Editing Eclipse Comics (section)

===Foundation===
The company was founded as '''Eclipse Enterprises''' by brothers Jan and [[Dean Mullaney]] – the sons of early [[electronica]] musician Dave Mullaney of the band [[Hot Butter]] – in April 1977.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mullaney|first1=Jan|first2=Dean|last2=Mullaney|author-link2=Dean Mullaney|title= A Word from the Publisher | work= [[Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species]]| publisher=Eclipse Enterprises|date=August 1978}}</ref><ref name=afterword-original-edition>{{cite news|first=Don|last=McGregor|title=Afterword|work= [[Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species]]| publisher=Eclipse Enterprises|date=August 1978}}</ref> Dean Mullaney later claimed that he was inspired to create the company after learning of [[Jerry Siegel]] and [[Joe Shuster]]'s struggles to gain recognition for creating [[Superman]] in 1968, and that this led him to create a company with an ethos that respected [[Creator ownership in comics|creator ownership]] and [[royalty payment]]s over the then-standard industry practice of [[work-for-hire]].<ref name=TE1DM/> Jan Mullaney, a [[Session musician|session]] [[keyboardist]] who had toured with the [[Bee Gees]] and [[Bad Company]], put up the $2000 starting money.<ref name=AH142ETP>{{cite magazine|date=June 1, 1988|title=Enlarging the Penumbra|author=Bob Hughes|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=142}}</ref>

The name was thought up by Sue Pollina, a friend of the Mullaneys, while the company's first logo was designed by [[Mark Gruenwald]].<ref name=TE1DM>{{cite comic|title=Total Eclipse|issue=#1|date=May 1988|story=Ten Years After!|writer=[[Dean Mullaney|Mullaney, Dean]]|publisher=Eclipse Comics}}</ref> The company was initially headquartered at 81 Delaware Street, [[Staten Island, New York]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uspto.report/TM/73634204|website=USPTO Report|title=Eclipse Comics}}</ref>

====Early graphic novels====
Eclipse published one of the first original [[graphic novel]]s, and the first to be sold through the new "[[direct market]]" of comic-book stores,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milehighcomics.com/interviews/donmcgregor.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716194521/http://www.milehighcomics.com/interviews/donmcgregor.html |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |year=2001 |title=Interview with Don McGregor |first=Bob |last=Gough |publisher=MileHighComics.com |access-date=September 13, 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> ''[[Sabre (graphic novel)|Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species]]'' by [[Don McGregor]] and [[Paul Gulacy]]. Published on 30 September 1978 and previewed in ''[[Heavy Metal (magazine)|Heavy Metal]]'', the book was a success. This led to the Mullaneys being contacted by [[P. Craig Russell]], McGregor's collaborator on [[Marvel Comics]]' ''[[Amazing Adventures#1970 series|Amazing Adventures]]''. Eclipse published Russell's experimental ''[[Night Music (comic)|Night Music]] 1'' in November 1979, by which time the company had also released a compilation of [[Fred Hembeck]]'s parody ''Dateline: @!!?#'' strips from ''[[The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom]]''.<ref name=TE1DM/> Russell later created comic adaptations of numerous operas for Eclipse.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/05/arts/conan-in-comics-yes-hulk-sure-but-fafner-wotan.html |title=Conan in Comics? Yes. Hulk? Sure. But Fafner? Wotan?|first=John |last=Rockwell|work= [[The New York Times]] |date= April 5, 1990 | archive-date= April 28, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150428221757/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/05/arts/conan-in-comics-yes-hulk-sure-but-fafner-wotan.html | url-status=live}}</ref> A more sophisticated logo was also commissioned from [[Tom Orzechowski]]; it remained the company's insignia for the rest of its existence, minor alterations aside. The profits earned to date were used to fund publication of McGregor's ''[[Detectives Inc.|Detectives, Inc.: A Remembrance of Threatening Green]]'' (with artist [[Marshall Rogers]]) and [[Steve Gerber]]'s ''[[Stewart the Rat]]''.<ref name=TE1DM/> In 1980, Mullaney moonlighted as co-editor of the brand-new hobbyist publication ''[[Comics Feature]]'', produced by [[Hal Schuster]]'s [[New Media Publishing]], but left after a year to focus on Eclipse.<ref name=bails>{{cite web |editor-last1=Bails |editor-first1=Jerry |editor-first2=Hames |editor-last2=Ware |url=http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=MULLANEY%2c+DEAN|title=Dean Mullaney|work=Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070511125517/http://www.bailsprojects.com/(S(4fltw0ymnr4dmf45dkrq1eao))/bio.aspx?Name=MULLANEY%2c+DEAN |archive-date=May 11, 2007 |url-status=live |access-date=November 25, 2020 }}</ref>

