Hit Parader was an American music magazine that operated between 1942 and 2008. A monthly publication, it focused on rock and pop music in general until the 1970s, when its focus began turning to hard rock and heavy metal . By the early 1980s, Hit Parader focused exclusively on heavy metal and briefly produced a spinoff television program entitled Hit Parader's Heavy Metal Heroes . The magazine reached its circulation peak in the mid-to-late 1980s selling a half-million copies every month as heavy metal music achieved high levels of popularity and commercial success.
97-452: Hit Parader was launched in 1942 by Charlton Publications , based in Derby, Connecticut . Publishing its first issue on September 16, 1942, the magazine's original mission statement read as follows: Hit Parader is designed to appeal to boys and girls in school, in colleges, and in the armed services... and the millions who listen to radio every day, the people who go to the movies and dances,
194-493: A GoFundMe campaign to "help save" the company. Vince Neil Vincent Neil Wharton (born February 8, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe , which he fronted from their 1981 formation until his departure in 1992. Neil reunited with the band in 1996 and continued with them until the band's 2015 retirement, and again from the band's 2018 reunion onwards. Outside of Mötley Crüe, Neil has also released three studio albums as
291-568: A mud wrestler and fashion model. The couple had one daughter, Skylar Lynnae Neil (March 26, 1991 – August 15, 1995), before divorcing in 1993. In early 1993, he began dating actress and Playboy Playmate Heidi Mark after a blind date arranged by her makeup artist. The two were engaged within two months and married in 2000. After just 15 months of marriage and several attempts at reconciliation, they divorced in 2001. Neil married his fourth wife, Lia Gerardini, in January 2005. The ceremony
388-520: A 450% increase in sales. Secher recognized the magazine's target demographic as the young suburban male, whom he referred to as "some 17-year-old kid in Iowa, not a socialite in Manhattan", and attributed Hit Parader' s longevity and success to its ability to anticipate trends in music months in advance. By 1984, the magazine was focusing solely on heavy metal. The magazine's top-selling issue of all time
485-617: A Feelgood's in Las Vegas. In 2012, Vince Neil opened a gentleman's club named Deja Vu Presents: Vince Neil's Girls Girls Girls in Las Vegas, Nevada. In April 2014, Vince Neil, as the chief executive officer and chairman of RockStar Investment Group, along with long-time friends and business partners Bob Hewko and Mark Daniels, acquired ownership of the Arena Football League 's Jacksonville Sharks in April 2014. Neil
582-530: A band rehearsal on February 10, 1992, Sixx , Lee and Mars agreed that the vocalist was "holding us back". At the time, the band blamed Neil's race car driving in the Indy Lights circuit as the reason for the decision, releasing a statement that read "Race car driving has become a priority in Neil's life. His bandmates felt he didn't share their determination and passion for music." Prior to his firing, Sixx says
679-769: A bricklayer who had started a construction business in White Plains, New York , five years earlier, began what became a highly successful business publishing song-lyric magazines out of nearby Yonkers, New York . Operating in violation of copyright laws, however, he was sentenced in 1934 to a year and a day at New Haven County Jail in New Haven, Connecticut , near Derby, where his wife and he by then lived. In jail, he met Waterbury, Connecticut attorney Ed Levy, with whom he began legitimate publishing in 1935, acquiring permissions to reproduce lyrics in such magazines as Hit Parade and Big Song Magazine . Santangelo and Levy opened
776-414: A comic based on teen heartthrob David Cassidy , then starring in the musical sitcom The Partridge Family . By 1976, however, most of these titles had been cancelled, and most of the company's remaining titles went on hiatus during the period January to August 1977. Much of the new talent took the opportunity to move on to Marvel and DC. By the 1980s, Charlton was in decline. The comic-book industry
873-529: A half years for all of the members of Mötley Crüe to agree and sign off on the bar concept and location. It was finally determined that it would be located in downtown West Palm Beach, close to the ocean and within the high rent district of downtown. On January 19, 2008, Neil played a free concert on the streets of downtown West Palm Beach to celebrate the grand opening of Dr Feelgood's. In March 2009, Neil opened another Feelgood's in Miami Beach. Vince also owns
970-423: A number of reprints and changing his company name to Charlton Media Group . Most of Charlton's line of action heroes were acquired in 1983 for $ 5000 a character by Paul Levitz at DC Comics , as a gift to managing editor and former Charlton editor Dick Giordano . These "Action Hero" characters were proposed to be used in the landmark Watchmen miniseries written by Alan Moore , but DC then chose to save
1067-484: A personal dislike for superheroes and wanted to keep them in a pulplike realm of relative believability, all the characters in his Action Hero line, except for Captain Atom, were ordinary humans which used their skills and talents instead of superpowers. The company also developed a reputation as a place for new talent to break into comics; examples include Jim Aparo , Dennis O'Neil and Sam Grainger . As well, Charlton in
SECTION 10
#17327983863351164-690: A printing plant in Waterbury the following year, and in 1940, founded the T.W.O. Charles Company, eventually moving its headquarters to Derby. Charlton purchased the company Song Lyrics, Inc., which published Song Hits magazine and was owned by Lyle Engel in 1949. Following the adoption of the Charlton Comics name in 1946, the company over the next five years acquired material from freelance editor and comics packager Al Fago (brother of former Timely Comics editor Vincent Fago ). Charlton additionally published Merry Comics , Cowboy Western ,
