Eternity Comics was a California-based comic book publisher active from 1986 to 1994, first as an independent publisher, then as an imprint of
Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc. (also known as Malibu Graphics) was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. Notable titles published by Malibu included ' ...
. Eternity published creator-owned comics of an offbeat, independent flavor, as well as some licensed properties. One of its most notable titles was ''
Ex-Mutants''. Eternity was also notable for reprinting foreign titles, and introducing ''
Cat Claw'', ''
The Jackaroo'', and the ''
Southern Squadron'' to the U.S. market.
Such well-known creators as
Brian Pulido,
Evan Dorkin,
Dale Berry
Dale W. Berry (born April 20, 1960) is a commercial artist and designer in San Francisco, California, who is best known for his work on the graphic novel series '' Tales of the Moonlight Cutter'', which is published by his company, Myriad Publicat ...
,
Ben Dunn,
Dean Haspiel, 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's ...
got their starts with Eternity.
History
Origins
Eternity began publishing in 1986, debuting with such titles as ''Earthlore'', ''Gonad the Barbarian'', ''The Mighty Mites'', ''Ninja'', and ''Reign of the Dragonlord'' (with only ''Ninja'' lasting more than a couple of issues).
Scott Mitchell Rosenberg
In April 1987, ''The Comics Journal'' revealed that Eternity had been financed, along with Amazing Comics,
Wonder Color Comics
Wonder most commonly refers to:
* Wonder (emotion), an emotion comparable to surprise that people feel when perceiving something rare or unexpected
Wonder may also refer to:
Arts and media
Fictional entities
* The Wonders, a fictional band ...
, and Imperial Comics, by
Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. After this was made public, Rosenberg discontinued most of these publishers, but retained the Eternity label as an imprint of Malibu Comics, also eventually bringing in
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
publisher
Aircel Comics
Aircel Comics (Aircel Publishing) was a comic book publisher founded by Barry Blair, in Ottawa, Ontario in 1985. In 1988, it merged with American publisher Eternity Comics, itself an imprint of Malibu Comics, and in the late 1980s was taken over b ...
under the Eternity/Malibu umbrella.
Robotech
One of Eternity's most successful titles was its 1988–1994 licensing of the ''
Robotech
''Robotech'' is a science fiction franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production and first released in the United States in 1985.
The show was adapted from ...
'' franchise. The creators, the
Waltrip brothers
Jason Waltrip and John Waltrip are identical twins who comprise a comic book art and writing team, known for their work on '' Robotech comics'' and in webcomics.
Comics career
The Waltrips were discovered by a talent scout in 1987 who was sent ...
, began with direct adaptations of the ''
Robotech II: The Sentinels'' scripts and novels, before eventually writing additional stories that expanded the
canon beyond the initial 85 animated ''Robotech'' episodes and ''The Sentinels''. As the series progressed, the Waltrips began deviating from the ''Sentinels'' novels, adding new story elements and new characters.
Legal battles
During its existence, Eternity was no stranger to legal squabbles. The popular title ''
Ex-Mutants'' was first published by Eternity from 1987–1988, and was then moved to the publisher Amazing Comics (with contractual problems later forcing the title to be published under the independent Pied Piper Comics publisher). A legal dispute followed, and after running out of money for the struggle, creators
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's ...
surrendered: the title returned to Eternity and was later published in a revamped version by Malibu.
Eternity's 1989 publication of ''
The Uncensored Mouse
''The Uncensored Mouse'' was a 1989 comic book series published by Malibu Graphics' Eternity Comics line. The series reprinted ''Mickey Mouse'' comic strip stories from 1930, including the first two sequences, "Lost on a Desert Island" and "Mick ...
'', which reprinted
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...
comics from the 1930s — without Disney's permission — led to a run-in with
Walt Disney Productions
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...
. Eternity printed ''The Uncensored Mouse'' with totally black covers, bagged (to prevent casual buyers from flipping through the comic), and the inside of the comic had a printed notice: "Mickey Mouse is a registered trademark of
Walt Disney Productions
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...
" so as not to confuse the market that it was an authorized Disney production. Eternity believed it had not violated any copyrights because strips had fallen into public domain. Regardless, Disney brought a lawsuit against the company and the series was cancelled after just two issues (six issues were solicited).
Similarly, Eternity's 1989-1992 adaptation of the popular Japanese
manga
Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...
''
Captain Harlock'' was discontinued after it was discovered that Eternity/Malibu did not have the ''Captain Harlock'' rights. The alleged representative for the rights to ''Harlock'' to whom Malibu paid money, claiming to represent ''Coral Pictures'' turned out to be fraudulent and was in no way connected to the actual rights holders.
Decline and acquisition by Marvel
Malibu stopped using the Eternity imprint before Marvel acquired Malibu, when Eternity's last two franchises moved to other publishers in the middle of 1994: ''
Ninja High School'' returning to
Antarctic Press
Antarctic Press is a San Antonio-based comic book publishing company which publishes "Amerimanga" style comic books. The company also produces "how-to" and "you can" comics, instructing on areas of comic book creation and craft.
Beginning in 1 ...
and ''
Robotech
''Robotech'' is a science fiction franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production and first released in the United States in 1985.
