Creator of Satirical Comic Books Found Slain

The creator of a line of satirical comic books was found stabbed to death in Hillcrest home Thursday after his father hired a locksmith to open the man’s door.

Todd Stuart Loren, 32, publisher and president of Revolutionary Comics, was discovered in his condominium in the 4200 block of 5th Avenue, just three blocks from his business.

Loren’s father, Herbert Shapiro, vice president of the company, telephoned San Diego police at 2:40 p.m. to report the stabbing, authorities said. He said his son had worked Wednesday but failed to show up Thursday.

After calling his son’s home several times and getting no answer, Shapiro drove to Loren’s home, but he did not have a key, police said. He had a locksmith open the door, entered, and discovered that Loren had been stabbed several times in the upper body. There was no sign of forced entry.

“Right now, it appears that (Loren) died from stab wounds,” said Lt. John Welter.

Late Thursday, the San Diego County coroner’s office had not yet received the body, and detectives were still at the scene.

Loren started Revolutionary Comics in 1987. The company specializes in comic books about rock ‘n’ roll bands, actors and other well-known figures.

But the comic book themes have a twist. Loren has produced, for instance, a biographical satire about the musical group New Kids on the Block, which a licensing agent for the group tried in court to block. As part of a settlement between the two parties, the licensing group dropped its lawsuit in exchange for Loren’s agreement to dispose of 12,000 unsold copies of the comic book.

Loren has tackled Michael Jackson, the Beatles, the Who, Marilyn Monroe and Nolan Ryan in his pages. A comic book on the rock band Guns N’ Roses sold more than 150,000 copies nationwide.

In the preamble to a comic book Loren created about a new character called “Psychoman,” he said he established the real-life figure with social problems because “I just got tired of watching them save the universe 20 times a month without addressing any real problems . . . starting with his own.”

To produce the comics, Loren used free-lance writers and artists, and sold the books for about $2.50 each. In interviews, Loren said he created the story lines to be more realistic about celebrities and their problems.

“Unlicensed and proud of it” is the company’s motto.