The Pacific Comics Companion
The Pacific Comics Companion by Jon B. Cooke, published by TwoMorrows Publishing in 2023, offers a detailed exploration of the influential California-based imprint, Pacific Comics. This 160-page book chronicles the rapid ascent and subsequent decline of the Schanes brothers’ publishing venture, which featured iconic creators such as Jack Kirby, Sergio Aragonés, and Steve Ditko. Through interviews and firsthand accounts, the narrative delves into the imprint’s significant contributions to the comics industry, particularly during its brief but impactful existence from 1981 to 1985.
Readers will find an in-depth examination of the titles and characters that emerged from Pacific Comics, including The Rocketeer and Groo the Wanderer. The book highlights the imprint’s role in the evolution of creator rights within the comics landscape. With editorial assistance from Eisner Award-winning historian Jon B. Cooke, this edition serves as a comprehensive retrospective, providing insights into the creative processes and challenges faced by the publishers and artists involved. The main cover illustration is by Dave Stevens, adding a visual element to this informative account.
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2024 EISNER AWARD NOMINEE
Author Stephan Friedt shares the story of the meteoric rise of the Schanes brothers’ California-based imprint Pacific Comics, which published such legends as Jack Kirby, Sergio Aragonés, Steve Ditko, Neal Adams, Mike Grell, Bernie Wrightson, and Dave Stevens. From its groundbreaking 1981 arrival in the fledgling direct sales market, to a catastrophic, precipitous fall after only four years, The Pacific Comics Companion reveals the inside saga, as told to Friedt by Bill and Steve Schanes, David Scroggy, and many of the creators themselves. It also focuses on the titles and the amazing array of characters they introduced to an unsuspecting world, including The Rocketeer, Captain Victory, Ms. Mystic, Groo the Wanderer, Starslayer, and many more. Written with the editorial assist of Eisner Award-winning historian Jon B. Cooke, this retrospective is the most comprehensive study of an essential publisher in the development of the creator’s rights movement. Main cover illustration by Dave Stevens.
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