Epic Comics was a creator-owned imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982, lasting through the mid-1990s, and being briefly revived on a small scale in the mid-2000s. Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ...

Dreadstar #1 (Nov. 1982), debut publication of Marvel Comics' Epic imprint. Cover art by Jim Starlin

Launched by editor-in-chief Jim Shooter as a spin-off of the successful Epic Illustrated magazine, the Epic imprint allowed creators to retain control and ownership of their properties. Co-edited by Al Milgrom and Archie Goodwin, the imprint also allowed Marvel to publish a more mature line of comics oriented toward an older audience. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (986x1530, 824 KB)[edit] Summary This image is of the cover of a single issue of a comic book, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the comic book or the artist(s) which... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (986x1530, 824 KB)[edit] Summary This image is of the cover of a single issue of a comic book, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the comic book or the artist(s) which... Jim Starlin, 2006 James P. Jim Starlin (b. ... Cover image of Harbinger #1 from Valiant Comics Jim Shooter (born September 27, 1951 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. ... Epic Illustrated was a bi-monthly large format anthology series published by Marvel Comics for 34 issues between 1980-1986. ... Cover to West Coast Avengers #1, Art by Milgrom Allen Al Milgrom is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor. ... Archie Goodwin (September 9, 1937 – February 28, 1998) was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. ...

The first project was Dreadstar, a space opera by writer-artist Jim Starlin, published November 1982. Subsequent titles included Coyote by Steve Englehart, Alien Legion (a war series set in outer space, created by Carl Potts but written by others), Six from Sirius, a sci-fi title by writer Doug Moench and artist Paul Gulacy, Sisterhood of Steel, a saga of elite women-warriors by Christy Marx and Mike Vosburg and Void Indigo, a controversial title written by Steve Gerber. Dreadstar was the first comic published by Epic Comics, in 1982. ... Classic pulp space opera cover, with the usual cliche elements. ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Look up artist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Jim Starlin, 2006 James P. Jim Starlin (b. ... Coyote is a comic book character created by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers for Eclipse Comics that was first published in Eclipse Magazine #2-8. ... Steve Englehart (born April 22, 1947, Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, particularly in the 1970s. ... Alien Legion was an early Epic Comics title about the members of a military unit called Force Nomad, comprised of the dregs of the universe and similar to the French Foreign Legion. ... Carl Potts (born Oakland, California) is an American comic-book writer and editor best known for creating the series Alien Legion for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics. ... Six from Sirius is a comic-book series created by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy and published by Epic Comics. ... Sci-fi is an abbreviation for science fiction. ... Doug Moench, born February 23, 1948 in Chicago, Illinois, is a comic book writer. ... Paul Gulacy is an American Comic Book Artist. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Christy Marx (born c. ... Void Indigo was a short lived and highly controversial comic book series written by Steve Gerber and drawn by Val Mayerick, it was published by Epic Comics from 1983 to 1984. ... Steve Gerber (born 20 September 1947) is an American writer of comic books. ...

The line branched out later with historical fiction (Black Dragon), social commentary (The One, Marshal Law), humor (Groo) and fantasy (Moonshadow, Elfquest). However, initial sales were disappointing, so in order to give the line a boost, popular Marvel writer-artist Frank Miller and artist Bill Sienkiewicz were commissioned to develop Elektra: Assassin, featuring the ninja assassin from the Daredevil comic book. A historical novel is a novel in which the story is set among historical events, or more generally, where the time the action takes place in predates the time of the first publication -- distinguish and contrast the genre of alternate history. ... Social commentary is the act of expressing an opinion on the nature of society. ... The One was a Comic book distributed by Epic comics. ... Cover of the Marshal Law Takes Manhattan one-shot, art by Kevin ONeill Marshal Law is a superhero comic book series created by Pat Mills and Kevin ONeill. ... Look up Humour in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Groo the Wanderer is a fantasy/comedy comic book series written and drawn by Sergio Aragonés, rewritten, coplotted and edited by Mark Evanier, lettered by Stan Sakai, and colored by Tom Luth. ... Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Elfquest #5, 1979. ... Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957 in Olney, Maryland) is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. ... Bill Sienkiewicz in Gijón, Spain. ... Elektra Natchios, usually known only by her first name Elektra, is a fictional supervillain and anti-hero from Marvel Comics. ... This article is about the Marvel Comics superhero. ...

