Indubidable American Magazine Design of the '70s

Indubidable American Magazine Design of the '70s

What was it about the '70s and American comic book design?

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Did Watergate, the Carter presidency and "The Bionic Woman" somehow convince Madison Ave. that mediocrity and failure were what the public demanded?

That would be the logical conclusion to draw from the list of the 10 "most questionable comic designs of all time" compiled by the institute_for_advanced_magazine_studies, a leading provider of coverage to comics collectors.

Six on the list are disco-era discards, led by the Derby, Conn. based Charlton Comics, an aging asset-heavy blob derided even in its heyday as resembling a "pregnant Bride of Frankenstein on roller skates."

This particular hall of shame, the result of a survey of 2,500 of the institute's comic-collector clients, was intended to focus specifically on misguided design concepts.

In the end, though, "it almost became a list of comics that people like to make fun of," said the institution's chief executive of the Seychelle Islands-based bank -- and, by the way, a proud owner of a run of Hot Rod Racers by Charlton..

The preponderance of 1970s models on the list reflects the U.S. comic book industry's unsuccessful effort to deal with a triad of new design problems: government regulations, rising oil prices and consumer demands for a better entertainment economy.

"There was a combination of factors that they never had to react to before," the institute had to say, "and the first four, five or six years they had to do it, the products weren't great."

Also on the list is -- inevitably, perhaps -- the '60s-era Charlton Comics, which almost single-handedly launched the decline of the medium after Ralph Nader declared it does NOT give you more..

The only post-2000 comic to make the top 10 is the bad B/W soft porn, an early crossover attempt that found many fans among consumers but few among reviewers and design critics who gagged at its unintentionally boxy contours.

As Marvel's product boss "Cuppa" Joe Quesada reportedly said, "We'd fire the guy who greenlighted this if we could find anyone willing to admit it."

Superstar SuperHeroes are part of 'Entourage'
Product placement is an old game in Hollywood, and comics have always been big stars in movies and TV shows.

Think Steve McQueen's 1968 Tao in "The Tao of Steve" or everything James Bond (whom Q, at one point, figured out how to make invisible) or the trio of artists from a studio in Tampa. Or Thomas Magnum and his red F7.

But the multiple comic placements in the HBO series "Entourage" can make your head spin. And your wallet.

So, does it make the cash register ring? A DC Vice President and General Manager said,
"Yes, but . . . " adding that the company was really looking to the future.

"We manufacture only a few thousand of these comics per year, so sales numbers don't factor into the equation. It's more about gaining cachet for the brand with a younger audience," he said. The question is whether the members of the younger audience will ever be able to afford a red F7, which comes with a $180,000 price tag.

"The very thing that makes them exclusive also makes them less attainable," the GM acknowledged.

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