Epic Comics was started in 1982 by by then-editor-in-chief Jim Shooter as a spin-off of Marvel magazine Epic Illustrated. The line focused on creator-owned titles, but occasionally published series for Marvel heroes. The first title was Dreadstar, from Jim Starlin. The company ran steadily from its founding in 1982 until its first closure in 1994 as a casualty of the burst of the comic-buying bubble. The line was again utilized for a short time in 1995-96 to publish closing issues of Akira.