L.A. Comic Con 2023: SpectreVision and Oni Press inhabit High Strangeness

L.A. Comic Con 2023: SpectreVision and Oni Press inhabit High Strangeness #comics #comicbooks #LAComicCon #LAComicCon2023

Teaser Image by Malachi Ward In advance of L.A. Comic Con 2023, Oni Press has revealed a collaboration with SpectreVision – devoted to exploring the uncanny and unusual realms of High Strangeness with a new “pop-up” publishing imprint debuting in 2025. Influenced by real, documented cases of paranormal phenomena dating back to the mid-20th century, High Strangeness will surveil the liminal…

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Interview: Hunter Gorinson (Oni Press/EC Comics Imprint)

Interview conducted by Chet Reams

Hunter Gorinson is the President and Publisher at Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group own Oni Press, who are printing and co-publishing the new EC Comics imprint titles beginning Summer 2024! Crypt of MADness Publisher/Editor-In-Chief Chet Reams reached out for an interview and Hunter was kind enough to accept the invitation… This interview was conducted May 2, 2024, so it’s “hot off the press!”

Hunter Gorinson: Nice to meet you! Chet Reams: …Nice to meet YOU! …How did the EC relaunch come about ? Gorinson: First and foremost, I’ve been a lifelong EC fan. I got introduced to it probably when I was 6 or 7 years old and it kind of totally blew a hole in my mind as to what I thought comics could be. I knew that they were ‘classic comics’. At the time I thought they were from the ‘70s or something. This was in the early ‘90s. I didn’t realize they were from the ‘50s. They seemed even much more contemporary than the Silver Age Marvel and DC Comics I read . So that led to me being, not only an obsessive EC Comics fan for my entire teenage years as I progressed through my different levels of fandom, also continuing just to notice and spot the kind-of-pervasive-influence of EC in pop culture… So you see the logo for the band, The Cramps or Electric Frankenstein or something -And you realize like, oh, like music’s tethered into this, comedy’s tethered into this, horror movies are tethered into this ! It only deepened my fascination and appreciation of EC. …The comic book industry is actually a relatively small place. I’ve worked at several publishers. My first job was Marvel. I worked at a company called Valiant for quite a while. I worked at Boom Studios… So I’d met Corey and Cathy Mifsud who are respectively William Gaines’ daughter and grand-son in my travels over the years. I had developed a friendship with them. We’d worked on some stuff, in passing, previous to this coming about. Once I found myself in the Publisher chair at Oni in … I think it was late 2022 … December 2022; The first thing at the top of my mind was ‘I wonder if there’s anything we could do with EC?! Now, is the time, in my opinion, for us to do something..!’ and fortunately they were quite tolerant, patient and receptive to my impassioned, phosphorus pitch that ‘We should do this!’ Then one thing led to another, and I’ve essentially been working on this since Day One of me stepping in as publisher at Oni Press.

Reams: Why are you introducing new series titles and new hosts for it? Gorinson: Yeah, it was actually part of my original idea. ..I think if this was another comic book publisher.. what you’d be getting is Tales From the Crypt “#1” with, probably an exaggeration to say 197 variant covers, but not uncommon for big books to launch with like 100+ variant covers now! Any other publisher would probably be “I’m gonna go with the tried and true safe thing. We’re going to do Tales from the Crypt again….” For me, I look back at the intense period of creativity that is the EC Comics “New Trend” … It’s like a ‘Marvel’ - no pun intended - that those books were essentially created between 1949/1950 and part of 1955. It’s 5 years of intense creativity from William Gaines, Al Feldstein, Wally Wood, Johnny Craig and on down the line… …The ‘ending’ of EC is one of the great unresolved question marks at in comics history: What could have been??? I’ve kind of always felt like there’s an entire alternate universe out there somewhere, where the Comics Code Authority doesn’t happen, EC continues to publish, MAD stays a comic!! And instead of Stan Lee coming in to take a ‘last shot’ at Marvel Comics in 1962 and 1963 to do superheroes and see if that’s a thing that ‘can work’ and reinvent that genre, that never happens !!… If EC continued to chug along and things like crime, horror, war, science-fiction, satire continued to be the dominant trends in the industry … that could have continued decade, after decade, after decade. The ‘thesis’ behind the line of books that we’re putting together at Oni is… Why ‘look backwards’ when we could ‘look forwards’ into what EC could have become ? And also, just to be blunt about it: Like, no matter what we do, we’re going to be compared against the original books, which is maybe the highest ‘high watermark’ that comics has ever accomplished. I think that there’s 40+ perfect issues of Tales From The Crypt. Why would I want to make that comparison any more difficult by trying to ‘replicate’ them or ‘compete’ with them?? I think the original EC books should stand on their own … as they have very successfully for 70+ years. And we are thinking something that’s new, and in the same spirit and energy and intensity, but is an evolution and not a direct continuation or imitation of what came before.

Reams: So, is there going to be ANY use of the GhouLunatics inside the new ones, any ‘callbacks’ besides the variant covers that you have [announced]? Gorinson: Shhh… I’m smiling right now… Here’s what I will say… “Spoilers, my man!” I can’t give away too many ‘spoilers’, but there will be a ‘lineage,’ and hopefully, ‘continuity’ with what has come before ..

