Comics for Thought: The Anthology

Comics for Thought: The Anthology
By: Damien Wood

One of the few titles that kept me reading comics through the nineties was Dark Horse Presents. An anthology title, DHP was always clever and creative in the independent material it offered. Frank Miller’s original Sin City tale found its home there. The last good thing John Byrne did (Next Men) spent time there, as did Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. DHP was a prime example of a comic book done right. Then people lost interest and the title was retired as the longest running American anthology in comics’ history.

American anthologies haven’t done well since, and I have to say I find that surprising.

From the publishers’ standpoint, I would expect the anthology to just be smarter business. It would allow them a place to groom in-house talent, try out untested talent and also try out untested properties. While those first two would be major benefits in themselves, it’s that last one that strikes me as being where the anthology’s advantage to publishers really lies. What makes more sense? Putting out a solid anthology as a feeler to see what sells, or flinging crap at the wall, calling it a new line of comics and hoping something sticks?

Marvel’s last go at the Epic imprint was a case where the anthology was actually used as a deathblow rather than a spawning ground. When the line failed, that’s when they pulled out the anthology idea and told the creators that “all their stuff was going there now”. It was such an offensive proposition that half of them quit and ran to Image. Yeah, we love anthologies around here.

From the readers’ standpoint, I would expect there’d be something said for the convenience of being able to read a wide assortment of material for a single low price. It’s a place to check out creators and concepts you might not have had the opportunity to otherwise. I won’t go into how perfect it also is for those with short attention spans.

Still, the launches of anthology titles are few and far between, and of the handful that are out there, most tend to suffer slow and painful lifespans. It’s a pity too, because some of them are truly good. One of the problems is that we usually never see these titles on the racks, because retailers tend to associate anthologies with low sales – and so the circle of anti-hype continues. The bigger problem is that readers aren’t picking up these titles on those rare occasions we do see them – a far graver no-no in the anti-hype paradox.

The American anthology deserves better than this. Not only do these titles serve a purpose in the industry (and could do more), but there’s no format in comics right now to give you more bang for your buck. The next time you see one of these titles on the racks, pick it up. If you like it, tell your retailer. Let’s see if we can’t revive the anthology.

Next Friday: Appeal of the Superhero

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The opinions expressed in the above piece are those of the writer, and are not necessarily representative of TNI.

When not enlightening the masses and saving the world in service of TNI, the entity known as NmX attempts to carry out a semi-normal life as a writer and a student of journalism under his not so secret identity, Damien Wood.

Look for his online projects "I Will Speak. You Will Listen." and "Mental Puppetry" sometime in the near future.