@@StrangeBrainPartsI found your channel because I was looking for videos on forbush man(some of my first comics were issues of what the) and you were the only one with a half decent video(a great one at that) and I've been hooked since then!!!
It's interesting to see a list of all those Vertigo titles that weren't as known as the more popular ones like The Sandman, Hellblazer, etc. There were so many little hidden gems among the myriad of comics that this legendary label gave to the world. Excellent video, Overlord. Can't wait for the next parts. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Quickly becoming one of my favorite channels. You do excellent work, top tier video editing and I love the books you cover. Growing up in the early 90's, the Vertigo comics had a huge impact on me. Thank you for what you do!
I recently did a The Last One review on my Tiktok weirdly, I really enjoyed it, it's an atmosphere you take part in and you want the characters to do well.
I don't even remember you going over Mercy and Scarab. In fairness, there wasn't much to talk about with the bottom 3. When I got the notification from your channel, I first read it as "covering ALL of Vertigo," which I was totally down for. Maybe it's a time thing, maybe a cost thing, maybe both and more, but I wish you could make longer videos. I could totally sit through an hour or two long videos from your channel. It's one of the best. I don't really care for the prospecting side of comics or watching people find better comics than I can. You're a unicorn on RUclips, my dude.
Well, thank you very much! Obviously, making a hour long video (which I'm not opposed to) would take two or three weeks. Once this channel is at a point where it's sustainable I will make much longer videos. At the moment, if I took that time and didn't update weekly, my channel would basically die. That's just reality.
The Extremist prob my fave because I m a big fan of Ted McKeever art. I still have my Vertigo Tarot set, which I used for many years, that was always a bit dark and freaky, but one of my favorite things from this era...
“Has anyone actually read any of these titles?” I’m certainly going to now. Half the appeal of this channel is learning about great comic books I never knew existed. There’s a remarkable enthusiasm for oddball, niche titles, without ever being condescending towards mainstream titles, that I find refreshing.
Man, I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your work. Hands down, my favourite comic book channel. Been following for two years. Greetings from Kazakhstan!
I always read the vertigo issues when my dad brought them home. I usually didn’t get them but I was always entertained. Faces is one of the few I still have in my collection. I should give them a reread soon. Thank you for the video.
I highly suggest Two-Gun Mojo and Riders Of The Worm And Such. There was a third one, but I don't think it stood up to the first two. (Edit: Spelling mistake.)
I've read parts of most of them as Vertigo was just starting out when I got seriously into comics. I have read all of Sébastien O and the one shots. I kept meaning to finish Johna Hex: Two Gun Mojo as I grew up with the classic series and the post-apocalyptic sequel.
I’d love to see you do a series of videos covering each year of vertigo’s history! I picked up mercy in a dollar bin because the art looked interesting but I haven’t read it yet. I’m going to hunt down enigma and death the high cost of living after your review.
I read 6 of the 11 originally. I have fond memories of Scarab, and of John Smith's work generally, but it's been 30 years since I read it so I'll take your word for it.
This was my Sr. Year of high school and I remember my local comic shop throwing every Vertigo title in my pull folder. Some of these titles I remember vividly and others were dredged up by this video. I cannot stress enough how deeply I enjoyed this video and the trip down (comics)memory lane!!!
I've read a handful of these myself, I'm a huge vertigo fan. I remember not really understanding the Geek, similar to what you said. I'd probably dislike it even more now if I went back to it. One thing I'd suggest, if you're open to the idea, would be to at least mention some of the other Vertigo ongoings etc that won't be covered, but are going on in a given year, for added context.
Enigma may be one of my favorite comics of all time. Waiting for the definitive edition to come in the mail (nearly two years ago) was a great moment in time although it was during a terrible time.
I was all in for Vertigo when it started, I got all of those books on New Comics Day. It was fun. I was 22 and trying out new things and learning about the world. My mind and yours are pretty much alike, with some minor differences.....I love The Last One, just the right amount of melancholy. And yer, mercy disappointed. I await 1994
The lightning in a bottle that every "adult" line DC has created since tries to recapture, not realizing that Vertigo was the first of its kind and had the benefit of the peak work of some of the best in the business
Growing up in the 80s, I had cousins living in France and Belgium. During summer visits they would bring to NYC their hardcover European "bande dessinée" (graphic novels) to trade for my Marvel and DC's comic. When Vertigo came out, to me, many of their titles had the look, vibe, mood, style of European published books.
@@juniorjames7076 That's because a lot of them basically were. During the 80s there was something called "The British Invasion" not to be confused with the musical kind from the 1960s. Creators like Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and Garth Ennis coming over to the Big 2 from Britain and bringing a lot of European comic sensibilities with them
Love this video and hope it’s the start of a new series!!! I collect these but haven’t read them all, love having your perspective on them to help with context
Great video. Yes, I think I read all of these (at least first issues) when they came out. My assessment is very much correlated with yours. I would say on Scarab that John Smith’s other work is more effective. Firekind and Tyranny Rex come to mind. His ‘Cinnabar’ story for Rogue Trooper is probably the best entry point. Count in my vote for more 90s Vertigo videos.
