Aircel Comics (Aircel Publishing) was a

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 founded by

Barry Blair Barry Blair (1954 – January 3, 2010)Muir, AdrianThe Art of Barry Blair and Colin Walbridge (Blair tribute web site).Accessed March 3, 2011. was a Canadian comics publisher, artist and writer, known for launching Aircel Comics (publisher of tit ...

, in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

in 1985. In 1988, it merged with American publisher

Eternity Comics Eternity Comics was an American comic book publisher active from 1986 to 1994, first as an independent publisher, then as an imprint of Malibu Comics. Eternity published creator-owned comics of an offbeat, independent flavor, as well as some lice ...

, itself an imprint of

Malibu Comics Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc. (launched as Malibu Graphics) was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. Notable titles published by Malibu included ''Th ...

, and in the late 1980s was taken over by Malibu before ceasing publication in 1994. It was best known as the original publisher of '' The Men in Black'', a comic book which was later adapted into a

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...

. Aircel blended historical and futuristic fantasy from different cultures as the underlying theme for most of its comic series. It featured high-quality colour covers with black-and white interiors. Canadian artists such as

Dave Cooper Dave Cooper (born 1967) is a Canadian cartoonist, oil painter and animator. Biography Cooper was born in Nova Scotia in 1967 and moved to Ottawa, Ontario at the age of nine. He began his career in the 90s, making underground comics for Seattl ...

Denis Beauvais Denis ("Den") Beauvais (born 1962) is a Canadian artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games. He was born and raised in Ottawa.Saxberg, Lynn (April 4, 1990). "Dragons and demons make Aylmer artist famous", ''Ottawa Citizen'', p. E3. Ca ...

, and

Dale Keown Dale Keown (; born July 23, 1962) is a Canadian comic book artist known for his runs on '' The Incredible Hulk'' and his creator-owned comic book '' Pitt''. Career Keown started working in comics in 1986 drawing several series for Aircel Com ...

got their start at Aircel.

Charles de Lint Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a Canadian writer. Primarily a writer of fantasy fiction, he has composed works of urban fantasy, contemporary magical realism, and mythic fiction. Along with authors like Terri Windling, Emma Bull ...

also scripted several comic books for Aircel in the mid-1980s.

Company history

Aircel was originally a manufacturer of foam insulation. When the government discontinued its contract with the company, employee Barry Blair convinced the owner to shift the company's focus to comic book publishing, which was experiencing a boom.Munn, Bryan
"Barry Blair, 1959-2010"
Sequential: Canadian Comix News & Culture (Jan. 5, 2010). Blair ran the publishing operations, and Aircel's initial talent line-up included him, Dave Cooper, Patrick McEown, and Guang Yap. Aircel released its first books in 1985: ''Samurai'', ''Dragonring'' and ''Elflord'', all of which featured line art in a style borrowed from

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

, which was fairly new to the North American market. In 1986, illustrator

and writer Gordon Derry collaborated with Blair to create ''Warlock 5'', which featured realistic mixed-media and airbrushing techniques. The ''Maelstrom'' series was released shortly thereafter. In the late 1980s, the independent comics market contracted, hurting niche publishers such as Aircel. Blair struck a deal with

Scott Mitchell Rosenberg Scott Mitchell Rosenberg is an American film, television, and comic book producer. He is the chairman of Platinum Studios, an entertainment company that controls a library of comic-book characters and adapts them for film, television and other ...

in which the larger publisher would be "lent" Aircel to publish a number of titles, in return for financial assistance. This resulted in a de facto merger with the Malibu imprint

. New illustrators assumed responsibility for continuing some of the existing series (e.g. ''Elford'' vol. 2, ''Warlock 5'' vol. 2), which led to ownership disputes over some of these titles. Ultimately, Aircel terminated most of its previous titles and pursued erotic-themed comics with Malibu. In 1990, Aircel published the series '' The Men in Black'', by

Lowell Cunningham Lowell Cunningham (born c. 1958/1959) is an American comic book author. He is best known for creating the comic book '' The Men in Black'', which later became the basis for a media franchise. Early life Lowell Cunningham was raised in Franklin, ...

and Sandy Carruthers. In 1992 the series was optioned by producers

Walter F. Parkes Walter F. Parkes (born April 15, 1951) is an American producer, screenwriter, and media executive. The producer of more than 50 films, including the ''Men in Black'' series and '' Minority Report,'' he is the co-founder and co-chairman of Dre ...

and Laurie MacDonald, who developed the idea into the film ''

Men In Black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are government agents dressed in dark suits, who question, interrogate, harass, and threaten unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses to keep them silent about what they have ...

'', which became the basis for a film and TV franchise. In 1991, Aircel's debts were paid off, and Blair quit Aircel, formally handing the company over to Malibu. Aircel ceased publishing in 1994, when Malibu was purchased 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 ...

.Reynolds, Eric. "The Rumors are True: Marvel Buys Malibu", ''The Comics Journal'' #173 (December 1994), pp. 29-33.

Titles published

* ''2000 Maniacs'' (1989), #1–3 * ''The Adventurers'' (1986), #1–2

Adventure Publications Adventure Publications was an American comic book publisher founded by Steve Milo in 1986, based in Fairfax, Virginia and active from 1986 to 1993. In 1989, it merged with American publisher Malibu Comics, becoming the Adventure Comics imprint. ...

] * ''Bloodlines'' (1987–1988), #1–7 * ''Blood 'N Guts'' (1990–1991), #1–3 * ''Body Count'' (1989–1990), #1–4 * ''Bodyguard'' (1990), #1–3 * ''Born To Kill'' (1990), #1–3 * ''Cat & Mouse'' (1990–1991), #1–18 * ''Chaser Platoon'' (1990), #1–6 * ''China Sea'' (1990), #1 * ''Darkewood'' (1987–1988), #1–5 * ''Dead Walkers'' (1991), #1–4 * ''Demon Hunter'' (1989), #1–4 * ''Dragonforce'' (1988–1990), #1–13 * ''Dragonforce Chronicles'' * ''Dragonring'' ** v1 (1986), #1–6 ** v2 (1986–1988), #1–15 * ''Dragons In The Moon'' (1990), #1–4 * ''Elflord'' ** v1 (1986), #1–6 ollected in ''Elflord: The Black and White Chronicles'' (1987)** v2 (1986–1989), #1–31 ** ''Elflord Chronicles'' (1990–1991), #1–8 eprints ''Elflord'' material (1980–1981) from Nightwynd Productions* ''Fire Team'' (1990–1991), #1–6 * ''Full Throttle'' * ''Galaxina'' (1991–1992), #1–4 * ''Gauntlet'' (1992–1993), #1–8 * ''Greenhaven'' (1988), #1–3 * ''Greenlock'' (1991), #1 * ''Gun Fury'' (1988–1989), #1–10 * ''Gun Fury Returns'' (1990), #1–4 * ''Hardball'' (1991), #1–4 * ''Hardkorr'' (1991), #1–4 * ''Icarus'' (1986–1987), #1–6 * ''Inferno'' (1990–1991), #1–4 * ''Jake Thrash'' (1988), #1–2 ollected along with unpublished #3 in ''Jake Thrash: Book One'' (1989) from Malibu* ''Kiku San'' (1988–1989), #1–6 * ''Maelstrom'' (1988–1989), #1–11 * ''Mara of the Celts'' (1991), #1–4 * '' The Men in Black'' ** v1 (1990), #1–3 ** v2 (1991), #1–3 (listed in indicia as ''Men in Black: Book II'') * ''Mummy's Curse'' (1990), #1–4 * ''Mutant Zone'' (1991), #1–3 * ''Nocturne'' (1991), #1–3 * ''Pendragon'' (1991), #1–2 * ''Power'' (1991), #1–4 * ''Ripper'' (1989–1990), #1–6 * ''Scimidar Book VI: Slashdance'' (1992), #1–4

Eternity Eternity, in common parlance, is an Infinity, infinite amount of time that never ends or the quality, condition or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside tim ...

