In October 2020 ,on one of the limited trips outside of the house during the pandemic, I went to my favorite local comic shop Bell, Book And Comic as Juliet was getting some supplies (bags, boards, short boxes) and I was looking through the horror comics as well as the 70’s Marvel Comic issues. And then I check their magical 3 For $1.00 boxes and found a few comics with two of them being the whole run of a comic series called “Honor Among Thieves” that was released by a very small company called Gateway Graphics. And of course I had to get them as not only do I enjoy reading micro indie comics, but I also knew that it would be fun to cover them here on Rotten Ink! So step on up and grab a box of cheap box comics, and let’s chat about this one that I found in the bargain bins. This will be a super fast and fun update so I hope you enjoy!! Oh and the picture below is from Mavericks Cards And Comics in Kettering, Ohio and it was taken by Darrick Patrick.
Gateway Graphics is one of those micro indie comic companies that came and went so fast that most readers have no idea they even existed! I dug deep all over the World Wide Web to find any and all info I could on this company, and this is what I dug up. By all accounts it looks like Gateway started in 1987 with the release of Honor Among Thieves # 1 that was the company’s first release and got them all types of buzz via local media as they were based out of Irwin, Pennsylvania. The company was owned by a group of friends Tom Howell, Julia Ecklar, Sherri Gilbert and Richard Tucholka, all of whom leant their skills to the comic and its release. It appears that Julia and Tom were the two main creators for this publisher. We also know that they got advice from the folks at Arrow Comics and the local press they got helped them sell the first issue to local comic shops well as many ordered more copies when the article was released. After riding high from the release of their first issue, they worked quickly on the second and got it out the same year in 1987…and then from there it seems Gateway Graphics disappeared with a poof of smoke and their series Honor Among Thieves was left unfinished for readers. I am not sure what happened or why they closed up shop as I could not find anything on that, but if I had to guess I would say it was one of the following reasons: poor sales, it became too hard to produce the comics, the friends had a falling out or something happened to one of the creative team that caused them all to disband. With only one series and two issues under their belt, Gateway Graphics is a comic company that made a pebble splash in the world of comic books, and left a legacy of true indie comics in their closure. On a side note, I want to say I really like their company logo; I think for the 80’s it was super eye catching.
As I have stated many times here, it’s a shame how many indie comic publishers ended their run in the game in the 70’s-90’s as many of them had so much more to offer readers! Many times I think about what companies like Atlas Comics, Topps Comics, Fangoria Comics, Malibu Comics and so many more would be doing if they were still around today…I am guessing they all would have made some amazing comics and would have created some great characters that by this time already would have had their own movie or TV show. But is Gateway Graphics one of those companies that was taken away from us readers too soon or is it one that vanished due to poor quality comics? Well we will soon find out. I want to remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, their entertainment value and their art and story. So if you are ready, let’s travel the back in time to a place of magic and see if there really is Honor Among Thieves!
Honor Among Thieves # 1 *1/2
Released in 1987 Cover Price $1.50 Gateway Graphics # 1 of 2
Galan, Draven and Dar are sitting around a campfire just outside of the city of Mir and are playing games to pass time as they are in town for a horse trade fair. While hanging out by the fire, they catch and stop a thief that was trying to steal one of their horses. Korin was stealing the horse in order to flee Mir and find help as the ruler of the city Jarfys is stealing money and killing good men! Galan and his crew decide to help and will travel to Mir. They see that the city is rundown and dirty and follow Korin to a hidden base to meet Tink, the leader of the resistance who informs them that Jarfys is ruling the town and killing people over silk that is so rare and so pricy that he will do whatever he can to keep the worms that make it safe and well fed with human meat! They also learn that Jarfys has hired killers that help him keep the city and that they kill would-be heroes on site. So they come up with an idea to walk around town and plot an attack by acting like assassins called Knots, and this is where the heroes and their new allies end their meeting.
