An Alternate 90s Comics? Very interesting... I know way more about DC in thia era than Marvel, but still, already looks like things will be different here given there's no Image Comics.
The Iron Age of Comics: Jim Shooter's Return to Marvel
- Thread starter Pyro
- Start date
Chapter 3 - Todd McFarlane's Spawn and an Epic Comeback
“I felt that I did all I could do with Spider-Man in ‘92 and wanted to move on, but I was already on top of the mountain at Marvel, and didn’t want to go back to DC. There was a character I had been working on--you know, Spawn--so I pitched him to Tom [DeFalco] and Jim [Shooter.] Neither was keen on bringing him into the Marvel Universe, but Jim suggested that we publish it under the Epic imprint, which was flagging at the time. Marvel got another hit, and I had complete ownership of the character and all the freedom I could ask for.” - Todd McFarlane on Spawn’s 25th anniversary, 2017.
Todd McFarlane’s Spawn released in comic shops to great fanfare under Marvel’s Epic banner in March 1992. With the might of Marvel’s marketing department backing it, it sells in excess of two million copies, making it the highest selling comic since Jim Lee’s X-Men #1 the year before. Aside from a few minor changes, the premise of the title remains the same: mercenary Al Simmons’ employer betrays and kills him, thus he makes a deal with the demon Malebolgia to restore him to life. As with all deals with the devil, Simmons returns with a horrifically burned body, most of his memories lost, and his wife married to another man.
McFarlane owned the rights to his character while Epic only publishes the book. He would go on to start his own company, McFarlane Toys, after a failed partnership with Mattel to produce toys based on his comic. Spawn would later spin off into television with an adult-oriented animated series on HBO in 1997 and a feature film by New Line Cinema later that year, making Spawn a media empire in its own right.
Spawn’s success would both invigorate Epic Comics and begin what would be best described as a “studio system.” Other artists such as Marc Silvestri, Erik Larsen, and Jim Valentino would start up their own studios (Top Cow, Highbrow, and Shadowline) that would recruit new talent that Marvel would draw upon in later years. Even old guard creators such as Jim Starlin and Dave Cockrum would return to Epic with Dreadstar and The Futurians respectively, which would usher in what many fans call the “Epic Renaissance.”
Yet Spawn was not without controversy. A moral panic broke out after concerned parents and other groups protested the “demonic” content with public figures such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson publicly condemning the book. While the outcry never reached levels seen in the 1950s with book burnings and the implementation of the Comics Code Authority, some protesters picketed comic shops.
Jim Shooter would later remark in an interview with 60 Minutes that a significant portion of Marvel’s readership were--in fact--adults that have read the company’s titles since the sixties. In that same interview he mused that the Comic Code Authority was archaic and insufficient for the market realities of the day.
Marvel ultimately dropped the Comics Code Authority in 1993 and instead adopted a ratings system similar to Motion Picture Association of America’s. Other publishers followed suit and by 1995 the other publisher that submitted its titles to the CCA was Archie Comics.
Todd McFarlane’s Spawn released in comic shops to great fanfare under Marvel’s Epic banner in March 1992. With the might of Marvel’s marketing department backing it, it sells in excess of two million copies, making it the highest selling comic since Jim Lee’s X-Men #1 the year before. Aside from a few minor changes, the premise of the title remains the same: mercenary Al Simmons’ employer betrays and kills him, thus he makes a deal with the demon Malebolgia to restore him to life. As with all deals with the devil, Simmons returns with a horrifically burned body, most of his memories lost, and his wife married to another man.
McFarlane owned the rights to his character while Epic only publishes the book. He would go on to start his own company, McFarlane Toys, after a failed partnership with Mattel to produce toys based on his comic. Spawn would later spin off into television with an adult-oriented animated series on HBO in 1997 and a feature film by New Line Cinema later that year, making Spawn a media empire in its own right.
Spawn’s success would both invigorate Epic Comics and begin what would be best described as a “studio system.” Other artists such as Marc Silvestri, Erik Larsen, and Jim Valentino would start up their own studios (Top Cow, Highbrow, and Shadowline) that would recruit new talent that Marvel would draw upon in later years. Even old guard creators such as Jim Starlin and Dave Cockrum would return to Epic with Dreadstar and The Futurians respectively, which would usher in what many fans call the “Epic Renaissance.”
