Star Reach
Star Reach (also spelled Star*Reach) was an American science fiction and fantasy comics anthology published from 1974 to 1979 by Mike Friedrich.[1]
| Star Reach | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Star*Reach |
| Schedule | Irregular |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | superhero, science fiction, fantasy |
| Publication date | April 1974 – October 1979 |
| No. of issues | 18 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Various |
| Artist(s) | Various |
| Editor(s) | Mike Friedrich |
Publication history
One of the first American mainstream independent comic books, Star*Reach bridged the gap between the countercultural underground comics and traditional Marvel/DC Comics fare, providing mature genre stories for an adult audience. The fan press of the time referred to this and the comics magazine Heavy Metal as "ground-level publications".[2] Along with such other examples as Flo Steinberg's Big Apple Comix, published in 1975, and Harvey Pekar's naturalistic everyman series American Splendor, first published in 1976, Star*Reach was a forerunner of the late-1970s rise of the modern graphic novel, and of the 1980s' independent comics.
Cover by Barry Windsor-Smith
Eighteen issues were released between 1974 and 1979. Contributors included such Marvel and DC writers and artists as Howard Chaykin, Jim Starlin, and Barry Windsor-Smith. It also included prose short stories by such authors as Roger Zelazny, who wrote the 13-page "The Doors of His Face, The Lamps of His Mouth", with illustrations by Gray Morrow, in issue #12 (March 1978).[3]
Friedrich's company grew into a small publishing house in Hayward, California, also called Star*Reach, that published the comic book series Quack; Imagine; and Lee Marrs' Pudge, Girl Blimp, along with a number of one-shot comics.[4] The company ceased publishing in 1979.
Eclipse Comics repackaged some of the original Star*Reach and Imagine material as Star*Reach Classics in 1984.[5]
References
- Sacks, Jason; Dallas, Keith (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 146–148. ISBN 978-1605490564.
- Burchett, Rick, and Ed. Mantels, "Whizzard Talks to Steranko", Whizzard vol. 2, #11 [issue #16] (Summer 1978; published by Marty Klug, 5730 Chatport Road, St. Louis, Missouri), p.13
- Star*Reach (series) at the Grand Comics Database
- Publisher Star*Reach at the Grand Comics Database
- Star*Reach Classics at the Grand Comics Database
Sources
- Richard Arndt, Mike Friedrich, The Star Reach Companion, TwoMorrows Publishing, 2013.