FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Comicker Press Brings Two New Series to Print with International Distribution

The groundbreaking diversity-focused comics publisher continues to expand in partnerships with multiple distributors.

February 27, 2018 (Austin, MN) – Comicker Press brings the 2018 Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics-nominated series Chimera by Tyler Ellis, and Waking Life by Ben Humeniuk, to libraries and retailers worldwide through Baker & Taylor and Emerald Comics Distro.

“Since our launch in 2015, print has been the end goal for all of our diversity-focused series,” said Comicker LLC co-founder Sean E. Williams. “Today we’re pleased to announce that two more of our creator-owned books are reaching that goal, with the first volumes of Chimera and Waking Life coming to print in June.”

In the first volume of Chimera by Tyler Ellis, The Righteous & The Lost, a crew of thieves is hired for a covert mission in the midst of a galaxy being ripped apart by an interstellar holy war. If they want to survive – much less succeed – they must navigate hostile worlds, vengeful aliens, a deranged demon, and betrayal from within.

“The best way to describe Chimera is Firefly-meets-Saga. Tyler’s art is phenomenal, and the fact he produces this book as steadily as he does, and all on his own, is mind-blowing,” Williams said. “Having Chimera nominated for a Dwayne McDuffie Award validated our unique approach to making comics for the last three years, and now print readers can enjoy it for themselves.”

In Waking Life: Book One: Pleasant Places by Ben Humeniuk, the Princess of the Dreaming Realm decides to crash the real world with the help of her best friend…who’s no longer a kid, and only wants to get through high school.

“The mash-up of Winsor McCay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland, a modern setting with an African American teenager as a protagonist, and Ben’s manga influences make for a truly entertaining read!” Williams said. “In going along with the unique nature of this series, a digest-sized edition was the perfect way to make this all-ages book stand out even more.”

Both Baker & Taylor and Emerald Comics Distro are bringing Comicker Press’s backlist to bookstores, comic shops, and libraries as well, including Lost Angels: Volume One: Paradise High by David Accampo (DC Writers Workshop alumnus) and Chris Anderson, and The Casebook of Rabbit Black: Volume One by Kate Sherron.

Free catalogs and digital galleys are available to retailers, librarians, and reviewers via email at info@comickerpress.com.

BOOK SPECIFICS:

Chimera: Book One: The Righteous & The Lost by Tyler Ellis. 160 Pages. Full Color. Softcover Trade Paperback. $19.99 (USD). ISBN 978-0-9974873-3-6. Suggested for Mature Readers (Language, Violence).

 Waking Life: Book One: Pleasant Places by Ben Humeniuk. 192 Pages. Full Color. Softcover Digest-sized Paperback. $14.99 (USD). ISBN 978-0-9974873-2-9. Suggested for Readers 12 and Up (School Drama/Bullying).

ABOUT COMICKER LLC:

Comicker LLC was founded by Saori Adams and Sean E. Williams, and launched in 2015 with its Comicker Digital imprint. Comicker LLC is designed to bring diverse creator-owned comics series to readers any way they want them (as ad-supported webcomics, collected as digital issues, and in print as trade paperbacks), and to give creators the flexibility to tell their stories exactly how they want to. In 2016, Comicker LLC brought the first two of its digital series to print as trade paperbacks via its Comicker Press imprint.

Diversity Focused. Digital First.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Comics Publisher Comicker Digital Partners with hoopla digital for Library Distribution 

The category-creating service brings comics series from the groundbreaking digital-first publisher to libraries across North America.

June 29th, 2017 (Holland, OH/Austin, MN) – hoopla digital makes Comicker Digital’s creator-owned titles available today for free on the computers and mobile devices of library card holders.

“While we’ve been publishing digitally for two years, library readers still weren’t able to check out our digital issues. Partnering with hoopla digital has made it possible,” Sean E. Williams, Comicker LLC co-founder, said. “Comicker Digital’s focus on diversity is something that library catalogues will benefit from, as we’re bringing readers stories they would not see otherwise. And hoopla digital’s recommendation engine makes finding our series even easier for readers.”

hoopla digital offers Comicker Digital comics at a competitive rate to libraries, who in turn make them available to readers for free. While each library sets its own limits on the number of “borrows” a reader has each month based on their own budgets, all the Comicker Digital series are available to every library and reader who uses hoopla digital. Additionally, every new title released in the future will be available to borrow the same day that it is for sale on comiXology, DriveThruComics, or Amazon Kindle.

