Alternative comics
Encyclopedia
Alternative comics defines a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix
movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to "mainstream" superhero comics which in the past have dominated the US comic book industry. Alternative Comic Books span a wide range of genres, artistic styles, and subjects.
"Alternative" comics are often published in small numbers as the author(s) deem fit. They are often published with less regard for regular distribution schedules.
Many Alternative comics have variously been labelled "post-underground", "independent", "auteur", "small press
", "new wave", "creator-owned", or "art comics". Many self-published "minicomic
s" also fall under the "alternative" umbrella.
There is a slight difference between "alternative comics" and "creator-owned
". Not all creator owned comics are alternative comics because they may focus on the superhero genre.
scene felt that it had become less creative than it had been in the past. According to Art Spiegelman
, "What had seemed like a revolution simply deflated into a lifestyle. Underground comics were stereotyped as dealing only with sex, dope and cheap thrills. They got stuffed back into the closet, along with bong pipes and love beads
, as things started to get uglier." In an attempt to address this, underground cartoonists moved to start magazines that anthologized new, artistically ambitious comics in the 1980s. RAW
, a lavishly produced, large format anthology that was clearly intended to be seen as a work of art was founded by Spiegelman and his wife Françoise Mouly
in 1980. Another magazine, Weirdo, was started by the leading figure in underground comix, Robert Crumb
, in 1981.
These magazines reflected changes from the days of the underground comix. They had different formats from the old comix, and the selection of artists differed, too. RAW featured many European artists, Weirdo included photo-funnies and strange outsider art
-type documents. Elfquest was based on a science fiction/fantasy theme with powerful female and male characters of varied races and cultures, and done in a bright and colourful manga
-like style. The underground staples of sex, drugs and revolution were much less in evidence. More emphasis was placed on developing the craft of comics drawing and storytelling, with many artists aiming for work that was both subtler and more complex than was typical in the underground. This was true of much of the new work done by the established comix artists as well as the newcomers: Art Spiegelman
's Maus
, much celebrated for bringing a new seriousness to comics, was serialized in RAW.
While fans debate the origins of self-publishing in the comics industry, many consider Dave Sim
an early leader in this area. Starting in 1977, he primarily wrote, drew and published Cerebus the Aardvark
, on his own under the "Aardvark-Vanaheim Inc." imprint and announcing he would publish 300 issues of the series consecutively, something unheard of at the time for a self published book. Sim is known for his activism in favor of creators' rights and his outspoken nature in regards to the industry. He often used the back of his comic to deliver "messages from the President", which were sometimes editorials concerning the comics industry and self-publishing
.
Wendy and Richard Pini founded WaRP Graphics
, one of the early American independent comics publishers, in 1977 and released the first issues of their long running series, Elfquest
, in February, 1978. They followed with titles such as MythAdventures
and related titles by Robert Asprin
; and Thunder Bunny
, created by Martin Greim. WaRP
was also the original publisher of A Distant Soil
by Colleen Doran
. As an alternative to most of the masculine-themed comics of its time - and even to this day - Elfquest became enormously popular among female comic book fans around the world, while also drawing a solid male fan base. WaRP Graphics
paved the way for many independent and alternative comic book creators who came after them. At its peak in the mid-1980s, Elfquest was selling 100,000 copies per issue in the initial print run, attracting one of the largest followings of any direct-sale comic. Most issues up to #9 saw multiple printings. It was the visible success of Elfquest that inspired many other writers and artists to try their own hand at self-publishing.
Kevin Eastman
and Peter Laird
's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
, a series by Mirage Studios
, was very influential on a new generation of creators and became a huge success story of self publishing.
Jeff Smith
, a friend of Dave Sim's, was also very influential in self-published comics, creating the highly popular and long-lived Bone
. As with Sim with Cerebus and unlike mainstream comic books stories with their spontaneously generated and rambling narratives, Smith produced Bone as a story with a planned end.
The publishing house Fantagraphics published the work of a new generation of artists, notably Love and Rockets
by the brothers Jaime
, Gilbert
and Mario Hernandez
.
Dan DeBono
published the first magazine exclusively covering Independent comics starting in 1994. Indy - The Independent Comic Gude ran for 18 issues with notable origninal covers by: Daniel Clowes
, Tim Vigil
, Drew Hayes
, William Tucci
and Jeff Smith (cartoonist)
.