Reams: What about the EC imprint beyond comic book media, the Anthology Style. Are there plans for .. “beyond comic book media”? Gorinson: …The order of the day is ‘Let’s make the best possible comics right now!’ EC, as I said, has a pervasive influence beyond comics - if any of that happens down the line - which is definitely possible.. we’ll be happy, and ‘beating the drum real hard.’ Right now, as the order stands, we have our work cut out for us in trying to not do an ‘EC imitation’, not do something that’s ‘EC adjacent’ - we’re making EC Comics. Like, I refuse to put the Oni logo on these books because I think it’s ‘sacrilegious’… I consider these to be EC Comics. They’re not part of the ‘Original Canon’ obviously, but we’re trying to embody that to the greatest extent possible. … We’ve got to make sure that the stories are good, that the covers are good, that these books can stand on their own … I don’t want this to be a 6-issue thing. We have a plan that extends for years into the future. Hopefully we can get to a place where you have a couple EC Comics reliably on shelves, every couple times a month, for the foreseeable future. You know what I’m saying? Reams: Yeah, like just like the “New Trend” ! Gorinson: Every two weeks… yeah!

Reams: …That kind of covers one of the others I had which was ‘What do you think EC’s prior missteps were, with comic reboots, and how do you avoid such pitfalls?… Gorinson: I mean a LOT has changed… SO MUCH has changed since 1954. There are weird echoes and synchronicities between what American culture and comic books are going through then, and now… Which I think makes this the right time to do this for a lot of reasons! But I do think ‘off-the-bat’: the audience is matured. …I don’t think we’re gonna sell Epitaphs From The Abyss #1 to 8-year-olds. You know what I mean? Fact: 8-year-olds were reading Tales from the Crypt… but that probably won’t be the mandate here. I don’t think we’ll be accused of “engendering juvenile delinquency,” hopefully…

Reams: What about having “preachies”-type stories, kind of like with the old Shock SuspenseStories “preachies”? Gorinson: You mean stories with a more socio-political, cultural … ? Reams: Modern social stories, though! Gorinson: Yeah, 100%! I think that’s actually integral to what makes EC work. One of the things… I hesitate to call it a ‘formula’, but there’s a ‘voodoo’ to the way that EC worked! …This is where I think another comic book publisher doing ‘EC books’ in 2024 would be, ‘yeah, we’re just going to do the horror one. That was the most popular!’ But EC had this quadruple-helix of horror, satire, war, science fiction that all weaved together and made a really compelling mix of genres and tones. In terms of the socio-political content - That’s the other thing, ….if you want to go read an EC pastiche or homage story right now - you’ve got a million ways to do that! But, what all of those homages and pastiches have failed to do is… …It’s really easy to do a story about ‘Christmas Eve. There’s a killer in a Santa Claus costume who chops off somebody’s head on Christmas morning. It opens to a box under the tree and his dad’s head is in it!’ or whatever could be perceived as ‘EC-adjacent’. Reams: They had one [a story] very similar to that… [“And All Through The House….”] Gorinson: I think there’s a Creepshow that’s very similar to that, etc.. There’s tons of stuff that came after EC, where they embraced the violence and the gore, the shocking quality of ‘your neighbor next door could be a monster!!’ It doesn’t have to be Frankenstein or the Wolfman or whatever… but those homages often fail to capture .. that strong socio-cultural-political ‘edge’ and not every EC story has that but some of them do.. .. It’s an important part of the mix.. they’ll definitely be part of that brew from early on of what we’re doing, especially with Epitaphs From The Abyss! I was talking to Corey Mifsud about this. It’s not a straight ‘one-to-one’ equivalency with Tales from the Crypt or The Vault of Horror. It’s in the lineage of what those stories were like, but there’s also a little bit of Crime SuspenStories and there’s a lot of Shock-Suspense in Epitaphs From The Abyss. Just people being ‘terrible’ to one another. …There’s a lot of that in Epitaphs!

Reams: Can you tell us any other creatives’ names that are going to be contributing to EC’s new books? Gorinson: Yeah, we put out a big old list of folks initially. There’s some true comics A -listers in there. Jason Aaron. I don’t think you guys have seen.. Jason’s first story is going to run in Epitaphs From The Abyss #2.. Issue #1 is Brian Azzarello; Stephanie Phillips; A really talented writer named J. Holtham. And, Chris Condon plus Peter Krause ; Vlad Legostaev - who’s a phenomenal Ukrainian comic artist… Who am I forgetting? There’s two… I don’t have PREVIEWS in front of me! Reams: There’s Phil Hester .. and Jorge Fornes. Gorinson: Jorge Fornes drew Batman with Tom King, most recently did “Danger Street” with Tom King - INCREDIBLE artist, perfect for what we’re looking for with the EC mold. And of course Phil Hester - industry legend, deeply influenced by EC. The minute we made this announcement, Phil was kind enough to reach out and be like “put me on this..!” I don’t want to spoil too much … there’s a bunch of people who didn’t get announced yet .. the lineup for Cruel Universe #1 we haven’t shown anyone yet. It’ll be out next week … And then Epitaphs From the Abyss #2 has, in my opinion, one of the most impressive lineups of creators. I never dreamed that I would publish a book with these five creators on Epitaphs #2 - One of them is writing AND illustrating their own story, which is phenomenal! It is truly a “Cavalcade of Riches”, my friend. I’m gonna be excited to share it with everybody!

Reams: What about veteran ones like Angelo Torres, Kelley Jones, Ralph Reese, people like that? Is it just gonna be newer people or are you gonna bring on older people? Gorinson: I have not yet had a chance to speak to Angelo Torres; I would love to. I don’t know what his interest is …to be honest with you, it makes me a little afraid to pitch Angelo the idea of drawing a ‘quote-unquote’ “EC story” because I’m sure he will have feelings about that, but obviously a huge appreciator of his work. But in terms of veteran talents from the comic book industry and also people who were “Generation Two” after the EC crew. .. Reams: Like, from CREEPY/EERIE? Gorinson: Yeah, who either apprenticed, knew or worked alongside some of the original EC creators.. I’ve viewed it as incredibly important to hopefully get some of those people along for the ride…Phil Hester kind of falls into that box - he’s been doing this for 30 years at this point. There’s a couple names coming that you will be like… ‘WHOA!’… Specifically, in Epitaphs From The Abyss #2!

