Brannon Costello is the James F. Cassidy Professor of
English at Louisiana State University. His books include Neon
Visions: The Comics of Howard Chaykin and the coedited volume
Comics and the U.S. South.
Brian Cremins is professor of English at Harper College and
the author of Captain Marvel and the Art of Nostalgia. He serves as
an associate editor for INKS: The Journal of the Comics Studies
Society.
The Other 1980s evokes the vibrancy of 'comics' crucial decade, '
while also critically considering its limitations. Diverse yet
focused, loving yet rigorous, this superbly edited collection is
indispensable.--Charles Hatfield, author of "Alternative Comics: An
Emerging Literature and Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack
Kirby"
Comics readers and scholars today live with the continuing
ripple-effects of the 1980s: an era of new opportunities, reckless
entrepreneurship, and wild creativity. This superbly-edited
collection evokes the vibrancy of that era, while critically
considering its limitations. Diverse yet focused, loving yet
rigorous, The Other 1980s is a new landmark in comics
studies.--Charles Hatfield, author of "Alternative Comics: An
Emerging Literature and Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack
Kirby"
In The Other 1980s: Reframing Comics' Crucial Decade, editors Brian
Cremins and Brannon Costello have drawn together a myriad of
brilliant scholars to provide a gold mine of careful and
contextualized reflections on under-studied comics of the 1980s. In
each chapter, these scholars shine a light on comics that have been
overshadowed by the endless return to a handful of examples from
that era--Maus, The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen--that for too
long have served as a narrow stand-in for everything going on in
the field during that decade and making their case for why these
overlooked comics deserve to be studied. From examining the work of
lesser known comics writers like Doug Moench, whose comics spanned
the gap between the 70s and 80s, to exploring the indie boom that
put publishers like Comico and Eclipse on the map (if temporarily),
to licensed comics based on toy lines and their role in shared
universes, to the conservative resonances of The Comics Journal's
infamously irascible take on mainstream comics, and more, The Other
1980s widens the lens to reveal a fecund period in comics that is
only now getting more than a scratch on the surface.--Osvaldo
Oyola, editor of "The Middles Spaces"
The 1980s saw thrilling action taking place on the pages of
American comic books. Developments in retail, exposure to overseas
comics, and a robust economy briefly gave the illusion of a level
playing field, where independent publishers shared shelf space with
Marvel and DC, giving bold voices a platform, and inspiring
innovation at every level of the industry. The Other 1980s
celebrates stars and also-rans of indie comics, renegade innovators
pushing the mainstream's boundaries, and a few notable turtles,
horses, and elves. Costello and Cremins are the ideal scholars to
curate this collection, both unashamed to show fan-nish enthusiasm,
while never brushing away the era's blind spots and terrible takes
concerning issues of race, gender, sexuality, and toy tie-ins. This
book will make you take a serious look at the abjectly ridiculous,
will send you on deep dives into quarter bins (trade reprints omit
letters columns, ads, and paper dolls. . . .the best parts), and
will become uncollectibly dog-eared after multiple re-readings. It
is the first academic collection I've read that made me wish the
essays were longer.--Jake Austen, editor of "Roctober Comics and
Music"
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