Blackthorne Publishing Inc. was an American comic book publisher that flourished from 1986 to 1989. They were notable for the Blackthorne 3-D Series, their reprint titles of classic comic strips like Dick Tracy, and their licensed products. Blackthorne achieved its greatest sales and financial success with their licensed 3-D comics adaptations of the California Raisins, but the financial loss suffered by the failure of their 3-D adaptation of Michael Jackson's film Moonwalker was a major contributor to the publisher's downfall.
History Blackthorne was established in 1985 by husband-and-wife team Steve Schanes and Ann Fera, formerly associated with Pacific Comics (which had gone out of business in 1984). After Schanes was fired from Pacific Comics, he needed a job in order to pay debts for himself and family. Schanes and Fera decided to raise $16,000 to start Blackthorne (naming the company after the street on which they lived), mostly using their credit cards.
Blackthorne's first title was Jerry Iger's Classic Sheena, with a cover date of April 1985, featuring Sheena, Queen of the Jungle reprints and a new Dave Stevens cover (the book had originally been slated as a Pacific Comics release). Despite early struggles due to their limited funds, Blackthorne steadily expanded during its first years. To increase their profitability and visibility, the company employed sales representatives which sold their comics to retail stores not covered by any comic book distributors, such as Hallmark Cards, Spencer Gifts, and 7-Elevens nationwide. By the end of 1987, according to Schanes, the company was publishing 22 comic books a month and was distributing to 900–1,200 gift stores not covered by comics distributors. Meanwhile, Blackthorne earned praise from critics and hobbyists for its reprints of classic newspaper comic strips. Schanes chose to do newspaper strip reprints because they required less financial investment and because there was little competition in the field at the time. Blackthorne immediately bought the rights for 60 different newspaper strips, even though they knew they wouldn't be able to produce most of them for years at best, to lock out any competition in the field.
In addition to their comic book line, Blackthorne published paperback books and created faux books for movie props; for instance, the comic books and technical manuals seen in the film Russkies are all props crafted by Blackthorne Publishing.
In 1987, however, with the company losing money on its color line, it canceled those titles to focus on its 3-D books and black-and-white licensed products. Blackthorne also suffered from the contemporaneous financial troubles of the Los Angeles–based distributor Sunrise Distribution. Sunrise went bankrupt in 1988, and although Blackthorne (along with fellow West Coast publisher Fantagraphics) sued the distributor, they were never able to recoup their losses. This in turn led to Blackthorne being audited by the federal government in 1988.
In early 1989, the company was still the fifth-largest U.S. comics publisher, bringing in about $1 million in sales and boasting a staff of eight full-time editorial and production employees. They published about 240 different titles a year, with an average print run of about 10,000 copies each. The company made a fatal error, however, when they signed on to adapt the Michael Jackson film Moonwalker to a 3-D comic book. The publisher paid a large licensing fee for the property and when the Moonwalker comic flopped later that year, they experienced a large financial loss.Hudson, Laura. "The 5 Greatest Michael Jackson Moments in Comics", Comics Alliance (June 26, 2009).
By mid-1989 the company was outsourcing its operations, and in November the company laid off eight of its nine employees, including editor-in-chief John Stephenson. $180,000 in debt, Blackthorne limped into 1990 before it finally folded.
Titles
