''Epic Illustrated'' was a

comics anthology A comics anthology collects works in the medium of comics, typically from multiple series, and compiles them into an anthology or magazine. The comics in these anthologies range from comic strips that are too short for standalone publication to co ...

in magazine format published in the United States by

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 ...

. Similar to the US-licensed comic book magazine '' Heavy Metal'', it allowed explicit content to be featured, unlike the traditional American comic books of that time bound by the restrictive

Comics Code Authority The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA allowed the comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. ...

, as well as offering its writers and artists ownership rights and royalties in place of the industry-standard

work for hire A work made for hire (work for hire or WFH), in copyright law in the United States, is a work that is subject to copyright and is created by employees as part of their job or some limited types of works for which all parties agree in writing to th ...

contracts. The series lasted 34 issues from Spring 1980–February 1986. A color comic-book imprint,

Epic Comics Epic Comics (also known as the Epic Comics Group)Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins: The Truth About the Epic Comics Group!" Marvel comics cover-dated November 1982. was an imprint of Marvel Comics from 1982 to 1996. A spin-off of the publisher's ...

, was spun off in 1982.

Publication history

The magazine was initiated under editor

Rick Marschall Richard "Rick" Marschall (born February 3, 1949) Miller, John Jackson"Comics Industry Birthdays" ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', June 10, 2005. Accessed January 10, 2011. . is a writer/editor and comic strip historian, described by ''Bostonia'' magazine ...

in 1979 under the title ''Odyssey'', and originally set to launch as an issue of ''

Marvel Super Special ''Marvel Comics Super Special'' was a 41-issue series of one-shot comic-magazines published by Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1986. They were cover-priced $1.50 to $2.50, while regular color comics were priced 30 cents to 60 cents, Beginning with issue ...

''. After Marschall learned of at least seven other magazines titled ''Odyssey'', the project was renamed ''Epic Illustrated'' and launched as a standalone series. Marschall was replaced by editor Archie Goodwin in September 1979, several months before the first issue was published.

Stories, series and format

The anthology featured heroic fiction and genre stories, primarily

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

, in a broad range of styles. Established mainstream-comics talents such as John Buscema,

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 ...

, John Byrne, and Terry Austin were featured, as well as such independent-press creators as

Wendy Pini Wendy Pini ''née'' Fletcher, (born June 4, 1951) and Richard Pini (born July 19, 1950) are the husband-and-wife team responsible for creating the well-known '' Elfquest'' series of comics, graphic novels and prose works. They are also known a ...

and The Studio's

Jeffrey Jones Jeffrey Duncan Jones (born September 28, 1946) is an American character actor, best known for his roles as Emperor Joseph II in '' Amadeus'' (1984), Edward R. Rooney in ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), Charles Deetz in ''Beetlejuice'' (1988 ...

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 ...

Barry Windsor-Smith Barry Windsor-Smith (born Barry Smith, 25 May 1949) is a British comic book illustrator and painter whose best known work has been produced in the United States. He attained note working on Marvel Comics' ''Conan the Barbarian'' from 1970 to 197 ...

, and

Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his o ...

. Goodwin commissioned stories by many new artists, including Stephen R. Bissette, Pepe Moreno,

Jon J Muth Jon J Muth (; born July 28, 1960) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books as well as graphic novels and comic books. Career Muth studied stone sculpture and ''shodō'' ( 書道) (brush calligraphy) in Japan; and studied painti ...

Rick Veitch Richard Veitch (born May 7, 1951) is an American comics artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics. Early life Rick Veitch is a native of the small town of Bellows Falls, Vermont. One of six children, he ...

and Kent Williams. The full-color magazine format allowed for a broader range of color than the traditional three-color printing process, and many of the stories, and all the covers, were painted. Fantasy artists who did not normally work in the comics field, such as

Richard Corben Richard Corben (October 1, 1940December 2, 2020) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for his comics featured in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine, especially the ''Den'' series which was featured in the magazine's first film ada ...

Frank Frazetta Frank Frazetta (born Frank Frazzetta ; February 9, 1928 – May 10, 2010) was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers, and other media. He i ...