1261-461: A remarkably faithful rendition of the then-current CBS-TV series, bowed in 1970 but ran for only seven issues. Both the Abbott and Costello and Hee Haw comics were discontinued in the summer of 1971, although Charlton's Hee Haw was revamped for general audiences as a 50-cent magazine, printed in black-and-white with cast photos and jokes supplemented by advertising. The last of the comedy vehicles
1358-586: A series of benefits called Rockin' the Red Carpet that benefitted Music for Relief as part of his tour with Mötley Crüe, Poison and the New York Dolls . During the 1980s with Mötley Crüe's rising fame, Neil, along with his bandmates, was well known for using drugs, mostly cocaine , LSD , and heroin (which bandmate Nikki Sixx became addicted to); however, during an interview in 2015, Neil stated he had been using cocaine even before joining
1455-639: A small number of recurring characters and features, including "The American Eagle", " Shotgun Harker and the Chicken ", " The Devil's Brigade ", " The Iron Corporal ", and " The Lonely War of Capt. Willy Schultz ". Army War Heroes and Marine War Heroes depicted stories based on actual Medal of Honor recipients. Space War , first created in 1959 became Fightin' 5 in 1964. With the mid-1960s fad for James Bond secret agents such as Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. , Charlton turned their Vietnam veteran Mike Hammer hardboiled detective Sarge Steel into
1552-683: A solo artist – the most recent of which, Tattoos & Tequila , was released in 2010. Although his later life has seen media focus more on his poor live performances and off-stage controversy, Neil's visual aesthetic and distinctive singing voice are still considered synonymous with the American glam metal movement of the 1980s. Neil was born in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California , to Shirley (née Ortiz) and Clois "Odie" Wharton. He has Mexican ancestry on his mother's side and Native American ancestry on his father's. During
1649-740: A special agent after the sixth issue, later renaming the comic Secret Agent . Charlton threw itself into the resurgent horror comics genre during this period with such titles as Ghostly Tales , The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves , and Ghost Manor . It also created a pair of identical horror-movie magazines: Horror Monsters (1961–1964) and Mad Monsters (1961–1965). Additionally, Charlton produced comics based on monsters featured in motion pictures such as Konga , Gorgo and Reptilicus . Charlton continued its commitment to romance comics with such new titles as Career Girl Romances , Hollywood Romances (later to change its name to For Lovers Only ), and Time for Love . In 1965, Charlton revived
1746-469: A staff of artists who included its future managing editor, Dick Giordano . Others (staff or freelance) who eventually worked with Charlton included Vince Alascia , Jon D'Agostino , Sam Glanzman , Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio , Bill Molno, Charles Nicholas , and Sal Trapani . The primary writer was the remarkably prolific Joe Gill . The same year the company created an in-house comics department, where comics would make up 25% of Charlton. The company began
1843-592: A store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles called S'Crüe, which stocks clothes from both Sixx and Neil's clothing lines (Outlaw and Bad Bones), along with CDs, the Mötley Brüe drink and other items. The store closed in January 1999, with the band deciding to sell the items online. In 2006, Neil opened a tattoo parlor called Vince Neil Ink, located on the Las Vegas Strip. Neil founded Vince Vineyards,
1940-423: A teenager, Neil was also interested in surfing, basketball, baseball, football and wrestling. Neil was discovered while performing with his band Rock Candy and joined Mötley Crüe in 1981. The newly formed band was seeking a lead vocalist and were impressed by Neil after seeing him perform live at drummer Tommy Lee 's suggestion. Lee had known Neil in high school and thought the vocalist's image would fit well with
2037-464: A track entitled " Get in the Ring ", the lyrics of which accused Secher and Hit Parader of "printin' lies instead of the things we said" and "rippin' off the fuckin' kids … [and] startin' controversy". The song was written in response to a March 1991 Hit Parader cover piece written by Secher in which the band's vocalist Axl Rose and Sebastian Bach of Skid Row were ostensibly interviewed together for
SECTION 20
#17327983863352134-447: A true interview. Rose and Bach both claimed that Hit Parader editor Andy Secher was misleading his readers with such tactics. With the dramatic decline in the popularity of heavy metal in the 1990s, Hit Parader' s monthly readership began a steady decline. Many observers have noted that everything changed almost overnight with the emergence of Nirvana and grunge music in 1991, and Secher agrees wholeheartedly with this conclusion. Of
2231-669: A weakness as their old equipment was stuck in the past, while other companies used more modern equipment that was faster, had higher quality and was more efficient, which contributed to their decline and fall. In 2000, Charlton Spotlight , a fanzine devoted to Charlton, began publication. In 2014, comics writers Mort Todd , Paul Kupperberg , and Roger McKenzie founded a revival imprint named Charlton Neo, which relied heavily on crowdfunding , and printed stories featuring Charlton characters and titles not owned by DC. In May 2017, AC Comics announced that they had entered into an agreement to bring print versions of Charlton Neo's comics to
