Are comics art or junk? Let's rewind to 1985, when Simon Townsend’s Wonderworld! dropped in to one of Australia’s largest comic stores. Presenter Brett Clements dives into the debate, name-checkingAmerican Flagg and its three nominations for the Nebula, an award for traditional books. But he comes down on the ‘junk’ side, singling out some less-than-literary dialogue in American Flagg and drawing a Superman parody on the wall.

The rebranding of comic books as graphic novels and their ascent to the literary section was years in the future. With a Flash Gordon soundtrack, pulpy effects and Brian Mannix shout-out, the segment skates over the surface of the shop’s 5,000-strong collection with a mix of curiosity and camp.

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