So what is it that makes comics from Extreme Studios so popular? They are pretty much regarded as some of the more poorly-executed superhero comics ever. And on top of that, their popularity had a significant effect on superhero fare from the Bit Two. Witness titles like Justice League Extreme, or early 90s Avengers. The narrative and visual aesthetics are taken up by the major publishers, even though, as with the Image stuff, it produces some egregiously terrible comics.
I suppose the other question this begs is why on Earth I'm finding them so engrossing. Honestly, they seem to be comics written for very stoned people, something I cannot publically condone, at least not until this July when it becomes legal here. The visuals, though, are just the sort of mad, stylized pictures that entertain the stoned brain. Add to this that there's really very little story and the comics come to resemble the crappy chocolates that satisfy a very definite, though slightly embarrassing, craving.
What I should point out is that this aesthetic is not Image-wide. Each of the studios has a particular look and feel unique to itself. That's one of the reasons today's comic stands out a bit. As part of the "Extreme Prejudice" crossover (which I feel is really riffing on some of the Marvel X-Men crossovers of the same period), there actually substantially more attention paid to building the story, such as it is. The formation of a new team of Newmen provides world-building that is also innately tied to the events of the crossover. From a very basic level, there actually seems to be some plot attached to the action. The other thing that sets the comic apart is the interior art by Pedram Shohadai, or Pedi, as he is credited. An unfortunate choice of pen name, I think. His art is very much more in the style of the McFarlane Studios side of Image, so seeming Supreme and his allies in this style is a bit odd. Interestingly, one of the only other full comics drawn by Pedi is an upcoming issue of Supreme that features the hellspawn himself.
It occurs to me that I still haven't answered my original question. I'll keep pondering on it.
To be continued.
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