(Covers to Taboo 1 & 2. Art by Bissette.)
Over at Steve Bissette’s website/blog he’s started an occasional series of posts detailing the fascinating journey into publishing in the 80s of Taboo. Those of us who were around in comics at the time remember Taboo with the same nostalgia that we do A1. Although Taboo only lasted for 9 issues, they were a radical and innovative 9 issues, showcasing comics work from a veritable who’s who of modern comics. From Hell by Moore and Campbell started here, as did Lost Girls by Moore and Gebbie. And it was going to be the home to “Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street” by Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli. As I recall they got as far as producing one “penny dreadful” insert and one episode and never took it any further. A real shame.
At the time the idea of publishing a top class anthology of horror featuring the best artists and writers from around the world mixing it with relative unknowns was quite radical. As Bissette says in one of the pieces:
“Remember, please, that all this took place long before DC/Vertigo existed. This was a time when no mainstream corporate comics publisher was invested in the horror genre at all.”
So far in three pieces he’s covered the genesis of Taboo and the mechanics of getting it all set up. These sorts of articles are far more than mere nostalgia, they’re a fascinating look at the inner workings of the comic medium and the comic industry. Very readable, incredibly interesting and packed with lots of primary source material like this:
(A tiny note made by Bissette that sets the whole Taboo experience rolling.)
June 14th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
I like it! Big plate of meat!