BY JUSTIN EUGENE EVANS

We love comics. We love comic stores. We love the fans. But we don't love the comic industry. We’ve had some toxic encounters with famous editors. We’vE worked for some unscrupulous artists. And we’vE watched as monopolies consumed the industry...and collapsed under their own weight…And then lurched forward again.

So, we’re doing something completely different. But, we’re not foolish. We’re not putting anyone out of business. We’re not going to change anyone. We may be revolutionary but we’re not a revolution. Why?

Revolutions require scale. And our most revolutionary act is that we have absolutely no intention of scaling up. We believe comics are a personal creative endeavour. We aren’t trying to build an empire. We don’t want to fill a comic store’s shelves with 40 books. So, it's impossible…absolute impossible...for us to ever disrupt an industry that is built on churning out dozens or hundreds of monthly books, competing for shelf space and recycling 100-year old characters forever.

Let's be specific.

When a publisher insists on publishing monthly and demands excellence the toxic cycle has already begun. The publisher must have 24 pages each month. That means the illustrator must work SIX days a week and the rest of the team must work together in clockwork precision. A change of any kind causes massive scheduling challenges. This results in unnecessary stress. And comic teAms devolve into toxic relationships. Push push push. Get those pages out. No time to think. No time to redraft. Just churn it out.

But, the audience craves quality storytelling. The audience wants writing that crackles anD art that is detailed and emotionally moving. So, there is this unnecessary tension between the people who publish the art, the people who create the art and the people who purchase the art.

Everyone loses.

We’re biting the game by not playing the game. We’re staying small. We focus on a single story. WE craft IT. We have time to think through every detail. We have time to redraft, rework and think.

By thinking slow and small this allows us to control every aspect of our business. This is why our CEO has a personal relationship with our printers. This is how we ship globally. This allows us to tour comic stores, where we can build a personal relationship with the retailers and readers who buy our books.

Metaphorically, its the difference between McDonald's and a gourmet food truck. Both make money. But, they do so in such fundamentally different ways they are not the same business model.

This was the promise of the B&W explosion of the 1980’s. Small teams of independent artists, working from their homes, publishing their own beautifully crafted stories with speciality stores across North America as a distribution network. But, everything went horribly wrong. And the industry, as a whole, went from utopian to dystopian quickly.

But the need for art, culture and storytelling will never die. And so in spite of itself, the American industry grEW. The Japanese industry grew even more. And the global industry has now created an enormous marketplace where people like us can crave out OUT tiny niche.

But, to be exactly who we want to be means we’re going to stay small. Which means...No monthlies. Ever. We make graphic novels. Only.

Will we make our own toys and clothing? Absolutely. We already operate a global supply chain with offices around the world. But, will be compete with major toy companies? Never.

MIGHT oUR Stories be adapted into motion pictures? Sure. If we have control. If we can guarantee the artistic integration of the final work. If not? Then, we’re not interested. Will we ever compete with a Hollywood studio? Nope.

The industry, whatever that may mean to you probably won't even notice us. They certainly won't get it. Any choice we make will look absolutely amateurish or unhinged.

We’ve studied the industry since the 1980’s. We shopped in Pegasus books and watched as Mike Richardson built dark horse. We saw marvel screw its artists so badly they marched out and created image. We watched as image drove THE speculative market of the 1990’s. We saw the industry collapse upon itself. We saw as a lone comic store owner gave away comics to save the industry. And we saw as others took credit for his brilliance. We saw digital distribution platforms rise...And then blow it. We’ve seen convention culture explode into a global phenomenon. We’ve Studied British, belgium, french, South African end of course Japanese comics. And we saw as a global pandemic exposed how most companies are merely a House of Cards.

We know the industry very well. We think it sucks. But comics? Comics are amazing. And there are amazing people within the industry. Brilliant people. Gracious, giving and kind people. And so, We’re building a small studio with global reach.

We reject this central premise of the industry. But, we refuse to accept that we don't have a voice. We’re going to be us...Even if being US seems strange.

So, We’re absolutely a revolutionary company. But we are not leading a revolution.