Editing Eclipse Comics (section)

====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>