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{{Short description|Defunct American comic book publishing company}}
{{Refimprove|date=July 2008}}
{{Refimprove|date=July 2008}}
{{Infobox publisher
{{Infobox publisher
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| image = [[File:Millennium icon.png|200px]]
| image = [[File:Millennium icon.png|200px]]
| parent =
| parent =
| status = Defunct (2000)
| defunct = 2000
| founded = [[1990 in comics|1990]]
| founded = 1990
| founder = [[Mark Ellis (American author)|Mark Ellis]], Melissa Martin, Paul Davis
| closed = [[2000 in comics|2000]]
| founder = [[Mark Ellis (writer)|Mark Ellis]], Melissa Martin, Paul Davis
| successor =
| successor =
| country = [[U.S.A.]]
| country = U.S.
| headquarters = [[Tampa, Florida]], then [[Narragansett, Rhode Island]]
| headquarters = [[Tampa, Florida]], then [[Narragansett, Rhode Island]]
| distribution =
| distribution = U.S.
| keypeople =
| key_people =
| publications = [[Comics]]
| publications = [[Comics]]
| topics =
| topics =
| genre =
| genre =
| imprints =
| imprints = Borderland<br />American Bios<br />Modern Comics
| revenue =
| revenue =
| numemployees =
| numemployees =
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| url =
| url =
}}
}}
'''Millennium Publications''' was an American independent [[comic book]] publishing company active in the 1990s.
'''Millennium Publications''' was an [[United States|American]] independent [[comic book]] publishing company founded by [[Mark Ellis (writer)|Mark Ellis]], [[Melissa Martin]] and [[Paul Davis (publisher)|Paul Davis]]. Initially known as a publisher of licensed properties, Millennium adapted works by [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], [[Lester Dent]], [[Frank Frazetta]], [[Robert E. Howard]], [[Harlan Ellison]], [[H.P. Lovecraft]], <!--[[Doug Wildey]],-->and [[Anne Rice]]; and even TV series like ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'' and ''[[The Wild Wild West]]'' into comic book form. The company expanded its repertoire of horror comics into original titles in the mid-1990s, and further branched out in its later years to embrace the [[alternative comics]] genre, starting a short-lived creator-owned imprint called '''Modern Comics'''.


Initially known as a publisher of licensed properties, Millennium adapted works by [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], [[Lester Dent]], [[Robert E. Howard]], [[Harlan Ellison]], [[H.P. Lovecraft]], and [[Anne Rice]]; and even adapted television series like ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'' and ''[[The Wild Wild West]]'' into comic book form. The company expanded its repertoire of [[horror comics]] into original titles in the mid-1990s, and further branched out in its later years to embrace the [[alternative comics]] genre, starting a short-lived creator-owned imprint called '''Modern Comics'''.
Millennium was distinctive in that they mostly published one-shots and mini-series, with only a couple of their titles running for more than four issues. The company gave now-established comics artists such as [[Darryl Banks]], [[Dean Haspiel]], [[Josh Neufeld]] and [[Mike Wieringo]] their first steady exposure, while also working with comics legends [[Jim Mooney]] and [[Don Heck]] on a number of projects. Other notable comics creators who published with Millennium include [[Brian Michael Bendis]], [[John Bolton (comics)|John Bolton]], [[Joshua Dysart]], [[Bob Eggleton]], [[Dærick Gröss Sr.]], [[Kelley Jones]], [[Rik Levins]], [[David W. Mack]], and [[Terry Pavlet]].


Millennium gave early exposure to comics artists such as [[Darryl Banks]],<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=BANKS%2c+DARRYL Banks entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref> [[Brian Michael Bendis]], [[Dean Haspiel]], [[Adam Hughes]], [[Michel Lacombe]], [[David W. Mack]], [[Josh Neufeld]], [[Rik Levins]], and [[Mike Wieringo]]; and utilized industry veterans like [[John Bolton (comics)|John Bolton]], [[Mark Buckingham (comic book artist)|Mark Buckingham]], [[Don Heck]], [[Kelley Jones]], [[Jim Mooney]], [[Rudy Nebres]], [[Steve Stiles]], and [[Roy Thomas]]. Covers were occasionally provided by such notable creators as [[Brian Stelfreeze]], [[Timothy Truman]], and [[Doug Wildey]].
== Publishing history ==
In many ways representative of the boom period of independent comic book publishing, Millennium thrived in the early years of the 1990s and fell on lean times as the decade came to a close.


The company was distinctive in that it mostly published [[One-shot (comics)|one-shots]] and [[Limited series (comics)|limited series]], with only a couple of their titles running for more than four issues. In many ways representative of the boom period of independent comic book publishing, Millennium thrived in the early years of the 1990s and fell on lean times as the decade came to a close.
The company's first offerings, in 1990, were ''[[Anne Rice]]'s The Mummy'', adapting her novel, ''The Mummy, or, Ramses the Damned''; and ''[[The Wild Wild West]]: The Night of the Iron Tyrants'', a four-issue sequel to the TV series scripted by [[Mark Ellis (writer)|Mark Ellis]], who also served as Millennium's comics editor for three years.


== Publishing history ==
In 1991, Millennium debuted a series of comics titles featuring [[Lester Dent]]'s [[Doc Savage]], including the four-part limited series ''Doc Savage: The Monarch of Armageddon.'' That series, which was also written by Mark Ellis (and drawn by Darryl Banks), was said by ''The Comics Buyer's Guide Catalog of Comic Books'' "to come closest to the original, capturing all the action, humanity and humor of the original novels."{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} Also in 1991, Ellis conceived and scripted the critically acclaimed ''[[Nosferatu: Plague of Terror]]'', a four-part series which provided a complete story of the title character's origin quite apart from the Dracula legend. Finally, Ellis again turned to adapting and expanding another writer's concepts ([[H.P. Lovecraft]]), with the three-issue limited series ''[[H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness|Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness]]'', which featured the first appearance of The Miskatonic Project.
=== Origins ===
Millennium Publications was founded in 1990 in [[Tampa, Florida]], by [[Mark Ellis (American author)|Mark Ellis]], Melissa Martin, and Paul Davis,<ref name=Davis>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=DAVIS%2c+PAUL Davis entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref> with veteran comics creator Ellis serving as chief writer, and his wife Melissa<ref name=firefox>Rafter, Dan. [http://firefox.org/news/articles/719/1/Conquering-comics--and-marriage-too/Page1.html "Conquering Comics ... and Marriage, Too"], Firefox News, October 9, 2007. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110725095351/http://firefox.org/news/articles/719/1/Conquering-comics--and-marriage-too/Page1.html WebCitation archive].</ref> as vice-president and [[art director]]. Co-founder Davis also edited a number of titles, especially in the period 1993 to 1995.<ref name=Davis />


The company's first offerings, in 1990, were the series ''[[Anne Rice]]'s The Mummy'', inspired by her novel, ''[[The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned]]'', with contributions from the likes of Ellis, [[John Hebert (artist)|John Hebert]], [[Mark Menendez (comics)|Mark Menendez]], and [[Jim Mooney]], among others. ''The Mummy'' ran 12 issues in all, making it the company's longest-running title. Also published in 1990 was ''[[The Wild Wild West]]: The Night of the Iron Tyrants'', a four-issue "sequel" to the TV series written by Ellis with art by [[Darryl Banks]], and John Hebert with color art by Melissa Ellis and Deirdre DeLay.
In 1992-1993, Millennium introduced another Anne Rice-related project, ''Anne Rice's The Witching Hour'', which ran for five issues; and another Doc Savage book, ''Manual of Bronze''. In addition, again with Ellis as scripter, they adapted the cult-classic horror film ''It! The Terror from Beyond Space'' into comics form. Ellis and Banks teamed up again to produce two issues of ''[[Justice Machine]]'', a super-hero title which had previously been published by [[Comico Comics]] and [[Innovation Comics]], among others. During this period, Millennium also published its first nonfiction title, [[Don Hillsman]] and [[Ryan Monihan]]'s ''By Any Means Necessary: The Life and Times of [[Malcolm X]]'', an unauthorized biography in comic book form. Before leaving Millennium at the end of 1993, Ellis once again flexed his adaptation skills with ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]: The Birds of Prey Affair'' two-parter.


