Last and First
On October 28, 1985 Professor Coffin #21 rolled off the presses with a cover date of February of 1986. And that was it - the final comic book for Charlton Comics.
But this September after 31 years, the Bullseye logo reclaims a spot in your favorite comic book shops!
No, we're not joking! CHARLTON IS BACK!
If you're up to speed, you probably know that the Charlton resurgence has been steadily growing since the release of Charlton Arrow #1 back in 2014 - and holy wow, if this is the first you're hearing of it PLEASE go buy the back issues so you can say you loved Charlton before it became cool! ....don't worry we'll vouch for you ;) The news broke last week that AC will be publishing Charlton Neo's Charlton Arrow #1 (Volume 2 Issue 1, if you're nasty) so be sure to pre-order your copy in the AC Comics section of the Diamond Previews for July, 2017, listing products shipping in September 2017 at your local comic book retailer’s. So when you're done girlishly squealing in delight - don't worry, we'll wait - let's talk about the guy who just couldn't shut up about Charlton. Mr. Fester Faceplant Our dear friend Fester has been a Charlton fan since he was a kid, and while that's a story many of you share, he's one that didn't let Charlton get away. As he put it, "I was always an outsider, and here comes a line of comics that was also an outsider. No one was paying attention to me, and no one was paying them any attention either." He was part of the Charlton Comics Yahoo Group back in 1999, and in 2010 started The Charlton Comics Reading Library, but it would still be another few years before there was a place that all ravenous Charlton fans could gather. Segue to the social media.
Fester found Facebook, and in Facebook he found comradery, but in some other comic book group. Sure there were the geeks, and the aficionados, but like a true believer Arrowhead, no matter what topic was posted good ol' Fester would manage to steer the comments in the direction of Charlton. Apparently this didn't go unnoticed, because another member of the group told Fes he should start a Charlton exclusive group so he'd knock it off on their page! But of course THERE MUST be a Charlton Facebook page in existence already! A quick search revealed that to be a gigantic NOPE!
A few clicks later on March 28, 2013, The Charlton Arrow page was born! A few people joined, then some Charlton alumni took notice, then even more people joined, comic book pros and fans alike blew up the page in droves! (Today it boasts over 2,500 members!!!)
Then came the next logical step.
If people still cared about Charlton, why not publish something?
Fester mocked up a black and white Charlton zine that was sure to be a hit - Paul Kupperberg even offered to write a story for it and Roger McKenzie came out of retirement! ...unfortunately "the proverbial circumstances-beyond-my-control made it impossible for me to get the issue into print, and the project, much to everybody’s frustration, lay dormant for several months."
They tried raising money with Charlton Arrow t-shirts, Kupperberg even offered to donate the proceeds from some eBay auctions he was running, but no luck.
But thanks to his Arrow Facebook page Fester now had like-minded Charlton supporters who also happen to be in the comics biz. This is where Mort Todd enters the scene and came to our rescue. Mort took the original Charlton Arrow zine and with his expertise flipped the switch and gave us a full color 44-page Charlton extravaganza in comic form.
The rest is history. Patience and hard work paid off and we all reap the benefits, especially since this gives our movie a happy ending! Speaking of which, yes, we are still trucking along! Progress has been slow, but research, phone calls, and new connections are always happening. We'll report some news soon on what to expect next, but for now, let's raise a PBR and salute Fester Faceplant: the guy who wouldn't let it go and in that spirit, sparked a revival that's bringing comic book legends back together and even inspired a movie! Up and Atom!