2328-709: A wide expansion of its comics line, which included notoriously gory horror comics (the principal title being Steve Ditko 's The Thing! ). In 1954–55, it acquired a stable of comic-book properties from the defunct Superior Comics, Mainline Publications , St. John Publications , and most significantly, Fawcett Publications , which was shutting down its Fawcett Comics division. Charlton continued publishing two of Fawcett's horror books— This Magazine Is Haunted and Strange Suspense Stories —initially using unpublished material from Fawcett's inventory. Artistic chores were then handed to Ditko, whose moody, individualistic touch came to dominate Charlton's supernatural line. Beset by
2425-488: A wide variety of genres , including crime , science fiction , Western , horror , war , and romance comics , as well as talking animal and superhero titles. The company was known for its low-budget practices, often using unpublished material acquired from defunct companies and paying comics creators among the lowest rates in the industry. Charlton was also the last of the American comics publishers still operating to raise its cover prices from 10 to 12 cents in 1962. It
2522-807: A winemaking venture that produced a 2003 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2003 Sonoma County Chardonnay. He also produces a limited edition Petite Sirah through EOS Estate Winery. In 2005, Neil created the "Off the Strip Poker Tournament", which takes place in Las Vegas. In 2007, Neil launched his own brand of tequila called Tres Rios. Neil debuted the tequila at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival in February 2007. Neil opened Dr. Feelgood's Bar and Grill in West Palm Beach. It took over two and
2619-644: The New York Daily News and has said that Hit Parader' s mission at that time was to simply survive month to month. During this period, editor Lisa Robinson had begun taking the magazine in the direction of new wave music, traveling to England four times a year to interview The Clash and positioning Hit Parader to be on the cutting edge of what Secher would later refer to as "the whole Avant-Garde, New Wave movement". The magazine struggled, however, printing 200,000 monthly copies but only selling approximately 30% of them. In 1980 Secher replaced Robinson as
2716-489: The Billboard charts. Tension soon erupted, however, this time prompting Tommy Lee to leave. The other members replaced him with Randy Castillo and recorded New Tattoo in 2000. The renewed band went on hiatus when Castillo died from cancer in 2002. Mötley's fortunes got a boost when Neil and Lee put aside their differences to tour in support of the 2005 compilation Red, White & Crüe . Dubbed Carnival of Sins ,
2813-596: The Ghostly titles, now including Ghostly Haunts . Other Bronze Age Charlton horror titles included Haunted , Midnight Tales , and Scary Tales . In 1973, Charlton debuted the gothic romance title Haunted Love , but this same period saw the mass cancellation of almost all of Charlton's vast stable of traditional romance titles, including such long-running series as; Sweethearts , Romantic Secrets , Romantic Story , I Love You , Teen-Age Love , Just Married , and Teen Confessions , all of which dated from
2910-602: The PBS television series The Aviators , as reported by the Las Vegas Sun . In 2017, Neil was a cast member on The New Celebrity Apprentice until his elimination in task 7. Neil has a son from his high school girlfriend, Tami Jones, named Neil Jason Wharton, born October 3, 1978. Neil married his first wife, Beth Lynn, in 1981; they divorced in 1985. They had one daughter, Elizabeth Ashley Wharton, born October 29, 1983. In April 1987, Neil married Sharise Ruddell,
3007-587: The 1950s. In the mid-1970s, a brief resurgence of talent occurred, energized by Cuti, artist Joe Staton , and the " CPL Gang " – a group of writer/artist comics fans including John Byrne , Roger Stern , Bob Layton , and Roger Slifer , who had all worked on the fanzine Contemporary Pictorial Literature . Charlton began publishing such new titles as E-Man , Midnight Tales , and Doomsday + 1 . The CPL Gang also produced an in-house fanzine called Charlton Bullseye , which published, among other things, commissioned but previously unpublished material; including
Hit Parader - Misplaced Pages Continue
3104-565: The 1960s, his family moved around Southern California from Inglewood to Watts , before finally settling in Glendora , attending Sunflower Intermediate School and later Royal Oak High School . His biggest musical influence in the early days was Van Halen , imitating the look and the attitude of their frontman David Lee Roth . He also cited AC/DC , Aerosmith , Creedence Clearwater Revival , Journey and The Beach Boys among his favorite artists. As well as having an interest in music while
3201-915: The Captain Atom character in Strange Suspense Stories numbers 75, 76, and 77, reprinting the Steve Ditko-illustrated stories that had originally appeared in Space Adventures in the early 1960s. Retitling the comic, Captain Atom Volume 2 #78 (cover dated Dec. 1965), Charlton began publishing newly created stories by Ditko of the superhero. In 1967, Ditko stopped working at Marvel and returned to Charlton full-time. After his celebrated stint at Marvel, he had grown disenchanted with that company and his Spider-Man collaborator, writer-editor Stan Lee . Having
3298-653: The DUI charge. In June 2010, Neil was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Las Vegas after having allegedly smashed a fan's camera, and was released on $ 2,000 bond. On January 26, 2011, he pleaded guilty to drunk driving and was sentenced to 15 days in the Clark County jail along with 15 days under house arrest. In March 2011, Neil was charged with battery and disorderly conduct after an altercation with ex-girlfriend Alicia Jacobs. On May 2, 2011, his attorneys pleaded not guilty on his behalf during an arraignment and he
3395-784: The Modern Comics imprint and sold in bagged sets in department stores (in much the same way Gold Key Comics were published under the Whitman Comics moniker around the same time). None of these measures worked, and in 1984, Charlton Comics suspended publication. In 1985, a final attempt at a revival was spearheaded by new editor T. C. Ford with a direct-to-market Charlton Bullseye Special . Later that same year, though, Charlton Comics went out of business; Charlton Publications followed suit in 1991, and its building and presses were demolished in 1999. Editor Robin Snyder oversaw
