scans_daily: 30 Days of Winter: Day 29 - Fantasy Comics *Master Post*

sandoz_iscariot (

sandoz_iscariot) wrote in

scans_daily,
@ 2010-12-29 10:00 pm UTC

Entry tags:

creator: wendy pini, series: 30 days of winter, title: elfquest

30 Days of Winter: Day 29 - Fantasy Comics Master Post

Hi and welcome to tonight's 30 Days of Winter theme: Fantasy Comics!

My favorite fantasy comic is Elfquest, which holds a special place in my heart for being the first comic I bought in a comic shop. It was also my gateway drug for "serious" comics that went beyond the Betty & Veronica supermarket digests. The story of a tribe of elves known as the Wolfriders, Elfquest features every possible genre and setting, from action and romance to alien forests and deep space.

The creators of Elfquest have put nearly every single EQ comic online for free digital viewing here at their website, which I highly recommend for any fantasy or indie comic fans. The stories from the 90s and 00s are of very mixed quality (and it looks like there will always be some loose ends dangling) but the The Original Quest, Siege at Blue Mountain, and Kings of the Broken Wheel are great.

So,

scans_daily, what are your favorite fantasy comics?

And stick with us for the final day of our 30 Days of Winter event. Tomorrow's theme is Kid-friendly/all ages comics!

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Re: ...Okay I have to ask

sandoz_iscariot
2010-12-30 08:10 pm UTC (link)

during its heyday, the industry pretty much WAS devoted to guys

Not really, no. Women, whether kids or adults, were a big part of Golden Age comics readership. Romance comics in particular were extremely successful and aimed towards women (though most of the creators were men) and by the 1950s there were over a hundred romance titles published, and by major publishers and creators (like Lee and Kirby). And of course women read other genres too--humor, all-ages fare, action, etc. And if we're just focusing on superhero comics, Wonder Woman wasn't exactly an anomaly, as there were multiple female heroes like Fantomah and Miss Masque and Venus who may be obscure now but were definitely stars of their own Golden Age stories. Back when comics were selling, like, 50 million copies a month women were a large part of the marketplace and the publishers knew it.

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Re: ...Okay I have to ask

psychopathicus_rex
2010-12-31 12:34 am UTC (link)

Oh, I'm not saying that women/girls didn't read comics back then, or that there weren't comics intended for them - just that a LOT of the industry was dominated by 'boy's comics'. If you look at some of the prominent titles at the time, you'll see a number of things like 'Boy's Comics' or 'Young Men' or 'Men At War' and the like - you won't see many 'Women's'. (Also, as i understand it, romance comics were somewhat of a late starter - they only really came into their own in the '50's, as the star of superheroes was fading.)

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