“When we were looking to expand our digital distribution into libraries, I was blown away not only by the quality of the hoopla digital app and website, but also by how well the comics were presented to readers,” Williams said. “Reading panel-by-panel using “Action View” on my phone was as streamlined an experience as I hoped it would be – something that’s key for introducing new readers to reading comics digitally.”

About hoopla digital:

hoopla digital is a category-creating service that partners with libraries across North America to provide online and mobile access to thousands of eBooks, audiobooks, comics, movies, music, and more. With hoopla digital, patrons can borrow, instantly stream, and download dynamic content with a valid library card. All content is accessible via hoopla digital’s mobile app and www.hoopladigital.com. hoopla digital is a service of Midwest Tape – a trusted partner to public libraries for over 25 years.

About Comicker LLC:

Comicker LLC was founded by Saori Adams and Sean E. Williams, and launched in 2015 with its Comicker Digital imprint. Comicker LLC is designed to bring diverse creator-owned comics series to readers any way they want them (as ad-supported webcomics, collected as digital issues, and finally in print as trade paperbacks), and to give creators the flexibility to tell their stories exactly how they want to. In 2016, Comicker LLC brought the first two of its digital series to print as trade paperbacks via its Comicker Press imprint.

Diversity Focused. Digital First.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Digital-First, Creator-Owned Publisher Goes to Print with Kickstarter Campaign

Austin, MN (March 1, 2016) – Just over a year after debuting with their Comicker Digital imprint, Comicker LLC announces Comicker Press, which is bringing two creator-owned comic book series to print as trade paperbacks with their just-launched Kickstarter campaign.

Publishing The Casebook of Rabbit Black Volume 1 by Kate Sherron and Lost Angels Volume 1: Paradise High by David Accampo & Chris Anderson is the primary goal for the campaign, with Some Kind of Blue Moon, written by Michael D. Stewart, illustrated by Thomas Boatwright, and lettered by James Greatorex, as a stretch goal.

“Print has always been on our roadmap, and we were fortunate enough to have gotten here sooner than expected due to the ambitiousness of the creators we work with,” Comicker LLC co-founder Saori Adams said.

“By bringing these books to print, we’re able to get these amazing series into local comic book shops, into book stores, and on convention floors – into the hands of readers who might not find them otherwise,” added Sean E. Williams, co-founder of Comicker LLC.

The Casebook of Rabbit Black Volume 1 includes the first two extra-large issues of the comic series by Kate Sherron: “The Case of the Undying Detective” and “The Case of the King’s Nicked Kitsch,” as well as exclusive pin-ups, a script-to-page process section, and more! With an MSRP of $14.99, it is 96 pages of full color, for readers 15 and up.

Lost Angels Volume 1: Paradise High includes all five issues of the arc, plus an exclusive step-by-step process breakdown, as well as pin-ups! It is full color and 148 pages for an MSRP of $19.99, for readers 12 and up.

In adding print to its line-up, Comicker LLC continues to expand the ways in which it brings its diverse array of creators and stories to readers.

KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/comickerllc/comicker-press-launches

ABOUT COMICKER LLC:
Comicker LLC was founded in 2014 by Saori Adams and Sean E. Williams and launched in 2015 with its Comicker Digital comic book publishing label. Comicker Digital is designed to bring creator-owned comics series to readers any way they want them – as ad-supported webcomics, collected as digital issues, or through its iOS mobile app (with Android coming soon) – and to give creators the flexibility to tell their stories exactly how they want. www.comickerdigital.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Comics Publisher Comicker Digital Launches App With The Horizon Factory

Start-up’s app-authoring engine will provide the underlying technology platform for the groundbreaking digital-first creator-owned publisher.

December 10th, 2015 (Los Angeles, CA/Austin, MN) – Comicker LLC today launches their eagerly anticipated Comicker Digital iOS app, powered by The Horizon Factory, bringing the comic book publisher’s diverse line-up of creator-owned series to smartphones and tablets. The free app gives users access to the initial chapters of all current and future series. A low monthly subscription of only $2.99 – less than the average price of a comic book – unlocks weekly updates of subsequent chapters and exclusive special features before they’re available anywhere else.

