Amazing Heroes Issue #181 Table of Contents

Amazing Heroes Issue #181 Table of Contents

Periodical
Comic Strips

The table of contents of issue 181 of the Amazing Heroes fanzine series contains 14 items, including “Toren! Toren! Toren!” (an interview) by Darwin McPherson, “Moon-Knighting” (an interview) by Steven Miller, “Ten of a Kind” by Robert T. Jeschonek, “Perspective” by Joe Filice, comics news, “Coming Distractions,” “Backstage” by Andy Mangels (featuring a review of the latest Spider-Man script), “Cartoon Corner” by Korkis & Cawley, “Small Press World” (an interview) by Hal Hargit, “Infernal Gall” by Adam-Troy Castro, Comics in Review, comments from readers, “The Cartoonist,” and “Storm’s Index” by Dave Storm. “Toren! Toren! Toren!” is an interview with Toren Smith of Studio Proteus about Venus Wars and translation issues in manga. “Moon-Knighting,” on the other hand, is an interview with Sal Velluto, the artist of Moon Knight. “Ten of a Kind” is a guide to ten of the greatest stories from Star Trek Enterprise’s missions, and “Perspective” looks at comic conventions. This issue’s edition of “Cartoon Corner” provides a history of the popular cartoon The Simpsons. “Small Press World” is an interview with Michael Dowers, publisher of Starhead Comix and Fantagraphics’ own warehouse manager. Adam-Troy Castro proposes an ecological challenge to comics while defining what is a superhero in “Infernal Gall.” The right-hand side of the second page features staff information, contributor’s information, an index to advertisers, ad rates (a full-page ad is $150) and distributors.

Though many of the earlier issues of Amazing Heroes contained information and articles about film and cartoons, this issue seems to move beyond film and cartoons that only relate directly to superheroes, even including a piece on The Simpsons. Despite television’s growing popularity in the 1950s, previous issues of Amazing Heroes from the early 1980s hardly seem to focus on it. This issue’s presentation displays the growing connections between comics and cartoons, furthered more by the connections discussed concerning Japanese manga and anime. Strict regulations were placed on comics in 1954, beginning a push towards television as a popular medium for youth culture entertainment. As a result of the comics recession, fewer youths had strong nostalgic value to place on comics, and television became another industry for superheroes to populate from which creators could profit. Similarly, a change in popularity of Japanese culture arose, and this fan magazine's emphasis on Studio Proteus exemplifies this new fixation. Published only a couple of years after Japanese manga’s emerging production and six years before the manga medium’s American peak in 1996, this issue anticipates one of the major production groups of the manga movement. Studio Proteus, often associated with their work on cyberpunk pieces such as Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell (the latter of which was released post-publication of this Amazing Heroes issue), follow trends set by those in the Japanese comics genre (such as Akira) before culture re-classified Japanese manga as books instead.

Executive Editor: Kim Thompson
Managing Editor: Thomas Harrington
Art Director: Mark Thompson
News Correspondent: George Kaplan
Production Assistance: Roberta Gregory
Typesetting/Proofreading: Craig Maynard
Circulation: Michelle Byrd and Sharon Kingsford
Contributing Writers: Joe Filice, Andy Mangels, Korkis and Cawley, Hal Hargit, Adam-Troy Castro, Dave Strom, Darwin McPherson, Steven Miller, and Robert T. Jeschonek
Cover Art: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko

MSU Special Collection Comic Art, PN6725.A47

Fantagraphics Books, Inc.

1990-07

Rowan Giffel

Rights Restrictions Apply

Amazing Heroes Issue #181 Cover
Amazing Heroes Issue #181 Pg. 27

6 5/8 x 10 1/4 in.

English

Periodical

1981-1992