Acme Press Ltd. (styled as ACME Press), later known as Acme Comics, was a British

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

active from 1986 to 1995. The company's initial publication was ''

Speakeasy A speakeasy, also called a beer flat or blind pig or blind tiger, was an illicit establishment that sold alcoholic beverages. The term may also refer to a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. In the United State ...

'', a monthly

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...

of comics news and criticism. Acme published a number of licensed comics featuring the British espionage properties

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

and The Avengers. The company also published early work by popular British creators like

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

Brian Bolland Brian Bolland (; born 26 March 1951)Salisbury, Mark, ''Artists on Comic Art'' (Titan Books, 2000) , p. 11 is a British comics artist. Best known in the United Kingdom as one of the Judge Dredd artists for British comics anthology ''2000 AD (comi ...

, and

Warren Pleece Warren Pleece is a British comics artist. He is best known for his work at the DC Comics imprint Vertigo and the 2012–16 Irish novel series '' Zom-B''. Biography Warren, with his brother Gary Pleece, wrote and drew three issues of a self-pub ...

, and it published English translations of some European comics. In the latter half of its existence, Acme formed relationships with American independent publishers

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book store, comic book specialty stor ...

and

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

, enabling Acme's comics to be distributed in the United States. Acme operated a comics retail location in

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

from 1987 to 1995, also sponsoring a gallery in the basement which featured exhibitions of original comic book art.

History

Origins

Acme Press had its origins in Acme Comics, a comics

direct market The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for American comic books. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by Phil Seuling. The network currently consists of: * three major comic distributors: ** Luna ...

service set up 1984 by Richard Ashford, publisher of the fanzine ''

'' (launched in 1979). Meanwhile, Bambos Georgiou, Richard "Dick" Hansom, and Cefn Ridout were all contributors to ''Speakeasy''. Acme Press itself was founded in 1986 as a publishing

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...

by Ashford, Bambos, Hansom, and Ridout. At this point, with the experience of having put out ''Speakeasy'' for close to seven years, the founders felt the time was ripe to branch out into monthly comics publishing. Acme Press' editorial board members included Ian Abbinnett, Alan Cowsill, Andrew Currie, and HansomAcme Press entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 8, 2020. (who also served as editorial director for the company's entire existence).Hansom entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 8, 2020. (Bambos stayed with the company until 1988, Ashford appears to have left around 1989, and Ridout departed in 1992.) In 1986, Acme secured

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

for ''Speakeasy'' and its proposed new comics line through

Titan Distributors Titan Distributors was a British comic book distributor which existed from 1978 to 1993, when it was acquired by a larger U.S. distributor. Operated by Nick Landau, Mike Lake, and Mike Luckman, Titan Distributors supplied comics, science fiction ...

.Curson, Natasha
"Adventures in comics with Acme Press,"
Natasha Curson blog (July 29, 2010). At that point the co-operative also added Titans employee Nigel Curson to its board. (Curson left the company in 1989.) Under the new distribution arrangement, ''Speakeasy'' won the Eagle Award for Favourite Specialist Comics Publication four out of five years, in 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1990. The first comics title Acme published was

's '' Maxwell the Magic Cat'',KF/RF. "Newswatch: Notes From Various Publishers," ''The Comics Journal'' #112 (Oct. 1986), p. 18. a four-issue collection of humorous

comic strips A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

originally published in the weekly '' Northants Post'' (and previously reprinted in ''Speakeasy''). The fourth volume of ''Maxwell the Magic Cat'' contained a gallery of Maxwell illustrations by the likes of Kevin O'Neill, David Lloyd,

Gilbert Shelton Gilbert Shelton (born May 31, 1940) is an American cartoonist and a key member of the underground comix movement. He is the creator of the iconic underground characters '' The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'', '' Fat Freddy's Cat'', and '' Wonder ...

, John Ridgway, Graham Higgins, Phil Elliott,

Rian Hughes Rian Hughes is a People of the United Kingdom, British graphic designer, illustrator, type designer, comics artist and novelist. Overviews Hughes has written and drawn comics for ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'', Vertigo CMYK and ''Batman Black ...

, and

. In March 1987 Acme debuted ''Kiss of Death'',"Newswatch World: British Black-and-Whites After Market Collapse," ''The Comics Journal'' #116 (July 1987), p. 131. a

horror comics Horror comics are comic books, graphic novels, black-and-white comics magazines, and manga focusing on horror fiction. In the US market, horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the ...

anthology featuring the artwork of

John Watkiss John Watkiss (28 July 1961 – 20 January 2017) was a British artist, known for his painting and his work in comics and film production. His career led him from artist for graphic novels to storyboard artist and character designer. He is arguabl ...

