Comic books
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 ...
have been an integral and popular part of the American rock group
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
' merchandising since 1977, beginning with their appearance in
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 ...
' ''
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck first appeared in ''Adventure into F ...
'' #12. Over their career of nearly four decades, Kiss has licensed their name to "more than 3,000 product(s) . . . to become nearly a one-billion-dollar brand."
Licensed Kiss stories and adventures have been published 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 ...
,
Image Comics
Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...
,
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
,
Platinum Studios
Platinum Studios, Inc. is a media company based in the United States. It controls a library of thousands of comic-book characters, which it seeks to adapt, produce, and license for all forms of media. The company has released films and/or telev ...
,
Archie Comics
Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...
; unlicensed stories have been published by
Revolutionary Comics
Revolutionary Comics was an American comic book publisher specializing in unauthorized profiles of entertainers and professional athletes, as well as a line of erotic comics. Its flagship series was ''Rock 'N' Roll Comics''. Founded by Todd Lor ...
, among others. Ironically, according to frontman
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...
, all the band members except himself "hate comic books."
Publishers
Marvel Comics
KISS's first comic book appearance was in issue #12 of Marvel's ''
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck first appeared in ''Adventure into F ...
'' in May 1977, titled "Mind Mush!". The group also appeared in issue #13 of the series, titled "Rock, Roll Over and Writhe!".
In 1977 Marvel Comics published a magazine-format full-color comic book, titled ''A Marvel Comics Super Special!: Kiss'' presenting the band KISS as superheroes. It was the first in the
Marvel Comics 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 issu ...
series which featured other musicians such as
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
. Blood from each band member was drawn by a registered nurse, witnessed by a notary public, and poured into the vats of red ink used for printing the comic at Marvel's Borden Ink plant in
Depew, New York
Depew () is a village (New York), village in Erie County, New York, Erie County, New York (state), New York. The population was 15,303 at the time of the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The village is nam ...
. Marvel also published a second KISS comic magazine, issue #5 in the ''Super Special'' series, in 1978, with much less fanfare.
In 1995 Marvel printed a trade paperback issue compiling issue #1 and #5 of the Super Special series, titled ''KISS Klassics''. A year later Marvel released the magazine ''KISSnation'', which featured interviews and photographs concerning the band's reunion and subsequent
Alive/Worldwide Tour
The Alive/Worldwide Tour (also known as the Reunion Tour) was a concert tour by American heavy metal band Kiss which began on June 28, 1996 in Detroit, United States and concluded on July 5, 1997 in London, England. It was the first tour wi ...
. ''KISSnation'' also came with the ''KISS Meets the X-Men'' comic.
Title list
* ''Howard the Duck'' #12: "Mind-Mush!" (May 1977)
* ''Howard the Duck'' #13: "Rock, Roll Over and Writhe!" (June 1977)
* ''A Marvel Comics Super Special'' #1: A Marvel Comics Super Special!: Kiss (1977)
* ''A Marvel Comics Super Special'' #5: A Marvel Comics Super Special!: Kiss (1978)
* ''Kiss Classics'' (1995)
* ''Kissnation'' (1996)
Revolutionary Comics
Ever since the phenomenon created around the first Kiss comic in 1977, many unlicensed comics featuring the Kiss characters have been published. The most notable of these were published by
Revolutionary Comics
Revolutionary Comics was an American comic book publisher specializing in unauthorized profiles of entertainers and professional athletes, as well as a line of erotic comics. Its flagship series was ''Rock 'N' Roll Comics''. Founded by Todd Lor ...
, known for their titles '' Rock N' Roll Comics'' and ''Hard Rock Comics''. Although Revolutionary's comics were not sanctioned by Kiss or the group's lawyers,
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...
was especially vocal in his support of the company, seen wearing a Hard Rock Comics T-shirt in videos for ''Alive III'' and on the back cover of the album itself. Both Simmons and Stanley granted interviews for the Revolutionary Kiss comics, and the same Hard Rock Comics creative team also did the comic bio section of Kiss' own ''KISStory'' hardcover book, as well as a comic adaptation of ''The Elder'' which has so far only been published in ''Metal Edge Magazine.''
