| Growler's
State Of The Superhero Comic Book Publishing Industry |
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INDEX
<Witness
the Birth of Image Comics...|The
Marvel Comics Revolution!...>
This
is where I let loose my views on the current direction of the business
of superhero fiction found in comic books and graphic novels.
Taking
you behind the scenes of this exciting industry!
Rawle
Austin presents...
DC
Comics: Lo! A Sleeping Giant Awakes!
Batman!
Superman! Wonder Woman!
You
know them! I know them!
Who
doesn’t know them!
This
trinity of characters have longstanding worldwide appeal.
Three iconic bastions of the superhero legacy that have withstood
the test of time.
Cornerstones
that have retained their appeal for for over six decades! Produced
by DC Comics, one of the big two publishers of the comic book industry
and currently owned by AOL/Time Warner.
Click
here to check out All Star Superman: Volume 1 TPB (DC Comics) by
Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly |
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DC
Comics was born in America, early 1935, originally called New Fun –
The big comic magazine.
Producing
all new, all original comics after years of reprints of newspaper comic
strips.
All
manner of stories were written but it was in 1938 that Superman was created
by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and thus began the era of superhuman adventure
stories.
Superman
was an alien who parents sent him to earth just before their home planet
Krypton was destroyed.
Crash
landing on earth as a baby he was adopted and, guided by his upbringing,
used his new found powers as a force for good.
His
signature red cape and symbol ‘S’ emblazoned on his
chest made his costume the most well known in the business even
to this day.
Living
in the fictional city of Metropolis, by day he was a mild mannered
reporter Clark Kent working for the Daily Planet, his identity hidden
only by a pair of glasses!
This
kicked off the DC Universe and the Golden Age of Comics.
This
was swiftly followed by Batman in 1939 by Bob Kane.
Millionaire
Bruce Wayne, who was also the masked and caped vigilante Batman.
Click
here to check out Batman: Year One - Deluxe Edition TPB (DC Comics)
by Frank Miller |
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Dealing
out justice in the dark urban streets of fictional Gotham City with all
manner of gadgets and a kick ass car.
His
motivation was one of vengeance as he witnessed the killing of his parents
in a robbery as a child and vowed to wage a one man war against crime.
He
was later joined by a sidekick, Dick Grayson, better known as Robin.
Dick
Grayson was to later break up his partnership with Batman to evolve
in the mid 1980’s into Nightwing and star in a cool series
in the late 1990’s.
This
was written by Chuck Dixon and drawn beautifully by Scott McDaniel.
The
mantle of Robin was later assumed by two others, Jason Todd, who
was killed in action by the Joker, and Tim Drake who is still the
current incarnation.
Wonder
Woman was created in 1942 by psychologist William Moulton Marston
(who also invented the lie detector).
As
the first major female comic book superhero, the character still
holds that prestige today.
Wonder
Woman was an Amazon princess with amazing powers.
Click
here to check out Wonder Woman: Ends of the Earth TPB (DC Comics)
by Gail Simone |
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 These
included flight, immense strength, equal to Superman, and a golden lasso
(rope) which would compel anyone tied with it to tell the truth under
any circumstances.
She
was brought up on the all female Paradise Island which had origins based
on ancient Greek mythology.
She
was sent to the world as an ambassador for her people and ideals.
Sure
these concepts sound corny today but you have to remember this was
a simpler time and people lapped it up like they were dying of thirst.
Today’s
audience is much more sophisticated and so new concepts must match
up to these challenges.
Many
other characters were created during this time and a group book
was launched with the title, Justice Society of America or JSA.
During
and after World War 2, which was raging at the time, comic books
were drafted in to help with the war effort.
Often
telling stories of superheroes battling alongside the troops. After
the war superhero comics began to decline and romance, horror, western
and war stories gained in demand.
Click
here to check out Hawkman: Endless Flight TPB (DC Comics) by Geoff
Johns
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 The
horror and crime comics became ever more graphic and the US government
at the time publicly cracked down on comic book content under the recommendation
of psychiatrist Dr Fredric Wertham in 1954.
The
thinking was that comic books were for kids so could only show non adult
material. This laid the seeds of a perception of comic books among the
general public which still exists to this day.