, The

Brothers Hildebrandt Greg and Tim Hildebrandt, known as the Brothers Hildebrandt (born January 23, 1939), are American twin brothers who worked collaboratively as fantasy and science fiction artists for many years. They produced illustrations for comic books, movie p ...

, and Boris Vallejo contributed covers. The contributors to the series retained ownership of their material and were paid royalties. ''Epic Illustrated'' also included an occasional Marvel Comics protagonist, such as the first issue's

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 ...

story by Stan Lee and John Buscema. Each issue usually featured a main story, a number of regular serials, and anthological shorts. Writer-penciler John Byrne and inker Terry Austin produced "The Last

Galactus Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of t ...

Story" as a serial in ''Epic Illustrated'' #26–34 (Oct. 1984–Feb. 1986). Nine of a scheduled 10 installments appeared. Each ran six pages, except part eight, which ran 12.

Cancellation

Due to its expensive nature to the company and low sales, the magazine was canceled with issue #34, leaving the last chapter of "Galactus" unpublished and the story unfinished. Byrne later revealed on his website that the conclusion would have seen a dying Galactus releasing his power, causing a new big bang and transforming his herald Nova into the Galactus of the next universe.

Selected stories

* " Metamorphosis Odyssey" a serial by

in issues #1–9 (Spring 1980–Dec. 1981), which introduced his

Dreadstar ''Dreadstar'' was the first comic-book series published by American publisher Epic Comics, an imprint of Marvel Comics, in 1982. It was centered on Vanth Dreadstar, sole survivor of the entire Milky Way galaxy, and an ensemble cast of crewmates, i ...

character. * "A Tale Of

Elric of Melniboné Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VII ...

: The Dreaming City" by

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has worke ...

, Roy Thomas, and

P. Craig Russell Philip Craig Russell (born October 30, 1951) is an American comics artist, writer, and illustrator. His work has won multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards. Russell was the first mainstream comic book creator to come out as openly gay. Biography ...

in issues #3 (Fall 1980), #4 (Winter 1980), and #14 (Oct. 1982). *

Ken Steacy Ken Steacy (born January 8, 1955) is a Canadian comics artist and writer best known for his work on the NOW Comics comic book series of ''Astro Boy'' and of the Comico comic series of '' Jonny Quest'', as well as his graphic novel collaborations ...

's adaptations of Harlan Ellison's short stories: "Sleeping Dogs" in issue #4 (Winter 1980), "Life Hutch" in #6 (June 1981), and "Run for the Stars" in #11 (April 1982). * "Abraxas and the Earthman" by

in issues #10–17 (Feb. 1982–April 1983). * "

Marada The Mardaites () or al-Jarajima ( syr, ܡܪ̈ܕܝܐ; ar, ٱلْجَرَاجِمَة / ALA-LC: ''al-Jarājimah''), inhabited the highland regions of the Nur Mountains. The Mardaites were early Christians following either Miaphysitism or Monothelit ...

" by Chris Claremont and

John Bolton John Robert Bolton (born November 20, 1948) is an American attorney, diplomat, Republican consultant, and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, and as the 26th United Sta ...

in issues #10–12 (Feb.–June 1982) and #22–23 (Feb.–April 1984). * "Last of the Dragons" by

Carl Potts Carl Potts (born November 12, 1952) is an American comics artist, writer, teacher, and editor best known for creating the series '' Alien Legion'' for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics. Early life Born in Oakland, California, and raised in t ...

with

Dennis 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 ...