3492-516: The Navy ), Ghostly Haunts (originally Ghost Manor ), Ghostly Tales (originally Blue Beetle vol. 3), I Love You (originally In Love ), and Sweethearts (originally Fawcett 's Captain Midnight ). Al Fago left in the mid-1950s, and was succeeded by his assistant, Pat Masulli , who remained in the position for 10 years. Masulli oversaw a plethora of new romance titles, including
3589-481: The Silver Age, Charlton, like Marvel and DC, published war comics . Notable titles included the "Fightin'" line of Fightin' Air Force , Fightin' Army , Fightin' Marines , and Fightin' Navy ; the "Attack" line of Army Attack and Submarine Attack ; Battlefield Action ; D-Day , U.S. Air Force Comics , and War Heroes . Though primarily anthologies of stories about 20th-century warfare, they included
3686-469: The Western title Tim McCoy , and Pictorial Love Stories . The company used a second-hand press originally used for printing cereal boxes. These large presses were very costly to both stop and start, which only happened twice a year when they had to be cleaned, and so they started publishing comics as a mean to keep the presses going. After the entry into the comic business, the company's first comic book
3783-518: The artists who regularly appeared in the magazine. During its 1980s heyday, Hit Parader featured the work of rock journalists such as Charley Crespo, Jodi Summers, Wolfgang Schnapp, Adrianne Stone, Rob Andrews, Winston Cummings, and Rick Evans. Hit Parader fell into decline in the 1990s, with a handful of factors contributing to this. Facing financial troubles in 1991, Charlton sold off Hit Parader to raise money. Later that year, Guns N' Roses ' hugely successful Use Your Illusion II album included
3880-440: The artwork the company had bought from Fawcett Comics , in addition to printing presses and typesetting machines. Several issues of comics were destroyed, and some titles abandoned completely. Due to the shutdown following the flood, the comics were outsourced to outside presses for some months. Superheroes were a minor part of the company. At the beginning, Charlton's main characters were Yellowjacket , not to be confused with
3977-593: The band had reformed and plans to release new music. In November 2016, Neil revealed that he had been contacted and was scheduled to play with his own band at the inauguration of Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2017. "I don't know how long I have to play. I don't know if the Republican Party says which (songs) to play and what not to do," said Neil. In 1994, Neil gave up ownership of his Bar One club. In 1998, Mötley Crüe opened
Hit Parader - Misplaced Pages Continue
4074-402: The band was open with him that they were considering a new lead vocalist, with Sixx telling him "We are down here working, and we want to be here. This isn't going to happen if you don't want to be here and we have to force you out of bed every afternoon because you've been out all night drinking." Lee accused him of failing to contribute to the creative process and Neil stormed out, and his firing
4171-460: The band, and, like Sixx before him, became addicted to cocaine and heroin. Neil, as did his bandmates, went to rehab due to excessive usage of drugs. In late 1984, Finnish hard rock band Hanoi Rocks was on their second American tour and their first to reach California. The two gigs meant to be held in Los Angeles sold out in only twenty minutes. On the day they arrived in Los Angeles, December 8, Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley and
4268-555: The book Neil released in the same year, Tattoos & Tequila: To Hell and Back with One of Rock's Most Notorious Frontmen . Each song on the album corresponds with a chapter in the book. The album's title track was released as a single for the album and features a music video. Neil contributed a cover of Japanese rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel 's song " Blurry Eyes " to their 2012 tribute album. Following Mötley Crüe's 2014 and 2015 final world tour , Neil confirmed in September 2018 that
4365-501: The characters for other uses. Moore instead developed new characters loosely based on them. The Charlton characters were incorporated into DC's main superhero line, starting in the epic Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries of 1985. Charlton's original strength, doing everything in-house, like art, lettering, editorial, printing, packaging and distribution, had helped them survive when America's largest distributor, American News Company , closed its doors. But this gradually turned into
4462-525: The circulation slump that swept the industry towards the end of the 1950s, Haunted struggled for another two years, published bimonthly until May 1958. Strange Suspense Stories ran longer, lasting well into the 1960s before "giving up the ghost" in 1965. Charlton published a wide line of romance titles, particularly after it acquired the Fawcett line, which included the romance comics Sweethearts , Romantic Secrets , and Romantic Story . Sweethearts
4559-465: The company's last Captain Atom story. Also during this period, most of Charlton's titles began sporting painted covers. Early in 1975, Cuti, already writing freelance for the company in addition to his staff duties, quit to write freelance exclusively for Charlton when its line expanded to include black-and-white magazines in addition to the King Features and Hanna-Barbera franchised titles. He
