The Spirit'', which revived acclaimed writer-artist
Will Eisner
William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series ''The Spirit'' (1940–1952) was not ...
's masked detective of 1940s and early-1950s
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...
Sunday supplements, reprinting the character's seven-page, semi-anthological stories for a new generation. The magazine featured new covers by Eisner and an occasional reprint in color.( ''The Spirit'' would later move to
Kitchen Sink Press.) The same year, Warren debuted ''
Comix International
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, ...
'', a color magazine reprinting earlier Warren stories.
After Dubay's departure,
Louise Jones, his former assistant, headed the editorial staff from 1976 to 1980. Toward the end of Dubay's period of editorship many American artists had returned to the magazines, including
John Severin,
Alex Toth, and
Russ Heath and they contributed many stories during Jones' time as editor. Former
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 the ...
publisher
Carmine Infantino
Carmine Michael Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are ...
would also join the company during this period and pencil over 50 stories. Much like the wave of Spanish artists that dominated throughout the mid-1970s, a number of artists from the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
would begin contributing during this period. Dubay returned as editor after Jones' departure, using the alias "Will Richardson".
Toward the end of the 1970s, Warren published two new magazines edited by Dubay: the science-fiction anthology ''
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
'', in 1978 (which would change its name to ''1994'' two years later); and, in 1979, ''
The Rook'', starring a
time-traveling adventurer whose stories had appeared in ''Eerie'' since 1977.
Decline and bankruptcy
James Warren's bad health, combined with changing tastes and business problems, led to internal turmoil and editorial turnover. The company suspended publishing in late 1981, editor Bill Dubay left in 1982, and Warren declared bankruptcy in 1983. In August 1983,
Harris Publications acquired company assets at auction, and published new and reprinted ''Vampirella'' comics; ''Creepy'' #146 (Summer 1985), continuing the numbering of the original series and containing both new and reprinted material, ''Creepy: The Limited Series'', a four-issue miniseries of new stories; and other Warren-related comics. A 1998 lawsuit by James Warren resulted in his reacquisition of the rights to ''Creepy'' and ''Eerie''.
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 know ...
began issuing reprints with the ongoing licensed series ''Creepy Archives'' in 2008, and began publishing new material with ''Creepy'' vol. 2 in 2009 and ''Eerie'' vol. 2 in 2012.
Artists and writers
Illustrators included such established artists as Orlando,
Neal Adams
Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...
,
Gene Colan,
Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta (born Frank Frazzetta ; February 9, 1928 – May 10, 2010) was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers, and other media. He i ...
,
Angelo Torres,
Roy G. Krenkel,
Gray Morrow,
Al Williamson,
Johnny Craig,
,
Alex Toth,
John Severin,
Russ Heath and
Wally Wood
Wallace Allan Wood (June 17, 1927 – November 2, 1981) was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, widely known for his work on EC Comics's titles such as '' Weird Science'', '' Weird Fantasy'', and ''MAD Magazine'' fr ...
, plus a newer group of talents, including
Dan Adkins,
Richard Bassford,
Roger Brand,
Frank Brunner,
Rich Buckler,
Dave Cockrum,
Nicola Cuti,
Richard Corben,
Ken Kelly,
Pepe Moreno,
Mike Royer,
Tom Sutton, and
Berni Wrightson
Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017), sometimes credited as Bernie Wrightson, was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his ...
.
The Spanish artists from
Selecciones Ilustradas included
Esteban Maroto
Esteban Maroto (born 1942) is a Spanish comic book artist.
Career
Born in Madrid, he began his career in the 1960s with series like ''Cinco por infinito'', published in English by Continuity Comics as '' Zero Patrol'' (heavily retouched by e ...
,
José Ortiz,
Luis Bermejo
Luis Bermejo Rojo (12 August 1931 – 12 December 2015) was a Spanish illustrator and comics artist known for his work published in Spain, Italy, Great Britain, and the United States. He has illustrated a number of novels, and worked for a while ...
,
Rafael Aura Leon,
Luis Garcia,
Jose Gonzalez,
Isidro Mones, Martin Salvador,
Fernando Fernandez,
Leopold Sanchez,
Ramon Torrents
Ramón Torrents (born 6 December 1937) is a Spanish comic book artist.
Career
Ramón Torrents was born in Barcelona, Catalonia, northern Spain. He began his career drawing for the comic ''Space Ace''. He later worked on romance comics for Br ...
,
Jose Bea,
Vicente Alcazar
Vicente Alcazar (born April 4, 1944) is a Spanish comics artist best known for his work for the American comic-book publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics, including a 1970s run on the DC Western character Jonah Hex.
His name is sometimes mis-c ...
, Jose Gual, Felix Mas and Jaime Brocal. Artists from the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
included
Alex Niño
Alex Niño (born May 1, 1940) is a Filipino comics artist best known for his work for the American publishers DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Warren Publishing, and in '' Heavy Metal'' magazine.
Biography
Early life and career
Alex Niño was bo ...
,
Rudy Nebres
Rodolfo D. Nebres (born January 14, 1937) is a Filipino comics artist who has worked mostly as an inker in the American comic book industry. Known for his lush, detailed inklines, Nebres' most prolific period was in the late 1970s and the 1980s.
...
,
Alfredo Alcala
Alfredo P. Alcala (August 23, 1925 – April 4, 2000) was a Filipino comics artist, born in Talisay, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the ''Alcala Komix Magazine''. His 1963 cr ...
and
Abel Laxamana
Abel ''Hábel''; ar, هابيل, Hābīl is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd ...