Reams: So a big part of EC, original EC, was the artwork-to-story balance. You had “Ghastly” Graham Ingels, you had Jack Kamen, Reed Crandall: very detailed/Pulp-like artwork!; Matched with very Prose-like writing. In the modern landscape, how is that gonna go… Gorinson: Yeah, there’s certain rules because.. what you don’t want to do, the last thing we want to do. … …I should give a shout-out to our editor and chief Sierra Hahn who’s my partner in crime on this entire thing! She’s a phenomenally talented comic book editor, has been doing this for close to 20 years, worked previously at Dark Horse - as well as at Boom Studios where we first crossed paths. Me and her have kind of debated and pushed-and-pulled over ‘what is the ‘bend it, don’t break it’ approach to the EC formula?’ …The last thing I wanted to do was find one-to-one artist equivalents. We have to have a Graham Ingels - kind of super hyper-detailed, gross, drippy-features guy! …We didn’t want to find ‘imitators.’ Part of what makes William Gaines one of the greatest comic book editors of all time, probably in competition with Stan Lee for the single greatest editor ever in the history of the medium, was his ability to pick artists and then let them ‘do their thing.’ That’s kind of the mandate that we have too, which we want super-capable storytellers because the amount of information ..The last thing we wanted to do was find ‘direct imitators’. Each original EC artist had their own definitive style; the one thing that they shared was a really powerful, clean economy of storytelling! Honestly, it’s a lot easier to draw a 22-page comic or an entire 4-or-6-issue arc of a comic book, than it is a 6-or-8-page story. It’s very hard to ‘hide your mistakes’ in a 6-page story.. ..What I think we ‘rightly diagnosed’ that we ‘needed’ is extremely clean, powerful storytellers - instead of someone who’s going to draw a horror host in a cool pose …plenty of guys can draw a horror host in a cool pose! I don’t know many who can do one of the most disgusting shocking 6-page stories that you’ve read all year! It’s a pretty short list!! So that was the mandate.. Gorinson: …In terms of the actual story-construction, there’s certain things that we’re going to retain - obviously all the stories have to be self-contained! Can’t do the “Dark Horse Presents” thing, or whatever, “2000 AD” where the story is continued from issue-to-issue. Don’t want to do that, it breaks the EC formula! The stories, where we can, they’re all probably going to have something similar to that original half-page Splash introduction … have a nice cool title treatment that introduces each one. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Leroy lettering, the books have to have this! We don’t have a Leroy Machine, can’t do it ‘exactly’ but we’re gonna letter the books in the same style, because when you see that - you know you’re reading an EC Comic. You know what I mean? It’s essential … Gorinson: We released a piece of promotional material today, like these little pre-order cards that are going to comics stores, that has the Leroy lettering on it… Gorinson: We released a new cover… for Epitaphs from the Abyss #2, by an artist named Adam Pollina, it’s a guy getting a nail hammered into his head in the true kind-of-Crime SuspenStories tradition. Reams: Is that in the PREVIEWS catalogue, or…? Gorinson: This is for Epitaphs # 2, so no one’s seen it yet. I think it’s on Bleeding Cool right now if you go check it out.

Reams: I’m gonna ask a few more questions…What themes can we look for during the future issues? Like will there be war themes? Satire-comic type themes? Or just sci-fi and horror? Gorinson: Adam [Pollina] drew one of my favorite comics when I was a kid.. “Rise of Apocalypse” from Marvel in the ‘90s. And then he went on to be a fashion designer. He’s a very accomplished artist. Gorinson: In terms of other genres, yeah, that’s part of the ‘mandate’. Starting things, we didn’t want to start with like, “Here’s 5 books - go get them!” We’re doing something radical - I’m well aware that we’re doing something provocative, possibly controversial, definitely treading on sacred ground by even inhabiting the EC logo on new books, not by the original creators. Now that we have people’s attention, we have to gain their trust. Part of the idea was ‘let’s start in a familiar place…’ with anthologies in the two kind of most central EC genres, horror and science fiction. But as I said, I don’t believe EC should be limited to that alone .. I think part of the success of EC was it had a broader tableau of storytelling that it did .. I’ve teased this out a little bit for retailers, and won’t say too much, but I will say that the third book we do - will be in a genre that EC told stories in, but never did a full book about. Reams: What is that? Picto-Fiction??! Gorinson: I don’t think I’m gonna be running back to Picto-Fiction anytime soon!!! But in 2025, we’ll also do something that is not an anthology! So, I’ve teased enough… Reams: Will there be collected volumes,? Gorinson: Oh 100%! Each of these will get collected as a graphic novel. Reams: Will they be hardcover or softcover? Gorinson: …It’s a little early for us to make a definitive call on that - I think the ‘rough draft ‘of the answer to that question is, We’ll probably collect the first 5-or-so issues of these series as softcover graphic novel, then once we have a larger group of them done, we’ll collect them in the big oversized deluxe hardcover format. We’re gonna see how it’s gonna go.

