imprint). In 1992, heroes from Centaur Publications (a Golden Age publisher whose properties fell into the public domain) were revived in the form of the Protectors (Airman, Amazing-Man, Aura, Arc, Arrow, Ferret, Man of War and Mighty Man, among others). Several of these characters had short-lived spin-off titles of their own. The Centaur heroes and other characters from Adventure (Miss Fury and Rocket Ranger),and Eternity (Dinosaurs For Hire, Ex-Mutants) plus Dead Clown and Widowmaker were put together in one Universe to form the Genesis line. However, the line had a short life period. The Bravura imprint was then launched for the creator-owned and licensed titles. The company also served as publisher of record for the first comics from Image Comics in 1992, giving the upstart creator-run publisher access to the distribution channels. This move led to Malibu obtaining almost 10% of the American comics market share, temporarily moving ahead of industry giant DC Comics. However, by the beginning of 1993, Image's financial situation was secure enough to publish its titles independently, and it left Malibu. Malibu Interactive and Ultraverse In late 1992, seeking to capitalize on the growing video game market, Malibu merged with video game developer Acme Interactive to form Malibu Interactive. The Ultraverse line was launched in June 1993 during the "boom" of the early 1990s, roughly concurrent with the debut of publishers such as Image and Valiant, and new superhero lines from DC and Dark Horse (Milestone and Comics' Greatest World, respectively). The line was in part intended to fill the gap left by Image's independence. Establishing itself as the first company as the first to use digital coloring for all its titles, they boasted improved production values over traditional comics, including higher-quality paper, and a roster of talented and respected writers and artists. Emphasizing the tight continuity between the various series in the Ultraverse line, Malibu made extensive use of crossovers, in which a story that began in one series would be continued in the next-shipping issue of another series. Various promotions for special editions or limited-print stories followed. The Ultraverse line came to dominate Malibu's catalog. Malibu launched additionally the Rock-It Comix imprint for rock band comics in early 1994. Malibu worked with Gold Mountain Entertainment management firm in dealing with the musicians, while International Strategic Marketing was distributing the line to comic book shops, music outlets and newsstands. Acquisition by Marvel Comics As sales