Publishers
Across the Pond Studios
Based in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Across the Pond Studios was founded in 2000 by Stephan Nilson as a home for his first title, Government Bodies. Since this initial release, ATP has grown from an independent publisher into one of the preeminent production studios in the comics industry currently providing material for Image Comics, Speakeasy Comics, Alias Entertainment, and Desperado. ATP was the first studio to ever create exclusive CGC Variants to offer to collectors and even created an alternate cover exclusively to be put into a CGC holder. The CGC’d Atomik Mike Variant has since been featured in Wizard Magazine, Comic Book Resources, and Scoop, helping ATP gain the popularity of a growing, high-quality comics studio. Their titles include ArmorX, Atomik Mike, ATP Presents, Government Bodies, Metal Locus, Iron Ghost, and Extinction, and have featured the talents of Chuck Dixon, Sergio Cariello, Keith Champagne, Karl Waller, Andy Smith, Stephan Nilson, Israel Cruz, Bryan King, Rick Bonilla, and Steve Scott. More information on the studio and their many projects can be found on their Web site: http://www.acrossthepondcomics.com.
Arcana Studio
Arcana began in 2004 as a studio, not just a publisher of comic books. The studio itself has been hired to produce toy designs, Web page designs, set designs for movies and television, and 3D computer-generated models. They have always met their deadlines and have always been within budget, which is why their client list includes the likes of Disney, HBO, New Line, Ubisoft, and Google. In just over two years, Arcana has published over 60 comics and seven books, reaching sales of nearly 750,000 books. They are found in 15 different countries and are translated into seven languages across the globe. A Harvey Award nomination and the Shuster Award for Top Publisher are just a couple of Arcana’s recent accolades. Completing their debut comic book titled Kade, they had great success with the gothic hero and began to see the potential they had uncovered. Ant was Arcana's follow-up title and sold out completely in less than nine days, an unprecedented feat for an independent publisher. Ezra became Arcana's top selling book ever, while 100 Girls went on to be featured as one of the top 12 books of the year in Wizard's Secret Stash. Sundown, El Arsenal, Paradox, and Dead Men Tell No Tales complete the line-up, but the best of Arcana is yet to come! http://www.arcanastudio.com/.
Aspen MLT, Inc.
Aspen MLT, Inc. is an entertainment publishing company founded in January 2003 by superstar comic artist Michael Turner. Priding itself on producing entertainment properties of the highest visual and storytelling quality, Aspen MLT, Inc. quickly carved its mark on the comic book industry.
In addition to Michael Turner's runaway hit, the number-one best-selling comic series Fathom, Aspen MLT, Inc. debuted the fantasy adventure epic series, Soulfire, in 2004. In 2005, Aspen released the popular series, Soulfire: Dying of the Light and Fathom: Cannon Hawke, along with the anticipated maxi-series, Fathom: Volume Two. 2006 marked the release of the critically acclaimed series Shrugged and the primordial adventure, Soulfire: Chaos Reign.
Along with their own successful properties, Aspen MLT, Inc. has collaborated with some of the comic industry's most successful companies and endeavors. Michael Turner and Aspen has collaborated with Marvel Comics on past and present properties, including providing covers for the year's best-selling event series Civil War, the upcoming Onslaught Reborn mini-series, and such titles as Wolverine Origins #1, The Incredible Hulk #100 and Ultimate X-Men #75, and Black Panther. Aspen collaborated with DC Comics on the popular Superman: Godfall mini-series, the best-selling Superman/Batman mini-series, and provided Eisner-nominated covers for the critically acclaimed and top-selling mini-series Identity Crisis, as well as the entire run of the number-one-selling Justice League of America. In 2006, Aspen joined forces with television giant NBC to create the online comic adaptations for the mega-hit television series, Heroes. http://www.aspencomics.com/
Big City Comics Studios
Big City Comics Studios was founded in 2006 by Mario Gully and Jeffrey Kaufman. Mario is the creator behind the Image comic book "Ant" and they are co-creators of Totem, Tempest and Omega One. Big City was created to help artists follow through with all the problems that come with producing a monthly comic book from management to marketing including the dreaded area of financing. If you are interested in following this company as they grow or for more information check out their website: http://www.bigcitycomics.com.
Devil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing was formed in 1999 as both a commercial art studio and a small press comic book publisher. It didn't take long for the company to shift all focus onto comic books, though, and quickly become one of today's top ten comic book powerhouses. For DDP founder, Joshua Blaylock, comic books were a childhood passion, and succeeding in their field was the goal his education and life revolved around. After a period of time spent in the world of licensing for brands such as Disney and Warner Bros., and designing clothing lines for alternative nationwide boutiques like Hot Topic, Blaylock combined his licensing and comic book knowledge to form the Devil's Due that readers know today. Devil's Due's first breakout success in the comic book field was 2001's revamp of G.I.JOE, returning the long lost 1980's characters to comics in a partnership with Image Comics. Devil's Due soon after acquired fan favorite properties like Voltron to bring to the stands, and quickly ramped up with new characters from the mind of Josh Blaylock and other DDP talent. The company outgrew its publisher by the end of 2003, leaving to map out its own destiny. Today, DDP's lineup includes Army of Darkness, Street Fighter, G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers, Hack/Slash, and DDP's newest effort, the Aftermath universe. For more information and to check out their upcoming projects visit: http://www.devilsdue.net.