Although Epic was meant to be mainly a creator-owned line, Elektra: Assassin became only the first title featuring Marvel characters published by the imprint. Others included Meltdown, a painted mini-series featuring Havok and Wolverine from the X-Men; a resurrected Tomb of Dracula; and the miniseries Silver Surfer: Parable, dealing with messianic themes, written by Stan Lee with art by French comics storyteller Mœbius). Marvel then commissioned writer and Marvel editor Archie Goodwin to create original characters for a Mature Readers superhero line for Epic Comics. This took the form of The Shadowline Saga, a storyline spanning four different titles in 1987. Havok (Alexander Alex Summers) is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. ... For other uses, see Wolverine (disambiguation). ... The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... Tomb of Dracula is a horror comic book published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. ... The Silver Surfer is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. ... Stan The Man Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1922 [1] New York, New York) is an American writer, editor, Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Comics, and memoirist, who — with several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko — introduced complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared... Jean Giraud (born May 8, 1938) is a French comics artist. ... Archie Goodwin (September 8, 1937 – March 1, 1998) was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. ... The Shadowline Saga is a comic book imprint from Epic Comics that was published in its original incarnation from 1987 - 1990. ...

Epic was also notable as one of the first American comic publishers to release material originally produced in other countries, such as the Moebius graphic novels Airtight Garage, The Incal and Blueberry, published here in English translations by Jean-Marc Lofficier & Randy Lofficier. Epic also published Katsuhiro Otomo's manga classic Akira, with translations by Marvel staffer Mary Jo Duffy and colors by Steve Oliffe. The Airtight Garage Original Title Le Garage Hermétique de Jerry Cornelius Series Title Major Fatal Writer(s) Moebius Artist(s) Moebius Publisher Les Humanoïdes Associés Humanoids Publishing First published 1976 Pages 128 ISBN 2 7316 14145 The Airtight Garage Of Jerry Cornelius (Le Garage Hermétique de... John Difool 32,Itomi Bhaa after Moebius The Incal is a science fiction comic book saga written by Alejandro Jodorowsky and illustrated by Moebius. ... Blueberry is a French comic strip created by Jean-Michel Charlier and Jean Moebius Giraud. ... Jean-Marc Lofficier (born June 22, 1954) is a French Occitan author of books about films and television programs, as well as numerous comic books and translations of a number of animation screenplays. ... Jean-Marc Lofficier (born June 22, 1954) is a French author of books about film and television programs, as well as numerous comic books and translations of a number of animation screenplays. ... Katsuhiro Otomo Katsuhiro Otomo (大友克洋 ÅŒtomo Katsuhiro) (born April 14, 1954 in Hasama, Miyagi, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist and anime director. ... Manga )   is the Japanese word for comics and print cartoons. ... Akira (Japanese: ) is a cyberpunk serial manga by Katsuhiro Otomo. ... Mary Jo Duffy, often referred to simply as Jo Duffy, was a notable editor and writer of comic books for Marvel Comics in the 1980s. ...

As well, Epic, now edited by Potts, licensed a variety of literary material, the best known of which were the Clive Barker novels and stories, including Hellraiser, Nightbreed and Weaveworld. Other adapted works included William Shatner's Tekworld, the Wild Cards anthologies, and William Gibson's Neuromancer. How to obtain a amature radio licence differs from country to country. ... Clive Barker (born October 5, 1952) is an English author, film director and visual artist. ... Hellraiser is a 1987 British horror film exploring the themes of sadomasochism, pain as a source of pleasure, and morality under duress and fear. ... Nightbreed is a 1990 movie based on Clive Barkers novella Cabal. ... Weaveworld is a novel by Clive Barker. ... TekWar is the title of a series of science fiction novels by William Shatner which gave rise to a TV series and short series of TV movies in which Shatner also appeared. ... The cover of the first Wild Cards book, Wild Cards. ... Neuromancer by William Gibson is the most famous early cyberpunk novel and won the so-called science-fiction triple crown (the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award, and the Hugo Award) after being published in 1984. ...

