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From: jkr@gitpyr.UUCP (John Kenneth Riviere)
Newsgroups: net.comics
Subject: Re: Most significant events in comics,1985
Message-ID: <1115@gitpyr.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 29-Nov-85 11:10:21 EST
Article-I.D.: gitpyr.1115
Posted: Fri Nov 29 11:10:21 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Nov-85 06:37:41 EST
References: <1916@pur-phy.UUCP>
Reply-To: jkr@gitpyr.UUCP (John Kenneth Riviere)
Distribution: net
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 62

In article <1916@pur-phy.UUCP> csc@pur-phy.UUCP (Craig S. Calhoun) writes:
>What were the most important events in comics in 1985?
>
>Anyway here`s my list (as of Nov.26,1985):
>
>01.  _CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS_
>02.  debut of _MIRACLEMAN_
>03.  debut of _`MAZING MAN_
>04.  debut of _MR. MONSTER_
>05.  debut of Art Adams(_LONGSHOT_, _NEW MUTANTS SPECIAL_)
>06.  return of Frank Miller to _DAREDEVIL_
>07.  Steve Bissette and John Tolben leaving _SWAMP THING_
>08.  cancelation of ZOT!
>09.  cancelation of _AZTEC ACE_
>10.  _AMBUSH BUG_`s success
>
>Thank you for reading this, Craig S. Calhoun.

While I doubt there could be much arguing that _Crisis_on_Infinite_Earths_
has certainly been one of the most significant events in comics in 1985
(maybe in the 1980's), I don't think that any of the others are really in the
same class of importance.  The debut of _Miracleman_ only seems important
in that more people are finally noticing this excellent work that has been
available for several years.  I think it would have been more important if
more comics readers had recognized that b&w comics can be well done and
enjoyable.  While it is certainly exciting to see the debut of an excellent
new artist such as Art Adams, I think that I will reserve judgement until
he has had more of a chance to prove himself.  I remember when Bill Sinkeivitch
(can *anyone* spell that name?  :-) first appeared on the comics scene I
thought that he did some excellent work (though obviously heavily derivative
of Neal Adams) but the more I saw of his work the less I liked it as he was
not good at telling a story (in my opinion).  As a result I pretty much stopped
reading the work he did and would no longer consider him to be a truly
significant comic artist (has he improved any since his Moon Knight days?).
I will admit that he does great paintings that are often used as comics covers.
The only other item on the above list that seemed really outstanding was the
return of Miller to Daredevil, and even there he is only writing it, not
drawing (but, oh! what writing!).  The other items are simply more titles that
have started or failed, usually without major impact on comics as a whole.
I guess my list would look something like this (off the top of my head, I
really have not tried to study this carefully):

1) _Crisis_On_Infinite_Earths_ (actually, this could occupy several of the
   top spots with all of the changes it is introducing).
2) The announcement of the rejuvination of Superman.  Even though this has
   yet to happen it is still one of the most drastic changes ever to occur for
   one of the premier characters in comics.
3) The introduction of Shatter, not so much for the story or art itself, but
   for introducing computer generated/assisted art into the comics medium.  
   After all, computer art and computer animation have been used extensively 
   elsewhere, why not in comics?

Well, I can't think of anything else that I would put on a par with the
above mentioned items.  There were certainly some titles that started/stopped
and some artistic changes that I either regretted or felt relieved by, but
those have less effect on the industry.  However, I don't think I feel like
reviewing all of those tedius details.

-- 
J. Kenneth Riviere   (JoKeR)
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
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