BWS is proud of his work on RUNE. Unfortunately it has been out of print since its 1993 publication in comic book form. Malibu had a collected edition in production, and even solicited to retailers, but before it was published Malibu was bought out by Marvel, who gutted the company for its digital coloring department and cancelled the entire Ultraverse line, including RUNE.

BWS has approached Marvel several times in the years since, requesting that they either publish a collected edition of his RUNE material or return the rights to him. They have refused, claiming that their ownership of the Ultraverse characters may not be "free and clear," referring to the part ownership of the characters by some of the Ultraverse creators. Marvel is unwilling to set a precedent, either by publishing any of the material or by acknowledging the rights of the individual creators.

It is sad and ironic that Malibu's RUNE met the same fate as Valiant's Archer & Armstrong. Both represent some of Windsor-Smith's finest modern work, and both remain in a legal limbo, unavailable as collected editions for potential audiences who would enjoy these stories by one of comics' most successful creators.

 

Click here to go to the BWS RUNE Gallery

 

Above: The BWS original painted color guide
of his cover for Giant Size RUNE #1. (1994)