Oni Press
From Hey Kids Comics
| 160px | |
| Founded | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Bob Schreck and Joe Nozemack |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Headquarters location | Portland, Oregon[1] |
| Publication types | Comics |
| Official website | [1] |
Oni Press is an American independent comic book publisher based in Portland, Oregon.[1] It was founded in 1997 by Bob Schreck and Joe Nozemack with the goal of publishing the kinds of comics and graphic novels they themselves would want to read. Unsatisfied with the material that was dominating the industry, they believed firmly that sequential art could be used to tell virtually any story. Schreck left the company in 1999, and Oni Press is now owned soley by Nozemack.
The company name derives from oni, the Japanese word for the devils or demons popular in Japanese folklore.[2]
Overview[edit | edit source]
Oni Press used the term "real mainstream," coined by Stephen Holland of the UK comic shop Page 45,[3] to describe its output. Traditional American comic books regard superhero titles as "mainstream" and all other genres as "non-mainstream", a reversal of the perception in other media. Oni Press therefore adopted the "real mainstream" term to suggest that it publishes comic books and graphic novels whose subject matter is more in line with the popular genres of other media: thrillers, romances, realistic Drama and so on. For the most part, Oni Press avoids publishing superhero titles, unless interesting creators approach these concepts from an unusual angle. However, at one point, Rich Johnston of All The Rage reported that Oni Press and Marvel Comics were creating a publishing deal for Oni creators to work on Marvel superhero characters, but the deal fell apart.[4]
Oni Press publishes few comic books on an ongoing monthly basis - Marc Guggenheim's Resurrection, Antony Johnston and Christopher Mitten's Wasteland and, until 2007, Greg Rucka's Queen & Country.[citation needed] Most of its titles are either irregular recurring miniseries, often published in four to six monthly installments, or original graphic novels.[citation needed]
Oni Press material initially released as comic books is usually later collected into trade paperbacks. They have published well over 100 titles,[5] with multiple books undergoing reprints due to sustained popularity. Several of their books have won the Eisner Award including: Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim, Rick Spear & Chuck BB's Black Metal, Hope Larson's Grey Horses, and Greg Rucka's Whiteout: Melt and Queen & Country, with many more receiving nominations.
List of titles[edit | edit source]
- Main article: List of Oni Press publications
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "About Greg Rucka". Greg Rucka. 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
- ↑ onipress.com :: F.A.Q
- ↑ Holland, Stephen (June 6, 2003). "Guest Editorial: The Real Mainstream". Ninth Art. Archived from the original on January 13, 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2007.
- ↑ All The Rage: You Could Put Your Eye Out With That - Update
- ↑ "List of titles by Oni Press". Comic Book DB. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
References[edit | edit source]
- Article at Bookslut
- 2004 Oni Press State of the Union interview, Newsarama
- 2006 Oni Press State of the Union Interview, Newsarama
External links[edit | edit source]
- All articles with unsourced statements
- Articles with unsourced statements from July 2010
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- Oni Press
- Publishing companies established in 1997
- Companies based in Portland, Oregon
- Media in Portland, Oregon
- Comic book publishing companies of the United States
- Book publishing companies based in Oregon
- Privately held companies based in Oregon
- 1997 establishments in Oregon