In 1991, Millennium debuted a series of comics titles featuring [[Lester Dent]]'s [[Doc Savage]], featuring work by Ellis, Banks, [[Mike Wieringo]], Tony Harris, [[Adam Hughes]], [[Brian Stelfreeze]], [[Steve Stiles]], and [[Doug Wildey]], among others. Ellis wrote the four-issue limited series ''Doc Savage: The Monarch of Armageddon'', penciled by Darryl Banks, which was assessed by ''The [[Comics Buyer's Guide]] Catalog of Comic Books'' as coming the "closest to the original, capturing all the action, humanity, and humor of the original novels".{{cn|date=January 2023}}
At the end of 1993, co-owners Ellis and Martin, who also functioned as the editorial and production staff, sold their shares in Millennium, but retained ownership of a number of comics properties, such as ''[[Nosferatu: Plague of Terror|Nosferatu]]'', ''[[H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness|The Miskatonic Project]]'', and the new ''[[Justice Machine]]''.<ref name="Transfuzion">[http://www.transfuzion.biz/NewsMilllenium.htm Transfuzion press release: "Transfuzion Publishing and Millennial Concepts Join Forces" (July 9, 2008).]</ref> (When Ellis and Martin left Millennium, the company moved its headquarters from [[Tampa, Florida]], to Rhode Island, first to [[Narragansett, Rhode Island|Narragansett]], and finally to [[Kingston, Rhode Island|Kingston]].)


Also in 1991, Ellis conceived and scripted the critically acclaimed ''[[Nosferatu: Plague of Terror]]'', a four-part series that provided a complete story of the title character's origin quite apart from the [[Dracula]] legend, featuring art by [[Rik Levins]] and Richard Pace. Finally, Ellis again turned to adapting and expanding another writer's concepts ([[H.P. Lovecraft]]), with the three-issue limited series ''[[H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness|Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness]]'', which featured the first appearance of the Miskatonic Project with art by Darryl Banks and [[Don Heck]].
The mid-1990s saw the company publishing more original material, still mostly in the horror vein, though they also adapted material created by Robert E. Howard (''The Black Reaper'') and Arthur Conan Doyle (''The Lost World''). (''The Black Reaper'' was notable in that it featured Howard's poetry alongside illustrations by comic book artists; it was halfway between a book and a comic book.) During this period, Millennium also picked up the ''Night's Children'' series from the defunct [[FantaCo Enterprises|Fantaco/Tundra]]. In 1996, Millennium also debuted [[Dean Haspiel]] and [[Josh Neufeld]]'s eclectic two-man anthology ''[[Keyhole (comic)|Keyhole]]'', which ran for three issues in 1996-1997 until it moved over to the Modern Comics imprint for issue #4. (''Keyhole'' then was picked up by [[Top Shelf Productions]] for the remainder of its six-issue run.)


In 1992-93, Millennium introduced another Anne Rice-related project, ''Anne Rice's The Witching Hour'', which ran for five issues, the first four of which were co-published with [[Comico: The Comic Company]].<ref>[https://www.comics.org/series/14120/ "Anne Rice's The Witching Hour: Millennium; Comico, 1992 Series"], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref> The title was intended to run 13 issues but only made it to issue #5 before being canceled.<ref>[https://www.comics.org/series/188970/ "Anne Rice's The Witching Hour: Millennium Publications, 1996 Series"], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref>
1997 was notable in that Millennium debuted its creator-owned line, Modern Comics, which featured creators from the [[minicomic]], self-publishing, and [[zine]] scenes. This new direction for the company didn't help their fortunes, however, as in 1998 Millennium only published one title, with Modern putting out a paltry two books. Neither Millennium nor Modern released any books in 1999, and Modern's only title in 2000 was [[Yvonne Mojica]]'s ''The Bathroom Girls Guide to Christmas Chaos''. In 2000, Millennium/Modern closed its doors for good.


The company's three-issue ''Asylum'' horror [[Comics anthology|anthology]] (published under its [[Borderland (book series)|Borderland]] emblem)<ref>[https://www.comics.org/series/4926/ Asylum entry], Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref> included reprints of [[Archie Comics]]' 1970s ''Red Circle Sorcery'' series, and featured the talents of [[Vicente Alcazar]], [[John Bolton (illustrator)|John Bolton]], [[T. Casey Brennan]], [[Mark Buckingham (comic book artist)|Mark Buckingham]], [[Howard Chaykin]], [[Duncan Eagleson]], [[Neil Gaiman]], [[Pia Guerra]], [[Don Hillsman II]], [[Matt Howarth]], [[Carlos Pino]], and [[Al McWilliams]], among others.
In late 2007, Ellis and Martin formed [[Millennial Concepts]], reviving the stylized "M" that had served as Millennium's first company logo. In July 2008, Millennial Concepts joined forces with [[Caliber Comics]] founder [[Gary Reed (comic writer)|Gary Reed]]'s [[Transfuzion Publications]] in a joint graphic novel-publishing venture.<ref name="Transfuzion" />


In addition, again with Ellis as scripter, Millennium adapted the [[cult classic]] horror film ''[[It! The Terror from Beyond Space]]'' into comics form. Ellis and Banks teamed up again to produce two issues of ''[[Justice Machine]]'', a superhero title that had previously been published by [[Comico: The Comic Company|Comico Comics]] and [[Innovation Publishing]], among others.
== Titles (chronologically) ==
[[Image:Millmob2.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Doug Wildey]]'s cover for ''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze'' #2.]]