From those I'm most familiar with Enigma, a lovely and very underrated series in my opinion. Some of Milligans best work (his best was Shade the changing man imo, also in Vertigo). Lovely vid, hope to see more from Vertigos years.
I came onto Vertigo titles late. Mostly looking for something new. Enigma was the first I read and was pretty good. Then I went on to Doom Patrol and others.
As a JM DeMatteis fan, I loved Mercy. I wouldn't consider it to be up there with say Enigma or Sandman but I enjoyed it more than any of DC's Black Label books. Also I wish The story of Vertigo Visions The Geek is gobbledygook, but who can say no to 90s Mike Allred? I read the first issue of Scarab and remember it being not great.
What a cool video series. I recall seeing many of those titles on the shelves of comic shops. Are you planning more for the imprint’s history? I collected the Extremist and Sebastian O in quarter bins. They were okay reading . I was not aware of the Jonah Hex series. I’ll check that out. Thanks for the informative video.
Great to hear alternative views on the comics that fed my late 20s, I bought almost all of the first year of Vertigo, led there by Gaiman, Hellblazer and 2000AD
For me, by the late mid 90s I had become fed up with the decline in quality of Marvel and DC, I was exclusively buying foreign published and independent graphic novels. Vertigo was the only mainstream titles I flipped through at the shop.
Maybe just the random moans of an aging old man, but it did feel like comics were making a renewed attempt to encourage older themes and more adult stories back in the halcyon days of Vertigo and Epic... I attended a comic con as a know nothing teen in 1992-93 (held in London) and there seemed to be a lot of onus on small press publishers like Oni and Piranha Press who were putting out alternative titles. Would love to see @strangebrainparts touch on them at some point if schedule, memory and workflow permits? Particularly remember the later putting out the titles: Invaders from Mars and The Elvis Mandible, but they actually also released a one-shot called The Hiding Place, which I honestly think is a genuinely magical, beautifully framed children's story, with lovely art from Steve Parkhouse (of many 2000AD stories)!
Amazing! I should've known your excellent channel and fantastic comic recall would have already covered them. And you reminded me of Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children to boot! I kinda miss those fever dream anthology titles of the day... including Cheval Noir and even some issues of the Hellraiser series (Epic published, I think?...)@@StrangeBrainParts
I still have an almost complete run of Beautiful Stories too! And i think you’re right...I’m pretty sure Hellraiser was published by Epic. I think they did Nightbreed too. I’m a bit fuzzy on that. 😀
They're still a couple of years from their peak. i've read a bit of this: Kill Your Boyfriend, Invisibles and Shade are still coming up. Hellblazer is the one thing they had firing on all cylinders, with Garth Ennis around this time- oh! And the regular Sandman title. I like The Last One all right, and anything with Death was pretty good.
I’m now reminded how in ‘99, Robinson and Goyer folded Scarab into the DC universe proper when they began their JSA series. I’d forgotten it was that Vertigo series where the character originated from.
I have only read the Death series from this group. I had to giggle when you mention that Scarab was meant to be a Dr Fate series. I remember what did happen to Dr Fate a year later after Zero Hour. The helm was melted into a gauntlet and knives and the new person was known at Fate. But Scarab idea didn't fit the establish character.....
@@StrangeBrainParts You could almost do a similar video to this video with the post Zero hour comics. They also revamped Manhunter. They took L.E.G.I.O.N in a new direction with R.E.B.E.L.S. JLI/JL Europe became Extreme Justice. Primal Force reintroduced a few characters to DC. They all were canceled in a year or two except for Starman, which was by far the most successful of that group of comics.
Of the books listed that I read: I read DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING without ever having read any SANDMAN. I really liked it a lot and have since began checking out more SANDMAN-related stuff. Chris Bacchalo's art is wonderful! JONAH HEX: TWO-GUN MOJO is perhaps my favorite Hex story. I think it's pretty awesome how well Jonah works in a horror story or in a straight western story. Read the first issue of SCARAB. Couldn't get into it and didn't pick up any more. Ditto re: ENIGMA. Like you, I didn't get whatever point THE GEEK was trying to make. Didn't read SEBASTIAN O until just a few years ago. It was...fine. I guess.
I had read almost all of these, but had forgotten all but the top 5. I feel I did not entirely "get" Enigma and felt Sebastian O was missing some spark to make it special. But I really enjoyed Two Gun Mojo, High Cost of Living and especially The Extremist, which made me question the protagonist's motives more than most tales.
I bought the first 2 issues of Enigma one of the first time I dug through dollar bins a few months ago. Haven't read them yet, might buy the rest before I start.
I've read most of these and more or less agree with your ranking, though I would have Enigma at the top. I think Milligan really shined in those Vertigo miniseries and one-shots throughout the 90s.
Scarab is a hot mess but I would recommend John Smith's British work. I don't think Smith translated well to the American comic format and his stories in 2000AD and Crisis especially over in the UK do hold up really well, if you can get your hands on them.