Title list
* ''Rock 'N' Roll Comics'' #9 (March 1990) — by Robert Conte and Greg Fox
* ''Hard Rock Comics'' #5: "Kiss: Tales from the Tours" (June 1992) — by Spike Steffenhagen and Scott Pentzer
* ''Kiss Pre-History'' #1–3 (Spring 1993) — by Spike Steffenhagen,
Jay Allen Sanford
Jay Allen Sanford (born February 18, 1960) is an American author and cartoonist best known for his work with Revolutionary Comics, Carnal Comics, and Pacific Comics. He began writing the comic book '' Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics'' (created by Todd L ...
, and Scott Pentzer
Image Comics
''Psycho Circus''
In 1997 Image began printing the first officially licensed non-Marvel Kiss comic,
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane (; born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian comic book creator, artist, writer, filmmaker and entrepreneur, best known for his work as the artist on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horro ...
's '' Kiss: Psycho Circus''. It lasted for 31 issues and was compiled into four trade paperback issues. The series was based on a tour theme that Kiss were working on at the time, and spawned five magazines that focused on the comic series. '' Wizard'' also printed a special edition magazine detailing the characters that appeared throughout the comic series. The series was completed in the year 2000.
''Kiss Special Wizard Edition''
* 1 promo Issue (Wizard, 1998)
''Kiss: Psycho Circus Comic Magazine''
* 5 issues (published by McFarlane/Medina/Image, 1999)
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
began the next Kiss comic series, simply titled ''Kiss'', in 2002, with
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
writer
Joe Casey
Joe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as '' Wildcats 3.0'', ''Uncanny X-Men'', '' The Intimates'', '' Adventures of Superman'', and '' G.I. Joe: America's Elite'' among others. As part of the comics creator grou ...
. The series lasted for unnamed 13 issues, with each issue having a variant photograph cover (with the exception of issues #1 and #7 which each had a third variant cover) and was compiled into four trade paperback issues. Dark Horse completed the ''Kiss'' series in 2004.
Trade paperbacks
* volume #1: Rediscovery
* volume #2: Return of the Phantom
* volume #3: Men and Monsters
* volume #4: Unholy War
Platinum Studios
Platinum Studios, Inc. is a media company based in the United States. It controls a library of thousands of comic-book characters, which it seeks to adapt, produce, and license for all forms of media. The company has released films and/or telev ...
to publish a new Kiss comic, ''Kiss 4K''. The series was launched at the Los Angeles Wizard World Convention in March 2007 with the unveiling of the oversized ''Destroyer Edition'', which measured 20 "x 30" and was released in five variant editions. The series was written by
Ricky Sprague Ricky may refer to:
Places
*Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic
*Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic
*Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky"
...
and the art was by Daniel Campos,
Kevin Crossley
Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ).
The variant '' Kevan'' is anglicized from , a ...
&
Thomas Ruppert
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
.
Kiss 4K
''Kiss 4K'' released six print issues and four digital issues, in addition to the over-sized ''Destroyer Edition'' of Issue #1, a limited edition preview issue, and the ''Kissmas'' special issue. A
webcomic
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books.
Webcomics can be co ...
series was also produced in conjunction with the print issues, telling stories about previous holders of the Kiss powers. In 2009, a lithograph boxed set of exclusive art from the ''Kiss 4K'' series was released.
* ''4K Preview Issue'' (Limited Edition)
* ''Legends Never Die'' Story Arc:
** Issue #1
*** Over-sized ''Destroyer Edition'' variants: black & white, yellow bar, white bar, black bar, "Scott's Vault" yellow bar
*** Standard-sized variants: "Scott's Vault" silver foil edition, red foil, gold foil, sketch cover, untrimmed version
** Issues #2–6 — Standard-sized retail issues
** Issues #7–10 — "Online Edition" digital-only issues
* ''Kissmas'' Special (Christmas 2007) — Available in a "Scott's Vault" silver foil variant
* Webcomics:
** Casanova/Starchild: "Tonight You Belong To Me", "Love's A Deadly Weapon" & "Partners In Crime"
** Yoshiee/Chikara: "Almost Human" & "Lonely Is The Hunter"
** Constantine/Celestial: "War Machine" & "Strange Ways"
** Shaka/The Demon: "Childhood's End" & "I Walk Alone"
** Christmas Special: "Let It Snow, Rock & Roll!"
* ''The Art of Kiss 4K'' — lithograph box set
Archie Comics
In 2011 Kiss announced the release of ''Archie Meets Kiss'', a new four-issue comic book series in conjunction with
Archie Comics
Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...