During this period, Millennium also published its first nonfiction title, [[Don Hillsman II]] and Ryan Monihan's ''By Any Means Necessary: The Life and Times of [[Malcolm X]]'', an [[unauthorized biography]] in comic book form. Before leaving Millennium at the end of 1993, Ellis once again flexed his adaptation skills with ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]: The Birds of Prey Affair'' two-parter.
=== 1990 ===
*''Anne Rice's The Mummy'' (12 issues)
* ''The Wild Wild West: The Night of the Iron Tyrants'' (4 issues)


=== Ownership transition and relocation ===
=== 1991 ===
At the end of 1993, co-owners Ellis and Martin, who also functioned as the editorial and production staff, sold their shares in Millennium to Davis, but retained ownership of a number of comics properties, such as ''[[Nosferatu: Plague of Terror|Nosferatu]]'', ''[[H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness|The Miskatonic Project]]'', and the new ''[[Justice Machine]]''.<ref name="Transfuzion">[http://www.transfuzion.biz/NewsMilllenium.htm Transfuzion press release: "Transfuzion Publishing and Millennial Concepts Join Forces" (July 9, 2008).] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706145913/http://www.transfuzion.biz/NewsMilllenium.htm |date=July 6, 2011}}</ref> When Ellis and Martin left Millennium, Davis moved the company headquarters from Tampa to Rhode Island, first to [[Narragansett, Rhode Island|Narragansett]], and finally to [[Kingston, Rhode Island|Kingston]].
* ''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze — Doom Dynasty'' (2 issues)
* ''Doc Savage: The Monarch of Armageddon'' (4 issues)
* ''H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu'' (3 issues)
* ''[[H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness|H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: Whisperer in Darkness]]'' (3 issues)
* ''[[Nosferatu: Plague of Terror]]'' (4 issues)
* ''Oz Squad''
*''Pat Savage: Woman of Bronze''


=== Transition from licensed properties to original material ===
=== 1992 ===
The mid-1990s saw the company publishing more original material, still mostly in the horror vein, though it also published adaptations of material created by [[Robert E. Howard]] (''The Black Reaper'') and [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] (''[[The Lost World (Doyle novel)|The Lost World]]''). ''The Black Reaper'' was notable in that it featured Howard's poetry alongside illustrations by comic book artists; it was halfway between a book and a comic book. During this period, Millennium also picked up Wendy Snow-Lang's ''Night's Children'' series from the defunct [[FantaCo Enterprises|Fantaco/Tundra]].
*''Anne Rice's The Witching Hour'' (5 issues)
* ''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze — Devil's Thoughts'' (3 issues)
* ''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze — Repel'' (2 issues planned, only one published)
* ''Doc Savage: The Manual of Bronze''
* ''[[It! The Terror from Beyond Space]]''
* ''The [[Justice Machine]]'' (2 issues)
* ''Mummy Archives''
* ''Weird Tales Illustrated'' (Jan., 2 issues)


In 1994, Millennium acquired Arvin Loudermilk and Mike Iverson's ''Vigil'' from [[Innovation Publishing]], first collecting material originally published by Innovation, and then launching its own line of ''Vigil'' limited series. These ran through 1996.
=== 1993 ===
* ''Asylum'' (3 issues)
* ''By Any Means Necessary: The Life and Times of Malcolm X''
* ''H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Festival'' (3 issues)
* ''[[H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness|H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: Whisperer in Darkness]]'' (collected the 1991 three-issue miniseries)
* ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Birds of Prey Affair'' (2 issues)


In 1996, Millennium also debuted [[Dean Haspiel]] and [[Josh Neufeld]]'s eclectic two-man anthology ''[[Keyhole (comic)|Keyhole]]'', which ran for three issues in 1996-1997 (until it moved over to Millennium's Modern Comics imprint for issue #4; ''Keyhole'' then was picked up by [[Top Shelf Productions]] for the remainder of its six-issue run).
=== 1994 ===
* ''The Best of Asylum'' (collected the 1993 two-issues miniseries)
* ''Blood Childe: Portrait of a Surreal Killer'' (Oct., 4 issues)
* ''The Collector's Dracula'' (2 issues)
*''Heartstopper: Sorrow About to Fall''
* ''Night's Children: Liaisons'' (Oct.)
* ''Night's Children: Origins'' (Sept.)
* ''Night's Children: Red Trails West'' (Dec.)
* ''[[Oz Squad]] Special''
* ''The Quest of the Tiger Woman: A Genetic Park Adventure'' (Apr., 2 issues)
* ''Vigil: Rebirth'' (2 issues)
* ''Wicked'' (4 issues)


=== Modern Comics creator-owned imprint ===
=== 1995 ===
1997 was notable in that Millennium debuted its creator-owned line, Modern Comics, which featured creators from the [[minicomic]], self-publishing, and [[zine]] scenes. This new direction for the company didn't help their fortunes, however, as in 1998 Millennium/Modern only published a handful of comics. The company didn't release any comics in 1999, and Modern's only title in 2000 was Yvonne Mojica's ''The Bathroom Girls Guide to Christmas Chaos''.
* ''Dark World''
* ''Descending Angels''
* ''Manik'' (3 issues)
* ''Night's Children: Ripper'' (2 issues)
*''Power Plays'' (4 issues)
* ''Robert E. Howard's The Black Reaper''
* ''Sex & Death'' (June)


===1996 ===
=== Closure ===
In 2000, Millennium/Modern closed its doors for good.
* ''Chassis'' (3 issues)
* ''Jigaboo Devil''
* ''[[Keyhole (comic)|Keyhole]]'' (June, 3 issues before moving to Modern)
* ''The Lost World'' (2 issues)
* ''Shock the Monkey'' June, 2 issues)


=== 1997 ===
== Millennial Concepts ==
In late 2007, Ellis and Martin formed Millennial Concepts, reviving the stylized "M" that had served as Millennium's first company logo. In July 2008, Millennial Concepts joined forces with [[Caliber Comics]] founder [[Gary Reed (comic writer)|Gary Reed]]'s Transfuzion Publications in a joint graphic novel-publishing venture.<ref name="Transfuzion" />
* ''Armageddon Rising: The Grand Equation''
* ''[[Billy Dogma]]'' by Dean Haspiel (Modern Comics, 3 issues)
* ''Canton Kid''
* ''Da'kota'' (2 issues)
*''Desiree: The Ultimate Experience''
* ''[[Keyhole (comics)|Keyhole]]'' by Dean Haspiel and Josh Neufeld (Modern Comics, Apr., 1 issue)
* ''Little Miss Strange''
* ''Lovely Prudence Christmas Bitterness Special'' by Maze (Modern Comics)
* ''Song of the Sirens: featuring Da'kota'' (2 issues)


=== 1998 ===
== Titles ==
[[File:Millennium's Doc Savage - The Man of Bronze cover.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Doug Wildey]]'s cover for ''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze'' #2.]]
* ''Bathroom Girls'' by Yvonne Mojica (Modern Comics, 4 issues, 1998–2000)
=== Licensed properties ===
* ''Lovely Prudence Swimsuit Special'' by Maze (Modern Comics)
* ''[[Anne Rice]]'s The Mummy'' a.k.a. ''[[The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned]]'' (12 issues, 1990–1992) — anthology with stories by [[Mark Ellis (American author)|Mark Ellis]], Mary Anne-Cassata,<ref name=Cassata>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=ANNE-CASSATA%2c+MARY Cassata entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref> Greg Fulton, Terry Collins, and Faye Perozich, and art by [[Tony Harris (artist)|Tony Harris]], John Hebert, Mark Herbert, [[Mario Hernandez (comics)|Mario Hernandez]], Robert Lewis, Mark Menendez, Richard Pace, [[Jim Mooney]], and Marcus Rollie
* ''Tiger Woman: A New Beginning''
* ''Anne Rice's the Witching Hour'' (5 issues, 1992–1993; the first four issues co-published with [[Comico: The Comic Company|Comico]]) — by Terry Collins, Faye Perozich, and [[Duncan Eagleson]]

