Self Publishing: Comics in the 80S and Early 90S
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Self Publishing: Comics in the 80s and Early 90s By: Emily, Iris, & Patrick Introduction Self-Publishing is not a new phenomena. In comic publication, however, the Self-Publishing Movement officially started in the 1980s, and ran into the early 1990s, covering a swath of fantastic writing and illustrating, while creating a lasting impact on the medium. Picture Source: https://sites.google.com/site/applebasketarlibrary/ Changes in the Publishing Industry and the Rise of Self-Publishing ● 1980s: Department stores were known as booksellers in addition to clothing and housewares. However, by the mid-80s, national book retailer chains, such as Walden, Dalton, and Crown rose in popularity. During this time news media drew attention to authors’ advance payments. Publishing agents from rival companies would bid against each other to acquire promising new titles (Osnos, 2011). ● 1990s: Barnes & Nobles grew to dominate the retail market and absorbed Dalton and Walden. Crown went out of business. Smaller independent book sellers struggle to compete with superstores (Osnos, 2011). Changes in the Publishing Industry and the Rise of Self-Publishing ● 1990s continued: Consolidation also occurred in the publishing market as companies were absorbed into the entertainment divisions of larger profit-driven companies. Publishers were pressured to acquire titles that would create profit for the parent company. This made it especially difficult for authors, new and seasoned, to get their books published (Dilevko & Dali, 2006). ● Since publishers did not want to take risks, authors began to explore self-publishing in earnest. Print-on-demand (POD) became an option to authors as internet-based services, such as AuthorHouse, iUniverse, and Xlibris, began to appear in the mid-90s. (Strauss, 2017 and Dilevko & Dali, 2006). Changes in the Publishing Industry and the Rise of Self-Publishing ● Self-publishing enabled authors to exercise creative freedom. Jerry Craft turned to self-publishing in 1997 after facing rejections from mainstream publishers. Craft stated, “Publishers have so many arbitrary rules… If publishers want to portray kids of color effectively, they need to go outside their conventional pool of writers and artists” (Reid, 2014, February 3). ● Unfortunately, self-publishing faced negative stigma from the general public and mainstream booksellers. The print copies from POD tended to look flimsy and less polished. Bookstores could not purchase them at wholesale discounts. There were also concerns that self-published works were of lower quality (Strauss, 2017). ● There was some upset within the comics industry as distribution was consolidated in the 1990s. Diamond Comics Distributor is the world’s largest distributor. Their platform makes it difficult for small indie comic creators to get their work in physical stores. However, new platforms give creators more options and will be explored later. Highlights of Comics During the 80s and 90s: Some Self-Published Titles - One of the most well-known self-published comics of the 80s and early 90s is Maus by Art Spiegelman. Maus tells the story of the author’s family’s experience during the Holocaust, artfully rendered through anthropomorphic characters. - According to the South Central Review, “Art Spiegelman first began publishing Maus in a doggedly independent format” in his own magazine (Hutton, 2015). Although Maus eventually sought mainstream publication, it’s beginnings as a self-published work made it one of the self-publishing movement’s most Picture Credit: Art Spiegelman famous, and lauded, titles, winning a “Pulitzer Prize Special Citation in 1992” (Hutton, 2015). Highlights of Comics During the 80s and 90s: Some Self-Published Titles Elfquest by Wendy and Richard Pini is a serial comic that was first published in 1978, and continues to this day (Lavin and Hahn, 1999). Elfquest is a fantasy series about humans and elves coexisting in an alternate universe. Elfquest was self-published for a long time because the authors were “unhappy with the story’s treatment by publisher IPS, so they boldly decided to form their own publishing firm...WARP Graphics” (Lavin and Hahn, 1999). Elfquest was one of the most popular comics of the era, selling “100,000 copies per issue” by 1984 (Lavin and Hahn, 1999). Picture Credit: Wendy and Richard Pini Highlights of Comics During the 80s and 90s: Other Popular Titles Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons was a huge hit in the 1980s. Watchmen is a “political deconstruction of the superhero genre” (CBLDF, 2018). It gained critical acclaim, and best seller status in 1986 (CBLDF, 2018). Picture Credit: Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Highlights of Comics During the 80s and 90s: Other Popular Titles The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller was also a huge hit in the 1980s. The Dark Knight Returns is a “social commentary on media and politics in the Reagan era (with Batman and Superman as allegorical touchstones)” (CBLDF, 2018). Like