Alternative comics have increasingly established themselves within the larger culture, as evidenced by the success of the feature film Ghost World
based on one of the best selling alternative titles, Eightball
, by Daniel Clowes
and the cross-genre success of the book Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth
, by Chris Ware
, a story that was serialized in Ware's comic, Acme Novelty Library
.
Image Comics
and Dark Horse Comics
publish many alternative comics.
Recently, Oni Press used the term "real mainstream", coined by Stephen Holland
of the UK comic shop Page 45, to describe its output. Traditional American comic books regard superhero
titles as "mainstream" and all other genres as "non-mainstream", a reversal of the perception in other countries. Oni Press therefore adopted the "real mainstream" term to suggest that it publishes comic books and graphic novels whose subject matter is more in line with the popular genres of other media: thrillers, romance
s, realistic drama
and so on. Oni Press avoids publishing superhero
, fantasy
and science fiction
titles, unless interesting creators approach these concepts from an unusual angle.
Top Shelf Productions
has published many notable alternative comics such as Craig Thompson's Blankets
and Alex Robinson's
Box Office Poison
.
Underground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books which are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, including explicit drug use, sexuality and violence...
movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to "mainstream" superhero comics which in the past have dominated the US comic book industry. Alternative Comic Books span a wide range of genres, artistic styles, and subjects.
"Alternative" comics are often published in small numbers as the author(s) deem fit. They are often published with less regard for regular distribution schedules.
Many Alternative comics have variously been labelled "post-underground", "independent", "auteur", "small press
Small press
Small press is a term often used to describe publishers with annual sales below a certain level. Commonly, in the United States, this is set at $50 million, after returns and discounts...
", "new wave", "creator-owned", or "art comics". Many self-published "minicomic
Minicomic
A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term "small press comic" is equivalent with minicomic reserved for those publications measuring A6 or less...
s" also fall under the "alternative" umbrella.
There is a slight difference between "alternative comics" and "creator-owned
Creator ownership
Creator ownership is an arrangement in which the creator or creators of a work of fiction retain full ownership of the material, regardless of whether it is self-published or by a corporate publisher. In some fields of publishing, such as fiction writing, creator ownership is a standard arrangement...
". Not all creator owned comics are alternative comics because they may focus on the superhero genre.
From underground to alternative
By the mid-1970s, artists within the underground comixUnderground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books which are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, including explicit drug use, sexuality and violence...
scene felt that it had become less creative than it had been in the past. According to Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book memoir, Maus. His works are published with his name in lowercase: art spiegelman.-Biography:Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Polish Jews...
, "What had seemed like a revolution simply deflated into a lifestyle. Underground comics were stereotyped as dealing only with sex, dope and cheap thrills. They got stuffed back into the closet, along with bong pipes and love beads
Love beads
Love beads are one of the traditional accessories of hippies. They consist of one or more long strings of beads, frequently handmade, worn about the neck by both genders...
, as things started to get uglier." In an attempt to address this, underground cartoonists moved to start magazines that anthologized new, artistically ambitious comics in the 1980s. RAW
RAW (magazine)
RAW was a comics anthology edited by Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly and published by Mouly from 1980 to 1991. It was a flagship publication of the 1980s alternative comics movement, serving as a more intellectual counterpoint to Robert Crumb's visceral Weirdo, which followed squarely in the...
, a lavishly produced, large format anthology that was clearly intended to be seen as a work of art was founded by Spiegelman and his wife Françoise Mouly
Françoise Mouly
Françoise Mouly is a Paris-born French artist and designer best known for her work with RAW, a showcase publication for cutting edge comic art, and as art editor of The New Yorker, a position she has held since 1993...
in 1980. Another magazine, Weirdo, was started by the leading figure in underground comix, Robert Crumb
Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb —known as Robert Crumb and R. Crumb—is an American artist, illustrator, and musician recognized for the distinctive style of his drawings and his critical, satirical, subversive view of the American mainstream.Crumb was a founder of the underground comix movement and is regarded...
, in 1981.
These magazines reflected changes from the days of the underground comix. They had different formats from the old comix, and the selection of artists differed, too. RAW featured many European artists, Weirdo included photo-funnies and strange outsider art
Outsider Art
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut , a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.While...