* ''Anne Rice's the Witching Hour: the Beginning'' (1994)
=== 2000 ===
* ''Collector's Dracula'' (2 issues, 1994) — reprinting Dracula stories originally published by Millennium, [[Eclipse Comics]], and [[Caliber Comics]]
* ''The Bathroom Girls Guide to Christmas Chaos'' by Yvonne Mojica (Modern Comics)
* ''[[Doc Savage]]: The Man of Bronze'' (9 issues, 1991–1992) — anthology with stories by Mark Ellis, Terry Collins, and Charles Moore; and art by [[Darryl Banks]], Scott Benefiel,<ref name=Benefiel>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=BENEFIEL%2c+SCOTT Benefiel entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref> Nick Choles, Dave Dorman, Mark Evans, Tony Harris, [[Adam Hughes]], Paul Orban, [[Brian Stelfreeze]], [[Steve Stiles]], [[Doug Wildey]], Jim Amash,<ref name=Amash>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=AMASH%2c+JIM Amash entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref> Rick Davis, and Robert Lewis
<!--
* ''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze — Devil's Thoughts'' (3 issues, 1992)
==Titles==
* ''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze — Doom Dynasty'' (2 issues, 1991–1992) — art by [[Mike Wieringo]]
*''Anne Rice's The Mummy'' a.k.a. ''The Mummy, or, Ramses the Damned'' (1990)
*''Anne Rice's the Witching Hour'' (1992)
* ''Armageddon Rising: The Grand Equation'' (1997)
* ''Asylum'' (1993, 3 issues)
* ''Blood Childe: Portrait of a Surreal Killer'' (Oct. 1994-1995, 4 issues)
* ''By Any Means Necessary: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (an Unauthorized Biography in Comic Book Form)'' (1993)
* ''Canton Kid'' (1997)
* ''Chassis'' (1996, 3 issues)
* ''The Collector's Dracula'' (1994, 2 issues)
* ''Da'Kota'' (1997, 2 issues)
* ''Descending Angels'' (1995)
*''Doc Savage: Doom Dynasty'' (1991)
* ''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze'' (1991, 9 issues)
* ''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze — Devil's Thoughts'' (1991)
* ''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze — Doom Dynasty'' (1991)
* ''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze — Repel'' (1991)
* ''Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze — Repel'' (1991)
* ''Doc Savage: The Manual of Bronze'' (1992)
* ''Doc Savage: The Manual of Bronze'' (2 issues, 1992) — by Mark Ellis and Darryl Banks
* ''Doc Savage: The Monarch of Armageddon'' (1991)
* ''Doc Savage: The Monarch of Armageddon'' (4 issues, 1992) — by Mark Ellis and Darryl Banks
* ''H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu'' (1991)
* ''[[H. P. Lovecraft]]'s [[Cthulhu]]'' (3 issues, 1991–1992) — written by Terry Collins and Paul Davis with art by [[Don Heck]] and Robert Lewis
* ''H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Festival'' (1993-1994, 3 issues)
* ''H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Festival'' (3 issues, 1993-1994) — by [[Roy Thomas]], Brian Michael Bendis, and [[David W. Mack]]
* ''[[H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness|H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: Whisperer in Darkness]]'' (1991-1992, 3 issues)
* ''[[H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness|H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: Whisperer in Darkness]]'' (3 issues, 1991–1992) — written by Mark Ellis and Terry Collins, with art by Darryl Banks and [[Don Heck]]
* ''It! The Terror from Beyond Space'' (1992)
* ''[[It! The Terror from Beyond Space]]'' (4 issues, 1992) — written by Mark Ellis with inks by Jim Amash<ref name=Amash />
* ''[[The Lost World (Doyle novel)|The Lost World]]'' (2 issues, 1996)
* ''Jigaboo Devil'' (1996)
* ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]: The Birds of Prey Affair'' (2 issues, 1993) — by Mark Ellis, Nick Choles,<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=CHOLES%2c+NICK Choles entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref> and Don Hillsman II
* ''The Justice Machine'' (1992)
* ''Mummy Archives'' (1992) — text stories by Terry Collins, Paul Davis, Mark Ellis, and Mary Anne-Cassata<ref name=Cassata /> with illustrations
* ''Keyhole'' (June 1996-1997, 3 issues — before moving to Modern<sup>see below</sup>)
* ''[[Nosferatu: Plague of Terror]]'' (4 issues, 1991) — by Mark Ellis, [[Rik Levins]], Richard Pace, and Frank Turner
* ''[[Pat Savage (Doc Savage character)|Pat Savage]]: Woman of Bronze'' (1991) — one-shot with stories by Mark Ellis and art by Darryl Banks, Scott Benefiel,<ref name=Benefiel /> Mark Evans, Adam Hughes, Pat Savage, Jim Amash,<ref name=Amash /> and Robert Lewis
* ''[[Robert E. Howard]]'s The Black Reaper'' (1995)
* ''[[Weird Tales]] Illustrated'' (2 issues, Jan. 1992) — anthology with stories by [[Les Daniels]], Paul Davis, and Faye Perozich, with art by John Bolton, [[Kelley Jones]], and Eddy Newell
* ''[[The Wild Wild West]]: The Night of the Iron Tyrants'' (4 issues, 1990) — co-written by Paul Davis and Mark Ellis with art by Robert Lewis
<!-- From Mark Ellis Who's Who:
* Cadwiller Olden [Filler] (Wr/) 1992
* Ham [Filler] (Wr/) 1992 From Doc Savage
* John Renwick [Filler] (Wr/) 1992
* John Sunlight [Filler] (Wr/) 1992
* Johnny [Filler] (Wr/) 1992 From Doc Savage
* Long Tom [Filler] (Wr/) 1992 From Doc Savage
* Mo-Gwei [Filler] (Wr/) 1992
* Monk [Filler] (Wr/) 1992 From Doc Savage
-->
=== Original titles ===
* ''After Dark'' (1995) — by Kim Elizabeth, Wendy Snow-Lang, Arvin Loudermilk, Mike Iverson, Faye Perozich, and Julio Brazo<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=BRAZ%2c+JULIO Brazo entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref>
* ''Armageddon Rising: The Grand Equation'' (2 issues, 1997)
* ''Asylum'' (3 issues, 1993) — anthology with original stories and reprints by [[T. Casey Brennan]], Marv Channing,<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=CHANNING%2c+MARV Channing entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref> Paul Davis, Eric Dinehart, David Ingersoll, and [[Neil Gaiman]], with art by [[Vicente Alcazar]], [[John Bolton (illustrator)|John Bolton]], [[Mark Buckingham (comic book artist)|Mark Buckingham]], [[Howard Chaykin]], [[Duncan Eagleson]], [[Pia Guerra]], [[Don Hillsman II]], [[Matt Howarth]], Justin Norman, Omaha Perez, [[Carlos Pino]], Mari Schaal, and [[Al McWilliams]]
* ''Blood Childe: Blood Radio'' (3 issues, {{circa}} 1994–1995)
* ''Blood Childe: Portrait of a Surreal Killer'' (4 issues, Oct. 1994-1995) — by [[Neil Gaiman]] (story), Faye Perozich (story and script), [[Yanick Paquette]], [[Michel Lacombe]], and Octavio Cariello<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=CARIELLO%2c+OCTAVIO Cariello entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref> and [[Michel Lacombe]]
* ''By Any Means Necessary: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (an Unauthorized Biography in Comic Book Form)'' (1993) — by Don Hillsman II and Ryan Monihan
* ''Canton Kid'' (1997)
* ''Captain Satan'' (2 issues, 1994)
* ''Chassis'' (3 issues, 1996–1997; acquired by Hurricane Comics) — by Darryl Taylor and William O'Neill
* ''Cleopatra'' (1991–1992) — art by Mark Mendendez
* ''Da'Kota'' (2 issues, 1997) — by T. C. Howards, Scott Petersen, and Terry Pavlet
* ''Dark World: Vampires'' (1995) — by Kim Elizabeth, [[David Quinn (writer)|David Quinn]], and Sandra Chang<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=CHANG%2c+SANDRA Chang entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref>
* ''Death Hawk'' (1991) — penciling by Darryl Banks
* ''Deiree: The Ultimate Experience'' (1997) — by Naser Subashi and [[Rudy Nebres]]
* ''Descending Angels'' (1995) — pencils by Adam De Kraker
* ''Heartstopper: Sorrow About to Fall'' (2 issues, 1995) — by Steven Roman, Uriel Caton,<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=CATON%2c+URIEL Caton entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref> and Alan Larsen
* ''Jigaboo Devil'' (1996) — by LaMorris Richmond (credited as L. A. Morris), Barton McGee, Jiba Molei Anderson, and Seitu Hayden
* ''The [[Justice Machine]]: Chimera Conspiracy'' (2 issues, 1992) — by Mark Ellis and Darryl Banks
* ''[[Keyhole (comics)|Keyhole]]'' (3 issues, June 1996-1997 before moving to Modern<sup>see below</sup>) — mostly by [[Dean Haspiel]] and [[Josh Neufeld]]
* ''Little Miss Strange'' (1997)
* ''Little Miss Strange'' (1997)
* ''Manik'' (3 issues, 1995) — by Mitchell Reichgut and Ben Fogletto
* ''The Lost World'' (1996)
* ''Mummy Archives'' (1992)
* ''Nanosoup'' (1996)
* ''Night's Children: Liaisons'' (Oct. 1994) — by Wendy Snow-Lang
* ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: the Birds of Prey Affair'' (1993, 2 issues)
* ''Night's Children: Liaisons''(Oct. 1994)
* ''Night's Children: Origins'' (Sept. 1994; property acquired from [[FantaCo Enterprises]])
* ''Night's Children: Origins'' (Sept. 1994)
* ''Night's Children: Red Trails West'' (Dec. 1994)
* ''Night's Children: Red Trails West'' (Dec. 1994)
* ''[[Nosferatu: Plague of Terror]]'' (1991, 4 issues)
* ''Night's Children: Ripper'' (2 issues, 1995) — by Wendy Snow-Lang
* ''[[Oz Squad]] Special'' (1995) — by [[Steve Ahlquist]],<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=AHLQUIST%2c+STEVE Ahlquist entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref> Gus Norman, David Ingersoll, and Ronn Sutton
* ''Oz Squad'' (1991)
* ''Power Plays'' (1 issue, 1995; planned as four issues) — by Michael Kelly and Wendi Strang-Frost
*''Pat Savage: Woman of Bronze'' (1991)
* ''Quest of the Tiger Woman'' (1994)
* ''The Quest of the Tiger Woman: A Genetic Park Adventure'' (2 issues, Apr. 1994)
* ''Red Moon'' (2 issues, 1995) — written by Paul Davis
* ''Robert E. Howard's The Black Reaper'' (1995)
* ''Sex & Death'' (June 1995) — art by Terry Pavlet<ref>McLellan, Rachel. "News Watch: Creator Wins Suit Against Millennium," ''The Comics Journal'' #206 (Aug. 1998), pp. 15-16.</ref>
* ''Sex & Death'' (1995)
* ''Shock the Monkey'' (1996)
* ''Shock the Monkey'' (2 issues, 1996)
* "Song of the Sirens: featuring Da'Kota" (1997, 2 issues)
* ''Song of the Sirens: featuring Da'Kota'' (2 issues, 1997)
* ''The Tiger Woman'' (Sept. 1994)
* ''Sparrow'' (4 issues, 1994)
* ''Tempered Steele'' (1992) — art by Don Hillsman II
* ''Vigil: Rebirth'' (1994, 2 issues)
* ''The Tiger Woman'' (Sept. 1994) — by Donald Marquez
* ''Weird Tales Illustrated'' (1992)
* ''The Tiger Woman: A New Beginning'' (1998) — by Donald Marquez
* ''Wicked'' a.k.a. ''Sean Shaw's Wicked'' (1994, 4 issues)
* ''Trouble'' (1998)
* ''The Wild Wild West: The Night of the Iron Tyrants'' (1990, 4 issues)
* ''Vampyr'' (4 issues, {{circa}} 1994)
* ''Vigil: Desert Foxes'' (2 issues, 1995)
* ''Vigil: Rebirth'' (2 issues, 1994)
* ''Vigil: Road Trips'' (1996) — by Arvin Loudermilk and Mike Iverson
* ''Vigil: Vamporum Animaturi'' (1994) — by Arvin Loudermilk and Mike Iverson
* ''Wicked'' a.k.a. ''Sean Shaw's Wicked'' (4 issues, 1994–1995) — by Sean Shaw
* ''White Eyes'' (1992) — written by Mark Ellis


