ComiXology, Amazon’s digital comics company, and Dark Horse Comics are partnering to bring the ComiXology Originals titles to the printed page for the first time in early 2021.
The titles set to appear in print as part of this deal will include the Eisner Award-winning gig economy-meets-the-afterlife comedy Afterlift, the fantasy series Breaklands, the revisionist superhero series Youth, and The Black Ghost which re-imagins the vigilante, superhero and noir crime tropes.
The comiXology Originals making their print debut in 2021 include:
AFTERLIFT, collecting the Eisner Award-winning issues #1-5 – For the first time in print!
- Written by Eisner Award winner Chip Zdarsky, best known for his work on Sex Criminals and Marvel Comics, with art by Jason Loo, the acclaimed artist of The Pitiful Human-Lizard, colors by Paris Alleyne, letters by Aditya Bidikar and edited by Allison O’Toole.
- AFTERLIFT is a 2020 Eisner Award winning series.
- In AFTERLIFT, Janice Chen is adrift. She quits her day job in finance and signs up to be a driver on a ride-sharing app. But what was at first a mundane but enjoyable way to pass the time takes a terrible turn when a mysterious passenger updates his ride with a very final destination: Hell.
- 136 pages / color / on sale February 2 in bookstores and everywhere books are sold and February 3 in comic shops / MSRP $19.99/$25.99 pbk /
Breaklands Volume One, collecting issues #1-5 – For the first time in print!
- Written by Justin Jordan, the co-creator and writer of The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, with art by acclaimed artist Tyasseta, colors by Sarah Stern, and letters by Rachel Deering.
- Set 150 years after humanity developed psychic powers and ended the world as we know it, a new world has emerged. Everyone has powers. Some powers, like the ability to light a match, are modest. But some powers—like the ability to reshape the world—are both vast and dangerous. Kasa Fain is different. She doesn’t possess powers. Kasa is an outsider, a teenager who has been in hiding, until the day her younger brother is kidnapped and everything changes.
- 152 pages / color / on sale March 2 in bookstores and everywhere books are sold and March 3 in comic shops / MSRP $19.99/$25.99 pbk /
YOUTH Volume One, collecting issues #1-4–For the first time in print!
- Written by visionary writer Curt Pires with art by Alex Diotto, the co-creators of the acclaimed comic Olympia, and features colors by Dee Cunniffe, and lettering by Micah Myers.
- In YOUTH, Franklin and River struggle to navigate family, friends, high school, work, drugs, and all the pressures of growing up. As a queer couple, they yearn to escape their lives in a small, bigoted Midwest town. They steal River’s stepfather’s Mustang and hit the road. Their destination? California. But along the way, the car breaks down. They meet some kids who are travelling the country, partying, and attempting to find themselves. They party some more. . . . And soon everything changes.
- A sequel to YOUTH is underway and the comic series is in development as an original TV show with Amazon Studios.
- 136 pages / color / on sale on sale April 6 in bookstores and everywhere books are sold and April 7 in comic shops / MSRP $19.99/$25.99 pbk /
The Black Ghost Volume One, collecting issues #1-5–For the first time in print!
- Co-written by Anthony Award-Nominated Novelist Alex Segura and acclaimed writer Monica Gallagher, with art by George Kambadais, colors by Ellie Wright, lettering by Taylor Esposito and edited by Greg Lockard.
- The Black Ghost is a modern take on the urban vigilante story. Lara Dominguez is a journalist chasing that one, big story. After a stint in the Middle East, the alcoholic reporter moves from her hometown of Miami to Creighton – a mid-Atlantic city that’s seen better days. She needs a huge, viral scoop that’ll send her into the journalistic stratosphere. Her target? Uncovering the identity of The Black Ghost – a masked vigilante trying to take down the wealthy oligarchs carving up the fading metropolis. But as she searches for the breakthrough story she desperately needs, Lara will have to navigate the corruption of her adopted city, the uncertainties of virtue, and her own personal demons.
- 136 pages / color / on sale May 4 in bookstores and everywhere books are sold and May 5 in comic shops / MSRP $19.99/$25.99 pbk /
In a statement, first reporting in The Hollywood Reporter, David Steinberger, ComiXology Co-Founder, and CEO, said about the partnering with Dark Horse,
“We were always hopeful ComiXology Originals books would get into readers’ hands via comics retailers and book stores, and Dark Horse is a terrific collaborator to work with to do so, with an unmatched history of supporting creator-owned projects alongside unmatched distribution expertise. This deal fortifies the ability for these stories to reach customers like never before. We’re thrilled to be working with Dark Horse.”
Dark Horse publisher and CEO Mike Richardson added,
“The ComiXology Originals line is of the highest quality and diverse in its storytelling and talent. ComiXology’s line of creator-owned comics sits perfectly alongside the acclaimed creator-owned graphic novels that are the bedrock of Dark Horse Comics.”
The deal will see Dark Horse Comics responsible for distribution and fulfillment of the print versions of titles through Diamond Comic Distributors for the comic book market, with Penguin Random House for the bookstore market; the titles will remain available for purchase digitally through ComiXology and Kindle, and for free to members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and ComiXology Unlimited.
“These are high caliber comics that will resonate not only in the comic shop stores and bookstores, but also with libraries across the country,” said Mark Bernardi, Vice President of Book Trade and Digital Sales at Dark Horse Comics.
“Today’s announcement is a game changer,” said Chip Mosher, Head of Content for comiXology Originals. “The team at Dark Horse Comics provides tremendous resources and a path for readers everywhere to discover comiXology Originals.”
Titles will roll out monthly, beginning in February with Afterlift to be followed by more comiXology Originals print editions to be announced at a later date.