Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) is an independent American comic book publisher, well known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics.
Slave Labor Graphics was started in 1986 by Dan Vado, who remains the company's president and publisher.
The first book Slave Labor Graphics published was Shadow Star #3, a female superhero character previously published independently by some of Vado's friends. Slave Labor Graphics's first major success was Samurai Penguin #1 by Dan and Mark Buck, which sold 58,000 copies in the summer of 1986. The first few titles, such as Hero Sandwich and It's Science With Dr. Radium, were all created by friends of Vado's from high school. Other successes were Milk & Cheese, a comic about mean-spirited anthropomorphic dairy products by Evan Dorkin and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, a comic about the adventures of a serial killer by Jhonen Vasquez. In this time period, comic book speculation was rampant, so Slave Labor Graphics was able to sell its entire print run of many titles. However, at the end of the speculation bubble, some distributors went out of business without paying Slave Labor Graphics.
In 1995, Slave Labor Graphics added an imprint called "Amaze Ink" intended to be for all audiences and more genre-oriented; the "stranger, more adult, and more difficult to categorize material" would still be published under the "Slave Labor" imprint.
In 2005, Slave Labor Graphics entered into a partnership with The Walt Disney Company to produce comic book series based on some of its properties: Haunted Mansion, Wonderland, Tron, and Gargoyles.[1] Its own creations, such as Little Gloomy (1999–2005), Kid Gravity (2003–present) and The Super Scary Monster Show: Featuring Little Gloomy (2005–present), appear/have appeared regularly in Disney Adventures Magazine.[2]
In late 2010, Slave Labor Graphics established an independent record label entitled Slab Yard Sound Company.[3]
In January 2012, editor-in-chief Jennifer de Guzman, who had been with the company since 2001, left to become to become the PR and Marketing Director at Image Comics.[4]
- Absent Friends (2004)
- A Bag of Anteaters
- Action Girl Comics #1-19 (1994 – 2001)
- Adora Gone and The Electric Electric Elephant (2010)
- Awkward
- Autumn #1-? (2004 – present)
- Babyhead Magazine #1 (2004)
- Babysitter
- Bad Art Collection
- Barrabas (1986)
- Bear #1-10 (by Jamie Smart, 2004 - 2005)
- Beer and Roaming in Las Vegas
- Bill The Clown
- Bloody Dreadful (by Justin Bastard Sane)
- Black Heart Billy
- Bombaby Screen Goddess (by Antony Mazzotta)
- Byron: Mad, Bad, and Dangerous (by Karl Christian Krumpholz, 2007)
- Camping with Bigfoot
- Captain Dingleberry
- The Cat With The Really Big Head
- Cemetarians #1-?
- Charm School
- Chickenhare
- Chumble Spuzz (by Ethan Nicolle)
- The Clarence Principle (by Fehed Said and Shari Chankhamma, 2007)
- Cocopiazo
- The Comical Tragedy of Punch and Judy
- Comic Book Heaven
- Corporate Ninja (2005)
- Dead Eyes Open (by Roy Boney, 2005)
- Definition
- Dim Witted Darryl
- Dork by Evan Dorkin (1993-)
- Dr. Grave (by Ed Clayton
- Eating Steve: A Love Story
- Egg Story
- Elmer
- Emily and the Intergalactic Lemonade Stand
- Emo Boy
- Evenfall (by Pete Stathis, 2004)
- Everwinds
- Everything Can Be Beaten
- Farewell Georgia
- Fillerbunny (by Jhonen Vasquez)
- Fishmasters
- Gargoyles (a continuation of the TV series)
