Modern Age of Comic Books and Jealousy (X Japan album): Difference between pages

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{{Infobox Album

[[Image:Wolverine-limited-series-001.jpe|thumb|right|185px|Wolverine, a member of the X-Men, a popular franchise in the Modern Age, and an example of an anti-hero, a popular character type of the Modern Age]]

| Name = Jealousy

The '''Modern Age of Comic Books''' is an informal name for the period of [[American comic books]] generally considered to last from the mid-[[1970s]] until present day.

| Type = Album

| Artist = [[X Japan]]

| Cover = Xjapan_Jealousy.gif

| Released = [[July 1]], [[1991]]

| Recorded = Complex Studio, Sound Castle Studio, Studio City, Alpha Studio, Mad Hatter Studio

| Genre = [[Heavy metal]]<br />[[Power metal]]<br />[[Progressive metal]]

| Length = 51:23

| Label = [[Ki/oon Records|Ki/oon]]

| Producer = X Japan

| Reviews =

| Last album = ''[[Blue Blood (album)|Blue Blood]]''<br />(1989)

| This album = ''Jealousy''<br />(1991)

| Next album = ''[[Art of Life]]''<br />(1993)

}}

'''''Jealousy''''' is an album released by [[X Japan]] on [[July 1]], [[1991]]. It is noted for being the band's most diverse album in terms of songwriting credits and the last to feature [[Taiji (musician)|Taiji Sawada]] on bass. [[Remaster]]ed editions of ''Jealousy'' and the album ''[[Blue Blood (album)|Blue Blood]]'' were released on [[February 14]], [[2007]], each including a bonus CD with instrumental versions of X Japan songs.<ref>{{cite web | title=''Jealousy Special Edition'' release information | work=cdjapan.co.jp | url=http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KSCL-1094}}</ref>

The Modern Age is the most widely used name for the period following the [[Silver Age of Comic Books]]. Other terms include the '''Dark Age of Comic Books''' (due to the popularity and artistic influence of grim titles such as ''[[The Dark Knight Returns]]'' and ''[[Watchmen]]''), and the '''Diamond Age of Comic Books''' (suggested by [[Scott McCloud]], because of the new diversity found in the medium). The period is sometimes referred to as the ''' Bronze Age of Comic Books ''' (by analogy with archeological [[Bronze Age]]), although this term is usually used more specifically in reference to comics published in the [[1970s]] and early [[1980s]].

==ImportantTrack eventslisting==

{|border="1" cellpadding="4" style="border:#AAAAAA; border-collapse:collapse;"

Because the time period encompassing the Modern Age is not well defined, it is difficult to write a comprehensive history. In rough chronological order by the beginning of the trend, here are some important developments that occurred during the Modern Age:

|- bgcolor="#F9F9F9"

!#

!Title

!Length

!Lyrics/Music

|-

|1

|{{nihongo|"Es Dur no Piano Sen"|Es Durのピアノ線}}

|1:50

| --- /[[Yoshiki (musician)|Yoshiki]]

|-

|2

|"[[Silent Jealousy]]"

|7:15

|Yoshiki

|-

|3

|"Miscast"

|5:12

|[[Hide (musician)|Hide]]

|-

|4

|"Desperate Angel"

|5:48

|[[Toshi (musician)|Toshi]]/[[Taiji (musician)|Taiji]]

|-

|5

|"White Wind From Mr. Martin ~Pata's Nap~"

|1:01

| --- /[[Pata (musician)|Pata]]

|-

|6

|"Voiceless Screaming"

|6:11

|Toshi/Taiji

|-

|7

|"Stab Me in the Back"

|3:54

|Hitomi Shiratori/Yoshiki

|-

|8

|"Love Replica"

|4:33

|Hide

|-

|9

|"Joker"

|5:12

|Hide

|-

|10

|"[[Say Anything (song)|Say Anything]]"

|8:40

|Yoshiki

|}

==References==

===The revival of the X-Men===

{{reflist}}

In ''Giant-Sized X-Men'' #1 ([[1975]]), [[Marvel Comics]] introduced a new team of [[X-Men]] concieved by [[Len Wein]] and [[Dave Cockrum]]. Under writer [[Chris Claremont]] and artist [[John Byrne]], this version of the team became one of the most successful properties of the [[1980s]] and spawned several [[spin-off]]s. By the early [[1990s]], the X-Men franchise was the most popular in the comic book industry.

{{X Japan}}

===Wein vs. Shooter===

In [[1978]] [[Archie Goodwin]] stood down as Marvel's Editor-in-Chief and [[Jim Shooter]] was appointed to replace him. This alienated several senior editors and writers at Marvel including [[Len Wein]] who moved to [[DC Comics]]. Over the next few years Wein would poach a number of key talents from Marvel.

[[Category:1991 albums]]

In reaction to the success of the X-Men, Wein, [[Marv Wolfman]] and [[George Perez]] at DC revived ''[[Teen Titans]]'' as a series with a young superhero team made up of established and new characters with a similar tone and emphasis on character. It proved a major success that eventually led to the company exploring a similar revitalization of the entire line.

