Impact Comics: Classic Marvel Superheroes RPG
"It was 1991. Memories of the Red Circle era were still floating around in some comic fans' minds. Some of the more astute fans were still wondering where the Spectrum Comics line went. It was a time when X-Men and Spider-Man got "BRAND NEW TITLES" which sold WAY more than they should have (and is McFarlane's art really THAT good?).
"Mike Gold, along with Brian Augustyn and Paul Kupperberg, were coming up with some plans. Mike Gold, for quite some time, has been a champion of bringing in younger readers to comic books. The big three really haven't paid all that much attention to the idea (Batman Adventures being a notable exception from DC), but in 1991, DC Comics gave it a shot.
"The premise was simple: find some old characters that have some name recognition, and update them. And while not "dumbing them down" make them easily accesible to the 8-12 year-old age group.
"How well it worked can be debated forever (and seeing that Impact folded after two years, the naysayers may have a point), but it brought this reader into comic books, and into the world of cool super-heroes.
"After deciding not to go with the THUNDER Agents (there were legal issues still surrounding the characters at the time), it was decided that the Mighty Crusaders would be good candidates. So, Archie Comics was approached, and the rest is history."