Original series Adventures in the Mystwood, 1 issue Alien Ducklings, 4 issues Alien Worlds graphic novel Atomic Man Comics, 3 issues Blackthorne's 3-in-1, 2 issues Brik Hauss, 1 issue Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos, 5 issues Crow of the Bear Clan, 6 issues Danse, 1 issue Dogaroo, 1 issue Duckbots, 2 issues Enchanted Valley, 2 issues Failed Universe, 1 issue – New Universe parody Figments, 3 issues Fragments (Black), 2 issues Freak-Out on Infant Earths, 2 issues – Crisis on Infinite Earths parody The Gift, 1 issue Ground Pound! Comix , 1 issue Hamster Vice, 6 issues – Miami Vice parody Jack Hunter (Vol. 1, color), 1 issue Jack Hunter (Vol. 11, Prestige format B&W), 3 issues Jax and the Hellhound, 3 issues Labor Force, 8 issues Lann graphic novel Laffin' Gas, 12 issues Legion Of Stupid Heroes, 1 issue – Legion of Super-Heroes parody Mad Dog Magazine, 3 issues The Man of Rust, 1 issue Midnite, 3 issues Mr. Cream Puff, 1 issue Nervous Rex, 10 issues Of Myths and Men, 2 issues Omega Elite, 1 issue Omni Men, 1 issue Operative: Scorpio graphic novel Outposts, 1 issue Pajama Chronicles, 1 issue Planet Comics, 3 issues Possibleman, 2 issues Pre-Teen Dirty-Gene Kung Fu Kangaroos, 3 issues – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles parody Red Heat, 2 issues Revolving Doors, 3 issues Roachmill, 6 issues Rivit, 1 issue Serius Bounty Hunter, 3 issues Shuriken graphic novel Starlight Squadron, 1 issue Street Poet Ray, 2 issues Street Wolf, 3 issues To Die For, 1 issue Timeline Color Comics, 1 issue (?) Tracker, 2 issues Twisted Tantrums of the Purple Snit, 2 issues Wings Comics graphic novel Wolph, 1 issue Xeno-Men, 1 issue X-L, graphic novel
Blackthorne 3-D Series 80 issues 3-D Bullwinkle & Rocky, 1 issue 3-D Bullwinkle For President In 3-D, 1 issue 3-D Heroes, 1 issue 3-D Sports Hall of Shame, 1 issue Adventures of Capt. Holo 3-D, 1 issue Baby Huey 3-D, 1 issue BattleTech 3-D, 1 issue Betty Boop 3-D, 1 issue Bizarre 3-D Zone, 1 issue Bozo the Clown in 3-D, 3 issues Bravestarr in 3-D, 2 issues California Raisins in 3-D, 5 issues California Raisins: The Ultimate Collection trade paperback Casper in 3-D, 1 issue Classic Jungle Comics, 1 issue Dick Tracy in 3-D, 1 issue The Flintstones in 3-D, 4 issues G.I. Joe in 3-D, 6 issues G.I. Joe in 3-D Annual, 1 issue Goldyn in 3-D, 1 issue Gumby 3-D, 7 issues Hamster Vice in 3-D, 2 issues Kull 3-D, 2 issues Lars of Mars in 3-D, 1 issue Laurel & Hardy in 3-D, 2 issues Little Dot 3-D, 1 issue Little Nemo in Slumberland 3-D, 1 issue Merlin Realm in 3-D, 1 issue Moonwalker in 3-D, 1 issue The Noid in 3-D, 2 issues Playful Little Audrey in 3-D, 1 issue Rambo III 3-D, 1 issue Red Sonja 3-D, 1 issue Richie Rich and Casper 3-D, 1 issue Sad Sack 3-D, 1 issue Salimba 3-D, 2 issues Sheena 3-D Special, 1 issue Solomon Kane 3-D, 1 issue Star Wars 3-D, 3 issues Transformers in 3-D, 3 issues To Die For 3-D, 1 issue Twisted Tales 3-D, 1 issue Underdog 3-D, 1 issue Waxwork 3-D, 1 issue Wendy in 3-D, 1 issue Werewolf 3-D, 1 issue
Licensed and reprint titles Battle Beasts, 4 Issues BattleForce, 2 issues BattleTech, 6 issues BattleTech Annual Beyond Mars, 5 issues (later released as two-part trade paperback) Comic Strip Preserves series Betty Boop, 3 issues Boner's Ark, 1 issue Brenda Starr Reporter, 2 issues Mary Worth, 1 issue Smokey Stover, 1 issue Steve Roper and the Wahoo, 2 issues Tales of the Green Beret, 3 issues Dick Tracy series Dick Tracy Book, 21 issues Dick Tracy (Reuben series), 24 issues Dick Tracy Monthly/Weekly, 99 issues Dick Tracy Special, 3 issues Dick Tracy: The Early Years, 4 issues Dick Tracy: The Unprinted Stories, 4 issues Dick Tracy trade paperback The Iger Comics Kingdom trade paperback Jerry Iger's Classic Jumbo Comics, 1 issue Jerry Iger's Golden Features, 7 issues Jerry Iger's National Comics trade paperback Jungle Comics, 4 issues Kerry Drake, 5 issues Kirby: King of the Serials, 1 issue Little Nemo in Slumberland, 2 issues Li'l Abner (Reuben Series) trade paperback Official How to Draw series Official How to Draw G.I. Joe, 3 issues Official How to Draw Robotech, 14 issues Official How to Draw Transformers, 6 issues On Stage by Leonard Starr trade paperback Prince Valiant graphic novel, 2 issues Rambo, 1 issue Rambo III, 1 issue Rover from Gasoline Alley, 1 issue Salimba graphic novel Star Hawks, 4 issues Stories of the West, 2 issues Tales of the Jackalope, 7 issues Tarzan, 1 issue Waxwork, 1 issue Werewolf, 5 issues
Notes
References
Steve Schanes interview, David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview #54–55 (1988) Duin, Steve, and Mike Richardson. Comics Between the Panels (Dark Horse Comics, Milwaukie, OR: 1998), p. 50.