Mighty Comics
Encyclopedia
Mighty Comics Group, sometimes referred to as Archie Adventure Series and Radio Comics, refer to the attempt(s) by Archie Comics
to revamp and publish superhero (and non-Archie) comics in the mid-1960s. There were basically two phases to this attempt, and they would try again in the 1980s under the name of Red Circle Comics
.
and Jack Kirby
(of Captain America
fame) to create new superheroes under their Archie Adventure Series line. They started off with a new Shield, Lancelot Strong. DC Comics
viewed the character as too similar to Superman
, and it was cancelled after two issues.
Kirby & Simon developed a new character, the Fly, which they produced for the first four issues, after which they were replaced by other creators. This title was soon joined by The Jaguar. By mid-1965, the titles were all cancelled.
Only two other titles were published under the Archie Adventure Series, one was the satire title Tales Calculated to Drive you Bats, the last issue of which changed to science-fiction/horror, and the other the short-lived Jughead's Fantasy.
Their Shadow
comic (published because Belmont Books
, connected to Archie, was publishing new Shadow material), was a kind of bridge between the Archie Adventure Series and the later Radio Comics/Mighty Comics Group material.
, Laugh Comics, etc.)
, Archie hired Superman creator Jerry Siegel
to create a new line of comics which would Marvel stories. It started off with the Shadow title being fairly straight, like the Fly and Jaguar, but after the second issue, writer Siegel had turned the Shadow into a camp
hero, as he would with the rest of the line. There were plans on creating a title (also written by Siegel) starring Steel Sterling, but it never came out. Work for this title was used as backup material in Fly-Man
Although the indicia for these titles indicated the publisher as Radio Comics (and references in the comics referred to them as such), the covers said nothing until January 1966, when they proclaimed them part of the Mighty Comics Group (a possible attempt to capitalize on the popularity of "Marvel Comics Group"?).
Archie published several other titles under the Radio Comics imprint, including some of their "Madhouse Glads" titles, "Archie as Pureheart the Powerful/Captain Pureheart" and "Jughead as Captain Hero".
Archie's Belmont Books
would reprint material from this period as High Camp Superheroes (#B50-695) in April 1966.
line.
line, but after seeing the proposals killed the line in July 1989 just weeks before the first releases were scheduled to go to press. (Further details available on the Mighty Crusaders site.)
licensed the characters for their brief Impact Comics
imprint, but the line failed due to poor sales and internal conflicts.
" comic (original stories based on the animated series of the same name).
's The Watchmen
was initially an idea he had for the Mighty Comics characters. He would change this to Charlton Comics
characters which had been acquired by DC, and, eventually, make them original characters
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
to revamp and publish superhero (and non-Archie) comics in the mid-1960s. There were basically two phases to this attempt, and they would try again in the 1980s under the name of Red Circle Comics
Red Circle Comics
Red Circle Comics was an imprint used by Archie Comics Publications, Inc. to publish non-Archie characters, especially their superheroes, in the 1970s and '80s.-Phase 1: 1970s:...
.
Phase 1: Archie Adventure Series, 1959-65
In 1959, Archie Comics hired Joe SimonJoe Simon
Joseph Henry "Joe" Simon is an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the first editor of Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics.With his...
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
(of Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
fame) to create new superheroes under their Archie Adventure Series line. They started off with a new Shield, Lancelot Strong. DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
viewed the character as too similar to Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, and it was cancelled after two issues.
Kirby & Simon developed a new character, the Fly, which they produced for the first four issues, after which they were replaced by other creators. This title was soon joined by The Jaguar. By mid-1965, the titles were all cancelled.
Only two other titles were published under the Archie Adventure Series, one was the satire title Tales Calculated to Drive you Bats, the last issue of which changed to science-fiction/horror, and the other the short-lived Jughead's Fantasy.
Their Shadow
The Shadow
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
comic (published because Belmont Books
Belmont Books
Belmont Books was an American publisher of paperback books founded in 1960. It specialized in science fiction, horror and fantasy, with titles appearing from 1961 through 1971...
, connected to Archie, was publishing new Shadow material), was a kind of bridge between the Archie Adventure Series and the later Radio Comics/Mighty Comics Group material.
Titles
(also, backup stories in several Archie titles: Pep ComicsPep Comics
Pep Comics is the name of an American comic book anthology series published by the Archie Comics predecessor MLJ Magazines Inc. during the 1930s and 1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books...
, Laugh Comics, etc.)
Characters
- The FlyThe Fly (Archie Comics)The Fly is a fictional comic book superhero published by Red Circle Comics. He was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby as part of Archie's "Archie Adventure Series" and later camped up as part of the company's Mighty Comics line...
- FlygirlFlygirlFlygirl is a super-heroine published by Archie Comics.Kim Brand was an actress rescued by The Fly from a fall from a hotel window in issue #13 of The Adventures of the Fly. Kim fell in love with the superhero...
- The JaguarThe Jaguar (Archie)The Jaguar is a superhero published by Archie Comics. He was created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist John Rosenberger as part of Archie's "Archie Adventure Series", before that line was camped up as part of their Mighty Comics line. He would actually appear two years after The Fly did.The...
- Lancelot Strong: ShieldThe Shield (Archie)The Shield is the name of several fictional patriotic superheroes created by MLJ . The Shield has the distinction of being one of the first superheroes with a costume based upon the United States flag, appearing fourteen months before Captain America.The name was used by MLJ/Archie for 3 characters...
