Deluxe Comics

Deluxe Comics was a short-lived comic book publishing company known for publishing one title, Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. Lodestone Publishing, Inc., an imprint of Deluxe,[2] published a few other series, notably taking over from other publishers such titles as Futurians and Evangeline.

Deluxe Comics
Parent companySinger Publishing Co.
StatusDefunct (1986)
Founded1984
FounderDavid M. Singer
Country of originUnited States
Key peopleBrian Marshall[1]
Publication typesComic books
Fiction genresSuperheroes, Crime
ImprintsLodestone Publishing, Inc.

Notable creators[3] who worked for Deluxe/Lodestone included Dave Cockrum, Chuck Dixon, Judith Hunt, Rich Buckler, George Pérez, Keith Giffen, Murphy Anderson, Jerry Ordway, Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming, Kyle Baker, Mike Harris, Paul Smith, and Ricardo Villagrán.

Deluxe/Lodestone operated in the period 1984 to 1986.

History

Deluxe Comics was a division of Singer Publishing, founded by David M. Singer (11 February 1957–24 August 2013).[3]

In 1984, Deluxe began publishing new issues of Wally Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, about a fictional team of superheroes that appeared in comic books originally published by Tower Comics in the 1960s. The singer claimed the group was in the public domain, a claim disputed by John Carbonaro of JC Comics.[4] 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; Wood had died in 1981). 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.[5]

A lawsuit initiated by Carbonaro was eventually settled in United States district court in favor of Carbonaro,[6] 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.[5]

Closure

Deluxe Comics/Lodestone closed its doors in 1986 when several major distributors failed to pay sizeable past-due invoices.[5]

Titles published

Deluxe Comics

Lodestone
  • Codename: Danger (4 issues, Aug. 1985–May 1986)
  • Evangeline Special (one-shot, May 1986)[7]
  • The Futurians[8] (3 issues, Oct. 1985–Apr. 1986)
  • The Honeymooners (one-shot, 1986)
  • The March Hare (one-shot, 1986)

Notes
  1. "Brian Marshall entry". Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  2. Irving, Christopher (2005). "John A. Carbonaro v. David M. Singer". In Cooke, Jon B. (ed.). The Thunder Agents Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 75. ISBN 9781893905436.
  3. Dallas, Keith (August 26, 2013). "David M Singer, Publisher of Deluxe Comics, Passes". Bleeding Cool.
  4. "Blood and T.H.U.N.D.E.R.". The Comics Journal. No. 97. April 1985. pp. 7–11.
  5. 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.
  6. Heintjes, Tom (June 1985). "Newswatch: Deluxe suspends T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents; bedeviled by fake news releases". The Comics Journal. No. 99. pp. 20–22.
  7. 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.
  8. Heintjes, Tom; Thompson, Kim (February 1985). "Deluxe Comics adds two new titles". Newswatch. The Comics Journal. No. 95. p. 21. ISSN 0194-7869.
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