Yet Spawn was not without controversy. A moral panic broke out after concerned parents and other groups protested the “demonic” content with public figures such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson publicly condemning the book. While the outcry never reached levels seen in the 1950s with book burnings and the implementation of the Comics Code Authority, some protesters picketed comic shops.
Jim Shooter would later remark in an interview with 60 Minutes that a significant portion of Marvel’s readership were--in fact--adults that have read the company’s titles since the sixties. In that same interview he mused that the Comic Code Authority was archaic and insufficient for the market realities of the day.
Marvel ultimately dropped the Comics Code Authority in 1993 and instead adopted a ratings system similar to Motion Picture Association of America’s. Other publishers followed suit and by 1995 the other publisher that submitted its titles to the CCA was Archie Comics.
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I know nothing about 90s comics. I know 60s through mid-80s Marvel pretty well, having lost interest when trapezoids and other polygons became stand-ins for characters due to declining art standards. 
I knew the attorney who represented Image Comics in the late 90s. That's it.
So this is really screwing me up because this AH is the only history I'll actually know!
Nicely done, Pyro!
I knew the attorney who represented Image Comics in the late 90s. That's it.So this is really screwing me up because this AH is the only history I'll actually know!
Nicely done, Pyro!
Byrne won't return to Marvel as long Shooter's running the show so Next Men will stay at Dark Horse. And I just realized that I've just butterflied his Sensational She-Hulk run and prevented Iron Fist's resurrection (which happened in the Namor title under Byrne.)
X-Men will still be debuting on Fox Kids, but the 90s Fantastic Four and Iron Man animated series are still in play.
I'm trying to keep Marvel from expanding too fast, but could a Marvel CCG be a possibility?
The New Universe is dead, for now. However, the PITT is butterflied so there is always a possibility for a return.
I'm trying to keep Shooter away from the editorial side as much a possible so it will be DeFalco will be dealing with the artists and writers on a day-to-day basis.
How's this for a tease. The first major butterfly to hit DC will be in November 1992. Any guesses as to what that will be?
Chapter 4 - Marvel's "Sonic the Hedgehog"
Sonic the Hedgehog from Star Comics turned out to be one of Marvel’s surprise hits of 1991, though nowhere near X-Men #1’s sales. While strong for its first three issues, sales exploded after the release of the Genesis game in June. Bob Budiansky based his character descriptions partially off of the few translated notes from Sonic Team in Japan by making the titular hero a free spirit and wanderer. He would take inspiration from Incredible Hulk television show of the 1970s by writing that Sonic would, “go from village to village, righting the wrongs caused by Dr. Eggman.”[1]
As such, he had the series take place on South Island and kept most of the locations intact. Dr. Eggman would be described as an invader from “far away” who sought to remake South Island in his own twisted image: a polluted industrial wasteland--hence giving the series a strong environmentalist message.
To flesh out the story more, Budiansky repurposed Sonic’s animal friends in the game into characters in their own right. Ricky became Ricki Acorn, former princess of the Green Hill Kingdom and leader of a group of resistance fighters. Rocky Walrus was the team muscle and gentle giant. Picky Pig would be the cowardly, but kind-hearted inventor of the group; Pocky Rabbit as the resistance’s ace fighter who constantly tried (and failed) to upstage Sonic; and Pecky Penguin as the team’s aquatics expert. Ricki would attempt to sway Sonic into joining the Resistance during their encounters, only for Sonic to steadfastly refuse each time.
Early issues included Flicky as Sonic’s wisecracking sidekick with the scripts largely humour and pun-driven (as was Mike Gallagher’s style), but the title stood a drastically different turn in its second year. Dan Slott, who had been writing backups, earned a promotion to main writer with issue #14 in May 1992. While the humour remained intact [2], the stories became plot driven with Sonic, the Resistance, and Eggman in a race for the Chaos Emeralds. A new dictate from Sega of America mandated the insertion of Miles “Tails” Prower as Sonic’s sidekick starting with #18 that September, thus Flicky disappeared from the book altogether.
