Two Comixology vets return to comics with DSTLRY

The new publisher will offer creators an ownership stake in the company.

If you’ve been wondering what comiXology co-founder David Steinberger and former comiXology Originals head Chip Mosher have been doing lately, wonder no more. Today the duo have launched DSTLRY [pronounced “distillery”], a “next-generation comics publisher that redefines creator-owned comic books and collectibles.”

The new company will offer “limited physical and digital item drops, available online or in-store at local comic shops, while providing creators with fairer deals alongside company ownership.” There’s a lot to unpack from their press release, so let’s jump in … but first, here’s an image of DSTLRY’s founders drawn by Tula Lotay:

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AMC Networks Publishing will release comics next year by DeConnick, Sienkiewicz + more

Brenden Fletcher, Tula Lotay, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and more will help launch AMC’s new comics line.

Earlier this year AMC, who you probably know as the TV empire behind The Walking Dead shows, Better Call Saul and the excellent Tony Hillerman adaptation Dark Winds, among others, announced a new publishing arm called AMC Networks Publishing. They started out by publishing art books featuring The Walking Dead and Creepshow, but they also plan to publish original graphic novels and comics as well.

And their first three comics will feature some pretty heavy hitters, creator-wise. Oubliette will be written by Brenden Fletcher with art by Tula Lotay, while Nights of Lono comes from Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett and Marcel Feldmar, with artwork by Christine Norrie. Finally, announced today, writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Bill Sienkiewicz will team up on Parisian White.

All three titles will debut in San Diego at Comic-Con International next year, followed by series launches later in the year.

Here’s more info on each series:

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Iko iko an day: Grannies kick ass in ‘Golden Rage’

Chrissy Williams, Lauren Knight, Sofie Dodgson, Becca Carey and Joamette Gil present a series about old women baking cakes and fighting to the death.

A new Image Comics miniseries will explore a world where old women are sent to an island to live out the reminder of their lives — and battle to the death. My grandma and your grandma, sitting by the fire …

Golden Rage by Chrissy Williams, Lauren Knight, Sofie Dodgson, Becca Carey and Joamette Gil will feature a little-seen demographic in comics — older woman, and showcase how they can kick as much ass as anyone. (My grandmother, who played bingo in some pretty sketchy places, carried a butcher knife in her purse).

“Old women are formidable—I wrote Golden Rage to reflect that,” said Williams. “These characters are tough, capable, kind, and funny. I’ve fallen in love with the combination of cake and stabbing weapons, and hope you will too.”

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Zdarsky + Phillips team for the hardboiled ‘Newburn’

Image Comics will publish the first issue of the ongoing series in November, which also includes a back-up by Nadia Shammas and Ziyed Yusuf Ayoub.

Chip Zdarsky and Jacob Phillips will team for a noir detective story centered on the New York underworld in November, as the Stillwater writer and That Texas Blood artist team up for Newburn from Image Comics.

“I love the satisfaction that comes from crime procedurals, so the chance to do that in comic form, while crafting a massive story about a fictional New York underworld, was something I couldn’t wait to do,” Zdarsky told CBR.com. “And Jacob is the perfect artist for the book! His work is gritty and full of heart and he’s bringing it all to this book.”

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Comics Lowdown: Who owns Atlas Comics?

Plus: Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award recipients, Paige Braddock, Frank Santoro, Dr. Gene Luen Yang and more!

Who exactly owns Atlas Comics? That seems to be the question raised in two articles from The Hollywood Reporter. Earlier this month Steven Paul, producer of the Ghost Rider film, announced via a press conference that he had bought the rights to the Atlas Comics and planned to work with Paramount to turn the properties into movies. Not so fast, said Dynamite Entertainment, who followed up by telling THR that they own the name “Atlas Comics.”

Many of you may be wondering “What the heck was Atlas Comics?” while others might be thinking, “Wait, wasn’t Atlas the company that eventually evolved into Marvel Comics in the 1960s?” And still others are wondering, “Didn’t he learn his lesson after Ghost Rider?”

But getting back to Atlas, yes, there was an Atlas Comics in the 1950s that grew out of Timely Comics and eventually became Marvel Comics. It was owned by publisher Martin Goodman, and it put out comics in a variety of genres like horror, crime, espionage and even a few superhero titles featuring characters like Captain America and the Human Torch, who had previously been published under the Timely banner. However, this isn’t that Atlas Comics.

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