Defiant Comics
Encyclopedia
Defiant Comics was a comic book publishing imprint of Enlightened Entertainment Partners, LP. Defiant was established in 1993 by former Marvel Comics
and Valiant Comics
editor-in-chief Jim Shooter
.
s and writer
s on its staff. He formed a business venture with The River Group to help finance Defiant.
In early 1993, Defiant announced that its first title, Plasm, would be released as a series of trading cards that could be put together in an album to form "issue #0". Upon hearing the news, Marvel Comics
threatened a lawsuit against Defiant, claiming the new title violated a Marvel UK
trademark
for their book/character Plasmer
. Though Defiant changed the title to Warriors of Plasm
, Marvel continued its lawsuit. While the court eventually ruled in favor of Defiant, the legal process depleted the company's capital
, having cost over $300,000 in legal fees. Defiant ceased publication in Summer 1995.
crossover miniseries
he had done at Marvel and the Unity
crossover miniseries
he had also completed before his dismissal at Valiant
. To have been titled "Schism", the crossover was intended to take place in a four-issue miniseries, with the regular ongoing titles retelling the parts relevant to the respective characters of each. Only two crossover-related issues (Dogs of War #5 and Warriors of Plasm #13) were published before the company went out of business. The plots for the miniseries were eventually posted online.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
and 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...
editor-in-chief Jim Shooter
Jim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
.
Publication history
Defiant was founded in the wake of Jim Shooter's departure from Valiant. After attempting, unsuccessfully, to retain his partial ownership of Voyager Communications (Valiant's parent company) Shooter founded a new company that included some Valiant artistArtist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
s and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
s on its staff. He formed a business venture with The River Group to help finance Defiant.
In early 1993, Defiant announced that its first title, Plasm, would be released as a series of trading cards that could be put together in an album to form "issue #0". Upon hearing the news, Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
threatened a lawsuit against Defiant, claiming the new title violated a Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
for their book/character Plasmer
Plasmer
Plasmer was a short-lived 1993 comic book series from Marvel UK, created by Glenn Dakin and Pascual Ferry.-Fictional character biography:...
. Though Defiant changed the title to Warriors of Plasm
Warriors of Plasm
Warriors of Plasm was the flagship title of Jim Shooter's Defiant Comics comic book company.Besides the original first issue of the comic , there was also a zero issue of Warriors of Plasm which was released as an insert in Previews magazine, and as a trading card set that could be put together...
, Marvel continued its lawsuit. While the court eventually ruled in favor of Defiant, the legal process depleted the company's capital
Financial capital
Financial capital can refer to money used by entrepreneurs and businesses to buy what they need to make their products or provide their services or to that sector of the economy based on its operation, i.e. retail, corporate, investment banking, etc....
, having cost over $300,000 in legal fees. Defiant ceased publication in Summer 1995.
Announced plans
Shooter had originally planned to publish an intracompany "crossover" featuring all the characters and titles in the self-contained Defiant universe, similar to the Secret WarsSecret Wars
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton...
crossover miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
he had done at Marvel and the Unity
Unity (Comics)
Unity is a company-wide crossover story published by Valiant Comics in the summer of 1992.-Overview:The Unity story comprises eighteen issues and nine comic book series, published by Valiant during August and September 1992. It tells of Erica Pierce, the Mothergod, trying to rewrite reality and...
crossover miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
he had also completed before his dismissal at Valiant
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...
. To have been titled "Schism", the crossover was intended to take place in a four-issue miniseries, with the regular ongoing titles retelling the parts relevant to the respective characters of each. Only two crossover-related issues (Dogs of War #5 and Warriors of Plasm #13) were published before the company went out of business. The plots for the miniseries were eventually posted online.
Initial
- Dark DominionDark DominionDark Dominion is a comic book series that was published monthly by DEFIANT from October of 1993 until July of 1994.It spanned a total of 10 issues until DEFIANT ceased publication.There was one #0 issue published as a trading card set and binder....
- The Good GuysThe Good Guys (comics)The Good Guys is a comic book series that was published monthly by DEFIANT from November of 1993 until July of 1994. It ran for a total of 9 issues until DEFIANT ceased publication...
- Warriors of PlasmWarriors of PlasmWarriors of Plasm was the flagship title of Jim Shooter's Defiant Comics comic book company.Besides the original first issue of the comic , there was also a zero issue of Warriors of Plasm which was released as an insert in Previews magazine, and as a trading card set that could be put together...
(originally Plasm)
Second wave
- CharlemagneCharlemagne (comics)Charlemagne is a comic book series that was published by Defiant Comics from February of 1994 until July 1994. The series lasted for 5 issues before Defiant ceased publication. A free teaser issue, #0, was published inside Hero Illustrated #9, and not available separately.-Series...
- Dogs of WarDogs of War (Comics)Dogs of War is a comic book series originally published by Defiant Comics from April 1994 until August 1994. The series lasted only five issues before Defiant ceased publication of the title.The book was based on characters created by Jim Shooter...
- Prudence & CautionPrudence & CautionPrudence & Caution was a monthly comic book series published by DEFIANT in 1994. Only two issues were published, during the months of May and June respectively, before DEFIANT ceased publication of the series.-Publication history:...
- War DancerWar DancerWar Dancer is a comic book series published by DEFIANT, from February of 1994 until July 1994.The series was created and illustrated by Alan Weiss and co-written by Weiss and comics author, creator and one time former Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics and VALIANT, Jim Shooter.The series spanned a...
One-shots
- The Birth of The Defiant Universe
- Glory
- Great Grimmax
- The Origin of The Defiant Universe
- Splatterball
Graphic novels
- Warriors of Plasm - Home For the Holidays (officially titled as Warriors of Plasm Graphic Novel # 1 in the comic's legal indicia)
Trade paperback
- Warriors of Plasm: The Collected Edition (Feb. 1994) (reprints Warriors of Plasm #0-4 and Splatterball)