Planet Studios was a small, family-run collectibles company that became particularly well known among comic-book collectors during the late 1980s and 1990s. Founded in 1987 by Elizabeth “Libbey” Barry and her husband, the company operated on a relatively small scale, producing licensed comic-book merchandise that was distributed through the comic-shop market. Their best-known products were small, finely detailed hard-enamel cloisonné pins, generally around an inch or so in size. Planet Studios produced an enormous variety of designs during its most active years, with Marvel making up the largest part of its catalog. The company also experimented with other merchandise, including soft-enamel pins, key rings, earrings, rings, money clips, and boxed collector sets.

Planet Studios’ work extended beyond Marvel, however, and the company produced licensed pins for a number of independent and creator-owned comics during the 1990s. This included a small but significant group of pins connected to the characters and properties of WildStorm. Designs featuring characters such as Backlash, Deathblow, Voodoo, Spartan, Freefall, Grunge, Burnout, and Fairchild have been documented, with many carrying the Aegis Entertainment copyright associated with Jim Lee’s WildStorm properties. These WildStorm pins are particularly interesting today because they represent a relatively obscure part of the company’s output. Unlike the much larger Marvel line, the WildStorm pieces appear to have been produced in comparatively small numbers and can be difficult to document. Planet Studios ultimately moved away from comic-book merchandise in the mid-1990s as the comic market changed, making its surviving pins an interesting snapshot of the licensed collectibles market of that era.

Deathblow

Gen 13 (Vol. 1)

Gen 13 (Vol. 2)

Gen 13 Collector’s Sets

Image Comics

StormWatch

Union

WildC.A.T.s

WildC.A.T.s Blister

WildStorm Rising

Misc. Items