-type documents. Elfquest was based on a science fiction/fantasy theme with powerful female and male characters of varied races and cultures, and done in a bright and colourful manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
-like style. The underground staples of sex, drugs and revolution were much less in evidence. More emphasis was placed on developing the craft of comics drawing and storytelling, with many artists aiming for work that was both subtler and more complex than was typical in the underground. This was true of much of the new work done by the established comix artists as well as the newcomers: Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman is an American comics artist, editor, and advocate for the medium of comics, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book memoir, Maus. His works are published with his name in lowercase: art spiegelman.-Biography:Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to Polish Jews...
's Maus
Maus
Maus: A Survivor's Tale, by Art Spiegelman, is a biography of the author's father, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. It alternates between descriptions of Vladek's life in Poland before and during the Second World War and Vladek's later life in the Rego Park neighborhood of...
, much celebrated for bringing a new seriousness to comics, was serialized in RAW.
While fans debate the origins of self-publishing in the comics industry, many consider Dave Sim
Dave Sim
David Victor Sim is an award-winning Canadian comic book writer and artist.A pioneer of self-published comics and creators' rights, Sim is best known as the creator of Cerebus the Aardvark, a comic book published from 1977 to 2004, which chronicles its main character in a 6,000-page self-contained...
an early leader in this area. Starting in 1977, he primarily wrote, drew and published Cerebus the Aardvark
Cerebus the Aardvark
Cerebus the Aardvark, or simply Cerebus , is an independent comic book, written and illustrated by Canadian artist Dave Sim, with backgrounds by fellow Canadian Gerhard. Cerebus ran for 300 issues from December 1977 to 2004, and was over 6000 pages long, the longest-running original...
, on his own under the "Aardvark-Vanaheim Inc." imprint and announcing he would publish 300 issues of the series consecutively, something unheard of at the time for a self published book. Sim is known for his activism in favor of creators' rights and his outspoken nature in regards to the industry. He often used the back of his comic to deliver "messages from the President", which were sometimes editorials concerning the comics industry and self-publishing
Self-publishing
Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...
.
Wendy and Richard Pini founded WaRP Graphics
WaRP Graphics
WaRP Graphics, later Warp Graphics, is an alternative comics publisher best known for creating and being the original publisher of the Elfquest comic book series. It was created and incorporated in 1977 by Wendy and Richard Pini. The company title is an acronym formed from the founding couple's...
, one of the early American independent comics publishers, in 1977 and released the first issues of their long running series, Elfquest
Elfquest
Elfquest is a cult hit comic book property created by Wendy and Richard Pini in 1978. It is a fantasy story about a community of elves and other fictional species who struggle to survive and coexist on a primitive Earth-like planet with two moons. Several published volumes of prose fiction also...
, in February, 1978. They followed with titles such as MythAdventures
MythAdventures
MythAdventures or Myth Adventures is a fantasy series by Robert Lynn Asprin and Jody Lynn Nye. After twelve novels by Asprin, published 1978 to 2002, he and Nye continued the series with seven more books...
and related titles by Robert Asprin
Robert Asprin
Robert Lynn Asprin was an American science fiction and fantasy author and active fan, best known for his humorous MythAdventures and Phule's Company series.- Background :...
; and Thunder Bunny
Thunder Bunny
Thunderbunny is a comic book created by Martin Greim about the adventures of a boy who gained the ability to become a superhero who also resembles a large pink humanoid rabbit.-Publication history:Thunderbunny first appeared in fan publications...
, created by Martin Greim. WaRP
WaRP Graphics
WaRP Graphics, later Warp Graphics, is an alternative comics publisher best known for creating and being the original publisher of the Elfquest comic book series. It was created and incorporated in 1977 by Wendy and Richard Pini. The company title is an acronym formed from the founding couple's...
was also the original publisher of A Distant Soil
A Distant Soil
A Distant Soil is a science fiction/fantasy comic book series written and illustrated by Colleen Doran, and is the work for which she is best known....
by Colleen Doran
Colleen Doran
Colleen Doran is an American writer/artist, film conceptual artist, and cartoonist. She has illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, and dozens of stories and articles, including works written by Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, J...