. ''Kiss of Death'' was planned as a three-issue limited series but only published two issues. (It was completed in ''Last Kiss'', co-published with

in 1988.) That year the company also published its first translation: '' Kogaratsu'', a popular Franco-Belgian

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

title by Bosse (Serge Bosmans) and Michetz (Marc Degroide). Another title published by Acme was 1989's ''Lea: The Confessions of Julius Antoine'', by Serge Le Tendre and Christian Rossi, an English translation of a French comics album; the book was distributed in the U.S. by

Fantagraphics Books Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and (formerly) the Erotic comics, erotic Eros Comix imprint. They have managed sev ...

. ''Lea'' won the 1990 UK Comic Art Award for Best Translated Graphic Novel. The Acme founders split editorial duties on the various titles, French translations were by Hansom, and many books were lettered by Bambos.

Retail location

Acme opened a retail location, also called Acme Comics, in 1987 at 391 Coldharbour Lane in

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

,Brooks, Brad! "International Spotlight: Frank Bellamy: ''Dan Dare'' Artist Exhibited at South London Gallery," ''The Comics Journal'' #131 (Sept. 1989), pp. 13–14.

. At one point, future comics writer Alan Mitchell worked as Acme's shop manager. Acme sponsored The Basement Gallery below the shop, which held exhibitions by such artists as

Dave McKean David McKean (born 29 December 1963) is an England, English artist. His work incorporates drawing, painting, photography, collage, found objects, digital art, and sculpture. McKean has illustrated works by authors such as S. F. Said, S.F. Said, ...

, and Frank Bellamy. Acme effectively closed the Basement Gallery during the Frank Bellamy exhibition on September 3, 1989, due to flooding the previous night. The comic shop struggled on till early 1995 when it was closed due to a combination of poor management and low sales."NEWSWATCH: British Adult Newsstand Comics Face Tough Times: ''Crisis'' Folds; Fleetway Merges," ''The Comics Journal'' #146 (Nov. 1991), p. 22.

Acme/Eclipse

In the late 1980s, Acme Video was formed. In partnership with C.A. Productions, Acme Video produced and sold four comics-related videotapes, called ''Comic Profiles'', on such topics as '' 2000 AD'',

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner ( ; March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series '' The Spirit'' (1940–1952) wa ...

, ''

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...

'', and

. In 1988 the British market for black-and-white comics collapsed. As a result, Acme partnered with the American independent publisher

("Eclipse International") to distribute Acme's comics in the American market. Highlights from that era included '' Power Comics'', a four-issue superhero title by writers Don Avenall and

Norman Worker Norman Worker (1927 – 5 February 2005) was a British comic book writer, best known for his work on comic books featuring Lee Falk's ''The Phantom''. Norman was born in Kent, England, in 1927. When he was 17 years old, he fought in World War II ...

, with art by

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...

and

. The title was originally published in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

in 1975, and the title's character's names was changed from "Powerman" to "Powerbolt" to avoid confusion with the character

Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...

(also called "Power Man"), published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. Another notable title from the Acme/Eclipse era was ''Aces'', a five-issue black-and-white anthology of serialized

Jazz Age The Jazz Age was a period from 1920 to the early 1930s in which jazz music and dance styles gained worldwide popularity. The Jazz Age's cultural repercussions were primarily felt in the United States, the birthplace of jazz. Originating in New O ...

genre stories which were originally published in Europe. Among its features were "Hollywood Eye," by Francois Rivière, Jean-Louis Bouquet, and Philippe Berthet; "Air Mail" by Attilio Micheluzi; and "Morgan" by

Antonio Segura Antonio Segura (June 13, 1947 – January 31, 2012) was a Spanish comics writer. Biography Antonio Segura's earliest work appeared in the early 1980s after meeting the experienced artists José Ortiz, Luis Bermejo and Leopoldo Sanchez who w ...

and José Ortiz. In 1989 Acme struck up a relationship with

John Brown Publishing John Brown Media is one of the world's largest content marketing agencies. It was bought by Dentsu Aegis in May 2015. While originally formed as a magazine company, the company creates multichannel content for various brands, with services incl ...

, co-publishing with JBP the two-issue anthology ''Point Blank'', which promoted itself as "The Best of European Strip Art". Creators included Ruben Pellejero & Jorge Zentner, and Giancarlo Berardi & Ivo Milazzo. This title was also distributed in the U.S. via Eclipse. Acme also sold ''Speakeasy'' to JPB in 1989. In 1989 Acme acquired the comics license for

. Hiring American artist

Mike Grell Mike Grell (born September 13, 1947) is an American comic book writer and artist, known for his work on books such as '' Green Lantern/Green Arrow'', '' The Warlord'', and '' Jon Sable Freelance''. Early life Grell studied at the University of ...