Gorinson: I don’t know if Cruel Universe will be like 12 issues or maybe it’s a shorter series and then we rotate it, and then we bring Cruel Universe back… where we do a second Sci-Fi series; kind of like Weird Fantasy/Weird Science thing, and rotate through a couple of them. Don’t be surprised if we do that! We want to keep people on their toes a little bit. We also just want to keep the level of quality and consistency high with what we’re doing. Reams: Yes… Um, the Sci-Fi titles were historically the least-selling EC titles, but they were the most loved… Gorinson: Science fiction in today’s market … not that much has changed - the three most bankable things in comics are superheroes, horror and science fiction. There’s a lot of great stories in Weird Science and Weird Fantasy; that was always amongst one of my favorite books. Again, I wanted to do something that was important to the team at Oni -that we not just do horror. The minute that we landed on the title ‘Cruel Universe’, we knew we had something! ..They’re all kind of ‘functionally’ horror stories to some degree. They may not be ‘overtly horror’ about people getting killed or maimed or whatever, but they’re all terrifying and upsetting and deranged to some degree. You know what I mean?

Reams: Well, I think that’s most of the questions I had and it is now 30 minutes… Gorinson: Oh, you did it! Fantastic job, man. Reams: We got most of them done! Gorinson: That’s awesome… Anytime you have questions - Please feel free! Reams: Sure! Thanks so much!

Comic Book Club Bonus: Hunter Gorinson At Baltimore Comic Con

Hunter Gorinson, President and Publisher at Oni Press joins the podcast at Baltimore Comic Con to talk about big changes at the publisher.

Hunter Gorinson, President and Publisher at Oni Press joins the podcast at Baltimore Comic Con to talk about big changes at the publisher. After taking over at Oni last year, Gorinson now has big plans to get the company back to basics — and prepped for the future, with a slate of new titles. And while Gorinson preps the New Class for Oni Press, he’s still keeping an eye on the past.…

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Comic Book Club Bonus: Hunter Gorinson At Baltimore Comic Con

Hunter Gorinson, President and Publisher at Oni Press joins the podcast at Baltimore Comic Con to talk about big changes at the publisher.

Hunter Gorinson, President and Publisher at Oni Press joins the podcast at Baltimore Comic Con to talk about big changes at the publisher. After taking over at Oni last year, Gorinson now has big plans to get the company back to basics — and prepped for the future, with a slate of new titles. And while Gorinson preps the New Class for Oni Press, he’s still keeping an eye on the past.…

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Hunter Gorinson Named President and Publisher of Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group

Hunter Gorinson Named President and Publisher of Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group @lionforge @OniPress

Earlier this week we had a chance to talk to some of our friends at Lion Forge about their highly anticipated animated series adaptation of Iyanu: Child of Wonder. And today the company has made a whopper of an announcement as former Boom Studios-exec Hunter Gorinson has joined the team as President and Publisher of the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group. (more…)

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The Daily Dad — Feb 20, 2024

Things you might want to know:

‘Everything is hairless’: what 100 women taught me about porn and body confidence 💭 I feel like anyone seriously researching porn’s influence on women’s self-image in the 2020s has to be old as fuck, ‘cause no one under fifty thinks that porn is having a meaningful impact on modern self-image in the era of Instagram. When it comes to generating insecurity, a bruised-up, bored porn slut being impaled by a sketchy cock has got nothin’ on a perfect size 0 lounging —toned and smooth— in an microscopic bikini next to an infinity pool overlooking Santorini while eating an improbable pizza.

Legendary Publisher EC Comics Rises From the Grave - IGN ❝ Oni has become the official home of the EC Comics brand, via a partnership with William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. The new line will be overseen by Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson and Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn in partnership with Cathy Gaines Mifsud and Corey Mifsud, the administrators of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.

Reddit has a new AI training deal to sell user content 💭 I just nuked a handful of my stories from Reddit. It probably won’t achieve much… they’ll probably let their scraping-buddy —coughOpenAIcough— go through the deleted content too. But it was a small price to pay for the chance to say “fuck you” to our imminent overlords.

The Text File That Runs the Internet ❝ "For decades, robots.txt governed the behavior of web crawlers. But as unscrupulous AI companies seek out more and more data, the basic social contract of the web is falling apart."

New FDA-approved drug makes severe food allergies less life-threatening 💭 Before long I won’t be able to count on a peanut perimeter to protect me from a full-on snuggle assault… which we in the business call a ‘Blossom Blitz’.

‘Life Is Strange’ and ‘Life Is Strange: Before the Storm’ Have Been Updated for Modern iOS Device and OS Support 💭 Okay, so Life Is Strange’s writing is hella whack, yo. And the expression-challenged character models tend to make it feel like a department store mannequin production of an off-off-Broadway play about loss, death, and Polaroids. But the “rewind” mechanic elevates the material, and I’m glad we’ve been playing it on the stream. If you want a mobile version of it, here ya go…

New York archdiocese calls funeral for trans activist at cathedral ‘scandalous’ ❝ Pastor of St Patrick’s Cathedral condemns service for Cecilia Gentili after she was celebrated as being ‘mother of all whores’

After a decade and $1.2 billion, NASA reveals its booty from Bennu: 121 grams 💭 It saddens me when stories like this —which should be presented as the exciting developments they are— lead with angerbait bullshit along the lines of ‘See how much they spent to get so little?! Here are some paragraphs explaining why this is actually cool, but we couldn’t get you to read without pissing you off first.’ Human beings do something amazing, and it ends up serving random economic grievances.

Asgard’s Wrath 2 Review - IGN 💭 I’m tempted to buy this for my Quest 2, but I haven’t gotten into a VR game since Half-Life: Alyx, and I’m not sure I want to spend 90 hours spinning in circles and trying not to fall into the TV.

ChatGPT vs. Gemini: Which AI Chatbot Subscription Is Right for You? ❝ Everyone wants your $20 per month for access to their best AI chatbot. Who gets it depends on what features are important to you.

OpenAI collapses media reality with Sora, a photorealistic AI video generator 💭 I recently read a pretty convincing argument that the nature of this generation of generative AI is self-limiting… the nature of the models will lead to most machine-created media looking uncannily similar, and thus boring. It won’t look bad, but those who consume enough of it will start to spot the seams. Which is good… in the short term. Hopefully, society will have time to prepare itself for the seamless shit we’ll see in 2040.

