Comics in the 90s part II

More comics from a decade that was not the best for fanboys
On
April 24, 2009
Hey everyone,

I'll admit my last article was a bit on the negative side, so I promise this one will be a lot more positive, and more in depth than just "This sucked" or "This was good".

Any way, on with the article.

So, the 90s is not only a decade that brought comic readers a few new comic companies likeValiant Comics ,



who breathed new life into old comic heroes likeSolar, Man of the Atom



andTurok, Dinosaur Hunter


or Image, home to such new heroes asSpawn, created, written, and drawn by Todd Macfarlane,



and Wild C.A.T.S.


it is also the decade that brought me my all time favorite comic book story ever......

Kindgom Come, which was written by a very good writer named Mark Waid, and painted by an outstanding artist named Alex Ross.


A collage of the covers to Kingdom Come. Isn't it beautiful?

This four part mini series was an Elseworld's tale, meaning it happened out of continuity of the canon DC universe. The story is based in the near future of our time. The heroes we know and love have all retired, letting the new heroes take over.

But the big difference between the old and new heroes is that the new heroes act more like villains. They have no regard to the safety of the public. If someone becomes a casualty of a battle, it is no skin off their nose.The actions of the new heroes causes the old heroes to come out of retirement and kick some newbie butt!

This series was a massive success.It honestly is in my opinion the "Citizen Kane" of comic books. Waid really captured the characters well. Ross's paintings were breathtaking. Every panel was a work of art on it's own. Just take a look at a few.





Even if you don't like comic books, I guarantee that you will love this book.


Anyway, on to another notable comic book event of the 90's... the introduction of theMarvel Knights imprint.

This was a line of comics that was meant for mature readers. Some titles that were launched in this imprint were "Black Panther", "the Punisher", "the Inhumans." But the most successful title that came out of the Marvel Knights imprint was "Daredevil"




The initial story arch was drawn by Joe Quesada (who is now the Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics), and written by Kevin Smith.


Yup, THAT Kevin Smtih!


The story arch Smith and Quesada worked on was "Guardian Devil". In this story, Matt Murdock (old horn head's secret identity) gets his Catholic faith tested through a series of events in his life. Daredevil meets up with an old foe, and a long time Daredevil character dies.

Anyways, I don't want to spoil the story, but this was epic. It made Daredevil a popular character once again, and attracted great talent to the book like Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Alex Maleev (artist), David Makc (artist) and currently Ed Brubaker (writer) and Michael Lark (artist).

This is my favorite comic book work of Smith. He captured the character of Daredevil and made the character his own. Quesada also stood out on this story arch. His pencils were amazing and leaped off the pages. It really is definitive work for him. Just look at some samples.

This cover inspired the opening moment in the 2003 "Daredevil" movie. you'll recognize it once you see it.



After the success of "Guardian Devil", Smith went on to work on such titles as "Green Arrow", reintroducing the character in the story arch "Quiver" with artist Phil Haster....


Smith also worked on the mini series "Spider-Man/ Black Cat", featuring artwork by Terry Dodson.....


and most recently completed the mini series "Batman: Cacophony", with art by Walt Flanagan.


As mentioned before, Quesada went on to become the Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics. He pretty much runs the joint today. In 2005, Quesada returned to work on Daredevil once again in the mini series "Daredevil: Father".


Any way, I know I couldn't fit ALL the events that occurred in the 90's, so I want you to post your favorite comic events in the 90s. Hope you enjoyed reading.
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