1963 (comics)
| 1963 | |
|---|---|
 Mystery Incorporated | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Image Comics |
| Format | limited series |
| Publication date | 1993 |
| No. of issues | Six |
| Main character(s) | See Issues |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Alan Moore |
| Artist(s) | Steve Bissette John Totleben Rick Veitch Dave Gibbons Don Simpson Jim Valentino |
1963 is a six-issue comic book limited series written by Alan Moore in 1993, with art by his frequent collaborators Steve Bissette, John Totleben, and Rick Veitch; other contributors included Dave Gibbons, Don Simpson, and Jim Valentino. It has technically never been finished, as the complete package was originally intended to comprise six issues and an 80-page Annual, of which only the six issues have been printed, by Image Comics. The comics also contained advertisements for "1963 1/2", which never surfaced either.However,the Tomorrow Syndicate would appear,alongside Big Bang Comics' Round Table of America,in an issue of Valentino's A Touch of Silver.
The six issues hark back to the Silver Age of American comics (in particular, the early Marvel Comics), and feature spoof advertisements on the rear covers—in a manner to be repeated with a twist by Moore and Kevin O'Neill in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
The six issues are called:
- Mystery Incorporated (based on Fantastic Four)
- No-one Escapes the Fury (based on Spider-Man)
- Tales of the Uncanny ("USA", based on Captain America, and "Hypernaut", with elements taken from both Iron Man and Green Lantern)
- Tales From Beyond ("N-Man", based on The Incredible Hulk, and "Johnny Beyond", a beatnik version of Dr. Strange)
- Horus, Lord of Light (based on The Mighty Thor)
- Tomorrow Syndicate (based on the Avengers)
Moore's homage to Marvel clichés included fictionalizing himself and the artists as the "Sixty-Three Sweatshop", describing his collaborators in the same hyperbolic and alliterative mode Stan Lee used for his "Marvel Bullpen"; each was given a Lee-style nickname (Affable Al, Sturdy Steve, Jaunty John, etc.—Veitch has since continued to refer to himself as "Roarin' Rick"). The parody is not entirely affectionate, as the text pieces and fictional letter columns contain pointed inside jokes about the business practices of 1960s comics publishers, with "Affable Al" portrayed as a tyrant who claims credit for his employees' creations.
Character
- Mystery Incorporated (based on Fantastic Four)
- The Fury (based on Spider-Man)
- USA (based on Captain America
- Hypernaut (with elements taken from both Iron Man and Green Lantern)
- N-Man, based on The Incredible Hulk
- Johnny Beyond, a beatnik version of Dr. Strange)
- Horus, Lord of Light (based on The Mighty Thor)
- Tomorrow Syndicate (based on the Avengers)
External links
- The AMFS FAQ: 1963
- 1963 Annotations
- Interviews with 1963 creators (in their fictional roles)