One of my favorite forgotten gems from vertigo is called The Heart of the Beast By Dean Motter, Judith Dupré, And Sean Phillips if you haven't read it, its worth hunting down for a good fun read
Vertigo was what made me get into comics back in the day, it was sad see them go. Black label sounds so generic , i really like the ww one, but the branding is like they are embarrassed of being comicbooks. Another banger! Best comicbook channel in yt!
You asked at the end of the video if anyone had read any of these. And as my comic reding peak was between 1985 and 2000 I believe I read most of these, the Geek and tattoeed man probably being the exceptions, The extremist was probably the most memorable as it did push boundaries for the time. And I remember being dissapointed by Mercy as I was a big J M Dematteis fan at the time, from his Defeders and Moonshadow. Fot me Vertigo came at just the right time, giving a more adult twist to the superhero genre that kept me engaged and built on the British resurgence in comics at the time. , and Marvel never really didanything equivalent in my estimtion.
Do you think you'll consider doing a vid on the Scott Pilgrim series in light of it's relevance thanks to the Netflix anime adaptation, or do you think it's not a work that interests you/the prospect of capitalizing on something's short term popularity doesn't appeal to you?
Everything is a possibility. I’m sure I have much of an opinion on Scott Pilgrim, though. It’s good but I’m not sure what else I might have to add that hasn’t been said already.
For me, by the late mid 90s I had become fed up with the decline in quality of Marvel and DC, I was exclusively buying foreign published and independent graphic novels. Vertigo was the only mainstream titles I flipped through at the shop.
I was 12 years old when these came out, so as an Image fanboy, I had no interest or ability to read these. It wasn't until Preacher that I regularly picked up a Vertigo comic. That being said, as I grew older I read plenty of them, especially the Bond era. I'm a McKeever fan so recently I picked up those Extremist issues and The Geek for the Allred artwork.
Personally, I would rank Death the High Cost of Living higher than The Enigma. For me, Enigma was a bit convoluted in the middle and ending. Death was more consistent and the story flowed better. But that's me. Will you be covering Kid Eternity?
I read the complete series' of Death and Skin Graft, the first issues of Enigma, Extremist, and Sebastian O around their release dates (the latter 3 were strangely available in my local Piggly Wiggly). I picked up Geek much much later out of a dollar bin for the Mike Allred.
Dude can I just say that I love your content. I’m a 15 year old who really likes the history of comics. Anyways I was wondering if you had read the old mask comics (the green dude) if not I highway recommend them especially the first two mini series the mask and mask returns. You can get these in the volume 1 omnibus alongside the third instalment the mask strikes back. Sorry for the long comment and keep up the good work. 👍
Thanks for the suggestion and thanks for watching! Yes, I have read the original Mask series(s). And the appearances in dark Horse Presents, if I remember correctly.
Probably a typo, but I like the way it scans as an implication of speedy, exhilarated support, and fully endorse a movement to make it a common phrase.
I'd switch Sebastian O for Scarab. I know the latter may seems like a "poor people's Swamp Thing", but it has a good balance between horror and fantasy that's the Vertigo core. Sebastian is just boring, and it could've been an one-shot issue. Also, I didn't like Death mini, so I'd switch it with Skin Graft. And Enigma is my #1, above Hex. I agree with you about the others. But Vertigo's 2nd year is my favourite.
Not only I have some of those comics, but a few I re-read a few months ago, when I visited my mother's house where I had to leave them. I agree with Jonah Hex being the best, I did not love Enigma (mostly for the end), Death is a delight because of Neil Gaiman but it's really a minor story (the follow from a couple of years later it's even lesser), Sebastian O I agree is nothing special (some fun ideas). I also agree that the Scarab deserve the last place in the list. I felt it like the Doom Patrol, but without the wit of Grant Morrison.
Enigma, The Extremist, Mercy and Sebastian O were not meant to be published by DC. Art Young took them from Disney to DC after the Touchmark Comics imprint was aborted, and this gave the separate brand enough volume for its launch. Art Young became a Vertigo editor.
Yup. That was mentioned in the video. Although, I missed mentioning Mercy was originally part of the aborted Touchmark. Which I erroneously called Touchstone, by the way. I’ve not seen anything that suggests The Extremist was also meant for Disney. Do you have a source for that?
Yes and no. Piranha Press did precede Vertigo, but it was a lot of very alternative, more experimental material. Vertigo had some experimental stuff, but developed into more mainstream, adult material. In my opinion, that is.
I wonder what other comics the writer of Scarab wrote (if any) and if they got better;(taking your assessment for granted, as I haven't read it). Thanks for the time warp, timelord.
Is there a recent one you're talking about? If so, I have not. Would you be able to comment with a link if you think it's something I should be aware of?
Hey, I like Scarab. John Smith's style is similar to Morrison's and Moore's, but don't copy either of them. Smith, like them, started in 2000AD. I recommend Indigo Prime and Devlin Waugh by him.
DidnDeath the high cost of living come out before she premiered in sandman? It would be interesting to read it not knowing as much about the Endless as we do
Chris Bachalo's work in Generation X and Ghost Rider 2099 was my gateway to Vertigo. It impressed this then-teen Marvelite so much, it encouraged him to look for other stuff outside of the X-Men or the Midnight Sons, and the High Cost of Living TPB had just come out. Cue to happy years hunting Shade back issues and such.