4656-673: The company's staples, particularly cartoon characters from Hanna-Barbera ( The Flintstones , The Jetsons , Top Cat , Korg: 70,000 B.C. , others). Charlton took over publication of a number of King Features Syndicate characters from that company's short-lived King Comics , including Beetle Bailey , Blondie Comics , Flash Gordon , Jungle Jim , The Phantom , and Popeye . Charlton also published Bullwinkle and Rocky , and Hoppity Hooper , based on Jay Ward Productions ' Hoppity Hooper , and Rocky and His Friends/The Bullwinkle Show . Charlton dabbled occasionally in adaptations of live-action TV comedies. The most successful
4753-400: The direct-sales comic shop market, starting with Charlton Arrow #1 in September. The Charlton Arrow , an anthology series featuring many Charlton characters, was the company's main product and only title sold in stores, but the company ran a number of other titles through mail-order and digital sales. In January 2018, citing poor sales and "a variety of financial calamities," Todd launched
4850-806: The disapproval the genre attracted from some music critics, saying: "I always sensed that people like Christgau had to justify their existence by promoting the artistic aesthetics of the rock form. I've never taken any of this that seriously. Hit Parader isn't the New York Times … it's a frikkin' fanzine , and proud to be exactly that." The magazine closed down following the publication of its December 2008 issue. During its years of operation, Hit Parader also published issues dedicated to "Top 100" lists, such as "Top 100 Metal Bands", "Top 100 Guitarists", "Top 100 Vocalists" and "Top 100 Bassists & Drummers". In 2020, entertainment industry veterans Matt Pinfield , Ash Avildsen , and Josh Bernstein purchased
4947-702: The early 60s prior to the emergence of hugely popular rock groups such as the Beatles and the Beach Boys in 1964. At that time, it was a common practice among music magazines to write fake articles pieced together from sources such as bios and publicity material distributed by the record companies. Hit Parader employed traveling rock journalists who spent time with the artists and wrote legitimate feature articles about them. In addition to Delehant's contributions, Hit Parader also published articles by music journalists Ellen Sander, Keith Altham and Derek Taylor . Over
SECTION 50
#17327983863355044-693: The era, frequently changed the titles of their comics, rather than start new ones at number 1 (a new publication required a new postal permit, while an existing publication that just changed its name could use its existing permit). Notable examples of this practice include the titles Billy the Kid (originally Masked Raider ), Blue Beetle vol. 2 (originally The Thing! ), Blue Beetle vol. 3 (originally Unusual Tales ), Fightin' Air Force (originally Never Again ), Fightin' Army (originally Soldier and Marine Comics ), Fightin' Marines (originally The Texan ), Fightin' Navy (originally Don Winslow of
5141-463: The film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane playing Bobby Black, lead vocalist of the fictional rock band that consisted of Carlos Cavazo , Randy Castillo , and Phil Soussan . Opening sequences of the film featured the band playing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre , where Neil's character makes a grand entrance by swooping on stage via zip line . In 2002, Neil was one of the cast members on the first season of The Surreal Life . In 2004, Neil appeared on
5238-466: The first of which was included on the soundtrack to the Les Mayfield movie Encino Man ; a music video was released for this version featuring a cameo from Pauly Shore . The track was re-recorded for the album with Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens . Pornographic film actress Janine Lindemulder can be seen in the video for the second single "Sister of Pain". "Can't Change Me" was released as
5335-490: The first time. However, it soon came to light that rather than the exclusive it claimed to be, the interview was instead merely a transcript of a telephone conversation between the two musicians and Howard Stern that had earlier been broadcast on Stern's popular radio-show. The pair, along with Rose's then-wife Erin Everly, had talked to Stern during a party at Rose's home, and some observers questioned whether it even constituted
5432-564: The following decade, its contributors included Nick Logan , Barbara Charone , Lenny Kaye , Jonh Ingham and Alan Betrock . During the 1970s, Hit Parader frequently covered hard rock acts such as Led Zeppelin , the Rolling Stones , Elton John , David Bowie , Blue Öyster Cult , the Kinks , Three Dog Night , the Who , Cheap Trick , Kiss , and Van Halen . As the decade progressed
5529-668: The future co-creator of Marvel Comics ' Spider-Man , Steve Ditko . (After the mid-1980s demise of Charlton, Captain Atom went on to become a stalwart of the DC stable, as would Blue Beetle, the old Fox Comics superhero revived by Gill and artists Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico as a campy, comedic character in Blue Beetle #1 [June 1964].) Charlton also had moderate success with Son of Vulcan , its answer to Marvel's Thor , in Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds #46 (May 1965). During
5626-547: The hugely popular Ditko back helped prompt Charlton editor Giordano to introduce the company's "Action Hero" superhero line, with characters including Captain Atom, Ditko's the Question , Gill and artist Pat Boyette 's The Peacemaker , Gill and company art director Frank McLaughlin 's Judomaster , Pete Morisi 's Peter Cannon... Thunderbolt , and Ditko's new "Ted Kord" version of the Blue Beetle. Because Giordano had
5723-690: The illness of his daughter Skylar. The album charted at #139 on the Billboard 200 . The song "Skylar's Song", dedicated to his daughter, was released as a single for the album and featured a music video, and "The Crawl" was released as a promo single. The album sold fewer than 100,000 copies in the US, and Neil's contract with Warner Bros. Records eventually came to an end. The album was re-released in 2004. Neil toured with his solo band, which consisted of Slaughter members Jeff Blando and Dana Strum , as well as drummer Zoltan Chaney. Mötley Crüe came back into
