Megaton Explosion: Who's Who in Megaton Comics? #1
Megaton Explosion: Who's Who in Megaton Comics? #1 is a foundational document of the American independent comics era, serving as the single issue where Rob Liefeld's Youngblood — later the very first title published by Image Comics in 1992 — made its second-ever print appearance (a two-page handbook-style entry) just one month after debuting in RAMM #1. The book also spotlights early work by Erik Larsen, whose Vanguard character would likewise resurface at Image, and features contributions from Jim Starlin and underground legend Grass Green, making it a remarkable talent crossroads between the 1980s black-and-white indie boom and the creator-owned revolution that would follow. Though Megaton Comics folded before any of its planned expansion titles reached stands, this promotional giveaway preserved a snapshot of characters and creators who would go on to reshape the industry. Its existence underscores how Gary Carlson's scrappy, self-published anthology functioned as a genuine training ground for the next generation of mainstream comics talent.
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By 1987, the independent comics market was glutted with black-and-white titles inspired by pioneers like Cerebus and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and publisher/writer Gary Carlson responded by planning to expand the Megaton line into a full slate of full-color books featuring its most popular characters alongside newcomers Ramm and Youngblood. Megaton Explosion was conceived as a free, full-color promotional handbook — a direct answer to DC's own Who's Who series — to introduce readers to the expanded universe and drive orders for those planned titles. Carlson recruited an eclectic array of contributors: a teenage Rob Liefeld (who had been submitting pinups since around 1985), Erik Larsen, Jim Starlin, and underground comix veteran Richard 'Grass' Green, among others, while the cover was supplied by Angel Medina. Despite nearly 100,000 copies being distributed to comic shops, the promotional push did not generate sufficient orders to sustain the line, and Megaton Comics ceased publishing shortly after.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published June 1987 by Megaton Comics as a free, full-color, 16-page promotional 'Who's Who' handbook distributed to comic book stores — no cover price.
- Contains the second published print appearance of Rob Liefeld's Youngblood (Sentinel, Sonic, Brahma, Riptide, Cougar, Psi-Fire, and Photon among the early roster), one month after the team's debut in RAMM #1 (May 1987); Youngblood would later launch Image Comics in 1992.
- Cover by Angel Medina; interior art credits include Rob Liefeld (Youngblood entry and Ultragirl pinup), Erik Larsen (Vanguard), Jim Starlin (Doctor Weird), and Richard 'Grass' Green (Wildman and Rubberoy).
- Writers credited in the issue are Gary Carlson, Ed DeGeorge, Lee Dolezal, Richard 'Grass' Green, Hank Kanalz, and Ken Meyer Jr., though the Grand Comics Database notes that individual profile attributions are not specified in the credits section.
- Characters profiled include the Acro-Jester, Berzerker, Crusader and Sparky, Doctor Weird (Dr. Rex Ward), Ethrian, Feral, Megaton, Ramm, Ultraman, Ultragirl, Vanguard, Wildman, and Youngblood — encompassing both established Megaton anthology characters and new additions.
- Wildman and Rubberoy are copyrighted by the estate of Richard 'Grass' Green; Ethrian by Frank Fosco; Ramm by Chris Ecker; Vanguard jointly by Gary Carlson and Erik Larsen; and Youngblood by Rob Liefeld — reflecting the genuinely creator-owned nature of the Megaton stable.
- The issue was produced as part of a failed expansion plan: Megaton Comics went out of business before any of the planned full-color ongoing series (including a Youngblood solo book) could reach print, with the planned Megaton Special #1 Starring Youngblood receiving only approximately 1,200 orders.
- Several characters from this issue — Vanguard, Youngblood, and Savage Dragon — later resurfaced at Image Comics, co-founded by Megaton alumni Erik Larsen and Rob Liefeld, a lineage that prompted Liefeld to call Gary Carlson 'the Grandfather of Image Comics.'