''Comics Feature'' was an American magazine of news, criticism, and commentary pertaining to

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 ...

s, comic strips, and animation. Published by

New Media Publishing New Media Distribution/Irjax Enterprises was a comic book distributor and publisher active from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. In 1978, the company's legal actions against the dominant distributor of the era, Sea Gate Distributors, widened the fi ...

, it produced 57 issues (and a number of specials) between 1980 and 1987. Staff members and regular contributors to ''Comics Feature'' included

Kurt Busiek Kurt Busiek ( ) (born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer. His work includes the '' Marvels'' limited series, his own series titled ''Astro City'', a four-year run on '' The Avengers, Thunderbolts'' and '' Superman.'' Early lif ...

Max Allan Collins Max Allan Collins (born March 3, 1948) is an American mystery writer, noted for his graphic novels. His work has been published in several formats and his '' Road to Perdition'' series was the basis for a film of the same name. He wrote the ''Di ...

Ron Goulart Ronald Joseph Goulart (; January 13, 1933 – January 14, 2022) was an American popular culture historian and mystery, fantasy, and science fiction author. He published novelizations and other work under various pseudonyms: Kenneth Robeson, Co ...

Will Jacobs Will Jacobs (born 1955) is an American comics and humor writer. He was co-author with Gerard Jones on ''The Beaver Papers'', ''The Comic Book Heroes'', and the comic book '' The Trouble with Girls'' (1987–1993). He was a contributor to '' Nationa ...

and

Gerard Jones Gerard Jones (born July 10, 1957) is an American writer, known primarily for his non-fiction work about American entertainment media, and his comic book scripting, which includes co-creating the superhero Prime for Malibu Comics, and writing for ...

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 ...

, Steve Perrin,

Peter Sanderson Peter Sanderson Jr. (born April 25, 1952) In print issue #1650 (February 2009), p. 107 is a comic book critic and historian, as well as an instructor/lecturer in the New York area concerning the study of graphic novels/comic books as literature. ...

, Roy Thomas, Don & Maggie Thompson, and James Van Hise. Guest contributors included Stan Lee, who wrote a column on writing for comics for parts of two years.

History

After dabbling in publishing for a few years, brothers Hal and Jack Schuster, co-owners of the distributor New Media/Irjax, founded

(NMP) in 1980. NMP's first publication, launched in March 1980, was the professionally produced

hobbyist A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing oth ...

fanzine ''Comics Feature''. NMP's line of publications was overseen by editorial director Peter B. Gillis; ''Comics Feature'''s first editors were Dean Mullaney and Carol Kalish. Mullaney soon left the editor job to focus full-time on his publishing house, Eclipse Enterprises. Peter B. Gillis left NMP in June 1981, with

Richard Howell Richard Howell (October 25, 1754April 28, 1802) was the third governor of New Jersey from 1794 to 1801. Early life and military career Howell was born in Newark in the Colony of Delaware. He was a lawyer and soldier of the early United States ...

replacing him as editorial director. Howell joined his partner Carol Kalish as co-editor of ''Comics Feature'' in late 1981. Howell and Kalish didn't last long, however, as they both left for positions at

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

by the conclusion of 1982. Despite the turmoil, ''Comics Feature'' was nominated for Favourite Fan Publication in the 1981

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 ...

, losing to ''

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 ...

'' in a close vote. After Kalish and Howell's departure, the editorial reins of ''Comics Feature'' passed to Robert Lewis. NMP Published Hal Schuster became editor in 1986, staying in that position through the magazine's final issue. In the summer of 1987,

sued the Schuster brothers for copyright and trademark infringement, claiming they had improperly used Marvel artwork in various issues of another NMP magazine.KF. "Marvel Takes Legal Action: Marvel Files Suit Against Hal and Jack Schuster," ''The Comics Journal'' #116 (July 1987), pp. 16–17. The Marvel lawsuit appears to have put the various Schuster Brother operations out of business, as they stopped publishing after that point; ''Comics Feature'' was one of the casualties.

