Richard Burton is a British comic publisher and editor who had a lengthy career at

IPC Magazines TI Media (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of its tit ...

. While an assistant editor at '' 2000 AD'', he became known to readers as

Tharg the Mighty Tharg the Mighty or The Mighty One is the fictional editor of the British science fiction comic '' 2000 AD''. The character was introduced on the cover of the first issue in 1977 and is one of only two characters to appear in almost every issue of ...

's bumbling assistant Burt, who appeared in a number of strips with him. (Burton was later top editor at ''2000 AD''.) Earlier in his career, Burton published the popular fanzine ''Comic Media News'', and was a co-founder of the

Eagle Awards The Eagle Awards were a series of awards for comic book titles and creators. They were awarded by UK fans voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's ''Eagle'' comic, they were launched in 1977 for comics released in ...

Career

''Comic Media News''

In 1972, Burton and fellow enthusiast

Nick Landau Nick Landau is a British media figure. He is co-owner of the Titan Entertainment Group, which publishes Titan Magazines and Titan Books, and owns the London Forbidden Planet store. In the 1970s, before starting up Titan Distributors, he publishe ...

took over a fanzine called ''Comic Catalog'', renaming it ''Comic Media'' and establishing the Comic Media brand.Burton, Richard. "Meditorial," ''Comic Media News'' #20 (May/June 1975). Burton and Landau produced a few issues of ''Comic Media'', assisted by Dennis Lee and Tom Downes. In 1973, receiving permission to reprint U.S. comics industry news items from the long-running American comic fanzine ''

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 ...

'',Willis, Russell
"AN INTERVIEW WITH MARTIN LOCK (PART 1 , THE BEM YEARS),"
''Under the Stairs'' (2013). Retrieved Jan. 8, 2020. Burton launched the four-page ''Comic Media and The Comic Reader Newsletter'' #1, which eventually came to be known as ''Comic Media News'' (''CMN'').Dakin, John. "'Marvel Revolution' in England," ''The Comics Journal'' #45 (Mar. 1979), p. 14. Meanwhile, Landau produced the 1972 UK Comicon and then branched out to one-day

London Comic Mart Comic Mart is the catchall term for a series of British comic book trade fairs which were held in the United Kingdom from 1972 until the early 1990s. The Comic Mart was one of the earliest recurring public comic events in the UK, predated only by ...

s and direct market distribution. Landau's Comic Media Distribution Service imported American comics from the "big two" publishers DC and

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics * ...

; it later became known as

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, ...

.Skinn, Dez
"Fanzines page three: Early days of UK comics conventions and marts,"
DezSkinn.com. Retrieved Nov. 26, 2020. Burton produced ''Comic Media News'' from 1973 to 1980, eventually publishing 40 issues. Continuing the fanzine's relationship with ''

'', the first seven issues were titled ''Comic Media & The Comic Reader UK Edition Newsletter'' before shortening to ''Comic Media News''.

Martin Lock Martin Lock (born 1950Willis, Russell"AN INTERVIEW WITH MARTIN LOCK (PART THREE , THE HARRIER COMICS YEARS),"''Under the Stairs'' (2013). Accessed Feb. 8, 2020. in the United Kingdom) is a British comic book critic, writer, and publisher. As pu ...

was features editor for ''CMN'' from 1973 to 1977, while he was publishing his own comics fanzine, '' Bemusing Magazine'' (''BEM''). ''CMN'' had a circulation of close to 2,000 in late 1977, and began to feature art contributions from such established creators as Brian Bolland. With issue #34, the magazine expanded its title to ''Comic Media News International'', reflecting its readership in more than 20 different countries. In

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

, along with fellow British comics enthusiast Mike Conroy, Burton started the

(voted on by British comics enthusiasts).Burton, Richard. "'The Eagles' are launched!" ''Comic Media News'' #30 (Mar-Apr 1977), p. 11. (''Comic Media News'' won the Eagle Award for Favourite Specialist Comics Publication/Trade Publication in both 1977 and 1978.)

''2000 AD''

After turning down a job offer with

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

, Burton was hired as an assistant editor at

Marvel UK Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US-produced stories for the British weekly comic market. Marvel UK later produced original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Di ...

in March 1978, working for top editor

Dez Skinn Derek "Dez" Skinn (born 4 February 1951) Miller, John Jackson"Comics Industry Birthdays" ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', 10 June 2005. Accessed 14 August 2010WebCitation archive is a British comic and magazine editor, and author of a number of books o ...

(whom Burton knew from the early days of US conventions and fanzine publishing). With Skinn, he created the popular character

Night Raven Night Raven is a fictional superhero appearing primarily in Marvel UK Comics, a division of Marvel Comics. Night Raven first appeared in '' Hulk Comic'' #1 (March 7, 1979). Publication history Originally created by editors Dez Skinn and Richar ...

, who first appeared in

's ''

Hulk Comic ''Hulk Comic'' (later ''The Incredible Hulk Weekly'') was a black-and-white Marvel UK comics anthology published under the editorship of Dez Skinn starting in 1979. Publication history After starring for many years in the Marvel UK flagship title ...

