| Industry | Comics |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1983 2011 (relaunched) |
| Founder | Ken F. Levin Mike Gold |
| Defunct | 1991 |
| Headquarters | Evanston, Illinois (1983–1985) Chicago, Illinois (1985–1991) |
Key people | Matt and John Yuan (deputy publishers) Alex Wald (art director)[1] Kurt Goldzung (sales manager)[2] Larry Doyle (editor)[3] Bob Garcia[4] |
First Comics is an Americancomic book publisher that was active from 1983 to 1991 and then from 2011 to present (stylized as1First Comics), known for titles likeAmerican Flagg!,Grimjack,Nexus,Badger,Dreadstar, andJon Sable. Along with competitors likePacific Comics andEclipse Comics, First took early advantage of the growingdirect market, attracting a number of writers and artists fromDC andMarvel to producecreator-owned titles, which, as they were not subject to theComics Code, were free to feature more mature content.
Based inEvanston, Illinois, First Comics was co-founded by Ken F. Levin[5] andMike Gold. It launched in 1983 with a line-up of creators includingFrank Brunner,Mike Grell,Howard Chaykin,Joe Staton,Steven Grant,Timothy Truman, andJim Starlin. In 1984, First acquired all the titles of the short-lived publisherCapital Comics, includingMike Baron's action/superhero/fantasy/comedy seriesBadger, and Baron andSteve Rude's space-superhero seriesNexus.
Among First's best-known titles were Chaykin's satirical futuristic cop seriesAmerican Flagg;John Ostrander andTim Truman'sGrimjack; Baron & Rude'sNexus;Badger;Jim Starlin's space opera seriesDreadstar andMike Grell'sJon Sable, which was briefly adapted for TV.
In 1984, the publisher sued industry giantMarvel Comics, claiming that Marvel flooded the market with new titles in 1983 in order to shut out First and other new companies. In the same lawsuit, First also sued printerWorld Color Press for anti-competitive activities, claiming the printer undercharged Marvel for its business, and in return overcharged First and its fellow independents.[6][7] The suit was resolved in the spring of 1988.[8][9]
The company moved toChicago in 1985.Mike Gold, one of First's founders, served as the company president until late 1985;[10] Gold soon moved to New York to become a senior editor atDC Comics.[11] Gold later used his First Comics connections to bring Grell, Chaykin, and Truman over to DC, where they created series such asGreen Arrow: The Longbow Hunters,Blackhawk, andHawkworld.
From 1985 to 1988, First publishedPeter B. Gillis andMike Saenz'sdigital comicShatter, the first commercially published all-digital comic book.[12]
In 1986, despite its success with the direct market, First experimented with newsstand distribution.[13] Later that same year, the publisher found itself in the middle of the industry-wide debate aboutcreators' rights.[14] Clashes with DC Comics, First, and other publishers on this issue led in part to the drafting of theCreator's Bill of Rights signed byScott McCloud,Kevin Eastman,Peter Laird,Dave Sim,Rick Veitch, and other comics creators in late 1988.
First also published a series of comic adaptations of theEternal Champion books byMichael Moorcock and English translations of theJapanese manga seriesLone Wolf and Cub.
The company's final major project was a revival ofClassics Illustrated.[15][16] The company partnered withBerkley Books (then Berkley Publishing Group) to acquire the rights, andClassics Illustrated returned with new adaptations and a line-up of artists that includedKyle Baker,Dean Motter,Mike Ploog,P. Craig Russell,Bill Sienkiewicz,Joe Staton,Rick Geary, andGahan Wilson. However, the line lasted only a little over a year.
First Comics ceased publishing in 1991, and closed their doors for good in early 1992.[17]
AtSan Diego Comic-Con in 2011, First co-founder Levin announced that the company would resume publishing new material in late 2011.[5] Two years later, Mike Baron announced a new project on his Facebook page: "HOWL! coming next year from First Comics. Shane Oakley is the artist".[18] Publishing resumed in June 2014.[19]
First Comics and Devil's Due Publishing merged to form Devil's Due/1First Comics LLC in June 2015. In addition to reprinting older properties, Devil's Due/1First Comics launched five new ongoing series. Despite the merge and emphasis on creator owned properties, both 1First Comics and Devil's Due intend to maintain editorial independence.[20]
First Comics and Devil's Due parted ways and by September of 2019, First Comics was publishing titles under their own banner.
Since 2019, First Comics has continued publishing creator-owned titles, including Inspector Oh and Love Town byMatt and John Yuan, Night Stalker byOrlando Harding, and the Dogwitch Omnibus byDan Schaeffer.
In December of 2020, First Comics launched its board game division, First Games (aka 1First Games) with a board game adaptation of theGarth Ennis andDarick Robertson seriesThe Boys.
In February of 2022,Matt and John Yuan were named Deputy Publishers.[21]
The company picked up many industry awards, including a 1985Kirby Award for Best Graphic Album forBeowulf.
Dark Horse Comics would later reprint theLone Wolf and Cub series in English, and finally complete it in 2002. In 2005,IDW Publishing revivedJon Sable andGrimjack with new miniseries and reprint collections of the First Comics issues, and would also publish a complete collection ofMars. In 2007 IDW also started reprintingBadger as well as starting a new series.[22] IDW also reprinted the fourOz stories byEric Shanower originally published as issues ofFirst Graphic Novel asAdventures in Oz.First Graphic Novel also featuredcolorized reprints of early issues of the originalTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series.