Publishing details

''Comics Feature'' started out as a monthly, with some exceptions where the magazine skipped a month. In 1981 and 1982 it was published roughly on a bimonthly basis. 1983 only saw three issues of ''Comics Feature'' published, but the magazine returned to a bimonthly schedule in 1984 and 1985. ''Comics Feature'' returned to a monthly schedule in 1986 and 1987. In total, ''Comics Feature'' published 57 issues from March 1980 to July 1987. In addition, NMP published the following ''Comics Feature'' specials: * ''Comics Feature: The Fandom Zone'' (1 issue, 1980) — edited by Don and Maggie Thompson * ''Comics Feature Summer Special'' (1 issue, 1983) * ''Comics Feature Interviews'' (1 issue, 1984) * ''Comics Feature Collectors Edition'' (2 issues, 1984)

Content

The magazine's regular content included industry news, comics creator interviews, histories of Silver Age characters and comic book companies, and reviews of current titles. Regular columns included Don & Maggie Thompson's ''The Fandom Zone'' (1980–1982), ''Looking Back at the Golden Age'' (written by Roy Thomas in 1986–1987), ''Saturday Morning Season'' (about

animated television show An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have either ...

s), and ''How to Write Comics'', a column by Stan Lee that ran in 1985–1986. There were also regular stories on the animation business,

role-playing games A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...

, and comics collecting/investing (written by Mike Benton).

wrote about science fiction comic strips. ''Comics Feature'' primarily focused on the two major mainstream publishing companies of the time,

and

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 ...

, with more covers devoted to Marvel properties. (The magazine was also not above reporting on other NMP publications.) Each issue featured at least one major interview, often with some of the industry's most popular creators. Noteworthy interviews included

Julius Schwartz Julius "Julie" Schwartz (; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various ...

in issue #30; Stan Lee in issues #33, #44, and #50;

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...

in issues #34, #44, and #50; Jim Steranko in issue #50; the '' Adventures of Superman'' TV series cast in issue #57; and

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring role ...

in issue #45! The magazine didn't restrict itself exclusively to mainstream American comics: other notable interviews included

Hunt Emerson Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

and

Gilbert Shelton Gilbert Shelton (born May 31, 1940) is an American cartoonist and a key member of the underground comix movement. He is the creator of the iconic underground characters '' The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers'', ''Fat Freddy's Cat'', and ''Wonder W ...

in issue #3,

Art Spiegelman Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel '' Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade'' and '' Ra ...

and

Françoise Mouly Françoise Mouly (; born 24 October 1955) is a Paris-born New York-based designer, editor, and publisher. She is best known as co-founder, co-editor, and publisher of the comics and graphics magazine '' Raw'' (1980–1991), as the publisher of ...

in issue #4,

Bill Griffith William Henry Jackson Griffith (born January 20, 1944) is an American cartoonist who signs his work Bill Griffith and Griffy. He is best known for his surreal comedy, surreal daily comic strip ''Zippy the Pinhead, Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are w ...

in issue #7, Larry Gonick in issue #12/13, and

Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is an American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatric ...

in issue #39. Issue #10, published in 1981, focused on Captain America's 40th anniversary. Issue #18, in 1982, commemorated the 50th anniversary of Dick Tracy, as well as a review of the past year in the comics industry. Issue #22, also published in 1982, commemorated Spider-Man's 20th anniversary. Issue #26 was devoted to a

Russ Manning Russell George Manning (January 5, 1929"United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VMMT-NZN : accessed 28 Aug 2014), Russell Manning, Dec 1981; citing U.S. Social Security Administration ...

tribute. Issue #32, published in 1984, celebrated

' 50th anniversary, and featured an interview with Vice-President/Executive Editor

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Early ...

on the future of the company. Issue #44 (May 1986) was devoted to

' 25th anniversary. The magazine's 50th issue featured interviews with

, Stan Lee, Jim Steranko,

Michael Kaluta Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta (born August 25, 1947), is an American comics artist and writer best known for his acclaimed 1970s adaptation of the pulp magazine hero ''The Shadow'' with writer De ...

, Chris Claremont, Brent Anderson,

Charles Vess Charles Vess (born June 10, 1951) is an American fantasy artist and comics artist who has specialized in the illustration of myths and fairy tales. His influences include British "Golden Age" book illustrator Arthur Rackham, Czech Art Nouveau ...