=== Modern Comics imprint ===
=== Modern Comics imprint ===
* ''August Quinn Adventures'' (1998) — written by Chris Reilly
* ''Bathroom Girls'' by Yvonne Mojica (1998, 1 issue)
* ''Bathroom Girls'' (4 issues, 1998–2000) — by Yvonne Mojica
* ''Billy Dogma'' by Dean Haspiel (1997, 3 issues)
* ''The Bathroom Girls Guide to Holiday Chaos'' (2000) — by Yvonne Mojica
* ''Keyhole'' by Dean Haspiel and Josh Neufeld (1997, 1 issue)
* ''Lovely Prudence'' by Maze (1997–1998, 3 issues)
* ''Billy Dogma'' (3 issues, 1997) — by Dean Haspiel
* ''Keyhole'' #4 (1997) — by Dean Haspiel and Josh Neufeld; acquired by [[Top Shelf Productions]]
* ''Lovely Prudence'' (3 issues, 1997–1998) — by Maze
* ''Lovely Prudence Swimsuit Special'' (1998) — by Maze
* ''Rogue Satellite Comics Special'' (1998) — by Chris Reilly (credited as Christopher P. Reilly), Kevin Atkinson, and R. David Price


=== Graphic novels/trade paperbacks ===
=== Trade paperbacks ===
* ''The Best of Asylum'' (1994)
* ''The Best of Asylum'' (1994) — collecting material from the three-issue limited series
* ''H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: Whisperer in Darkness'' (1993, collected the three-issue miniseries)
* ''H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: Whisperer in Darkness'' (1993) — collecting the three-issue limited series
* ''Vigil Collection I: Fall from Grace'' (1994) — collects ''Vigil: Fall From Grace'' issues #1–2, published by [[Innovation Publishing]] in 1992
-->
* ''Vigil Collection II: The Mexico Trilogy'' (Oct. 1994) — collects ''Vigil: The Golden Parts'' (Innovation, 1992), ''Vigil: Kukulkan'' (Innovation, 1993), and ''Vigil: Vamporum Animaturi'' (Millennium, 1994)