[[Category:X Japan albums]]

[[ca:Jealousy]]

===The rise of anti-heroes===

[[es:Jealousy]]

In the [[1970s]] Marvel [[anti-hero]]es such as the X-Men&#8217;s [[Wolverine (comics)|Wolverine]], [[The Punisher]] and writer/artist [[Frank Miller]]&#8217;s darker version of [[Daredevil]] challenged the previous model of the superhero as a cheerful humanitarian. Miller also created [[Elektra (comics)|Elektra]] who straddled the conventional boundary between sidekick and villain.

[[ja:Jealousy (X)]]

[[pt:Jealousy]]

{{1990s-album-stub}}

Two artistically influencial [[DC Comics]] [[mini-series]] contributed to the trend: ''[[Batman: The Dark Knight Returns]],'' also by Frank Miller and ''[[Watchmen]]'' by [[Alan Moore]] and [[Dave Gibbons]], both of which were series of impressive psychological depth that starred troubled heroes.

By the early [[1990s]], anti-heroes had become the rule rather than the exception, and among the most popular were Marvel comics' Cable and Image's Spawn, although some fans complained that too many of them were unlikable psychopaths of little depth and originality.

Some critics believe that this trend is tied to the cynicism of the [[1980s]], when the idea of a person selflessly using his extraordinary abilities on a quest for good was no longer believable, but a person with a deep psychological impulse to destroy criminals was.

At the same time established super-villains were revised. For example, [[The Joker]] became a dangerous psychopath, [[Galactus]] became more fully a force of nature who meant no personal malice in his feedings, and [[Magneto]] became more benign and sympathetic as a man who fights for an oppressed people, albeit through means others deem unacceptable.

===Horror and "sophisticated suspense"===

Starting with [[Alan Moore]]&#8217;s groundbreaking work on DC&#8217;s ''[[Swamp Thing]],'' [[horror fiction|horror]] comic books incorporated elements of [[science fiction]]/[[fantasy]] and strove to a new artistic standard. Other examples include [[Neil Gaiman]]&#8217;s ''[[The Sandman (DC Comics Modern Age)|The Sandman]],'' [[Garth Ennis]] and [[Steve Dillon]]&#8217;s ''[[Preacher (comics)|Preacher]].'' DC&#8217;s [[Vertigo (comics)|Vertigo]] line, launched in [[1993]], specializes in this genre.

===''Crisis on Infinite Earths''===

Starting in the early [[1960s]], [[DC Comics]] maintained some aspects of its [[continuity]] through the use of a [[Multiverse (DC Comics)|multiverse]] system of parallel Earths. A cosmic event in the [[1985]] [[miniseries]] ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'' merged all of these realities and their respective characters into one universe, allowing writers to rewrite from scratch such long-running characters as [[Batman]], [[Superman]] and [[Wonder Woman]] and also as an attempt at simplifying the [[DC Universe]]. In some ways, this helped revitalize DC's characters, though some fans debated (and continue to debate) whether such changes were necessary to begin with or truly beneficial.

Since ''Crisis'', the trend of such [[retcon|retconning]]/revamping of characters' histories has increased in superhero comics, as has such large-scale [[crossover]] events. Even DC found cause to revamp its universe again (but on a smaller scale) with [[1994]]'s ''[[Zero Hour (comics)|Zero Hour]]'' crossover storyline.

In the late [[1990s]], the concept of [[Hypertime]] was introduced as an attempt to satisfy fans of alternate realities, by stating that ''all'' comics published by DC (whether pre- or post-''Crisis'') had taken place in some corner of reality.

===Creator Rights===

Ownership of characters and trademarks became a major issue for both DC and Marvel in the late 1970s when [[Jerry Siegel]] and [[Joe Shuster]] both successfully sued [[Time-Warner]] as owners of DC over exploitation of the [[Superman]] character. At the same time comics legend [[Jack Kirby]] came into dispute with Marvel over the disappearance of original pages of artwork from some of his most famous titles. Amongst others [[Alan Moore]] and [[Frank Miller]] became vocal in Marvel's treatment of Kirby.

===''Watchmen'' and ''The Dark Knight Returns''===

In [[1986]], DC published two groundbreaking [[mini-series]] ''[[Watchmen]]'' by writer [[Alan Moore]] and artist [[Dave Gibbons]] and ''[[Batman: The Dark Knight Returns]]'' by [[Frank Miller]]. As described above, these series helped usher in the era of [[anti-hero]]es. But, more importantly, they were two of the most artistically ambitious and psychologically complex comic book series ever produced. They helped gather respect for the medium and set the bar for subsequent writers.

===Maus and other prominent non-superhero comics===

In [[1987]], [[Art Spiegelman]] published the first volume of the [[graphic novel]] ''[[Maus (comics)|Maus]],'' which recounts his parents&#8217; struggle to survive the [[Holocaust]] as [[Poland|Polish]] [[Judaism|Jews]] and Spiegelman&#8217;s own attempts to connect with them. The second volume was published in [[1992]]. The work won a [[Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards|Pulitzer Prize Special Award]] in 1992, the first comic book to do so.

