Impact Comics was an
imprint
Imprint or imprinting may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series
* "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror''
* ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film
...
of
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 ...
that was aimed at younger audiences. It began in 1991 and ended in 1993. The initial "I" in the logo was stylized as an
exclamation point
The exclamation mark, , or exclamation point (American English), is a punctuation mark usually used after an interjection or exclamation to indicate strong feelings or to show emphasis. The exclamation mark often marks the end of a sentence, f ...
, but the official name of the imprint was not ''!mpact''.
Impact's titles featured revamped versions of superheroes licensed from
Archie Comics including the
Fly
Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...
, the
Comet
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ar ...
, the
Shield
A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...
, the
Jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
, the
Web, and the
Black Hood
The Black Hood is a fictional character created by MLJ Comics (later known as Archie Comics) during the period known as the "Golden Age of Comic Books". The Black Hood first appeared in ''Top-Notch Comics #9'', October 1940 and became one of MLJ ...
. Changes included making the new Jaguar a woman and making the Web an organization instead of a solo hero. This was the third attempt to revive the old Archie heroes, after the
Mighty Comics line of the 1960s and the Red Circle line of comics in the early 1980s.
In an effort to reach out to kids who were not aware of the
direct market
The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for American comic books. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by Phil Seuling. The network currently consists of:
* four major comic distributors:
** Lunar ...
system, DC Comics attempted to sell Impact Comics titles through newsstands, but that never happened. The imprint eventually collapsed due to poor sales. A final series, ''The Crucible'', was initially intended to relaunch the line, but instead served as its finale. Archie Comics relicensed their superheroes to DC in 2008
"SDCC '08 JMS Talks DC's Brave & the Bold... and Archie???"
Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website GamesRadar+, also owned by FutureUS.
History
N ...
, July 26, 2008. Accessed July 29, 2008 before re-launching them as part of their own digital Red Circle/Dark Circle imprint in 2012.
Titles
* Legend of the Shield (Mark Waid
Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', ''Fantastic Four'' and '' Dar ...
, Grant Miehm
Grant Miehm is a Canadian illustrator who has worked for a number of different American comics publishers.
Career
Miehm's work began appearing in the mid-1980s, in various titles produced by independent publishers, beginning with '' Elementals'' ...
, Jeff Albrecht) - 16 issues and one Annual (July 1991-October 1992)
* Comet (Mark Waid/Tom Lyle
Thomas Stanford Lyle (November 2, 1953 – November 19, 2019) was an American comics artist, best known for his work on ''Starman'' and '' Robin'' for DC Comics, and ''Spider-Man'' for Marvel Comics.
Career
Tom Lyle's comics career began in th ...
) - 18 issues and one Annual (July 1991-December 1992)
* Jaguar (William Messner-Loebs
William Francis Messner-Loebs (; born William Francis Loebs, Jr., February 19, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer from Michigan, also known as Bill Loebs and Bill Messner-Loebs. His hyphenated surname is a combination of his and his wif ...
, David Antoine Williams, José Marzan Jr.) - 14 issues and one Annual (August 1991-October 1992)
* Fly (Len Strazewski
Len Strazewski (born February 16, 1955) is a comic book author who wrote ''Starman'' after Roger Stern. He has also worked on ''The Flash'', ''Justice Society of America'', ''Phantom Lady'', '' The Fly'', and many other titles for DC comics. He als ...
, Mike Parobeck
Michael J. Parobeck (7 July 1965 – 2 July 1996),Social Security Death Index, SS# 278-64-1442. was an American comics artist best known for his work on the ''Batman Adventures'' comic book. His artwork featured a fluid animation-inspired drawi ...
, Paul Fricke) - 17 issues and one Annual (August 1991-December 1992)
* Web (Len Strazewski, Tom Artis Tomosina "Tom" Cawthorne-Artis (January 3, 1956''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; Page 107 – May 1, 2007) was a comic book artist for DC Comics, Fleetway/Quality, and Marvel Comics throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1991, he wa ...
, Bill Wray
Bill Wray (born Shreveport, Louisiana) is an American musician, composer and producer. His performing career spanned the mid 1970s through the early 1980s. Since then he has written and produced a variety of artists from glam metal to cajun. He is ...
) - 14 issues and one Annual (September 1991-October 1992)
* Black Hood ( Mark Wheatley, Rick Burchett
Rick Burchett (born March 9, 1952) is an American comic book artist known for his work on such characters as Batman and Superman.
Career
Burchett began his artistic career in St. Louis, Missouri, and did his early professional comics work at Fi ...
) - 12 issues and one Annual (December 1991-December 1992)
* Crusaders (Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn
Brian Augustyn (November 2, 1954 – February 1, 2022) was an American comic book editor and writer. He often worked as editor or co-writer with writer Mark Waid, such as on ''The Flash'' in the 1990s. He wrote ''Gotham by Gaslight –'' which i ...
, Rags Morales, Scott Hanna) - 8 issues (May 1992-December 1992)
* Crucible (Brian Augustyn, Mark Waid, Chuck Wojtkiewicz, Jimmy Palmiotti
James Palmiotti (born August 14, 1961) is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.
Early life
Palmiotti attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City.
Career
Palmiotti star ...
) - 6 issues (February 1993-July 1993)
Characters
* American Crusaders (Shield (Roger Higgins), Captain Commando, Firefly, Doc Strong, and Black Witch) 950s superhero team* American Shield
* White Hoods
* Black Jack
* Black Witch
* Bob Phantom
* Captain Commando
* Comet
* Crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
(Shield, Fly, Comet, Jaguar, Fireball, and The Web)
* Doc Strong
* Dusty (sidekick of the original Shield)
* Fireball
* Firefly
* The Fly
* Fox
* Hangman
* Jaguar
* Shield (Roger Higgins)
* Shield (Joe Higgins)
* Shield (Michael Barnes)
* Shield Kid
* Steel Sterling
* The Web (now a group)
References
External links
Newsarama's Impact Comics write-up by Ryan McLelland
(mirrored o
Sequart.com
DC Comics imprints
{{DC-Comics-stub