Penthouse Comix

Penthouse Comix was an American mass-market, magazine-sized comic book, published by Penthouse International from its inception in spring 1994 through July 1998, and thereafter by General Media Communications, parent company of Penthouse magazine.^[1] Initially edited by writers George Caragonne^{[citation needed]} and Horatio Weisfeld, it ran 32 issues^[2] plus one special edition.^[3]

Publication history

After a 3-installment trial run as an insert feature in Penthouse Magazine, Penthouse Comix was expanded into a standalone magazine. The first issue, a 96-page, color, glossy magazine, appeared in spring 1994. It featured work by Adam Hughes, Garry Leach, Kevin Nowlan, Mike Harris, Arthur Suydam, Jordan Raskin, Horacio Altuna, and Milo Manara. Subsequent issues contained work by artists including Richard Corben, Tony Salmons, Bart Sears and Gray Morrow. Early issues eschewed hardcore sex in favor of nudity and satiric humor.

Sold on newsstands, the periodical debuted in a squarebound magazine format 27.5 centimeters high and 20.7 cm wide. With issue #11, the size was reduced to 26.7 cm high and 20.4 cm wide. From issue #26 to the end of its run, Penthouse Comix was published at standard modern comic-book size, with saddle-stitching, card-stock covers and glossy interior pages. Issues #6-7 were published in both a magazine-size newsstand edition and a comic-book sized direct-market edition for sale in comic-book stores.^[1]

Two additional titles were later added to the line: The seven-issue Men's Adventure Comix (cover-titled Penthouse Men's Adventure Comix) (April/May 1995 - April/May 1996),^[4] and the three-issue (March/April 1995 - Oct./Nov. 1995) Omni Comix,^[5] the latter a companion to the science magazine Omni Magazine.

Editor-in-Chief George Caragonne was prone to erratic behavior and eventually purged Managing Editor Weisfeld, who had begun the stand alone magazine with Caragonne. There after, artwork and money began to disappear from the Penthouse Comix office, top line artists abandoned the project, and overall quality and sales declined. Caragonne was eventually accused of embezzlement by Penthouse, fired and committed suicide in the summer of 1995. General Media then seized control of its comics-related publishing from the deceased Caragonne's packaging company and installed Dave Elliott as editor.^{[citation needed]} The Penthouse Comix line was whittled to one magazine. Elliott edited the remainder of the magazine's run. General Media went bankrupt a short time later.

Censorship

Canada prohibited distribution of issue #2 (July/Aug. 1994) because authorities considered six panels obscene under harsh laws which outlawed the presentation of certain "behavior". Some European countries also altered a story that featured Hitler (under laws which outlawed any depiction whatsoever of the Nazi leader). "He's the bad guy", Caragonne was fond of pointing out, "what is the problem?". Carragonne then went out of his way to inflame the issue by prominently featuring a Swastika on the cover of Penthouse Comix #3 - although the cover was clearly modeled on pulpy 60s mens magazine covers (which routinely featured Nazi villians), for foreign markets, the symbol was altered to become an x, and depictions of Hitler's head and Swastika ring (in interior story written by Garagonne) were replaced with a smiley face.

Merchandising

In 1996, RC Cards issued a boxed set of Penthouse Comix trading cards. The 27 standard cards were accompanied by a chase card of Penthouse Pet Emerald Heart; a 1,000-limited-edition Alphonso Azpiri autograph card; and an Adam Hughes Hericane promotional card. The set included art by Hughes, Julie Bell, Ernie Colon, Glenn Fabry, Frank Frazetta, Mark Texeira, Boris Vallejo, and others.^[6]

Notes