== Notable creators published by Millennium ==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Tony Akins]]
* [[Darryl Banks]]
* [[Brian Michael Bendis]]<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=BENDIS%2c+BRIAN Bendis entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref>
* [[John Bolton (illustrator)|John Bolton]]<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=BOLTON%2c+JOHN Bolton entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref>
* [[Mark Buckingham (comic book artist)|Mark Buckingham]]<ref>[http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=BUCKINGHAM%2c+MARK Buckingham entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.</ref>
* [[Duncan Eagleson]]
* [[Mark Ellis (American author)|Mark Ellis]]
* [[Tony Harris (artist)|Tony Harris]]
* [[Dean Haspiel]]
* [[Don Heck]]
* [[Don Hillsman II]]
* [[Adam Hughes]]
* [[Michel Lacombe]]
* [[Jim Mooney]]
* [[Rudy Nebres]]
* [[Josh Neufeld]]
* [[Yanick Paquette]]
* [[David Quinn (writer)|David Quinn]]
* [[Mike Wieringo]]
{{div col end}}

== See also ==
* [[Innovation Publishing]]


<!--
==Creators==
*[[Tony Akins]]
*[[Jim Amash]]
*[[Jiba Molei Anderson]]
*[[Darryl Banks]]
*[[Scott Benefiel]]
*[[Terry Collins (comics)|Terry Collins]]
*[[Bob Curran]]
*[[Paul Davis (publisher)|Paul Davis]]
*[[Rick Davis (comics)|Rick Davis]]
*[[Mark Ellis (writer)|Mark Ellis]] — <small>co-owner and also served as Millennium's editor for three years</small>
*[[Mark Evans (comics)|Mark Evans]]
*[[Ben Fogletto]]
*[[J. Harkerand]]
*[[Dean Haspiel]]
*[[Seitu Hayden]]
*[[John Hebert]]
*[[Don Heck]]
*[[Don Hillsman]]
*[[Adam Hughes]]
*[[Daryl Hutchinson]]
*[[Mike Iverson]]
*[[Rich Johnson (comics)|Rich Johnson]]
*[[Bob Lewis (comics)|Bob Lewis]]
*[[Arvin Loudermilk]]
*[[Donald Marquez]]
*[[Melissa Martin]] — <small>co-owner and also served as Millennium's art director and vice-president</small>
*[[Maze (cartoonist)|Maze]]
*[[Barton McGee]]
*[[Mark Menendez]]
*[[Yvonne Mojica]]
*[[Ryan Monihan]]
*[[Jim Mooney]]
*[[L.A. Morris]]
*[[Josh Neufeld]]
*[[Terry Pavlet]]
*[[Faye Perozich]]
*[[Mitchell Reichgut]]
*[[Marcus Rollie]]
*[[Sean Shaw]]
*[[Wendy Snow-Lang]]
*[[Mike Wieringo]]
*[[Julie Woodcock]]
*[[Dean Zachary]]
-->
== References ==
== References ==
=== Notes ===
=== Notes ===
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


=== Sources consulted ===
=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{gcdb publisher|id=749|title=Millennium Publications}}
* {{gcdb publisher|id=749|title=Millennium Publications}}
* {{comicbookdb|type=publisher|id=147|title=Millennium Publications}}
* {{comicbookdb|type=publisher|id=147|title=Millennium Publications}}
* [http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=MILLENNIUM+PUBLISHING Millennium Publishing entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''
* [http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=ELLIS%2c+MARK Mark Ellis entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://beachbumcomics.blogspot.com/2015/09/gem-of-horror-comics-asylum.html Overview of ''Asylum''] on Beach Bum Comics
* [http://firefox.org/news/articles/719/1/Conquering-comics--and-marriage-too/Page1.html Rafter, Dan. "Conquering Comics ... and Marriage Too" (interview with Mark Ellis and Melissa Martin-Ellis), Firefox News (Oct. 9, 2007).] Retrieved August 4, 2008.

*[http://www.transfuzion.biz/NewsMilllenium.htm Press release announcing Millennial Concepts & Transfuzion were joining forces (July 9, 2008).]
{{Comic book publishers in North America navbox}}


[[Category:Defunct comics and manga publishing companies]]
[[Category:Defunct comics and manga publishing companies]]
[[Category:Comic book publishing companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Comic book publishing companies of the United States]]
[[Category:1990 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Lists of comics by publisher|Millennium Publications]]
[[Category:Lists of comics by publisher|Millennium Publications]]
[[Category:Publishing companies established in 1990]]
[[Category:Publishing companies established in 1990]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1990]]
[[Category:1990 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Publishing companies disestablished in 2000]]
[[Category:2000 disestablishments in Rhode Island]]

Latest revision as of 00:53, 15 December 2024

Millennium Publications
Founded1990
FounderMark Ellis, Melissa Martin, Paul Davis
Defunct2000
Country of originU.S.
Headquarters locationTampa, Florida, then Narragansett, Rhode Island
DistributionU.S.
Publication typesComics
ImprintsBorderland
American Bios
Modern Comics

Millennium Publications was an American independent comic book publishing company active in the 1990s.

Initially known as a publisher of licensed properties, Millennium adapted works by Arthur Conan Doyle, Lester Dent, Robert E. Howard, Harlan Ellison, H.P. Lovecraft, and Anne Rice; and even adapted television series like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Wild Wild West into comic book form. The company expanded its repertoire of horror comics into original titles in the mid-1990s, and further branched out in its later years to embrace the alternative comics genre, starting a short-lived creator-owned imprint called Modern Comics.

Millennium gave early exposure to comics artists such as Darryl Banks,[1] Brian Michael Bendis, Dean Haspiel, Adam Hughes, Michel Lacombe, David W. Mack, Josh Neufeld, Rik Levins, and Mike Wieringo; and utilized industry veterans like John Bolton, Mark Buckingham, Don Heck, Kelley Jones, Jim Mooney, Rudy Nebres, Steve Stiles, and Roy Thomas. Covers were occasionally provided by such notable creators as Brian Stelfreeze, Timothy Truman, and Doug Wildey.

The company was distinctive in that it mostly published one-shots and limited series, with only a couple of their titles running for more than four issues. In many ways representative of the boom period of independent comic book publishing, Millennium thrived in the early years of the 1990s and fell on lean times as the decade came to a close.

Publishing history

[edit]

Origins

[edit]

Millennium Publications was founded in 1990 in Tampa, Florida, by Mark Ellis, Melissa Martin, and Paul Davis,[2] with veteran comics creator Ellis serving as chief writer, and his wife Melissa[3] as vice-president and art director. Co-founder Davis also edited a number of titles, especially in the period 1993 to 1995.[2]

The company's first offerings, in 1990, were the series Anne Rice's The Mummy, inspired by her novel, The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned, with contributions from the likes of Ellis, John Hebert, Mark Menendez, and Jim Mooney, among others. The Mummy ran 12 issues in all, making it the company's longest-running title. Also published in 1990 was The Wild Wild West: The Night of the Iron Tyrants, a four-issue "sequel" to the TV series written by Ellis with art by Darryl Banks, and John Hebert with color art by Melissa Ellis and Deirdre DeLay.