I enjoyed Sebastian O more than you. Three issues is the right amount of time to spend with a nihilist protagonist who murders people, and the story is more straightforward than Morrison's later stuff. Also Sebastian is a genuinely Wildean wit in places, like when his butch friend introduces her very feminine "amanuensis" and Sebastian suggests that's not the only Latin word for her duties.
@@StrangeBrainParts yeah that makes sense, honestly i cant blame people for choosing image over vertigo, still miss it though, but image is really great too
@@StrangeBrainParts i mean id definitely do the same, image is really good to their creators and the independence is amazing, hope i could join the fold someday
god scarab was so bad, he was mentioned in starman and looked slightly interesting and it was a slog to get through. despite being a character from the golden aga, scarab looks and acts like a 90s character. only odd thing was the story ending with characters from john smith's 2000 ad work, Indigo Prime. Perhaps, he was better suited to those comics rather than an American superhero, though he did do the new statesmen which was a dark american superhero story with original chaeracters.
@@tonyfrickey9062 I understand what are you saying. That's when the imprint got less weirder and less experimental. Maybe because of the change of sensibilities.
Literally the best comicbook channel on RUclips and only 30.9k follows.
You are too kind. Definitely a hard working, never sleeping channel, that's for sure. :)
@@StrangeBrainPartsI found your channel because I was looking for videos on forbush man(some of my first comics were issues of what the) and you were the only one with a half decent video(a great one at that) and I've been hooked since then!!!
Love Strange Brain Parts! I appreciate and watch every video that is published.
I agree
Vertigo was my introduction to comics as a medium. It'll always hold the top ranks in my heart.
I've read Jonah Hex multiple times. I love the work of everyone involved. Sam Glanzman was a great pairing with Tim Truman on this one.
100% agree. It's just top notch work from all involved.
I love those Vertigo Jonah Hex stories! “Riders of the worm and such” is my favorite
It's interesting to see a list of all those Vertigo titles that weren't as known as the more popular ones like The Sandman, Hellblazer, etc.
There were so many little hidden gems among the myriad of comics that this legendary label gave to the world.
Excellent video, Overlord. Can't wait for the next parts. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Quickly becoming one of my favorite channels. You do excellent work, top tier video editing and I love the books you cover. Growing up in the early 90's, the Vertigo comics had a huge impact on me. Thank you for what you do!
Awesome! I was all over Vertigo back int he day. And thanks for watching!
One of the prizes in my collection is a copy of Death The High Cost of Living #1 signed by Gaiman at Heroes Con in 1997.
I recently did a The Last One review on my Tiktok weirdly, I really enjoyed it, it's an atmosphere you take part in and you want the characters to do well.
I don't even remember you going over Mercy and Scarab. In fairness, there wasn't much to talk about with the bottom 3. When I got the notification from your channel, I first read it as "covering ALL of Vertigo," which I was totally down for. Maybe it's a time thing, maybe a cost thing, maybe both and more, but I wish you could make longer videos. I could totally sit through an hour or two long videos from your channel. It's one of the best. I don't really care for the prospecting side of comics or watching people find better comics than I can. You're a unicorn on RUclips, my dude.
Well, thank you very much! Obviously, making a hour long video (which I'm not opposed to) would take two or three weeks. Once this channel is at a point where it's sustainable I will make much longer videos. At the moment, if I took that time and didn't update weekly, my channel would basically die. That's just reality.
The Extremist prob my fave because I m a big fan of Ted McKeever art. I still have my Vertigo Tarot set, which I used for many years, that was always a bit dark and freaky, but one of my favorite things from this era...
I appreciate you doing videos like this. It helps me know what older titles to look up.
I read all of these in real time. I think you ordered them more or less appropriately. Thanks for the dip into the past.
“Has anyone actually read any of these titles?”
I’m certainly going to now. Half the appeal of this channel is learning about great comic books I never knew existed. There’s a remarkable enthusiasm for oddball, niche titles, without ever being condescending towards mainstream titles, that I find refreshing.
The Swamp Thing Vertigo stuff by Moore is hands down some of my favorite work of sequential art of all time. Morrison's Animal Man is also up there.
I've read Death: High Cost of Living and I loved it. I'm definitely going to check out Enigma now though.
Man, I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your work. Hands down, my favourite comic book channel. Been following for two years. Greetings from Kazakhstan!
Awesome! Thanks for watching. Hello from Canada.
I always read the vertigo issues when my dad brought them home. I usually didn’t get them but I was always entertained. Faces is one of the few I still have in my collection. I should give them a reread soon. Thank you for the video.
Pow! Right in my nostalgia glands - I shall re-read these. Thanks for a thoughtful overview.
Same here.
I'm very rarely subscribe to a channel, but you got it after 5 minutes.
Thanks for your time and creativity!
This was a nice trip down memory lane. So many books I'd forgotten about. I think I still have a copy of Mercy somewhere.
I liked all of them. I should check out the Vertigo Jonah Hex stories someday.
