Deluxe Comics

Deluxe Comics was a short-lived comic book publishing company which published one title, Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.

Deluxe Comics
Parent companySinger Publishing Co.
StatusDefunct (1986)
Founded1984
FounderDavid M. Singer
Country of originUnited States
Publication typesComic books

History

Deluxe Comics was a division of Singer Publishing, founded by David M. Singer (11 February 1957–24 August 2013). It lasted from 1984 to 1986.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents controversy

In 1984, Deluxe began publishing Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, featuring some of the best artists of the era, including George Pérez, Dave Cockrum, Keith Giffen, Murphy Anderson and Jerry Ordway. Singer claimed the group was in the public domain, a claim disputed by John Carbonaro of JC Comics.[1] In 1981, JC Comics had acquired the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents rights from defunct publisher Tower Comics (which had gone out of business in 1969). JC Comics had published several issues of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents in 1983, the last of which through Archie Comics' Red Circle Comics line.[2]

A lawsuit initiated by Carbonaro was eventually settled in US District Court in favor of Carbonaro,[3] with Singer acknowledging Carbonaro’s registered copyrights and trademark. Under the settlement, Carbonaro also received, among other things, an assignment of all rights to Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, previously published by Singer, and an undisclosed sum of money.[2]

Lodestone Comics

Lodestone Comics was a sister company of Deluxe Comics[4] and in 1985–1986 published five short-lived titles: Codename Danger, Evangeline Special,[5] the Futurians,[6] the March Hare, and a one-shot edition of The Honeymooners.[7]

Closure

Deluxe Comics/Lodestone closed its doors in 1986 when several major distributors failed to pay sizeable past-due invoices.[2]

Notes
  1. "Blood and T.H.U.N.D.E.R." The Comics Journal #97 (April 1985), pp. 7-11.
  2. Sodaro, Robert J. (1999). Malloy, Alex G. (ed.). "The Resplendent Sound of T.H.U.N.D.E.R.!". Comics Value Annual. Krause Publications. p. ix. Archived from the original on 2002-09-08 – via ThunderAgents.com.
  3. "Deluxe suspends T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents," The Comics Journal #100 (July 1985), pp. 20-22.
  4. Irving, Christopher. "John A. Carbonaro v. David M. Singer" The Thunder Agents Companion (2005), p.75. Online version at Google Books
  5. Heintjes, Tom (January 1986). "Independents news: Eclipse, First, Fantagraphics Books, and WaRP". Newswatch. The Comics Journal. No. 104. p. 21. ISSN 0194-7869. Evangeline news: Creators Judith Hunt and Chuck Dixon have completed negotiations with various publishers, and Deluxe Comics has come up with the rights to publish Evangeline.
  6. Heintjes, Tom; Thompson, Kim (February 1985). "Deluxe Comics adds two new titles". Newswatch. The Comics Journal. No. 95. p. 21. ISSN 0194-7869.
  7. Lodestone Comics at the Grand Comics Database


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