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Current Comic Book Publishers from Z-A – entry #8

Dec 8, 2015

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Day 8 has made me unanticipate…certain things!! Calm down, grammarians. I just made up a new word in the first sentence to rhyme with eight. Moving on!! The more I research these publishers, the more fun I have. Plus, I have uncovered unexpected results. You know what is said about assumptions ;-P That being said, I hit a snag regarding SHH! Productions. There is barely anything on this publisher despite having an entry on Comic Book Database. Any input would be greatly appreciated J

Do not forget that I am solely mentioning companies that have a much-coveted spot in the pages of the monthly PREVIEWS catalog, itself a product of Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. Chime in!! Perfect the process!!

Established: 2005

Official Name: Schwartz & Wade

Place of Origin: New York, NY

Distinction: Anne Schwartz and Lee Wade: “Our mission is to be the most supportive, motivating place for authors and illustrators to create books, to do everything we can to help them produce their best work. … We take extraordinary care in every step of the process, and for this reason our list is small.”[1]

The focus is primarily on picture books and middle-grade fiction but extends to novelty books, nonfiction and an occasional YA title[2].

Operations: Anne Schwartz (Co-Director), Lee Wade (Co-Director)

Output: Several!! http://penguinrandomhouse.ca/imprints/schwartz-wade

Current Title: The Only Child

Branches: Schwartz & Wade Books is an imprint of Random House Children’s Books co-directed by Anne Schwartz and Lee Wade, who take a unique approach to the creative process and believe that the best books for children grow from a seamless collaboration between editorial and design.

Social Media: @schwartzwade ; Facebook ; https://www.flickr.com/people/schwartzwadebooks/

Multi-Media: N/A

Established: 2015

Official Name: Scout Comics

Place of Origin: New York, NY

Distinction: Ardden Entertainment is now Scout Comics. Scout Comics evolved from the growing success of Ardden Entertainment. Renewed vigor, new amazing talent and exciting new stories will make this company one for the ages[3]!!!

Scout Comics (formerly Ardden Entertainment) is an exciting new comic book, intellectual property, and multi-media entertainment company[4]!

Operations: http://www.scoutcomics.com/team.html

Output: Henchgirl; Solarman

Branches: Scout Comics and Entertainment has a strategic partnership with Deadline Comics, an IP company that focuses solely on developing / producing comics for various markets[5].

Social Media: @ScoutComics ; Facebook ;

Multi-Media: http://www.deadlinecomics.com/index.asp

Established: 1846

Official Name: Scribner Books

Place of Origin: New York, NY

Distinction: Founded by Charles Scribner in 1846. Home of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Stephen King, Don DeLillo, Jeannette Walls, Chuck Klosterman, and many more[6].

Founded in 1846 by Charles Scribner, Scribner was originally a publisher of religious books. By 1870, the company had turned to literature and begun publishing, in addition to books, Scribner’s Monthly, “an illustrated magazine for the people.” The magazine and its successor, Scribner’s Magazine, attracted fresh young writers, many of whom became Scribner authors[7].

Operations: http://imprints.simonandschuster.biz/scribner/meettheteam

Output: Various!! http://imprints.simonandschuster.biz/scribner/bookclubs

Branches: Simon & Schuster http://imprints.simonandschuster.biz/scribner

Social Media: @ScribnerBooks ; Facebook ; http://scribnerbooks.tumblr.com/ ; https://www.pinterest.com/scribnerbooks/

Multi-Media: N/A

Established: 2006

Official Name: Secret Acres

Place of Origin: Brooklyn, NY

Distinction: “Not so secret anymore” (Douglas Wolk, Publisher’s Weekly). Secret Acres is a comics publishing company, founded in 2006. Currently, the company publishes story collections and original graphic novels. Secret Acres sells and distributes its creators’ mini-comics and other self-published works. Secret Acres can be seen exhibiting at better comics conventions[8].

Operations: Barry Matthews, Leon Avelino

Output: Angie Bongiolatti; I Will Bite You; Monsters; Palefire; Sleeper Car; Wayward Girls; Wormdye and much more!! http://secretacres.com/?wpsc_product_category=books

Branches: N/A

Social Media: @secretacres ; Facebook

Multi-Media: N/A

Established: 2007

Official Name: SelfMadeHero

Place of Origin: London, England, UK

Distinction: SelfMadeHero is a quirky independent publishing house committed to producing ground-breaking work in the graphic novel medium. We commission independently minded, commercially successful work while championing the very best graphic novels in translation. We are extremely proud of our high editorial and production values and are known for successfully promoting our authors through our innovative press and marketing campaigns[9].

Operations: http://www.selfmadehero.com/about.php

Output: Filmish: a Graphic Journey through Film; Klaxon; The Motherless Oven and others http://www.selfmadehero.com/catalogue.php

Branches: Metro Media Ltd. / / Art Masters, Crime Classics, Eye Classics, Graphic Biography, Manga Shakespeare

Social Media: @SelfMadeHero ; Facebook ; http://selfmadeherogn.tumblr.com/ ; https://vimeo.com/selfmadehero

Multi-Media: N/A

Established: 2004

Official Name: Seven Seas Entertainment LLC

Place of Origin: Los Angeles, CA

Distinction: Seven Seas Entertainment, LLC. specializes in producing and publishing original manga, graphic novels, youth literature, and bringing the best in Japanese licenses to North American audiences[10].

Seven Seas’ core expertise is creating original-English language manga. Since 2004, Seven Seas, along with native English-speaking writers, has created and published approximately 45 individual volumes of original manga, which total over 7000 pages of artwork and story[11].

