2015 is coming to a close!! One month and one day until the cycle begins anew! To reflect on the passing year, I decided to create a real special and unique type of countdown — all the current comic book publishers!! The research is solely based on those companies that have solicitations listed in the monthly PREVIEWS catalogue. I have made this comprehensive list to the best of my abilities based on present-day information. I hope I haven’t missed nor neglected the smallest of publishers but more than likely, some will have passed under my radar. As a result, feel free to point me in the right direction. It may end up a work-in-progress to be edited in the near future but it’s a testament to my passion. Plus, curiosity always gets the better of me. Over the numerous decades of collecting, I had this inkling to investigate the number of companies that PREVIEWS advertises but didn’t acknowledge that itch until now!!
The countdown is as follows – an Advent calendar for the entire month of December. Thirty-one entries for thirty-one days. Plus, rather than go the ‘right way’, it is in descending order, in reverse!! Thus, I will proceed from Z to A. In addition to the twenty-six letters of our alphabet, I’ve decided to begin with numbers and end with imprints. B and A have a boatload of companies, thus those letters will be broken into two parts.
For this first feature, I have taken a ‘radical’ approach. I realize that these names are alphabetical in the catalog by the pronunciation of each digit as a word. For example, 1 is “one” and would be placed under ‘O’. Rather than proceed in that fashion, I recognize the intention behind the publishers: treat the monikers as actual numbers. There are only five that apply here.
Established: 2006
Official Name: First Second Books
Place of Origin: 175 5th Ave., New York, NY
Distinction: an American publisher of graphic novels. First Second publishes fiction, biographies, personal memoirs, history, visual essays, and comics journalism[1].
Operations: Gina Gagliano
Output: American Born Chinese, Gene Luen Yang; Anya’s Ghost, Vera Brosgol; Curses! Foiled Again, Jane Yolen, Mike Cavallaro; Laika, Nick Abadzis, Prince of Persia, A.B. Sina, LeUyen Pham, Alex Puvilland; Saints and Boxers, Gene Luen Yang; Zita the Spacegirl, Ben Hatke.
Current titles: Delilah Dirk, Glorkian Warrior, Nameless City, Olympians: Apollo, The Show, Sweater Weather.
Branches: An imprint of Roaring Brook Press, part of Holtzbrinck Publishers.
Social Media: @01FirstSecond ; http://firstsecondbooks.tumblr.com/ ; Facebook
Multi-Media: Webcomics for Sailor Twain, Mark Siegel; Tune, Derek Kirk Kim; Zahra’s Paradise by Amir and Khalil.
Established: 2004
Official Name: 12-Gauge Comics
Place of Origin: Pelham, AL
Distinction: While developing the concept for the inaugural title, Publisher Keven Gardner recruited the current creative force of the company– Doug Wagner (Managing Editor), Brian Stelfreeze (Art Director), Jason Pearson, and Cully Hamner, to help bring the series to life. The Ride #1 was the top-selling debut black and white comic of the year, and 12-Gauge Comics was off and running[2].
Output: 25 to Life; Anti; I.C.E.; The Ride: Southern Gothic; Sherwood, TX; Skull One-Six
Operations: Keven Gardner, President & Publisher; Brian Stelfreeze, Art Director; Cully Hamner, Creative Consultant
Branches: N/A
Social Media: Facebook ; @12GaugeComics ; http://12gaugecomics.tumblr.com/ ; https://www.instagram.com/12gaugecomics/
Multi-Media: N/A
Established: 2015
Official Name: 21 Pulp
Place of Origin: USA
Distinction: 21 Pulp is a comic book publishing venture aimed at providing high-quality comics and original graphic novels by talented, established creators[3].
Output: Hero Hourly is the very first printed title after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Imposter; Jetpack Jump; The Monsters of Jimmy Crumb
Upcoming titles: Campist: The Dragon Incident; Day Phantoms; Planet Dinosaur
Operations: James Patrick
Branches: N/A
Social Media: http://twitter.com/21pulp ; http://instagram.com/21pulp ; http://21pulp.tumblr.com/
Multi-Media: N/A
Established: 2007
Official Name: 215 Ink
Place of Origin: Philadelphia, PA
Distinction: 215 Ink is an independent comic book publisher dedicated to showcasing some of the most original creator-owned titles from some of the best up and coming creators in the industry[4].
Output: Angela Tomorrow; Enormous; Kodoja; Supernaut
Upcoming titles: Flutter vol. 2
Operations: Anyone’s guess.
Branches: N/A
Social Media: @215Ink ; Facebook
Multi-Media: Fox and New Regency have optioned Enormous for a TV series.
Established: 2015
Official Name: 451 Media Group
Place of Origin: USA
Distinction: Michael Bay, director of TRANSFORMERS, is at the helm. 451 is a new creed of graphic novels, brought to you by the creators of your favorite thrillers. Read, watch, and connect to our stories with T+Ink Touchcode.
Output: Bad Moon Rising; Exmortis; Humbug; Self Storage; Six; Sunflower
Operations: Michael Bay, Doug Nunes, John Gentile, Anthony Gentile
Branches: Machinima Network
Social Media: website
Multi-Media: “We got some of the best writers in the entertainment industry together and asked them to re-imagine their favorite stories as graphic novels with a bent towards interactivity. The result is a truly stunning immersive experience that takes storylines deeper with exclusive content like photos, videos and forthcoming virtual reality experiences.” Doug Nunes, CEO and founder of 451 Media Group.
There you have it!! I hope you were bemused by this first installment. Tomorrow is another day and something newer ;-P Please educate me about any missing details.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Second_Books
[2] http://www.12gaugecomics.com/index/about
[3] https://www.facebook.com/21Pulp/info/?tab=page_info
[4] https://www.facebook.com/215Ink/info/?tab=page_info
Check out some titles from these publishers at:
