Harris Publications Inc. was an American special interest media company, operating over 75 brands with print, digital, mobile and live-event platforms prior to its sale to Athlon Media in 2016. It produced magazines that educate, entertain and inform. Subject matters spanned an array of interests including decorating, gardening, beauty, automotive, entrepreneurship and small business, sports, outdoor living, history, tactical, entertainment and wellness. Harris' titles covered a variety of markets and focused on niche special interests, primarily in the United States. Harris Comics (sold in 2010 to

Dynamic Forces Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...

) published the former Warren Publishing character

Vampirella Vampirella () is a vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of '' Creepy'' and ''E ...

for nearly two decades. Harris sold additional magazine brands including the basketball magazine Slam in 1998, African-American women's lifestyle magazine Honey in 1999,

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...

in 2003 and XXL in 2014. Athlon Media acquired Harris Publications' magazine brands and websites in 2016 including Harris Farmers Almanac, American Frontiersman, Flea Market Style, Real Gardens and Music Icons.

History

Harris Publications was founded in 1977 by Stanley R. Harris, who had been in the magazine publishing business since the late 1960s.Harris entry
Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Accessed Aug. 10, 2011. Harris's father William invented the Harris Press printing press. One of Harris Publications' first successful and long-running titles was ''

'', which it published beginning in 1980, before selling the property to

Future US Future US, Inc. (formerly known as Imagine Media and The Future Network USA) is an American mass media, media company, corporation specializing in targeted advertising, targeted magazines and websites in the video games, music, and technology ...

in 2003. The company sold its music and millennial division including XXL to Townsquare Media in 2014. XXL was one of the largest music sites focusing on hip-hop and urban culture. On April 28, 2016, Harris Publications operations and its magazine brands and trademarks were acquired by Athlon Media. Athlon integrated many of Harris' brands into its Decorating & Gardening group and announced plans to further distribute Harris' content through its newspaper distribution resources.

Harris Comics

In 1983, Harris acquired the assets of the defunct

Warren Publishing Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren (publisher), James Warren, who published his first magazines in 1957 and continued in the business for decades. Magazines published by Warren include ''After Hours (magazin ...

, including their well-known

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

magazines ''

Creepy Creepiness is the state of being creepy, or causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or unease to someone and/or something. Certain traits or hobbies may make people seem creepy to others; interest in horror or the macabre might come across as 'c ...

'', ''

Eerie Eerie may refer to: * Feeling of creepiness * Eerie (magazine), ''Eerie'' (magazine), an American horror comic first published in 1966 * Eerie (Avon), ''Eerie'' (Avon), a 1947 horror comic * Eerie (film), ''Eerie'' (film), a 2018 Filipino horror fi ...

'', and ''

''. Forming Harris Comics in 1985, Harris published a single issue of ''Creepy'' (#146), but legal murkiness and a 1999 lawsuit by Warren publisher James Warren resulted in his reacquisition of the rights to ''Creepy'' and sister publication ''Eerie''. In the early 1990s Harris Comics revived ''

'', publishing Vampirella stories in various series and formats from 1991 to 2007. A number of British creators worked for Harris on its Vampirella titles, including

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 ...

, Gary Frank,

Mark Millar Mark Millar (; born 24 December 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series ''The Authority (comics), The Authority'', published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written ext ...

, John Smith,

Ian Edginton Ian Edginton is a British comic book writer, known for his work on such titles as ''X-Force'', '' Scarlet Traces'', '' H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds'' and ''Leviathan''. Career Ian Edginton is known for his steampunk/alternate history work ...

, and

Malachy Coney Malachy Coney is a comics writer and cartoonist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He grew up in Ardoyne in the north of the city.''Fractured Visions'part oneanpart two video documentary, 2010 Biography Coney's first notable comics work was a two-e ...

. In January 2007

Fangoria Comics Fangoria Comics was an American publisher of horror comics, releasing issues solely in the year 2007. It was a distinct unit under the larger Fangoria Entertainment umbrella, which also included Fangoria Magazine, Fangoria TV, and Fangoria Radi ...

made the announcement that the character Vampirella was now owned by

Fangoria ''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr. The magazine was originally released i ...

, however, in April Harris replied that this was not factual, and began publishing ''Vampirella Quarterly''. Harris Comics also published a number of non-Vampirella comics in the superhero and science fiction genres. The 2002–2003 imprint Anarchy Studio published

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 ...

comics featuring the characters

Vampi Vampirella () is a vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of ''Creepy'' and ''Eerie ...

and Xin. Harris Comics operated until 2008, and in March 2010

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...

acquired the Vampirella property. Small Business Magazine, a Harris bi-monthly publication for first time entrepreneurs was launched in 1988 by Susan Rakowski. Two spinoff publications were published and sold worldwide.

