Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc. (launched as Malibu Graphics) was an American
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 active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its
Ultraverse
The Ultraverse is a defunct comic book imprint published by the American company Malibu Comics which is currently owned by Marvel Comics. The Ultraverse is a shared universe in which a variety of characters – known within the comics as Ultras ...
line of
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
titles. Notable titles published by Malibu included '' The Men in Black'', ''
Ultraforce
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in American comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel. The purpose of the group was to protect the public and keep other "Ultras" (superheroes) from becoming unruly.
The group co ...
'', and '' Night Man''.
The company's headquarters was in
Calabasas, California
Calabasas (, ; Spanish language in California, Spanish for "winter squash, squashes") is a city in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States.publisher of record for
Image Comics
Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...
from 1992 to 1993. The company's other imprints included
Adventure
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
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 ...
. Malibu also owned a small software development company that designed video games in the early to mid-1990s called Malibu Interactive.
History
Origins
Malibu Comics was launched in 1986 as Malibu Graphics by Dave Olbrich and Tom Mason with the private financing of
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 ...
, who was operating a comic book distribution company (
Sunrise Distribution
Sunrise Distribution (a.k.a. Sunrise Comics and Games) was a Commerce, California-based comic book direct market, distributor which operated in the early-to-mid 1980s. Owned by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the company was intimately connected to a n ...
) at the time. Unbeknownst to most people in the industry, Rosenberg was also financing a number of other small comics publishers:
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 ...
creator-owned
In the United States, creator ownership in comics is an arrangement in which the comic book creator retains full ownership of the material, regardless of whether the work is self-publishing, self-published or published by a corporate publisher.
I ...
black-and-white titles; its first title was David Lawrence and
Ron Lim
Ronald Lim (born 1965) is an American comic book artist living in Sacramento, California. He is best known for his work for Marvel Comics on their various "cosmic" titles, most particularly the ''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 3) series.
Biography
Lim' ...
In 1987, after Rosenberg's behind-the-scenes roles were revealed, he discontinued most of the other small publishers, merging some with Malibu and retaining Eternity Comics as a Malibu brand. At this point, Chris Ulm joined Malibu as editor-in-chief.
In 1988, Malibu effectively acquired the Canadian publisher Aircel Comics as an imprint, and in 1989 it acquired
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.
...
.
From that point forward, the Malibu brand was used for superhero titles. Eternity was used for the magazine line and also for
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
-inspired titles like ''
Robotech
''Robotech'' is an American-Japanese science fiction Media franchise, franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production; it was first released in the United St ...
''. Adventure was used for Malibu's licensed titles, such as ''
Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is a science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic world in which humans and intelligent apes c ...
'' and ''
Alien Nation
''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for ''Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with ...
''. Aircel was used for
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 ...
's comics and Malibu's adult line.
In 1988, the company also acquired the character Shuriken (a character that was self-published from 1985–1988 by Victory Productions) from its creator Reggie Byers. Shuriken was published in three
limited series
In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...
and two one-shots by Malibu; later the character was introduced in the
Ultraverse
The Ultraverse is a defunct comic book imprint published by the American company Malibu Comics which is currently owned by Marvel Comics. The Ultraverse is a shared universe in which a variety of characters – known within the comics as Ultras ...
imprint.
1989-1992
By this time, the company was publishing a combination of new series and licensed properties. Later, after a legal battle with the creators, Malibu created a shared universe called Shattered Earth.
In 1992, heroes from
Centaur Publications
Centaur Publications (also known as Centaur Comics) was one of the earliest American comic book publishers. During their short existence, they created several colorful characters, including Bill Everett's Amazing-Man (Centaur Publications), Amazi ...
(a
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...
publisher whose properties fell into the
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...
) were revived in the form of the Protectors, consisting of
Airman
An airman is a member of an air force or air arm of a nation's armed forces. In certain air forces, it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank. An airman can also be referred to as a soldier in other definitions. As a military rank designat ...
Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
, Ferret, Man of War and Mighty Man, among others. Several of these characters had short-lived spin-off titles of their own. The Centaur heroes and other characters from Adventure (
Miss Fury
Miss Fury is a fictional superheroine from the Golden Age of Comics. She first appeared as ''The Black Fury'' on April 6, 1941, a Sunday comic strip distributed by the Bell Syndicate, and created by artist June Tarpé Mills (writing as Tarpé ...
and Rocket Ranger), and Eternity ( Dinosaurs for Hire, Ex-Mutants) plus Dead Clown and Widowmaker, were put together in one Universe to form the Genesis line. This line, however, had a short lifespan.
