Identity Crisis poster/Michael Turner
Most comic book historians and fans consider the era we’re currently in as modern. But there is no doubt that something in the comic book industry has created a fundamental shift in the foundation of both the business and entertainment sides of the medium sometime in the early part of the new millennium. Soon, I think the pundits will announce that comic book publishing has entered a new age, and the previous one—the one now known as the “Modern Age” will be reclassified as something else (the most likely candidates will probably be the Platinum or Iron Ages). However, since that era has not been labeled, the only thing we can accurately call the current era of comic book publishing is the “Post-Modern” era.
There are three distinct elements that have occurred since 2000 that set this era apart from any of those that came before it. Since any of these elements could support a full entry on its own, we will be breaking this entry into three parts.
- Tomorrow we wll examine the effects of decompression as a storytelling device in super-hero comic books and “writing for the trade"
- On Friday we'll discuss the impact manga and anime has had on American book publishing
- Next Monday, we'll conclude our look at the post-modern era by looking at Identity Crisis and exploring the inclusion of very dark themes in stories featuring DC Comics’ most iconic Silver Age heroes.
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