. As an alternative to most of the masculine-themed comics of its time - and even to this day - Elfquest became enormously popular among female comic book fans around the world, while also drawing a solid male fan base. WaRP Graphics
WaRP Graphics
WaRP Graphics, later Warp Graphics, is an alternative comics publisher best known for creating and being the original publisher of the Elfquest comic book series. It was created and incorporated in 1977 by Wendy and Richard Pini. The company title is an acronym formed from the founding couple's...
paved the way for many independent and alternative comic book creators who came after them. At its peak in the mid-1980s, Elfquest was selling 100,000 copies per issue in the initial print run, attracting one of the largest followings of any direct-sale comic. Most issues up to #9 saw multiple printings. It was the visible success of Elfquest that inspired many other writers and artists to try their own hand at self-publishing.
Kevin Eastman
Kevin Eastman
Kevin Brooks Eastman is an American comic book artist and writer, best known as the creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Eastman is also the current owner, editor and publisher of the magazine Heavy Metal.-Early life:Eastman was born on May 30, 1962 in Springvale, Maine...
and Peter Laird
Peter Laird
Peter Alan Laird is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for co-creating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with writer and artist Kevin Eastman.-Early life and career:...
's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
, a series by Mirage Studios
Mirage Studios
Mirage Studios is an independent American comic book company founded in 1983 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, based in Northampton, Massachusetts and best known for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series.-History:...
, was very influential on a new generation of creators and became a huge success story of self publishing.
Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith (cartoonist)
Jeff Smith is an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the self-published comic book series Bone. His current series, RASL, focuses on an art thief who hops through dimensional barriers, hiding out on various parallel worlds.-Early life and education:Jeff Smith was born in McKees...
, a friend of Dave Sim's, was also very influential in self-published comics, creating the highly popular and long-lived Bone
Bone (comics)
Bone is an independently published graphic novel series originally serialized in 55 irregularly released issues from 1991 to 2004. Bone was drawn and written by Jeff Smith....
. As with Sim with Cerebus and unlike mainstream comic books stories with their spontaneously generated and rambling narratives, Smith produced Bone as a story with a planned end.
The publishing house Fantagraphics published the work of a new generation of artists, notably Love and Rockets
Love and Rockets (comics)
Love and Rockets is a black and white comic book series by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez, sometimes cited jointly as Los Bros Hernandez. Their brother Mario Hernandez is an occasional contributor...
by the brothers Jaime
Jaime Hernandez
Jaime Hernandez is the co-creator of the black & white independent comic book Love and Rockets .-Early life:...
, Gilbert
Gilbert Hernandez
Gilberto Hernández, born February 1, 1957, in Oxnard, California, usually credited as Gilbert Hernandez and also known by the nickname Beto , is an American comics writer/artist...
and Mario Hernandez
Mario Hernandez
Mario Hernandez is an American writer, artist, and sometime publisher of comics. Along with his younger brothers Gilbert and Jaime he co-created the acclaimed independent comic book Love and Rockets.- Biography :...
.
Dan DeBono
Dan DeBono
Daniel DeBono is an American writer and novelist. He grew up in Chesterfield, Michigan. He graduated from L'anse Creuse High School North and attended Wayne State University from 1982 to 1985.-Career:...
published the first magazine exclusively covering Independent comics starting in 1994. Indy - The Independent Comic Gude ran for 18 issues with notable origninal covers by: Daniel Clowes
Daniel Clowes
Daniel Gillespie Clowes is an American author, screenwriter and cartoonist of alternative comic books....
, Tim Vigil
Tim Vigil
Timothy B. Vigil is a comic book artist, mostly working in the horror/adult genre. His main graphic novel Faust was adapted by Brian Yuzna as the 2001 movie Faust: Love of the Damned. The followup Faust: Book of M, was nominated for the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for Best Illustrated Narrative...
, Drew Hayes
Drew Hayes
Drew Hayes was a writer and graphic artist who is best known as the creator of the long-running independent comic book series Poison Elves ....
, William Tucci
William Tucci
William Tucci is an illustrator, writer and filmmaker best known among American comic book audiences for his creator-owned title and character, Shi.-Career:...
and Jeff Smith (cartoonist)
Jeff Smith (cartoonist)
Jeff Smith is an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the self-published comic book series Bone. His current series, RASL, focuses on an art thief who hops through dimensional barriers, hiding out on various parallel worlds.-Early life and education:Jeff Smith was born in McKees...
.