For Hundreds of Years, People Thought California Was an Island ❝ Dozens of maps show cartography's most persistent mistake.

How to get on 'Survivor': Behind the scenes of casting season 45 ❝ How do you get on 'Survivor'? Read the incredible stories and watch the audition videos of contestants that made in onto season 45.

Nvidia CEO calls for “Sovereign AI” as his firm overtakes Amazon in market value 💭 I’m not saying that there’s nothing to his argument. I’m just not sure that the dudes who stand to make billions —trillions?— from machine learning hardware are the right ones to be calling for what will essentially become a post-nuclear, multi-polar Cold War.

Walmart might buy Vizio to win the fight over cheap TVs ❝ Walmart is in talks to buy Vizio for $2 billion, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The deal could put Walmart in a position to compete with smart TVs from Roku and Amazon.

Comics Retailing

Direct market distribution has, for decades, been a keystone of comics culture, but its future is up for debate.

by Brigid Alverson 

It’s time to sing a (mostly) happy 50th birthday to the modern comics shop, though opinions differ on what the future holds for retailers. The direct market—that is, the group of bricks-and-mortar stores that stock periodical comics using a dedicated distribution system—celebrated a half-century run this past year. Despite the increasing popularity of graphic novels and the encroachment of bookstores, many retailers and publishers believe the direct market remains the keystone of comics culture.

“The book market has readers; the direct market has fans,” says Hunter Gorinson, president and publisher of Oni Press. “Even though that audience can be perceived as smaller, sometimes their voice and their contributions to comic book culture far outrank what you would find in bookstores.”

In 2022, according to the latest ICv2 industry report, sales of comics and graphic novels came to about $1.2 billion in the book channel and $735 million in the direct market. That’s a 40% increase for direct market over 2019. Though overall figures for 2023 were not available at press time, ICv2 estimates sales in comics shops are down 8% this past year, per a ComicHub sample, which also shows periodical comics down 5.8% and graphic novels down 11.9%.

Still, overall sales are expected to remain higher than they were before the pandemic. Those sales are spread among the roughly 3,000 independent retail stores worldwide that are, in Gorinson’s words, “the incubator of comics culture.”

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"Coming out of the Diamond Comics Retailer Lunch, Hunter Gorinson President & Publisher of Oni Press has had to tell comic book retailers that they may not be getting all the copies of Dwellings #1 launching soon. And it's all because they ordered too many. They have put a second printing and now a third printing through the system. Oni experienced an unprecedented surge in FOC orders for Dwellings #1 – the new Harvey Comics-inspired horror series by Eisner nominee Jay Stephens – that reached 127% of initial orders, outstripping the 125% overprint that the publisher had instituted due to long-lead manufacturing time for the perfect bound, 72-page book."

Oh, it turns out Jay Stephens's Dwellings is a small hit over there in the Direct Market. I've read a couple of those, from crowdfunding-- those are fun-- they're these sort of horror comics except done in Stephens's mid-20th-century humor-cartoonist style. Occasionally the "jokes" are a little too right-wing for me-- "oh no political correctness" type garbage, some real stupid bits; I don't feel like it's malevolent or anything-- Stephens just seems very Canadian (derogatory). Or very comics (even more derogatory).

But Stephens just draws funny, in a way that's really hard for people. I just always enjoy his drawings and sense of design, going back ... 20 years now, with those old Jetcat comics or whatever. That mix of an adult sensibility and Hanna Barbera-tinged art-- I mean, it's been done (Rob Walton's Ragmop, say), but Stephens's horror bits land for me-- they make me laugh the way I want a thing like that to make me laugh-- he pulls of the bit, I guess, even if I've seen it before. Anyways, I like it. Kind of nice to see people find it-- I don't know how anything works anymore, so.

(Seems like Oni also picked up on how Jordan Thomas and Shaky Kane have been putting out comics through crowdfunding too-- I've seen how hard Thomas works on promoting-- good for them, I guess. I think I have some of their work together lying around but I don't remember what I've seen or not. Shaky Kane kind of a tricky guy, a lot of aesthetic there, needs the right project, but seems like they've been putting out fun work together too). (I mean, I mostly only just read manga anymore, though, and feel good about that on days like today, and don't really suggest anyone do otherwise, but setting that aside, you know, for oh-good-for-them purposes). (X)

EC COMICS IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE – AND ALL–NEW PUBLISHING LINE – AT ONI PRESS

Seventy years after the creation of the Comics Code Authority irrevocably changed the course of comics history, the most infamous, notorious and controversial comic publisher of all time is set to return from the grave in summer 2024… 

Oni Press – the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic fiction for more than 25 years – is proud to announce a brand-new publishing partnership with William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. that will see the full-fledged return of EC Comics to comic shop and bookstore shelves worldwide with a slate of all-new series beginning in the summer of 2024. 

Beginning with EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1 in July and CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 in August – the first official EC Comics series produced in nearly seven decades – Oni’s ambitious EC Comics publishing program will be overseen by Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson and Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn in partnership with Cathy Gaines Mifsud and Corey Mifsud, the daughter and grandson of legendary EC Publisher William M. Gaines and administrators of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. 

“As my father said, ‘Only in the bounds of good taste!’ and I’m so excited to exhibit EC's good taste with Oni Press, who have distinguished themselves with both an award-winning library of comics and graphic novels and a passionate understanding of EC’s singular role in shaping comics history,” said Cathy Gaines Mifsud, President of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. 

