Editing Catherine Yronwode (section)

====Eclipse Comics====
{{main|Eclipse Comics}}
[[File:Cat Yronwode and Dean Mullaney (1117251043).jpg|240px|thumb|left|Yronwode and Dean Mullaney at the 1982 [[San Diego Comic Con]].]]
While working at Eisner's archives in December 1981, she met [[Dean Mullaney]], the co-founder of [[Eclipse Comics|Eclipse Enterprises]], a [[graphic novel]] publisher. 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> As well as beginning a romantic relationship, the pair also began working together; Dean and his brother Jan were looking to expand beyond graphic novels to regular comics while retaining the [[Creator ownership in comics|creator-owned]] ethos, and Yronwode's knowledge of comics and wide list of contacts saw her effectively become the company's editor-in-chief, starting with ''[[Destroyer Duck]]''. She was in the post unofficially for around a year; she and Mullaney also kept their relationship private to avoid accusations she had only gotten the job because they were lovers.<ref name=AH141CY/>

When Yronwode officially took over as Editor-in-Chief in October 1984, Dean Mullaney moved over to the role of publisher. She quickly became the public face of the company at conventions and other events, and began a column called ''Penumbra'' that was printed on the inside cover of all of Eclipse's comic books, while continuing to write ''Fit to Print''. ''Penumbra'' would mix promotion of Eclipse's titles with industry musings and other topical comment.<ref name=AH142ETP/> She remained outspoken, often criticising the editorial and business policies of both Marvel and [[DC Comics]]. At her instigation, Eclipse ran a series of full-page advertisements during 1986 (Marvel's much-publicized 25th anniversary) featuring a large portrait of [[Jack Kirby]] and the text "What About Jack?", in reference to the company's refusal to return the artist's artwork.<ref name=AH142ETP/>

In 1983, after a brief stop-over in Missouri, Yronwode and Dean Mullaney relocated Eclipse's publishing operations to [[Guerneville, California]]; in early 1984, Jan Mullaney sold his interest in the company to the pair in order to concentrate on his music career.<ref name=AH142ETP/> Eclipse's output rapidly grew, and by the mid-1980s they were the third-largest company in the American comics industry, despite only selling their titles via the [[direct market]].<ref>{{cite book| title=Overstreet Comic Book Marketplace Yearbook 2015-2016| first=Robert M. | last= Overstreet| author-link=Robert Overstreet| publisher= Gemstone Publishing |year=2015| isbn= 978-1603601801|page= 77}}</ref> Through a mixture of a booming industry, a growing creator-owned movement, Dean Mullaney's business acumen, and Yronwode's intricate knowledge of the market, the company published numerous award-winning titles, including [[Scott McCloud]]'s ''[[Zot!]]'', [[Mark Evanier]]'s ''[[The DNAgents]]'' and [[Alan Moore]]'s ''[[Miracleman]]'', as well as importing numerous titles from the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Japan]] for the American market.<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> In 1983, Yronwode won an [[Inkpot Awards|Inkpot Award]], given for lifetime achievement in comics and related areas.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/inkpot.php |title=Inkpot Awards |work=hahnlibrary.net |year=2015|access-date=17 October 2015}}</ref>

Yronwode and the cartoonist [[Trina Robbins]] co-wrote ''Women and the Comics'' in 1985; the book was a history of female comics creators.<ref name=AH065NF>{{cite magazine|date=February 15, 1985|title=Newsflashes|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics|Redbeard, Inc]]|number=65}}</ref> As the first book on this subject, its publication was noted both by the mainstream press and the fan press.<ref>"Women in the Comics: Assertive and Independent Women Make a Comeback," ''Miami Herald'', December 1, 1988</ref><ref>"Comic Books Are For Adults Too" by William Singleton, Scripps Howard News Service, ''Chronicle-Telegram'' (newspaper), January 7, 1988</ref><ref>"Funny How Things Change," ''Daily Herald'' (newspaper), December 28, 1988</ref> Yronwode was writing another non-fiction book, a biography of [[Steve Ditko]], but the work was lost when Eclipse's offices were flooded in February 1986.<ref name=AH090NF>{{cite magazine|date=March 1, 1986|title=Newsflashes|magazine=[[Amazing Heroes]]|publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]]|number=90}}</ref> Yronwode covered the events - which included herself and Mullaney losing most of their possessions when their house also flooded - in ''Fit to Print'' and ''Penumbra'' columns.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.luckymojo.com/vishantiprolepsis.html |title=The Lesser Book of the Vishanti: A Companion to the Dr. Strange Comic Books |last1=Yronwode |first1=Catherine |last2=Nagasiva |first2=Nagasiva |year=2002 |publisher=LuckyMojo.com |access-date=September 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913190726/http://www.luckymojo.com/vishantiprolepsis.html |archive-date=September 13, 2012 |url-status=live  }}</ref> The events would be alluded to in a tongue-in-cheek framing sequence Yronwode wrote for ''Miracleman'' #8.<ref>{{Cite comic|writer=[[Cat Yronwode|Yronwode]]|artist=[[Chuck Austen|Beckum, Chuck]]|story=''(untitled framing sequence)''|title=[[Miracleman]]|issue=#8|date=June 1986| publisher=Eclipse Comics}}</ref>