'' #1 (March 7, 1979). After less than a year at Marvel UK, in March 1979 Burton left for a new job at the weekly comic magazine ''

Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

'', published by

. ''Tornado'' only lasted through August 1979, at which point Burton moved to '' 2000 AD'' (also published by IPC). At this point, Burton retired ''Comic Media News'', though he continued to co-produce the

for another couple of years with Mike Conroy."The Eagle Awards for 1980," ''BEM'' #35 (Spring 1982), p. 9. Burton stayed with ''2000 AD'' throughout the 1980s and into the mid-1990s. In 1986 he became editor of ''

Battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

''. In 1987, IPC's comics line was sold to

Robert Maxwell Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, member of parliament (MP), suspected spy, and fraudster. Early in his life, Maxwell escaped from ...

and renamed Fleetway Publications; Burton was at that point promoted to editor of ''2000 AD'', succeeding

Steve MacManus Steve MacManus (sometimes credited as Ian Rogan) is a British comics, comic writer and editor, particularly known for his work at ''2000 AD (comic), 2000 AD''. Biography Born in London and educated in Devon, MacManus joined IPC Media, IPC in ...

. Egmont UK bought Fleetway from Maxwell in 1991, merging it with their own comics publishing operation, London Editions, to form

Fleetway Editions Fleetway Publications was a magazine publishing company based in London. It was founded in 1959 when the Mirror Group acquired the Amalgamated Press, then based at Fleetway House, Farringdon Street, London. It was one of the companies that merg ...

. At that point, Burton took the opportunity to launch the very successful

videogame Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedb ...

tie-in ''

Sonic the Comic ''Sonic the Comic'' was a British children's comic published by Fleetway Editions between 1993 and 2002. It was the UK's Sega comic, featuring stories about its mascot Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters, as well as comic strips based ...

'' with Fleetway, which lasted nine years (three with him as editor). Notable strips and storylines published under Burton's editorship as "

Tharg Tharg the Mighty or The Mighty One is the fictional editor of the British science fiction comic '' 2000 AD''. The character was introduced on the cover of the first issue in 1977 and is one of only two characters to appear in almost every issue ...

" include: * "

Democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

," a

Judge Dredd Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of '' 2000 AD'' (1977), which is a British weekly anthology comic. He is the magazine's longest-running ...

storyline inherited from MacManus and published through 1991 *

Zenith The zenith (, ) is an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the celestial sphere. "Above" means in the vertical direction ( plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location ( nadir). The zenith is the "high ...

(

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

and

Steve Yeowell Steve Yeowell () is a British comics artist, well known for his work on the long-running science fiction and fantasy weekly comic '' 2000 AD''. Biography Having trained in 3D design (specialising in silversmithing and jewellery), Yeowell bega ...

), launched in 1987 *

Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth d ...

(

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 Man ...

and Will Simpson), launched in 1989 * ''

The Dead Man ''The Dead Man'' was a science fiction strip in the British comic '' 2000 AD'' by writer John Wagner and artist John Ridgway, published in black and white in 1989–90. Although it was not billed as a ''Judge Dredd'' story, it featured Dredd as ...

'' (

John Wagner John Wagner (born 1949) is an American-born British comics writer. Alongside Pat Mills, he helped revitalise British comics in the 1970s, and continues to be active in the British comics industry, occasionally also working in American comics. ...

and John Ridgway), published in 1989–1990 * " Necropolis" (

and

Carlos Ezquerra Carlos Sanchez Ezquerra (12 November 1947 – 1 October 2018) was a Spanish comics artist who worked mainly in British comics. He is best known as the co-creator of ''Judge Dredd''. Biography Early work Born in Ibdes, province of Zaragoza, Arag ...

), 26-part

storyline published in 1990 * ''

Time Flies Time Flies may refer to: * '' Tempus fugit'', a Latin phrase usually translated as "time flies"; an admonition against procrastination Film * ''Time Flies'' (1944 film), a British comedy directed by Walter Forde * ''Time Flies'' (2013 film), a ...

'' (

Garth Ennis Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970) is a Northern Irish–American comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series ''Preacher'' with artist Steve Dillon, his nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise, and '' The Boys'' with artist Dar ...

and

Philip Bond Philip J. Bond (born 11 July 1966, in Lancashire) is a British comic book artist, who first came to prominence in the late 1980s on ''Deadline'' magazine, and later through a number of collaborations with British writers for the DC Comics impr ...

), launched in 1990 * Finn (

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 godfather ...

), acquired in 1991 * "

Judgement Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

" (

), published in 1992 * ''

Firekind ''Firekind'' was a comics strip published in the British weekly anthology comic '' 2000 AD'' for 13 issues in 1993. It was written by John Smith, with art by Paul Marshall. Publication history ''Firekind'' came about as part of the "Spring Feve ...

'' ( John Smith and Paul Marshall), published in 1993 Burton held the editor position at ''2000 AD'' from 1987 to 1994. He then worked on the computer magazine '' Fun Online''. Burton has since made a career in computers and digital cameras.''2000 AD'' #2111, 12 December 2018, p. 67.

Bibliography

*''

Tharg's Future Shocks ''Tharg's Future Shocks'' is a long-running series of short strips in the British weekly comic '' 2000 AD'' in 1977. The name originates from the fictional editor of 2000 AD and the book titled ''Future Shock'', written by Alvin Toffler, publi ...

'': "Galactic Garbage" (with Trevor Goring, in ''2000 AD'' #51, 1978)

References

Notes

Sources consulted

Richard Burton
at ''2000 AD'' online * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Richard Living people Comic book editors Year of birth missing (living people)