In 1991, Millennium debuted a series of comics titles featuring Lester Dent's Doc Savage, featuring work by Ellis, Banks, Mike Wieringo, Tony Harris, Adam Hughes, Brian Stelfreeze, Steve Stiles, and Doug Wildey, among others. Ellis wrote the four-issue limited series Doc Savage: The Monarch of Armageddon, penciled by Darryl Banks, which was assessed by The Comics Buyer's Guide Catalog of Comic Books as coming the "closest to the original, capturing all the action, humanity, and humor of the original novels".[citation needed]

Also in 1991, Ellis conceived and scripted the critically acclaimed Nosferatu: Plague of Terror, a four-part series that provided a complete story of the title character's origin quite apart from the Dracula legend, featuring art by Rik Levins and Richard Pace. Finally, Ellis again turned to adapting and expanding another writer's concepts (H.P. Lovecraft), with the three-issue limited series Cthulhu: The Whisperer in Darkness, which featured the first appearance of the Miskatonic Project with art by Darryl Banks and Don Heck.

In 1992-93, Millennium introduced another Anne Rice-related project, Anne Rice's The Witching Hour, which ran for five issues, the first four of which were co-published with Comico: The Comic Company.[4] The title was intended to run 13 issues but only made it to issue #5 before being canceled.[5]

The company's three-issue Asylum horror anthology (published under its Borderland emblem)[6] included reprints of Archie Comics' 1970s Red Circle Sorcery series, and featured the talents of Vicente Alcazar, John Bolton, T. Casey Brennan, Mark Buckingham, Howard Chaykin, Duncan Eagleson, Neil Gaiman, Pia Guerra, Don Hillsman II, Matt Howarth, Carlos Pino, and Al McWilliams, among others.

In addition, again with Ellis as scripter, Millennium adapted the cult classic horror film It! The Terror from Beyond Space into comics form. Ellis and Banks teamed up again to produce two issues of Justice Machine, a superhero title that had previously been published by Comico Comics and Innovation Publishing, among others.

During this period, Millennium also published its first nonfiction title, Don Hillsman II and Ryan Monihan's By Any Means Necessary: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, an unauthorized biography in comic book form. Before leaving Millennium at the end of 1993, Ellis once again flexed his adaptation skills with The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Birds of Prey Affair two-parter.

Ownership transition and relocation

[edit]

At the end of 1993, co-owners Ellis and Martin, who also functioned as the editorial and production staff, sold their shares in Millennium to Davis, but retained ownership of a number of comics properties, such as Nosferatu, The Miskatonic Project, and the new Justice Machine.[7] When Ellis and Martin left Millennium, Davis moved the company headquarters from Tampa to Rhode Island, first to Narragansett, and finally to Kingston.

Transition from licensed properties to original material

[edit]

The mid-1990s saw the company publishing more original material, still mostly in the horror vein, though it also published adaptations of material created by Robert E. Howard (The Black Reaper) and Arthur Conan Doyle (The Lost World). The Black Reaper was notable in that it featured Howard's poetry alongside illustrations by comic book artists; it was halfway between a book and a comic book. During this period, Millennium also picked up Wendy Snow-Lang's Night's Children series from the defunct Fantaco/Tundra.

In 1994, Millennium acquired Arvin Loudermilk and Mike Iverson's Vigil from Innovation Publishing, first collecting material originally published by Innovation, and then launching its own line of Vigil limited series. These ran through 1996.

In 1996, Millennium also debuted Dean Haspiel and Josh Neufeld's eclectic two-man anthology Keyhole, which ran for three issues in 1996-1997 (until it moved over to Millennium's Modern Comics imprint for issue #4; Keyhole then was picked up by Top Shelf Productions for the remainder of its six-issue run).

Modern Comics creator-owned imprint

[edit]

1997 was notable in that Millennium debuted its creator-owned line, Modern Comics, which featured creators from the minicomic, self-publishing, and zine scenes. This new direction for the company didn't help their fortunes, however, as in 1998 Millennium/Modern only published a handful of comics. The company didn't release any comics in 1999, and Modern's only title in 2000 was Yvonne Mojica's The Bathroom Girls Guide to Christmas Chaos.

Closure

[edit]

In 2000, Millennium/Modern closed its doors for good.

Millennial Concepts

[edit]

In late 2007, Ellis and Martin formed Millennial Concepts, reviving the stylized "M" that had served as Millennium's first company logo. In July 2008, Millennial Concepts joined forces with Caliber Comics founder Gary Reed's Transfuzion Publications in a joint graphic novel-publishing venture.[7]

Titles

[edit]
Doug Wildey's cover for Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze #2.

Licensed properties

[edit]
  • Anne Rice's The Mummy a.k.a. The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned (12 issues, 1990–1992) — anthology with stories by Mark Ellis, Mary Anne-Cassata,[8] Greg Fulton, Terry Collins, and Faye Perozich, and art by Tony Harris, John Hebert, Mark Herbert, Mario Hernandez, Robert Lewis, Mark Menendez, Richard Pace, Jim Mooney, and Marcus Rollie
  • Anne Rice's the Witching Hour (5 issues, 1992–1993; the first four issues co-published with Comico) — by Terry Collins, Faye Perozich, and Duncan Eagleson
  • Anne Rice's the Witching Hour: the Beginning (1994)
  • Collector's Dracula (2 issues, 1994) — reprinting Dracula stories originally published by Millennium, Eclipse Comics, and Caliber Comics
  • Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (9 issues, 1991–1992) — anthology with stories by Mark Ellis, Terry Collins, and Charles Moore; and art by Darryl Banks, Scott Benefiel,[9] Nick Choles, Dave Dorman, Mark Evans, Tony Harris, Adam Hughes, Paul Orban, Brian Stelfreeze, Steve Stiles, Doug Wildey, Jim Amash,[10] Rick Davis, and Robert Lewis
  • Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze — Devil's Thoughts (3 issues, 1992)
  • Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze — Doom Dynasty (2 issues, 1991–1992) — art by Mike Wieringo
  • Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze — Repel (1991)
  • Doc Savage: The Manual of Bronze (2 issues, 1992) — by Mark Ellis and Darryl Banks
  • Doc Savage: The Monarch of Armageddon (4 issues, 1992) — by Mark Ellis and Darryl Banks
  • H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu (3 issues, 1991–1992) — written by Terry Collins and Paul Davis with art by Don Heck and Robert Lewis
  • H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Festival (3 issues, 1993-1994) — by Roy Thomas, Brian Michael Bendis, and David W. Mack
  • H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: Whisperer in Darkness (3 issues, 1991–1992) — written by Mark Ellis and Terry Collins, with art by Darryl Banks and Don Heck
  • It! The Terror from Beyond Space (4 issues, 1992) — written by Mark Ellis with inks by Jim Amash[10]
  • The Lost World (2 issues, 1996)
  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Birds of Prey Affair (2 issues, 1993) — by Mark Ellis, Nick Choles,[11] and Don Hillsman II
  • Mummy Archives (1992) — text stories by Terry Collins, Paul Davis, Mark Ellis, and Mary Anne-Cassata[8] with illustrations
  • Nosferatu: Plague of Terror (4 issues, 1991) — by Mark Ellis, Rik Levins, Richard Pace, and Frank Turner
  • Pat Savage: Woman of Bronze (1991) — one-shot with stories by Mark Ellis and art by Darryl Banks, Scott Benefiel,[9] Mark Evans, Adam Hughes, Pat Savage, Jim Amash,[10] and Robert Lewis
  • Robert E. Howard's The Black Reaper (1995)
  • Weird Tales Illustrated (2 issues, Jan. 1992) — anthology with stories by Les Daniels, Paul Davis, and Faye Perozich, with art by John Bolton, Kelley Jones, and Eddy Newell
  • The Wild Wild West: The Night of the Iron Tyrants (4 issues, 1990) — co-written by Paul Davis and Mark Ellis with art by Robert Lewis