Image Comics' publisher of record
In early 1992, Malibu served as publisher of record for the first comics from
Image Comics
Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...
, making the upstart creator-run publisher members of the Malibu Graphics Publishing Group, and giving Image access to the
distribution channels
Distribution is the process of making a product or service available for the consumer or business user who needs it, and a distributor is a business involved in the distribution stage of the value chain. Distribution can be done directly by the ...
. This move led to Malibu obtaining almost ten percent of the American comics market share, temporarily moving ahead of industry giant
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
.
By the beginning of 1993, Image's financial situation was secure enough to publish its titles independently, and it left Malibu.
Malibu Interactive and Ultraverse
In late 1992, seeking to capitalize on the growing
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
market, Malibu merged with video game developer Acme Interactive to form Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc., with Malibu Interactive acting as a subsidiary.
The
Ultraverse
The Ultraverse is a defunct comic book imprint published by the American company Malibu Comics which is currently owned by Marvel Comics. The Ultraverse is a shared universe in which a variety of characters – known within the comics as Ultras ...
line was launched in June 1993 during the "boom" of the early 1990s, roughly concurrent with the debut of publishers such as
Image
An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...
Dark Horse
A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...
(
Milestone
A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway, railway line, canal or border, boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like Mileage sign, mileage signs; or they c ...
and Comics' Greatest World, respectively). The line was in part intended to fill the gap left by Image's independence.
Establishing itself as the first company to use digital coloring for all its titles, Malibu boasted improved production values over traditional comics, including higher-quality paper, and a roster of talented and respected writers and artists. Emphasizing the tight continuity between the various series in the Ultraverse line, Malibu made extensive use of crossovers, in which a story that began in one series would be continued in the next-shipping issue of another series. Various promotions for special editions or limited-print stories followed. The Ultraverse line came to dominate Malibu's catalog.
The Bravura imprint, launched in January 1994, was Malibu's
creator-owned
In the United States, creator ownership in comics is an arrangement in which the comic book creator retains full ownership of the material, regardless of whether the work is self-publishing, self-published or published by a corporate publisher.
I ...
imprint. Founding members of the Bravura group were
Dan Brereton
Daniel Alan Brereton (born November 22, San Francisco Bay Area) is an American writer and illustrator who has produced notable work in the comic book field.
Biography Early life
Dan Brereton attended the California College of the Arts and the Ac ...
(''
Nocturnals
''Nocturnals'' is a comic book title created by artist Dan Brereton which debuted as a six-part Limited series (comics), limited series in 1994–1995 under Malibu Comics collectively subtitled as ''Black Planet''.
It follows the supernatural ex ...
''),
Howard Chaykin
Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an Americans, American comics artist, comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett an ...
Gil Kane
Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz , ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character.
Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...
(''Edge''),
Dan Jurgens
Dan Jurgens (; born June 27, 1959) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC Comics, DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday (DC Comics), Doomsday, Hank H ...
(''Deuce''),
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 ...
Jim Starlin
James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, an ...
(''
Breed
A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...
'', '' Dreadstar''). The group was represented by attorney Harris M. Miller II. The "Bravura Gold Stamp Program" encouraged readers to collect stickers from each issue of ''Breed'', ''Power & Glory'', ''Edge'', ''Dreadstar'', and ''Star Slammers'' to qualify for various offers, including "the rare" ''Bravura'' #0.
Malibu launched the Rock-It Comix imprint for rock music comics in early 1994. Malibu worked with the management firm Gold Mountain Entertainment in dealing with the musicians, while International Strategic Marketing distributed the line to comic book shops, music outlets, and newsstands.
By early 1994, Malibu Comics Entertainment had large numbers of employees in various divisions, including editorial, design, the art department, coloring, imagesetting, marketing, film, finance, and administration.
Acquisition by Marvel Comics
As sales declined industry-wide in the mid-1990s, Malibu canceled lower-selling series. But the company's biggest problem was its game division—started in an attempt to break into the
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
market—which cost Malibu more than $200,000 a month. Nonetheless, the company's assets were still seen as attractive enough to garner interest from
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
in the spring of 1994.Tom Mason, quoted in : "Marvel bought Malibu for only one reason: to keep it away from DC which had been negotiating to buy the company since April/May 1994." In addition, Rosenberg and Malibu signed with the
William Morris Agency
The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best-known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent ...