The show was adapted from ...
'' moving to
Academy Comics
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...
.
Titles (selected)
* ''Apache Dick'' (1990)
* ''Borderguard'' (1987)
* ''
Cat Claw'' (1990–1991) – translation of Serbian comic
* ''
Captain Harlock'', by
Robert W. Gibson
Robert W. Gibson, AIA, (1854 in England – 1927 in New York City) was an English-born American ecclesiastical architect active in late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century New York state. He designed several large Manhattan churches and a ...
, and illustrated by
Ben Dunn & Tim Eldred (1989–1992)
* ''Cosmic Heroes'' (1988–1990)
* ''
Dark Wolf'' (1988–1989)
* ''
Dinosaurs For Hire
''Dinosaurs for Hire'' is an American comic book series created by Tom Mason in 1988. It was first published by Eternity Comics and ran nine issues until 1990 when it was cancelled. The title returned to publication in 1993 by Malibu Comics, which ...
'' by
Tom Mason (1988–1990)
* ''Earthlore'' (1986)
* ''
Evil Ernie
Evil Ernie, an undead psychotic killer, is a fictional supervillain created by writer Brian Pulido and artist Steven Hughes in 1991 and originally published by Eternity Comics. The imprint shifted hands in 1993 to Chaos! Comics and then Devi ...
'' by
Brian Pulido (1991–1992)
* ''
Ex-Mutants'', by
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's ...
(1987–1988)
* ''Fright'' (1988–1989)
* ''
The Futurians'' by
Dave Cockrum (reprint, 1987)
* ''Gonad the Barbarian'' (1986)
* ''
Gundam 0083''
* ''
I Love Lucy''
* ''Invisoworld'' by Gary Dunaier
* ''
The Jackaroo'' (1990)
* ''
Lensman'' by
E. E. Smith (1990)
* ''Metal Bikini''
* ''The Mighty Mites'' by John Nubbin and Nicholas Conti (1986–1987)
* ''Ninja'' (1986–1988)
* ''
Ninja Funnies
Dale W. Berry (born April 20, 1960) is a commercial artist and designer in San Francisco, California, who is best known for his work on the graphic novel series ''Tales of the Moonlight Cutter'', which is published by his company, Myriad Publicati ...
'' by
Dale Berry
Dale W. Berry (born April 20, 1960) is a commercial artist and designer in San Francisco, California, who is best known for his work on the graphic novel series '' Tales of the Moonlight Cutter'', which is published by his company, Myriad Publicat ...
* ''
Original Tom Corbett, Space Cadet'' (1990)
* ''
The Phantom of the Opera
''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...
'' (1988)
* ''Pirate Corp$ / Hectic Planet'' by
Evan Dorkin (1987–1988) (published by
Slave Labor Graphics from 1989-1993)
* ''
Plan 9 from Outer Space: Thirty Years Later!'' – billed as an unofficial sequel to the original film.
* ''
The Puppet Master''
* ''Reign of the Dragonlord''
* ''
Robotech
''Robotech'' is a science fiction franchise that began with an 85-episode anime television series produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production and first released in the United States in 1985.
The show was adapted from ...
'', by
Jason and John Waltrip (1988–1994, picked up by
Academy Comics
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...
)
* ''Scarlet in Gaslight'' written by Martin Powell (1987–1988)
* ''Scimidar'' by Rob Davis (1988)
* ''Blade of Shuriken'' by Reggie Byers
* ''
Southern Squadron: Freedom of Information Act'' (from Aircel)
* ''Spicy Tales'' (1988–1990)
* ''
The Three Stooges: The Knuckleheads Return'' (1989)
* ''Tiger-X'' by
Ben Dunn
* ''
Triple Action'' anthology comic
* ''
The Trouble with Girls'' (1987–1988, later picked up by Malibu and then
Comico)
* ''Twilight Avenger'' by John Wooly and Terry Tidwell
* ''The Verdict'' by Martin Powell and
Dean Haspiel (1987–1988; continued by Malibu 1988–1989)
* ''
The Uncensored Mouse
''The Uncensored Mouse'' was a 1989 comic book series published by Malibu Graphics' Eternity Comics line. The series reprinted ''Mickey Mouse'' comic strip stories from 1930, including the first two sequences, "Lost on a Desert Island" and "Mick ...
'' (1989)
* ''War of the Worlds''
* ''White Devil'' (1990–1991)
* ''Yakuza'' (1987–1988)
* ''
Zillion
Many languages have words expressing indefinite and fictitious numbers—inexact terms of indefinite size, used for comic effect, for exaggeration, as placeholder names, or when precision is unnecessary or undesirable. One technical term for such ...
'' (1993)
Notes
References
*
*
External links
Eternity Comicsat the International Catalogue of Superheroes
{{Authority control
American companies established in 1986
American companies disestablished in 1994
Comic book imprints
Companies based in Thousand Oaks, California
Marvel Comics imprints
Defunct comics and manga publishing companies
Malibu Comics
Newbury Park, California
Publishing companies established in 1986
Publishing companies disestablished in 1994
Comic book publishing companies of the United States
1986 establishments in California
1994 disestablishments in California