Blackthorne Comics

[Chiclo]

Blackthorne was the direct follow-up to Pacific Comics. A pair of brothers, Bill and Steve Schanes, began Pacific as a comic book distributor and eventually began publishing comics. Eventually, the distribution wing of the company killed the whole thing. Before the dust had settled from Pacific collapsing, Steve Schanes started Blackthorne Publishing across town on Blackthorne street. Blackthorne was another shameless participant in the black and white glut during the mid-80s. They also published a zillion 3-D books. They figured out that most licensed comic book properties did not include license to print 3-D comics so they scooped up 3-D properties by the barrel. Notable 3-D comics they published included Star Wars, Rambo and the Noid from the Dominos pizza commercials. The license for Moonwalker (from the Michael Jackson song/video) is often cited as the blunder that sunk Blackthorne. This is another list that I have wanted to compile for years and never felt motivated to do so until now.

Blackthorne Comics

3-D Heroes 1
Adventures in the Mystwood 1
Alien Ducklings 1, 2, 3, 4
Alien Worlds GN
Annie Book 1 1
Atomic Man 1, 2, 3
Baby Huey Digest
Baby Huey in 3-D 1
(Baseball Hall of Shame in 3-D 1?)
Battle Beasts 1, 2, 3, 4
Battleforce 1, 2
Battletech 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Annual 1
Battletech 3-D 1
Betty Boop 3-D 1
Betty Boop TPB Comic-Strip Preserves 1, 2, 3
Beyond Mars 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, TPB1, TPB2
Bizarre 3-D Zone 1
Blackthorne Preview Magazine v1 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Blackthorne Preview Magazine v2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Blackthorne Preview Magazine v3 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
BlackThornes 3 in 1 1, 2
Blackthornes Harvey Flip Book Sad Sack/Stumbo 1
Blondie Book TPB 1
Boner’s Ark 1
Bozo 3-D 1, 2
Bravestarr 3-D 1, 2
Brenda Starr Reporter 1, 2
Brik Hauss 1
Broom Hilda 1
(Bullwinkle and Rocky 1, 2, 3?)
Bullwinkle and Rocky 3-D 1
Bullwinkle for President in 3-D 1
California Raisins 3-D 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
California Raisins the Ultimate Collection 1
Captain Holo in 3-D 1
Casper in 3-D 1
Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Crow of the Bear Clan 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Danse 1
Dick Tracy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Dick Tracy in 3-D
Dick Tracy Monthly/Weekly (Monthly) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, (Weekly) 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99
Dick Tracy Special 1, 2, 3
Dick Tracy the Early Years 1, 2, 3, 4
Dick Tracy Unprinted Stories 1, 2, 3, 4
Dogaroo 1
Duckbots 1, 2
Enchanted Valley 1, 2
Failed Universe 1
Figments 1, 2, 3
Flintstones 3-D 1, 2, 3, 4
Fragments 1, 2
Freak Out on Infant Earths 1, 2
GI Joe 3-D 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Annual 1
Goldyn in 3-D 1
Ground Pound! Comix 1
Gumby 3-D 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Hamster Vice 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Hamster Vice in 3-D 1, 2
Iger Comics Kingdom SC 1
Jack Hunter (Timeline) 1
Jack Hunter 1, 2, 3
Jax and the Hellhound 1, 2, 3
Jerry Iger’s Classic Jumbo Comics SC 1
Jerry Iger’s Classic Jungle Comics SC 1
Jerry Iger’s Classic Sheena Queen of the Jungle SC 1
Jerry IGer’s Classic Wings Comics
Jerry Iger’s Golden Features 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Jerry Iger’s National Comics SC 1
Jungle Comics reprints 1
Jungle Comics 1, 2, 3
Katzenjammer Kids 1
Kerry Drake TPB 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Kirby, King of the Serials 1
Kull 3-D 1, 2
Labor Force 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Laffin Gas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Lann Graphic Novel 1
Laurel and Hardy 3-D 1, 2
Legion of the Stupid Heroes 1
Lil Abner Reuben Award Winner Series 1
Little Dot in 3-D 1
Little Nemo in Slumberland 3-D 1
Little Nemo in Slumberland TPB
Mad Dog Magazine 1, 2, 3
Man of Rust 1
Mary Worth 1
Merlin Realm 3-D 1
Midnite 1, 2, 3
Moonwalker in 3-D 1
Mr. Cream Puff 1
National Comics 1
Nervous Rex 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Noid in 3-D 1, 2
Of Myths and Men 1, 2
Official How to Draw GI Joe 1, 2, 3
Official How to Draw Robotech 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Official How to Draw Transformers 1, 2, 3, 4
Omega Elite 1
Omni Men 1
On Stage 1
Operative Scorpio GN
Outposts 1
Pajama Chronicles 1
Planet Comics 1, 2, 3
Playful Little Audrey in 3-D 1
Possibleman 1, 2
Pre-Teen Dirty-Gene Kung-Fu Kangaroos 1, 2, 3
Prince Valiant TPB 1, 2
Rambo 1
Rambo III 1
Rambo in 3-D 1
Red Heat 1
Red Heat 3-D 1
Red Sonja 3-D 1
Revolving Doors 1, 2, 3
Richie Rich and Casper in 3-D 1
Rivit 1
Roachmill 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Rover from Gasoline Alley TPB
Sad Sack 3-D 1
Salimba 1
Salimba 3-D 1, 2
Serius Bounty Hunter 1, 2, 3
Sheena 3-D Special 1
Shuriken TPB 1
Solomon Kane 3-D 1
Sports Hall of Shame in 3-D 1
Starhawks TPB 1, 2, 3, 4
Star Wars 3-D 1, 2, 3
Starlight Squadron 1
Steve Roper and Chief Wahoo 1, 2
Stories of the West 1, 2
Street Poet Ray 1, 2
Street Wolf 1, 2, 3
Tales of the Green Beret 1, 2, 3
Tales of the Jackalope 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Tarzan Series 1, 2, 3, 4
The Gift HC. TPB
To Die For 1
To Die For 3-D 1
Tracker 1, 2
Transformers 3-D 1, 2, 3
Twisted Tales 3-D 1
Twisted Tantrums of the Purple Snit 1, 2
Underdog 3-D 1
Waxwork 1
Waxwork in 3-D 1
Wendy in 3-D 1
Werewolf 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Werewolf in 3-D 1
Wizards of the Last Resort 1, 2, 3, 4
Wolph 1
Xeno-Men 1
XL GN 1