Original titles

[edit]
  • After Dark (1995) — by Kim Elizabeth, Wendy Snow-Lang, Arvin Loudermilk, Mike Iverson, Faye Perozich, and Julio Brazo[12]
  • Armageddon Rising: The Grand Equation (2 issues, 1997)
  • Asylum (3 issues, 1993) — anthology with original stories and reprints by T. Casey Brennan, Marv Channing,[13] Paul Davis, Eric Dinehart, David Ingersoll, and Neil Gaiman, with art by Vicente Alcazar, John Bolton, Mark Buckingham, Howard Chaykin, Duncan Eagleson, Pia Guerra, Don Hillsman II, Matt Howarth, Justin Norman, Omaha Perez, Carlos Pino, Mari Schaal, and Al McWilliams
  • Blood Childe: Blood Radio (3 issues, c. 1994–1995)
  • Blood Childe: Portrait of a Surreal Killer (4 issues, Oct. 1994-1995) — by Neil Gaiman (story), Faye Perozich (story and script), Yanick Paquette, Michel Lacombe, and Octavio Cariello[14] and Michel Lacombe
  • By Any Means Necessary: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (an Unauthorized Biography in Comic Book Form) (1993) — by Don Hillsman II and Ryan Monihan
  • Canton Kid (1997)
  • Captain Satan (2 issues, 1994)
  • Chassis (3 issues, 1996–1997; acquired by Hurricane Comics) — by Darryl Taylor and William O'Neill
  • Cleopatra (1991–1992) — art by Mark Mendendez
  • Da'Kota (2 issues, 1997) — by T. C. Howards, Scott Petersen, and Terry Pavlet
  • Dark World: Vampires (1995) — by Kim Elizabeth, David Quinn, and Sandra Chang[15]
  • Death Hawk (1991) — penciling by Darryl Banks
  • Deiree: The Ultimate Experience (1997) — by Naser Subashi and Rudy Nebres
  • Descending Angels (1995) — pencils by Adam De Kraker
  • Heartstopper: Sorrow About to Fall (2 issues, 1995) — by Steven Roman, Uriel Caton,[16] and Alan Larsen
  • Jigaboo Devil (1996) — by LaMorris Richmond (credited as L. A. Morris), Barton McGee, Jiba Molei Anderson, and Seitu Hayden
  • The Justice Machine: Chimera Conspiracy (2 issues, 1992) — by Mark Ellis and Darryl Banks
  • Keyhole (3 issues, June 1996-1997 before moving to Modernsee below) — mostly by Dean Haspiel and Josh Neufeld
  • Little Miss Strange (1997)
  • Manik (3 issues, 1995) — by Mitchell Reichgut and Ben Fogletto
  • Nanosoup (1996)
  • Night's Children: Liaisons (Oct. 1994) — by Wendy Snow-Lang
  • Night's Children: Origins (Sept. 1994; property acquired from FantaCo Enterprises)
  • Night's Children: Red Trails West (Dec. 1994)
  • Night's Children: Ripper (2 issues, 1995) — by Wendy Snow-Lang
  • Oz Squad Special (1995) — by Steve Ahlquist,[17] Gus Norman, David Ingersoll, and Ronn Sutton
  • Power Plays (1 issue, 1995; planned as four issues) — by Michael Kelly and Wendi Strang-Frost
  • The Quest of the Tiger Woman: A Genetic Park Adventure (2 issues, Apr. 1994)
  • Red Moon (2 issues, 1995) — written by Paul Davis
  • Sex & Death (June 1995) — art by Terry Pavlet[18]
  • Shock the Monkey (2 issues, 1996)
  • Song of the Sirens: featuring Da'Kota (2 issues, 1997)
  • Sparrow (4 issues, 1994)
  • Tempered Steele (1992) — art by Don Hillsman II
  • The Tiger Woman (Sept. 1994) — by Donald Marquez
  • The Tiger Woman: A New Beginning (1998) — by Donald Marquez
  • Trouble (1998)
  • Vampyr (4 issues, c. 1994)
  • Vigil: Desert Foxes (2 issues, 1995)
  • Vigil: Rebirth (2 issues, 1994)
  • Vigil: Road Trips (1996) — by Arvin Loudermilk and Mike Iverson
  • Vigil: Vamporum Animaturi (1994) — by Arvin Loudermilk and Mike Iverson
  • Wicked a.k.a. Sean Shaw's Wicked (4 issues, 1994–1995) — by Sean Shaw
  • White Eyes (1992) — written by Mark Ellis

Modern Comics imprint

[edit]
  • August Quinn Adventures (1998) — written by Chris Reilly
  • Bathroom Girls (4 issues, 1998–2000) — by Yvonne Mojica
  • The Bathroom Girls Guide to Holiday Chaos (2000) — by Yvonne Mojica
  • Billy Dogma (3 issues, 1997) — by Dean Haspiel
  • Keyhole #4 (1997) — by Dean Haspiel and Josh Neufeld; acquired by Top Shelf Productions
  • Lovely Prudence (3 issues, 1997–1998) — by Maze
  • Lovely Prudence Swimsuit Special (1998) — by Maze
  • Rogue Satellite Comics Special (1998) — by Chris Reilly (credited as Christopher P. Reilly), Kevin Atkinson, and R. David Price

Trade paperbacks

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  • The Best of Asylum (1994) — collecting material from the three-issue limited series
  • H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: Whisperer in Darkness (1993) — collecting the three-issue limited series
  • Vigil Collection I: Fall from Grace (1994) — collects Vigil: Fall From Grace issues #1–2, published by Innovation Publishing in 1992
  • Vigil Collection II: The Mexico Trilogy (Oct. 1994) — collects Vigil: The Golden Parts (Innovation, 1992), Vigil: Kukulkan (Innovation, 1993), and Vigil: Vamporum Animaturi (Millennium, 1994)

Notable creators published by Millennium

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See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Banks entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Davis entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  3. ^ Rafter, Dan. "Conquering Comics ... and Marriage, Too", Firefox News, October 9, 2007. WebCitation archive.
  4. ^ "Anne Rice's The Witching Hour: Millennium; Comico, 1992 Series", Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  5. ^ "Anne Rice's The Witching Hour: Millennium Publications, 1996 Series", Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  6. ^ Asylum entry, Grand Comics Database. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Transfuzion press release: "Transfuzion Publishing and Millennial Concepts Join Forces" (July 9, 2008). Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ a b Cassata entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Benefiel entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Amash entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  11. ^ Choles entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  12. ^ Brazo entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  13. ^ Channing entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  14. ^ Cariello entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  15. ^ Chang entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  16. ^ Caton entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  17. ^ Ahlquist entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  18. ^ McLellan, Rachel. "News Watch: Creator Wins Suit Against Millennium," The Comics Journal #206 (Aug. 1998), pp. 15-16.
  19. ^ Bendis entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  20. ^ Bolton entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.
  21. ^ Buckingham entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Retrieved Jan. 16, 2023.

Sources

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