Scare Tactics (comics)

From Hey Kids Comics

Outlaw Nation
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Cover of issue #1
Art by Anthony Williams and Andy Lanning
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
Publication date December 1996 – March 1998
Number of issues 12
Creative team
Writer(s) Len Kaminski

Scare Tactics is a comic book series published by DC Comics. A total of twelve issues appeared, dated from December 1996 to March 1998. The series, written by Len Kaminski, was a part of DC's Weirdoverse group of titles.

Publication history[edit | edit source]

Len Kaminski had the following idea to help promote the book.[1]

I had planned on there being a real-life ST fan club package, which would’ve included a small poster, a backstage pass and a cassette “bootleg” of one of their songs. I wrote the song, and went out of pocket a grand or two on a great east village band (which I can’t name due to weird contract stuff with their manager), studio time (sound engineering and the actual “tune” donated gratis by my friend [and ST fan] Ed) – only to have DC tell me to cut it out, I didn’t own the rights to ST (and besides, it was hinted, they didn’t need me running around making their marketing department look bad). So I had a crate of hundreds of those cassettes on my hands for years before I finally ditched them, keeping just a few for myself.

DC Comics promoted the book in the middle of the series’ run by creating a series of one-shots teaming some team members with notable DC characters:[1]

  • Catwoman Plus #1 (featuring Scream Queen)
  • Impulse Plus #1 (featuring Gross-Out)
  • Robin Plus #2 (featuring Fang)
  • Superboy Plus #2 (featuring Slither)

Fictional biography[edit | edit source]

The series focused on the band Scare Tactics, which was a group of monstrous rock and roll musicians that encountered supernatural adventures while on the road.

The band/team consisted of:

  • Arnold Burnsteel (manager/bus driver)
  • Fang (Jake Ketchum – werewolf, lead guitarist)
  • Gross-Out (Philbert Hoskins – mutated human, drummer)
  • Scream Queen (Nina Skorzeny – vampire, lead singer)
  • Slither (James Tilton – reptilian human, bass guitarist)

References[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Brian Cronin (May 6, 2011). Comic Book Resources, ed. "Comic Book Legends Revealed #312". Retrieved May 18, 2011. 

External links[edit | edit source]

Scare Tactics at the Grand Comics Database