- Ghouly Boys
- Gloomcookie #1-28 (by Serena Valentino and Vincent Batignole)
- The Griffin (by Dan Vado)
- Halo and Sprocket #1-4 (2002)
- Haunted Mansion
- Heart of a Corpse (by Justin Bastard Sane)
- Hectic Planet (previously known as Pirate Corp$)
- Hero Sandwich #1-5 (1987-1989)
- Highway 13
- Hummingbird
- Hsu and Chan (by Jeremy "Norm" Scott)
- I Feel Sick #1-2 (by Jhonen Vasquez, 1999-2000)
- imp
- Iliad #1-2
- It's Science With Doctor Radium (1986)
- Jellyfist (by Jhonen Vasquez and Jenny Goldberg)
- Jet Comics #1-3
- Jet Pack Pets
- Johnny the Homicidal Maniac #1-7 (by Jhonen Vasquez, 1995-1997)
- Kitsune Tales #1 (by Woodrow Phoenix and Andi Watson, 2003)
- Knights of the Living Dead
- Lenore #1-13 (by Roman Dirge, 1998-)
- Life of a Fetus #1-7
- Likewise #1-2 (2002)
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- Little Gloomy #1-6 (1999)
- Little Gloomy Adventures oneshot (2003)
- Little Gloomy Crypt of Creepts oneshot (2004)
- Little Gloomy Hallowe'en Special oneshot
- Little Scrowlie
- Longshot Comics, Shanne Simmons (volume 1: 1995. volume 2: 1997)
- Love In Tights
- Lowlife
- Metamorphosis Odyssey (by Jim Starlin)
- Midnight Sun
- Milk & Cheese
- Mister Blank
- Model A
- The Monsters In My Tummy
- Mr. Night
- MuZz
- My Monkey's Name is Jennifer (2002)
- Next Exit
- Nightmares & Fairy Tales (by Serena Valentino and Camilla D'Errico)
- Nil: A Land Beyond Belief
- No Hope
- Oddjob
- On the Bus
- Outlook:Grim #1-6 (2003-2004)
- The Pants Ant Trouser Hour
- Paris (by Andi Watson, 2005-2006)
- Patty Cake
- Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer
- Pirate Club
- The Price
- Private Beach #1-7? (2002?)
- Punk Rock & Trailer Parks (2008)
- The Replacement God
- Rex Libris
- Rogue Satellite Comics #1-3 (Reilly & Atkinson, 1996-1997)
- The Royal Historian of Oz
- Samurai Jam #3-4 (by Andi Watson, 1993, previously Samurai Funnies, published by Solson Publications)
- Samurai Penguin #1-8 (1986-1988)
- Samurai Penguin: Food Chain Follies #1
- Sanctuary
- Screenplay #1
- Screwtooth #1-? (2006)
- Serenity Rose
- Shadoweyes (by Ross Campbell, 2010)
- Shadow Star #3 (1986; #1-2 published by Savage Graphics)
- Sidney Mellon's Thunderskull!
- The Sister's Luck (by Shari Chankhamma, 2010)
- Skaggy The Lost #1-4, trade paperback
- Skeleton Girl Comics #1-3
- Skeleton Key (by Andi Watson, 1995)
- Sky Ape #1-4
- Slacker Comics
- Slow News Day (by Andi Watson, 2001)
- Street Angel #1-5
- Sparks
- Squee #1-4 ( Jhonen Vasquez 1997 – 1998)
- SugarBuzz
- Swerve #1-2 (by "Downer" creator Kyle S. Hunter)
- The Jam #2-6, 1989-1990 (came from Matrix Graphics, moved to Dark Horse Comics)
- The Super Scary Monster Show: Featuring Little Gloomy
- Tales from the Heart
- Tron: The Ghost in the Machine (2006-2008; miniseries following up the film and the video game TRON 2.0)
- The Trouble With Igor #1 (2006)
- Truth Serum
- Ubu Bubu #1-4 (2008 - 2009)
- Ursa Minors #1-? (2006)
- Vaistron #1-5 (2005)
- The Vesha Valentine Story (by Des Taylor, 2011)
- The Waiting Place
- Weird Science (1986)
- Where's It At
- Whistles (by Andrew Hussie, 2007)
- Wonderland
- Zombies Calling (by Faith Erin Hicks, 2007)
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Category:Slave Labor Graphics
Category:Companies based in San Jose
Category:Companies established in 1986
Category:1986 establishments in California
Category:Comic book publishing companies of the United States