Void Indigo

Void Indigo

The cover of Void Indigo #1, November 1984. Art by Val Mayerik.
Publication information
Publisher Epic Comics
Format Graphic novel
Limited series
Genre
    Publication date 1983
    November 1984 - March 1985
    Number of issues Graphic novel and 2 out of 6 issues
    Creative team
    Writer(s) Steve Gerber
    Artist(s) Val Mayerik

    Void Indigo was a short-lived and controversial comic book series written by Steve Gerber and drawn by Val Mayerik. It was published by Epic Comics from 1983 to 1984.

    Void Indigo focuses on an alien named Jaghur from a peaceful extraterrestrial race (he is known on earth as "Mick Jagger"). Jaghur had been a human on Earth in his previous incarnation, and he returns to Earth with a spirit of vengeance against the seven demons who had tortured and killed him in his previous life. He comes to Los Angeles at the end of the graphic novel.

    Publishing history

    Gerber initially shopped the story to independent publishers as well as DC Comics, but could not come to an agreement.[1] So, he brought it to Marvel Comics, a company he had recently quit.[1]

    Originally a pitch for revamping DC Comics' Hawkman,[2] Gerber reworked the story into one of the first graphic novels (Marvel Graphic Novel #11) published by Epic Comics in 1983. It was then meant to spin out into a six-issue limited series by Epic. There were minor references implying that the story was set in the Marvel Universe in spite of it being a creator-owned title.

    Due to the comic's extreme (for its time) portrayal of violence, however, distributor reaction to the first issue of the limited series was negative. Critical reaction (to the violence) was also harsh: in his Comics Buyer's Guide column, "The Law is a Ass," Bob Ingersoll cited the book as being a "crime against humanity."[3] In revisiting his columns a decade later, Ingersoll edited his criticism to take out "very inappropriate" assumptions about Gerber, although he still found the series to be "pustulate".[4]

    Orders for the second issue dropped due to negative reviews, and Epic's editor-in-chief Archie Goodwin considered it not worth publishing the rest of the series due to the pressures he and the company were under.[5] Issues 3-6 were never completed, although the synopsis was later leaked onto the Internet,[6] providing an idea as to how the series would have finished.

    References

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Howe, Sean (2012). Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780062218117.
    2. ↑ Grant, Steven (13 February 2008). "Permanent Damage". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
    3. ↑ Ingersoll, Bob (21 December 1984). "The Law Is an Ass #45". Comic Buyer's Guide.
    4. ↑ Ingersoll, Bob. "THE LAW IS A ASS for 08/15/2000". www.worldfamouscomics.com. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
    5. ↑ "Marvel Axes Indigo Void after 2 Issues," The Comics Journal #95 (Feb. 1985), pp. 11-12.
    6. ↑ VOID INDIGO, Storyline Synopsis - Issues 3-6 (November 8, 1984).

    External links