5820-560: The issue nonetheless created a firestorm of controversy which saw retailers such as 7-Eleven threaten to take the magazine off its shelves. Over the ensuing decade, Hit Parader became one of America's leading heavy metal publications, providing extensive coverage of the era's popular acts such as Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot , Def Leppard , Ratt , and Ozzy Osbourne . During this period the magazine also published special bonus issues with titles such as Hit Parader's Heavy Metal Hot Shots and Hit Parader's Heavy Metal Heroes . Secher often went on
5917-447: The jukebox addicts, the people who buy phonograph records and sheet music for home use, and even the people who whistle while they work. Along with the likes of Billboard , Down Beat and Song Hits , Hit Parader was among the first and longest-lasting American music magazines. The magazine's title referenced the popular music " hit parade ", a list of current hit singles determined either by sales or airplay. In its early years,
SECTION 60
#17327983863356014-598: The late 1960s published some of the first manga in America, in Ghost Manor and other titles (thanks to artist Sanho Kim ), and artist Wayne Howard became the industry's first known cover-credited series creator, with the horror-anthology Midnight Tales blurbing "Created by Wayne Howard" on each issue—"a declaration perhaps unique in the industry at the time". Yet by the end of 1967, Charlton's superhero titles had been cancelled, and licensed properties had become
6111-735: The later Marvel character, and Diana the Huntress. In the mid-1950s, Charlton briefly published a Blue Beetle title with new and reprinted stories, and in 1956, several short-lived titles written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel , such as Mr. Muscles , Zaza the Mystic , and Nature Boy (the latter with artist Mastroserio). The company's most noteworthy period was during the "silver age" of comic books , which had begun with DC Comics ' successful revival of superheroes in 1956. In March 1960, Charlton's science-fiction anthology title Space Adventures introduced Captain Atom , by Gill and
6208-514: The long-running I Love You , Sweetheart Diary , Brides in Love , My Secret Life , and Just Married ; and the teen-oriented romance comics Teen-Age Love , Teen Confessions , and Teen-Age Confidential Confessions . On August 19, 1955, the company was hit hard by a flood . The water was rising so fast that vital office records was all that could be saved. $ 300,000 in paper inventory, plates, mats and original comics artwork were lost, including
6305-468: The magazine began covering punk and new wave artists as well. The magazine typically featured song lyrics, artist photos, feature articles, album reviews, interviews, reader mail, bits of trivia on popular rock acts, and readers' polls. Longtime editor Andy Secher joined the magazine as an assistant editor in 1979 when the staff consisted of essentially two people. Secher was hired on the strength of an interview he had done with AC/DC which appeared in
6402-447: The magazine largely consisted of lyrics to the hit songs of the day, a practice that remained until 1975 when licensing of the rights became too expensive. From that point onward it featured interviews, color photos, and feature articles on popular rock musicians. For much of the 1960s, Jim Delehant worked as a staff writer and editor for the magazine. According to his recollection, Hit Parader covered "an extremely boring music scene" in
6499-464: The magazine's 1970s and 1980s heyday, Secher has said "The stories are too many, and in some cases too wild, to be printed here." Speaking to the music website rockcritics.com in the early 2000s, Secher identified the magazine's target readership as "a young, male demographic … They want short, pithy interviews and features – along with BIG color photos. The formula is fairly basic." He also defended Hit Parader ' s championing of heavy metal, despite
6596-471: The magazine's editor and Shelton Ivany came on board as editor-in-chief, and it was under their leadership that Hit Parader moved away from new wave music for good, becoming the first monthly publication to focus exclusively on hard rock and heavy metal. " ...we were the first magazine in the world to focus exclusively on hard rock/heavy metal. We were a bit lucky in that the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
6693-478: The new band. With Mötley Crüe, Neil made his recording debut with the band's 1981 debut album Too Fast for Love . The band's next album, 1983's Shout at the Devil , brought Mötley Crüe to international stardom, and a string of hit releases throughout the decade including Theatre of Pain , Girls, Girls, Girls and the number 1 album Dr. Feelgood established the band as one of the most popular rock acts in
6790-523: The other members of the band (with the exception of singer Michael Monroe , who was recovering from a fractured ankle) visited Neil's home and spent the day in Redondo Beach . After partying for hours, Neil and Razzle decided to visit a local liquor store in Neil's De Tomaso Pantera . Neil, who was drunk, lost control of the car and hit an oncoming vehicle. The two occupants of the other car were seriously injured and suffered brain damage, and Dingley
6887-546: The program would follow him and his family after his parents moved in with him. As Neil told Eddie Trunk , "My wife [Lia] hasn't talked to my mom since the wedding", which took place January 9, 2005, in Las Vegas. In 2010, he was cast on ABC 's Skating with the Stars as a celebrity contestant who skated with professional ice skater Jennifer Wester . In 2012, Neil participated in flight training in Henderson, Nevada for
6984-571: The rights to Hit Parader and resurrected it as a branded production company . The new Hit Parader was headquartered in the Panasonic building in Universal City with a mission statement to focus "on original content and immersive experiences." It announced plans for a new television series entitled Paradise City which Avildsen described as "A mix of the young angst of Euphoria , the entertainment biz authenticity of Entourage and