It
will take a sustained public relations exercise and marketing to finally
bury that absurd notion.
Nevertheless
The comics industry was decimated with many publishers going bust.
The
surviving companies banded together to establish the Comics Code
Authority which was a self imposed ratings system to ensure no adult
material was produced. Comic books were restrained from their full
potential.
Then
came the late fifties giving birth to the Sixties. Science was king.
Space travel was just starting up and was a first for mankind. An
excitement spread worldwide and comics would tap into this in a
big way. Science based superheroes!
DC
Comics decided to dust down some older characters and revamp them
totally for the new age.
Thus
began the Silver Age of Comics and the now normal trend of revamping
characters when they lose their sparkle!
Click
here to check out The Flash: Emergency Stop TPB (DC Comics) by Grant
Morrison and Mark Millar |
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 First
up, the Flash! Police scientist Barry Allen was hit by a bolt of lighting
in his lab.
The
resultant explosion bathed him with chemicals which gave him super speed.
He
had a trademark costume that was red with yellow lightening streaks. Little
changed to this day.
Other
characters sprung forth from this creative renaissance.
Air
force pilot Hal Jordan found an alien power ring giving him the
power to project a blast of green coloured energy and also to make
solid objects.
Green
Lantern was born! This ring had to be recharged regularly.
The
character later died in action and was replaced by Kyle Rayner as
a new Green Lantern in a move very unpopular with diehard fans to
this day.
Which
is why DC Comics brought the character back in the Rebirth mini-series
and now in his own monthly series.
Aquaman,
Arther Curry, was the son of a man and a water breathing princess
from Atlantis. He
had great power, especially when in water and could communicate
with any underwater creature.
Click
here to check out Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War Volume 1
TPB (DC Comics) by Geoff Johns |
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 Martian
Manhunter was the last of a Martian race who had been destroyed in battle
and had various powers.
All
these characters proved wildly popular.
DC
Comics put these and a few other characters into the Justice League of
America or JLA which was a milestone in superhero comics history.
The
presence of these major characters in one book was a sales smash.
Marvel
Comics launched soon after following the success of JLA and the
two comic book publishers began their titanic struggle for the reader’s
hearts and minds.
The
fact they are both still going strong today is a testament to their
achievements. Jack
Kirby left Marvel Comics to join DC in the early 1970's and created
many concepts but he was most famous for his Fourth World universe.
The
New Gods series featured Orion, Mister Miracle, the villianous Darkseid
and many more unforgettable characters. The
epic stories were set on the fused worlds of New Genesis and Apokolips.
Click
here to check out Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War 2 TPB (DC
Comics) by Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons
Another
interesting concept was the Legion of Superheroes, which was a favourite
concept of mine though I never read the title seriously until recently
as I was a staunch fan of Marvel Comics. |
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It
was an organization based in the 31st century consisting of humanoid aliens
representing their home planets.
Each
had a superhuman ability common to their race and fought to maintain stability
and peace in the universe.
Kind
of like a futuristic, pro-active United Nations.
The
DC Universe expanded rapidly and soon became confusing with multiple
versions of characters, parallel universes and convoluted background
stories.
It
became very hard to follow the stories so some house cleaning was
in order.
This
happened in late 1985 and was the 12 issue series called Crisis
on Infinite Earths.
Ruthlessly
killing off whole worlds and characters the series ended with a
new beginning for the DC Universe.
Most
prominent of those who didn’t make it were Barry Allen who
as the Flash died in a noble self sacrifice.
He
was replaced by his former sidekick ( sidekicks were a common trend
in the early days) Wally West as the new Flash.
Click
here to check out Green Lantern: Tales of the Sinestro Corps TPB
(DC Comics) by Geoff Johns |
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In
1986, Superman was updated for a modern audience by writer/artist John
Byrne.
He
had previously gained a reputation in the comics industry as a 'Mr. Fixit'
and had just finished popular runs on Marvel Comics’ Uncanny X-Men
and Fantastic Four.
Also
George Perez, the man who can draw large group/crowd scenes with unmatched
detail, also gave Wonder Woman the revamp treatment, playing up the ancient
Greek aspect of her origin.