I highly suggest Two-Gun Mojo and Riders Of The Worm And Such. There was a third one, but I don't think it stood up to the first two.
(Edit: Spelling mistake.)
I've read parts of most of them as Vertigo was just starting out when I got seriously into comics. I have read all of Sébastien O and the one shots. I kept meaning to finish Johna Hex: Two Gun Mojo as I grew up with the classic series and the post-apocalyptic sequel.
I’d love to see you do a series of videos covering each year of vertigo’s history! I picked up mercy in a dollar bin because the art looked interesting but I haven’t read it yet. I’m going to hunt down enigma and death the high cost of living after your review.
If there's enough of a response then I will probably continue.
I read 6 of the 11 originally. I have fond memories of Scarab, and of John Smith's work generally, but it's been 30 years since I read it so I'll take your word for it.
Sandman Mystery Theatre is a masterpiece.
Always a good time when a new videos out
A new upload from the man who never seems to sleep.
I don't. I can't. Must talk comics. Especially ones that don't get any coverage. :)
These videos are excellent. Keep up the good work
Thank you! I'll try to do my best.
This was my Sr. Year of high school and I remember my local comic shop throwing every Vertigo title in my pull folder. Some of these titles I remember vividly and others were dredged up by this video. I cannot stress enough how deeply I enjoyed this video and the trip down (comics)memory lane!!!
I don’t think I’ve read any of them, but I’m sure as hell gonna read Jonah Hex now.
I've read a handful of these myself, I'm a huge vertigo fan. I remember not really understanding the Geek, similar to what you said. I'd probably dislike it even more now if I went back to it. One thing I'd suggest, if you're open to the idea, would be to at least mention some of the other Vertigo ongoings etc that won't be covered, but are going on in a given year, for added context.
You know, that’s a good suggestion. Thank you for that!
Enigma may be one of my favorite comics of all time. Waiting for the definitive edition to come in the mail (nearly two years ago) was a great moment in time although it was during a terrible time.
I was all in for Vertigo when it started, I got all of those books on New Comics Day. It was fun. I was 22 and trying out new things and learning about the world. My mind and yours are pretty much alike, with some minor differences.....I love The Last One, just the right amount of melancholy. And yer, mercy disappointed.
I await 1994
I’m trying to remember a Vertigo title where a 60-year-old rocker who swaps bodies with a young busker. I remember it being very good.
The lightning in a bottle that every "adult" line DC has created since tries to recapture, not realizing that Vertigo was the first of its kind and had the benefit of the peak work of some of the best in the business
Growing up in the 80s, I had cousins living in France and Belgium. During summer visits they would bring to NYC their hardcover European "bande dessinée" (graphic novels) to trade for my Marvel and DC's comic. When Vertigo came out, to me, many of their titles had the look, vibe, mood, style of European published books.
@@juniorjames7076 That's because a lot of them basically were. During the 80s there was something called "The British Invasion" not to be confused with the musical kind from the 1960s. Creators like Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and Garth Ennis coming over to the Big 2 from Britain and bringing a lot of European comic sensibilities with them
Well I was gonna say Wildstorm but it very arguably evolved into that niche on it's own.
Love this video and hope it’s the start of a new series!!! I collect these but haven’t read them all, love having your perspective on them to help with context
If the demand is there and this does well enough I’ll gladly continue onwards!
Great video. Yes, I think I read all of these (at least first issues) when they came out. My assessment is very much correlated with yours. I would say on Scarab that John Smith’s other work is more effective. Firekind and Tyranny Rex come to mind. His ‘Cinnabar’ story for Rogue Trooper is probably the best entry point. Count in my vote for more 90s Vertigo videos.
From those I'm most familiar with Enigma, a lovely and very underrated series in my opinion. Some of Milligans best work (his best was Shade the changing man imo, also in Vertigo). Lovely vid, hope to see more from Vertigos years.
Yeah, Enigma. One of my all times favourites, along with The Extremist, Shade, Girl, Egypt and The Minx.
I read at least half of these. Death and Enigma are the ones to check out.
Thanks for making this video. It's really hard to find good comic book content on youtube, but your channel always scratches that itch for me.
Thank you very much! And thanks for watching.
I came onto Vertigo titles late. Mostly looking for something new. Enigma was the first I read and was pretty good. Then I went on to Doom Patrol and others.
For my money, the most underrated, and probably best run was Peter Milligan's Shade: The Changing Man.
As a JM DeMatteis fan, I loved Mercy. I wouldn't consider it to be up there with say Enigma or Sandman but I enjoyed it more than any of DC's Black Label books. Also I wish
The story of Vertigo Visions The Geek is gobbledygook, but who can say no to 90s Mike Allred?
I read the first issue of Scarab and remember it being not great.
What a cool video series. I recall seeing many of those titles on the shelves of comic shops. Are you planning more for the imprint’s history? I collected the Extremist and Sebastian O in quarter bins. They were okay reading . I was not aware of the Jonah Hex series. I’ll check that out. Thanks for the informative video.
You're very welcome! As for more video along this lines...quite possibly. It all depends on whether it's something everyone wants to see.
