Silverblade #1 (DC Comics 1987)

Cover date: September 1987

Publisher: DC Comics

Volume/Issue: #1

Dimensions: 7 x 10.5 in.

Credit: Cary Bates (writer, co-creator), Gene Colan (penciller, co-creator), Klaus Janson (inker), Joe Orlando (colorist), Gaspar Saladino (letterer), Neal McPheeters (artist) Denny O’Neil (editor)

Media: Print on paper

This comic book is the first in a series of twelve DC comics featuring the main character Silverblade. Created by Cary Bates and Gene Colan, this comic marks the beginning of a 12 book collection that ended in September of 1988. The comic was published in September 1987 and cost $1.25 an issue. The cover advertises a “New Format” and a free poster inside, part of DC’s move toward higher-end printing materials and a more premium product. 

The style of the book is slightly different from traditional layouts that emphasized using grids. Instead, they tell the story using vibrant, across-the-page illustrations that engage the reader on a different plane. Colan’s hand-drawn, painterly illustration gives the cover a vintage feel that's rare in today’s digitally made comics. On the back, a 1987 Nabisco ad for Striped Chips Ahoy cookies doubles as a cut-out flip book, a reminder that comics were also a prime advertising space in the paper age. Even for readers who don’t follow comics, this issue is a great example of 1980s color, layout, and graphic design.

Item held by University of Georgia Special Collections Library