Amazing Heroes Issue #52— Table of Contents

Amazing Heroes Issue #52— Table of Contents

Periodical
Comic Strips

The table of contents inside Amazing Heroes issue 52 features a header that denotes that it’s issue no. 56, is the contents section and was published on August 1st, 1984. The side panel on the left features three images with brief descriptions underneath them, denoting what they’re about. The top image features a drawing of Judge Dredd with the caption “Hero History: Andrew Littlefield looks back at the career of Judge Dredd on page 29,” the middle image features a drawing of Dargaud with the caption “Feature Article: Dwight Decker reveals the secrets behind Dargaud on page 51,” and the bottom image features a “mysterious” Marvel hero with the caption “Hero History: Frank Plowright looks at the Marvel hero you don’t know on page 43.” To the right of these photos, there’s a greyed-out section that denotes each of the articles throughout the comic, along with their page number, author, and article title. The page number appears first, then the article/subhead. Below this in finer print is a brief description of the article, and below this is where the author is named. The entire page is printed in black and white.

The Contents page is a perfect representation of what the comic you’ll be reading will contain. The headlining articles I mentioned before are crucial in shaping this page into what it is. One of the headlining articles on this page is “Hero History,” which connects with the cover and discusses the career of Judge Dredd. Advertising European writers is just as important as advertising European superheroes right from the get-go, being that only including one or the other would appear limiting— both the real writers and the heroes they create are equally important. Another headlining article is titled “Hero History,” which looks into the life an history of Captain Britain, also known as Brian Braddock. He was from Britain (fittingly). Including a preview of an article about a well-respected, popular European superhero is crucial to put on the Contents page, being that it’s probably the most representative article in the entire issue. A comic all about Europe should feature a powerful superhero that hails from Europe! Though not a featured article, another article in the comic that falls under the theme of representing Europe is one called “’Zines Across the Ocean” by Dale Coe, which focuses on British fanzines. According to the article “Fanzine Culture” by Gavin Martin, many British fanzines were tied to the punk uprising in Europe, so many fans felt the need to write about it. Translating over to comics, many fans felt the need to voice their opinions about it as well, which is a great article to feature in a comic focused on European comics. This brings the fans into the picture as well and gives them a face. Another headlining article is about Dargaud, featuring a drawing of the superhero Asterix, who’s from France. According to europecomics.com, Dargaud is one of the first and biggest French comic publishers, in which Asterix fell under. Including an article about a major European publisher brings variety into the comic, being that most readers would expect the issue would focus on European superheroes, writers, and comic artists. Discussing European publishers adds variety and gives readers a greater look into how comic publishing across the pond works. It helps make the issue “whole,” and include all parts of the comic world in Europe.

David W. Olbrich, Tom Mason, Kim Thompson, M. Thompson, T. Heintjes, Janet Toombs, Lidia Hlywa, Peg Weinberg, J. Michael Catron, Mike Raub

MSU Special Collections Comic Art, PN6725.A47

Redbeard, Inc.

August 1st, 1984

Autumn Miller

All rights reserved

-http://chambl91.msu.domains/CriticalFanscape/items/show/18 (Cover)
-http://chambl91.msu.domains/CriticalFanscape/items/show/20 (Representative Page)

Comic, 6.6x10.3 inches, black and white

English

Periodical

1981-1992