I love your work. I was wondering if you ever read Sandman Mystery Theare ?
Yes, I have! If I ever get around to a look at Vertigo continuing series that will definitely be included.
Great to hear alternative views on the comics that fed my late 20s, I bought almost all of the first year of Vertigo, led there by Gaiman, Hellblazer and 2000AD
For me, by the late mid 90s I had become fed up with the decline in quality of Marvel and DC, I was exclusively buying foreign published and independent graphic novels. Vertigo was the only mainstream titles I flipped through at the shop.
Looking forward to the of this series! Keep up the good work
Maybe just the random moans of an aging old man, but it did feel like comics were making a renewed attempt to encourage older themes and more adult stories back in the halcyon days of Vertigo and Epic...
I attended a comic con as a know nothing teen in 1992-93 (held in London) and there seemed to be a lot of onus on small press publishers like Oni and Piranha Press who were putting out alternative titles. Would love to see @strangebrainparts touch on them at some point if schedule, memory and workflow permits?
Particularly remember the later putting out the titles: Invaders from Mars and The Elvis Mandible, but they actually also released a one-shot called The Hiding Place, which I honestly think is a genuinely magical, beautifully framed children's story, with lovely art from Steve Parkhouse (of many 2000AD stories)!
I covered Piranha Press already! Here's the link:
ruclips.net/video/IGGpVHBF5AA/видео.html
Amazing! I should've known your excellent channel and fantastic comic recall would have already covered them.
And you reminded me of Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children to boot! I kinda miss those fever dream anthology titles of the day... including Cheval Noir and even some issues of the Hellraiser series (Epic published, I think?...)@@StrangeBrainParts
I still have an almost complete run of Beautiful Stories too! And i think you’re right...I’m pretty sure Hellraiser was published by Epic. I think they did Nightbreed too. I’m a bit fuzzy on that. 😀
...and that odd Nightbreed/Hellraiser crossover, Jihad! @@StrangeBrainParts
Can't wait for 1994.
Another great video.
They're still a couple of years from their peak. i've read a bit of this: Kill Your Boyfriend, Invisibles and Shade are still coming up. Hellblazer is the one thing they had firing on all cylinders, with Garth Ennis around this time- oh! And the regular Sandman title. I like The Last One all right, and anything with Death was pretty good.
I’m now reminded how in ‘99, Robinson and Goyer folded Scarab into the DC universe proper when they began their JSA series. I’d forgotten it was that Vertigo series where the character originated from.
Great rankings man on early vertigo titles it’s really awesome.
I have only read the Death series from this group. I had to giggle when you mention that Scarab was meant to be a Dr Fate series. I remember what did happen to Dr Fate a year later after Zero Hour. The helm was melted into a gauntlet and knives and the new person was known at Fate. But Scarab idea didn't fit the establish character.....
Oh...I remember that eXXXtreme reboot of Dr. Fate. Now, I have to look that series up again! That's definitely something I should do a video about.
@@StrangeBrainParts You could almost do a similar video to this video with the post Zero hour comics. They also revamped Manhunter. They took L.E.G.I.O.N in a new direction with R.E.B.E.L.S. JLI/JL Europe became Extreme Justice. Primal Force reintroduced a few characters to DC. They all were canceled in a year or two except for Starman, which was by far the most successful of that group of comics.
Of the books listed that I read:
I read DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING without ever having read any SANDMAN. I really liked it a lot and have since began checking out more SANDMAN-related stuff. Chris Bacchalo's art is wonderful!
JONAH HEX: TWO-GUN MOJO is perhaps my favorite Hex story. I think it's pretty awesome how well Jonah works in a horror story or in a straight western story.
Read the first issue of SCARAB. Couldn't get into it and didn't pick up any more. Ditto re: ENIGMA.
Like you, I didn't get whatever point THE GEEK was trying to make.
Didn't read SEBASTIAN O until just a few years ago. It was...fine. I guess.
I had read almost all of these, but had forgotten all but the top 5. I feel I did not entirely "get" Enigma and felt Sebastian O was missing some spark to make it special. But I really enjoyed Two Gun Mojo, High Cost of Living and especially The Extremist, which made me question the protagonist's motives more than most tales.
I bought the first 2 issues of Enigma one of the first time I dug through dollar bins a few months ago. Haven't read them yet, might buy the rest before I start.
I've read most of these and more or less agree with your ranking, though I would have Enigma at the top. I think Milligan really shined in those Vertigo miniseries and one-shots throughout the 90s.
Scarab is a hot mess but I would recommend John Smith's British work. I don't think Smith translated well to the American comic format and his stories in 2000AD and Crisis especially over in the UK do hold up really well, if you can get your hands on them.
One of my favorite forgotten gems from vertigo is called The Heart of the Beast By Dean Motter, Judith Dupré, And Sean Phillips if you haven't read it, its worth hunting down for a good fun read
That’s part of the 1994 lineup and I’m looking forward to it. It’s something I’ve not read.
my favorite comics are all vertigo!
