GoCollect Blog: Weird Comic Books: The Good, The Bad, and the What Were They Thinking? (weird-comic-books-the-good-the-bad-and-the-what-were-they-thinking )

Comic books are a genre of story that has rarely deviated in format from their inception. The reason is that people tend not to modify what is producing profits. Innovation is rarely seen in comic books. Every once in a while, a comic book will come out that breaks the mold. Sometimes, these brave attempts can be groundbreaking while other times these attempts may be disasters. Here are three comic books that broke from the pack, for better or worst.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Quiet please...

Mention the word comic book to any person and they will think of drawings with word balloons. That is how artists and writers tell their stories. One iconic comic book broke this mold and created a story that still is sought-after by fans years later. GI Joe, A Real American Hero #21 featured Snake Eyes's rescue of Scarlett from Storm Shadow. The issue was written without any spoken words in word balloons. Most would think it was an easy task for the writer, but that is a great fallacy.

Future contest prize used as an example

I will offer a prize in one of my GoCollect articles soon, an original comic book page by Jimmy Palmiotti, as a prize to one of our readers. When describing what went into that page, Jimmy Palmiotti described a whole vision for the artwork layout. Every image and element in the picture was carefully crafted to tell a very significant part of the story. More went into that page than if he'd used words.

Jimmy Palmiotti picked out that page because he said he was most proud of that work. That was only one page. Imagine doing a whole story with that amount of detail placed into every panel. That is why GI Joe, A Real American Hero #21 is still a key comic sought after by collectors and investors all these years later.

We ran out of ink, so we used the next-best thing

Stan Lee: innovator

Marvel Comics has been an innovator for comics in many ways. Stan Lee believed in pushing the envelope of his comics so that better storytelling was achieved. He was also not one to shy away from other forms of telling a story within the story. This type of bravado led to his fingerprints being on two innovative comic book compositions. In one, he had direct involvement, while others must have been inspired by his first project.

Bite me

The rock group KISS thrived by not being a typical rock group. Stan Lee convinced them that for their comic book all the band members should have their blood added to the issue's red ink. All parties visited a site so that a nurse could draw the blood in the presence of a notary. This type of dedication to the issue made fans want Marvel Comics Super Special #1. Marvel sold 500,000 copies of this issue and it was the highest-selling single issue until Spider-Man broke that record years later. KISS put themselves into that issue and one thought putting people's blood would be as far as Marvel would go until...

The pro's pro

Many fans know the characters U.S. Agent, Crossbones, and Red Guardian. Most fans do not know of the man who had a hand in creating these characters. This industry leader also brought back the character of the Red Skull in a long Captain America run. Mark Gruenwald was a writer and editor for Marvel Comics who had a passion for his work. His art was his life and fans appreciated his work. He put a little of himself in every issue, but then took this one step further.

If there is a will, there is a way

In his will, he requested that his ashes be placed in a Squadron Supreme trade paperback. Most requests to spread ashes in a beloved stadium, public park, or elsewhere are routinely denied. Marvel did not deny this long-time employee. His wife even wrote a forward for the trade paperback indicating that this in fact was true. His ashes were now part of the comic book.

Fans knew he put a part of himself into all his work; now, in death, he did the same.

Comic book protection kryptonite

There are no stupid ideas...um

GoCollect readers always indicate that collectors and investors are two different creatures. They focus on different aspects of the hobby. One thing that is common among collectors and investors is that they both want to preserve and protect comic books. Bags, boards and third party grading all are done to preserve comic books. Imagine a publisher creating a comic book whose selling point would be a major turn-off to both collectors and investors.

Ruined comics

Eclipso: The Darkness Within #1 is one of the best self-descriptive titles in the history of comic books. Gimmick covers were in vogue back in the 1990s. DC Comics decided to one-up their competitors by including a 3-Dimensional jewel on the cover of this comic. What DC Comics never thought of was how that jewel would impact collectors, investors, and retailers. Bagging and boarding this comic book may have protected the issue, but any issue in front of it was the subject of creasing because of the jewel.

Retailers started to sell this book at reduced prices to get it out of their inventory for this very reason. Collectors and investors who included this book in long boxes found out it caused creases to several other books. Sadly, DC Comics did warn people right on the cover, but collectors and investors at the time thought it was Gollum's precious ring. A jewel originally fought over that would lead many comic books in a box to their doom.

More to come...

Innovative comic issues will not stop. Publishers will continue to use foil, embossed bullet holes, and glow-in-the-dark covers to draw attention to their books. Writers and artists will unleash their artistic visions in the pages of their works to top past issues and the work of their peers. Sometimes it pays to stray off the path of others to create something memorable. Other times, the results could become legendary for all the wrong reasons. That is what makes these unique concepts special in the history of comic books.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant, or the scared. It's an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms"

Colin Powell