Starslayer #1

History

Mike Grell developed Starslayer: The Log of the Jolly Roger in the late 1970s and pitched it to DC Comics, where it was slated for publication before being shelved when DC cancelled dozens of planned titles during the 1978 DC Implosion — crucially, because the project never reached print, Grell retained full ownership of the concept. In 1981 he released a Starslayer art portfolio through Schanes and Schanes — the same family that operated Pacific Comics — using the original DC pitch artwork, and its strong reception convinced brothers Bill and Steve Schanes to add it to their fledgling publishing line alongside Jack Kirby's Captain Victory. The series launched in February 1982 under Pacific's creator-owned model, which granted Grell copyright, creative control, and royalty payments — terms that were a direct departure from the work-for-hire norms of the major publishers. After six Pacific issues, organizational difficulties and Grell's pre-existing relationship with First Comics editorial director Mike Gold — his former editor at DC — led Grell to move the title to First Comics beginning with issue #7 in August 1983, a departure that reverberated through the industry and contributed to Pacific's eventual decline.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Published February 1982 by Pacific Comics; written, penciled, and colored (by Steve Oliff) under the full creative control of Mike Grell, with David Scroggy as editor.
• First appearance and origin of Torin Mac Quillon (the Starslayer), a Celtic warrior of 43 AD who is transported into the far future and recruited to crew the interstellar pirate ship Jolly Roger.
• The issue contains a one-page promotional advertisement for the Rocketeer by Dave Stevens — the first appearance of that character in any print publication, predating the full story debut in Starslayer #2.
• Grell originally conceived Starslayer for DC Comics; the DC Implosion of 1978 shelved the series before publication, allowing Grell to retain full rights and eventually bring it to Pacific Comics.
• In 1981, Grell released a Starslayer art portfolio through Schanes and Schanes using the original DC pitch art; its commercial success directly prompted the Schanes brothers to publish the comic.
• Pacific Comics published six issues of Starslayer; the series moved to First Comics with issue #7 (August 1983) and ran to issue #34 (November 1985), with John Ostrander taking over writing from issue #9.
• The Starslayer run across Pacific and First Comics served as the launching pad for three characters that earned their own titles: the Rocketeer (Dave Stevens, debut in #2), Groo the Wanderer (Sergio Aragonés, backup from #4), and Grimjack (John Ostrander and Timothy Truman, debut in #10).
• In 1995, Acclaim Comics published Starslayer: The Director's Cut, an eight-issue limited series under the Windjammer imprint, reprinting and revising the original Pacific run with new coloring and dialogue refinements, plus new framing material by Grell; the complete Director's Cut was collected by Dark Horse Comics in May 2017.

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