''Maus'' signified that the medium of comic books is capable of telling stories other than those of superheroes, including ones of great emotional weight. Although superheroes remained, by far, the most prominent form of the medium, adult-oriented, non-superhero comics received notice after the publication of Maus. These include ''[[Ghost World]]'' by [[Daniel Clowes]], ''[[American Splendor]]'' by [[Harvey Pekar]] and ''[[Strangers in Paradise]]'' by [[Terry Moore (comics)|Terry Moore]].

===The rise of franchises===

After the [[X-Men]] franchise proved profitable, [[Marvel]] and [[DC]] expanded popular properties, such as [[Spider-Man]], [[Batman]] and [[Superman]] into networks of [[spin-off]] books in the mid-to-late [[1980s]]. Some of these highlighted a concept or [[supporting character|supporting character(s)]] from a parent series while others were simply additional monthly series featuring a popular character.

Both to heighten publicity and sales and to tell ambitious stories, companies regularly published [[fictional crossover|crossovers]], where one storyline overlapped into every title in the &#8220;family&#8221; for a few months. Such headline-grabbing stories as '' [[The Death of Superman]]'' and ''[[Knightfall]],'' in which [[Bane (comics)|Bane]] broke Batman&#8217;s back, were told as crossovers.

===The rise and fall of the speculator market===

By the late [[1980s]], important comic books, such as the first appearance of a classic character or first issue of a long-running series, were sold for thousands of dollars. Mainstream [[newspaper]]s ran reports that comic books were good financial investments and soon [[Comic book collecting|collectors]] were buying massive amounts of comics they thought would be valuable in the future.

Publishers responded by manufacturing collectors&#8217; items, such as [[trading cards]], and &#8220;limited editions&#8221; of certain issues featuring a special or variant cover. This led a market boom, where retail shops and publishers made huge profits and many companies, large and small, expanded their lines.

But few in the glut of new series possessed lasting artistic quality and the items that were predicted to be valuable did not become so, often because of huge print runs that made them commonplace. A crash occurred, where sales plummeted, hundreds of retail stores closed, many publishers downsized, and [[Marvel Comics]], the largest company in the industry, declared [[bankruptcy]] in [[1996]]. The industry has still not yet fully recovered.

===The rise and influence of Image Comics===

By the early [[1990s]], [[Marvel]] artists, such as ''[[X-Men]]''&#8217;s [[Jim Lee]], ''[[The New Mutants]]/[[X-Force]]''&#8217;s [[Rob Liefeld]] and ''[[Spider-Man]]''&#8217;s [[Todd McFarlane]], became extremely popular and were idolized by younger readers in ways more common to sports stars and musicians than comic book artists.

Propelled by star power and upset that they did not own the popular characters they created for Marvel, several illustrators, including the above three formed [[Image Comics]] in [[1992]], an umbrella label under which several autonomous, creator-owned companies existed. Image properties, such as ''[[WildC.A.T.s]]'', ''[[Gen13]]'', ''[[Witchblade]]'' and especially McFarlane&#8217;s ''[[Spawn (comics)|Spawn]]'' provided brisk competition for long-standing superheroes. However, many criticized Image for prioritizing flashy artwork over storytelling and originality.

In addition to maintaining its own lines, Image flashed light on comic books outside the Marvel and DC realms, which had existed discreetly for years. [[Dark Horse Comics]]' ''[[Hellboy]]'' and ''[[Madman]]'' and [[Slave Labor Graphics]]' ''[[Milk and Cheese]]'' and ''[[Johnny the Homicidal Maniac]]'' also gained popularity at this time.

Also many popular creators followed Image's lead and attempted to use their star power to launch their own series; ones that they would have licensing rights for and editorial control of. Chris Claremont, famous for authoring ''Uncanny X-Men'', created ''[[Sovereign Seven]],'' [[Joe Madureira]], also made popular by ''Uncanny X-Men'', launched ''[[Battle Chasers]]'', and [[Kurt Busiek]] and [[Alex Ross]], the creative team behind the popular miniseries ''[[Marvels]]'', created ''[[Astro City]].''

===The rise of the trade paperback format===

Although sales of comic books dropped in the late [[1990s]] and the early [[2000s]], sales rose for trade paperbacks, collected editions in which several issues are bound together with a spine and often sold in bookstores as well as comic shops. Some series were saved from cancellation solely because of sales of trade paperbacks and storylines for many of the most popular series of today, such as DC&#8217;s ''[[Justice League]]'' and various [[Batman]] series and Marvel&#8217;s ''[[Ultimate Spider-Man]]'' and ''[[New X-Men]],'' are put into trade paperback instantly after the storyline ended. Trade paperbacks are often even given volume numbers, making them serializations of a serializations of sorts.

Because of this, many writers now consider their plots with the trade paperback edition in mind, scripting stories that last four to twelve issues, which could easily be read as a &#8220;[[graphic novel]].&#8221;

==See also==

* [[Golden Age of Comic Books]]

* [[Silver Age of Comic Books]]

[[Category:History of comic books]]