Aircel Comics

Aircel began as a Canadian based insulation company operating out of Ottawa, Aircel Insulation. However when the government contracts ran out foreman Barry Blair, an aspiring comic book writer, convinced the owner to turn the warehouse into a studio and transform Aircel into a comics company. Gathering around him a variety of talented people, including the future Hulk and Pitt artist Dale Keown, Blair began a line of titles largely dominated by fantasy comics. However financial problems (which Blair puts down to his business manager's mishandling of company monies) caused Blair to strike a deal with Scott Rosenberg, owner of Malibu Graphics, whereby the latter company would be "lent" Aircel to publish a number of titles, in return for a financial assist paying off the debts Aircel had generated. Eventually those debts were paid off, and Blair, dissatisfied with the kind of title Aircel was now associated with (such as sex comics) quit the company, handing it over to Malibu. When Malibu was bought by Marvel in the mid-90's, they gained ownership of a number of Aircel's (non-creator owned) lines, which led to Marvel being the credited company when Men in Black was made into a movie.

(Much of the above information about the history of Aircel Comics is gleaned from an interview given by Bill Blair to Joseph M. McDonald, available to read in its entirety here).

Aircel also assisted Silverline Comics for a while, publishing a number of their titles - more details about that on the Silverline page. They also reprinted some of the Australian Southern Squadron's adventures from their appearances in Cyclone Presents.

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Men in Black

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