A new mainstream
A new mainstream |
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Page 20 of 23  Cover to the graphic novel The Death of Superman (DC Comics, 1993). Art: Jon Bogdanove. Only a fool could have imagined that the greatest hero of them all was gone for good. Dark Horse also kept one eye on the adult comics market, and introduced some new heroes into the field. In this they had one trump card because they now employed Frank Miller almost exclusively. He was responsible for writing Give Me Liberty (1990), with art by Dave Gibbons, about a gutsy black woman's attempt to gain spiritual freedom in a future America on the brink of civil war, and Hard Boiled (1990), with art by Geof Darrow, a darker, more visceral tale about a pitiless cyborg in search of his memory and his purpose, in which Darrow's obsessive but meticulous rendering lends the mayhem of the story a curiously designer quality. Miller also scripted and drew Sin City (1993), about an ex-con's search for a serial killer, which was simultaneously one of the best-looking comics of the 1990s, rendered in stunning black-and-white chiaroscuro, and also one of the most violent: the killer mounts his victim's heads on the wall, while the hero is not above a bit of torture to get his way. The second independent publisher to make an impact, Voyager, was the least interesting, simply because their titles stuck to tried-and-trusted superhero formulas. Set up by an ex-Marvel editor, Jim Shooter, the company used its Valiant imprint to launch new titles. At first, these were revivals of little-known 1960s heroes (originally published by Gold Key) such as Magnus, Robot Fighter and Solar, Man of the Atom (both 1991). But in 1992, a clutch of original titles such as X-0 Manowar, Harbinger, Shadowman and Eternal Warrior formed the basis for a successful 'Valiant Universe'. They were all drearily predictable teen fare, but made respectable amounts of money. The third indie publishing success was certainly the most significant in commercial terms - Image Comics. The company was formed as a 'creator-owned' concern by a group of disgruntled writers and artists from Marvel, who felt that they were not seeing enough of the profits of their work under the traditional Marvel system. These profits had been substantial indeed, since the names in question included Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld, creators of some of the best-selling comics of all time. In some ways, their new venture was an enormous risk; but their optimism was justified by the success of their first three releases (all, inevitably, superhero comics). The first, Liefeld's Youngblood (1992) came complete with gimmicky trading cards, and broke the record for the best-selling independent comic; the second, McFarlane's Spawn (1992), again broke the record; and the third, Lee's WildCATS (1992) did the same again. It was not long before Image were beating DC Comics into third place in the sales charts.  Batman: A Death in the Family (DC Comics, 1988)  Cover to the graphic novel A Dame to Kill For (Dark Horse. 1994). Art: Frank Miller. The second novel in the enormously popular 'Sin City' series of noir thrillers. |