![]() What if the introduction of these fantastical beings just brought forward humanity’s worst instincts? This two-issue mini-series published in 1995 just one year after Marvels is a tale of wonder gone horribly wrong. Ruins, on the other hand, is a completely different ride. The book, like its title suggests, is a celebration of these wonders, an exaltation of super-powered beings as another element of everyday life, bringers of both chaos and hope. Sheldon is witness to some of the most iconic events throughout Marvel’s publishing history, from the original Human Torch’s appearance in 1939 to Gwen Stacy’s death in the 70s. In a very realistic tone, and told from the perspective of a photo reporter called Phil Sheldon, the story follows the progressive apparition of superheroes, villains and mutants in our world and documents society’s reaction to these amazing beings. The four-issue miniseries from 1994 by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross was developed as the ultimate love letter to the company’s long history. This title needs a bit of backstory so bear with me…įor hardcore comic book fanatics, Marvels is something of a sacred book. That line of dialogue by Nick Fury from the first issue of Ruins pretty much describes the whole premise of this astonishing, depressing, and thought-provoking mini-series from the 90s. “You ever get the feeling it’s all gone wrong Sheldon? Like, maybe all this weird, sick stuff that happens should really be somethin’ wonderful?” So have your Prozac ready, play Shiny Happy People on repeat, and prepare yourself to take your existential angst for a hell of a ride. These dark visions serve both as exquisite examinations of what it means to be human, and resounding presages of the bleak place we could end up at if we keep ignoring the warnings. We’ve decided to showcase five of the most fascinating dystopian tales ever told in comic book form, stories of disgusting organic cities, virtual sex, fallen superheroes, and desperate societies plunging into anarchy. Comics, in particular, has proved to be a fertile medium to develop these cautionary tales of society gone wrong. The first precursors of dystopian fiction appeared in late 19th-century literature, and over the last hundred years or so the genre has spread out to almost every other art form. If we think about it, we’re practically living in a dystopia that could have very well come out of the mind of someone like William Gibson or George Orwell. High-tech surveillance states, artificial intelligence interfering in elections and lab-grown steaks are all things that have jumped from the pages of speculative fiction to our real world. Many dystopias no longer feel like visions of a future far away. All around us, it seems like dystopias are in fashion, and not necessarily because it’s très chic. Nope, we’re not describing the latest friggin’ Mad Max, these are today’s real-world news. ![]() The Doomsday Clock, that symbol devised to represent the likelihood of a man-made global catastrophe, is set at two minutes to midnight, the closest it has been since 1953. The United Nations’ scientific panel on climate change issued a report that basically says the end of the world could happen in 22 years.
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