[Brother J]

Blackthorne put out a lot of crap, but there are some gems in there, as well.

I will usually pick up the 3-D books unless the tie-in is something I have no interest in. I have the Noid 3-D books and am hoping to complete the Gumby 3-D set sometime, as well.

It's cool that they had such a long run with the *SQUEE* Tracy books, although they did come out quite a bit faster than your average indy book as they maintained a weekly schedule for a while.

The Iger Comics Kingdom TPB is worth quite a bit, mainly due to the cover by Dave Stevens and it's scarcity:



There's at least a few other books with Stevens' covers, as well. Jungle Comics #1 and Planet Comics #1 come to mind.

Lastly, Roachmill is a cool book. Imagine Clint Eastwood as an "Alien Exterminator" with two extra large cockroach arms attached at his abdomen. It lasted six issues with Blackthorne before going to Dark Horse for ten more issues.

[Chiclo]

I'd like to track down some of those 3-D books on the cheap. Mostly because I am always interested in tracking down cheap 3-D books.

I read that their best selling title was the California Raisins 3-D book. Nobody expected that but they all understood why.

[John Pannozzi]

Laffin Gas was probably the best thing they put out.

[Brother J]

Laffin Gas was probably the best thing they put out.

I was surprised to see this series went 12 issues, as most of Blackthorne's titles didn't make it that far. I remembered the Boris the Bear parody issue, as I was reading Boris regularly at the time.