Author Archives: Ashley Kronsberg

IMAGE COMICS TO RELEASE ED BRUBAKER & MARCOS MARTÍN’S EISNER AWARD NOMINATED FRIDAY IN PRINT FOR THE FIRST TIME

By Ashley KronsbergJuly 16, 2021Industry News

PORTLAND, Ore. 07/16/2021 — Image Comics will publish the Eisner Award nominated Panel Syndicate comic—Friday—by the award winning creative team, Ed Brubaker (Pulp, Reckless, Criminal) and Marcos Martín (The Private Eye, Daredevil) in print for the first time. Friday, Book One: The First Day of Christmas will collect the first arc of the series and hit shelves this November.

“I’m so excited to finally see Friday in print. This is one of my career-favorite projects, and every chapter that Marcos draws ups his game to an unbelievable level,” said Brubaker. “I’ve never really done anything like this book before, a post-YA coming of age story with that beautiful mid-70s era look, and watching Marcos and Muntsa bring the town of Kings Hill to life has been astonishing. I can’t wait for a whole new audience to discover Friday Fitzhugh and her terrible Christmas.”

Friday follows a young adult sidekick trying to find her own place in a world that’s one part Encyclopedia Brown and one part HP Lovecraft.

Martín added: “Friday Fitzhugh and Lancelot Jones thought they were enjoying their adventures as YA detectives in a nice New England town but of course, they didn’t know their lives were in the hands of master crime storyteller, Ed Brubaker. That’s real unfortunate for them as anyone familiar with Ed’s expert hand in setting up dark, troubling situations wrapped in sad, melancholic atmospheres knows. But their loss is our gain and I hope the readers will have as much of a blast getting to know these characters as I’ve had drawing them. Or if nothing else, just flip through the pages to enjoy Muntsa’s beautiful color work.”

Friday Fitzhugh spent her childhood solving crimes and digging up occult secrets with her best friend Lancelot Jones, the smartest boy in the world. But that was the past. Now she’s in college, starting a new life on her own—or so she thought. When Friday comes home for the holidays, she’s immediately pulled back into Lance’s orbit and finds that something very strange and dangerous is happening in their little New England town… Everything quickly snowballs into the Christmas vacation from Hell—and they may not survive to see the New Year.

“For me, Friday was one of the highlights of an obviously turbulent 2020,” said Eric Stephenson, Chief Creative Officer & Publisher at Image Comics. “After enjoying Friday as a reader via Panel Syndicate, I’m thrilled to be in a position to publish Ed and Marcos’s masterwork here at Image. Comics don’t get much better than this.”

Friday, Book One: The First Day of Christmas trade paperback (ISBN: 978-1534320581, Diamond Code: AUG210009) will be available on Wednesday, November 3 and in bookstores on Tuesday, November 9. It can be pre-ordered at your local comic book shop or independent bookstore via Bookshop or IndieBound, or it can be pre-ordered on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Indigo.

Friday remains available in digital format at Panel Syndicate.

Lizel Buenaventura Discusses ‘They Fell From the Sky’ from Mad Cave Studios

By Ashley KronsbergJuly 15, 2021Industry News, Interviews

Tommy Murphy is just an ordinary kid. He goes to school, hangs out with his friends, and fanboys over his favorite TV show. But when a chance encounter in the woods thrusts him into an unlikely friendship with an otherworldly creature, he is forced to navigate bullies, family squabbles, and tween woes… all while trying to prevent an interplanetary war!

Liezl Buenaventura is a writer and comic colorist who resides in Manila, Philippines with her husband and son. Over the years, she has worked with Scout Comics, Zenescope Entertainment, Kymera Press, and various other publishers.

Check out our interview with Lizel Buenaventura below!

Publisher Marketing Resources

By Ashley KronsbergJuly 13, 2021Uncategorized

Diamond provides their publishers with various marketing resources to help promote their titles to the book and library markets. You can access these resources using the links below.

ARC/Direct Mailing PDF

New Publisher Packet

Book Trade Reviewers & PR

2023 Editorial Calendar & Pricing

Baker & Taylor Ad Rate Card

Baker & Taylor Graphic Novel Catalog

How to Support Independent Bookstores

Ingram Graphic Novel Catalog

Rainbow Bridge

By Ashley KronsbergJuly 12, 2021Featured Graphic NovelsFeatured Graphic Novel, graphic novel

Published by AfterShock Comics

ISBN: 9781949028676
Price: $16.99
Genre: Coming of Age, YA Fiction
Ages: 12+

On Sale: August 17, 2021

RAINBOW BRIDGE is an original graphic novel from Steve Foxe and Steve Orlando – the first to be published under AfterShock’s new YA imprint: SEISMIC PRESS.

