The Pearl Age of Comics / R. W. Watkins

The Pearl Age of Comics

Staking out an Era (circa 1986—1996)

(Recreation of Mr. Watkins’s bed in the early to mid ’90s)

R. W. Watkins

If one’s mindset resembles that of Yours Truly and quite a few others who share an interest in such matters, one is probably puzzled by the length and breadth of this so-called Modern Age of Comics in which we are currently entrenched. In fact, one is probably wondering if it’s ever going to end. As British novelist and comics enthusiast Stephen Walker recently observed, it seems rather illogical to consider the comics being published in the second decade of the Twenty-First Century to be part of the same age as those published twenty or even thirty years ago.

Obviously, the mainstream comics critics and historians are asleep at the controls and travelling on autopilot. As a result, it’s imperative that us peripheral or ‘alternative’ critics—often the most objective—shed some light and impose some order on recent comics history, even if only for the most convenient or superficial of purposes.

I propose that the period extending from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s should be considered a sub-era of—or precursor to—the so-called ‘Modern Age’ of comics. I call this period the ‘Pearl Age’, based on the grounds that: (a) the name reflects a relatively minute yet glittering period in comics history, resembling the jewel in question; (b) it was a period in which new heights of intelligence and sophistication were reached, even in some mainstream titles (‘pearl of wisdom’); and (c) it coincided with the rise (and fall) of grunge/alternative rock, of which Pearl Jam was the most commercially successful. For those who prefer designating the past twenty-five to thirty years ‘the Dark Age of Comics’ and highlighting the more despondent elements, I would propose the ‘Black Pearl Age’.

The major relevant attributes of mainstream (read commercial superhero) comics during this period would consist in the inclusion of more adult-oriented material (e.g., The Watchmen’s grim themes and imagery)—sometimes resulting in censorial or even legal difficulties for some titles (e.g., Stray Toasters); the rise of artists such as Todd McFarlane, Eric Larsen and Rob Liefeld; mega-selling debut and specialty issues, often featuring variant covers to appeal to the growing ‘speculator’ market; the launch and overnight commercial success of Image Comics; the increased availability of various creator-owned projects courtesy of imprints such as Marvel’s Epic Comics and DC’s Piranha Press; and new television versions of Batman, Flash, Superman, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man. Major relevant attributes of alternative comics would consist in the increased popularity of the ‘graphic novel’ (e.g., Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, I Never Liked You, Why Did Pete Duel Kill Himself?); a trend towards biography and autobiography; an identification with subcultural elements of the so-called Generation X; and the rise of artists such as Peter Bagge, Charles Burns, Dan Clowes, Mark Kalesniko, and Jim Woodring.

(Hate by Peter Bagge)

Although the proposed Pearl Age runs roughly from the mid ’80s to the mid ’90s, the specific start and end points vary from publisher to publisher. For DC, it no doubt began in 1986 with the publication of the mini-series Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and The Watchmen. An exact end point is more difficult to nail down; but the author would suggest the release of the fourth motion picture in the Batman series, the kitschy Batman and Robin of 1997. For Marvel, the new age most probably began with Todd McFarlane taking over as artist on Amazing Spider-Man in 1987. Without question, it ended with the mighty company declaring bankruptcy in 1996. Image’s 1992 inception would (obviously) be the starting point for its contributions to the proposed age. Rob Liefeld’s 1996 departure from said company would suffice as the end point. As for the biggest of the alternative comics companies, Fantagraphics, the age for them almost undoubtedly began with the company’s move to grunge mecca Seattle in 1989. It probably ended for them with either the 1996 conclusion of the original Love and Rockets (whose debut preceded the Pearl Age by half a decade) or (more appropriately) the final regular issue of Peter Bagge’s grunge-relevant Hate in 1998. The publication of the first volume of Art Spiegelman’s Maus by Pantheon Books in 1986 can also be seen as an obvious starting point for the Pearl Age in the alternative comics context. As well, the collapse of the speculator market in the mid 1990s can be seen as a general end point for both mainstream and alternative comics, but particularly for the more collector-catering mainstream companies. Many of the smaller mainstream companies (e.g., Eclipse, Malibu, Valiant/Acclaim) folded in the midst of this market crash.

In addition to the publications synonymous with the start and end points, other notable events of the Pearl Age include the 1992 awarding of a special Pulitzer Prize for Art Spiegelman’s Maus; the 1993 release of Scott McCloud’s exploratory ‘graphic textbook’ Understanding Comics; and the recording and release of a ‘soundtrack’ album by Victor Banana (i.e., cartoonist Tim Hensley) to accompany Dan Clowes’s 1993 graphic novel Like A Velvet Glove Cast in Iron.

I have herein outlined the distinct attributes of the newly proposed Pearl Age which set it apart from the preceding Bronze Age (circa 1970—1985); but what of the subsequent years in Western comics, one might ask? How should we characterise and christen the current era of ‘funnybooks’? Given the predominance and influence of Japanese manga (and anime) over the past decade and a half, I would be so bold as to dub this period the ‘Jade Age of Comics’—or the ‘Jaded Age’, considering the impersonality, pointlessness and redundance that characterise the vast majority of publications that have plagued us in recent times. I’m sure the Jade(d) Age would make for a fascinating if not comforting study, but that’s going to have to take the form of another essay at another time.

Interesting! There certainly was a lot of new stuff happening in that time period. There’s no denying the earlier influence that the underground comics of the ’60s and ’70s had on many of us working in the field during those years. It’s always difficult for art/culture historians to assign hard, specific timelines/dates to ‘movements’, I think, because of the way various influences constantly ebb and flow....

— J.R. Williams—