With the comic market contracting in the late 1980s, Eclipse developed a new line of non-fiction, non-sports [[trading cards]], edited by Yronwode. Controversial political subjects such as the [[Iran-Contra scandal]], the [[Savings and Loan crisis]], the [[AIDS]] epidemic, and the [[Kennedy Assassination]], as well as [[true crime]] accounts of [[serial killers]], [[mass murder]]ers, the [[mafia]], and [[organized crime]] were covered in these card sets. Yronwode was widely interviewed in the media about her role in their creation.<ref>
*"Trading Card Fame for S&L Scoundrels" by Judith Crossen, Reuters, ''[[Philadelphia Daily News]]'' (newspaper), September 9, 1991
*"A Full Deck of Scandals at a Glance" by Susan Trausch, ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' (newspaper), September 18, 1991
*"Insider Trading with Keating, Milken", ''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]'' (newspaper), October 20, 1991
*"Price tag on JFK intrigue Assassination aficionados spawn cottage industry" by Kathryn Jones, ''[[Dallas Morning News]]'' (newspaper), November 22, 1991
*"Kennedy Assassination is an Industry with Growing Market", Associated Press, ''Elyria Chronicle-Telegram'' (newspaper), November 28, 1991
*"Ban Urged on Sale of Crime Cards", ''The Record'' (newspaper), April 30, 1992
*"'True Crime' Cards Thriving Despite Outrage", ''[[The New York Times]]'' (newspaper), June 16, 1992
*"Killer Cards Hit Capital Stores Amid Criticism", ''Sacramento Bee'' (newspaper), June 19, 1992
*"Killer Cards: Two groups trying to deal fatal blow to criminal cards", ''[[The Oregonian]]'' (newspaper), August 18, 1992
*"AIDS cards to include condoms", ''[[Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]]'' (newspaper), September 23, 1992
*"AIDS Awareness is in the cards", ''Dallas Morning News'' (newspaper), July 7, 1993
*"AIDS Activism turns to cards", ''Dayton Daily News'' (newspaper), July 13, 1993
*"Ban Sought on Cards depicting AIDS victim", ''The Boston Globe'' (newspaper) January 15, 1994</ref>

In 1993, Yronwode and Mullaney divorced, at which point the company's finances disintegrated, leading to bankruptcy for the company in 1995.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Newswatch: Eclipse Files for Bankruptcy|journal= The Comics Journal| number= 174 |date=February 1995|page=25}}</ref>

=====Legal cases=====
During her time at Eclipse, Yronwode was involved in three court cases related to [[free speech]]/[[free expression]] under the First Amendment.
*In the 1986 ''Illinois v. Correa'' obscenity case, which led to the founding of the [[Comic Book Legal Defense Fund]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://cbldf.org/about-us/case-files/cbldf-case-files/correa/ |title=CBLDF Case Files — Illinois v. Correa &#124; Comic Book Legal Defense Fund |work=cbldf.org |year=2015 |access-date=17 October 2015}}</ref> Yronwode was an expert witness for the defense.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbldf.org/research/biblio-80s.html |title=Censorship of Comics Bibliography: 1980s |publisher=[[Comic Book Legal Defense Fund]] |access-date=2006-09-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060912133322/http://www.cbldf.org/research/biblio-80s.html |archive-date=September 12, 2006 }}</ref>
*In 1992, the convicted [[serial killer]] [[Kenneth Bianchi]], one-half of the pair known as the [[Hillside Strangler]]s, sued Yronwode for [[USD]]$8.5 million for having an image of his face depicted on a trading card; he claimed his face was his trademark. The judge dismissed the case after ruling that, if Bianchi had been using his face as a trademark when he was killing women, he would not have tried to hide it from the police.<ref>"Serial Killer Sues Trading Card Maker", ''San Jose Mercury News,'' December 18, 1992</ref><ref>"Card-Carrying Rebels: Two Guerrilla Journalists Turn Crime and Crises into Camp Collectibles" by Kathleen Donnelly, ''San Jose Mercury News'' (newspaper), January 10, 1993</ref>
*Also in 1992, Eclipse was a plaintiff when [[Nassau County, New York]], seized a crime-themed trading card series of theirs under a county ordinance prohibiting sales of certain trading cards to minors.<ref>"Nassau County Limits Sale of Crime Trading Cards". ''The New York Times'' (newspaper), June 16, 1992</ref> The case, in which Yronwode testified and the [[American Civil Liberties Union]] provided Eclipse's representation, reached the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit|2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals]]. It ruled against the county, overturning the ordinance.<ref>"Nassau Is Faulted for Law Over Killer Trading Cards", ''The New York Times'' (newspaper), October 17, 1995</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/Speech/arts/topic.aspx?topic=comix |title=Arts & First Amendment Issues: Comic Books |publisher=[[First Amendment Center]] |access-date=2006-09-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20041221024840/http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/speech/arts/topic.aspx?topic=comix |archive-date=December 21, 2004 |df=mdy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-2nd-circuit/1129335.html |title=ECLIPSE ENTERPRISES INC v. GULOTTA &#124; FindLaw |work=caselaw.findlaw.com |year=2015|access-date=17 October 2015}}</ref>