“EC Comics is no stranger to a good comeback story! We’re thrilled to make this return with Oni Press and usher the classic EC sensibilities into the modern world,” said Corey Mifsud, Executive Director of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. “It’s always been our dream to one day bring the fearless creative spirit of EC to a new generation. Working hand-in-hand with Oni’s award-winning team and a sensational cast of creators, it’s a pleasure to – at long last – shepherd EC into the 21st century with all-new series and stories.”

Edited by Hahn, Oni’s curated line of EC titles – which will include at least two series on a monthly basis from July 2024 onward in the genres of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and more – will feature contributions from a rotating cast of high-profile comics talents that includes writers Jason Aaron (Thor, Southern Bastards), Brian Azzarello (Batman: Damned, 100 Bullets), Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia), Corinna Bechko (Invisible Republic), Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun), Christopher Cantwell (Briar), Cecil Castellucci (Shade the Changing Girl), Chris Condon (That Texas Blood), Joshua Hale Fialkov (The Bunker), J. Holtham (AMC’s The Handmaid’s Tale), Jeff Jensen (HBO’s Watchmen, Green River Killer), Matt Kindt (BRZRKR, Mind MGMT), Sean Lewis (King Spawn), Stephanie Phillips (Grim), Jay Stephens (Dwellings), Zac Thompson (Cemetery Kids Don’t Die), Ben H. Winters (CBS’ Tracker), and more; artists Kano (Gotham Central, Immortal Iron Fist), Peter Krause (Irredeemable), Leomacs (Rogues), Malachi Ward (Black Hammer: The End), Dustin Weaver (Avengers, Paklis), and more; designer Rian Hughes (The Multiversity); alongside covers from Lee Bermejo (A Vicious Circle, Batman: Damned), Greg Smallwood (The Human Target), J.H. Williams III (Sandman: Overture, Promethea), and more to be revealed in the weeks and months ahead. 

“Seventy years ago, EC Comics redefined what comics could be with shocking, confrontational and brilliantly crafted stories that challenged the existential issues at the center of American life – censorship, racism, sexism, nuclear proliferation, and more. Today, those battles continue in alarming and pernicious new ways,” said Oni Press Editor-in-Chief, Sierra Hahn. “What better time to resurrect the undying spirit of EC Comics – one of the most entertaining, subversive, and influential publishers of all time – with an all-star cast of storytellers to examine today’s society through the lens that William Gaines and his legendary collaborators have left us.”

Founded by M.C. "Max" Gaines – often cited as one of the original creators of the comic book format – as “Educational Comics” in 1944, EC spearheaded a watershed evolution in the craft, quality, and power of the comics medium under Max's son, William M. Gaines, following the elder Gaines’ sudden death in 1947. Rechristening his father’s creation as “Entertaining Comics,” publisher, editor, and writer William M. Gaines recruited one of the most legendary creative stables in the history of the comics medium – including future Eisner Hall of Fame inductees Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, Al Feldstein, Frank Frazetta, Harvey Kurtzman, Joe Orlando, John Severin, Marie Severin, Al Williamson, Wally Wood, and many more – to oversee the creation of a revolutionary slate of new series that would soon grow to include TALES FROM THE CRYPT, MAD MAGAZINE, WEIRD SCIENCE, TWO-FISTED TALES, and more. 

Widely celebrated for fearlessly confrontational stories that were as creatively innovative as they were culturally subversive – confronting racial and gender inequality, militarism, and environmental degradation in ways that would anticipate both the burgeoning counterculture and Civil Rights movements – EC’s urge to probe the darkness lurking beyond the edges of post-war America though tales of horror, science fiction, humor, and war earned the company millions of readers … and established a new high watermark for one of the first definitively American artforms: the comic book. 

However, EC’s reign at the forefront of the American comic book industry – a period during which it eclipsed Marvel, DC, and Archie with sales of 10 million comics per year – would come crashing down in 1954 as an anti-comics moral panic swept America, inspiring book burnings, police surveillance, and a Congressional investigation that would see William M. Gaines’ testimony broadcast live in households across the country. This pro-censorship movement soon culminated in the creation of the Comics Code Authority, a sanitizing regulatory group whose guidelines were specifically tailored to remove EC’s comics from newsstands. EC’s final comics – until now – were published in 1956, and the hugely popular MAD was re-formatted as a magazine to escape Code scrutiny. Even so, the untimely death of EC could not erase the company’s far-reaching impact, having already inspired a young generation of readers – including John Carpenter, Guillermo del Toro, Matt Groening, James Gunn, George Lucas, Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, The Ramones, George Romero, Steven Spielberg, and hundreds more – who have cited EC’s iconoclastic brand of storytelling as a deep and primordial influence. 

“There are few things more sacred to the canon of comic book history – and global pop culture – than EC Comics. The company’s audaciously inspired sensibilities have continuously echoed through nearly all facets of entertainment – like pieces of shrapnel embedded in American imagination,” said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson. “It’s both a huge honor and immense responsibility to be entrusted to work alongside the Gaines family in inhabiting EC’s indomitable spirit for a new generation. At a moment when we find ourselves confronting the same reactionary forces – injustice, inequality, and of course, censorship – that EC challenged head-on, we intend to write a new and powerful chapter that honors and expands one of the most important legacies the comic book medium has ever produced.”

Oni Press’ first two new EC titles – EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS and CRUEL UNIVERSE, a pair of horror and science anthologies in the classic EC mold – will debut in July and August 2024, respectively, before the publisher introduces more series in genres and formats that will expand the scope and scale of the EC publishing line in ways never before attempted. 

Hunter Gorinson Named President and Publisher of Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group! #comics #congrats @hgorinson http://ow.ly/iP5250LSSG5

Exclusive NYCC 2023: Oni Press returns with the Class of 2024!