Epic's cachet dimmed somewhat in the late 1980s and early '90s, partly as a consequence of the new breed of "grim and gritty" stories Epic had helped to pioneer but which had now become a staple of mainstream comics. Yet during a sales boom in comics around that time, Epic published the four-part graphic novel miniseries Atomic Age, a 1950s-style science fiction story reimagined from a contemporary perspective by writer Frank Lovece and artists Mike Okamoto and Al Williamson, and brought out the action-oriented "Heavy Hitters" line with material from Peter David (Sachs and Violens), Howard Chaykin (Midnight Men), Gerard Jones (The Trouble with Girls), Joe Kubert (Abraham Stone) and Steve Purcell (Sam & Max). The subsequent comic-book sales bust, however, prompted Marvel to end Epic in 1994. In late 1995, the line was temporarily brought back to complete the reprinting of the Akira manga. Epic was ended again when the series completed in early 1996. Trade paperback of Will Eisners A Contract with God (1978), often mistakenly cited as the first graphic novel. ... A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ... Atomic Age is a 5 issues comic book limited series created in 1990 by Frank Lovece (writer), Mike Okamoto (penciller) and Al Williamson (inker), and published by Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Frank Lovece is an American journalist, author, comedy performer and comic-book writer. ... Mike Okamoto (born Detroit, Michigan, United States) is an American comic book artist and commercial illustrator best known for his award-winning work on the Marvel Comics miniseries Atomic Age; as a prominent good girl art cartoonist; and as the five-time Golf Illustrator of the Year. ... Al Williamson Al Williamson (March 21, 1931 - ) is an American cartoonist of partly Colombian descent. ... Peter David Peter Allen David (often abbreviated PAD) (born September 23, 1956) is an American writer, best known for his work in comic books and Star Trek novels. ... Sachs and Violens was a four issue mini-series written by Peter David, with art by George Perez and published by Marvels Epic Comics imprint from 1993 to 1994. ... Howard V. Chaykin (born 1950) is an American comic book writer and artist famous for his innovative storytelling and sometimes controversial material. ... Gerard Jones is an American writer, born July 10, 1957 in Cut Bank, Montana, raised in Los Gatos and Gilroy, California. ... Joe Kubert (born September 18, 1926, Poland) is an American comic book artist who went on to found the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. ... Steve Purcell is best known as the creator of comic book characters Sam and Max, of the Freelance Police - a dog and rabbit crime-fighting duo. ... Sam and Max are a pair of fictional comic book characters who occupy a parody of American popular culture. ...

Epic returns

In 2001, after recovering from bankruptcy, Marvel returned to publishing material suited for mature audiences, inaugurating with a new imprint called MAX. Yet in 2003, Epic was brought back, with editors originally scouting for new creator-owned projects before deciding to adapt lesser-known Marvel properties. Marvel Editors quietly contacted new and budding writers in the industry, such as Ryan Scott Ottney, Eric J. Moreels, Jason Henderson, and many others, to ask for new comic pitches using existing Marvel properties. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... MAX is an imprint of Marvel Comics for adult audiences, launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system. ... Ryan Scott Ottney (b. ...

The new Epic received considerable attention with Trouble, a miniseries by Mark Millar that supposedly would retcon the Spider-Man mythos by revealing that May Parker was actually Peter's mother, but although all the main characters sported names any Spider-fan would recognize, there was no explicit revelation that they were in any way connected to their Marvel Universe namesakes. Other comics in the line, including a Crimson Dynamo title, were produced by lesser-known talents, and the line was aborted before it could develop traction. A number of solicitations were cancelled. Titles that were in progress when Marvel's new management dumped the line were hastily thrown together under one cover with the title Epic Anthology Presents, which was promptly cancelled after the first issue was published. Photo cover of Trouble #1 Trouble is a romance comic book mini series consisting of five issues published by Marvel Comics under its Epic line in 2003. ... Mark Millar (born December 24, 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer born in Coatbridge. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... May Parker redirects here. ... The Crimson Dynamo is the name of several fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe, most of whom have been supervillains. ...

Titles

• Epic Illustrated - magazine anthology similar to Heavy Metal
• Airtight Garage - French comic, created by Moebius
• Akira - Manga
• Alien Legion - created by Carl Potts
• Atomic Age
• Black Dragon
• Blood: A Tale - created by J.M. DeMatteis
• Coyote
• Crash Ryan
• Dreadstar - created by Jim Starlin
• Elektra: Assassin
• Epic Anthology - collected the complete first issues of three different titles that were developed as individual mini-series (Sleepwalker, Young Ancient One and Strange Magic); only one issue published
• Feud
• Groo the Wanderer - by Sergio Aragones, Mark Evanier and Stan Sakai
• Gun Theory - by Daniel Way and Jon Proctor, cancelled mid-series after two issues
• Hellraiser - based on concepts by Clive Barker
• The Shadowline Saga
  • Dr. Zero
  • Powerline
  • St. George
  • Critical Mass
• Silver Surfer: Parable
• Moonshadow - created by J.M. DeMatteis
• The One
• The Olympians - Stephen Jewell and Gary Chaloner
• The Sleeze Brothers
• Starstruck
• Sisterhood of Steel
• Six from Sirius
• Swords of the Swashbucklers
• William Shatner's Tek World
• Timespirits
• Tomb of Dracula - controversial revival by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan
• Trouble
• Void Indigo

