Deathmate was a six-part comic book crossover

Intercompany crossover

In comic books, an intercompany crossover is a comic or series of comics where characters published by one company meet those published by another...

 between Valiant Comics

Valiant Comics

Valiant Comics is a comic book imprint published by various publishers since its inception with Voyager Communications, Inc. in 1989, later Acclaim Comics, Inc. Its assets were purchased from the bankruptcy of the Acclaim Entertaintment by Valiant Entertainment, Inc. in 2007.-Voyager...

 and 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...

 published in 1993

1993 in comics

-January:* Doom Patrol #63: " The Empire of Chairs," Grant Morrison's final issue as Doom Patrol writer.-February:* Action Comics, with issue #686, suspends publication following "The Death of Superman."...

 and 1994

1994 in comics

-Year overall:* Huge changes in the marketplace force many retailers and small publishers out of business...

. Designated by color rather than issue numbers (namely Yellow, Blue, Black, and Red) plus two book-end issues, Deathmate Prologue and Deathmate Epilogue,as well as Preview issues collected with comic products, the four main issues were written so they could be read in any order. Created at the peak of the comic book speculator boom, the project was heavily promoted and sold hundreds of thousands of copies, but was wrought with production delays. The Image half (Black, Red, and Epilogue) came out severely behind schedule and out of sequence. Deathmate Red shipped after the epilogue issue, and despite cover dates of September 1993 to February 1994, the actual publication lag was far longer than six months.

The plot evolved around a chance interdimensional meeting of two characters, Solar

Solar (comics)

Solar is an American fictional comic book character. Originally known as Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom, he first appeared in a comic book published by Gold Key Comics in the 1960s. He has since appeared in other incarnations in books published by Valiant Comics in the 1990s, and Dark Horse Comics...

 from Valiant and Void

Void (comics)

Void is a fictional character in the Wildstorm Universe.-Fictional character biography:Adrianna was born in Arkhangelsk, Russia. Adrianna and her sister Svetlana were raised by their father after the death of their mother. Her father loved Adrianna and her ambition to become a cosmonaut and...

 from Image's WildC.A.T.s

Wildcats (comics)

Wildcats, sometimes rendered WildCats or WildC.A.T.s, is a fictional superhero team created by the American comic book artist Jim Lee and writer Brandon Choi.-Publication history:...

. The two became lovers, but their joining would mean the destruction of both comic book universes.

It is notable that only half of the Image founding members chose to take part. Erik Larsen

Erik Larsen

Erik J. Larsen is an American comic book writer, artist and publisher. He is best known for his work on Savage Dragon, as one of the founders of Image Comics, and for his work on Spider-Man for Marvel Comics.-Early life:...

, Jim Valentino

Jim Valentino

Jim Valentino is an American writer, penciler, editor and publisher of comic books.-1970s - 1992:Valentino began his career in the late 1970s creating small press and mostly autobiographical comics. The early-mid 1980s saw normalman which first appeared as a back-up story in Aardvark-Vanaheim's...

, and Todd McFarlane

Todd McFarlane

Todd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....

 were not involved, although Al Simmons

Spawn (comics)

Spawn is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in a monthly comic book of the same name published by Image Comics. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1...

 makes a brief character appearance in Deathmate Red.

The books

Preview Issues

Green
sold with Comic Defense comic bags or Advance Comics magazine

Same story and cover, but with the logo of the sponsor in the corner

Story: Solar and Prophet battle Erica Pierce

Orange and Pink

sold with Previews magazine

Same story, but different covers

Story: Archer chases Shadowman while Grifter chases Archer

Books from Valiant

• Deathmate Prologue

"A Love to End All Time"

Story: Bob Layton

Bob Layton

Bob Layton is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor, who has worked for Marvel Comics, Valiant Comics, DC Comics, Future Comics, and other publishers.-Early life:...

Pencils: Barry Windsor-Smith

Barry Windsor-Smith

Barry Windsor-Smith, born Barry Smith is a British comic book illustrator and painter whose best known work has been produced in the United States....

Inks: Jim Lee

Jim Lee

Jim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...

"Universal Truth"

Story: Bob Layton

Pencils: Rob Liefeld

Rob Liefeld

Rob Liefeld is an American comic book writer, illustrator, and publisher. A prominent artist in the 1990s, he has since become a controversial figure in the medium....

Inks: Bob Layton with Danny Miki and Dan Panosian

• Deathmate Yellow

"Jerked Through Time" (featuring characters from Archer & Armstrong and WildC.A.T.s)

Story: Mike Baron

Mike Baron

Mike Baron is the creator of comic books Badger and Nexus. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.-Biography:Mike Baron broke into comics with an illustrated text piece in the 1974 debut issue of Marvel Comics's Comix Book...

