Newsstand distribution of comic books was dwindling and the newly created direct market was replacing it.
The direct market allowed publisher to sell their books directly to the comic book, game and specialty shops on a no return basis.
As direct market sales increased several small publishers entered the market selling exclusively to the direct market.
One such company was Pacific Comics. One its first direct market comic books was Neal Adams' Ms. Mystic.
Ms. Mystic was a sort of a female Captain Planet. Pacific Comics printed only a few issues. A few years later Neal Adams own company: Continuity Press, would continue her adventures, along with a few other Continuity properties.
Ms. Mystic was a 300 hundred old witch that had been banished to another dimension and through the conflict of environmentalists against an industrial mega-company was released from her dimensional prison and took up the mantle of Earth's protector.
Heavily infused with Neal Adam's political and environmental views Ms. Mystic was still a lot of fun to read and off course a real kick to look at considering it was drawn by Neal himself.
While few people today remember the title it was nonetheless one of the pioneers of today's direct market/sales, creator-owned properties.
Later on Pacific Comics would introduce two more memorable characters as back up stories in two of its titles. They were Groo The Wanderer by Sergio Aragones and The Rocketeer by Dave Stevens.