Vertigo Comics: Leaving the Spandex Behind

The 1970's and 1980's aptly called the Silver Age saw the decline of the superhero comics. Sales were down and both DC and Marvel were scrambling to come up with ideas that could revive the limping market. Both these juggernauts found the answer in turning their beloved superhero's dark. Marvel reintroduced us to the X-men, mutants who are fighting for a world that hates and fears them, while DC made Batman grimmer and even killed Supergirl in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Following this wave of successful “mature” comics of the 1980s, DC released a series of comics that dealt with adult topics and marketed mostly for the adult readers. The end result was the Vertigo line in 1993.

Vertigo was intended to attract writers who wanted publish material that maybe offensive to the mainstream public. This was unique in a field that pushed artists to the forefront instead of the writers. Writers like Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison and Alan Moore found a ready publishers for their darkest imaginings. Because of the excellent storylines, Vertigo has remained an influential force in the comic book industry.

While many of the early Vertigo comics were set in the mainstream of the DC universe they have been leaving out the superheroes and using their own mythos for their stories. The Vertigo line emphasized the supernatural and can be seen as the reality to the super human DC universe. Vertigo also employed a relatively new format, the graphic novel to push sales. The graphic novel extended the shelf life of the average comic and reached the bookstore market. With their success on this format every other publisher was using the graphic novel to collect their serialized comics.

Some of the notable Vertigo series are:

Sandman. The immensely popular series by Neil Gaiman has been reprinted countless times and they're still selling like hotcakes. Born from the acclaimed literary “rock star” Gaiman, the Sandman universe was initially intended to be a retelling of a superhero with the moniker of Sandman who fought crime by putting criminals to sleep. Instead Gaiman gave us a stylish and original comic book series that have become a pop culture phenomenon. The main character of the Sandman is Morpheus one of seven siblings, the Endless, who are anthropomorphic personification of some aspect of reality like Dream or Death. The series incorporated various historical characters like William Shakespeare, mythology and contemporary culture.

Fables. Set in Fabletown where refugee characters from fairy tales and folklore are hiding after their native lands have been destroyed by the Adversary. What makes Fables so entertaining is the way that Bill Willingham has reinterpreted most of the familiar characters. Snow White and Prince Charming are divorced because of his infidelity. The Big Bad Wolf is Fabletown's sheriff.

Y the Last Man. Set in an apocalyptic world where all of the males have been killed by a mysterious plague. Written by Brian K. Vaughan, the series centers on the last man on earth Yorick Brown and his monkey Ampersand. Yorick and his friends journey through a decimated USA and the society that is trying to rebuild after such a calamity.

Hellblazer. Featuring John Constantine a character who pushes the boundary of what is considered a hero. There's a lot of magic and supernatural conflict going on but at it's heart is John Constantine who is clothed in shades of gray. He's manipulative but there are times when he's almost heroic.

We3. Grant Morrison penned this critically acclaimed story about three genetically enhanced animal weapons as they try to find their way home. A dog, Bandit, a cat, Tinker and a rabbit, Pirate break free from the animal weapons program. The US Air Force attempt to capture them before they can make their way home. The tear jerking ending and the quality of the artwork all make this a must read.