Pencils: Bernard Chang

Bernard Chang

Bernard Chang is an Asian American artist/designer best known for his work in the comic book industry and entertainment design.-Career:...

Inks: Rodney Ramos

"Cat and Mouse" (featuring characters from Ninjak and WildC.A.T.s)

Story: Jorge Gonzalez

Jorge González

Jorge González may refer to:* Jorge González , Puerto Rican marathon runner* Jorge González , Puerto Rican beach volleyball player* Jorge "Negro" González , Argentine jazz bassist...

Pencils: Don Perlin

Don Perlin

Don Perlin is an American comic book artist and occasional writer best known for Marvel Comics' Werewolf by Night, The Defenders, and Ghost Rider...

Inks: Mike Manley

"The Dying Game" (featuring characters from H.A.R.D. Corps and WildC.A.T.s)

Story: David Michelinie

David Michelinie

-Biography:Some of his earliest work is for DC Comics's House of Secrets and a run on Swamp Thing , following Len Wein and preceding Gerry Conway, illustrated by Nestor Redondo. Michelinie did a run on Aquaman in Adventure Comics which led to the revival of the Sea King's own title in 1977...

 and Bob Layton

Pencils: Mike Leeke

Inks: Tom Ryder

"Revelations and Recruitments" (featuring characters from Shadowman and WildC.A.T.s)

Story: Bob Hall

Bob Hall (comics)

Bob Hall is an American comic book creator and theater director. He is the co-creator of the West Coast Avengers for Marvel Comics and has worked on such series as Armed and Dangerous and Shadowman, which he both drew and wrote for Valiant Comics.-DC Comics:*Batman #559 *Batman: DOA #1 *Batman:...

Pencils: Mark Moretti

Inks: John Dixon

John Dixon (cartoonist)

John Dixon is an Australian comic book artist and writer, best known for his creation, Air Hawk and the Flying Doctors.-Biography:John Dangar Dixon was born in Newcastle on 20 February 1929, the son of a school principal. After completing his education at Cook Hill Intermediate High he became a...

• Deathmate Blue

"Battlestone vs. Magnus Outlaw!" (featuring characters from Brigade and Magnus: Robot Fighter)

Story: John Ostrander

John Ostrander

John Ostrander is an American writer of comic books. He is best known for his work on Suicide Squad, Grimjack and Star Wars: Legacy, series he helped create.-Career:...

Pencils: Jim Calafiore

Jim Calafiore

Jim Calafiore is an American comic book penciller and inker, known for his work on Marvel Comics Exiles, and DC Comics' Aquaman. His other work includes Faction Paradox, and writing Marvel's Exiles and Millennium Visions....

Inks: Ralph Reese

Ralph Reese

Ralph Reese is an American artist who has illustrated for books, magazines, trading cards, comic books and comic strips, including a year drawing the Flash Gordon strip for King Features...

"Secret Forces" (featuring characters from Secret Weapons and Cyberforce)

Story: Joe St. Pierre

Pencils: Sean Chen

Sean Chen

Sean Chen is an Asian American comic book artist.-Career:Chen is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University where he received a bachelor's degree in industrial design. He started his career after being discovered by Barry Windsor-Smith...

Inks: Kathryn Bolinger

"Sacrifices" (featuring characters from Harbinger, Brigade, and Cyberforce)

Story: Maurice Fontenot

Pencils: Howard Simpson

Inker: Gonzalo Mayo

"Supremely Darque" (featuring characters from Solar and Supreme)

Story: Kevin VanHook

Kevin VanHook

Kevin VanHook is an American filmmaker who began his career in storytelling as a comic book artist and writer. He was born in Indianapolis, Indiana.-Biography:...

Pencils: Peter Grau

Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti

Jimmy Palmiotti

James "Jimmy" Palmiotti is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.-Early life:Palmiotti is a graduate of the High School of Art and Design in New York City.-Career:...

Books from Image

• Deathmate Black (featuring characters from Gen¹³
  Gen¹³
  Gen¹³ is a fictional superhero team and comic book series originally written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi and illustrated by J. Scott Campbell. It was originally published by Image Comics under the banner Wildstorm, which went on to become an imprint for DC Comics, who continued publishing the Gen¹³...
  
  , WildC.A.T.s, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Cyberforce, and X-O Manowar)

Story: Brandon Choi and Eric Silvestri

Pencils: Brandon Peterson

Brandon Peterson

Brandon Peterson is an American comic book writer and artist. Born and raised in Wisconsin on October 14, 1969. Brandon Peterson is known for his hyper detailed artwork and intricate line work...

