Tekno Comix

Tekno Comix was an American comic-book publishing company and imprint established in the mid-1990s as a division of Big Entertainment, the publicly traded entertainment company founded by Laurie Silvers and Mitchell Rubenstein. Its publishing model centered on comic-book properties associated with prominent writers, entertainers, and science-fiction creators. The names attached to its releases included Gene Roddenberry, Isaac Asimov, John Jakes, Leonard Nimoy, Mickey Spillane, Neil Gaiman, and Tad Williams. Despite the celebrity or literary associations used in the titles, the books were generally developed into comics by freelance writers and artists rather than being wholly written and illustrated by the credited personalities. The brand's first comics appeared in 1995. Promotional materials, including pamphlets and T-shirts, are documented from 1993 and 1994, suggesting that Big Entertainment marketed the concept before the regular publishing program began. Tekno Comix's catalog combined science fiction, fantasy, horror, detective fiction, and licensed or creator-associated characters. Important series included Gene Roddenberry's Lost Universe, Isaac Asimov's I-Bots, Leonard Nimoy's Primortals, Mickey Spillane's Mike Danger, and several properties connected with Neil Gaiman, including Lady Justice, Mr. Hero the Newmatic Man, Teknophage, Phage: Shadow Death, and Wheel of Worlds. The imprint was short-lived. The Tekno Comix brand was discontinued in 1996, but several characters and series continued under Big Entertainment branding into 1997. Later issues and related releases included second volumes of I-Bots, Primortals, Mike Danger, Lady Justice, and Mr. Hero the Newmatic Man, as well as titles such as Beach High, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Tad Williams' Mirror World: Rain. This transition means that the broader publishing history extends beyond the period in which the Tekno Comix name was actively used. Tekno Comix is therefore best understood as a short-lived specialty comics brand rather than a continuing standalone publisher. Its principal business was the creation, packaging, and distribution of comic books and graphic novels built around recognizable creator names and genre concepts. The intellectual property associated with the imprint is controlled by Hollywood Media Corp, the corporate successor to Big Entertainment. No current consumer-facing operations, active website, public listing, or continuing publication program under the Tekno Comix name is identified in the supplied reference material.

Tekno Comix emerged from Big Entertainment, a publicly traded American entertainment company founded by Laurie Silvers and Mitchell Rubenstein. The imprint was designed to publish comic books based on characters, situations, and concepts associated with well-known authors and entertainers. Although promotional pamphlets and T-shirts are documented from 1993 and 1994, the regular comic-book line debuted in 1995. The catalog was organized around recognizable creator-linked properties. Gene Roddenberry's Lost Universe and Gene Roddenberry's Xander in Lost Universe extended the science-fiction association of Roddenberry's name into serialized comics. Isaac Asimov's I-Bots presented another science-fiction property, while Leonard Nimoy's Primortals combined celebrity association with speculative fiction. Other lines drew on established genre and literary figures, including John Jakes' Mullkon Empire and Mickey Spillane's Mike Danger. Neil Gaiman was connected with a particularly large group of Tekno-related titles. These included Lady Justice, Mr. Hero the Newmatic Man, Teknophage, Phage: Shadow Death, and Wheel of Worlds. The branding emphasized the credited creator, but the reference material notes that the books were primarily scripted and illustrated by freelance comics professionals. Tekno Comix consequently functioned as a publisher and rights-packaging operation, translating high-profile concepts or associations into commercial comics rather than presenting the celebrity names as sole production credits. The imprint's active life was brief. Tekno Comix was discontinued in 1996. Big Entertainment nevertheless continued publishing books featuring some of the same characters and properties into 1997, using Big Entertainment branding rather than the Tekno Comix name. These later releases included second volumes of I-Bots, Primortals, Mike Danger, Lady Justice, and Mr. Hero the Newmatic Man. Other 1997 or late-period releases included Beach High and Tad Williams' Mirror World: Rain, while From Dusk Till Dawn appeared as a 1996 graphic novel under the Big Entertainment imprint. The discontinuation of the imprint did not eliminate the underlying intellectual property. Big Entertainment later continued as Hollywood Media Corp, which controls the Tekno Comix intellectual property according to the referenced account. The available material does not identify a current publishing operation using the Tekno Comix name, a surviving standalone corporate structure, or a present website. Tekno Comix is therefore historically significant as a short-lived 1990s comics imprint whose catalog crossed science fiction, fantasy, horror, and detective genres and whose commercial strategy relied heavily on recognizable creator names.