, and

Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor and publisher for various comic books. He started professionally in the medium at the age of 14, and he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comic ...

.''Comics Feature'' #50 (Dec. 1986).

Features and columns

* ''Animation'' * ''The Artistic Life'' * ''End Notes'' — profile at the back of each issue * ''The Fandom Zone'' by Don & Maggie Thompson * ''Guilty Fantasies'' * ''How to Write Comics'' by Stan Lee (1985–1986) * ''Looking Back at the Golden Age'' — written by Roy Thomas in 1986–1987 * ''Saturday Morning Season'' (''Animated Chatter'') * ''Strip Search'' — comic strips

Editors

* 1980: Dean Mullaney and Carol Kalish * 1981: Carol Kalish * Dec. 1981–1982:

and Carol Kalish * 1983–Feb. 1986: Robert Lewis * Mar. 1986–July 1987: Hal Schuster

Interview subjects (selected)

* '' Adventures of Superman'' TV series cast (#57, Jul. 1987) *

Kirk Alyn Kirk Alyn (born John Feggo Jr.; October 8, 1910 – March 14, 1999) was an American actor, best known for being the first actor to play the DC Comics character Superman in live-action for the 1948 movie serial ''Superman'' and its 1950 sequel '' A ...

(#55, May 1987) * Brent Anderson (#20, Oct. 1982 #50, Dec. 1986) *

Murphy Anderson Murphy C. Anderson Jr. (July 9, 1926 – October 22, 2015) was an American comics artist, known as one of the premier inkers of his era, who worked for companies such as DC Comics for over fifty years, starting in the Golden Age of Comic Books in ...

(#10, July 1981; #12/13, Sept./Oct. 1981) *

(#39, Dec. 1985) * Joseph Barbera (#47, Aug. 1986) * Cary Bates (#8, Jan. 1981) * Stephen R. Bissette (#30, July 1984) * E. Nelson Bridwell (#10, July 1981) * John Buscema (#31, Sept. 1984) *

(#45, June 1986) * John Byrne (#27, Feb. 1984; #49, Nov. 1986) * Chris Claremont (#20, Oct. 1982; #28, Mar. 1984; #50, Dec. 1986) *

(#18, Aug. 1982; #30, July 1984) *

Tom DeFalco Tom DeFalco (born June 26, 1950) is an American comic book writer and editor well known for his association with Marvel Comics, with long runs on ''Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thor'', and ''Fantastic Four''. Career While in college, DeFalco "wrote fo ...

(#22, Dec. 1982) * Mary Jo Duffy (#16, Feb. 1982) *

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 lif ...

(#5, Sept. 1980) *

(#3, June 1980) *

Steve Gerber Stephen Ross Gerber (; September 20, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Other works include '' Man-Thing'', '' Omega the Unknown,'' '' Marvel Spotlig ...

(#12/13, Sept./Oct. 1981) * Walter B. Gibson (#43, Apr. 1986) *

(#32, Nov. 1984) * Larry Gonick (#12/13, Sept./Oct. 1981) *

(#30, July 1984) *

Mike Grell Mike Grell (born September 13, 1947) is an American comic book writer and artist, known for his work on books such as '' Green Lantern/Green Arrow'', '' The Warlord'', and '' Jon Sable Freelance''. Early life Grell studied at the University of ...

(#2, May 1980) *

(#7, Nov. 1980) *

Don Heck Donald L. HeckComic_Media.html" ;"title="ic; actually Comic Media">ic; actually Comic Media/nowiki>, in 1952," Heck recalled in 1993, Hardy “called me up and asked me to join."Heck, ''Comics Scene'' #37, p. 55 Heck's first known comics work appe ...

(#21, Nov. 1982) * Chuck Jones (interviewed by

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery fictio ...

) (#42, Mar. 1986) *

(#50, Dec. 1986) *

(#34, Mar. 1985; #44, May 1986; #50, Dec. 1986) *

Bob Layton Bob Layton (born 1953) is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics titles such as '' Iron Man'' and ''Hercules'', and for co-founding Valiant Comics with Jim Shooter. Early life Bob Layt ...