.
Because Malibu had sufficient
market share
Market share is the percentage of the total revenue or sales in a Market (economics), market that a company's business makes up. For example, if there are 50,000 units sold per year in a given industry, a company whose sales were 5,000 of those ...
that an acquisition from DC would make the latter surpass Marvel's market share, Marvel decided to purchase Malibu itself to prevent this from happening: on November 3, 1994, 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 ...
.
To slow down rumors that the Ultraverse titles would be canceled as soon as the deal closed, Malibu claimed that Marvel wanted Malibu because of its digital coloring system. Meanwhile, in the middle of the following year, 1995, Malibu standard-bearers Mason and Ulm left the company. Around the same time in May–October 1995 (during the "
Black September
Black September (), also known as the Jordanian Civil War, was an armed conflict between Jordan, led by Hussein of Jordan, King Hussein, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), led by chairman Yasser Arafat. The main phase of the fight ...
" event) Marvel re-launched a handful of the more popular Ultraverse titles as well as a number of crossovers with Marvel characters. The "volume 2" series each started with "#
∞
The infinity symbol () is a List of mathematical symbols, mathematical symbol representing the concept of infinity. This symbol is also called a ''lemniscate'', after the lemniscate curves of a similar shape studied in algebraic geometry, or " ...
(infinity)" issues, but these were canceled a short time later. With that, Marvel canceled the entire Ultraverse line. Within the Marvel Comics multiverse, the Genesis Universe is designated as Earth-1136 and the Ultraverse as Earth-93060.
Very little Malibu content was published after 1996.
Potential Ultraverse revival
In June 2005, when asked by ''
Newsarama
''Newsarama'' is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website ''GamesRadar+'', also owned by Future US.
Hi ...
'' whether Marvel had any plans to revive the Ultraverse, Marvel editor-in-chief
Joe Quesada
Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, ...
replied:
In May 2012,
Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett.
Early li ...
suggested in a podcast interview that the reason Marvel will not presently publish the Ultraverse characters is because five percent of the profits from those books would have to go to the Malibu creators who were still alive. Marvel Editor
Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort () is an American comic book editor, known for his work for Marvel Comics, where he has overseen titles such as '' New Avengers'', ''Civil War'', and ''Fantastic Four''. He became Executive Editor in 2007, and in January 2011, was pro ...
later denied that the five percent was what was holding Marvel back, but was unable to give a real explanation due to a
non-disclosure agreement
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement (CA), confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA), or secrecy agreement (SA), is a legal contract or part of a contract between at le ...
.
It has been speculated that Scott Mitchell Rosenberg's ongoing producer deal for all Malibu properties (and his alleged personal troubles) is another possible factor in why the Ultraverse has never been revived.
Titles
Some of Malibu's titles and imprints included:
Genesis (1992–1994)
This line made use of many
Centaur Publications
Centaur Publications (also known as Centaur Comics) was one of the earliest American comic book publishers. During their short existence, they created several colorful characters, including Bill Everett's Amazing-Man (Centaur Publications), Amazi ...
heroes plus characters previously published by
Adventure
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
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 ...
:
* ''
Airman
An airman is a member of an air force or air arm of a nation's armed forces. In certain air forces, it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank. An airman can also be referred to as a soldier in other definitions. As a military rank designat ...
'' #1 (January 1993)
* ''
Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
Gravestone
A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The us ...
'' #1–7 (1993 – February 1994)
* ''The Malibu Sun'' — company's in-house magazine; issue #24 (April 1993) contains a four-page story featuring Widowmaker
* ''Man of War'' #1–8 (April 1993 – February 1994)
* '' Protectors'' #1–20 (September 1992 – May 1994)
* ''Protectors Handbook'' #1 (November 1992)
Mantra
A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...
'' v1 #1–24 (July 1993 – August 1995)
* ''Mantra'' v2 #1–7 (October 1995 – April 1996)
* '' The Night Man'' #1–23 (October 1993 – August 1995)
* ''The Night Man'' #1–4 (October–December 1995)
* ''
Prime
A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...
