My friend Eamon gave me a slew of comics the other week, slowly sifting through this stuff. This article comes from The Comics Journal #148 published February 1992. It brought to mind a conversation I was having last night with Cundo, he was talking about a spot in the 90s in California called the "anti-mall." Basically a mall that catered to the tastes of the budding punk/ska scene, a place where you could find the good hair dye, a tower records specializing in imported music, an urban outfitters ect. Essentially a mall playfully under the guise of an alternative.
In a way, Image could be seen as radical shift in the mainstream comics world, but at the same time is a repackaging of the same shit. What difference did Image bring to the table? Within the boundaries of capitalism, is it possible for there to be an alternative in the mainstream comics world? What would that even look like? A room full of different white men? How does the alternative/art comics scene mimic the big two? How is it different? If one appears more approachable/sincere do you feel better when you feed it money? or does it feel better to purchase from one hidden behind the authority of a publisher?
What is the difference between the Ghost World movie and the X-men movie?
How is selling a product different from someone else selling a product? Is one form of capitalism better than another? Is the new boss better than the old boss?
Here I am asking questions relevant in 1992, and it's so easy to ask questions.
-No Body