It was with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Genesis that revealed more details of Sonic’s world, which now took place on the planet Freedom. Dr. Eggman was among the humans that colonized the planet, but the colonists exiled him for his unethical robotics experiments. His motivations for attacking South Island were to gain a base so he could conquer the human colony in revenge--if only Sonic and the Resistance didn’t interfere.
Year Two of the comic would set the template for not only the rest of the series, but the animated series by Marvel Productions that would air Saturday mornings on Fox and its affiliates starting September 1992. It along with X-Men [3] would become massive hits for the network, which surged in popularity thanks to these programs. Sega’s Blue Blur started strong out the gate and would climb higher over the next few years.
[1] Budiansky kept the Japanese name, so the character was never called Robotnik ITTL.
[2] Sonic’s personality would draw many comparisons to Spider-Man from this point onward.
[3] Still produced by Saban Entertainment and unchanged from its OTL counterpart.
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BONUS: Sonic the Hedgehog (1992 Animated Series) Info
Sonic the Hedgehog
Network: Fox Network
Airdates: September 19, 1992 - February 10, 1996
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 104 + 2 Specials
CAST
Ian Ziering as Sonic the Hedgehog [1]
Dana Hill as Miles "Tails" Prower
Kath Soucie as Princess Ricki Acorn
Brad Garret as Rocky Walrus
Rob Paulsen as Picky Pig
Charlie Adler as Pocky Rabbit [2]
Cree Summer as Pecky Penguin
Keith David as Dr. Ivan Eggman
Jeff Bennett as Knuckles the Echidna [3]
[1] The producers wanted a celebrity for the role and thus chose Ziering because of work on 90210. He kept voicing the character long after the show ended, including the games from the Saturn onward.Network: Fox Network
Airdates: September 19, 1992 - February 10, 1996
Seasons: 4
Episodes: 104 + 2 Specials
CAST
Ian Ziering as Sonic the Hedgehog [1]
Dana Hill as Miles "Tails" Prower
Kath Soucie as Princess Ricki Acorn
Brad Garret as Rocky Walrus
Rob Paulsen as Picky Pig
Charlie Adler as Pocky Rabbit [2]
Cree Summer as Pecky Penguin
Keith David as Dr. Ivan Eggman
Jeff Bennett as Knuckles the Echidna [3]
[2] Apparently the casting director for the show didn't know that Adler voiced Buster Bunny on Tiny Toon Adventures, and the humour of this is not lost on him.
[3] Imagine Brooklyn from Gargoyles voice and you wouldn't be far off.
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Byrne won't return to Marvel as long Shooter's running the show so Next Men will stay at Dark Horse. And I just realized that I've just butterflied his Sensational She-Hulk run and prevented Iron Fist's resurrection (which happened in the Namor title under Byrne.)
That is a shame as Byrne's She-Hulk run is quite good fun. Perhaps Steve Gerber could write it instead?
Probably no hope of a Marvel-Paramount cartoon universe then. Perhaps Marvel goes to them for the first movies?
Marvel did try and get in much later badly- but a more clued in company might get Garfield to design one for them much eariler instead of buying into baseball cards or European stickers?
I think that then gets rid of the rather decent War! series, but the art was terrible so not so bad.
I can see Shooter keeping pressure on DeFalco to maintain a tight ship regarding deadlines, and continuity- esp with folk like McFarlane and co. Still they still have Claremont, and co so the writing will remain decent. I can't see DeFalco and Shooter buying into the silly variant covers and stuff unless for
How's this for a tease. The first major butterfly to hit DC will be in November 1992. Any guesses as to what that will be?
Batman Returns is better?
Superman has a quiet day in Metropolis?
How's this for a tease. The first major butterfly to hit DC will be in November 1992. Any guesses as to what that will be?
DC Comics in 92?
Death and Return of Superman is what I'd wager. Avoided or handled better here, one can only hope. Superman's sales never recovered after that little stunt... it was one of the moves that started DC down the long road to basically being just "Batman and friends".