Okay, I first want to stress that I love indie comics and enjoy a good medieval tale of adventure and fantasy…I also really dig that Gateway Graphics was a comic company based out of Irwin, Pennsylvania. But why this first issue has gotten such a low star rating from me is because for the most part it was really slow moving and boring. Now I get it they are trying to build up the story of Galan and his crew trying to free the city of Mir from an evil ruler they just choose to do so in the most wordy and bland fashion. The plot of this first issue has a group of three heroes and friends on their way to buy and trade horses when they stumble on a man who tells them that his city needs help as people are being killed and ruled by an evil man, and when they decide to help him they travel to town and meet the remaining people of the city who want to overthrow their evil ruler and all come up with a plan to do so. One thing the comic does well is it made me as the reader really sit back and think that Galan, Draven and Dar are close friends who watch out for each other and want to do what’s best for mankind. Galan is a man who is part of a guild who is around to uphold the law, Dar is a wizard who can do magic and tricks while Draven is a youngster with a good heart and is brave like any knight. Korin is a tailor from the city of Mir who wants to find help for his city and even tries to steal our heroes horses in order to get to a city to find help, but something about this guy I don’t trust as I think he and Tink are really just as bad as the man they want to overthrow. The main crime of this comic is that no battles, no conflict and no real action ever takes place as we are treated to panel after panel of long dialogue boxes, and while somewhat interesting, the pace should have been kicked up by the end as I am not sure if a word salad is the right way to get readers hooked. I think that creator Julia Ecklar has put her heart and soul into this tale and characters and that is why I also have to show some respect to this issue. The cover is ok and has that typical fantasy 80s indie comic look and the interior art done by Tom Howell reminds me a little of Elf Quest art. Over all this comic was a little bland, and I am hoping issue two picks up the action.
Honor Among Thieves # 2 *
Released in 1987 Cover Price $1.50 Gateway Graphics # 2 of 2
Galan, Dar and Draven are waiting in the horse stable for their supplies to sneak around town and that’s when Galan springs on his friends that he wants them to leave Mir and head to the horse fair as he thinks this mission of good will be to dangerous for them! Draven is not having it, and the young man stands his ground and airs his opinion as he thinks that he and Dar should stay and act as back up. After some time and words, Galan agrees. Korin arrives at the stable with their outfits and gives Galan and Draven a quick lesson on how Knots act when looking for information and dealing with people, as Tink spreads word around town that Knots are among them. Meanwhile Jarfys is out target shooting with his crossbow as his young friend reads from a book about a ring that they want holds. Jarfys is getting old and talks about walking away from it all just so he can retire and die in peace, when two of his lackeys show up with message of The Knots in town. Jarfys is now worried that the assassins are after him comes up with an idea to make some quick money on the silk, leave town and kill the Knots on his way out.
Whelp issue two is just as wordy and boring as issue one and delivers even a more blah reading experience as once more zero happens and characters have long drawn out talks with each other with much of it just consisting of plans…in other words I can see why these comics were in the 3 for $1.00 boxes! The simple and drawn out plot of this issue has our heroes gearing up to cosplay as deadly assassins to get the information they seek. The evil ruler of the city is getting old and tired, and when he gets the news he might be the target of the assassins he comes up with a plan to make money and kill them and skip town. What I would have given to at least see any kind of fight or battle as the closest thing we get to a battle is Galan sword practicing and Jarfys using his crossbow on a target…yep, action packed stuff! And once more I have to stress, I am all for indie comics and I don’t even mind non-action comics, it’s just both these issues offer nothing but word salad on a plate of nothing. And the worst part is that the series ended after only two issues and the plot that we got in these issues went nowhere making this a disappointing read. The cover for this issue is downright terrible and adds nothing to what the story or comic is about. On the plus side, the artwork by Tom Howell is solid and good and once more writer Julia Ecklar put her all into the script. I am sure over issues and time the tale of Honor Among Thieves would have built itself up to being a fun adventure comic mini series, but I think the slow build for the series is what spelled its doom on retail shelves. Indie Comics as a whole are lots of fun and should be checked out as sometimes you find amazing creative stuff and sometimes you find failed attempts and dreams…sadly Honor Among Thieves was a fail for me. Check out the art below to see what the characters look like and the style of Howell.
It’s a shame that Gateway Graphics and their one and only comic series Honor Among Thieves just didn’t catch on with comic readers or they themselves could not keep up making the comics as who knows over years what comics they could have delivered and how good (or worse) their flagship series could have gotten. Is Gateway Graphics a company that should have closed up shop and locked the doors…I am going to say NO. While I myself was not a fan of the two issues they released, they as a company had pride and many dreams set for their series and for that I would have really liked to have seen them finish their story for Honor Among Thieves as well as possibly create new characters and series. But just add Gateway Graphics as a comic company that went to the Comic Long Box In The Sky and could not survive the comic boom and fall of the 80’s and 90’s. But I think it’s time to leave the world of Honor Among Thieves behind and next head to the world of sci-fi horror as we take a look at Predator 2 and the Dark Horse Comic adaptation! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a film or two and as always support your local horror host! See you next update as we will be in L.A. during a heat wave, and I heard a real hunter is on the prowl.
