The Best Comics of the Decade, 1980-1990

The 1980s was a breakthrough period in comics. The from finally showed signs of cultivating a growing community of serious, dedicated artists whose single imperative was to express an uncompromising personal vision. In a form dominated by the rapacious interests of publishers and the infantilism and docility of its artists, this represents a major step forward. The best comics of the '80s were scattered throughout a handful of formats and media in "alternative comics," low circulation black-and-white magazines that rarely made an appearance outside a comics specialty store; in upscale graphics magazines and national humor periodicals; in urban weeklies across the country, in books, and in what remained of the undergrounds. There's no doubt that comics have taken a logical, quantum leap from the private obsessions and outre visions of the underground comics of the '60s and '70s.