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The fact we get a Superman film in 1995 is something of a clue for those that know the behind-the-scenes history of DC in the early 90s. How do you fancy the idea of Brendan Fraser as the Man of Steel, by the way? I though he had the height and build for the role, and I think that he could pull of the Superman/Clark dichotomy well.
I have a very low opinion of the "Death of Superman." While it gave us Conner Kent and Steel, it was also a major catalyst for the event-driven stories that dominated the decade and inflated the collectors bubble. While I cannot tell you what happens, changing it will have massive ripple effect on other DC properties as "Emerald Twilight" in the Green Lantern title spun off from "Reign of the Supermen."
(Here's a spoiler nugget: John Stewart will feature as the GL in the coming Claremont/Byrne Justice League run because GL writer Gerard Jone will be using Hal in Justice League International.
Fraser is damned near perfect casting - and having met the man, a damned fine human being.
I'm with you that I love Steel and Superboy, and I'm even the rare guy who loved Emerald Twilight... but there's gotta be a better way then the story arc that tanked Superman, and turned death into a revolving door in comics.
I'm going to try find a way to bring in Steel and Superboy some other way because of my love for the characters, and I'm still deciding on what to do about Emerald Twilight. It should be worth noting that the story was originally pitched and solicited was not the one that saw print so the story is very butterfly-prone. If Hal got a heroic sendoff like Barry Allen did, I don't think that it would have split the fanbase as badly as it did.
I get that... but honestly, him making a face heel turn was the most interesting thing about Hal up to that point... for me and the kids reading comics, he was that boring creep dating a teenage alien. A better executed turn toward villainy might have helped.
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If anyone has seventeen minutes to burn I would suggest watching this video I found a while back that reveals the history behind Emerald Twilight and how the story we got was very last minute.
One thing definitely for certain. Changing or outright eliminating the Death of Superman will have MASSIVE consequences down the line. Without it there would be no Knightfall, no Contest (the storyline that briefly replaced Diana as Wonder Woman), no Emerald Twilight, and no Clone Saga (that would make this TL utopian, eh?) Hal would not go off the deep end without the destruction of Coast City in the Death and Return of Superman, so would that mean he would continue on as GL in that scenario? I will just have to cross that bridge when I get there since the TL is currently in 1991/92 and Emerald Twilight came out in 1994 OTL.
One thing definitely for certain. Changing or outright eliminating the Death of Superman will have MASSIVE consequences down the line. Without it there would be no Knightfall, no Contest (the storyline that briefly replaced Diana as Wonder Woman), no Emerald Twilight, and no Clone Saga (that would make this TL utopian, eh?
) Hal would not go off the deep end without the destruction of Coast City in the Death and Return of Superman, so would that mean he would continue on as GL in that scenario? I will just have to cross that bridge when I get there since the TL is currently in 1991/92 and Emerald Twilight came out in 1994 OTL.
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No or a very different clone saga can also mean that Spider-man daugher will live and Aunt May remain dead (DeFalco original plan)
The original plan for the Clone Saga wasn’t half bad. Kill off May (and it was very well done) and Mary-Jane gets pregenant so Peter feels he is able to quit and hand over to Ben when he comes calling- it was just the suits/marketing kept dragging it out especially so it would not get in the way of Onslaught (which I am happy for you to dump).
There was a series that came out with the original story in by DeFalco and co relatively recently.
I can see DC at this time going for a Big Event to gain the publicity and sales- but more of a multi-part crossover with Superman injured than dead I think. Injured enough to take a year off (‘Year without Superman’) which lets replacements step forth like a Superman Corps.
Have you watched Sci-Fi Debris series on the comic book crash? Very interesting.
There was a series that came out with the original story in by DeFalco and co relatively recently.
I can see DC at this time going for a Big Event to gain the publicity and sales- but more of a multi-part crossover with Superman injured than dead I think. Injured enough to take a year off (‘Year without Superman’) which lets replacements step forth like a Superman Corps.
Have you watched Sci-Fi Debris series on the comic book crash? Very interesting.