(#2, May 1980) * Stan Lee (#33, Jan. 1985; #44, May 1986 #50, Dec. 1986) *

Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...

(#15, Jan. 1982) *

(#26, Dec. 1983) *

Bill Mantlo William Timothy Mantlo (born November 9, 1951) is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: ''Micronauts'' and ''Ro ...

(#17, June 1982) *

editorial staff (#23/24, early 1983) *

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...

(#14, Dec. 1981; #25, mid-1983; #43, Apr. 1986; #49, Nov. 1986) *

David Michelinie David Michelinie (; born May 6, 1948) is an American comic book writer best known for scripting Marvel Comics' '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' and '' Iron Man'' and the DC Comics feature Superman in ''Action Comics''. Among the characters he create ...

(#2, May 1980) *

Denny O'Neil Dennis Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retir ...

(#4, July/Aug. 1980) *

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four'' and '' The Avengers'' for Marvel Comics. In the 198 ...

(#19, Sept. 1982) *

John Romita Jr. John Salvatore Romita (; born August 17, 1956), known professionally as John Romita Jr., is an American comics artist best known for his extensive work for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the 2010s. He is the son of artist John Romita Sr. Early ...

(#22, Dec. 1982) *

John Romita Sr. John V. Romita (; born January 24, 1930) is an American comic book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and for co-creating characters including the Punisher and Wolverine. He was inducted into the Will Eis ...

(#22, Dec. 1982) * Mike Royer (#26, Dec. 1983) *

(#30, July 1984) *

(#3, June 1980) *

(#44, May 1986; #50, Dec. 1986) *

Walt Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include: People Given name * Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer * Walt B ...

and

Louise Simonson Louise Simonson (née Mary Louise Alexander; born September 26, 1946) is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as ''Conan the Barbarian'', '' Power Pack'', ''X-Factor'', ''New Mutants'', ...

(#38, Nov. 1985) *

and

(#4, July/Aug. 1980) *

Leonard Starr Leonard Starr (October 28, 1925 – June 30, 2015) was an American cartoonist, comic book artist, and advertising artist, best known for creating the newspaper comic strip '' On Stage'' and reviving ''Little Orphan Annie''. Early life Born Octob ...

(#9, Feb. 1981) * Jim Steranko (#50, Dec. 1986) *

Dave Stevens Dave Lee Stevens (July 29, 1955 – March 11, 2008) was an American illustrator and comics artist. He was most famous for creating ''Rocketeer, The Rocketeer'' comic book and film character, and for his pin-up style "glamour art" illustrations, ...

(#26, Dec. 1983) *

Joe Staton Joe Staton ( born January 19, 1948) is an American comics artist and writer. He co-created the Bronze Age Huntress (Helena Wayne), as well as the third Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), Kilowog and the Omega Men for DC Comics. He was the artist of ...

(#25, mid-1983) *

William Stout William Stout (born September 18, 1949) is an American fantasy artist and illustrator with a specialization in paleontological art. His paintings have been shown in over seventy exhibitions, including twelve one-man shows. He has worked on over ...

(#26, Dec. 1983) * Upstart Studios:

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 w ...

, James Sherman,

Howard Chaykin Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an American 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 and Al Parker. Early life ...

(#10, July 1981) * Boris Vallejo (#3, June 1980) *

(#50, Dec. 1986) * Len Wein (#6, Oct. 1980) *

Doug Wildey Douglas S. Wildey He recalled his professional start as freelancing for the magazine and comic book company Street & Smith in 1947. Because comic-book writer and artist credits were not routinely given during this era, the earliest confirmed Wilde ...

(#30, July 1984; #31, Sept. 1984) *

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, and DC Comics's ''The New Te ...

(#12/13, Sept./Oct. 1981; #28, Mar. 1984; #52, Feb. 1987)

Notes

External links

Gallery of ''Comics Feature'' covers

''Comics Feature''
at MyComicShop.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Comics Feature Bimonthly magazines published in the United States English-language magazines Magazines about comics Magazines established in 1980 Magazines disestablished in 1987 Magazines published in Los Angeles Monthly magazines published in the United States Visual arts magazines published in the United States