Exclusive NYCC 2023: Oni Press returns with the Class of 2024! #nycc #nycc2023

Oni Press has announced that is returning to New York Comic Con (NYCC) for THE CLASS OF 2024 – a must-see panel presentation detailing a titanic slate of new and upcoming projects from some of the industry’s most talented creators: Melissa Flores (TOP SECRET, Power Rangers), Eisner Award nominee Matt Lesniewski (FACELESS AND THE FAMILY), Eisner Award nominee Jarrett Melendez (TOP SECRET, CHEF’S…

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EC LIVES… AGAIN: The Return Of EC Comics

By Chet Reams

So folks, it seems that EC Comics is getting back into publishng yet again. You may be asking "Another new volume/series-run of Tales From The Crypt comics? More EC reprint volumes?" The answer is actually something else entirely. EC Comics (@ec-comics) (legally referred to "William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.") and Oni Press (@onipress) are teaming up to produce two brand-new EC Comics comic-book series! Following is the official Press Release (as provided to Crypt of MADness by EC Comics/William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.)!

EC COMICS IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE – AND ALL–NEW PUBLISHING LINE – AT ONI PRESS

The Infamous and Influential Comics Imprint That Redefined Pop Culture Returns with Staggering New Titles and Superstar Creators – Beginning Summer 2024

Seventy years after the creation of the Comics Code Authority irrevocably changed the course of comics history, the most infamous, notorious and controversial comic publisher of all time is set to return from the grave in summer 2024…

Oni Press – the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic fiction for more than 25 years – is proud to announce a brand-new publishing partnership with William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. that will see the full-fledged return of EC Comics to comic shop and bookstore shelves worldwide with a slate of all-new series beginning in the summer of 2024.

Beginning with EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1 in July and CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 in August – the first official EC Comics series produced in nearly seven decades – Oni’s ambitious EC Comics publishing program will be overseen by Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson and Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn in partnership with Cathy Gaines Mifsud and Corey Mifsud, the daughter and grandson of legendary EC Publisher William M. Gaines and administrators of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.

“As my father said, ‘Only in the bounds of good taste!’ and I’m so excited to exhibit EC's good taste with Oni Press, who have distinguished themselves with both an award-winning library of comics and graphic novels and a passionate understanding of EC’s singular role in shaping comics history,” said Cathy Gaines Mifsud, President of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.

“EC Comics is no stranger to a good comeback story! We’re thrilled to make this return with Oni Press and usher the classic EC sensibilities into the modern world,” said Corey Mifsud, Executive Director of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. “It’s always been our dream to one day bring the fearless creative spirit of EC to a new generation. Working hand-in-hand with Oni’s award-winning team and a sensational cast of creators, it’s a pleasure to – at long last – shepherd EC into the 21st century with all-new series and stories.”

Edited by Hahn, Oni’s curated line of EC titles – which will include at least two series on a monthly basis from July 2024 onward in the genres of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and more – will feature contributions from a rotating cast of high-profile comics talents that includes writers Jason Aaron (Thor, Southern Bastards), Brian Azzarello (Batman: Damned, 100 Bullets), Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia), Corinna Bechko (Invisible Republic), Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun), Christopher Cantwell (Briar), Cecil Castellucci (Shade the Changing Girl), Chris Condon (That Texas Blood), Joshua Hale Fialkov (The Bunker), J. Holtham (AMC’s The Handmaid’s Tale), Jeff Jensen (HBO’s Watchmen, Green River Killer), Matt Kindt (BRZRKR, Mind MGMT), Sean Lewis (King Spawn), Stephanie Phillips (Grim), Jay Stephens (Dwellings), Zac Thompson (Cemetery Kids Don’t Die), Ben H. Winters (CBS’ Tracker), and more; artists Kano (Gotham Central, Immortal Iron Fist), Peter Krause (Irredeemable), Leomacs (Rogues), Malachi Ward (Black Hammer: The End), Dustin Weaver (Avengers, Paklis), and more; designer Rian Hughes (The Multiversity); alongside covers from Lee Bermejo (A Vicious Circle, Batman: Damned), Greg Smallwood (The Human Target), J.H. Williams III (Sandman: Overture, Promethea), and more to be revealed in the weeks and months ahead.

“Seventy years ago, EC Comics redefined what comics could be with shocking, confrontational and brilliantly crafted stories that challenged the existential issues at the center of American life – censorship, racism, sexism, nuclear proliferation, and more. Today, those battles continue in alarming and pernicious new ways.,” said Oni Press Editor-in-Chief, Sierra Hahn. “What better time to resurrect the undying spirit of EC Comics – one of the most entertaining, subversive, and influential publishers of all time – with an all-star cast of storytellers to examine today’s society through the lens that William Gaines and his legendary collaborators have left us.”

Founded by M.C. "Max" Gaines – often cited as one of the original creators of the comic book format – as “Educational Comics” in 1944, EC spearheaded a watershed evolution in the craft, quality, and power of the comics medium under Max's son, William M. Gaines, following the elder Gaines’ sudden death in 1947. Rechristening his father’s creation as “Entertaining Comics,” publisher, editor, and writer William M. Gaines recruited one of the most legendary creative stables in the history of the comics medium – including future Eisner Hall of Fame inductees Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, Al Feldstein, Frank Frazetta, Harvey Kurtzman, Joe Orlando, John Severin, Marie Severin, Al Williamson, Wally Wood, and many more – to oversee the creation of a revolutionary slate of new series that would soon grow to include TALES FROM THE CRYPT, MAD MAGAZINE, WEIRD SCIENCE, TWO-FISTED TALES, and more.