Watchmen, It gained critical acclaim, and best seller status in 1986 (CBLDF, 2018). Picture Credit: Frank Miller Highlights of Comics During the 80s and 90s: Manga A study of comics in the 80s and 90s would not be complete without mentioning manga. As the Comic Book Legal Defense Foundation states, “The late nineties brought the influx of manga, which had been slowly coming over to the United States since the late seventies....Publishers like TokyoPop and Viz have translated a vast array of titles that speak directly to the concerns of young adult readers, who have developed a voracious appetite for the growing genre” (CBLDF, 2018). Thus Manga made a huge impact on these decades. Pictures Credit: Google Images Main Creators of Self-Published Works: The Hernandez Brothers - In 1981, Gilbert, Jamie, and Mario Hernandez self published one of the first independent comics, Love & Rockets. Fantagraphics Books took over publishing rights starting in 1982 (Sabin, 2014). - The series did not have one set narrative but instead several ongoing independent stories. The most prominent of them being Palomar and Hoppers 13. - Each of the brothers wrote these stories with some centered on realism and others on multiculturalism. - Love & Rockets original run lasted until 1996. Currently it is on its fourth run that started in 2016 with the Hernandez brothers still credited as artists and writers. Main Creators of Self-Published Works: Jeff Smith - Bone was published by Jeff Smith from 1991 to 2004. The series contains 55 issues where it was published through Smith’s company, Cartoon Books, then through Image Comics, and right back to Cartoon Books (Boneville, n.d.). - The story centers on the three Bone cousins, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone who are kicked out of their home of Boneville going on a fantasy journey encountering wonderful and terrifying creatures. - Smith solidified the 1990′s Self-Publishing Movement when he joined other self-publishers and launched a new era of independent comics publishing (Boneville, n.d.). - In 2008, the first issue of RASL was published by Smith, a sci-fi story about a thief who jumps to parallel universes. - In 2009, Smith wrote a graphic novel aimed for very young readers called Little Mouse Gets Ready. - In 2013, Smith published a webcomic called Tüki: Save the Humans which is currently on hiatus. Main Creators of Self-Published Works: Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird - In 1984, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird formed Mirage Studios to produce one of the most successful self published comics of all time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Farago, 2014). - The comic focuses around four anthropomorphic teenage turtles who live in the sewers of New York City trained in the art of ninjutsu by their sensei who is a rat. - This comic was influenced by several popular comics at the time like Marvel Comics’ Daredevil where it was initially planned as one issue (Farago, 2014). - Eastman and Laird parted ways as partners in 2000 due to creative differences. - Eastman continues to be a writer and artist for the current TMNT comic book series which began publication in 2011. - Laird pursued other comic book projects with such works like Planet Racers. History of Webcomics: 80s and 90s - In 1985, Eric Millikin published what is claimed to be the first webcomic called Witches in Stitches, a parody of The Wizard of Oz that he distributed through Compuserve, the first major commercial online service provider in the United States (Garrity, 2011). - In 1991, Hans Bjordahl published what he claimed was “The Internet’s First Comic Strip” called Where the Buffalo Roam, a gag strip published through FTP and Usenet. This online comic was updated regularly and the first one to do so (Garrity, 2011). - The first webcomic to have its own website was a gag panel written by David Farley in 1993 called Doctor Fun. - By the mid 80s-early 90s, the majority of comic creators at this time were college students studying computers because they were some of the only people who had internet access. Readers of these comics had to subscribe to mailing lists for the comics to be emailed to them (Garrity, 2011). - Once internet access was available to everyone dozens of webcomics were being published by cartoonists with similar themes of technology, video games, and other geek interest topics. Other cartoonists played with the themes to incorporate new story and visual ideas. - Popular webcomics during this time period include: ● Argon Zark! - published by Charley Parker in 1995. Follows the story of a hacker, a robot, and delivery girl as they travel the World Wide Web. ● Nukees - published by Darren Bleuel in 1997. Started out as a college newspaper strip posted on a student’s website (Garrity, 2011). ● PvP - published by Scott Kurtz in 1998. This comic takes place in the offices of a fictional gaming magazine. ● Slow Wave - published by Jesse Reklaw in 1995. Readers emailed descriptions of their dreams and Reklaw drew a 4 panel comic strip out of each one (Garrity, 2011).