Star-Studded Comics #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeStar-Studded Comics #1 holds a unique dual distinction in the history of American comics fandom: it delivered the first color cover ever produced for a fan-published periodical, a four-color photo-offset achievement that raised the bar for every amateur publication that followed. It simultaneously served as the debut stage for Doctor Weird — a ghost-hero Howard Keltner had conceived as far back as 1941 — whose publishing history would eventually stretch through the fanzine era, a pair of solo Texas Trio titles, and ultimately a place inside the professional Big Bang Comics universe. The issue also introduced The Defender, The Astral Man, and The Changeling in a single package, making it the launching pad for the entire Star-Studded hero roster. As the opening salvo of an 18-issue run that would carry the bylines of future professionals including George R. R. Martin, Jim Starlin, Dave Cockrum, and Roy Thomas, this inaugural issue marks the moment a Carrollton, Texas kitchen table became one of the most consequential amateur-comics operations of the Silver Age.
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On February 15, 1963, Larry Herndon, Howard Keltner, and Buddy Saunders convened at a home in Carrollton, Texas and decided to launch their own comic — a meeting that gave birth to Star-Studded Comics and the identity 'Texas Trio.' Keltner himself produced the four-color photo-offset cover art, while interiors were reproduced via ditto machine, a common but limiting fanzine production method of the era; the first print run totaled approximately 250 copies. Doctor Weird's concept predates that founding meeting by more than two decades: Keltner had sketched out the character in 1941 after being inspired by Mr. Justice, the MLJ Magazines ghost-hero, though the character did not reach print until this issue. The fanzine grew steadily in production quality and readership over its nine-year run, eventually winning three Alley Awards in 1967 alone, cementing its reputation as comics fandom's premier superhero showcase.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published September 1963 by the Texas Trio (Larry Herndon, Howard Keltner, Buddy Saunders) out of Carrollton, Texas; approximately 250 copies printed.
- The four-color photo-offset cover, painted by Howard Keltner and depicting the Changeling, the Defender, Doctor Weird, and the Astral Man, was the first color cover ever produced for a fan-published comic book.
- First published appearance of Doctor Weird (real name Dr. Rex Ward), created by Howard Keltner in 1941 as a tribute to the MLJ Magazines ghost-hero Mr. Justice; the origin story 'Introducing-- Doctor Weird' was scripted and drawn entirely by Keltner.
- In the origin, Dr. Rex Ward — a scientist from the year 2013 — time-travels into the past, is murdered by burglars, and is condemned to walk the Earth as a ghost because he 'died before he was born.'
- Also contains the first appearances of The Defender (script by Larry Herndon, art by Richard 'Grass' Green) and The Astral Man (script and art by Tommy Fisher), as well as The Changeling (script and art by Buddy Saunders).
- The series ran for 18 issues (September 1963 – Summer 1972) and featured early professional work by George R. R. Martin, Jim Starlin, Roy Thomas, Dave Cockrum, Alan Weiss, and others before their careers in mainstream comics.
- The Dr. Weird origin was retold in Texas Trio's Fantastic Exploits #16 (early 1970); that retelling was later reprinted in Dr. Weird Special #1 (Caliber Press, February 1994), which also collected Martin- and Starlin-era Dr. Weird stories with a new Starlin cover.
- In 1993, Gary Carlson and Edward DeGeorge acquired all rights to Doctor Weird from Howard Keltner and incorporated the character into the Big Bang Comics universe — making Dr. Weird the only Big Bang hero with a genuine pre-existing fanzine publication history.
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