Widely celebrated for fearlessly confrontational stories that were as creatively innovative as they were culturally subversive – confronting racial and gender inequality, militarism, and environmental degradation in ways that would anticipate both the burgeoning counterculture and Civil Rights movements – EC’s urge to probe the darkness lurking beyond the edges of post-war America though tales of horror, science fiction, humor, and war earned the company millions of readers … and established a new high watermark for one of the first definitively American artforms: the comic book.

However, EC’s reign at the forefront of the American comic book industry – a period during which it eclipsed Marvel, DC, and Archie with sales of 10 million comics per year – would come crashing down in 1954 as an anti-comics moral panic swept America, inspiring book burnings, police surveillance, and a Congressional investigation that would see William M. Gaines’ testimony broadcast live in households across the country. This pro-censorship movement soon culminated in the creation of the Comics Code Authority, a sanitizing regulatory group whose guidelines were specifically tailored to remove EC’s comics from newsstands. EC’s final comics – until now – were published in 1956, and the hugely popular MAD was re-formatted as a magazine to escape Code scrutiny. Even so, the untimely death of EC could not erase the company’s far-reaching impact, having already inspired a young generation of readers – including John Carpenter, Guillermo del Toro, Matt Groening, James Gunn, George Lucas, Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, The Ramones, George Romero, Steven Spielberg, and hundreds more – who have cited EC’s iconoclastic brand of storytelling as a deep and primordial influence.

“There are few things more sacred to the canon of comic book history – and global pop culture – than EC Comics. The company’s audaciously inspired sensibilities have continuously echoed through nearly all facets of entertainment – like pieces of shrapnel embedded in American imagination,” said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson. “It’s both a huge honor and immense responsibility to be entrusted to work alongside the Gaines family in inhabiting EC’s indomitable spirit for a new generation. At a moment when we find ourselves confronting the same reactionary forces – injustice, inequality, and of course, censorship – that EC challenged head-on, we intend to write a new and powerful chapter that honors and expands one of the most important legacies the comic book medium has ever produced.”

Oni Press’ first two new EC titles – EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS and CRUEL UNIVERSE, a pair of horror and science anthologies in the classic EC mold – will debut in July and August 2024, respectively, before the publisher introduces more series in genres and formats that will expand the scope and scale of the EC publishing line in ways never before attempted.

Introducing "Bad Idea Comics"; A New Publisher Coming To Shops Near You

Introducing “Bad Idea Comics”; A New Publisher Coming To Shops Near You

The Press Release: From here on out, you’re going to hear an awful lot about BAD IDEA – an experimental new comic book publisher debuting in select comic shops in May 2020. But, wait, we’ll get to the “select” part in a second. BAD IDEA’s mantra is “don’t do anything unless it’s special.” That could apply to the way we appear at conventions, it could be the way we get books into stores, but, more…

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W-BAD IDEA TV…it's BAD IDEA’S First Panel...Movie? Live from Baltimore Comic-Con?

W-BAD IDEA TV…it’s BAD IDEA’S First Panel…Movie? Live from Baltimore Comic-Con?

BAD IDEA BEGINS IN 2021!

~Starring in Order of Appearance~ Matt Kindt, Doug Braithwaite, E.N.I.A.C., that one guy from ferris bueller Dinesh “vitamin d” Shamdasani, Andy Liegl of Brave New World Comics, Robert Venditti, Hunter Gorinson, USPS, Lewis Larosa, Ramon Villalobos Jen King of Space Cadets Comics, Atom Freeman, Marguerite Bennett Ultimate Comics Crew, Joshua Dysart, Its, The Button (RIP), Karl…

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The Strange Talent of Luther Strode Feature Film

New production company Allnighter today announced that it will be adapting the hit Image Comics series The Strange Talent of Luther Strode as a feature film in partnership with series co-creators Justin Jordan and Tradd Moore. Allnighter's Dinesh Shamdasani, Hunter Gorinson, and Amanda Kruse will produce the film alongside co-creators Jordan and Moore. Jordan is currently at work adapting the comic and will pen the screenplay.

The Strange Talent of Luther Strode is one of the runaway hit series, alongside The Walking Dead and Saga, that redefined Image Comics for a new generation. The subject of near-universal critical acclaim and multiple sold-out printings, the series cemented writer Justin Jordan and artist Tradd Moore alike as two of comics' fastest rising stars upon its debut in 2011 and led both to best-selling turns at the helm of Marvel and DC's biggest franchises. In the process, Jordan and Moore reunited for two equally successful follow-ups – 2012's The Legend of Luther Strode and 2015's The Legacy of Luther Strode – to complete the genre-colliding trilogy that first rocketed them to superstar status.

Like Venom and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Luther Strode deftly splices together the common DNA of the superhero and slasher archetypes for a brash and bloody adventure that is equal parts comic-book escapism and action-horror hybrid.

High schooler Luther Strode was always a little bit less than average – soft-spoken, skinny, and, more than anything, terrified that his estranged father would one day return to torment him and his mother once more. But that ended the day that Luther discovered "The Method" – an improbably old text hidden between the comic books and ragged paperbacks at his favorite used bookstore. But The Method is far more than it seems – and, as its ancient techniques rework Luther's body and unlock the strange talents buried deep within, he will find himself transformed into a near-perfect physical specimen imbued with incredible strength, startling new abilities...and a killer's instinct for violence that he can't quite seem to shake. When The Method's masters arrive to observe Luther's progress and draw him into action, he'll be forced to make the ultimate choice: embrace the monster he was intended to be...or use his newfound power to protect the people – the classmates, the teachers, the neighbors – who never protected him when he needed them the most.

Jordan’s other film and television projects currently include an adaptation of his comics series Spread with artist Kyle Strahm, while Moore’s 2019 series with writer Ales Kot, The New World, is being adapted as a feature film for Warner Bros. Pictures.