Star Comics

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Marvel Comics imprint

title: "Star Comics" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["star-comics", "marvel-comics-imprints", "1984-comics-debuts", "1988-comics-endings", "humor-comics"] description: "Marvel Comics imprint" topic_path: "general/star-comics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Comics" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Marvel Comics imprint ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox publisher"]

FieldValue
nameStar Comics
imageStar Comics logo.png
captionThe logo used for the Star Comics label.
founded
defunct
headquartersNew York City, New York, United States
keypeople
publicationsComic books
genre* Licensed property
ownerMarvel Entertainment Group, Inc.
::

::callout[type=note] the Marvel Comics imprint ::

| name = Star Comics | image = Star Comics logo.png | caption = The logo used for the Star Comics label. | status = | founded = | founder = | defunct = | headquarters = New York City, New York, United States | distribution = | keypeople = | publications = Comic books | genre = * Licensed property

Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint featured a May 1988 cover date, although the Star Comics Magazine continued through December 1988. Some of the titles continued after that, being published directly by Marvel. Several of the original titles consciously emulated the house writing and visual style of then-recently defunct Harvey Comics titles such as Richie Rich.

The imprint's signature titles were Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham and Heathcliff, its longest running title. The imprint was also known for its Star Wars titles, Droids and Ewoks (based on the animated television series). Artists who worked on the line include Warren Kremer and Howard Post.

History

For a number of years, the industry had benefited from an "age stepladder" whereby comics readers could ascend naturally from children's titles by Gold Key Comics (Disney and Looney Tunes licensee) and Harvey Comics, upward to the Archie Comics titles for preteens, and finally graduating to the Marvel and DC titles (or to independent comics) for teens and older readers. In 1983, Gold Key ended its licensed kids' titles.

Marvel had never published a successful children's line,

In the early 1980s, Marvel Comics was in negotiations with Harvey Comics to assume publication of some of their characters. Harvey editor Sid Jacobson, along with the other Harvey staff, were interviewed by Mike Hobson, Marvel's group vice-president of publishing (de facto publisher). As part of the process, Jacobson created several new characters which were well received by Hobson and effectively sealed the deal. Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter appointed editor Tom DeFalco as Executive Editor to coordinate with the Harvey staff, who were hired by Marvel. On the day Marvel was set to take over the Harvey publications, Harvey pulled out of the deal due to an internal disagreement bewtween the Harvey brothers. Harvey subsequently ceased publishing their comics in 1982. With the loss of the Harvey characters, the Marvel staff re-evaluated their publishing plan and decided that their new line of all-age comics would be published under a different imprint.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Spider-Ham_1.jpg" caption="''Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham'' #1 one of the first titles published by the imprint."] ::

Star Comics was the name selected early on in the revamp of the publishing plan. The first comic published was the first issue of a three-issue movie adaptation of The Muppets Take Manhattan, in July 1984. Marvel's existing titles, based on licensed toy lines, such as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and Transformers, remained under the Marvel banner.

The ongoing titles did not appear in stores until five months later and were launched over a two-month period with three original and six licensed titles. Fraggle Rock, Heathcliff, Planet Terry and Strawberry Shortcake were released in the first month while The Ewoks, Get Along Gang, Muppet Babies, Royal Roy and Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham followed in the second month. Top Dog and Wally the Wizard were also early Star comic titles.

In late 1985, Harvey Comics sued Marvel for copyright infringement, claiming that Royal Roy was a blatant copy of Richie Rich. Thus, the title was canceled after six issues due to this similarity.

Millie the Model, who had previously starred in her own title during Marvel's Timely Comics era, appeared in a spin-off mini-series titled Misty which starred Millie's niece, Misty Collins. Marvel Productions' animated series were sourced for Star Comics titles including Defenders of the Earth and Inhumanoids.

The lines' two Star Wars titles crossed over in Droids #4 and Ewoks #10.

At the end of 1987, Marvel dissolved the Star imprint and absorbed several Star titles under the main Marvel banner while continuing to license new properties, such as ALF, Captain Planet and Police Academy. Some of the Marvel-owned original characters (Top Dog, Planet Terry, Royal Roy and Wally Wizard) have since been seen in various Marvel titles such as X-Babies and Drax.

Titles

Original titles

Licensed titles

Collections

  • Star Comics Magazine (1986–1988), Digest-sized reprints of stories from both original and licensed titles.

Additionally, three Star Comics series were planned yet never published:

References

References

  1. (2017). "Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History". DK Publishing.
  2. (January 10, 2013). "Leaving an Imprint: 10 Defunct MARVEL Publishing Lines: Star Comics". Purch Company.
  3. (December 2014). "Marvel for Kids: Star Comics". Back Issue!.
  4. [http://www.toonopedia.com/carebear.htm Care Bears] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. Retrieved April 16, 2006. [https://archive.today/20240525215512/https://www.webcitation.org/66uZzvdc2?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/carebear.htm Archived] from the original on April 13, 2012.
  5. (2009-09-03). "Top 10 Oddest Marvel Characters".
  6. "Harvey Sues Marvel Star Comics, Charges Copyright Infringement", ''The Comics Journal'' #105 (Feb. 1986), pp. 23-24.
  7. (December 1, 2008). "The Models of Marvel's Models, Inc.". Newsarama.
  8. (May 5, 2017). "15 CLASSIC Cartoons Marvel SECRETLY Produced". CBR.
  9. (May 4, 2016). "Big green bunnies, Ewok wars, and 11 more offbeat comics to read on Star Wars Day". SYFY WIRE.
  10. (June 24, 2016). "Marvel Brought Back One of Its Most Embarrassing Kids Characters in a Really Funny Way". io9.
  11. (April 29, 2013). "IDW Gets 'Rocky and Bullwinkle'". ICv2.
  12. (June 22, 2009). "Gregg Schiegel on the Return of the X-Babies & Star Comics". Newsarama.
  13. (April 6, 2012). "DC Debuting New James Robinson-Written HE-MAN Comic in July". Newsarama.
  14. (December 10, 2016). "15 Cartoon Superheroes Who Jumped To Comic Books". CBR.com.
  15. Greene, Jamie. (January 18, 2018). "Everything you'd ever want to know about Star Wars: Droids". SYFY WIRE.
  16. (July 21, 2017). "HASBRO's Visionaries Returning In December After 30 Years". Newsarama.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

star-comicsmarvel-comics-imprints1984-comics-debuts1988-comics-endingshumor-comics