(with Ashford doing the script adaptation), the company commissioned the official comics adaptation of the newest Bond film, ''

Licence to Kill ''Licence to Kill'' is a 1989 spy film, the sixteenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent James Bond (literary character), J ...

''. After Acme and Eclipse co-published the 44-page, hardcover color

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

adaptation they went on to published Grell's three-issue series ''James Bond: Permission to Die'' — the first James Bond comic book storyline not adapted from a previous work — from 1989 to 1991. Acme licensed the British '' The Avengers'' television show characters for the three-issue limited series '' Steed and Mrs. Peel'' in 1990–1992. The series featured the three-part story, "The Golden Game," in issues #1–3, by

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...

; and a two-part story, "A Deadly Rainbow," in issues #2–3, by Anne Caulfield; both had art by Ian Gibson. In 1990 Acme teamed with Eclipse to release

Eddie Campbell Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist. He was the illustrator and publisher of '' From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), and the creator of the semi-autobiographical ''Alec'' stories collected in ''Alec: ...

's ''The Complete Alec'', which collected three previous "Alec" publications — ''Alec'' (1984), ''Love and Beerglasses'' (1985), and ''Doggie in the Window'' (1986) — together with some unpublished material. The collection won the 1991 UK Comic Art Award for Best Graphic Novel Collection."British Awards Announced," ''The Comics Journal'' #142 (June 1991), p. 17. Acme/Eclipse published ''Velocity'' #4 in 1991. Written by Gary Pleece and illustrated by

, it was the "first U.S. issue" of what had previously been the brother's self-publishing venture from 1987 to 1989. A satirical collection of stories, there were no recurring characters, but many recognizable caricatures from politics and pop culture. Acme reorganized in 1991, changing its name from Acme Press to Acme Comics.

Dark Horse/Acme

Acme's relationship with Eclipse ended in 1992 (Eclipse would go defunct a year later), and Acme struck up a new arrangement with another up-and-coming American black-and-white publisher,

. With Dark Horse, Acme acted more as a packager rather than a co-publisher. (The Acme logo was styled to look like a Dark Horse imprint.) The comics the two companies produced were strictly James Bond titles (edited by Hansom) and the nine-issue series ''Lux & Alby Sign on and Save the Universe'', by

Martin Millar Martin Millar is a Scottish writer from Glasgow who is now resident in London. Under the pseudonym Martin Scott he has authored the Thraxas series of fantasy novels, for the eponymous inaugural volume of which he won the World Fantasy Award fo ...

and Simon Fraser. (Another James Bond story, "Operation Miasma" by

Doug Moench Douglas Moench (; born February 23, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer of comics, novels, short stories, newspaper feature articles, weekly newspaper comic strips, film screenplays and teleplays. He is notable for his ''Batman'' wo ...

and

Russ Heath Russell Heath Jr. (September 29, 1926 – August 23, 2018) was an American artist best known for his comic book work, particularly his DC Comics war stories and his 1960s art for ''Playboy'' magazine's " Little Annie Fanny" feature. He also prod ...

, appeared in the ''Dark Horse Comics'' anthology, issue #25, published Sept. 1994.) Co-founder Dick Hansom, though not technically working for Acme at the time, edited

Bryan Talbot Bryan Talbot (born 24 February 1952) is a British comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of '' The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' and its sequels '' Heart of Empire'' and '' The Legend of Luther Arkwright'', as well as the ''Gra ...

's '' The Tale of One Bad Rat'', published by Dark Horse in 1994–1995. Acme's partnership with Dark Horse lasted until 1995.

Closure and further careers of the founders

Acme went defunct in 1995. Co-founders Ashford, Ridout, and Bambos all found work in the mainstream comics industry for a time. Bambos left Acme in 1988, moving on to Dave Elliott and

Garry Leach Garry Leach (19 September 1954 – 26 March 2022) was a British comics artist and publisher. Biography Garry Leach's early work for ''2000 AD'' included mainly one-off stories featuring ''Dan Dare'' and '' M.A.C.H. 1''.Atomeka Press Atomeka Press is a British publisher of comic books set up in 1988 by Dave Elliott and Garry Leach. Atomeka ceased publishing in 1997, was briefly revived from 2002 to 2005 and revived again in 2013. History Atomeka was established as a compa ...