What if the Rainbow Bridge was the Bifrost?

ANDY’s parents rescued ROCKET when Andy was just a toddler, and they grew up together, with Rocket serving as Andy’s guardian through every one of childhood’s ups and downs. So when Rocket passes away right before Andy’s 14th birthday, he’s rudderless. High school is coming soon and he can’t imagine making that transition without Rocket at his side. The day before school starts, when Andy is at his lowest, he visits Rocket’s grave, and unexpectedly summons the RAINBOW BRIDGE, a gateway to a fantasy world where pets discover their afterlife.

One part heaven and one part limbo, this is a final resting place for pets – but also a realm where any unfinished business must be completed, before restless pet souls twist into bizarre, seemingly malevolent wraiths that haunt the periphery of this otherwise splendid paradise. It’s extremely rare for a human to visit this realm, but Rocket and Andy find each other again in this wondrous pet Valhalla to go on one last epic adventure to help Rocket reunite with his lost littermate, fulfilling Rocket’s last wishes. Here, the roles are reversed, as Andy has to be the strong one and support Rocket in his quest for closure. By adventure’s end, Andy finally gains the confidence to let go of his childhood and enter the next phase of his life, starting his first day of high school.

RAINBOW BRIDGE is aimed primarily at younger readers, on the border of middle grade and YA, but should resonate with anyone who has ever had to say goodbye to a beloved pet – or anyone who greeted growing up with nervousness and anxiety. Like JOE THE BARBARIAN before it, RAINBOW BRIDGE can address the lines between reality and fantasy (although everything in the book is portrayed as actually happening), wish fulfillment and personal growth, childhood and young adulthood. There are also themes of overcoming trauma, and of compassion for animals. The Realm Beyond the Rainbow Bridge is shaped by its inhabitants, and contains vast fantasy vistas inspired by the adventures pets and their owners, especially kids, imagine for themselves.

Key Selling Points

Contributor Bio(s)

Rainbow Bridge is the launch of SEISMIC PRESS a YA imprint from AfterShock ComicS
A story about grief, anxiety and coming of age

Marketing Plan

National advertising campaign
Extensive library marketing campaign
Review maililng
ARCs
National PR

STEVE FOXE is the author of more than 50 comics and children’s books for properties including Spider-Ham, Pokémon, Batman, Transformers, Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and Grumpy Cat. He is the co-creator of Razorblades: The Horror Magazine alongside James Tynion IV. He was the editor for Paste Magazine‘s comic section (when it existed), has contributed to PanelxPanel, The MNT, and The Comics Journal, and spent five years at Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House. He lives in Queens.

STEVE ORLANDO’s first book ever was poorly drawn in fifth-grade classroom pencils on Xerox paper, and featured a doughboy with superpowers, and names changed from trademark purposes. He was a precocious child. Today he writes and produces comics, including Virgil, Crude and stories in the Eisner Award Nominated Outlaw Territory at Image Comics. He launched Midnighter and took part in Batman and Robin Eternal and CMYK: Yellow at DC Entertainment. Find him at your convenience deep down the rabbit hole of discussing wine, spirits, or mythology.

Preview Pages

Mark London Discusses Mad Cave’s Upcoming Anthology GRIMM TALES FROM THE CAVE

By Ashley KronsbergJuly 12, 2021Industry News, Interviews

Mad Cave Studios presents a horrifying take on the Grimm Tales. Headlined by creators like: Cullen Bunn, Mark London, Stephanie Phillips, Chris Sebela, Nadia Shammas, & Che Grayson, along with stories from our 2020 talent search winners. Expect familiar stories with modern sensibilities & new terrifying illustrations.

With an all-original 20-page story from writer Cullen Bunn & artist Andrea Mutti using the Grimm Fairy Tales as inspiration, Mad Cave’s first ever horror anthology, based on a variety of Grimm Fairy Tales, will feature over ten haunting stories from a range of creators. In addition to industry veterans like Mark London and Stephanie Phillips, this anthology will feature work from all of Mad Cave’s 2020 talent search winners. Look out for this terrifying anthology this October.

Steve Orlando, Steve Foxe, and Christina Harrington Discuss RAINBOW BRIDGE

By Ashley KronsbergJuly 12, 2021Industry News, Interviews

RAINBOW BRIDGE is an original graphic novel from Steve Foxe and Steve Orlando – the first to be published under AfterShock’s new YA imprint: SEISMIC PRESS.