Alternative comics have increasingly established themselves within the larger culture, as evidenced by the success of the feature film Ghost World
Ghost World (film)
Ghost World is a 2001 comedy-drama film directed by Terry Zwigoff, based on the comic book of the same name and screenplay by Daniel Clowes...
based on one of the best selling alternative titles, Eightball
Eightball (comic book)
Eightball is an alternative comic book series written and drawn by Daniel Clowes. The first issue was published by Fantagraphics Books in 1989, soon after the end of Clowes's previous comic series, Lloyd Llewellyn...
, by Daniel Clowes
Daniel Clowes
Daniel Gillespie Clowes is an American author, screenwriter and cartoonist of alternative comic books....
and the cross-genre success of the book Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth
Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth
Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth is a widely acclaimed graphic novel by Chris Ware, published in 2000. The story was previously serialized in the pages of Ware's comic book Acme Novelty Library, between 1995 and 2000 and previous to that, in the alternative Chicago weekly New City.-Plot...
, by Chris Ware
Chris Ware
Franklin Christenson Ware , is an American comic book artist and cartoonist, widely known for his Acme Novelty Library series and the graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he resides in the Chicago area, Illinois...
, a story that was serialized in Ware's comic, Acme Novelty Library
Acme Novelty Library
Acme Novelty Library is a comic book series created by Chicago cartoonist Chris Ware. Its first issue appeared in 1993. Published from 1994 by Fantagraphics Books and later self-published, it is considered a significant work in alternative comics, selling over 20,000 copies per issue.-Format, style...
.
Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
and Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
publish many alternative comics.
Recently, Oni Press used the term "real mainstream", coined by Stephen Holland
Stephen Holland
Stephen Roy Holland OAM is an Australian former freestyle swimmer of the 1970s who won a bronze medal in the 1500 m freestyle at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal...
of the UK comic shop Page 45, to describe its output. Traditional American comic books regard superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
titles as "mainstream" and all other genres as "non-mainstream", a reversal of the perception in other countries. Oni Press therefore adopted the "real mainstream" term to suggest that it publishes comic books and graphic novels whose subject matter is more in line with the popular genres of other media: thrillers, romance
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
s, realistic drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
and so on. Oni Press avoids publishing superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
titles, unless interesting creators approach these concepts from an unusual angle.
Top Shelf Productions
Top Shelf Productions
Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. The company is based in Marietta, Georgia, Portland, Oregon, and New York City, New York....
has published many notable alternative comics such as Craig Thompson's Blankets
Blankets (graphic novel)
Blankets is an autobiographical graphic novel by Craig Thompson, published in 2003 by Top Shelf Productions. As a coming-of-age autobiography, the book tells the story of Thompson's childhood in an Evangelical Christian family, his first love, and his early adulthood...
and Alex Robinson's
Alex Robinson
Alex Robinson is an award-winning American comic book writer and artist.-Early life:Alex Robinson grew up in Yorktown Heights, New York, and graduated from Yorktown High School in 1987...
Box Office Poison
Box Office Poison
Box Office Poison is a series of comic books by Alex Robinson. It was published in collected form by Top Shelf Productions in 2001. The story concerns the life and trials of a group of young people in New York City....
.
List of independent and alternative comics publishers
- Though categories can list makes a division between more strictly "alternative" comics and independent publishers operating primarily in the action-adventure, crime, horror and movie/tv-tie in genres.
Alternative comics publishers
- Alternative ComicsAlternative Comics (publisher)Alternative Comics is a U.S. independent graphic novel and comic book publisher which operated from 1993–2007. Located in Gainesville, Florida, it is owned and operated by its founder, attorney Jeff Mason...
(1993— ) - L'Association (France)L'AssociationL'Association is a French publishing house which publishes comic books. It was founded in May 1990 by Jean-Christophe Menu, Lewis Trondheim, David B., Mattt Konture, Patrice Killoffer, Stanislas, and Mokeït, who left soon thereafter...
(1990— ) - Black Eye ProductionsBlack Eye ProductionsBlack Eye Productions was a short-lived but influential Canadian comic book publishing company founded by Michel Vrana...
(1992–1998) - Buenaventura PressBuenaventura PressBuenaventura Press was a publisher and distributor for comics, prints, anthologies and graphic novels based in Oakland, California.Buenaventura Press originally specialized in handcrafted fine press prints, producing works for Gary Panter, Daniel Clowes, Julie Doucet, Chris Ware and others, before...