Vertigo was what made me get into comics back in the day, it was sad see them go. Black label sounds so generic , i really like the ww one, but the branding is like they are embarrassed of being comicbooks.
Another banger! Best comicbook channel in yt!
Why doesn’t this channel have 1M in front of the subscriber count?
That's very kind of you to say. Short answer? RUclips just doesn't recommend this channel. It really is that simple.
You asked at the end of the video if anyone had read any of these. And as my comic reding peak was between 1985 and 2000 I believe I read most of these, the Geek and tattoeed man probably being the exceptions, The extremist was probably the most memorable as it did push boundaries for the time. And I remember being dissapointed by Mercy as I was a big J M Dematteis fan at the time, from his Defeders and Moonshadow. Fot me Vertigo came at just the right time, giving a more adult twist to the superhero genre that kept me engaged and built on the British resurgence in comics at the time. , and Marvel never really didanything equivalent in my estimtion.
J M Dematteis, when he wants to be, is the funniest damn writer in the industry!!
Do you think you'll consider doing a vid on the Scott Pilgrim series in light of it's relevance thanks to the Netflix anime adaptation, or do you think it's not a work that interests you/the prospect of capitalizing on something's short term popularity doesn't appeal to you?
Everything is a possibility. I’m sure I have much of an opinion on Scott Pilgrim, though. It’s good but I’m not sure what else I might have to add that hasn’t been said already.
I own a copy of DK publishing The Vertigo Encyclopedia by Alex Irvine. 😊
I miss Vertigo. Mainly it could validate DC and tell us that if wasn't subjected to just superhero content
For me, by the late mid 90s I had become fed up with the decline in quality of Marvel and DC, I was exclusively buying foreign published and independent graphic novels. Vertigo was the only mainstream titles I flipped through at the shop.
I was 12 years old when these came out, so as an Image fanboy, I had no interest or ability to read these. It wasn't until Preacher that I regularly picked up a Vertigo comic. That being said, as I grew older I read plenty of them, especially the Bond era.
I'm a McKeever fan so recently I picked up those Extremist issues and The Geek for the Allred artwork.
Personally, I would rank Death the High Cost of Living higher than The Enigma. For me, Enigma was a bit convoluted in the middle and ending. Death was more consistent and the story flowed better. But that's me. Will you be covering Kid Eternity?
I will cover that when (or if) I cover all of Vertigo's continuing series.
I read the complete series' of Death and Skin Graft, the first issues of Enigma, Extremist, and Sebastian O around their release dates (the latter 3 were strangely available in my local Piggly Wiggly). I picked up Geek much much later out of a dollar bin for the Mike Allred.
Exactly as I remember the beginnings of Vertigo. Very slip shod and uneven but the promise did show through
Dude can I just say that I love your content. I’m a 15 year old who really likes the history of comics. Anyways I was wondering if you had read the old mask comics (the green dude) if not I highway recommend them especially the first two mini series the mask and mask returns. You can get these in the volume 1 omnibus alongside the third instalment the mask strikes back. Sorry for the long comment and keep up the good work. 👍
Thanks for the suggestion and thanks for watching! Yes, I have read the original Mask series(s). And the appearances in dark Horse Presents, if I remember correctly.
Is "highway recommend" something the kids are saying these days?
Probably a typo, but I like the way it scans as an implication of speedy, exhilarated support, and fully endorse a movement to make it a common phrase.
Highway recommended is a Canadian saying, based on the Tom Cochran song, Life Is A Highway.
@@Bonzulac oh it was just a misspelling 😂
Time to find some new recommendations of comics to read lol
I'd switch Sebastian O for Scarab. I know the latter may seems like a "poor people's Swamp Thing", but it has a good balance between horror and fantasy that's the Vertigo core. Sebastian is just boring, and it could've been an one-shot issue.
Also, I didn't like Death mini, so I'd switch it with Skin Graft.
And Enigma is my #1, above Hex.
I agree with you about the others.
But Vertigo's 2nd year is my favourite.
I read 6 of these titles, overall I mostly agree with your top 4, but I would exchange sebastian O by extremist.
Could you do something like this but with Dark Horse Comics?
Not only I have some of those comics, but a few I re-read a few months ago, when I visited my mother's house where I had to leave them.
I agree with Jonah Hex being the best, I did not love Enigma (mostly for the end), Death is a delight because of Neil Gaiman but it's really a minor story (the follow from a couple of years later it's even lesser), Sebastian O I agree is nothing special (some fun ideas).
I also agree that the Scarab deserve the last place in the list. I felt it like the Doom Patrol, but without the wit of Grant Morrison.
How about doing a review of all of the DC Helix titles (except Transmetropolitian)
Vertigo was great. Especially 90s with its acid vibe and tons of mini series.
Enigma, The Extremist, Mercy and Sebastian O were not meant to be published by DC. Art Young took them from Disney to DC after the Touchmark Comics imprint was aborted, and this gave the separate brand enough volume for its launch. Art Young became a Vertigo editor.
Yup. That was mentioned in the video. Although, I missed mentioning Mercy was originally part of the aborted Touchmark. Which I erroneously called Touchstone, by the way. I’ve not seen anything that suggests The Extremist was also meant for Disney. Do you have a source for that?
