One of my favorite activities at a comic book convention is diving into the dollar boxes. It’s within these dusty, crusty, and almost always musty containers that I uncover new, thrilling, and often outrageously radical titles. This weekend at Mighty Con, I stumbled upon a rusty gem: Isaac Asimov’s IBots by Tekno Comix.

The allure of this issue was undeniable; its very title screamed “I am a 90’s Comic Book!” Additionally, prominently displayed above the title were the words “Pencils By George Perez,” indicating that the folks at Tekno Comix were pulling out all the stops to make a splash! I honestly can’t recall ever encountering a comic book so eager for attention that it placed the “Pencils by” credit above the actual title. And why would I, a fervent admirer of 90’s comics and culture, ignore a publisher that fully embraced the futuristic tech craze and the extreme of the 90s, even going as far as spelling “comics” with an X?

As I held this treasure and gazed upon the quite frankly amazing cover, I noticed, strangely hidden at the bottom, a pair of names that got me excited: Howard Chaykin (Star Wars/American Flagg) and Joe Rubinstein (Wolverine). These were two names that elevated this book beyond just another one of those 90’s kitchen sink experiments. As I handed over my Shekel, two questions pulsated like a quasar through my overly caffeinated brain: What the hell is IBots about, and who is Tekno Comix!?

Cracking open the book when I got home, I discovered that Ibots was based on a concept by the Godfather of Science Fiction, Isaac Asimov. That’s cool, I thought as I read the interior cover which reads like this:

THE STORY SO FAR….

Created to be the perfect lifeform, the I*BOTS are on the run from WorldTech, the high-powered corporation which killed their maker, Zac Robillard.

• It was at the words WorldTech and the name Zac that I became giddy with 90’s nutrients.

Annabelle Brennan, WorldTech CEO, will stop at nothing to possess the secret of the “technosomes” which made them possible. But she’s not the only one-the Cabal and the Black Triangle want the secret, too! Now the five young I*BOTS have taken refuge in the public eye as superheroes, guided by the digitally disembodied mind of their creator. All they want is to find their place in the world. But their enemies may not let them live long enough to do it. And now, on to episode three: Exterminating Angels!

It was at this point that I realized this was Issue #3 and not Issue #1.

But with that realization, I still read the issue, and I was very impressed to see that everything from the story to the art was top-notch. I honestly thought this was going to be a poorly produced book. I’m glad it wasn’t. The comic was full of 90’s treats such as a super-awesome ad for Star Wars Dark Forces – a game that I played on a Lucas Arts sample CD/ROM disc. I also discovered that Tekno Comix wasn’t just a small-time pub bathing in the glorious 90’s atomic blast that Rob Liefeld and Image Comics created. Instead, Tekno was clearly making a move to be a legitimate player in the industry. I mean they even had a fan club!? So my second question needed appeasing – who is Tekno Comix?

Well, much like most Indie Comic Books that joined the bubble of the 90’s, Tekno Comix died after 2 years of producing comic books. I’ll pour one out for da HARDCORE TEKNO-HEADS. After about a minute of false nostalgia for a comic publisher that I just discovered, I put on my detective ballcap and did a bit of internet sleuthing. What I found was pretty rad!

Tekno Comix was founded in 1993 but didn’t release a comic book until 1995. This little nugget was odd. It kind of reminds me of when my best bud and I use to make “fan films.” We’d advertise like crazy and a couple of years later we would release a raw, unedited clip and call it a movie. Anyways, Tekno would focus on Sci-Fi/Fantasy. What’s really cool ( but clearly didn’t work ) was that they focused on high-end creators and names. For example, Gene Roddenberry’s Lost Universe ( My IBots came with issue #7 – it’s God awful) and they also worked with the likes of Neil Gaiman and Leonard Nimoy of Ballad of Bilbo Baggins fame. The slew of creators was wide yet tight and ultimately went nowhere.

Flipping through IBots and Issue #7 of Lost Universe, I came across a few Tekno Comix ads. They really did try to “go-all-the-way” by getting involved in the very short and random Phone Card collectible scheme. For anybody who doesn’t know, phone cards are literal cards you’d buy with minutes on them – prepaid was the way, bub.

The collectible cards that Tekno Comix came out with featured characters and/or covers of their legendary roster such as Nimoy’s Primortals. Not only did the buyer of these cards get “built-in” long-distance calling but they would also be able to discover the Tekno Comix fan club, interact with fellow members, and listen to interviews, etc. These interactive phone cards would lead you to their webpage on Prodigy, ‘So you could forge into the truly digital realm of Tekno Comix online computer services. On the Tekno Comix Forum on Prodigy, the Tekno Cage has expanded to hold even more of your favorite creators…And Neuro Jack archives are also available for those of you who missed previous episodes…” Guys, they even had a phone number that would be guided by something called Tektra who would take you places unknown!

” When you dial 1-800-44-Tekno, Tektra will lead you through Teknet, the Tekno Comix interactive phone line…”

I’m not kidding. Someone really thought these phone cards would be the future of fandom. This is incredible. No wonder why they went out of business in a couple of years.

Digging deeper, I found that the minds behind Tekno are from husband and wife duo Laurie Silvers and Mitchell Rubenstein who created the freaking Sci-Fi channel! I watched Sci-Fi channel probably every day. That’s how I got a bunch of the old classic and craptastic flicks you can find now on Tubi.

It’s clear that these media entrepreneurs really wanted to tap into the 90’s comic book craze. My favorite and final nugget of discovery only confirms this.

TECHNO COMIX HAD A COMIC BOOK store in Mall of America!

They even hired a company to make a giant robotic hand! It’s insane. Absolutely insane.

It’s absolutely incredible that all of this happened and the result can be found in a $1 comic book long box. I’m not dissing what Tekno Comix achieved. I’m just amazed at the magnitude of what they did.

Being a kid in the 90’s, I never really saw the impact of technology. It’s only through the lens of pop culture that I truly understand that adults in the 90’s literally thought Johnny Mnemonic was the future…

…Wait a minute…

…virtual reality…

..neuralink…

..oh…my…