Operations: Jason DeAngelis (founder)

Output: The company’s line-up includes original manga properties such as the long running eleven-volume Amazing Agent Luna series, and the award-winning steampunk trilogy Hollow Fields; licensed manga such as A Certain Scientific Railgun, Dance in the Vampire Bund, and Toradora!, all New York Times Bestselling manga series; and the epic YA novel series Avalon: Web of Magic by Rachel Roberts[12].

Branches: Free issues at http://www.zoomcomics.com/

Social Media: @gomanga ; Facebook ; http://sevenseasentertainment.tumblr.com/

Multi-Media: http://www.sevenseasgames.com/

In addition to creating original works, Seven Seas has licensed existing properties and adapted them into manga, such as Speed Racer and the video game Death, Jr[13].

Established: 1995

Official Name: Seven Stories Press

Place of Origin: New York, NY

Distinction: Seven Stories Press is an independent book publisher known for publishing voices of social conscience and of the imagination[14].

Operations: Dan Simon (founder). The company was named for its seven founding authors: Annie Ernaux, Gary Null, the estate of Nelson Algren, Project Censored, Octavia E. Butler, Charley Rosen, and Vassilis Vassilikos, all of whom have continued to publish with Seven Stories[15].

Output: The Emperor, C’est Moi; Listen, Yankee! Why Cuba Matters; Sex is a Funny Word; Snowden

Tons more!! http://catalog.sevenstories.com/collections/current-catalog

Branches: Siete Cuentos, Triangle Square

Social Media: @7StoriesPress ; Facebook ; YouTube

Multi-Media: N/A

Established: 1969

Official Name: Shambhala Publications

Place of Origin: Berkeley, CA (1969-1976), Boulder, CO (1976-1986), Boston, MA (1986-present)

Distinction: Shambhala Publications was born at Ground Zero of the 1960s counterculture: in the back of a bookstore on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California. It’s ironic, since our founders’ vision was more trans-cultural than countercultural–the concern being for an enlightened approach to every aspect of life–including culture. It’s a vision that hasn’t changed in more than four decades, as we’ve crossed the continent, and as we’ve grown to discover just how much that original vision can contain[16].

Over the more than four decades of our adventure in independent publishing, we’ve watched the culture change around us: what was considered countercultural back in 1969—things like Buddhism, martial arts, yoga, or alternative medicine—has now become mainstream, even commercial. We’ve also experienced change within: our history demonstrates just how many new subjects we’ve explored that none of us would even have thought of back when we started out. But each of our books, whatever its subject, is an expression of our belief that there’s an enlightened way of approaching every aspect of our lives. That original vision has never changed, and though you can continue to expect surprises from us, you can also expect that original vision to continue to guide everything we do[17].

Operations: Samuel Bercholz, Michael Fagan (founders). Nikko Odiseos (President), Samuel Bercholz (Chairman), Sara Bercholz (Executive VP), Hazel Bercholz (VP)

Output: The Book of Five Rings; The Faceless Ghost

Branches: Roost Books, Shambhala Español, Snow Lion, Trumpeter Books, Weatherhill

Social Media: @ShambhalaPubs ; Facebook ; https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=shambhala+publications

Multi-Media: N/A

Established: Unknown

Official Name: SHH! Productions

Place of Origin: Unknown

Distinction: Unknown

Operations: Unknown

Output: Bettie Page in Danger!; Candie Land; Choose Their Fate; DoktorMentor

Branches: Unknown

Social Media: Unknown

Multi-Media: Unknown

Established: 1998

Official Name: Soaring Penguin Press

Place of Origin: London, England, UK

Distinction: http://www.soaringpenguinpress.com/about/

Operations: Unknown

Output: The Black Feather Falls; Meanwhile; To End All Wars; Without Skin. So much more http://www.soaringpenguinpress.com/category/publications/

Branches: N/A

Social Media: @spenguin ; Facebook

Multi-Media: N/A

Established: 2006

Official Name: Space Goat Productions

Place of Origin: Unknown

Distinction: Space Goat Productions offers a wide variety of services to our clients. Although primarily a comic book studio, we often work in non-comic book mediums: to include character design; video-game box illustration; graphic design, business card designs, logos and branding, trading cards and card games; as well as licensed merchandise. We also have a strong background in storyboarding and children’s illustrations[18].

However, we are primarily a comic book studio. We offer pencils, inks, colors, letters and pre-press services at very affordable rates[19].

Space Goat also turns its colossal resources inward to produce brand-new and original comic books by industry pros and newcomers alike. Space Goat makes comics better. Come make them with us[20].

Operations: Shon C. Bury

Output: Big Game Hunters: Tales of the Lizard Baron; Evil Dead 2: Beyond Dead by Dawn; Evil Dead 2: Tales of the Ex-Mortis; Mage, Inc.: the Intern; Mixtape; Rocket Queen and the Wrench

Branches: Space Goat Presents ; http://merchgoat.com/ ; Space Goat Fine Art ; Space Goat Publishing ; Space Goat Italy

Social Media: @gospacegoat ; Facebook ; Pinterest ; Tumblr

Multi-Media: N/A

[1] https://www.facebook.com/schwartzandwadebooks/info/?tab=page_info

[2] Ibid.

[3] http://www.scoutcomics.com/index.html#about

[4] https://www.facebook.com/Scoutcomics/info/?tab=page_info

[5] http://www.scoutcomics.com/index.html#about

[6] https://www.facebook.com/ScribnerBooks/info/?tab=page_info

[7] http://imprints.simonandschuster.biz/scribner/about?ra=1265387884

[8] https://www.facebook.com/secretacres/info/?tab=page_info

[9] http://www.selfmadehero.com/about.php