The Comics Journal #49
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Comics Journal #49 (September 1979) represents the publication at a pivotal moment in its editorial evolution, combining two of the most culturally consequential subjects of the late Bronze Age in a single issue: an in-depth look at the inner workings of Heavy Metal magazine — then undergoing its own editorial upheaval as founding editors Sean Kelly and Valerie Marchant were being replaced — and a serious critical essay on the Claremont/Byrne X-Men run at the very height of its creative ascent. The Kalish/Howell piece, 'Life Among the Mutants,' stands as one of the earliest substantial critical analyses of that run in any comics publication, treating superheroes as worthy of genuine literary scrutiny at a time when that was a minority position. By pairing that essay with Gary Groth's behind-the-scenes Heavy Metal interview, the issue captures two very different visions of what comics journalism and comics themselves could aspire to in 1979.
The Comics Journal #49 (1979) delivers a lively, eclectic mix of letters from fans and creators alike, offering a snapshot of the comics community in the late '70s. From reflections on industry trends to personal anecdotes, the letters—by names like Fred Hembeck, Gary Kwapisz, and Alex Toth—capture the passion and diversity of voices shaping the medium at the time. Cover by Dennis Fujitake.
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The Comics Journal was launched in 1976 by Gary Groth and J. Michael Catron, who took over a pre-existing adzine called The Nostalgia Journal and transformed it into a magazine of news and rigorous criticism. By 1979 — the period of issue #49 — Groth, joined by co-owner Kim Thompson, had fully developed the journal's combative, standards-driven editorial voice, with the magazine applying the kind of critical framework typically reserved for film and literature to comic books and their industry. Issue #49's editorial was co-authored by both Groth and Thompson, reflecting the collaborative leadership structure that defined TCJ through this era. The cover illustration featuring DC's Shade the Changing Man was the work of Dennis Fujitake, a fanzine veteran who became one of the journal's most prolific cover artists.
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- Cover art depicts Shade the Changing Man (DC character Rac Shade) and is illustrated by Dennis Fujitake, a fanzine artist who contributed many covers and illustrations to The Comics Journal.
- The centerpiece interview is Gary Groth's 'We're All Lunatics: The Heavy Metal Interview' (p. 42), a behind-the-scenes look at Heavy Metal magazine at the precise moment its founding editors Sean Kelly and Valerie Marchant were being replaced by Ted White in August 1979.
- Carol Kalish and Richard Howell contribute 'Life Among the Mutants: The X-Men Under Chris Claremont and John Byrne' (p. 59), one of the earliest sustained critical analyses of that celebrated run in any widely circulated comics publication; the essay's character index accounts for the majority of Marvel characters (Logan/Wolverine, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Storm/Ororo Munroe, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Banshee/Sean Cassidy, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey/Phoenix, Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr, and others) catalogued for this issue.
- Ed Via contributes an essay titled 'The Death of an Innovation' (p. 56), while Raymond Orkwis contributes a separate Heavy Metal review ('Parsley Flakes: Heavy Metal in Review,' p. 51), giving the issue two complementary perspectives on that magazine.
- Columnist Martin Pasko contributes the 'Cinema Journal: Alienated' column (p. 76), and illustrations are by Stu Potts ('Pot Shots,' p. 82).
- The editorial is jointly written by Gary Groth and Kim Thompson, reflecting the co-leadership structure of Fantagraphics at the time — Thompson having joined the company in 1977.
- The non-Marvel/DC characters indexed for this issue (Acroyear, Arcturus Rann, Bug, Marionette, Microtron from Micronauts; E-Man; Alec Tronn; Shang-Chi; Iron Fist/Danny Rand; Power Girl/Kara Zor-L; Zabu; Sandy) appear to be derived from the review and essay content rather than from any original story material, as TCJ #49 is a critical/journalistic publication, not a comic book.
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