Diamond Comic Distributors, the world’s largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise, announced that Massive Publishing, known for its inaugural imprint, Whatnot Publishing, will move into the Deluxe Tier with the June 2023 release of the Previews catalog. In its first months of publication, Massive distributed over 800,000 units to shops around the world.‘’ The unprecedented success of our Whatnot Publishing debut wouldn’t have been possible without our creators, readers, Diamond and of course the comic shop owners who have been great partners since day one. As we enter into this new Deluxe Publisher tier we look forward to introducing more shops to our overall company brand, MASSIVE, as it becomes the central hub for our expansion of new imprints and partnerships. ‘’ - Michael Calero, CEO of Massive Publishing.
Massive’s first non-imprint series will be the long-awaited retail release of The Plot Holes by fan-favorite writer/illustrator, Sean Gordon Murphy (Batman: White Knight, Tokyo Ghost, Punk Rock Jesus). With the release of the mini-series, Murphy makes his return to his creator-owned roots for the first time since building his own groundbreaking Batman universe at DC Comics in 2017.
“I’m thrilled to bring my series to Massive. I love how their innovative publishing model utilizes new technology while also embracing the traditional model that stores can count on.” - Sean Gordon Murphy
Murphy, who won an American Library Association award with his first ever creator-owned book “Off Road” (released by Oni in 2005) will kick-off the MASSIVE flagship line this August, with cover variants by legendary artist such as Walt Simonson, Klaus Janson, Dan Panosian, Matteo Scalera, and more.
Massive also will mark its move to the Deluxe Tier category with the launch of multiple new imprints, significantly expanding its publishing footprint. Each new imprint will have its own unique flavor and creative direction spearheaded by a mix of established trailblazers in the industry and up-and-coming voices. They include
Overlook, catering to readers with a penchant for the macabre, the horror focused imprint will be helmed by arguably the most prolific horror writer in comics today, Cullen Bunn (Venomverse, Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, The Sixth Gun and over 500 writing credits at top Publishers) and Hustle & Heart Films CEO Heath Amodio. This high-end horror brand will also feature a who’s who of show runners and writers from across the Film & TV space alongside comic industry pros. Sumerian Comics, the publishing arm of Sumerian Records will join forces with Massive this fall as it shifts its primary publishing focus to licensed TV, Film and Music related properties curated by Co-Publishers Nathan Yocum and Ryan Swanson. Sumerian’s first release will be Bad Omens: Concrete Jungle #1, the comic series inspired by the popular band of the same name.
Kingwood Comics, an imprint focused on Black characters and stories will launch this September with the first retail distribution of the celebrated series Harriet Tubman, Demon Slayer, soon to be a live-action series on Disney +. The books creator, David Crownson will helm the Kingwood imprint as it builds on the legacy of diverse creators in comic books and highlights groundbreaking talent such as Courtland Ellis, Nikolas Draper-Ivey, Caanan White, Khary Randolph and more.
‘’ We are in the era of creative entrepreneurship. We want our role in the comic industry to be to empower these creators in a way that’s healthy for their business and grows comic readership. With other genre focused imprints already set to follow as early as Winter 2023 we promise a summer packed with exciting announcements.” - Kevin Roditeli, President of Massive Publishing