's ''Scimidar Book V: Living Color'' (1991)] * ''Samurai'' ** v1 (1985–1987), #1–23 ** v2 (1987–1988), #1–3 ** v2 (1988–1989), #1–7 * ''Shadowalker'' (1988), #1 * ''Silverstorm'' (1990), # 1–3 * ''Southern Squadron'' (1990), #1–4 Cyclone Comics' ''The Southern Squadron'' (1987–1989); continued in Eternity's ''The Southern Squadron: Freedom of Information Act'' (1992)">Cyclone!.html" ;"title="rom Cyclone!">Cyclone Comics' ''The Southern Squadron'' (1987–1989); continued in Eternity's ''The Southern Squadron: Freedom of Information Act'' (1992)* ''Stark: Future'' (1987–1989), #1–17 * ''Starstone'' (1987), #1–3 * ''The Tale of Mya Rom'' (1988), #1 * ''The Underground'' (1987), #1 * ''The Walking Dead'' ** v1 (1989), #1–4 ( ** ''The Walking Dead Zombie Special'' (1989), #1 * ''Warlock 5'' ** v1 (1986–1989), #1–22 ** v2 (1989), #1–7 ((cover titled ''Warlock 5: Book II'') * ''Warlocks'' (1988), #1–12

Erotic titles

* ''Arthur Sex'' (1991), #1–8 * ''Carmilla'' (1991), #1–6 * ''Casanova'' (1991), #1–10 * ''Casanova in Venice'' (1991), #1 * ''Climaxxx'' (1991), #1–4 * ''CyberLust'' (1991), #1–3 * ''Debbie Does Comics'' (1992), #1–3 * '' Debbie Does Dallas'' (1991), #1–18 * ''Dirty Pictures'' (1991), #1–3 * ''Erotic Tales'' (1991), #1–3 * ''Erotique'' (1991), #1 * ''The Experience'' (1991), #1 * ''Final Taboo'' (1991), #1–2 * ''

Flesh Gordon ''Flesh Gordon'' is a 1974 American superhero sex comedy feature film which is a spoof of Universal Pictures first (of three) '' Flash Gordon'' serial films from the 1930s. The film was produced by Walter R. Cichy, Bill Osco, and Howard Z ...

'' (1992), #1–4 * ''Hooters'' (1992), #1–6 * ''Jungle Love'' (1991), #1–3 * ''King Arthur Uncensored'' (1992), #1 * ''Leather & Lace'' ** v1 (1989–1991), #1–25 ** v2 ''Blood Sex & Tears'' (1991), #1–4 * ''Summer Special'' (1990), #1 * ''Lizard Lady'' (1991), #1–4 * ''Rated X'' ** v1 (1991), #1–3 ** ''Rated X Special'' (1991) #1 * ''Sapphire'' (1990), #1–9 * ''Scum Of The Earth'' (1991), #1–2 * ''Torment'' (1991), #1–3 * ''Triple-XXX'' (1992), #1–3 * ''Vampyre's Kiss'' ** v1 ''Beware the Vampyre's Kiss'' (1990), #1–4 ** v2 ''Bianca's Revenge'' (1990–1991), #1–4 ** v2 ''The Dark Kiss of Night'' (1991), #1–4 * ''The Voyeur'' (1991), #1–4

Notes

References

* * {{Ultraverse Canadian companies established in 1985 Canadian companies disestablished in 1994 Comic book publishing companies of Canada Companies based in Ottawa Companies based in California Marvel Comics imprints Defunct comics and manga publishing companies Publishing companies established in 1985 Publishing companies disestablished in 1994 Malibu Comics 1985 establishments in Ontario 1994 disestablishments in Ontario 1988 mergers and acquisitions