“Launching the app with our seventh original series, The Lion and the Roc by Kathleen Kralowec, shows readers how much variety we have to offer as a publisher,” Sean E. Williams, Comicker LLC co-founder, said. “From Kristin Kemper’s animation background put to use in Sylvania to Thomas Boatwright’s sketchy style in Some Kind of Blue Moon, Kathleen’s watercolors continue the trend of each new series being unlike any Comicker Digital series before. And needless to say, our upcoming creator-owned comics will stretch the visual and storytelling horizons even further, which we credit to our diverse lineup of creators and content (half of the Comicker Digital series are led by women or persons of color, and a majority have non-white or non-male protagonists).”

“The Comicker Digital app gives creators the same flexible schedule as the web, but allows for a more coherent way to tell their stories by grouping pages together as chapters, instead of releasing them one page at a time,” Saori Adams, co-founder of Comicker LLC, added. “For readers, this will be a much more enjoyable experience and fixes one of the main issues I have always had with web comics.”

“We’re tremendously excited to be working with Comicker Digital as one of our premiere beta clients,” said The Horizon Factory CEO Barrett Garese. “I’ve been a big fan of Sean’s work for a number of years, and we jumped at the opportunity to help Comicker achieve their goal of a custom, ad-free, subscription-based app that showcases their content in a beautiful way. It’s a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate how The Horizon Factory lets creators expand their business and creative offerings to include monetizing their own custom applications.”

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Comicker Digital is available in the iOS application marketplace at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/comicker-digital/id1050345819 for a free download featuring the initial chapters and extra features of all seven current Comicker Digital series. All subsequent content is available for a subscription of $2.99 per month thereafter, with new chapters being released weekly and new series being added regularly.

ABOUT THE HORIZON FACTORY
The Horizon Factory is a white-label solution that lets creators of all sizes publish custom, ad-free Streaming Media Applications for Mobile, OTT, and SmartTV marketplaces. Every artist, director, musician, photographer, podcast, author, personality, and network can build, publish and monetize their own app – with no coding required. The Horizon Factory was founded by Jay Bushman, David Nett, Kale McNaney, and Barrett Garese. www.thf.io

ABOUT COMICKER LLC
Comicker LLC was founded in 2014 by Saori Adams and Sean E. Williams and launched in 2015 with its Comicker Digital comic book publishing label. Comicker Digital is designed to bring creator-owned comics series to readers any way they want them – as ad-supported webcomics, collected as digital issues, or through its iOS mobile app (with Android coming soon) – and to give creators the flexibility to tell their stories exactly how they want. www.comickerdigital.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Comicker Digital Launches

New Comics Publisher Delivers Creator-Owned Series to Readers

Austin, MN (February 26th, 2015) – With comic books continuing to reach an ever-growing audience, a new publisher aims to bring more creator-owned series to readers directly.  Founded by Saori Adams and Sean E. Williams, Comicker LLC is launching today with its Comicker Digital label on its website, ComickerDigital.com.

“Currently, Comicker Digital is releasing series as ad-supported webcomics, collected as issues on comiXology and DriveThruComics, and through our subscription mobile app which is being developed and powered by The Horizon Factory,” Adams said.  “We realized that not all readers want their comics the same way, so we’re giving them as many options as possible.  One size doesn’t fit all anymore.”

“The same goes for creators,” Williams added. “We’ve talked to tons of professionals who can’t take on a full second series, but have enough time for a few pages per month.  Our release schedule and format gives them that flexibility.  As a writer myself, this was something I wanted to see happen personally.”

Williams wrote the NEW YORK TIMES best-selling third volume of the FAIREST series, FAIREST: THE RETURN OF THE MAHARAJA, for DC/Vertigo, as well as issues of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN at DC Comics.  Additionally, he co-created and co-writes ARTFUL DAGGERS, which is published first on comiXology by Monkeybrain Comics and collected in trade paperback by IDW Publishing.

Comicker Digital is launching with five series, including THE CASEBOOK OF RABBIT BLACK, written and illustrated by Kate Sherron, SOME KIND OF BLUE MOON, written by Michael D. Stewart, illustrated by Thomas Boatwright, and lettered by James Greatorex, GRIMFISH, written and illustrated by Aaron Pittman, LOST ANGELS, written by David Accampo and illustrated by Chris Anderson, and the webcomic edition of ARTFUL DAGGERS, co-written by Williams with Adam P. Knave, with art by Andrew Losq and lettering by Frank Cvetkovic.

“Eventually, we plan to move into print as well, but in order to get off the ground as quickly as possible, launching as digitally first made the most sense,” Adams said.

With today’s launch, Comicker Digital offers easy accessibility for readers, and flexible scheduling and support to help creators tell the stories they wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.