Titles

Automotive

* ''Mopar Action'' * ''Rides'' * ''America's Best Big Trucks'' * ''0-60''

Beauty

* ''Short Hair'' * ''Celebrity Hairstyles'' * ''Short Styles''

Crafts

* ''Fresh Quilts'' * ''Room to Create''

Comics

* ''

''—published one issue of the former

title in 1985 * ''

Cyberfrog Ethan Daniel Van Sciver (No date on article; date appears in the website') (; born September 3, 1974) is an American comics artist. He illustrated and drew covers for a number of superhero titles in the 2000s, primarily for DC Comics, including ' ...

'' (1996)—

Ethan Van Sciver Ethan Daniel Van Sciver (No date on article; date appears in the website') (; born September 3, 1974) is an American comics artist. He illustrated and drew covers for a number of superhero titles in the 2000s, primarily for DC Comics, including ' ...

character acquired from

Hall of Heroes ''Hall of Heroes'' was an American independent comic book company that existed in the mid-to-late 1990s. Based in Elkhart, Indiana, Hall of Heroes operated from 1993 to 1999. The company's longest-running titles were two volumes of the antholog ...

* ''

Flux Flux describes any effect that appears to pass or travel (whether it actually moves or not) through a surface or substance. Flux is a concept in applied mathematics and vector calculus which has many applications in physics. For transport phe ...

'' (1994–1995)—video games, comics, and music * ''Harsh Realm'' (1994) * '' The Rook'' (1995)—original ''

'' character revamped by Harris * ''

'' (2000–2002) * ''

'' (various titles, 1991–2008)—acquired from

* '' Xin'' (2002–2003)

Decorating

* ''Beach Cottages'' * ''Country Collectibles'' * ''Decorating Shortcuts'' * ''Flea Market Style'' * ''Organized Room by Room'' * ''Romantic Country'' * ''Storage Solutions'' * ''Small Space Decorating''

Dogs

* ''Dog News''—considered the bible of the

conformation show A dog show is an animal show; it is an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a '' breed show'', is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs ...

industry * ''D''—D is the Annual Magazine of Dog News released to coincide with the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Entertainment

* ''Style Makers'' * ''Hollywood Icons'' * ''Music Icons''

Gardening

* ''Container Gardening'' * ''Fleas Market Gardens'' * ''Great Backyards'' * ''Porches and Gardens'' * ''Real Gardens''

Music

* ''

'' (1980 – 2003) — acquired by

* ''

Revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

'' (2000–2003) — acquired by

* '' Scratch'' (2004–2007) * '' XXL'' (1997 – 2014) - acquired by

Townsquare Media Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

* ''elektro'' 2012-2014, acquired by Townsquare Media

Outdoor living

* ''The New Pioneer'' * ''Harris' Farmer's Almanac'' * ''America Frontiersman''

Small Business

* ''Small Business Opportunities'' * ''Get Rich At Home'' * ''Start Your Own Business''

Sports

* ''Pro Football Draft'' * ''College Football Guide'' * ''Basketball Draft'' * ''

SLAM Magazine ''Slam'' (stylized in all caps) is an American basketball magazine in circulation since 1994. History Founding and early years ''Slam'' was launched in 1994 as a basketball magazine that combined the sport with hip hop culture at a time when ...

''—acquired by Peterson Publishing in 1998

Guns and weapons

* ''Ballistic'' * ''Combat Handguns'' * '' Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement'' * ''

Guns of the Old West A gun is a device that Propulsion, propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or water cannon, cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). So ...

'' * ''Tactical Weapons'' * ''Personal & Home Defense'' (published bi-annually) * ''Special Weapons for Military & Police'' * ''Survivor's Edge'' * '' Tactical Knives'' * ''Tactical Life''

Guns (annual)

* ''Gun Buyers Guide''—2012, 2014 & 2015 * ''The Complete Book of Guns''—2015 * ''The Complete Book of Handguns''—2012 through 2015 * ''Gun Annual''—2014 * ''The Complete Rifleman''—1989 through 2011

Wellness

* ''Naturally, Danny Seo'' * ''Herbal Remedies''

Miscellaneous

* ''PC How-To Guide'' * ''Woman''—acquired by

Condé Nast Publications Condé is a French place name and personal name. It is ultimately derived from a Celtic word, "Condate", meaning "confluence" (of two rivers) - from which was derived the Romanised form "Condatum", in use during the Roman period, and thence to ...

in 1988 * ''ANTENNA'' *''Honey'' acquired by Vanguarde Media in 1999

Notes

References

* * * Dean, Michael
"The Vampirella Wars: The Untold Story of James Warren's Custody Battle with Harris Comics"
(excerpt), ''The Comics Journal'' #253, June 2003. Archive of original

External links

* {{Authority control Comic book publishing companies of the United States Defunct comics and manga publishing companies