Sludge
Sludge (possibly , or some dialect related to slush) is a semi-solid slurry that can be produced from a range of industrial processes, from water treatment, wastewater treatment or on-site sanitation systems. It can be produced as a settled sus ...
'' #1–12 (October 1993 – December 1994)
* ''Solitaire'' #1–12 (November 1993 – December 1994)
* ''The Solution'' #1–17 + 0 (September 1993 – February 1995)
* '' The Strangers'' #1–24 (June 1993 – May 1995)
* ''
Ultraforce
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in American comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel. The purpose of the group was to protect the public and keep other "Ultras" (superheroes) from becoming unruly.
The group co ...
'' v1 #1–10 + 0 (August 1994 – July 1995)
* ''Ultraforce'' v2 #1–15 (October 1995 – December 1996)
* ''Ultraverse Premiere'' #0 (November 1993); continued for #1–11 (March 1994–February 1995) as double-size flip books with ongoing Ultraverse series:
**''Rune'' #3, ''Mantra'' #10, ''Prime'' #12, ''The Strangers'' #13, ''Firearm'' #11, ''Prototype'' #13, ''Hardcase'' #16, ''Sludge'' #12, ''Freex'' #15, ''Solution'' #16, and ''Nightman'' #16
* ''Ultraverse Double Feature: Prime and Solitaire'' #1 (January 1995, one-shot)
* ''Ultraverse: Future Shock'' #1 (February 1997)
* ''Ultraverse Origins'' #1 (January 1994, one-shot)
* ''Warstrike'' #1–7 (May–November 1994)
* ''Witch Hunter'' #1 (April 1996)
* ''Wrath'' #1–9 (January–December 1994)
* ''Year Zero: The Death of the Squad'' #1–4 (April–July 1995, mini-series)
Crossovers with Marvel Comics (1995–1996)
* ''The All-New Exiles vs.
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
'' #0 (October 1995)
* ''
Avengers/Ultraforce
The ''Avengers/Ultraforce'' event is a two-part intercompany crossover between Malibu Comics and Marvel Comics. The first issue, '' Avengers/Ultraforce'', was written by Glenn Herdling with art by Angel Medina and M. C. Wyman. The sequel, ''Ultr ...
'' #1 (October 1995); published by Marvel between ''Ultraforce/Avengers Prelude'' #1 and ''Ultraforce/Avengers'' #1
* ''Battlezones: Dreamteam²'' #1 (March 1996); collection of Ultraverse/Marvel character art
* '' Conan vs. Rune'' #1 (November 1995); published by Marvel Comics, along with Rune appearances in ''Conan'' #4 and ''Conan the Savage'' #4
* ''Dream Team'' #1 (July 1995); collection of Ultraverse/Marvel character art
* ''The Night Man/
Gambit
A gambit (from Italian , the act of tripping someone with the leg to make them fall) is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices with the aim of achieving a subsequent advantage.
The word '' gambit'' is also sometimes used to describe si ...
'' #1–3 (March–May 1996)
* ''The Night Man vs.
Wolverine
The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
The Incredible Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...
'' #0 (July 1995)
* ''Prime/
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
'' #1 (March 1996)
* ''Rune vs.
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
'' #1 (December 1995)
* ''Rune/
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...
'' #1 (April 1995); published in a flip book with the other side reading ''Silver Surfer/Rune''
* ''Ultraforce/Avengers'' #1 (October 1995)
** ''Ultraforce/Avengers Prelude'' #1 (July 1995)
* ''Ultraforce/
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
'' #1A, #1B (January 1996)
Adventure Comics (1990–1993)
* ''
Alien Nation
''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for ''Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with ...
'':
** ''Alien Nation: The Spartans'' #1–4 (1990)
** ''Alien Nation: A Breed Apart'' #1–4 (November 1990 – March 1991)
** ''Alien Nation: The Skin Trade'' #1–4 (March–June 1991)
** ''Alien Nation: The Firstcomers'' #1–4 (May–August 1991)
** ''Alien Nation: The Public Enemy'' #1–4 (December 1991 – March 1992)
** ''Alien Nation: The Lost Episode'' #1 (1992)
* ''Ape Nation'' #1–4 (February–June 1991, a crossover featuring elements from ''
Alien Nation
''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for ''Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with ...
'' and ''
Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is a science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic world in which humans and intelligent apes c ...
