Comico/Innovation

Knightt · Post by **Knightt** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 4:30 pm

Anyone have a good source for Comico and Innovation comic checklists ?

I started to research this a bit and found it to be convoluted and confusing. Like if I were to track The Justice Machine, I see that it was printed by Comico and Innovation but hell, I just picked up a copy of The Justice Machine #1 from Millenieum !!! In it's column it speaks about how the original writer for (I believe) the Comico line was taken off the book (as well as artists Daryl Banks) and a new team was put on it that totally went into a different direction than the original writer wanted or envisioned. Well Millenium comics sprang to life and The Justice Machine is reborn, err after being reborn cause they wer... aww heck, you get my drift. But I wouldnt mind getting a list together of Comico and Innovation (even though Innovation produced such titles as Beauty and the Beast

).

Another thing... those of you that have read Comico and Innovation books, what was your take on them (titles). I see there is no comic code on these and some of the stories are pretty risque... I mean come on, what superhero team needs a 'Summer Sex Special' ? It was the mid-80s and they were really trying to sell with sex in some of these titles. I started an issue of Hero Alliance and was kind of hooked (oddly it was an issue absent of any sexual situations). So, I find myself searching for another 'dead universe' BUT feel that I will limit myself to certain titles (i.e. will not collect The Maze Agency by Innovation... it is not very good at all).

Brother J · Post by **Brother J** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 5:44 pm

It's probably easier to help you by title, rather than company. I'll start with Justice Machine, since I have most of them.

First, you need to know the Justice Machine started out as a magazine sized book published by a small company called Noble Comics. The first three issues were printed in the magazine format. The first issue even featured a cover by John Byrne. For the last two issues of this first run (issues #4 and 5) Noble shrank the book down to near regular comic size. These books were released beween 1981-82 if I recall correctly.

Later, there was a book plublished callled Justice Machine Annual #1 which was released by Texas Comics in 1983. This book was actually a key for a while as it features the first appearance of the Elementals.

Comico next got into the picture, acquiring both the Justice Machine and Elementals and first releasing a four issue mini series called Justice Machine Featuring the Elementals.

I think Elementals had their own Comico title before the Justice Machine did. The Justice Machine were given their own title by Comico in 1987 which reached 29 issues. There was also a Justice Machine Annual #1 released by Comico, which is a totally different book than the previous JM Annual.

I enjoyed this book all the way up to this point, but I can't really give an opinion on the later books.

Heath · Post by **Heath** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 10:58 pm

Hey, I acutally liked Beauty & The Beast! I was a fan of the TV show to begin with. (I'm man enough to admit it.) And the artwork in the comic is georgous. It's fully painted by Mike Deodato Jr. I believe it's some of his earliest comic book work in the US and I haven't seen anything like it from him since.

I'm going to have to look into Justice Machine, though.

Knightt · Post by **Knightt** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 12:52 am

I just got in the Comico Justice Machine/Elementals mini in the mail a day or so ago in BEAUTIFUL shape. Flipped through it and MAN, I think that I am going to enjoy it. Looks pretty good but I bet it takes a while to put the collection together even though I just won "Justice Machine vol. III #1-17 and Justice Machine Annual #1" by Comico for a whopping $5.99... I am pretty happy about that plus I won a few other items from the same seller and saved big time on shipping.

Were these books not that popular ?

How about Next Man by Comico ? I was sent that book as my 'free gift' when I got some stuff from Joe Kochcom off Ebay. I read it and liked it pretty well. I am not looking for the other issues... if there are any ?

Brother J · Post by **Brother J** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:39 am

Knightt wrote:How about Next Man by Comico ? I was sent that book as my 'free gift' when I got some stuff from Joe Kochcom off Ebay. I read it and liked it pretty well. I am not looking for the other issues... if there are any ?

Hilarious...Joe must send the same books out to everyone as freebies because he also just sent me a Next Man #1 from Comico. Next Man went to issue #5, so it would be a very short, cheap run if you wanted it.

As for Justice Machine, I think they had a decent following in the 80's as did most of Comico's books. Comico books seemed to sell well at my local shop, but it could be a regional thing as they were based in Norristown, PA, which is not far from Philly and the area that I used to live in.

Heath · Post by **Heath** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:04 am

They sold decent for an indy line at the first comic store I worked at. Especially Elementals, and back issues of Grendle and Mage.

Earl · Post by **Earl** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:59 pm

A starter on an Innovation Checklist..

Innovation Checklist

(Excludes reprints at this point)

5 3X3 Eyes
1 Ack The Barbarian
3 Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho
1 All Hallows Eve
4 Angel of Death
1 Angry Shadows
12 Annie Rices: An Interview with a Vampire
1 Annie Rices: The Master of Rampling Gate
1 Avenue X
7 Beauty and the Beast
1 Biff Thundersaur
1 Black and White Magic
1 Bozo The Clown TPB
1 Bruce Jones Outer Edge
1 Bruce Jones Razors Edge
1 Cap'n Oatmeal
3 Celestial Mechanics
5 Childs Play Vol 1
3 Childs Play Vol 2
3 Childs Play Vol 3
1 Childs Play TPB
3 Cobolt Blue (Inc TPB)
4 Colour of Magic
2 Cyberpunk Vol 1
2 Cyberpunk Vol 2
2 Cyberpunk The Seraphim Files
1 Cyberpunk The Sepaphim Project
4 Dark Shadows Vol 1
4 Dark Shadows Vol 2
1 Dark Shadows Vol 3
1 Desert Storm
2 East Meets West (does #2 exist?)
2 Equinox Chronicles
5 Forbidden Planet (Inc TPB)
5 Freddys Dead The Final Nightmare (INc TPB & 3-D Edition)
1 Gnatrat The Movie
4 Group Larue (Inc TPB) 100
1 Headman
17 Hero Alliance
1 Hero Alliance Annual
1 Hero Alliance Special
1 Hero Alliance and Justice Machine: Identity Crisis
3 Hero Alliance End of the Golden Age
1 Hero Alliance End of the Golden Age HC
1 Hero Alliance End of the Golden Age TPB
3 Hero Alliance Quarterly
? Innovation Previews
? Innovation Solicitations
2 Innovation Spectacular
1 Innovation Summer Fun
7 Justice Machine
2 J.N Williamsons Masques
6 Legends of the Stargazers
2 Legends of the Stargazers TPB (Does #2 exist?)
4 Light Fantastic
18 Lost In Space
2 Lost in Space Special
2 Lost in Space Annual
2 Lost in Space Gold Editions
1 Lost in Space Project Robinson
2 Lucifers Hammer
2 Lunitic Fringe
6 Mack Bolan the Executioner (inc 3 variants)
1 Mangle Tangle Tales
15 Maze Agency (inc special and TPB) 104
4 Media Starr (inc TPB)
1 Neon City
1 Neon Ciy: After The Fall
3 New Justice Machine
5 Newstralia
1 Nightmare
6 Nightmares on Elm Street
2 Nightmare on Elm Street: The Beginning
5 On a Pale Horse
1 Phantom of the Opera
4 Power Factor (inc Special)
1 Professor Om
14 Quantum Leap (inc Special)
11 Queen of the Damned
4 Rocketman
2 Scaramouch
1 Scarlet Kiss
1 Sentry Special
1 Seraphim
3 Shadow of the Torturer
1 Sherlock Holmes
1 SoulQuest
8 Straw Men
3 Timedrifter
7 Torchy (inc special and TPB)
3 Vampire Companion
14 Vampire Lestat (Inc HC & TPB)
2 Vigil Fall From Grace
1 Vigil Kukalkan
1 Vigil The Golden Parts
1 Walt Kelly's Santa Claus Adventures
1 Wonderworlds

TOTAL = 318

dac55 · Post by **dac55** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:32 pm

Earl is the 2 Lucifers Hammer from the Sci-Fi book? I was just wornding

dac