A new mainstream
A new mainstream |
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Page 18 of 23  The Invisibles (1995). Art: Sean Phillips. Concerning a group of heroes who remain undetectable by operating in small cells. The first of the big sellers pre-dated the flotation, and was a re-launch of Spider-Man (renumbered as I from 1990). Written and drawn by fan-favourite Todd McFarlane, it set the tone for future releases: the art style was impressively flashy, while the story line was virtually nonexistent. Also, it was released with various different coloured covers - all of which were collected by completist fans. It became the biggest selling comic ever, at over 3 million copies. However, even this figure was trumped by a follow-up release, X-Force (1991), which sold an estimated 3.5 million. The comic was yet another X-Men related title, and boasted some dynamic art by Rob Liefeld. The real secret of its success was the fact that five X-Force cards were produced to be bagged with the first issue. In other words, one comic, five cards: again, completists could not resist. Other hits for Marvel included gimmick-laden versions of the Silver Surfer and Wolverine. DC Comics were left sprawling once again, but could hardly be accused of ignoring the teen market. They also tried gimmicks and different covers, but with limited success. They also tried to compete by launching another imprint, this time aimed at black youth. Milestone was a collection of titles starring black superheroes. It was an attempt, in DC Comics' words, to 'make comics multicultural'. In fact, comics had been multicultural for many years in the context of the underground, and there had been black superheroes before. Nevertheless, the line marked an important step forward, and introduced some exciting new creators and characters. Titles like Static, Icon, Hardware and Blood Syndicate (all 1993) displayed an intimate knowledge of superhero lore, mixed with a hip and often humorous veneer. In Static, the eponymous hero is a variant on the Spider-Man theme, an 'electrically-charged' avenger who wears a 'Malcolm X' cap and battles villains who are 'built like Riddick Bowe'. His alter ego is a schoolboy who works nights in a fast-food chain not unlike McDonald's. Whether the Milestone titles will have the same impact on comics as the films of Spike Lee have had on Hollywood remains to be seen. It was not until 1993, however, that DC Comics revealed its biggest master plan: to kill off their greatest hero, Superman. There were several reasons why, not least because the character had recently slumped in popularity. The Christopher Reeve movies had been very successful, and had continued into the late 1980s, and were matched by a revamp of the Superman comic by John Byrne, which had split fan opinion (this mid 1980s incarnation looked like Reeve, and was more 'human' than ever before). But in the late 1980s and 1990s, Superman had been well and truly eclipsed by the Batman movies and comics. His old rival had once more got one up on him.  Doom Patrol |