Phase 2: Radio Comics/Mighty Comics Group 1965-67
IN 1965, with the new popularity of Marvel ComicsMarvel 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...
, Archie hired Superman creator Jerry Siegel
Jerry Siegel
Jerome "Jerry" Siegel , who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S...
to create a new line of comics which would Marvel stories. It started off with the Shadow title being fairly straight, like the Fly and Jaguar, but after the second issue, writer Siegel had turned the Shadow into a camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
hero, as he would with the rest of the line. There were plans on creating a title (also written by Siegel) starring Steel Sterling, but it never came out. Work for this title was used as backup material in Fly-Man
Although the indicia for these titles indicated the publisher as Radio Comics (and references in the comics referred to them as such), the covers said nothing until January 1966, when they proclaimed them part of the Mighty Comics Group (a possible attempt to capitalize on the popularity of "Marvel Comics Group"?).
Archie published several other titles under the Radio Comics imprint, including some of their "Madhouse Glads" titles, "Archie as Pureheart the Powerful/Captain Pureheart" and "Jughead as Captain Hero".
Archie's Belmont Books
Belmont Books
Belmont Books was an American publisher of paperback books founded in 1960. It specialized in science fiction, horror and fantasy, with titles appearing from 1961 through 1971...
would reprint material from this period as High Camp Superheroes (#B50-695) in April 1966.
Characters
- Black Hood
- Bob Phantom
- Captain FlagCaptain FlagCaptain Flag is a fictional superhero created by MLJ Comics' writer Joe Blair and artist Lin Streeter. He first appeared in September 1941, in issue #16 of Blue Ribbon Comics. He shared the cover with Mr. Justice until #19 when Captain Flag was the only one to appear on the cover...
- DustyThe Shield (Archie)The Shield is the name of several fictional patriotic superheroes created by MLJ . The Shield has the distinction of being one of the first superheroes with a costume based upon the United States flag, appearing fourteen months before Captain America.The name was used by MLJ/Archie for 3 characters...
- Firefly
- The FlyThe Fly (Archie Comics)The Fly is a fictional comic book superhero published by Red Circle Comics. He was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby as part of Archie's "Archie Adventure Series" and later camped up as part of the company's Mighty Comics line...
(later called Fly-Man) - FlygirlFlygirlFlygirl is a super-heroine published by Archie Comics.Kim Brand was an actress rescued by The Fly from a fall from a hotel window in issue #13 of The Adventures of the Fly. Kim fell in love with the superhero...
- The FoxThe Fox (comics)The Fox is the name of two fictional superheroes that appear in periodicals published by MLJ Comics, and a supervillain that appeared in the mid-2000s Top Cow comic-book series Wanted.- Publication history :...
- Inferno
- The JaguarThe Jaguar (Archie)The Jaguar is a superhero published by Archie Comics. He was created by writer Robert Bernstein and artist John Rosenberger as part of Archie's "Archie Adventure Series", before that line was camped up as part of their Mighty Comics line. He would actually appear two years after The Fly did.The...
- Pow Girl
- Roy, the Super Boy
- The ShadowThe ShadowThe Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
- The Wizard
- The WebThe Web (comics)The Web is a fictional character, a superhero created by MLJ Comics' John Cassone as artist and an unknown writer in 1942.-Fictional character biography:...
(son of original Web)
Red Circle Comics
In the early 1980s, Archie tried using their superheroes again under the Red Circle ComicsRed Circle Comics
Red Circle Comics was an imprint used by Archie Comics Publications, Inc. to publish non-Archie characters, especially their superheroes, in the 1970s and '80s.-Phase 1: 1970s:...
line.
Spectrum Comics
Archie would try again with their heroes under the Spectrum ComicsSpectrum Comics
Spectrum Comics was a short-lived American comic book publisher during the 1980s. Based in Bristol, Connecticut, Spectrum only published three series during its existence. Notable creators associated with Spectrum included Karl Kesel and Tom Morgan.-Titles:...
line, but after seeing the proposals killed the line in July 1989 just weeks before the first releases were scheduled to go to press. (Further details available on the Mighty Crusaders site.)
Impact Comics
In the Early 90s rival DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
licensed the characters for their brief Impact Comics
Impact Comics
Impact Comics was an imprint of DC Comics that was aimed at younger audiences. It was begun in 1991 and ended by 1993....
imprint, but the line failed due to poor sales and internal conflicts.
Archie's Weird Mysteries
The Mighty Crusaders made two appearances in the "Archie's Weird MysteriesArchie's Weird Mysteries
Archie's Weird Mysteries is an American animated children's television program, based on the successful Archie comics. The series premise revolves around a Riverdale High physics lab gone awry, making the town of Riverdale a "magnet" for B-movie style monsters.The show is distributed as meeting the...
" comic (original stories based on the animated series of the same name).
Influence
Alan MooreAlan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
's The Watchmen
Watchmen
Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
was initially an idea he had for the Mighty Comics characters. He would change this to Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1946 to 1985, having begun under a different name in 1944. It was based in Derby, Connecticut...
characters which had been acquired by DC, and, eventually, make them original characters
Trade paperback collections
Recently, Archie Comics has reprinted some of this work in trade paperback collections under the Red Circle Productions name.- The Fly (reprints first 4 issues of The Fly done by Simon and Kirby)
- Mighty Crusaders (reprints Fly-Man #31, #32 and #33 and Mighty Crusaders #1)