Epic Illustrated was a comics-magazine anthology published in the United States by Marvel Comics. The series lasted for 34 issues, from Spring 1980 to February 1986.
The magazine was initiated under editor Rick Marschall in 1979 under the title Odyssey, and originally set to launch as an issue of Marvel Super Special, Marvel's early graphic novel line. After Marschall learned of at least seven other magazines titled Odyssey, the project was renamed Epic Illustrated and launched as a standalone series. Marschall was replaced by editor Archie Goodwin in the autumn of 1979, several months before the first issue was published.
In addition to the work of such established mainstream-comics talents as John Buscema, Barry Windsor-Smith, Pepe Moreno and Jim Starlin, and such independent-press creators as Wendy Pini, Goodwin commissioned stories by many new cartoonists, including Steve Bissette, Jon J. Muth, Rick Veitch and Kent Williams. The anthology featured heroic fiction and genre stories, primarily fantasy and science fiction, but in a broad range of styles.
Epic Illustrated also included an occasional Marvel Comics protagonist, such as the first issue's Silver Surfer story by Stan Lee and John Buscema. Because the magazine was not subject to traditional comic books' Comics Code Authority, however, writers and artists were free to create material stories that might be risqué or non-canon.
Each issue usually featured a main story, a number of regular serials, and anthological shorts.
4 comments:
dope, I love some classic comic book cover art...it's the medium I learned to draw from-copying old superhero poses, but also the fonts/typography, which eventually became graffiti for me.
I love the cover art too...its the main reason i'll buy a book...its always better than the inside art anyway...
The EPIC imprint was kinda like Marvel's answer to Heavy Metal magazine as well as a pre-cursor to D.C.'s Vertigo line.
The 'Elektra: Assassin' series from Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz (one of my MANY favorite artists ever, and the man behind both EPMD's 'Busines as Usual' and RZA's B'obby Digital in Stereo' album covers) and Stan Lee and Moebius' 'The Silver Surfer: Parable' were probably EPIC's most notable products.
But I was a pretty big fan of the surprisingly bloody Havoc & Wolverine team-up book painted by John J. Muth which they published, and 'Epic Illustrated' was a worthwhile diversion from the regular Marvel stable.
Funny, I used to see Steve Bissette all the time at comic conventions around New England back in the day. He was a regular on the circuit during the late '80s and early '90s. I remember him giving me props on the sample artwork I submitted to a Marvel talent scout who was on a panel with him at one when I was 11 or so years old. He was pushing a self-published book called 'Taboo,' which was not-at-all intended for children and totally blew my mind, at the time. Cool guy, with a real adventurous spirit, and a dope artist.
Oh, and since you mentioned him...If you've never read Rick Veitch's 'Bratpack,' a dark, offensive, sort-of stomach-churning riff on kiddie-sidekicks in the deconstructionist/satirical spirit of Alan Moore's 'Watchmen' and pretty much everything Frank Miller has done, which was published by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman's post-Mirage company Tundra during the early '90s, you should peep it.
El KEter...all i wanna know is...do you have any?..and when you gonna give me one?!!!!
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