marshall Dillon as a “fellow letterer” seems a little daunting, but I’ve paid taxes for working on comics, so I’m going to get over it really quick. My fellow letterer Dillon is going to walk 60 miles in three days for this year’s Susan G. Komen 3-Days for the Cure. So not only has he lettered more than me, he’s willing to suffer for a good cause, so he’s better than me, too. The link has plenty of information for various ways to help out.
While I may not always be happy with some of the systems the industry has in place, our store’s Diamond Comics Distributor representative, Sophia Briscoe, is wonderful. She’s raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As before, check the link for more information!
And yes, I’ll be making my donations shortly. On to the goods!
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