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 KC Carlson

Though we may be inundated by it in current superhero comic books, long-form serialized storytelling is nothing new.

The idea of telling a long-form storyline as a series of chapters originally dates back to somewhere between the mid-8th and the mid-13th century. The work in question? One Thousand and One Nights, more colloquially known in English as the Arabian Nights. They are actually a series of independent stories gathered together with a framing device, but as originally told, each story was shared over a period of nights, including some kind of “cliffhanger” ending, which would be resolved the following night. Some of the more famous of the stories include “Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp”, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, and “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor”, all of which are probably much better known to several generations of American children as the basis for three very memorable (and historically important) Popeye the Sailor cartoons.

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