Razorline 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
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
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 ...
company
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 ...
that ran from 1993 to 1995. It was created by filmmaker and
horror/
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), 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 ...
novelist
Clive Barker
Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English novelist, playwright, author, film director, and visual artist who came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories, the ''Books of Blood'', which established him as a leading h ...
, with its characters existing in one of the many
alternate universes outside the mainstream
continuity known as the
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of ...
.
Publication history
The Razorline imprint consisted of four interrelated titles, based on Barker's detailed premises, titles and lead characters.
These were:
* ''
Ectokid
''Ectokid'' is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint that ran from 1993 to 1994. Created by filmmaker and horror/fantasy novelist Clive Barker as one of the imprint's four interconnected series, it starred tee ...
'' — written first by
James Robinson, then by
Lana Wachowski
Lana Wachowski (born June 21, 1965, formerly known as Larry Wachowski) and Lilly Wachowski (born December 29, 1967, formerly known as Andy Wachowski) are American film and television directors, writers and producers. The sisters are both trans ...
, and
pencilled
A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations, usually in collaboration with other artists, who provide inks, colors ...
by
Steve Skroce
Steve Skroce () is a Canadian comic book and film storyboard artist. He is of Croatian descent.
Biography
Skroce broke into comics in 1993 on the Clive Barker series ''Ectokid'' for Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint. He went to work on the Marv ...
* ''
Hokum & Hex
''Hokum & Hex'' is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint that ran from 1993 to 1994. Created by filmmaker and horror/fantasy novelist Clive Barker as one of the imprint's four interconnected series, it starr ...
'' — written by
Frank Lovece
Frank Lovece () is an American journalist and author, and a comic book writer primarily for Marvel Comics, where he and artist Mike Okamoto created the miniseries ''Atomic Age''. His longest affiliation has been with the New York metropolitan ar ...
, penciled by
Anthony Williams
* ''
Hyperkind
''Hyperkind'' is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics' Razorline imprint that ran from 1993 to 1994. Created by filmmaker and horror/fantasy novelist Clive Barker as one of the imprint's four interconnected series, it starred ...
'' — written by Fred Burke, pencilled by
Paris Cullins
Paris Cullins is an Americans, American comics artist best known for his work on DC Comics' ''Blue Devil (DC Comics), Blue Devil'' and ''Ted Kord, Blue Beetle'' and Marvel Comics' ''Hyperkind''.
Career Early career
Cullins had sent DC Comics samp ...
and inked by Bob Petrecca
* ''
Saint Sinner'' — written by
Elaine Lee
Elaine Lee is an American actress, playwright, producer, and writer, who specializes in graphic novels. She has also received recognition and awards for her work as a creator and producer of audio books and dramas.
Her comics have been illust ...
, pencilled and inked by
Max Douglas
Max Douglas (born September 15, 1970) is a Canadian comic book creator. Since approximately 1996, he has worked under the pen name of Salgood Sam which is derived from a reverse spelling of his name.
Published works ''Early Career''
Douglas sta ...
Marcus McLaurin
Marcus McLaurin is an American comic-book writer and editor known for developing and editing the influential Marvel Comics series ''Marvels''.
Biography
Marc McLaurin joined Marvel as an assistant editor. He rose to become a full editor worki ...
was the editor. The four titles were preceded by a
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 ...
sampler cover-titled: ''Razorline: First Cut''.
[''Razorline: The First Cut'']
(indicia title) / ''Razorline: First Cut'' (cover title) at the Grand Comics Database
The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...
.
As Barker described:
Razorline was launched in 1993 as several other publishers, including
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 '' ...
,
Defiant Comics
Defiant Comics was a comic book publishing imprint of Enlightened Entertainment Partners, LP. Defiant was established in 1993 by former Marvel Comics and Valiant Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.
Publication history
Defiant was founded in th ...
, and
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 ...
, were launching superhero lines. The line lasted under a year. There was a second wave of titles that were written but were not released.
[ Comics historians Keith Dallas and Jason Sacks analyzed that "by the summer of 1993 the market was so oversaturated with new titles and new universes, there was no room for imprints as unique as the Barkerverse to stand out".
In 2005, the appendix page of the '']Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe'' is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications. The original 15-volume series was published in comic book format in 1982, followed by sporadic u ...
'' one-shot involving alternate universes revealed that the Earth of the Razorline imprint is designated as Earth-45828. Relatively real-world, without other superheroes, it includes Marvel Comics as a comic-book publisher, with Razorline characters making references to "''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 ...
'' comics" and to Marvel editor Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
's ''Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
'' writing.
''Hokum & Hex'' and ''Hyperkind'' were superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
series, while the other two were supernatural series. All were released with a Comics Code
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. T ...
seal. The Razorline's short run of seven to nine issues each was due in large part to market conditions.
Two one-shots followed: ''Hyperkind Unleashed'' (which included a "Hokum & Hex" prose short story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...
) and ''Ektokid Unleashed'' (which included a "Saint Sinner" prose short story).
Other titles
Before the cancellations, several issues of four subsequent series were in various stages of completion: ''Wraitheart'' (written by Frank Lovece, art by Hector Gomez), ''Schizm'' (written by Fred Burke), ''Mode Extreme'' (written by Sarah Byam), and ''Fusion Force''.
Columnist and former comics publisher Cat Yronwode
Catherine Anna Yronwode ( née Manfredi; May 12, 1947) is an American writer, editor, graphic designer, typesetter, and publisher with an extensive career in the comic book industry. She is also a practitioner of folk magic.
Early life
Catherine ...
wrote:
In other media
A 2002 Barker telefilm titled '' Saint Sinner'' bore no relation to the comic. In Barker's words: "I was always disappointed with the way that Marvel handled that entire line of comics, particularly ''Saint Sinner''. I thought that's a waste of a good title. It was something that called for finding a new life in some way or another".
See also
* Marvel Comics multiverse
Within Marvel Comics, most tales take place within the fictional Marvel Universe, which in turn is part of a larger multiverse. Starting with issues of ''Captain Britain'', the main continuity in which most Marvel storylines take place was des ...
References
External links
*
Razorline
at The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
on May 7, 2013
at An International Catalogue of Superheroes
from the original on October 4, 2012.
*
"Comics"
at CliveBarker.com (unofficial site)
Archived
from the original on December 31, 2010.
*
{{Clive Barker
Marvel Comics dimensions
Marvel Comics imprints
Horror comics
Superhero comics