'')
* ''Demon's Tails'' #1–4 (January–April 1993)
* ''Dracula: The Suicide Club'' #1–4 (August–November 1992, original sequel to the
Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...
novel ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
'' and the
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...
Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is a science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic world in which humans and intelligent apes c ...
'':
** ''Planet of the Apes'' #1–24 (April 1990 – July 1992)
** ''Ape City'' #1–4 (August–November 1990)
** ''Planet of the Apes Annual'' #1 (1991)
** ''Planet of the Apes: Urchak's Folly'' #1–4 (January–April 1991)
** ''Terror on the Planet of the Apes'' #1–4 (June–December 1991, reprint of the Marvel Comics storyline)
** ''Planet of the Apes: Blood of the Apes'' #1–4 (November 1991 – February 1991)
** ''Planet of the Apes: Sins of the Father'' #1 (March 1992)
** ''Planet of the Apes: The Forbidden Zone'' #1–4 (December 1992 – March 1993)
* ''Re-Animator'' #1–3 (adaptation of 1985 film ''
Re-Animator
''Re-Animator'' (also known as ''H. P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator'') is a 1985 American comedy horror film loosely based on the 1922 H. P. Lovecraft serial novelette " Herbert West–Reanimator". Directed by Stuart Gordon and produced by Brian Y ...
'')
* '' Rocket Ranger'' #1–5 (September 1991 – July 1992, based on the
Cinemaware
Cinemaware was a video game developer and publisher. It had released several titles in the 1980s based on various film themes. The company was resurrected in 2000, before being acquired by eGames in 2005.
Cinemaware Corp. (1986–1991)
The co ...
computer game)
Aircel Comics (1986–1992)
* ''Bodyguard'' #1–3 (September–November 1990, reprint of Australian title with new material)
* ''
Carmilla
''Carmilla'' is an 1872 Gothic fiction, Gothic novella by Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. It is one of the earliest known works of vampire fiction, predating Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' (1897) by 25 years. First published ...
'' #1–6 (February–July 1991)
* ''Casanova'' #1–10 (March–December 1991)
* ''The Cat'' #1–2 (November–December 1991)
* ''Cat & Mouse'' #1–18 (March 1990 – September 1991)
* ''Flesh Gordon'' #1–4 (March–July 1992, based on the 1974 film of the same title)
* ''Full Throttle'' #1–2 (October–November 1991, reprint of Australian titles ''Rip Snorter'' and ''Raw Tonnage'' with new material)
* ''Galaxina'' #1–4 (December 1991 – March 1992, based on the 1980 film of the same title)
* '' The Men in Black'':
** ''The Men in Black'' #1–3 (January–March 1990)
** ''The Men in Black Book II'' #1–3 (May–July 1991)
* ''Samurai'' #1–23 (January 1986 – October 1987)
* ''Samurai'' (volume 2) #1–3 (December 1987 – February 1988)
* ''Samurai'' (volume 3) #1–7 (July 1988 – January 1989)
* ''Scum of the Earth'' #1–3 (August–October 1991, based on the 1963 film of the same title)
* ''Silver Storm'' #1–4 (May–August 1990)
* ''The Southern Squadron'' #1–4 (August–November 1990, reprint of Australian superhero title with new material)
* ''Team Nippon'' #1–7 (June–December 1989)
* ''Vampyre's Kiss'' #1–4 (1990)
Eternity Comics (1988–1993)
* ''
Captain Harlock Captain Harlock may refer to:
* ''Captain Harlock'' (manga)
** Captain Harlock (character)
{{disambiguation ...
'' #1–13 (October 1989 – December 1990)
* '' Cat Claw'' #1–9 (September 1990 – October 1991)
* ''
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan ...
'' #1–6 (March–August 1989)
* ''Cosmic Heroes'' #1–11 (October 1988–1989)
* '' Demonic Toys'' #1–4 (January–August 1992, based on the film series of the same title)
* '' Dinosaurs for Hire'' (volume 1) #1–9 (March 1988 – January 1990)
* ''Dollman'' #1–2 (1991–1992, based on the 1991 film of the same title)
* ''Dracula'' #1–4 (December 1989 – March 1990, adaptation of the
Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...
novel ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
'')
* ''Dracula: The Lady in the Tomb'' #1 (January 1991, adaptation of the
Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...
short story ''
Dracula's Guest
"Dracula's Guest" is a short story by Bram Stoker, first published in the short story collection '' Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories'' (1914). Scholars are divided on whether the story is the excised first chapter of the novel ''Dracula'' ...