• 1997

  Related properties continue under Big Entertainment

  [1]Tekno Comixen.wikipedia.org

  Books featuring Tekno-associated characters and concepts continued into 1997 under Big Entertainment rather than the Tekno Comix imprint.

• 1996

  Tekno Comix brand discontinued

  [1]Tekno Comixen.wikipedia.org

  The Tekno Comix name was discontinued, although related properties continued to appear under Big Entertainment branding.

• 1995

  Regular comic-book line debuts

  [1]Tekno Comixen.wikipedia.org

  Tekno Comix launched its first comics, including properties associated with Gene Roddenberry, Isaac Asimov, Leonard Nimoy, John Jakes, Mickey Spillane, and Neil Gaiman.

• 1994

  Pre-launch merchandise appears

  [1]Tekno Comixen.wikipedia.org

  T-shirts and other promotional materials appeared before the regular comic-book publishing program began.

• 1993

  Early promotional activity documented

  [1]Tekno Comixen.wikipedia.org

  Promotional pamphlets associated with the future Tekno Comix line are documented from 1993.

A mid-1990s genre-comics publisher that used the names and concepts of prominent science-fiction, fantasy, literary, and entertainment figures to package comic-book properties for the American market.

• Science-fiction comic series · 1995

  Gene Roddenberry's Lost Universe

  A science-fiction comic series published as issues 1 through 7 in 1995. The title used Gene Roddenberry's name as part of the property's public identity and was among the original lines introduced during Tekno Comix's launch period.

• Science-fiction comic series · 1995

  Isaac Asimov's I-Bots

  A science-fiction comic property published in two volumes. The first volume ran from issue 1 to issue 7 in 1995–1996, and a second volume ran from issue 1 to issue 9 in 1996–1997 under the Big Entertainment imprint.

• Science-fiction comic series · 1995

  Leonard Nimoy's Primortals

  A creator-associated science-fiction series released in two volumes. The first volume comprised issues 1 through 15 in 1995, while the second volume ran for eight issues in 1996 under Big Entertainment branding after the Tekno Comix name was retired.

• Detective and action comic series · 1995

  Mickey Spillane's Mike Danger

  A comic adaptation or expansion of the Mike Danger property associated with Mickey Spillane. Its first volume ran for 11 issues in 1995–1996, followed by a second ten-issue volume in 1996–1997 under Big Entertainment branding.

• Science-fiction and adventure comic series · 1995

  Neil Gaiman's Mr. Hero the Newmatic Man

  A Neil Gaiman-associated comic series whose first volume ran for 17 issues from 1995 to 1996. A second volume began with one issue in 1996 under Big Entertainment after publication moved away from the Tekno Comix imprint.

• Fantasy and science-fiction comic series · 1995

  Neil Gaiman's Teknophage

  A Neil Gaiman-associated series published in a ten-issue first volume from 1995 to 1996. The title was part of the imprint's cluster of creator-linked speculative-fiction properties.

• Fantasy comic series · 1995

  Neil Gaiman's Lady Justice

  A Neil Gaiman-associated comic series published in an eleven-issue first volume from 1995 to 1996. A second volume ran for nine issues from 1996 to 1997 under Big Entertainment branding.

• Graphic novel · 1996

  From Dusk Till Dawn

  A 1996 graphic-novel release issued under the Big Entertainment imprint. It represents the broader genre-oriented publishing activity connected with Tekno Comix after or alongside the transition away from the original brand.

• 1996

  Retirement of the Tekno Comix imprintStrategy

  Background

  The brand had operated as a short-lived comics imprint since its 1995 launch, while several associated properties remained in publication.

  Action taken

  Big Entertainment discontinued the Tekno Comix name and continued selected books under its own branding.

  Aftermath

  Related series continued into 1997, but the Tekno Comix brand itself ceased to be used as the principal publishing identity.

  Source

1. 1Tekno Comixen.wikipedia.org