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| Industry | Comics |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1986; 39 years ago (1986) |
| Defunct | 1994; 31 years ago (1994) |
| Headquarters | Newbury Park, California, U.S. |
Key people |
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| Owner | Marvel Comics (from 1994) |
| Parent | Malibu Comics (from 1988) |
Eternity Comics was an American comic book publisher active from 1986 to 1994, first as an independent publisher, then as an imprint ofMalibu Comics. Eternity published creator-owned comics of an offbeat, independent flavor, as well as some licensed properties. One of its most notable titles wasEx-Mutants. Eternity was also notable for reprinting foreign titles, and introducingCat Claw,The Jackaroo, and theSouthern Squadron to the U.S. market.
Such well-known creators asBrian Pulido,Evan Dorkin,Dale Berry,Ben Dunn,Dean Haspiel, andRon Lim got their starts with Eternity.
Eternity began publishing in 1986 inNewbury Park, California, privately financed bycomics distributorScott Mitchell Rosenberg,[2] and helmed byBrian Marshall and Tony Eng.[3]
The company debuted with such titles asEarthlore,Gonad the Barbarian,The Mighty Mites,Ninja, andReign of the Dragonlord (with onlyNinja lasting more than a couple of issues).
In April 1987,The Comics Journal revealed that Eternity — along with publishersMalibu Comics,Amazing Comics,Wonder Color, and Marshall's ownImperial Comics — had been financed by Rosenberg. After this was made public, Rosenberg discontinued most of the publishers, keeping Malibu and retaining the Eternity label as a Malibu imprint. Eternity also took over publishing a number of Imperial Comics' titles, includingBattle to the Death,Nazrat, andProbe.[1] In late 1988, Rosenberg also brought inCanadian publisherAircel Comics under the Eternity/Malibu umbrella.[4]
One of Eternity's most successful titles was its 1988–1994 licensing of theRobotech franchise. The creators, theWaltrip brothers, began with direct adaptations of theRobotech II: The Sentinels scripts and novels, before eventually writing additional stories that expanded thecanon beyond the initial 85 animatedRobotech episodes andThe Sentinels. As the series progressed, the Waltrips began deviating from theSentinels novels, adding new story elements and new characters.
During its existence, Eternity was no stranger to legal squabbles. The popular titleEx-Mutants was first published by Eternity in 1987–1988, and was then moved to the independent black-and-white publisher Amazing Comics (with contractual problems later forcing the title to be published under Amazing's successor,Pied Piper Comics). A legal dispute followed, and after running out of money for the struggle, creatorsDavid Lawrence andRon Lim surrendered: the title returned to Eternity and was later published in a revamped version by Malibu.[5]
Eternity's 1989 publication ofThe Uncensored Mouse, which reprintedMickey Mouse comics from the 1930s — without Disney's permission — led to a run-in withWalt Disney Productions. Eternity printedThe Uncensored Mouse with totally black covers, bagged (to prevent casual buyers from flipping through the comic), and the inside of the comic had a printed notice: "Mickey Mouse is a registered trademark ofWalt Disney Productions" so as not to confuse the market that it was an authorized Disney production. Eternity believed it had not violated any copyrights because strips had fallen into public domain. Regardless, Disney brought a lawsuit against the company and the series was cancelled after just two issues (six issues were solicited).[6]
Similarly, Eternity's 1989-1992 adaptation of the popular JapanesemangaCaptain Harlock was discontinued after it was discovered that Eternity/Malibu did not have theCaptain Harlock rights. The alleged representative for the rights toHarlock to whom Malibu paid money, claiming to representCoral Pictures, turned out to be fraudulent and was in no way connected to the actual rights holders.[7][8]
Malibu stopped using the Eternity imprint beforeMarvel acquired Malibu,[9] when Eternity's last two franchises moved to other publishers in the middle of 1994:Ninja High School returning toAntarctic Press andRobotech moving to Academy Comics.
About Scott Rosenberg of Sunrise Distributors, and Eternity, Imperial, Amazing,Malibu, and Wonder Color Comics.
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