''Amazing Heroes'' was a

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

about the

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

medium published by American company

Fantagraphics Books Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

from 1981 to

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

. Unlike its companion title, ''

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...

'', ''Amazing Heroes'' was a hobbyist magazine rather than an analytical journal.

Publication history

Fantagraphics decided to publish ''Amazing Heroes'' as another income stream to supplement ''The Comics Journal''. As long-time Fantagraphics co-publisher

Kim Thompson Kim Thompson (September 25, 1956 – June 19, 2013) was an American comic book editor, translator, and publisher, best known as vice president and co-publisher of Seattle-based Fantagraphics Books. Along with co-publisher Gary Groth, Thomps ...

put it: "If you want to look at it cynically, we set out to steal ''

The Comic Reader ''The Comic Reader'' (''TCR'') was a comics news- fanzine published from 1961 to 1984. Debuting in the pre- direct market era (before the proliferation of comics retailers), ''TCR'' was the first regularly published comics industry news fanzine, a ...

'''s cheese. Which we did". ''Amazing Heroes''' first editor was Fantagraphics' head of promotion and circulation,

Michael Catron Michael Catron (born October 9, 1954) is an American comic book editor and publisher. He is former publisher of Apple Comics and co-founder of Fantagraphics. Biography Catron met Gary Groth while they were both enrolled at the University of Mary ...

. His inability to meet deadlines led to his being replaced after issue #6 by ''Comics Journal'' editor

. The magazine was initially published under the Fantagraphics imprint Zam, Inc.,Michigan State University Libraries, Special Collections Division, Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection ("Amazing Bear" to "Amazing Robot").
/ref> through issue #6.''Amazing Heroes'' #6, November 1981, p. 5 indicia Beginning with #7, the publishing imprint became Redbeard, Inc.''Amazing Heroes'' #7, December 1981, p. 5 indicia It remained under Redbeard through at least issue #61, but by issue #68 was being published directly by Fantagraphics Books, Inc. The magazine began as a monthly, then appeared twice a month for many years, and then went monthly again beginning in 1989. The magazine ran for 204 issues, folding with its July 1992 issue. It also released a number of special issues. The final issue was released as a double number, issue #203/204. In February 1993, Fantagraphics announced that the publisher Personality Comics had bought the rights to ''Amazing Heroes'', and planned to revive the magazine. Nothing came of it, however, as Personality itself folded later that year.

Format and content

''Amazing Heroes''' first 13 issues were magazine-sized, while the rest were comic book-sized. The regular content included industry news, comics creator interviews, histories of comic book characters and reviews. Features included ''Hero Histories'' of various characters/features, previews of upcoming series, and

letters page A comic book letter column is a section of an American comic book where readers' letters to the publisher appear. Comic book letter columns are also commonly referred to as letter columns (or lettercols), letter pages, letters of comment (LOCs), o ...

. Other regular features were a column called "Doc's Bookshelf" by Dwight Decker (which ran from 1987–1989), and a question-and-answer feature called "Information Center", which ran from 1986–1989. There were regular special editions for previews of upcoming comics, and "swimsuit editions" in which various comics artists drew pin-ups of characters in

bikini A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features two triangles of fabric on top that cover the breasts, and two triangles of fabric on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but exposing the navel, and the back coverin ...

s and similar beach apparel. The ''Amazing Heroes Preview Special'' appeared twice a year (beginning with the Summer 1985 issue), presenting previews of all comics slated to appear over the next six months. These were extra-sized issues, and were often square-bound. Many issues of the ''AHPS'' also contained joke entries. The editors fluctuated between publishing these as separately numbered specials and special issues of the regular series itself. The ''Amazing Heroes Swimsuit Special'' debuted with a June 1990 edition. ''Amazing Heroes'' #200 (Apr. 1992) contained an extended preview of

Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. He is best known for his non-fiction books about comics: ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and '' Making Comics'' (20 ...

's ''

Understanding Comics ''Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art'' is a 1993 non-fiction work of comics by American cartoonist Scott McCloud. It explores formal aspects of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in ...

''; the issue was later awarded a

Don Thompson Award The Compuserve Comics and Animation Forum's Don Thompson Awards (also known as the Thompsons) were given for achievement in comic books, comic strips, and animation. Initiated in 1992, they were originally known as the Compuserve Comics and An ...

for Best Non-Fiction Work.

The Jack Kirby Award

From 1985 to 1987, the magazine presented

The Jack Kirby Award The Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards were a set of awards for achievement in comic books, presented from 1985-1987. Voted on by comic-book professionals, the Kirby awards were the first such awards since the Shazam Awards ceased in 1975. Sponsored ...

for achievement in comic books, voted on by comic-book professionals and managed by ''Amazing Heroes'' managing editor

Dave Olbrich Dave Olbrich is an editor and executive in the American comic book industry. He began as producer and host of YouTube channel Geekview Tavern in 2021. He was instrumental in the creation of two awards for achievement in comic books, voted on by pr ...

. After a dispute in 1987 over who owned them, the Kirby Awards were discontinued. Starting in 1988, the Kirby Award was discontinued and two new awards were created: the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

, managed by Olbrich, and the Fantagraphics-managed

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that were ...

Awards

''Amazing Heroes'' won the U.K.'s Eagle Award for Favourite Specialist Comics Publication four years in a row, from 1985 to 1988: * 1985: Eagle Award — Favourite Speciality Comics Publication *

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

: Eagle Award — Favourite Specialist Comics Publication * 1987: Eagle Award — Favourite Specialist Comics Publication * 1988: Eagle Award — Favourite Specialist Comics PublicationPrevious Winners: 1988
at the Eagle Awards website, archived at The Wayback Machine. (Retrieved 22 September 2018) *

: Compuserve Comics and Animation Forum Award — Best Non-Fiction Work

Notes

References

* Bethke, Marilyn. "The New Kids on the Block," ''