, written by
Chris Ryall
Christopher Ryall (born April 2) is best known as the former President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer of IDW Publishing (June 2004–2019), and as a writer in the comic book industry. In February 2011, his Eisner Award-nominated series, '' ...
and illustrated by
Jamal Igle
Jamal Yaseem Igle . jamaligle.com. Retrieved November 28, 2012. is an American
Marvel Comics 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 issu ...
'' series featuring the Kiss characters. The second edition collected issue 1-6 of the
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane (; born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian comic book creator, artist, writer, filmmaker and entrepreneur, best known for his work as the artist on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horro ...
''Psycho Circus'' series.
''Mars Attacks: Flaming Youths''
On January 9, 2013 IDW released a special
one-shot
One shot may refer to:
Film and television
* One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so
* ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake
* ''One Shot'' (2 ...
issue of their
Mars Attacks
''Mars Attacks'' is a science fiction-themed trading card series released in 1962 by Topps. The cards feature artwork by science fiction artists Wally Wood and Norman Saunders. The cards form a story arc, which tells of the invasion of Earth by c ...
series. The series was written by
Chris Ryall
Christopher Ryall (born April 2) is best known as the former President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer of IDW Publishing (June 2004–2019), and as a writer in the comic book industry. In February 2011, his Eisner Award-nominated series, '' ...
, with art by Alan Robinson.
* ''Mars Attacks: Flaming Youths'' — 2 variant covers
''Kiss Solo''
Beginning in March 2013, IDW released a four-issue series starring the Demon, the Starchild, the Catman and the Spaceman, starting with Demon. The series was illustrated by Angel Medina and was once again written by Chris Ryall.
''Kiss Kids''
This series saw Kiss re-imagined as children. The four-issue series was released monthly from August 2013 through November 2013. The series was illustrated by José Holder.
Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptation ...
obtained the rights to create Kiss comics in July 2016. Written by
Amy Chu
Amy Chu is a comic book author who runs the comic imprint Alpha Girl Comics as well as writing comics for other publishers. She wrote the six-issue miniseries ''Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death'' and a few Wonder Woman issues for DC Comics, DC. ...
and illustrated by Kewber Baal, the first issue of their flagship series was released in October 2016.
''Kiss''
The flagship monthly Kiss comic published by Dynamite revolves around four teenagers who begin to question the nature of the isolated post-apocalyptic city they are forced to live in and are determined to unlock the secrets of their society. It debuted in October 2016 and is currently still on-going.
''Kiss: The Demon''
Gene Simmons' character "The Demon" was given a 4-issue spin-off title by Dynamite, with the series being published from January 2017 through April 2017.
''Kiss/Vampirella''
Dynamite's 5-issue crossover series with
Vampirella
Vampirella () is a fictional vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of ''Creepy'' ...
is set to be published monthly from June 2017 through October 2017.
Collections
''Kiss Kompendium''
The ''Kiss Kompendium'' is a hardcover collection of Kiss comics released on December 8, 2009 by
Harper Design
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Co ...
. It compiles both issues of the ''Marvel Comics Super Special, issues #1 & #5, the Marvel ''Kissnation'' comic, the comic printed especially for 1995 book, ''KISStory'', along with the ''Psycho Circus'' and the Dark Horse comic series. The book also features exclusive Kiss photos taken backstage during the band's ''
Sonic Boom
A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to t ...
'' tour, as well as commentary by band members
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; he, חיים ויץ, ; born August 25, 1949) is an Israeli-American musician. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the hard rock band he co-founded with Paul ...
and
Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who is the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's most popular ...