. Other international artists who worked for Warren include Gonzalo Mayo (
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
),
Pablo Marcos (Peru), Leo Duranona (
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
) and Paul Neary (
U.K.).
Cover artists for ''Creepy'', ''Eerie'' and ''Vampirella'' included Adkins, Frazetta, Kelly, Morrow, Sutton,
Ken Barr,
Vaughn Bodé
Vaughn may refer to:
Places in the United States
*Vaughn, California, former name of Bodfish, California
* Vaughn, Montana
*Vaughn, New Mexico
*Vaughn, Oregon
* Vaughn, Pennsylvania
* Vaughn, Virginia
*Vaughn, Washington
Name
* Vaughn (surname), ...
,
Pat Boyette, Ron Cobb, Richard Conway,
Jack Davis,
H.R. Giger,
Basil Gogos, Bill Hughes,
Terrance Lindall
Terrance Lindall (born 1944) is an American artist and the co-director and chief administrator of the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center in Brooklyn, New York. Lindall's illustrations have been published in '' Heavy Metal'', ''Creepy'', ''E ...
, Gutenberg Monteiro, Albert Nuetzell, Vic Prezo,
Sanjulián
Manuel Pérez Clemente (better known as Sanjulián; born 24 June 1941) is a Spanish painter, most notable for his magazine and novel covers. He was born in Barcelona, and studied at Belles Arts of Sant Jordi.
Sanjulián began working for Sel ...
, Vincente Segrelles, Kenneth Smith, Enrich Torres and
Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo (born January 8, 1941) is a Peruvian-American painter who works in the science fiction, fantasy, and erotica genres. His hyper-representational paintings have appeared on the covers of numerous science fiction and fantasy fiction ...
.
Writers included Goodwin, Cuti, Dubay,
Al Hewetson
Alan Hewetson ( August 30, 1946 Interview conducted May 26, 1973. – January 6, 2004) Additional . was a Scottish-Canadian writer and editor of American horror-comics magazines, best known for his work with the 1970s publisher Skywald Publi ...
,
Bruce Jones,
Doug Moench,
Budd Lewis,
Gerry Boudreau,
Rich Margopoulos,
Don McGregor
Donald Francis McGregor (born June 15, 1945) is an American comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics; he is the author of one of the first graphic novels.
Early life
Don McGregor was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he ...
,
Steve Skeates,
Jim Stenstrum,
Lynn Marron, and
T. Casey Brennan
Terrance Casey Brennan is an American comic book writer.
During the 1970s, he wrote for Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror-comics anthologies ''Creepy'' and ''Eerie'', and ''Vampirella''. He also wrote for DC Comics' '' House of M ...
.
Milestones
The first known romantic
interracial kiss in mainstream comics (as opposed to
underground comix
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 ...
) occurred in Warren's ''
Creepy'' #43 (Jan. 1972), in "The Men Who Called Him Monster" by writer
Don McGregor
Donald Francis McGregor (born June 15, 1945) is an American comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics; he is the author of one of the first graphic novels.
Early life
Don McGregor was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he ...
and artist
Luis Garcia. McGregor said in 2001 that the kiss was actually due to the artist misunderstanding the line "This is the clincher" in the script.
[Roach, Cooke, p. 14] McGregor would later script color comic books' first known interracial romantic kiss, in the "
Killraven: Warrior of the Worlds" feature in ''
Amazing Adventures'' #31 (July 1975).
Chronological list of magazines
''Ongoing publications;
one-shots not listed''
*''
After Hours'' (1957, four issues)
*''
Famous Monsters of Filmland'' (1958–1983, 191 issues)
*''Wildest Westerns'' (1959, formerly ''Favorite Westerns Of Filmland,'' six issues)
*''
Help!'' (1960–1965, 26 issues)
*''
Spacemen'' (1961, nine issues)
*''Screen Thrills Illustrated'' (1963, ten issues)
*''Monster World'' (1964, ten issues)
*''Famous Films'' (1964)
*''
Creepy'' (1964–1983, 145 issues)
*''
Blazing Combat'' (1965, four issues)
*''
Eerie'' (1966–1983, 139 issues)
*''On The Scene / Freak Out USA'' (1967, two issues)
*''Teen Love Stories'' (1967, three issues)
*''
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 '' Cre ...
'' (1969–1983, 112 issues)
*''
The Spirit'' (1974, 17 Warren issues; continued by
Kitchen Sink Press with issues #18-41)
* ''Comix International'' (1974, five issues)
*''
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
'' (retitled ''1994'' in 1980) (1978–1983, 29 issues)
*''
The Rook'' (Oct. 1979 - April 1982, 14 issues)
*''Warren Comics Presents'' (1979)
*''The Goblin'' (1982, three issues)
References
External links
* Additiona
Webcitation archive
* Swierczynski, Duane
Jim Warren Meets Vampirella''Philadelphia City Paper.net'', Jan. 6-12, 2005
WebCitation archive
*Dean, Michael
(excerpt), ''The Comics Journal'' #253, June 2003. Archive of original
WebCitation archive.
The WarrenverseWebsite devoted to Warren Publishing and its publications.
{{Authority control
1957 establishments in Pennsylvania
1983 disestablishments in New York (state)
Companies based in Philadelphia
Publishers of adult comics
Comic book publishing companies of the United States
Defunct comics and manga publishing companies
Publishing companies established in 1957
Publishing companies disestablished in 1983
Publishing companies based in New York City