Chris Staros
Encyclopedia
Chris Staros is the publisher of the graphic novel
publisher Top Shelf Productions
, as well as the president of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
(CBLDF). He is also the author of Yearbook Stories, 1976–1978, published by Top Shelf.
, comic book store. Uninterested in superhero comics, Staros was directed to Alan Moore
and David Lloyd's V for Vendetta
. That chance encounter led to Staros making comics his career.
titles. He officially entered the comics field in 1994 with The Staros Report, an annual fanzine
dedicated to promoting "the most intelligent and innovative" graphic novels in the business. In addition to ranked reviews, each issue of The Staros Report featured interviews, comics, bibliographies, character guides, letters, and more. He published four editions of The Staros Report, during which time he also became the American art and distribution agent for cartoonists Eddie Campbell
and Gary Spencer Millidge
.
, Staros joined forces with Brett Warnock as publisher of Top Shelf. Staros and Warnock have aimed to give their imprint a style "that is quite hip, but also quite endearing", and Staros regularly signs correspondence with the tagline
"Your friend thru comics." Staros & Warnock envisioned Top Shelf — together with Fantagraphics Books
, Drawn and Quarterly
and the now defunct Highwater Books
— as an attempt to "change the public perception and face of comics altogether".
In 2000 Staros delivered the keynote speech at the Ignatz Awards
, arguing that the industry must focus more on content, and that more works of the merit of Moore and Campbell's From Hell
and Chris Ware
's Jimmy Corrigan would help the public re-evaluate their perceptions of the medium. By all accounts, Top Shelf has succeeded, as it currently publishes a diverse catalog of graphic novels for adult readers with literary tastes as well as all-ages books.
, and "The Worst Gig I Ever Had," illustrated by Rich Tommaso. "The Willful Death of a Stereotype" originally appeared in the 2001 Small Press Expo Anthology and was nominated for the 2002 Eisner Award
for Best Short Story of the Year. "The Worst Gig I Ever Had" (which originally appeared in the 1999 Small Press Expo Anthology) tells the story of Staros's very first hard rock band, and one of its more memorable gigs.
rights of the comics community. He became president of the CBLDF in 2004.
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
publisher 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....
, as well as the president of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a United States non-profit organization created in 1986 to protect the First Amendment rights of comics creators, publishers, and retailers covering legal expenses....
(CBLDF). He is also the author of Yearbook Stories, 1976–1978, published by Top Shelf.
Early years
Staros never read comics as a kid, thinking that books with pictures were for children. Later, he learned guitar and spent years playing in rock bands. As an adult, Staros spent a decade in the high-tech software industry. One day in 1990, Staros stepped inside a Marietta, GeorgiaMarietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
, comic book store. Uninterested in superhero comics, Staros was directed to Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
and David Lloyd's V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta is a ten-issue comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated mostly by David Lloyd, set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s to about the 1990s. A mysterious masked revolutionary who calls himself "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government,...
. That chance encounter led to Staros making comics his career.
The Staros Report
Staros spent the next four years studying all forms of comics, from the Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics to contemporary alternativeAlternative comics
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...
titles. He officially entered the comics field in 1994 with The Staros Report, an annual fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
dedicated to promoting "the most intelligent and innovative" graphic novels in the business. In addition to ranked reviews, each issue of The Staros Report featured interviews, comics, bibliographies, character guides, letters, and more. He published four editions of The Staros Report, during which time he also became the American art and distribution agent for cartoonists Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell is a Scottish comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Australia. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of From Hell , Campbell is also the creator of the semi-autobiographical Alec stories collected in Alec: The Years Have Pants, and Bacchus , a wry adventure...
and Gary Spencer Millidge
Gary Spencer Millidge
Gary Spencer Millidge is a British comic book creator best known for his series Strangehaven. He has also written and contributed to books about comics.-Biography:...
.
Top Shelf Productions
At the 1997 Small Press ExpoSmall Press Expo
The Small Press Expo is an alternative comics convention that takes place every September or October in Bethesda, Maryland. It rivals the Alternative Press Expo as the premiere convention for alternative comics creators and fans. SPX is the home of the Ignatz Awards, which have been presented...
, Staros joined forces with Brett Warnock as publisher of Top Shelf. Staros and Warnock have aimed to give their imprint a style "that is quite hip, but also quite endearing", and Staros regularly signs correspondence with the tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
"Your friend thru comics." Staros & Warnock envisioned Top Shelf — together with Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint...
, Drawn and Quarterly
Drawn and Quarterly
Drawn and Quarterly is a Canadian comic book publishing company, headed by Chris Oliveros, and based in Montreal, Quebec. Its focus is on graphic novels and underground or alternative comics. Drawn and Quarterly was also the title of the company's flagship quarterly anthology during the 1990s...
and the now defunct Highwater Books
Highwater Books
Highwater 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...
— as an attempt to "change the public perception and face of comics altogether".
In 2000 Staros delivered the keynote speech at the Ignatz Awards
Ignatz Awards
The Ignatz Awards are intended to recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers. They have been awarded each year since 1997, but skipped a year in 2001 due to the show's cancellation after the September...
, arguing that the industry must focus more on content, and that more works of the merit of Moore and Campbell's From Hell
From Hell
From Hell is a comic book series by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published from 1991 to 1996, speculating upon the identity and motives of Jack the Ripper. The title is taken from the first words of the "From Hell" letter, which some authorities believe was an authentic...
and 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...
's Jimmy Corrigan would help the public re-evaluate their perceptions of the medium. By all accounts, Top Shelf has succeeded, as it currently publishes a diverse catalog of graphic novels for adult readers with literary tastes as well as all-ages books.
Yearbook Stories
Yearbook Stories: 1976-1978 (published in 2007) features two autobiographical tales from Staros's formative years: "The Willful Death of a Stereotype," illustrated by Bo HamptonBo Hampton
Bo Hampton is a noted comic book and cartoon artist.He graduated from the School of Visual Arts, New York City. He drew, wrote and painted comics and graphic novels for 15 years, always with a bent toward realism that was fairly uncommon in the medium...
, and "The Worst Gig I Ever Had," illustrated by Rich Tommaso. "The Willful Death of a Stereotype" originally appeared in the 2001 Small Press Expo Anthology and was nominated for the 2002 Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
for Best Short Story of the Year. "The Worst Gig I Ever Had" (which originally appeared in the 1999 Small Press Expo Anthology) tells the story of Staros's very first hard rock band, and one of its more memorable gigs.
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
In the fall of 2002, Staros joined the board of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit organization founded in 1986 whose charter is to protect the First AmendmentFirst Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
rights of the comics community. He became president of the CBLDF in 2004.
External links
- Contino, Jennifer M. "Take It From The Top," Sequential Tart vol. 5, issue 2 (Feb. 2002).
- Douresseau, L.J. "Interview with Chris Staros," Comic Book Bin (Nov. 1, 2003).
- Weiland, Jonah. "Gauging Lost Girls Reaction with Chris Staros", Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
(Sept. 15, 2006). - Comic Book Club (June 19, 2007).
- Holman, Curt. "Speakeasy with Chris Staros: Marietta's Top Shelf comic-book publisher," Creative Loafing (June 20, 2007).
- Express Night Out video interview (Oct. 2007).
- St-Louis, Hervé. "Interview With Chris Staros of Top Shelf Comix," Comic Book Bin (Jan. 6, 2008).
- Waterhouse, Jon. "Top Shelf Works to Upgrade — and Defend — the Comic Genre," Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Nov. 23, 2008).
- Staros' guide to "The Top 192 Best Comics in the Industry"