#80s comics
If you want the very definition of a forgotten gem: read Kurt Busiek and James W. Fry’s Liberty Project series from 1987, years before Busiek became a top level creator after Marvels.
The concept was, essentially, Suicide Squad: criminals are given a chance to rehabilitate themselves through public service in a superteam. But the book distinguished itself through good characterization, and a serious examination of how society makes rehabilitation and redemption difficult, if not impossible, as well as how the criminal justice system is fundamentally centered on dehumanization and humiliation, as opposed to rehabilitation. People call this “early Busiek,” like it was cruder than his later work on Thunderbolts or Astro City. To that I say he was just as good here as he was later…he just wasn’t famous yet, and fewer people were paying attention.
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When you think of fantasy tabletop game art in the 1980s, you think of Bill Willingham, who did some of the best art in the D&D Expert and Basic Set (e.g. the baby blue and bright slim red books with Erol Otus cover art).
But did you know that Bill Willingham actually wrote some adventure modules himself?ForVillains and Vigilantes, a game that has the distinction of being the first superhero tabletop RPG, though it was vastly overshadowed by Champions a few years later. But even in the early 80s, it was still put-putting along, and it had Bill Willingham going for it: he not only wrote the module but provided great comic-style art to introduce concepts in them. I wonder why more adventure modules done by artists haven’t tried that.
Bill Willingham liked the characters in his tabletop adventure modules so much that, when he created his own creator owned comic, Elementals, he brought the baddies from this module to it.
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STAR WARS no. 42 (1980)
Cover art by Al Williamson
The first appearance of Boba Fett in comics.
Now this one was just silly.
“A Tale of Two Queens”
Copic Marker sketch of Jean Grey and Emma Frost
The New Adventures OF Superboy #14, February 1981, Pencils: Kurt Schaffenberger, Inks: Dave Hunt
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Finding a Glenn Scarpelli comic in a 1985 Archie Comic book is surprising…until you realize his father Henry Scarpelli was an Archie Comics artist.
Batman: Year One house ad by David Mazzuchelli (1986)
Read about why Batman: Year One is the definitive Batman origin
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So sorry…
Do you realize what you’ve done?!?
That’s it…the kid gloves are off!