====Ongoing titles====
Not wanting to limit the company to graphic novels alone, the brothers devised ''[[Eclipse Magazine|Eclipse, the Magazine]]'', a 68-page bi-monthly black-and-white anthology title with a rotating group of creator-owned characters. The first issue, dated May 1981, introduced the hard-boiled female detective [[Ms. Tree (comic book)|Ms. Tree]] by [[Max Allan Collins]] and [[Steve Ditko]]'s ''[[Static (Eclipse Comics)|Static]]''. The title later introduced [[Steve Englehart]]'s ''[[Coyote (comics)|Coyote]]'', [[Trina Robbins]]' adaptation of [[Sax Rohmer]]'s ''[[Dope (novel)|Dope]]'', McGregor and Colan's ''Ragamuffins'' (which Mullaney later described as "perhaps the finest thing we ever published") and B.C. Boyer's ''[[Masked Man]]''.<ref name=TE1DM/> October 1981 saw the publication of [[Jim Starlin]]'s [[Dreadstar]] graphic novel ''[[The Price (comics)|The Price]]'' when the writer-artist was having contractual issues with Marvel. The success of the volume enabled Starlin to leverage a better deal with Marvel, and led to the creation of Marvel's [[Epic Comics]] imprint in 1982. Dean Mullaney later claimed Epic's name was purposefully picked to cause confusion with Eclipse.<ref name=AH142ETP/> Another disgruntled Marvel creator to work for Eclipse was Gerber; Eclipse commissioned his ''[[Destroyer Duck]]'' series. Another anthology, it was partly motivated to allow Gerber to raise funds to sue Marvel over the ownership of [[Howard the Duck]]. The first issue of ''Destroyer Duck'' sold 80,000 copies and proved to the Mullaneys that colour ongoing comics were viable; a ''Saber'' series started in 1982 and ran for 14 issues.<ref name=AH142ETP/><ref name=TE1DM/>

In December 1981 production of ''Destroyer Duck'' introduced Dean Mullaney to [[Cat Yronwode]], then news reporter for ''[[Comics Buyer's Guide]]''.<ref name=TE2DM>{{cite comic|title=Total Eclipse|issue=#2|date=August 1988|story=Kingston, Youngstown, San Bernandino?|writer=[[Dean Mullaney|Mullaney, Dean]]|publisher=Eclipse Comics}}</ref> At the time, Yronwode was working as an archivist for [[Will Eisner]]. Yronwode recalled that Eisner and his wife Ann "hosted a party for me with all these comic book men I was flirting with. All these men came up; they all wanted to meet Will. One of them was Dean Mullaney, the co-owner of Eclipse Comics, a small independent publishing house. He was the most flirtatious."<ref>{{cite book|first=Bob|last=Andelman|title=Will Eisner: A Spirited Life|publisher=M Press|location=[[Milwaukie, Oregon|Milwaukie]], [[Oregon]]|year=2005|isbn=1-59582-011-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/willeisner00boba/page/220 220]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/willeisner00boba/page/220}}</ref> The pair began a personal and professional relationship,<ref name=AH142ETP/> though the former aspect was initially kept private. Yronwode rapidly became Eclipse's de facto [[editor-in-chief]].<ref name=AH141CY>{{cite magazine|date=May 15, 1988|title=Cat Yronwode - Editor in Chief|author=[[Heidi MacDonald]]|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=141}}</ref>