Now I remember why I couldn't get into any other Vertigo titles other than Sandman
Yea, variety sucks.
Before Vertigo didn't DC come out w/ Pirahnna Press hoping to do similar content?
Yes and no. Piranha Press did precede Vertigo, but it was a lot of very alternative, more experimental material. Vertigo had some experimental stuff, but developed into more mainstream, adult material. In my opinion, that is.
I wonder what other comics the writer of Scarab wrote (if any) and if they got better;(taking your assessment for granted, as I haven't read it). Thanks for the time warp, timelord.
He was primarily a British writer and did a lot of work for 2000 AD, I believe. I can't say I'm familiar with any other work he did.
@@StrangeBrainParts thanks for further educating me today!
No problem. Always glad to help when I can.
Have you read Mark Millar's interview yet?
Is there a recent one you're talking about? If so, I have not. Would you be able to comment with a link if you think it's something I should be aware of?
@@StrangeBrainParts i just tried to drop the link from both my accounts and both were nuked.
Hm. That shouldn't happen. Regardless, thanks for the effort. I'll just look it up a little later. :)
@@StrangeBrainParts yt6 has gotten weird like that. i know they nuke alternative media links, just not mainstream links. is on Bounding into Comics.
Awesome! Thanks for the heads up. And, yeah...I don’t have it set up to kill links, so it has to be something RUclips does automatically.
Hey, I like Scarab. John Smith's style is similar to Morrison's and Moore's, but don't copy either of them. Smith, like them, started in 2000AD. I recommend Indigo Prime and Devlin Waugh by him.
Phantom Stranger. The extremist and death the high cost of living. Vertigo got better pretty quick. So glad I was there from the beginning.
Oh, to be 15 again. Also, am I the only one who cried reading about Johan Hex’s death?
DidnDeath the high cost of living come out before she premiered in sandman? It would be interesting to read it not knowing as much about the Endless as we do
mobfire
chiaroscuro
egypt
shadows fall
Did you came up with "You're all justified and Ancient"?
Or did it came from somewhere?
It's from the KLF song of the same name. It was a pretty big hit in the early 90's.
Pretty neat
Chris Bachalo's work in Generation X and Ghost Rider 2099 was my gateway to Vertigo. It impressed this then-teen Marvelite so much, it encouraged him to look for other stuff outside of the X-Men or the Midnight Sons, and the High Cost of Living TPB had just come out. Cue to happy years hunting Shade back issues and such.
Small question about your black label videos: why haven't you covered the White Knight titles? Did I miss something?
The Murphyverse is forthcoming. As I said in the first Black Label video, White Knight and Sandman Universe will get their own videos.
@@StrangeBrainParts Ok, thank you. Apologies for my negligence. Keep up the good work. Surprised I didn't find you sooner
No problem! I probably should have mentioned that at the beginning of the other videos too.
"Oscar Wilde went to prison for being a pervert" shows how far we've come since then. Thanks for the heads up
Depends on what country or state of the US you're in. We're sliding back to that time in many places.
I miss those years. Here's the most 1993 song ever, according to Trash Theory :) ruclips.net/video/fxvkI9MTQw4/видео.htmlfeature=shared
No Animal Man 😢
I enjoyed Sebastian O more than you. Three issues is the right amount of time to spend with a nihilist protagonist who murders people, and the story is more straightforward than Morrison's later stuff. Also Sebastian is a genuinely Wildean wit in places, like when his butch friend introduces her very feminine "amanuensis" and Sebastian suggests that's not the only Latin word for her duties.
vertigo was just so good, why did it have to go
Image Comics opened up to other people and offered a far better deal that Vertigo. That's probably what happened.
@@StrangeBrainParts yeah that makes sense, honestly i cant blame people for choosing image over vertigo, still miss it though, but image is really great too
Ditto. I can’t blame creators for wanting to own their work and getting the majority of the profit.
@@StrangeBrainParts i mean id definitely do the same, image is really good to their creators and the independence is amazing, hope i could join the fold someday
god scarab was so bad, he was mentioned in starman and looked slightly interesting and it was a slog to get through. despite being a character from the golden aga, scarab looks and acts like a 90s character. only odd thing was the story ending with characters from john smith's 2000 ad work, Indigo Prime. Perhaps, he was better suited to those comics rather than an American superhero, though he did do the new statesmen which was a dark american superhero story with original chaeracters.
Vertigo was great until the late 90s then got pretty boring...once shelley bond took over it pretty much died off..
By the time Shelly Bond took over the imprint it was practically dead anyway.
The Berger era is the Golden Age. Vertigo died after Berger leaving and the cancellation of Hellblazer.
@@MegaFROMOUTERSPACEi think it started to die when shade and doom patrol were canceled and Milligan and Morrison left..
@@tonyfrickey9062 I understand what are you saying. That's when the imprint got less weirder and less experimental. Maybe because of the change of sensibilities.
I am so glad you're uploading frequently. Was a big fan of this channel ever since I got into comics and stumbled upon it.
Thank you and thanks for watching.