Epic Illustrated was a bi-monthly large format anthology series published by Marvel Comics for 34 issues between 1980-1986. ... Jean-Michel Nicollets cover for the first issue. ... The Airtight Garage Original Title Le Garage Hermétique de Jerry Cornelius Series Title Major Fatal Writer(s) Moebius Artist(s) Moebius Publisher Les Humanoïdes Associés Humanoids Publishing First published 1976 Pages 128 ISBN 2 7316 14145 The Airtight Garage Of Jerry Cornelius (Le Garage Hermétique de... Moebius or Möbius may refer to: The mathematician August Ferdinand Möbius, and several mathematical concepts related to him, including: The Möbius strip - an object with one surface and one edge The Möbius function, Möbius transform, and Möbius inversion formula of number theory The M... Akira (Japanese: ) is a cyberpunk serial manga by Katsuhiro Otomo. ... Alien Legion was an early Epic Comics title about the members of a military unit called Force Nomad, comprised of the dregs of the universe and similar to the French Foreign Legion. ... Carl Potts (born Oakland, California) is an American comic-book writer and editor best known for creating the series Alien Legion for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics. ... Atomic Age is a 5 issues comic book limited series created in 1990 by Frank Lovece (writer), Mike Okamoto (penciller) and Al Williamson (inker), and published by Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics. ... John Marc DeMatteis is an American writer of comic books. ... Coyote is a comic book character created by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers for Eclipse Comics that was first published in Eclipse Magazine #2-8. ... Crash Ryan is a comic-book series created by Ron Harris and published by Epic Comics. ... Dreadstar was the first comic published by Epic Comics, in 1982. ... Jim Starlin, 2006 James P. Jim Starlin (b. ... Groo the Wanderer is a fantasy/comedy comic book series written and drawn by Sergio Aragonés, rewritten, coplotted and edited by Mark Evanier, lettered by Stan Sakai, and colored by Tom Luth. ... Sergio Aragonés (born 1937) is a cartoonist and writer. ... Mark Evanier (born March 2, 1952 in Santa Monica, California) is an American writer. ... Stan Sakai (born 1953) is a third-generation American of Japanese descent. ... Hellraiser is a 1987 British horror film exploring the themes of sadomasochism, pain as a source of pleasure, and morality under duress and fear. ... Clive Barker (born October 5, 1952) is an English author, film director and visual artist. ... Mister Freeze (Dr. Victor Fries) is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman. ... Powerline may refer to: Powerline (blog), a web log with a far-right Christian conservative point of view. ... For alternate uses, see Saint George (disambiguation) Saint George on horseback rides alongside a wounded dragon being led by a princess, late 19th century engraving. ... San Francisco Critical Mass, April 29, 2005 Critical Mass is a bike ride typically held on the last Friday of every month in cities around the world where bicyclists and, less frequently, skateboarders, roller bladers, roller skaters and other self-propelled commuters take to the streets en masse. ... The Silver Surfer is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. ... This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... John Marc DeMatteis is an American writer of comic books. ... The One was a Comic book distributed by Epic comics. ... The Olympian gods that appear in the Marvel Universe are loosely based on the Olympians of Greek Mythology. ... The Sleeze Brothers was a short-lived comic published by Epic Comics, between August 1989 and January 1990 (UK release dates), lasting for 6 issues. ... StarStruck is the first reality-based talent search for teenagers on Philippine television in recent history. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Six from Sirius is a comic-book series created by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy and published by Epic Comics. ... Tomb of Dracula is a horror comic book published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. ... Cover to Crisis on Infinite Earths #1, which was written by Wolfman. ... Gene Colan (born September 1, 1926, the Bronx, New York City, New York) is an American comic book artist who sometimes worked under the name Adam Austin. ... Photo cover of Trouble #1 Trouble is a romance comic book mini series consisting of five issues published by Marvel Comics under its Epic line in 2003. ... Void Indigo was a short lived and highly controversial comic book series written by Steve Gerber and drawn by Val Mayerick, it was published by Epic Comics from 1983 to 1984. ...

Sources

• "Marvel to tell 'Epic' stories once again", Comic Book Resources
• "Epic Comics", International Catalogue of Superheroes
• "The Trouble with Marvel", The Comics Journal
• "Epic publishing timeline", Maelmill.com