Club Homage: Official Propaganda From Homage Studios

Introduction

Before WildStorm Productions became an established name in comics, Club Homage offered fans a more personal connection to the people behind the books. Published by Homage Studios and coordinated by Jeff Mariotte, the newsletter featured creator interviews, studio news, artwork, and a look at projects in development.

Four issues have been documented here, spanning April 1993 through April 1995. Alongside them, surviving correspondence and promotional materials provide additional insight into the club, its membership, and the relationship between Homage Studios and its readers.

Together, these materials preserve a small but valuable piece of the studio’s early history.

Volume 1, Number 1 — April 1993

The first issue establishes Club Homage’s emphasis on the people behind the comics. Interviews with established creators and emerging talent offer a snapshot of a studio in the midst of rapid growth.

The coverage also highlights the importance of discovering new artists. Brett Booth’s account of being recruited through the Homage Studios Talent Search is a particularly useful reminder that the studio’s future talent pool was still developing during this period.

With its combination of creator interviews, career stories, and original artwork offerings, the inaugural issue sets the tone for the publication.

Volume 1, Number 2 — August 1993

The second issue provides a contemporary look at the expanding WildC.A.T.s universe and the creative decisions involved in coordinating related titles and storylines.

Jim Lee’s discussion of continuity and crossover plans captures the challenges of building a connected line of comics while individual series continued to develop. These firsthand comments are valuable because they record those decisions as they were being made, rather than through later recollections.

Volume 1, Number 3 — June 1994

By the third issue, the studio’s ambitions extended well beyond comic books. Coverage of the upcoming WildC.A.T.s animated series documents an important step in bringing the property to a wider audience.

The issue captures a moment when WildStorm’s characters were beginning to reach into other forms of entertainment, making the newsletter a useful record of the company’s expanding horizons.

Volume 1, Number 4 — April 1995

The final issue looks back at the studio’s growth and documents the working environment that had developed around Homage Studios and WildStorm Productions.

Its account of the studio’s history and facilities offers a glimpse into the organization behind the comics. The closing announcement also confirms that Club Homage was ending, with readers encouraged to join the Image Fan Club instead.

Across four issues, the newsletter chronicled a period of considerable change, from the early Homage Studios years to the emergence of WildStorm Productions as a larger operation.

Combined PDF Collection

For the convenience of WildStorm fans, the above scans have been collected into an easy to read PDF file. You may download the file here.

Membership Correspondence & Comics X-Press Catalogs

Multiple items came packaged along with the newsletter. A welcome letter outlines the original membership package and the benefits promised to subscribers. It establishes that Club Homage was intended to offer more than a newsletter, with items such as a button and exclusive art print included in the introductory package.

A separate December 1993 letter from Jim Lee announces the transition to WildStorm Productions and invites members to contribute material for the company’s publications. It provides a direct link between the club and the studio’s changing identity.

The accompanying Comics X-Press catalogs document another side of the fan experience: the availability of signed comics, ashcans, and other merchandise. Together, these materials help reconstruct how the studio communicated with its audience and how fans could engage with its properties beyond reading the comics.

Promotional Items & Printed Ephemera

The collection also includes a Stryke Force postcard, a WildC.A.T.s art portfolio print, and a Union character bookmark.

These smaller pieces broaden the record beyond the newsletters themselves. Their original distribution histories are not fully established, so they are preserved here as examples of the promotional and character-related material associated with the period, without assuming they were all supplied through Club Homage.

Perforated 25 Cent B&W Trading Cards

A series of black and white trading cards with an extended, perforated tab were packed with Club Homage. Their intended purpose and original distribution remain unknown. Below are the two examples from the Unofficial WildStorm Archive.

They are included here as an open research question. Additional examples, original packaging, or recollections from people familiar with the cards could help establish what they were made for.

The Mystery Of The Club Homage Watch

Jeff Mariotte, credited as editor of Club Homage, later recalled packing watches for Homage fan club members. In social media posts, he remembered stuffing them into envelopes late at night with WildStorm president John Nee.

Mariotte’s recollections suggest that watches were prepared for distribution to members, but the exact item remains unidentified. No photograph or physical example has surfaced in the material documented here, and it is unclear whether both recollections refer to the same watch.

For now, this remains one of the unanswered questions surrounding Club Homage.

Help Complete The History

The issues and supplemental materials shared above tell us a great deal, but they may represent only part of what Club Homage produced and distributed.

If you were a member, worked at Homage Studios, or collected its promotional material, we’d love to hear from you. Additional newsletters, membership items, photographs, correspondence, and firsthand recollections could help fill the gaps; particularly if anyone still has the elusive Club Homage watch.

Even a small contribution could help establish details that the surviving printed record cannot answer. If you have something to share, please get in touch through the site’s contact information.

Conclusion

Club Homage preserves a firsthand record of Homage Studios and its readers during the company’s formative years. The newsletters document the creators and projects, while the surviving extras offer glimpses into the membership program and the wider fan experience.

Some details are well documented. Others remain uncertain. By bringing these materials together and inviting contributions from the community, we can continue building a more complete history of Club Homage and the early years of WildStorm Productions.