Eclipse Comics
11/11/2007

Eclipse Comics was one of the most influential comic publishers during the 1980?s and are considered one of the most innovative. Founded as Eclipse Enterprises by two brothers (Jan and Dean Mullaney with a small loan from their mother), the company started publishing in 1977. Eclipse would not only provide new marketing and product strategies but also anticipated many of the trends that dominate comics today.

Although Eclipse was not the first to offer creator ownership of titles published, by their rapid growth and extended reach, they were the most noticeable. In 1978, they released an original graphic novel (instead of a compilation of reprint material) called Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species, written by Don McGregor and illustrated by Paul Gulacy. This is often cited as the first graphic novel. Although other claims are made, it is generally considered the first true graphic novel along with Will Eisner?s Contract With God which appeared two months after the debut of Sabre.

Eclipse also ventured into the trading card business and manufactured a number of different sets of trading cards, some controversial, but usually geared towards the collectors? market even though they did have some success in the mass market.

Long before manga became so popular, Eclipse was bringing over manga titles and translating them for the American market. Appleseed, Area 88, Kamui, and Mai, the Psychic Girl were big hits for Eclipse and for many fans, introduced them to manga titles.

Eclipse proved to be a haven for some comic creators and some of the more recognizable names include: Chuck Austen, Dan Brereton, Gene Colan, Chuck Dixon, Steve Englehart, Mark Evanier, Neil Gaiman, Scott McCloud, Don McGregor, Alan Moore, Peter Milligan, Tim Truman, and Chris Ware. However, many other prominent creators participated in the publications of Eclipse for their cards, anthologies, or short-lived series.

Eclipse had many titles that proved to have a solid fan following such as Tim Truman?s Scout, a number of different books based on the works of Clive Barker, Zot! By Scott McCloud, DNAgents from Mark Evanier, the new version of Airboy, Mr. Tree which would later move to DC, and Dave Stevens? Rocketeer which was a collection of the original Pacific Comic stories.

However, the title most associated with Eclipse is Miracleman. Obviously, the quality and impact the title had when it first appeared is one reason for the strong identification and Miracleman continues to this day to hold a special reverence among many comic fans. In recent years, the dispute over ownership has keep the Miracleman legal situation in the news yet has prohibited any new material being produced.

When Eclipse closed its doors, the company was bought by Todd McFarland. However, most of the titles releases by Eclipse were owned by the creators and not Eclipse themselves. Miracleman was claimed to be owned by Eclipse (at least partially) however, the rights situation had to go to court to be finally determined. Alan Moore had taken the old character and revamped MarvelMan to Miracleman and when Moore left the book and Gaiman took over, Moore transferred his ownership to Gaiman. Because of the legal battles between Gaiman and McFarland over royalty payments (and ownership) of Spawn characters such as Medieval Spawn and Angela, Miracleman also became part of the court battle.

Some of the major titles released by Eclipse:
Airboy
Appleseed
Area 88
Aztec Ace
Black Terror
Clive Barker (various series)
Crossfire
Detectives, Inc.
DNAgents
Kamui
Mai the Psychic Girl
Miracleman
Modesty Blaise
Mr. Monster
Ms. Tree
Real War Stories
Sabre
Hobbit
Reid Fleming
Rocketeer
Scout
Star Reach Classics
Storm Watcher
Strange Days
Villains and Vigilantes
Zot!

Other notable titles from Eclipse include: Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters, Alien Encounters, Alien Worlds, Axel Pressbutton, Beanworld, Brought to Light, Cynicalman, Destroyer Duck, Espers, Masked Man, New Wave, Night Music, Prowler, Ragamuffins, Skywolf, Twisted Tales, and Valkyrie.

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