The
Batman legend was given a new spin in the futuristic comic book
Dark Knight Returns.
This
brought the character back to its darker origins in a no nonsense,
gritty urban tale written and drawn masterfully by Frank Miller.
This story was a smash hit and helped raise the profile of comic
books among the general public.
These
were followed by a realistic take on superheroes in Watchmen written
by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons. The
latter two titles helped create a boom in the comics industry and
led to a host of imitators with other publishers copying their grim
and gritty style.
In
1993 DC Comics published an imprint called Milestone Comics which
was the brainchild of a group of creators which included Dwayne
McDuffie, writer and Denys Cowan, artist.
Click
here to check out Icon (Milestone Comics Library) (DC Comics) by
Dwayne McDuffie |
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This
was a line of comics featuring predominantly multicultural superheroes
and characters written and drawn by an ethnically diverse pool of writers
and artists.
The
launch titles were Hardware, Icon, Static and Blood Syndicate and contained
innovative stories and fantastic concepts.
More
titles followed but sadly, Milestone Comics folded in early 1997 leaving
a hole that has still to be filled and fond memories of some of the freshest
stories ever told in a comic book.
Static
went on to become Static Shock, the popular animated series written
by Dwayne McDuffie.
McDuffie
is also a producer and co-writer on the Justice League animated
series.
DC
Comics again came to worldwide attention in early 1993 with the
groundbreaking Death of Superman storyline.
Needless
to say the character was back in late 1993 but the story was good
with a neat twist and is highly recommended.
In
1996, Kurt Busiek and the best comic book painter around, Alex Ross
created the stunning title Kingdom Come, which showcased a dark
future for the DC Universe.
Writer
Grant Morrison and artist Howard Porter relaunched the JLA in 1997
using the big guns, the major superheroes of the DC Universe, and
intelligent stories to create an instant hit. |
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Click
here to check out Superman and the Legion of Superheroes TPB (DC Comics)
by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank
All
these stories are available in trades to read and enjoy.
DC
Comics has always been a close second to Marvel in terms of sales.
However,
in late 1998, by buying Jim Lee’s Wildstorm Productions studio,
previously at Image Comics, it laid the seeds for a future challenge.
In
2002 Jim Lee returned to drawing comics after a lengthy absence
to pencil Batman, written by Jeph Loeb.
He
still had the old magic and the title rocketed to the number one
spot on the comic book charts where it has been ever since.
He
was a major part of the Superman revamp in 2004.
DC
also helped future domination of their titles by offering some of
the best creators in the business extended exclusive contracts.
After the dominance of Marvel for so long, we could finally see
the turning of the tide in favour of DC.
Recent
must reads are the wildly popular and controversial Identity Crisis,
the launch of the All Star line with Batman and Robin by Frank Miller
and Jim Lee and Superman by Grant Morrison. |
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Click
here to check out JLA: Earth 2 TPB (DC Comics) by Grant Morrison and Frank
Quitely
Morrison's
Seven Soldiers maxi series was another high point as was the smash hit
Infinite Crisis written by Geoff Johns.
The
One Year Later revamp wasn't well recieved but 52, an innovative weekly
comic book which had the tagline, "A world without Batman, Superman
and Wonder Woman but not a world without heroes" was a great success.
This
was followed by a disappointing year long weekly, Countdown, which led
to Final Crisis, an epic mini series by writer Grant Morrison and artist
J G Jones.
A
standout quality story was the massive Sinestro Corps event running through
the Green Lantern titles. Trinity, the third year long weekly series in
a row debuted to positive critical acclaim.
DC is stepping
up to the plate and delivering quality for the pleasure of all.
All
this quality at DC Comics is due in part to Editor in Chief Dan DiDio
and the cream of talent he has managed to amass in the DC stable.
Geoff
Johns, Grant Morrison and Gail Simone are just a few of big name creators
on tap.
Next up,
the grand finale in this guide to the major comic book publishers.
Marvel
Comics!
You
can't miss it!
<Witness
the Birth of Image Comics...|The
Marvel Comics Revolution!...>
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