90's Superheroes Comics That Influenced Me (Part 1)

The Death and  Return of Superman Saga.

You'll believe that Superman can die!

This saga really shocked me hardly. I didn't believe after I saw the articles in magazines. A Superman killed by a newbie villains, not by his arch nemesis Lex Luthor?  I still didn't believe after I read the novels. Actually, this story line had force me to read novels. Why? Because in my hometown, it so difficult to found an imported comics except borrowing them. One of my friend lend me the translated novels in Indonesian. Then I played the games in Genesis and SNES. I've seen the trading cards.

Then I read the whole trade paperback after I moved for college. Yes, this comics had opened my perspective of making comic heroes, they could died and resurrected when ever you wanted to. You could also put the substitutes heroes for the main hero for playing with stories. The important things I've learned was the market's impact. That awesome! I enjoyed to see the appearance of Eradicator, Steel, Superboy and Cyborg Superman. Never forget them in whole of my life so easily. Okay, some of you would think that Superman's long hair make him look silly, but for me that fine (for that periods).

Todd McFarlane's Spider-Man

Something neo-classic, Todd McFarlane's Spider-man. The artworks are Grimm, gory, dark, bloody, etc. This is an epic books (in those early 90's years). The words Amazing, Spectacular and Sensational were put at the numbers of the 1st book selling. Not mentioned, the variant covers like hologram cover, holo-foil covers, embossed covers. It created new horizons in comic industries in 90's, collectibles gimmicks investment money can buy. But today who care about it? I don't care, I just concern about the high quality artworks there.

I've been read and collect this comics (of course the Indonesian translation brought by Misurind). The artworks were shocking, actually I really didn't enjoy McFarlane's artworks, but amazingly, this comics had persuaded me to collect them because of it. I've learned, you doesn't have to make a well drawn artworks aesthetically for make a high quality comics. The black panel, the television news scenes and splash pages had influenced my comic pages. 

Batman: Knightfall

I was shocked while read an article in magazine, that DC has made Batman paralyzed and replaced by new guy. I wondered that Grayson would take the cape, but I was surprised after I saw the new Batman, while I borrowed Batman issue 500 from my friend.  Jean-Paul Valley/ Azarael replaced Bruce Wayne Role. I really like the new Batman costume, altough some of bat-fans hated it just like they hate George Clooney. 

But for me that was interesting, while knowing someone else had taken your favorite hero role and they've do the opposite things from what your hero done. I like what this new Batman did, he's so cruel and brutal. And the way original Batman took over his role was very outstanding.

DC knew how to break the market those days without depends on various covers and gimmicks that Marvel or Images done in industries. For me Batman cannot replace by other characters even a Dick Grayson. Bruce Wayne always be our Batman. But, personally, Knightsend Batman had impressed me with the costume design just like the long haired Superman with black costume.


90's X-Men

This X-men cover below was my very first modern X-Men readin' after bored with Misurind's classic X-Men. Thanks to mr. Nichola Sarvangga Valero Mitakda, for lend this book at high school and make me a hugh 90's X-Books fans and of course a Jim Lee fan. This comics had open my window about comics world.

1990 was my favorites X-men era. In 90's there were many various of X-Men characters. From the original five like Cyclops, Phoenix, Beast, Iceman and Angel until some newbies like Marrow, Maggot and dr. Reyes in the end of 1990's. For several years in 90's Era Marvel had some top writer and artists for working in many X-Books such as The Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, Excalibur, X-Factor, X-Force, Cable and Generation-X. Actually, the hype were started  by the end of 90's when some X-creator like Jim Lee and Rob Liefield involved in some X-books. Soon X-men were grow bigger than I could imagine in those days.

The 90's era also had some great story arcs like X-tictions Agenda, X-cutioner Song, Mutant Genesis, Fatal Attractions and Phalanx Covenant. And some great artists were begin and grow their career in the 90's X-books like Andy Kubert, Adam Kubert, Joe Madureira, Chris Bachalo, Ian Churcil, Carlos Pacheco, Salvador Larroca and many more! With this phenomenon, I had a dream when I was in high school, I thought that would be cool to work for an X-Book, while until now it just still a dream to me. 

My most favorite x-man is Wolverine. Yup, the yellow spandex one. When, the movie success affected the continuity of the X-books, the characteristic of Wolvie changed. It doesn't mean I hate the movie universe X-men, but naturally I grew up with the 90's comics X-guys especially Wolverine.

 The Age of Apocalypse is still my favorite crossover. It was surprisingly to saw an altered universe caused by the death of Prof. X. Some of characters was redesigned radically, like what have Marvel done to Wolverine, Sabretooth and Rouge. And yet, it was the first time I saw a manga style could blend with US comic style, thanks to Joe Madureira for redesign Rouge based from Ghost in The Shell's Mokoto Kusanagi.

Personally, the 90's X-men was taught me that you could make many various characters, various super powers and redesign old characters into new ones. The popularity of the books and TV animation, brought me to another hobbies such as collecting trading cards and action figures.