Todd Loren was an American comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

 publisher, owner of Revolutionary Comics

Revolutionary Comics

Revolutionary Comics was a U.S. comic book publisher best known for the series Rock 'N' Roll Comics, launched in 1989. Founded by publisher Todd Loren, the line featured unlicensed biographies of rock stars, told in comic book form but geared for adults, often with very adult situations...

 and its title Rock 'N' Roll Comics.

Biography

As a teenager, Loren promoted comic conventions and record collector shows in the Detroit area. He moved to San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

, in the late 1980s and started Musicade, a mail-order music memorabilia company. In 1989, he sold Musicade and started Revolutionary Comics

Revolutionary Comics

Revolutionary Comics was a U.S. comic book publisher best known for the series Rock 'N' Roll Comics, launched in 1989. Founded by publisher Todd Loren, the line featured unlicensed biographies of rock stars, told in comic book form but geared for adults, often with very adult situations...

, which produced Rock 'N' Roll Comics, a line of unauthorized comic book biographies of rock stars prompted in part by the success of an unauthorized Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...

 parody comic called "Hey Boss." He hired "Hey Boss" artist Larry Nadolsky to draw the first issue of Rock 'N' Roll Comics, which profiled Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...

. Loren's father, Herb Shapiro was the President of the company operating Revolutionary Comics

Revolutionary Comics

Revolutionary Comics was a U.S. comic book publisher best known for the series Rock 'N' Roll Comics, launched in 1989. Founded by publisher Todd Loren, the line featured unlicensed biographies of rock stars, told in comic book form but geared for adults, often with very adult situations...

, Infinite One Inc.

Loren was also the first creator of the Carnal Comics

Carnal Comics

Carnal Comics is an adults-only comic book imprint which has so-far been published by three companies: Revolutionary Comics , Re-Visionary Press and Opus Graphics...

 line, which is still publishing comics in 2011. From 1994 to 2000, the Carnal line was run by former Revolutionary Comics managing editor and head writer Jay Allen Sanford

Jay Allen Sanford

Jay Allen Sanford is an American author and cartoonist best known for his work with Revolutionary Comics, Carnal Comics, and Pacific Comics. He co-created the comic book Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics with Todd Loren in 1989, which is still being published in 2011 by Bluewater Productions...

. The series was subsequently published by another of Loren's Revolutionary Comics artists, Steven S. Crompton, creator of Demi the Demoness

Demi the Demoness

Demi the Demoness is a fictional, humorous, erotic comics character whose fantasy adventures have been published since 1992. She has appeared in numerous comic crossovers with other characters including Shaundra, Captain Fortune, Mauvette, Vampirooni, Cassiopeia the Witch, Djustine, and adult film...

.

Death

In June 1992, at the age of 32, Loren was found stabbed to death in his San Diego condo. The case remains unsolved, although some people suspected spree killer

Spree killer

A spree killer is someone who embarks on a murderous assault on two or more victims in a short time in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders."-Definition:According to the...

 Andrew Cunanan

Andrew Cunanan

Andrew Phillip Cunanan was an American serial killer who murdered at least five people, including fashion designer Gianni Versace, during a three-month period in 1997, ending with Cunanan's suicide, at age 27...

, as both men were well-known in San Diego's gay social circles. The FBI later investigated Cunanan's possible involvement. The murder remains unsolved.

Film

In 2005, Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

-based film studio BulletProof Film released Unauthorized and Proud Of It: Todd Loren's Rock 'N' Roll Comics, a documentary about Loren's life. The film features interviews with Loren's family, comic book colleagues, adversaries, supporters, and past and present rock 'n' roll stars, including Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...

.The film details the San Diego police department's investigation into the murder; interviews with Loren's coworkers and family members suggest that the police failed to follow up on all available leads.