, Brett Booth, Marc Silvestri

Marc Silvestri

Marc Silvestri is an American comic book artist, creator and publisher. He currently acts as the CEO for Top Cow Productions.-Early life:Marc Silvestri was born in Palm Beach, Florida.-Career:...

, 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...

 (as Jeffrey Scott),
Scott Clark, Greg Capullo

Greg Capullo

Gregory “Greg” Capullo is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on Quasar , X-Force , Angela and Spawn ....

, Jim Lee, and Whilce Portacio

Whilce Portacio

William "Whilce" Portacio is a Filipino-American comic book writer and artist. Noted for his work on such titles as The Punisher, X-Factor, and the Uncanny X-Men. Portacio was also one of the seven co-founders of Image Comics, though he did not become a partner in the company.-Early life:Portacio...

Inks: Scott Williams, Sal Regla, Alex Garner, and Trevor Scott

• Deathmate Red (featuring characters from Youngblood
  Youngblood (comics)
  Youngblood is a superhero team that starred in their self-titled comic book, created by writer/artist Rob Liefeld. The team made its debut as a backup feature in the 1987 one-shot Megaton: Explosion before later appearing in its own ongoing series in 1992 as the flagship publication for Image Comics...
  
  , Bloodshot
  Bloodshot (comics)
  Bloodshot is the title character of the American comic book series published by Valiant Comics.-Publication history:Bloodshot was launched in the mid 1990s on the back of a wave of popularity for the Valiant Universe. Bloodshot became an immediate hit with readers, as the first issue has sold...
  
  and Eternal Warrior
  Eternal Warrior
  Gilad Anni-Padda aka the Eternal Warrior is the title character of a 50-issue comic book series by Valiant Comics that ran from 1992 to 1996. Eternal Warrior was relaunched with the other Valiant characters under the banner of Acclaim Comics in 1996 . Valiant Entertainment, Inc...
  
  )

Story and Pencils: Rob Liefeld

Script: Eric Stephenson

Additional pencils: Jeff Matsuda, Rich Horie, Dan Fraga, Cedric Nocon, Dan Pacella, Anthony Winn, Marat Mychaels

Inks: Danny Miki, Jon Sibal, Marlo Alquiza

• Deathmate Epilogue

Story: Bob Layton

Pencils: Marc Silvestri and Joe Quesada

Joe Quesada

Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...

Inks: Bob Layton and Scott Williams

Aftermath

As Image Comics was plagued by late, rescheduled, or cancelled publications at the time, it came as no surprise to fans, retailers, and critics that Deathmate also arrived late, although the issues published by Valiant were shipped on schedule. However, the books were pre-ordered in heavy quantities by retailers. When shipping dates were not met, distributors cancelled the original orders and required re-orders. By the time the last issues did arrive, some fans had lost interest, leaving retailers with unsold copies.

As a cross-promotion, two trading card companies also did a cross-over, Upper Deck

Upper deck

Upper deck may refer to :* The Upper Deck Company, an American trading card business* The upper deck is the highest level internal deck on a ship, i.e. just below the superstructure and open deck....

 and Topps

Topps

The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...

. But, because of the deadline problems with Image Comics, Topps ended up backing out of the contract.

In a retrospective interview on the rise and fall of Valiant, Bob Layton (former editor in chief) lambasted the whole affair, regarding it as an "unmitigated disaster." As the Image artists were notorious for failing to meet deadlines, Layton allegedly flew out to Los Angeles, went to Rob Liefeld's residence and refused to leave until Liefeld pencilled his contribution to Deathmate Prologue, which Layton ended up inking in a hotel room.

"I literally had nothing to do with most of those projects," Layton revealed, "Deathmate was thrust upon us because (Steve) Massarsky and Jim Lee were best buddies at the time and had privately arranged the crossover."

For retailers, Deathmate was harmful, due to the tying up of cash flow with books arriving late, especially given the $4.95 USD cover price (at the time, the average comic book cover price was less than half of that). Also due to waning fan interest, the re-orders were lower than initial orders. The Valiant Deathmate books (Prologue, Blue, and Yellow) had print runs of over 700,000 copies, but by the time Deathmate Red was released, it had a print run of 250,000, although retailers were nonetheless left with many unsold copies. At the time, comic book distributors would only allow unsold books to be returned if they were six months late. Retailers dealt constantly with late books from Image, which indirectly caused some comic book shops to close. Partially due to the lateness of Image publications, the window was eventually decreased to two months.

External links

• Badmouth: A critique of the comic book speculator boom of the 1990s
• The Image Story: Part 3 of 4, critiquing the Image side of Deathmate
• Valiant Days, Valiant Nights: A retrospective on the rise and fall of Valiant comics, originally featured on Newsarama, Sept. 24, 2003