, where he worked until 1990. During this period he also produced the ''Blimey! It's Slimer!'' strip for

Marvel UK Marvel UK was an imprint (trade name), imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint United States of America, US-produced stories for the United Kingdom, British weekly comic market. Marvel UK later produced original material by British cr ...

's ''

The Real Ghostbusters ''The Real Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series, a spin-off and sequel of the 1984 comedy film ''Ghostbusters''. The series ran on ABC between September 13, 1986 and October 5, 1991, and was a joint production of DIC Enter ...

'' comic. In the early 1990s, he found some work as a cover inker for

.Bambos entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 8, 2020. Ashford appears to have left Acme around 1989. He had latched on with Marvel in 1988, first as an editorial assistant with the company until 1991. He worked freelance as an assistant editor at Marvel from 1991 to 1994, while performing the same duties at DC Comics.Ashford entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 8, 2020. Ashford wrote the Marvel title ''

Excalibur Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur that may possess magical powers or be associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. Its first reliably datable appearance is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. E ...

'' in late 1993/early 1994 (succeeding

Scott Lobdell Scott Lobdell (; born 1960) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter known for his work on numerous X-Men series for Marvel Comics in the 1990s, various work for DC Comics in the 2010s, namely '' Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans,'' ...

in that role), and then edited Marvel's '' Conan the Adventurer'' series during its 14-episode run in 1994–1995. Ridout appears to have left Acme after the Eclipse era. He wrote a two-part

Scarlet Witch The Scarlet Witch is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #4 in March 1964, in the Silver Age of Comic Boo ...

story in ''

Marvel Comics Presents ''Marvel Comics Presents'' is an American comic book anthology title that was published in three series by Marvel Comics: from 1988 to 1995; 2007 to 2008; and in 2019. Volume 1 The first volume was released on a bi-weekly basis and lasted for ...

'' in 1993, and worked as an editor for

(on the '' Doctor Who: Classic Comics'' series) in 1994. He wrote the '' Fury/Black Widow: Death Duty'' graphic novel (which was edited by Ashford), published by Marvel in 1995.Ridout entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 8, 2020.

Notable creators associated with Acme

* John M. Burns *

* Simon Fraser *

* Ian Gibson *

Paul Gulacy Paul Gulacy (; born August 15, 1953) is an American comics artist best known for his work for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, and for drawing one of the first graphic novels, Eclipse Enterprises' 1978 '' Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species'' ...

Simon Jowett Simon Jowett is a British author and scriptwriter. Biography His early work was in comics, as the writer of the James Bond stories ''Silent Armageddon'' (1993, drawn by John M. Burns) and ''Shattered Helix'' (1994, drawn by David Jackson, ov ...

* David Lloyd *

Don McGregor Donald Francis McGregor (born June 15, 1945) is an American comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics; he is the author of one of the first graphic novels. Early life Don McGregor was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he ...

Titles published

Acme Press

* ''Kiss of Death'' (2 issues, March 1987– May 1987) — horror title by

* '' Kogaratsu: Lotus Blood'' (1 issue, 1987) — samurai title by Bosse (Serge Bosmans) and Michetz (Marc Degroide); translated from the French by Dick Hansom * ''Lea: The Confessions of Julius Antoine'' by Serge Le Tendre and Christian Rossi (1 issue, 1989); translated from the French edition ''Les errances de Julius Antoine'' (Albin Michel, 1985) by Dick Hansom — distributed in the U.S. by

* '' Maxwell the Magic Cat'' (4 issues, 1986–1987) by

Eclipse/Acme

* ''Aces'' (5 issues, April 1988–Dec. 1988) * ''The Complete Alec'' by

(GN, 1990) * ''James Bond 007:

'' by

(1 issue, 1989) * '' James Bond: Permission to Die'' by

(3 issues, 1989–1991) * ''Last Kiss'' (1 issue, 1988) — 48 p. horror anthology illustrated by

* '' Power Comics'' (4 issues, Mar. 1988–Sept. 1988) * ''Point Blank'' (2 issues, 1989) — reprinted from ''Cairo'' #32 (

Norma Editorial Norma Editorial is a Spanish comics publisher, with its headquarters in Barcelona.Home
Norma Editori ...

), and '' Heavy Metal'' magazine vol. 11, #3 (Fall 1987); co-published with

* ''Rael: Into the Shadow of the Sun'' (1988) by

Colin Wilson Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English existentialist philosopher-novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. Wilson called his p ...