Digital Webbing
DigitalWebbing.com was launched in December 1997, and has become THE source for finding out about comic book-related Web sites. With close to ten thousand visitors per day, fans rely on Digital Webbing to deliver daily comic book-related content right to them and help make Internet surfing less time-consuming. They have also expanded the service to include an extensive links database, comic book news, interviews, previews, and a very popular talent search area. Digital Webbing had entered the publishing arena in December 2001 with their “Internet Collaborative” anthology, showcasing aspiring and established talent. The comic book series ranks in the Diamond Distribution Top 300 best-selling comic lists. For more information on Digital Webbing, check our their Web site at http://www.digitalwebbing.com.
Idea & Design Works / IDW Publishing
Idea and Design Works (IDW) was formed in 1999 by four entertainment executives and artists. They decided to create a company that would allow them to work with a variety of clients on the things they liked: video games, movies, TV, collectible card games, comic books, and trading cards. In July 2000, IDW made the decision to form a new division, IDW Publishing, which would focus on producing a small number of high-quality publications. The company’s first title, Uno Fanta: The Art of Ashley Wood, received rave reviews and continues to be heavily re-ordered by both comic shops and mainstream bookstores and is now available in both hardcover and softcover editions. IDW Publishing’s second title, Popbot, was immediately acknowledged with two Spectrum Gold Awards. The company's first comic series, 30 Days of Night, started a seven-figure bidding war between Dreamworks, MGM, and Senator International, with Senator winning and director Sam Raimi attached to produce. 30 Days of Night has been named the #1 Hot Comic of the Month by Wizard Magazine (several months running) and the #1 Breakout Product of 2002. It was also the #4 best-selling graphic novel of 2003 and has since won multiple awards. Konami acquired the video game rights, and minority ownership, of IDW’s CVO: Covert Vampiric Operations. Dimension Films has an option on two Steve Niles/IDW properties: Wake the Dead, with X-2 screenwriter Michael Dougherty attached to write and Hyde, with Mike Fleiss (The Bachelor, Texas Chainsaw Massacre) attached to produce. Paramount has an option on the Steve Niles/IDW property, Aleister Arcane.
IDW also publishes the comics based on the hit CBS TV show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and the book has been well-received by both comic readers and fans of the show. The company’s other licensed comics include Sony’s Underworld, FX’s The Shield, Fox’s 24 and Angel, Hasbro’s The Transformers, Universal’s Land of the Dead and Shaun of the Dead, and Konami’s Silent Hill, Castlevania, and Metal Gear Solid. IDW Publishing titles have b een featured in major media outlets, including USA Today, CNN, E!, TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, Access Hollywood, Emmy Magazine, GamePro, Official US Playstation Magazine, PSM, Play, and many more.
In 2004, 2005, and 2006 IDW was named “Publisher of the Year” by Diamond Comic Distributors. IDW Publishing is represented by Jon Levin at CAA and managed by Jim Strader at AniManagement. The company works with a foreign licensing agent to sell their comics around the world and their titles have been published in multiple languages in dozens of territories. More information about the company can be found at http://www.idwpublishing.com.
Platinum Studios
Platinum Studios was founded in 1997 by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg following a successful career in the comic book industry as creator and head of Malibu Comics. At Malibu Comics, Mr. Rosenberg produced popular and innovative comics lines, including the Men in Black comic book, which he later brought to Columbia/Sony Pictures to become a billion-dollar entertainment franchise. Platinum Studios is an entertainment company that specializes in developing and adapting comics and graphic novel content to feature film, television, animation, games, the Internet, and other media. Their independent library of comic characters is the largest in the world and contains more than 3,800 characters that have appeared in hundreds of millions of comics in 25 languages and more than 50 countries. For more information about this company you can visit: http://www.platinumstudios.com.
Top Cow Productions, Inc.
Top Cow Productions is a partner studio of Image Comics founded by Marc Silvestri in the 1992. During Image's initial stages, Silvestri shared a studio with Jim Lee, where he created his first creator-owned comic, Cyberforce, as part of Image's initial line-up. After setting up his own studio, Top Cow expanded into other comics, launching Codename: Strykeforce, a new Cyberforce series, and various spin-offs. The company attracted various professionals known across the industry, including artist Brandon Peterson, writer Garth Ennis, and former Marvel staffer David Wohl. It also helped launch the careers of various writers and artists, such as Christina Z., Joe Benitez, Michael Turner, and David Finch. Since Top Cow’s inception, they have been entertaining fans and collectors with titles such as Witchblade, The Darkness, Fathom, Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, and Aphrodite IX. Top Cow is also known for bringing Tomb Raider's Lara Croft to comics, with various graphic novels written and drawn by some of the industry's best-known creators, including Dan Jurgens, Paul Jenkins, and artist Andy Park. The cartoon Battle of the Planets is another licensed property where Top Cow has invested, thanks to the collaboration of the talented cover artist Alex Ross. In more recent years, Top Cow has since relaunched the successful Witchblade and Darkness lines, along with new titles Hunter-Killer and The Freshmen, and have begun using Marvel’s licensed properties in their own series, with characters including Wolverine and the Punisher appearing in Darkness/Wolverine and Witchblade/Punisher Crossovers. Also, as part of this joint venture, several Top Cow artists are to provide art duties on various Marvel series such as Hunter-Killer’s Tyler Kirkham’s work on Amazing Spider-Man #’s 531 & 532. Check out their Web site for more exciting up-and-coming projects! http://www.topcow.com.
Viper Comics
Viper Comics started publishing comic books in 2003, and broke onto the scene with the hit Dead@17 franchise series by Josh Howard. Projects from Viper Comics include A Dummy’s Guide to Disaster, The Middle Man, Emily Edison, Villains, The Expendable One, Karma Incorporated, Oddly Normal, Random Encounter, Daisy Kutter: The Last Train, and Dead@17. Check out http://www.vipercomics.com for information on other exciting titles!