'')
* ''Galactic Patrol Lensman'' #1–5 (July 1990 – November 1990)
* ''Ghosts of Dracula'' #1–5 (September 1991 – January 1992)
* ''Invaders from Mars'' #1–3 (March–May 1990, adaptation of the 1953 film '' Invaders from Mars'')
* ''Invaders from Mars'' #1–3 (June–August 1991, original sequel to the 1953 film '' Invaders from Mars'')
* ''The Mantus Files'' #1–4 (August–November 1991)
* ''
Ninja High School
''Ninja High School'' (also known as ''NHS'') is a comic book series created, written, and illustrated by Ben Dunn, published by Antarctic Press (at one point being published by Eternity Comics). On occasion other artists and writers have con ...
'' by
Ben Dunn
Ben Dunn (born April 17, 1964) Miller, John Jackson"Comics Industry Birthdays" ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', June 10, 2005. Accessed February 1, 2011.WebCitation archive/ref> is an American comic book artist and publisher.
Biography
Dunn was born i ...
(1988–1993) – title inherited from (and then taken back by) Antarctic Press
* '' Plan 9 from Outer Space: Thirty Years Later!'' #1–3 (January–March 1991)
* '' Puppet Master'':
** ''Puppet Master – In Full Color!'' #1–4 (November 1990 – May 1991)
** ''Puppet Master: Children of the Puppet Master'' #1–2 (August–September 1991)
* ''
Robotech
''Robotech'' is an American-Japanese science fiction Media franchise, franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production; it was first released in the United St ...
''
* ''Scimidar'' #1–4 (June–September 1988)
* ''The Southern Squadron: The Freedom of Information Act'' #1–4 (January–April 1991, reprint of Australian superhero title with new material)
* ''Street Heroes 2005'' #1–3 (January–March 1989)
* ''
Subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
'' #1–4 (May–August 1991, based on the 1991 film of the same title)
* '' Trancers: The Adventures of Jack Deth'' #1–2 (August–September 1991, based on the ''Trancers'' film series)
* ''White Devil'' #1–6 (June–November 1990)
Shattered Earth (1986–1990)
* '' Ex-Mutants'' (volume 1) #1–8 (1986–1987)
* ''Ex-Mutants: The Shattered Earth Chronicles'' #1–15 (April 1988 – February 1990)
* ''The New Humans'' #1–15 (December 1987 – August 1989)
* ''Shattered Earth'' #1–9 (November 1988 – August 1989)
* ''Solo Ex-Mutants'' #1–6 (January 1988 – January 1989)
* ''Wild Knights'' #1–10 (March 1988 – June 1989)
Breed
A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...
'' #1–6 (January–June 1994); by
Jim Starlin
James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, an ...
* ''Breed II'' #1–6 (1994–1995); by Jim Starlin, contineud at Image Comics
* '' Dreadstar'' #1–6 (November 1994– April 1995); by Jim Starlin
* ''Edge'' (1994–1995), #1–3 (June 1994–April 1995); by Steven Grant and
Gil Kane
Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz , ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character.
Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...
; unfinished, with the completed series released by iBooks as hardback collection in 2004 under the title ''The Last Heroes''
* ''The Man Called A-X'' #0–5 (November 1994–April 1995); by
Marv Wolfman
Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's ''The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade (character), Blade, and DC Comi ...
, continued at DC Comics
* ''Metaphysique'' #1–6 (April–October 1995); by
Norm Breyfogle
Norman Keith Breyfogle (; February 27, 1960 – September 24, 2018) was an American artist, best known for his comic book art on DC Comics's Batman franchise from 1987 to 1995. During this time, he co-created the villains Ventriloquist and Ratc ...
, continued from Eclipse Comics
* ''
Nocturnals
''Nocturnals'' is a comic book title created by artist Dan Brereton which debuted as a six-part Limited series (comics), limited series in 1994–1995 under Malibu Comics collectively subtitled as ''Black Planet''.
It follows the supernatural ex ...
'' #1–6 (January–August 1995); by
Dan Brereton
Daniel Alan Brereton (born November 22, San Francisco Bay Area) is an American writer and illustrator who has produced notable work in the comic book field.
Biography Early life
Dan Brereton attended the California College of the Arts and the Ac ...