What if the Rainbow Bridge was the Bifrost?

ANDY’s parents rescued ROCKET when Andy was just a toddler, and they grew up together, with Rocket serving as Andy’s guardian through every one of childhood’s ups and downs. So when Rocket passes away right before Andy’s 14th birthday, he’s rudderless. High school is coming soon and he can’t imagine making that transition without Rocket at his side. The day before school starts, when Andy is at his lowest, he visits Rocket’s grave, and unexpectedly summons the RAINBOW BRIDGE, a gateway to a fantasy world where pets discover their afterlife.

One part heaven and one part limbo, this is a final resting place for pets – but also a realm where any unfinished business must be completed, before restless pet souls twist into bizarre, seemingly malevolent wraiths that haunt the periphery of this otherwise splendid paradise. It’s extremely rare for a human to visit this realm, but Rocket and Andy find each other again in this wondrous pet Valhalla to go on one last epic adventure to help Rocket reunite with his lost littermate, fulfilling Rocket’s last wishes. Here, the roles are reversed, as Andy has to be the strong one and support Rocket in his quest for closure. By adventure’s end, Andy finally gains the confidence to let go of his childhood and enter the next phase of his life, starting his first day of high school.

RAINBOW BRIDGE is aimed primarily at younger readers, on the border of middle grade and YA, but should resonate with anyone who has ever had to say goodbye to a beloved pet – or anyone who greeted growing up with nervousness and anxiety. Like JOE THE BARBARIAN before it, RAINBOW BRIDGE can address the lines between reality and fantasy (although everything in the book is portrayed as actually happening), wish fulfillment and personal growth, childhood and young adulthood. There are also themes of overcoming trauma, and of compassion for animals. The Realm Beyond the Rainbow Bridge is shaped by its inhabitants, and contains vast fantasy vistas inspired by the adventures pets and their owners, especially kids, imagine for themselves.

STEVE ORLANDO‘s first book ever was poorly drawn in fifth-grade classroom pencils on Xerox paper, and featured a doughboy with superpowers, and names changed from trademark purposes. He was a precocious child. Today he writes and produces comics, including Virgil, Crude and stories in the Eisner Award Nominated Outlaw Territory at Image Comics. He launched Midnighter and took part in Batman and Robin Eternal and CMYK: Yellow at DC Entertainment. Find him at your convenience deep down the rabbit hole of discussing wine, spirits, or mythology.

Check out our interview with creators STEVE ORLANDO, STEVE FOXE, and editor CHRISTINA HARRINGTON below!

The Graphic Novel Revisited

By Ashley KronsbergJuly 12, 2021Industry News, InterviewsInterview

Eddie Campbell (From Hell, Alec, Bacchus), Carson Grubaugh (The Strange Death of Alex Raymond) and Sean Michael Robinson (Living the Line publisher) discuss the 2020 From Hell Master Edition, and The Strange Death of Alex Raymond (2021); the commonalities of the two works, their development revision and preservation, and both artists’ continuing pursuit of boundary-pushing visual expression. This talk was recorded live as part of the American Library Association’s 2021 virtual conference.

Eric Powell and Harold Schechter Discuss DID YOU HEAR WHAT EDDIE GEIN DONE?

By Ashley KronsbergJuly 12, 2021Industry News, Interviews

One of the greats in the field of true crime literature, Harold Schechter (Deviant, The Serial Killer Files, Hell’s Princess), teams with five-time Eisner Award-winning graphic novelist Eric Powell (The Goon, Big Man Plans, Hillbilly) to bring you the tale of one of the most notoriously deranged serial killers in American history, Ed Gein.

Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? is an in-depth exploration of the Gein family and what led to the creation of the necrophile who haunted the dreams of 1950s America and inspired such films as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs.

Painstakingly researched and illustrated, Schechter and Powell’s true crime graphic novel takes the Gein story out of the realms of exploitation and gives the reader a fact-based dramatization of these tragic, psychotic and heartbreaking events. Because, in this case, the truth needs no embellishment to be horrifying.

ERIC POWELL is a writer and artist from Nashville, Tennessee, who has contributed work for every major publisher in the comics industry. Powell has spent his career creating and promoting the validity and importance of creator-owned comics, including his own critically acclaimed series The Goon, which launched in 1999 and quickly became an indie hit with a die-hard cult following. In collaboration with renowned filmmaker David Fincher and directors Tim Miller and Jeff Fowler of Blur Studio, Powell is now working to bring The Goon to life on the big screen as an animated feature film.