— originally published in 1984 in France; English translation by Dick Hansom * ''Sam Bronx and the Robots'' by

Serge Clerc Serge Clerc (born 12 October 1957) is a French comic book artist and illustrator. Serge Clerc began his professional career in 1975 in the monthly magazine '' Métal Hurlant'', after having created his own fanzine, ''Absolutely Live''. Initially a ...

(GN, Dec. 1989) — originally published in French in 1981 as ''Sam Bronx et les Robots''; English translation by Dick Hansom * ''The Science Service'' (1 issue, May 1989) by John Freeman and

— "Collection Atomic Comics" * '' Steed and Mrs. Peel'' (3 issues, 1990–1992) * ''Stormwatcher'' (4 issues, Apr. 1989–Dec. 1989) — written by Acme board members Alan Cowsill and Ian Abbinnett; art by board member Andrew Currie * ''Velocity'' by Gary and

(1 issue, Feb. 1991) — labeled issue #4

Dark Horse/Acme

* '' James Bond 007: Serpent's Tooth'' by

and

(3 issues, July 1992–Feb. 1993) — "Serpent's Tooth" (issue #1), "Blooded in Eden" (#2), and "Mass Extinction" (#3) * ''James Bond 007: A Silent Armageddon'' by

and John M. Burns (2 issues, Mar. 1993–May 1993) * ''James Bond 007: Shattered Helix'' by

, David Jackson, and David Lloyd (2 issues, June 1994-July 1994) — conclusion of ''Silent Armageddon'' storyline * '' James Bond 007: The Quasimodo Gambit'' by

and Gary Caldwell (3 issues, Jan. 1995-May 1995) * ''Lux & Alby Sign on and Save the Universe'' by

and Simon Fraser (9 issues, Apr. 1993–May 1994)

''Comic Profiles'' video tapes

; In partnership with C.A. Productions * Comic Profiles 1. ''10 Years of 2000 AD — a Video Celebration'' — featuring

, Kevin O'Neill, Alan Grant, Mike McMahon,

Pat Mills Patrick Eamon Mills (born 1949) is an English comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. He has been called "the godfath ...

, John Sanders, Martin Barker,

Cam Kennedy Campbell "Cam" Kennedy is a Scottish comics artist. He is best known for his work on '' 2000 AD'', especially the flagship titles ''Judge Dredd'' and ''Rogue Trooper''. Biography Following work in commercial art in his hometown of Glasgow, Ke ...

Mike Baron Mike Baron (born July 1, 1949) is an American comic book writer and novelist. He is the creator of ''Badger (comics), Badger'' and the co-creator of ''Nexus (comics), Nexus'' with Steve Rude. He is also well known as the first writer on Marvel Co ...

, and

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

* Comic Profiles 2. ''

— A Life of Sequential Art'' — featuring Moore, Mills, Gibbons, O'Neill,

Art Spiegelman Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman ( ; born February 15, 1948), professionally known as Art Spiegelman, is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazin ...

John Bolton John Robert Bolton (born November 20, 1948) is an American attorney, diplomat, Republican Party (United States), Republican consultant, and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to ...

Trina Robbins Trina Robbins ( Perlson; August 17, 1938 – April 10, 2024) was an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first women in the movement. She co-produced the 1970 underground comic '' I ...

Walt Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' ''Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned ...

Chris Claremont Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is an English-born American comic book writer and novelist. Claremont is best known for his 16-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Clarem ...

Bill Sienkiewicz Boleslav William Felix Robert Sienkiewicz ( ; ; born May 3, 1958) is an American artist known for his work in comic books—particularly for Marvel Comics' ''The New Mutants (comic book), The New Mutants'', ''Moon Knight,'' and ''Elektra: Assassi ...

, and many more * Comic Profiles 3. ''Watch the Men — Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore'' — behind-the-scenes interviews with Moore and Gibbons, creators of ''

'' * Comic Profiles 4. ''Alan Moore — Iconoclasm at the

I.C.A. The International Clarinet Association is the main international organization bringing together players of the clarinet. It is based in Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in ...

'' — 40-minute "chat" with Moore

References

Notes

Sources consulted

* * * *

External links

''Last Kiss''
at Total Eclipse blog {{DEFAULTSORT:Acme Press Defunct comics and manga publishing companies Comic book publishing companies of the United Kingdom 1986 establishments in the United Kingdom 1995 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Acme Comics Publishing companies established in 1986 Publishing companies disestablished in 1995 Acme Press

History

Origins

Retail location

Acme/Eclipse

Dark Horse/Acme

Closure and further careers of the founders

Notable creators associated with Acme

Titles published

Acme Press

Eclipse/Acme

Dark Horse/Acme

''Comic Profiles'' video tapes

References

Notes

Sources consulted

Further reading

External links