, Terry Austin, and

Marie Severin Marie Severin (; August 21, 1929 – August 29, 2018) was an American comics artist and colorist best known for her work for Marvel Comics and the 1950s' EC Comics. She is an inductee of the Will Eisner Comics Hall of Fame and the Harvey Awards ...

in issues #15–20 (Dec. 1982–Oct. 1983). * "Generation Zero" by Pepe Moreno and Archie Goodwin in issues #17–24 (April 1983–June 1984). * "The Sacred and The Profane" by

Dean Motter Dean Motter is an illustrator, designer and writer who has worked for many years in Canada (Toronto) and the United States (New York City and Atlanta). He is best known for his album cover designs, two of which won Juno Awards. He is also the crea ...

and Ken Steacy in issues #20–26 (Oct. 1983–Oct. 1984). * "Young Cerebus" a series of vignettes of the early life of

Cerebus ''Cerebus'' (; also ''Cerebus the Aardvark'') is a comic book series created by Canadian cartoonist Dave Sim, which ran from December 1977 until March 2004. The title character of the 300-issue series is an anthropomorphic aardvark who takes on ...

Dave Sim Dave Sim (born 17 May 1956) is a Canadian cartoonist and publisher, best known for his comic book '' Cerebus'', his artistic experimentation, his advocacy of self-publishing and creators' rights, and his controversial political and philosophical ...

in issues #26 (Oct. 1984), #28 (Feb. 1985), and #30 (June 1985).

Collected editions

* ''

Epic Collection: Freedom'' includes the "Silver Surfer" story from ''Epic Illustrated'' #1, Marvel Comics, 488 pages, December 2015, * ''Night and the Enemy'' includes the stories "Sleeping Dogs", "Life Hutch", and "Run for the Stars" from ''Epic Illustrated'' #3-4, and #14, Comico, 84 pages, November 1987, ;

Dover Publications Dover Publications, also known as Dover Books, is an American book publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward and Blanche Cirker. It primarily reissues books that are out of print from their original publishers. These are often, but not always, book ...

, 96 pages, November 2015, * ''

Weirdworld ''Weirdworld'' was a fantasy series created by Doug Moench and Mike Ploog for American company Marvel Comics, set in a dimension of magic. A comic book series titled ''Weirdworld'' debuted in 2015 as a tie-in to the ''Secret Wars'' storyline, fol ...

'' includes the "Weirdworld" stories from ''Epic Illustrated'' #9, 11–13, Marvel Comics, 312 pages, April 2015, * ''Abraxas and the Earthman'' collects the serial from ''Epic Illustrated'' #10-17, King Hell Press, 88 pages, October 2006, * ''

Marvel Graphic Novel ''Marvel Graphic Novel'' (''MGN'') is a line of graphic novel trade paperbacks published from 1982 to 1993 by Marvel Comics. The books were published in an oversized format, 8.5" x 11", similar to French albums. In response, DC Comics establi ...

'' #21 presents in full color the "

" stories from ''Epic Illustrated'' #10-12 originally presented in black and white, Marvel Comics, 64 pages, December 1985, * ''Last of the Dragons'' collects the serial from ''Epic Illustrated'' #15-20, Epic Comics, 64 pages, April 1988, ; Dover Publications, 80 pages, December 2015, * ''Generation Zero'' collects the serial from ''Epic Illustrated'' #17-24,

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 ...

, 128 pages, September 1991, * ''The Sacred and the Profane'' collects the serial from ''Epic Illustrated'' #20-26,

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market. It was ...

, 125 pages, June 1987, * '' Fantastic Four by John Byrne Omnibus Volume 2'' includes "The Last Galactus Story" serial from ''Epic Illustrated'' #26-34, Marvel Comics, 1224 pages, December 2013, * ''Toadswart d'Amplestone'' by Tim A. Conrad collects the serial from ''Epic Illustrated'' #25-28, 30-33, Eclipse Books, 106 pages, June 1990, ISBN 1-56060-013-6

References

External links

* *
''Epic Illustrated''
at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators {{Jim Starlin 1980 comics debuts 1986 comics endings Adaptations of works by Harlan Ellison Adult comics Comics anthologies Comics by Archie Goodwin (comics) Comics by Chris Claremont Comics by Dave Sim Comics by Dennis O'Neil Comics by Doug Moench Comics by Jim Starlin Comics by John Byrne (comics) Comics by Roy Thomas Comics by Stan Lee Defunct American comics Defunct science fiction magazines published in the United States Fantasy comics Science fiction comics Works by Michael Moorcock