; continued at Dark Horse
* ''Power & Glory'' #1–4 + Holiday Special (February–December 1994); by
Howard Chaykin
Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an Americans, American comics artist, comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett an ...
Walter 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 w ...
— unfinished, with issue #5 published by
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 ...
as ''Star Slammers Special'' in 1996)
* ''Strikeback!'' #1–3 (1994); by Jonathan Peterson, Kevin Maguire, and
Steve Oliff
Steve Oliff (born February 20, 1954) is an American comic book artist who has worked as a colorist in the comics industry since 1978.
Biography
Oliff broke into professional comics by attending comic book conventions and meeting people. At one c ...
—unfinished, with issues #4-5 published by Image Comics in 1996
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...
'' #1–6 (July–December 1994)
* ''Comics That Ate My Brain!'' (1991)
* ''D-Alpha'' #1 (1990); 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 ...
I Love Lucy
''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...
: A Comic Retrospective'' (1990)
* ''The Mighty Magnor'' (April 1993–April 1994); by
Sergio Aragones
Sergio may refer to:
* Sergio (name), for people with the given name Sergio
* Sergio (carbonado), the largest rough diamond ever found
* Sergio, the mascot for the Old Orchard Beach Surge
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
*Old, Baranya, Hungar ...
Plan 9 from Outer Space
''Plan 9 from Outer Space'' is a 1957 American Independent film, independent science fiction film, science fiction-horror film produced, written, directed, and edited by Ed Wood. The film was shot in black-and-white in November 1956 and had ...
'' (1990)
* ''
Project A-ko
is a 1986 Japanese animated science fiction action comedy film. The film focuses on 16-year-old Japanese schoolgirl A-ko, who defends her best friend C-ko, as they face off against their classmate and rival B-ko while the Earth faces the threa ...
'' #1–4 (March–June 1994)
* ''Quadrant'' (1990); collects Peter Hsu's eight-issue indie series
* ''Raver'' #1–3 (April–June 1993, created by ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' actor
Walter Koenig
Walter Marvin Koenig (; born September 14, 1936) is an American actor and screenwriter. He began acting professionally in the mid-1960s and quickly rose to prominence for his supporting role as Ensign Pavel Chekov in '' Star Trek: The Original ...
)
* ''The Rovers'' #1–5 (September 1987 – January 1988); continued at Eternity
* ''
Star Blazers
''Star Blazers'' is an American adaptation of the Japanese anime television series . ''Star Blazers'' was first broadcast in the United States in 1979. It was the first popular English-translated anime that had an overarching plot and storylin ...
'' #0–11 (March 1995 – May 1997); Argo Press, from
Comico
Comico or Cómico (Spanish "comical" or "funny") may refer to:
* Comico: The Comic Company, American comic company 1982–1997
* Comico (NHN Japan), a webtoon portal owned by NHN Japan Corporation
NHN Japan Corporation is the Japanese subsidiary ...
* ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'':
** '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' #1–32 + 2 Annuals + 4 Specials (August 1993 – January 1996)
** ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Hearts and Minds'' #1–4 (June–September 1994)
** ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Maquis'' #1–3 (February–April 1995)
** ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Celebrity Series'' #1–2 (August–September 1995)
** ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine/The Next Generation'' #1–2 (October 1994 – December 1995), co-published with DC Comics (#1 & #4 list DC as the indicia publisher)
* ''
Street Fighter
is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...
'' #1–3 (September–November 1993)
* ''The Best of Street Fighter'' #1–3 (July–September 1994)
* ''Stealth Force'' #1–8 (July 1987–April 1988)
* ''
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer.
Creat ...
'':
** ''Tarzan the Warrior'' #1–5 (March–August 1992)
** ''Tarzan: Love, Lies, and the Lost City'' #1–3 (August–October 1992)
** ''Tarzan the Beckoning'' #1–7 (November 1992 – June 1993)
* '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'':
** ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day: Cybernetic Dawn'' #1–4 (November 1995 – February 1996)
** ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day: Nuclear Twilight'' #1–4 (November 1995 – February 1996)
** ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day: Nuclear Twilight/Cybernetic Dawn'' #0 (April 1996)
Big Comic Book DataBase
The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) was an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows, and cartoon shorts.
The BCDB project began in 1997 as a list of Disney animated fea ...