''Star Reach'' (also spelled ''Star*Reach'') was an American science fiction and

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 drama. ...

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 ...

published from 1974 to 1979 by

Mike Friedrich Mike Friedrich (; born March 27, 1949) is an American comic book writer and publisher best known for his work at Marvel and DC Comics, and for publishing the anthology series '' Star*Reach'', one of the first independent comics. He is also an ...

Publication history

One of the first American mainstream independent comic books, ''Star*Reach'' bridged the gap between the countercultural

underground comics Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...

and traditional

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

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 their f ...

fare, providing mature genre stories for an adult audience. The fan press of the time referred to this and the comics magazine '' Heavy Metal'' as "ground-level publications". Along with such other examples as

Flo Steinberg Florence Steinberg (March 17, 1939 – July 23, 2017) was an People of the United States, American publisher of one of the first independent comic books, the underground comics, underground/alternative comics hybrid ''Big Apple Comix'', in 1975. Ad ...

's ''

Big Apple Comix ''Big Apple Comix'' is an early independent comic book published by Flo Steinberg in 1975. A historically important link between underground comix and what would later be called alternative comics, this 36-page, 6" × 9" hybrid with glossy color ...

'', published in 1975, and

Harvey Pekar Harvey Lawrence Pekar (; October 8, 1939 – July 12, 2010) was an American underground comic book writer, music critic, and media personality, best known for his autobiographical ''American Splendor'' comic series. In 2003, the series inspired a ...

's naturalistic

Everyman The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them. Origin The term ''everyman'' was used as early a ...

series ''

American Splendor ''American Splendor'' is a series of autobiographical comic books written by Harvey Pekar and drawn by a variety of artists. The first issue was published in 1976 and the last one in September 2008, with publication occurring at irregular interva ...

'', first published in 1976, ''Star*Reach'' was a forerunner of the late-1970s rise of the modern

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

, and of the 1980s'

independent comics Alternative comics cover a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to mainstream superhero comics which i ...

. Eighteen issues were released between 1974 and 1979. Contributors included such

and DC writers and artists as

Howard Chaykin Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker. Early life ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. It also included prose short stories by such authors as

Roger Zelazny Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American poet and writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for '' The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nomi ...

, who wrote the 13-page "The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth", with illustrations by

Gray Morrow Dwight Graydon "Gray" Morrow (March 7, 1934 – November 6, 2001).e., the Gilberton Company, publisher of the ''Classics Illustrated'' comic-book series of literary adaptations], and I was given a script. One thing led to another and I was soo ...

, in issue #12 (March 1978). Friedrich's company grew into a small publishing house in

Hayward, California Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Coun ...

, also called Star*Reach, that published the comic book series ''Quack''; ''Imagine''; and

Lee Marrs Lee Marrs (born September 5, 1945) is an American cartoonist and animator, and one of the first female underground comix creators. She is best known for her comic book series ''The Further Fattening Adventures of Pudge, Girl Blimp'', which lasted ...

' ''Pudge, Girl Blimp'', along with a number of one-shot comics. The company ceased publishing in 1979.

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 ...

repackaged some of the original ''Star*Reach'' and ''Imagine'' material as ''Star*Reach Classics'' in 1984.''Star*Reach Classics''
at the Grand Comics Database

References

Sources

* Richard Arndt, Mike Friedrich, ''The Star Reach Companion'', TwoMorrows Publishing, 2013.

External links

Comics anthologies Defunct comics and manga publishing companies Eclipse Comics titles Fantasy comics Science fiction comics 1974 comics debuts Companies based in Hayward, California Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area {{comics-stub