7081-692: The road to meet the artists personally. "Ozzy in Brazil, Dio in Japan, Bon Jovi in Canada, the Scorpions in Sweden...it goes on and on. There's no question that the times were bigger and brighter in the '70s and '80s," he has said of this era. Secher produced a spinoff television program entitled Hit Parader's Heavy Metal Heroes on USA Network which featured heavy metal music videos and short interviews with
7178-460: The sale of some properties to their creators, though most of the rights were purchased by Canadian entrepreneur Roger Broughton . He produced several reprint titles under the company name of Avalon Communications and its imprint America's Comics Group (ACG for short, Broughton having also purchased the rights to the defunct American Comics Group properties), and announced plans to restart Charlton Comics. This did not occur beyond its publishing
7275-474: The special Remaking Vince Neil , which showed him trying to recharge his solo career. He also recorded the single "Promise Me" produced by Desmond Child . The song was for sale on iTunes for a brief period, but a solo album never surfaced. In 2004, Neil played a tattoo artist in an episode of the CBS sitcom Still Standing . In 2009, Neil worked on a pilot for an A&E reality TV show. According to Neil,
7372-585: The spotlight after their Behind the Music episode aired on VH1 in December 1998 and became the highest-rated in the series. A DVD was issued with ten extra minutes of footage in December 1999. By 1997, Neil's solo career and Mötley's fortunes were declining, so the four reunited that year. "They admitted they couldn't do it without me", he recalled, "and I wasn't selling records the way Mötley Crüe had." They released Generation Swine , which debuted at #4 on
7469-612: The supernatural fun of Sabrina ", featuring Drea de Matteo and Bella Thorne . An eight-episode season airing on Amazon Prime was released in 2021 with plans for a second season to film in 2022. There are no plans to resurrect Hit Parader as a magazine. "I think the legacy and history of Hit Parader brings a modern-day value that would take many years to recreate," said Avildsen. The Hit Parader brand's longtime focus on heavy metal would also be abandoned, with Avildsen promising "all genres and styles are welcome and will be given platforms". Charlton Comics Charlton Comics
7566-587: The third single featuring a video filmed at the Record Plant , and the video for the fourth single, "Can't Have Your Cake", featured actress Pamela Anderson as well as Neil's son Neil Wharton who portrayed a young Vince Neil. In September 1995, Neil released Carved in Stone , an industrial -oriented album produced by the Dust Brothers . It was recorded and was put on hold while Neil was dealing with
7663-480: The tour featured acrobats , fire breathers and a midget as part of the overall circus atmosphere the band created. In 2008, Mötley Crüe released the album Saints of Los Angeles , featuring all the original members. Neil released his third solo album, Tattoos & Tequila , in 2010, his first solo release since Live at the Whisky: One Night Only in 2003. The album is a soundtrack to
7760-406: The victims of the crash and undertake 200 hours of community service . Neil was paroled after serving 15 days in jail for good behavior; Mötley Crüe dedicated their third studio album, Theatre of Pain , to Razzle. Neil was arrested in 2002 for punching record producer Michael Schuman in a nightclub parking lot. He was ordered to pay restitution and undertake community service. In 2003, Neil
7857-428: The world. Producer Tom Werman , who produced much of Mötley Crüe's material in the 1980s, has said that Neil is the least artistic and least involved in the creative process of all the band members. Following the release of Mötley Crüe's 1991 greatest hits album Decade of Decadence 81–91 , Neil and the band parted ways. Neil's drinking was beginning to affect his ability to perform, and after he failed to show up for
7954-504: Was My Little Margie , based on the 1952-55 network series starring Gale Storm ; the Charlton version ran for a full 10 years (1954-64, 54 issues) and inspired two spinoffs, My Little Margie's Boy Friends (1955–58, 11 issues) and My Little Margie's Fashions (1959, five issues). Abbott and Costello , debuting in 1968, was based on the syndicated Abbott and Costello animated cartoon series of 1967-68 and ran for 22 issues. Hee Haw ,
8051-514: Was The Partridge Family , based on the then-current ABC-TV sitcom ; launched in 1971, the comic book ran for 21 issues until it was cancelled in 1973. Nicola Cuti made creative improvements to Charlton's line in the early 1970s, which had been referred to as comics' Bronze Age , during which he worked as assistant editor under George Wildman , who was occupied primarily with administrative duties. Cuti brought Mike Zeck , among others, into Charlton's roster of artists, and his writing enlivened
8148-491: Was Yellowjacket , an anthology of superhero and horror stories launched September 1944 under the imprint Frank Comunale Publications, with Ed Levy listed as publisher. Zoo Funnies was published under the imprint Children Comics Publishing; Jack in the Box , under Frank Comunale; and TNT Comics , under Charles Publishing Co. Another imprint was Frank Publications. In 1951, when Al Fago began as an in-house editor, Charlton hired
8245-493: Was an American comic-book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T. W. O. Charles Company , in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut . The comic-book line was a division of Charlton Publications , which published magazines (most notably song-lyric magazines), puzzle books, and briefly, books, under the imprints Monarch and Gold Star . It had its own distribution company, Capital Distribution . Charlton Comics published
