Cliffhanger (comics)
Encyclopedia
Cliffhanger was an imprint
of Wildstorm
, publishing creator-owned
comic books. It was founded in 1998 by Joe Madureira, J. Scott Campbell
and Humberto Ramos
, when Wildstorm was still part of Image Comics
(the studio has since been sold to DC Comics
).
The imprint ended in summer of 2004 when it was merged with Homage Comics
line to form the Wildstorm Signature Series.
in March 1998, followed by the first issue of Madureira's fantasy series Battle Chasers
a month later and Ramos' teen-vampire series Crimson in May.
On the other hand, the third Cliffhanger title, Ramos' Crimson, became the longest running series of the line, going on for 24 issues before its conclusion in February 2001.
In spring 2000, Chris Bachalo
and author Joe Kelly
created the imprint's fourth title, Steampunk
. It was followed by Ramos' second Cliffhanger title, Out There, in May 2001.
While there were several new miniseries published by the line through 2002 and 2003, like High Roads
by writer Scott Lobdell
and artist Leinil Francis Yu
, Arrowsmith
by Kurt Busiek
and Carlos Pacheco
, The Possessed
by Geoff Johns
and Kris Grimminger with art by Liam Sharp
and Kamikaze, written by Humberto Ramos with art by Francisco Herrera, the imprint had lost most of its initial charm and star-power when the original founders stopped their titles.
In late 2003, the imprint was also used to publish Epicurus the Sage
and The Maxx
trade paperbacks with material that was previously published by Image Comics, before it was finally merged with Homage Comics in 2004 to form the Wildstorm Signature Series.
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
of Wildstorm
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
, publishing creator-owned
Creator ownership
Creator ownership is an arrangement in which the creator or creators of a work of fiction retain full ownership of the material, regardless of whether it is self-published or by a corporate publisher. In some fields of publishing, such as fiction writing, creator ownership is a standard arrangement...
comic books. It was founded in 1998 by Joe Madureira, J. Scott Campbell
J. Scott Campbell
Jeffrey Scott Campbell is an American comic book artist. He has had several pen names, including "Jeff Scott", but is best known as J. Scott Campbell...
and Humberto Ramos
Humberto Ramos
Humberto Ramos is a Mexican comic book penciller, best known for his work on American comic books such as Impulse, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man and his creator-owned series Crimson.-Career:...
, when Wildstorm was still part of Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
(the studio has since been sold to DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
).
The imprint ended in summer of 2004 when it was merged with Homage Comics
Homage Comics
Homage Comics was a comic book publishing imprint, a subdivision of Wildstorm. It was created in 1995 to focus more on writer-driven titles. As part of Wildstorm, it was acquired by DC Comics in 1998...
line to form the Wildstorm Signature Series.
History
The imprint's first release was Campbell's spy series Danger GirlDanger Girl
Danger Girl is an American comic book series created by J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell. The comic features a group of female secret agents led by a mentor named Deuce. The series follows the James Bond and Indiana Jones action-adventure formula, with the Danger Girls being an homage to the...
in March 1998, followed by the first issue of Madureira's fantasy series Battle Chasers
Battle Chasers
Battle Chasers is an American fantasy comic book series by Joe Madureira, launched in April 1998. It was one of the most popular American comics series in the late 1990s, but suffered from extreme scheduling problems, with an average of about six months between issues, including a delay of 16...
a month later and Ramos' teen-vampire series Crimson in May.
On the other hand, the third Cliffhanger title, Ramos' Crimson, became the longest running series of the line, going on for 24 issues before its conclusion in February 2001.
In spring 2000, Chris Bachalo
Chris Bachalo
Chris Bachalo is an American comic book illustrator known for his quirky, cartoon-like style. He became well known for stints on DC Comics’ Shade, the Changing Man and Neil Gaiman's two Death series...
and author Joe Kelly
Joe Kelly (comics)
Joseph "Joe" Kelly is an American comic book writer, penciler and editor who has written such titles as Deadpool, Uncanny X-Men, Action Comics, and JLA...
created the imprint's fourth title, Steampunk
Steampunk (comics)
Steampunk was a steampunk/fantasypunk comic book series by artist Chris Bachalo and writer Joe Kelly, published by Wildstorm Comics' Cliffhanger imprint.-Publication history:...
. It was followed by Ramos' second Cliffhanger title, Out There, in May 2001.
While there were several new miniseries published by the line through 2002 and 2003, like High Roads
High Roads (comic book)
High Roads is a six-issue limited series created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Leinil Francis Yu. It was published in April 2002 by Cliffhanger, an imprint of DC Comics' Wildstorm Productions....
by writer Scott Lobdell
Scott Lobdell
Scott Lobdell is an American comic book writer.-Early Career:Scott didn't begin to read comics until he was 17 years old, while lying in bed after lung surgery....
and artist Leinil Francis Yu
Leinil Francis Yu
Leinil Francis Yu is a Filipino comic book artist, who began working for the American market through Wildstorm Productions. In an interview published in Marvel's Daily Bugle newsletter, he described his style as "Dynamic Pseudo-Realism."-Career:Leinil Francis Yu was first recognized after winning...
, Arrowsmith
Arrowsmith (comics)
Arrowsmith is a fantasy comic book by writer Kurt Busiek and penciller Carlos Pacheco, published by Wildstorm's Cliffhanger imprint. It first premiered as a six-issue miniseries in 2003.-Plot:...
by Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Early life:...
and Carlos Pacheco
Carlos Pacheco
Carlos Pacheco is a Spanish comic book artist and penciller. Pacheco was born in San Roque, Cádiz. He is best known in the United States for his work on titles such as Avengers Forever, X-Men and Green Lantern...
, The Possessed
The Possessed (comics)
The Possessed is a six-issue American comic book limited series published in late 2003 and early 2004 by Wildstorm Productions, an imprint of DC Comics. The series was published under Wildstorm's internal imprint Cliffhanger....
by Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
and Kris Grimminger with art by Liam Sharp
Liam Sharp
Liam Roger Sharp is a British comic book artist, writer and publisher.-Early life:Liam Sharp was born in Derby at St. Mary's Hospital to parents Roger and Linda Sharp. He has a younger sister, Kerry, and younger brother, Rien. He went to School at Brackensdale Junior then infants school, before...
and Kamikaze, written by Humberto Ramos with art by Francisco Herrera, the imprint had lost most of its initial charm and star-power when the original founders stopped their titles.
In late 2003, the imprint was also used to publish Epicurus the Sage
Epicurus the Sage
Epicurus the Sage was the name of a 2-issue limited series written by William Messner-Loebs, with art by Sam Kieth. Each issue was bound in a graphic novel format, and was 48 pages long, without advertisements...
and The Maxx
The Maxx
The Maxx is an American comic book series created by Sam Kieth and published originally monthly by Image Comics and now collected in trade paperback collections from DC Comic's Wildstorm imprint. The comic book, which stars a character of the same name, spawned an animated series that aired on the...
trade paperbacks with material that was previously published by Image Comics, before it was finally merged with Homage Comics in 2004 to form the Wildstorm Signature Series.
External links
- High Roads review
- Kamikaze review