PropertyValue
rdf:type
rdfs:label
  • Revolutionary Comics
rdfs:comment
  • Loren claimed the First Amendment protected the journalistic rights of his "illustrated articles" and he took the matter to the U.S. District Court in California, who agreed. Loren’s win against the New Kids established, among other things, that comic book biographies were entitled to the same protections as other unauthorized biographies.
owl:sameAs
dcterms:subject
dbkwik:crossgen-comics-database/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
dbkwik:heykidscomics/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
Status
  • defunct: 1994
Country
  • United States of America
Name
  • Revolutionary Comics
Type
  • publisher
Founder
Title
  • Revolutionary Comics
  • Unauthorized and Proud of It: Todd Loren's Rock 'n' Roll Comics
Headquarters
  • San Diego, California
keypeople
  • Herb Shapiro, Jay Allen Sanford
ID
  • 199
  • 716
  • 469213
topics
  • Music, Biography
publications
imprints
Founded
  • 1989
abstract
  • Loren claimed the First Amendment protected the journalistic rights of his "illustrated articles" and he took the matter to the U.S. District Court in California, who agreed. Loren’s win against the New Kids established, among other things, that comic book biographies were entitled to the same protections as other unauthorized biographies. Loren hired Hey Boss artist Larry Nadolsky to draw the first issue of Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics, profiling Guns N' Roses. On the comic’s release, Guns N' Roses lawyer Peter Paterno sent Revolutionary a cease and desist order. This was reported in a Rolling Stone story that directly resulted in the entire 10,000 copy print run selling out in two weeks, thanks to buyers who thought Guns N' Roses would sue the comic out of existence. No lawsuits actually happened, and the comic went into multiple new printings eventually totaling over 150,000 copies. Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics #3 and #4, on Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe, respectively, did result in lawsuits. The bands had exclusive merchandising deals with Great Southern/Winterland Productions, which threatened comic distributors over carrying the issues and got a court injunction prohibiting Revolutionary from distributing either comic. This forced Revolutionary to build its own distribution network outside traditional comic shops, eventually getting them into music and gift retail outlets which had never carried comics before. This independence from the comic book marketplace served the company well, as sales continued to rise from issue to issue, with their Metallica comic going into multiple print runs totaling over 75,000 copies.