8342-482: Was announced to the public four days later. Exposed was Neil's first solo album and was released in 1993. It debuted at #13 on the Billboard charts. The album featured Steve Stevens (who played all bass and guitar tracks on "Exposed"), Dave Marshall , Robbie Crane , and Vik Foxx . The band eventually went on tour, opening for Van Halen . The album includes Neil's debut solo single "You're Invited (But Your Friend Can't Come)". The song exists in two versions,
8439-523: Was arrested again after accusations that he assaulted a sex worker at the Moonlite BunnyRanch by grabbing her around the throat and throwing her against a wall. On April 9, 2004, he pleaded no contest to battery charges and he was sentenced to a 30-day jail suspension. He was ordered to undergo 60 days of anger management counseling and was fined $ 1,000 plus court fees of $ 132. On December 15, 2004, an arrest warrant for misdemeanor assault
8536-539: Was in a sales slump, struggling to reinvent a profitable distribution and retail system. Charlton's licensed titles lapsed, its aging presses were deteriorating towards uselessness, and the company did not have the resources to replace them. In 1981, yet another attempt was made at new material, with a comic-book version of Charlton Bullseye serving as a new-talent showcase that actively solicited submissions by comic-book fans, and an attempt at new Ditko-produced titles. A number of 1970s-era titles were also reprinted under
8633-488: Was issued for Neil after a fight during a show on October 30 where he left a soundman unconscious for 45 seconds. Police had given the singer a criminal-trespass warning before he left the club and headed to Houston for a Halloween show. In 2007, Neil was arrested for suspicion of DUI in Las Vegas after police spotted him making some erratic moves in his Ferrari. He later worked out a deal with prosecutors where he pleaded guilty to reckless driving in exchange for them to drop
8730-498: Was its June 1984 issue which was the first cover story devoted to a rising band from Los Angeles called Mötley Crüe . Upon arriving in Mexico in December 1983 to interview the band, Secher was met by lead vocalist Vince Neil and taken to the group's hotel where he found "this young woman, spread eagle on the bed, naked, and they're going at her with a wine bottle". Though he had to sanitize the story heavily before it could be published,
8827-480: Was just kicking in, and the West Coast Metal Explosion was about to launch. Our timing was very good. We've stayed loyal to hard rock throughout the years because that's where my interest remains. Trends, bands and fans have come and gone, but hard rock has stayed strong. " - Andy Secher in 2004 The move paid immediate dividends and Hit Parader began selling a half-million copies every month,
8924-485: Was killed. Neil was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with the crash. His blood alcohol content was 0.17, well above the California legal limit at that time of 0.10. In September 1985, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Edward Hinz Jr. sentenced Neil to 30 days in jail and five years' probation . Neil was ordered to pay $ 2.6 million in restitution to
9021-699: Was officiated by MC Hammer , an ordained minister and fellow cast member on The Surreal Life . In 2010, Neil announced their separation. On August 15, 1995, Neil and Ruddell's daughter, Skylar Neil, died of cancer at the age of four. He founded the Skylar Neil Memorial Fund in her honor. Since that time, Neil and the foundation have raised awareness and funding for various children's illnesses. The Skylar Neil Memorial Foundation has donated millions of dollars to The T.J. Martell Foundation, and it sponsors an annual golf tournament to raise money for children with cancer. In mid-2011, Neil hosted
9118-738: Was replaced by Bill Pearson , who became assistant editor after promoting Don Newton as the new Phantom artist and writing scripts for that title. Charlton's black-and-white comics magazines were based upon current television series and aimed at older readers. One of these was The Six Million Dollar Man #1–7 (July 1976 – August 1977). Retailing for $ 1, it featured art by Neal Adams ' studio, Continuity Associates , as well as some stories by veteran illustrators Jack Sparling and Win Mortimer . Also published in magazine form were adaptations of The Six Million Dollar Man spinoff The Bionic Woman , Space: 1999 , and Emergency! , as well as
9215-627: Was the comic world's first monthly romance title (debuting in 1948), and Charlton continued publishing it until 1973. Charlton had launched its first original romance title in 1951, True Life Secrets , but that series only lasted until 1956. Charlton also picked up a number of Western titles from the defunct Fawcett Comics line, including Gabby Hayes Western , Lash LaRue Western , Monte Hale Western , Rocky Lane Western . Six-Gun Heroes , Tex Ritter Western , Tom Mix Western , and Western Hero . Seeking to save money on second-class postage permits, Charlton, like many comic-book publishers of
9312-469: Was the owner of the Las Vegas Outlaws of the Arena Football League , but after 14 weeks of the season, the team was taken over by the league. In 1989, Neil had a small role for Police Academy 6: City Under Siege , which showed him being protected by Lieutenant Moses Hightower ( Bubba Smith ). The scene was filmed, but didn't make it into the final cut. In 1990, Neil had a small part in
9409-523: Was unique among comic-book companies in that it controlled all areas of publishing – from editorial to printing to distribution – rather than working with outside printers and distributors, as did most other publishers. It did so under one roof at its Derby headquarters. The company was formed by John Santangelo Sr. and Ed Levy in 1940 as T. W. O. Charles Company, named after the co-founders' two sons, both named Charles, and became Charlton Publications in 1945. In 1931, Italian immigrant John Santangelo Sr.,
#334665