(?— ) - Conundrum Press (Canada)Conundrum Press (Canada)Conundrum Press is a book publishing company located in Montreal, Canada, founded in 1995 by Andy Brown.-Affiliated authors:Conundrum is renowned in Canadian publishing for its innovative, wide-ranging, often genre-defying, books of fiction, cultural history, graphic novels, spoken word and artist...
(1995— ) - Drawn & Quarterly (Canada) (1991— )
- Fantagraphics BooksFantagraphics BooksFantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint...
(1976— ) - First SecondFirst Second BooksFirst Second Books is an American publisher of graphic novels. An imprint of Roaring Brook Press, part of Holtzbrinck Publishers, First Second publishes fiction, biographies, personal memoirs, history, visual essays, and comics journalism.-History:...
(2006— ); division of Holtzbrinck - Highwater BooksHighwater BooksHighwater Books was a small but influential independent comic book publisher based in Somerville, Massachusetts, noted for its arty editorial direction and production values under publisher Tom Devlin...
(1997–2004) - Last GaspLast GaspLast Gasp is a book and underground comix publisher and distributor based in San Francisco, California.- History :Founded in 1970 by Ron Turner to publish the ecologically-themed comics magazine Slow Death Funnies, followed by the all-female anthology It Ain't Me Babe, Last Gasp soon became a major...
(1970— ) - Kitchen Sink PressKitchen Sink PressKitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen owned and operated Kitchen Sink Press until 1999. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in...
(1969–1999) - Mineshaft MagazineMineshaft MagazineMineshaft is an independent international art magazine launched in 1999 by Everett Rand and Gioia Palmieri in Guilford, Vermont. Initially focusing on poetry and literature, the magazine began to publish comics after Robert Crumb became a contributor in 2000...
(1999— ) - Pantheon BooksPantheon BooksPantheon Books is an American imprint with editorial independence that is part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.The current editor-in-chief at Pantheon Books is Dan Frank.-Overview:...
graphic novel division (1978— ); subsidiary of Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,... - Slave Labor Graphics/Amaze InkSlave Labor GraphicsSlave Labor Graphics is an independent American comic book publisher, well-known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics.-Company history:...
(1986— ) - Space Face Books (2011-)
- Top Shelf ProductionsTop Shelf ProductionsTop Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. The company is based in Marietta, Georgia, Portland, Oregon, and New York City, New York....
(1997— )
Independent publishers
- Avatar PressAvatar PressAvatar Press is an independent American publisher of comic books, founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois.Avatar initially published only mini-series; however, they have since begun to branch out...
(1996— ) - Caliber ComicsCaliber ComicsCaliber Comics or Caliber Press was an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, in the next decade Caliber published over 1300 comics and ranked as one of the America's leading independent publishers...
(1989–2000) - ComicoComicóComicó is a village and municipality in Río Negro Province in Argentina....
(1982–199?) - CrossGen (Cross Generation Entertainment) (1998–2004)
- Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
(1986— ) - Eclipse ComicsEclipse ComicsEclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book specialty store market...
(1978–1994) - Fierce Comics (2005-)
- First ComicsFirst ComicsFirst Comics was an American comic-book publisher that was active from 1983–1991, known for titles like American Flagg!, Grimjack, Nexus, Badger, Dreadstar, and Jon Sable...
(1983–1991) - HyperwerksHyperwerksHyperwerks Entertainment was founded by Karl Altstaetter and Jamie Douraghy in 1997, it is mostly noted for its comic book series. The two most notable Hyperwerks projects are the Deity and Rostam series....
(1997— ) - Image ComicsImage ComicsImage Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
(1992— ) - Malibu ComicsMalibu ComicsMalibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...
(1986–1994); absorbed by Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media... - Oni PressOni PressOni Press is an American independent comic book publisher based in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1997 by Bob Schreck and Joe Nozemack with the goal of publishing the kinds of comics and graphic novels they themselves would want to read...
(1997— ) - WaRP GraphicsWaRP GraphicsWaRP Graphics, later Warp Graphics, is an alternative comics publisher best known for creating and being the original publisher of the Elfquest comic book series. It was created and incorporated in 1977 by Wendy and Richard Pini. The company title is an acronym formed from the founding couple's...
(1977—)