Arrow Comics

Infobox Company
company_name = Arrow Comics
company_
company_type = Private
company_slogan =
foundation = 1984
key_people = Randy Zimmerman,
Editor-in-chief
location = Michigan
industry = Comics
homepage = [http://www.ArrowComics.com ArrowComics.com]

Arrow Comics was one of the original independent publishers of black-and-white comics in the mid 1980s, starting out in Ypsilanti, Michigan by founders Ralph Griffith and Stuart Kerr.

History

Griffith and Kerr were just getting ready to publish a local comic fanzine called "Fantastic Fanzine" (which they later discovered was a previously published title), when the first issue of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" came out. Spurred on by the success of this fairly low production level book, Griffith and Kerr set about to gather their own 'bullpen' of local comic creators and start a comic company, using Fantastic Fanzine as a springboard. With their motto "Our Target is Entertainment; Our Aim is Quality", they intended to bring to the Black-and-White comic book market their idea of quality work, in comparison to what they thought was sub-par work intended only as a source of revenue for the larger publishers. "Fantastic Fanzine" ran thirteen issues in its first volume, during which time Griffith and Kerr discovered local Michigan artists Randy Zimmerman, Guy Davis, Vincent Locke, Susan Van Camp, Mark Bloodworth, and Tim Dzon. In December of 1984, "Tales From The Aniverse" by Zimmerman and Van Camp was published, followed shortly thereafter by "The Realm" and "Deadworld".

Other titles included "Nightstreets" and "System 7", but it was not long before Arrow found itself caught up in the infamous "black and white bust" and the revenues from their largest selling titles were held up in the bankrupty hearings of several major comic book distributors of the day. Soon, in order to salvage their legacy, Griffith and Kerr okayed the move of their most popular titles, "Oz", "The Realm", and "Deadworld" to Caliber Comics.

Griffith and Kerr briefly resurrected Arrow Comics in 1993 with "The Dead", a horror title that pushed the envelope of gore even farther than their earlier "Deadworld". Artist Jason Moore, later of "Evil Ernie" inking fame, brought Arrow's founders morbid and shocking visions to life.

With strong support from Internet readers, the most recent incarnation of Arrow Comics has been spearheaded by Randy Zimmerman and Scott Moore. The new Arrow is publishing new webcomics "Spank the Monkey" and "Rebel Nun" (both by Zimmerman). Some of the best Arrow comics from the eighties are planned to make 'comebacks,' including a new 'Fantastic Fanzine.'

Titles

*Oz: Dark Oz/The Land of Oz
*The Dead
*Deadworld
*Fantastic Fanzine
*Legendlore: Tales from the Realm
*Nightstreets
*The Realm
*System 7
*Tales From The Aniverse
*Arrow Anthology
*Arrow Spotlight
*
*Spank The Monkey
*Spank The Monkey On The Comic Market
*Zimm's Heroic Tales
*Dr Goyle
*Wonderland
*Bill Bryan's Oz Collection
*Wogglebug
* Graphic novel collection
*Korvus
*Butterfly Gunn
*Wild Planet 2008
*Owosso Taco House Funnies 2008

Creators

*Gary Bishop
*Mark Bloodworth
*Bill Bryan
*Guy Davis
*Tim Dzon
*Ralph Griffith
*Stuart Kerr
*Jeff Lafferty
*Jason Moore
*Vince Locke
*Scott Rosema
*Susan Van Camp
*Randy Zimmerman

External links

* [http://www.arrowcomics.com/ ArrowComics.com]