TRIGGER WARNINGS: Five Highlights From The Comics Journal #47

Dennis Fujitake

Colors: Kim Thompson

"I believe that sequential art is the oldest communicating art form, I think it has the validity of any other art form - and while it may not have the breadth and dimension of motion pictures and it may not have the ability to cover abstracts the way lines of words do, and it may not be able to do a lot of things - it has served humanity since early man because it has the ability to transmit a story." -Will Eisner (page 43)

THE COMICS JOURNAL #47 (July 1979)

1. ESSAY: THE DEATH OF THE SUPERHEROES by Steve Skeates.

Framed by a scene of fictitious Doc Savage responding to real life Jim Jones and the Guyana cult massacre, is an autobiography by Skeates and a eulogy for the end of revelance in mainstream superhero comics. Skeates (1943-2023) was one-of-a-kind.

2. NEWSWATCH: ALTERNATIVE PRESS.

[Fantagraphics Forgotten Line]

From Love & Maggie blog 12/12/09: Unfortunately, for some unknown reason this line of comics never materialized (with the exception of THE FLAMES OF GYRO, which I always considered the first Fantagraphics comic book) at Fantagraphics. At least three issues of HORNY COMIX were published by Rip Off Press in 1991 and PORTIA PRINZ OF THE GLAMAZONS was published by Eclipse Comics beginning in 1986 with a trade paperback (original or reprint, I don't know) by Marlowe & Co. in 1994. The Dwight Decker material is probably lost [...], and, likewise, the science fiction anthology never came together.

GCD

3. NEWSWATCH: UNDERGROUNDS by Bruce Sweeney.

Lots of rare self-published comix listed this time around, including a band sponsored mini, four from Valentino, and one of the last small press comix from Dave Geiser. Following the first six pictured mini-comic releases are the earliest Clay Geerdes minis released. I love Geerdes underappreciated artwork, and his solo book DISCO MOUSE is particularly charming.

Above: Poopsheet Foundation

Comic Book Realm

Above: Poopsheet Foundation

Comixjoint

Comic Book Realm

Above: Poopsheet Foundation

4. COLUMN: PANEL PROGRESSIONS: EISNER THE MASTER STYLIST by Greg Potter. The first in a long-running series by Greg Potter continuing in #53(Neal Adams), #59(Jack Kirby), #63(Alex Raymond and Hal Foster), #67(Harvey Kurtzman), and #71(Bernard Krigstein).