Product Code Database
Amazing Heroes was a magazine about the comic book medium published by American company Fantagraphics Books from 1981 to 1992. Unlike its companion title, The Comics Journal, Amazing Heroes was a hobbyist magazine rather than an analytical journal."'Everything Was in Season'": Kim Thompson: "We decided to do a magazine that would cover the mainstream in a more fannish manner".
Amazing Heroes' first editor was Fantagraphics' head of promotion and circulation, Michael Catron. His inability to meet deadlines led to his being replaced after issue #6"'Everything Was in Season'": Gary Groth: "Mike’s problem was that he was an incredibly meticulous editor and, as a result, incredibly slow. He edited about six issues, several of which were late". Amazing Heroes #6, "Editorial", p. 62 by Comics Journal editor Kim Thompson.
The magazine was initially published under the Fantagraphics imprint Zam Inc., Michigan State University Libraries, Special Collections Division, Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection ("Amazing Bear" to "Amazing Robot"). through issue #6. Amazing Heroes #6, November 1981, p. 5 indicia Beginning with #7, the publishing imprint became Redbeard Inc. Amazing Heroes #7, December 1981, p. 5 indicia It remained under Redbeard through at least issue #61, Amazing Heroes #61, December 15, 1984, p. 3 indicia but by issue #68 was being published directly by Fantagraphics Books, Inc. Amazing Heroes #60, March 31 "and a half", 1984, p. 3 indicia
The magazine began as a monthly, then appeared twice a month for many years, and then went monthly again beginning in 1989. The magazine ran for 204 issues, folding with its July 1992 issue."Newswatch: Amazing Heroes Folding", The Comics Journal #149 (March 1992), p. 22. The final issue was released as a flip book, with issue #203 on the front and issue #204 inverted on the back. It also released a number of special issues, such as Amazing Heroes Preview Special #1–5, 10, & 11 (1985–1990), Amazing Heroes Swimsuit Special #1–5 (1990–1993), and The Best of Amazing Heroes Swimsuit Special (1993).
In February 1993, Fantagraphics announced that the publisher Personality Comics had bought the rights to Amazing Heroes, and planned to revive the magazine. Nothing came of it, however, as Personality itself folded later that year, and by 1994 the rights had reverted back to Fantagraphics.
The regular content included industry news, comics creator interviews, histories of comic book characters and reviews. Features included Hero Histories of various characters/features, previews of upcoming series, and letters page. Other regular features were a column called "Doc's Bookshelf" by Dwight Decker (which ran from 1987–1989), and a question-and-answer feature called "Information Center", which ran from 1986–1989.
There were regular special editions presenting previews of all comics slated to appear over the next six months, with Amazing Heroes Preview Special appearing twice a year, beginning with the Summer 1985 issue #1. These were extra-sized issues (often square-bound), and many issues also contained joke entries. The editors fluctuated between publishing these as separately numbered specials and special issues of the regular series itself, with issues #133, 145, 157, and 170 of the regular series (released in 1988 and 1989) taking the place of specials six through nine.
The Amazing Heroes Swimsuit Special, featuring pin-ups of characters in and similar beach apparel by various artists, debuted with a June 1990 edition. It was preceded by annual swimsuit issues of Amazing Heroes: #115 (April 1987), #138 (April 1988), and #164 (May 1989).
Amazing Heroes #200 (Apr. 1992) contained an extended preview of Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics; the issue was later awarded a Don Thompson Award for Best Non-Fiction Work.
|
|