HAROLD SCHECHTER is a professor of American literature and culture. Renowned for his true-crime writing, he is the author of the nonfiction books Fatal, Fiend, Bestial, Deviant, Deranged, Depraved, and, with David Everitt, The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. He is also the author of Nevermore and The Hum Bug, the acclaimed historical novels featuring Edgar Allan Poe. He lives in New York State.

Check out our interview with ERIC POWELL and HAROLD SCHECHTER below.

HAHA

By Ashley KronsbergJuly 12, 2021Featured Graphic NovelsFeatured Graphic Novel

Published by Image Comics

ISBN: 9781534319141
Price: $16.99
Genre: Horror
Ages: 13+

On Sale: September 28, 2021

ICE CREAM MAN writer W. MAXWELL PRINCE brings his signature style of one-shot storytelling to the world of clowns—and he’s invited SOME OF COMIC’S BEST ARTISTS to join him for the ride.

HAHA is a genre-jumping, throat-lumping look at the sad, scary, hilarious life of those who get paid to play the fool—but these ain’t your typical jokers.

With chapters drawn by VANESA DEL REY (REDLANDS), GABRIEL WALTA (VISION), ROGER LANGRIDGE (THOR), and more, Haha peeks under the big top, over the rainbow, and even inside a balloon to tell a wide-ranging slew of stories about “funny” men and women, proving that some things are so sad you just have to laugh.

Collects HAHA #1-6

Key Selling Points

Contributor Bio(s)

ICE CREAM MAN writer W. MAXWELL PRINCE brings his signature style of chaptered storytelling to the world of clowns-and he’s invited SOME OF THE COMIC INDUSTRY’S BEST ARTISTS to join him for the ride, with VANESA DEL REY (REDLANDS), GABRIEL WALTA (Vision), ROGER LANGRIDGE (Thor), and more
The gut-punch storytelling of ICE CREAM MAN is echoed in these standalone clown stories which range in genre well beyond just the horror nods to Pennywise
W. Maxwell Prince has discovered the secret formula for high-selling sales with entertaining, standalone anthology storytelling. With HAHA, he capitalizes off that by expanding his audience well beyond just the horror genre

W. MAXWELL PRINCE writes in Brooklyn and lives with his wife, daughter, and two cats called Mischief and Mayhem. He is the author of ONE WEEK IN THE LIBRARY (Image), The Electric Sublime (IDW), and Judas: The Last Days (ibid). When not writing, he tries to render all of human experience in chart form.

Cuban artist VANESA R. DEL REY began her career doing concept art for animation. Her work in comics has been described as dark, gritty and mysterious with great dominance of figurative work. She has illustrated Scarlet Witch, Spider-Women Alpha, and Daredevil Annual (2016) for Marvel Comics. REDLANDS, co-created with Jordie Bellaire is her first creator-owned series with Image Comics. She currently lives and works by the beach in Miami, FL.

Preview Pages

Party & Prey

By Ashley KronsbergJuly 12, 2021Featured Graphic NovelsFeatured Graphic Novel

Published by AfterShock Comics

ISBN: 9781949028782
Price: $17.99
Genre: Crime & Mystery, LGBTQ+
Ages: 18+

On Sale: October 19, 2021

Alan is an older gay man on the prowl for a young, 30-ish hookup. He finds the perfect match in Scott, but when they go back to Alan’s sprawling estate, “Scott” suddenly turns on his older date. Turns out, Alan isn’t the picture-perfect sugar daddy, but a sociopath responsible for the disappearance of numerous young gay men. “Scott” isn’t really looking for a boyfriend, but revenge for a fallen friend…unfortunately for Scott, he may have underestimated Alan and when he finds one of Alan’s victims still alive, his mission swerves from one of revenge to a rescue

From Jeffrey Dahmer to Ed Buck…to the Toronto gay murders…authorities have a pattern of overlooking crimes against gay men until it’s far too late. In PARTY & PREY, we match this unfortunate truth with the hard-to-believe, but real-life extremes that gay power brokers like Peter Thiel go to in attempts to preserve their youth…creating a gay revenge thriller with a true-crime twist that flips our sympathies just when we start to feel bad for Alan. Think a gay Get Out crossed with Criminal, Stray Bullets, or Dead Inside.

Key Selling Points

LGBTQ themed Original Graphic Novel presents a murder revenge mystery paralleled by real-world recent events
Urban crime revenge thriller addressing true concerns, themes and dangers of the contemporary gay dating culture.
Writer Steve Orlando is a leading creative voice and advocate in the LGBTQA+ creative community
Release timed to coincide with October’s National Coming Out Day and LGBTQ History Month