{"id":30668,"date":"2024-02-25T16:20:31","date_gmt":"2024-02-25T21:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/?p=30668"},"modified":"2024-12-27T20:56:30","modified_gmt":"2024-12-28T01:56:30","slug":"ec-comics-returns-in-new-publishing-line-at-oni-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/ec-comics-returns-in-new-publishing-line-at-oni-press\/","title":{"rendered":"EC Comics Returns In New Publishing Line At Oni Press"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

EC COMICS IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE \u2013 AND ALL\u2013NEW PUBLISHING LINE \u2013 AT ONI PRESS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Infamous and Influential Comics Imprint That Redefined Pop Culture Returns with Staggering New Titles and Superstar Creators \u2013 Beginning Summer 2024 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seventy years after the creation of the Comics Code Authority irrevocably changed the course of comics history, the most infamous, notorious and controversial comic publisher of all time is set to return from the grave in summer 2024\u2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oni Press \u2013 the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic fiction for more than 25 years \u2013 is proud to announce a brand-new publishing partnership with William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. that will see the full-fledged return of EC Comics to comic shop and bookstore shelves worldwide with a slate of all-new series beginning in the summer of 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning with EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1<\/strong> in July and CRUEL UNIVERSE #1<\/strong> in August \u2013 the first official EC Comics series produced in nearly seven decades \u2013 Oni\u2019s ambitious EC Comics publishing program will be overseen by Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson<\/strong> and Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn<\/strong> in partnership with Cathy Gaines Mifsud<\/strong> and Corey Mifsud<\/strong>, the daughter and grandson of legendary EC Publisher William M. Gaines<\/strong> and administrators of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs my father said, \u2018Only in the bounds of good taste!\u2019 and I\u2019m so excited to exhibit EC’s good taste with Oni Press, who have distinguished themselves with both an award-winning library of comics and graphic novels and a passionate understanding of EC\u2019s singular role in shaping comics history,\u201d said Cathy Gaines Mifsud, <\/strong>President of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.<\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEC Comics is no stranger to a good comeback story! We\u2019re thrilled to make this return with Oni Press and usher the classic EC sensibilities into the modern world,\u201d said Corey Mifsud, Executive Director of <\/strong>William M. Gaines Agent, Inc<\/strong>.<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s always been our dream to one day bring the fearless creative spirit of EC to a new generation. Working hand-in-hand with Oni\u2019s award-winning team and a sensational cast of creators, it\u2019s a pleasure to \u2013 at long last \u2013 shepherd EC into the 21st<\/sup> century with all-new series and stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Hahn, Oni\u2019s curated line of EC titles \u2013 which will include at least two series on a monthly basis from July 2024 onward in the genres of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and more \u2013 will feature contributions from a rotating cast of high-profile comics talents that includes writers Jason Aaron<\/strong> (Thor<\/em>, Southern Bastards<\/em>), Brian Azzarello<\/strong> (Batman: Damned<\/em>, 100 Bullets<\/em>), Rodney Barnes<\/strong> (Killadelphia<\/em>), Corinna Bechko<\/strong> (Invisible<\/em> Republic<\/em>), Cullen Bunn<\/strong> (The Sixth Gun<\/em>), Christopher Cantwell<\/strong> (Briar<\/em>), Cecil Castellucci<\/strong> (Shade the Changing Girl<\/em>), Chris Condon<\/strong> (That Texas Blood<\/em>), Joshua Hale Fialkov<\/strong> (The Bunker<\/em>), J. Holtham <\/strong>(AMC\u2019s The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/em>), Jeff Jensen <\/strong>(HBO\u2019s Watchmen, Green River Killer<\/em>), Matt Kindt<\/strong> (BRZRKR<\/em>, Mind<\/em> MGMT<\/em>), Sean Lewis<\/strong> (King Spawn<\/em>), Stephanie Phillips<\/strong> (Grim<\/em>), Jay Stephens<\/strong> (Dwellings<\/em>), Zac Thompson<\/strong> (Cemetery Kids Don\u2019t Die<\/em>), Ben H. Winters<\/strong> (CBS\u2019 Tracker),<\/em> and more; artists Kano <\/strong>(Gotham Central<\/em>, Immortal Iron Fis<\/em>t), Peter Krause<\/strong> (Irredeemable<\/em>), Leomacs <\/strong>(Rogues<\/em>), Malachi Ward<\/strong> (Black Hammer: The End<\/em>), Dustin Weaver <\/strong>(Avengers<\/em>, Paklis<\/em>), and more; designer Rian Hughes<\/strong> (The<\/em> Multiversity<\/em>); alongside covers from Lee Bermejo<\/strong> (A Vicious Circle<\/em>, Batman: Damned<\/em>), Greg Smallwood<\/strong> (The Human Target<\/em>), J.H. Williams III <\/strong>(Sandman: Overture<\/em>, Promethea<\/em>), and more to be revealed in the weeks and months ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeventy years ago, EC Comics redefined what comics could be with shocking, confrontational and brilliantly crafted stories that challenged the existential issues at the center of American life \u2013 censorship, racism, sexism, nuclear proliferation, and more. Today, those battles continue in alarming and pernicious new ways,\u201d said Oni Press Editor-in-Chief, Sierra Hahn. \u201cWhat better time to resurrect the undying spirit of EC Comics \u2013 one of the most entertaining, subversive, and influential publishers of all time \u2013 with an all-star cast of storytellers to examine today\u2019s society through the lens that William Gaines and his legendary collaborators have left us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Founded by M.C. “Max” Gaines<\/strong> \u2013 often cited as one of the original creators of the comic book format \u2013 as \u201cEducational Comics\u201d in 1944, EC spearheaded a watershed evolution in the craft, quality, and power of the comics medium under Max’s son, William M. Gaines<\/strong>, following the elder Gaines\u2019 sudden death in 1947. Rechristening his father\u2019s creation as \u201cEntertaining Comics,\u201d publisher, editor, and writer William M. Gaines<\/strong> recruited one of the most legendary creative stables in the history of the comics medium \u2013 including future Eisner Hall of Fame inductees Johnny Craig<\/strong>, Reed Crandall<\/strong>, Jack Davis<\/strong>, Al Feldstein<\/strong>, Frank Frazetta<\/strong>, Harvey Kurtzman<\/strong>, Joe Orlando<\/strong>, John Severin<\/strong>, Marie Severin<\/strong>, Al Williamson<\/strong>, Wally Wood<\/strong>, and many more \u2013 to oversee the creation of a revolutionary slate of new series that would soon grow to include TALES FROM THE CRYPT<\/strong>, MAD MAGAZINE<\/strong>, WEIRD SCIENCE<\/strong>, TWO-FISTED TALES<\/strong>, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Widely celebrated for fearlessly confrontational stories that were as creatively innovative as they were culturally subversive \u2013 confronting racial and gender inequality, militarism, and environmental degradation in ways that would anticipate both the burgeoning counterculture and Civil Rights movements \u2013 EC\u2019s urge to probe the darkness lurking beyond the edges of post-war America though tales of horror, science fiction, humor, and war earned the company millions of readers \u2026 and established a new high watermark for one of the first definitively American artforms: the comic book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, EC\u2019s reign at the forefront of the American comic book industry \u2013 a period during which it eclipsed Marvel, DC, and Archie with sales of 10 million comics per year \u2013 would come crashing down in 1954 as an anti-comics moral panic swept America, inspiring book burnings, police surveillance, and a Congressional investigation that would see William M. Gaines\u2019 testimony broadcast live in households across the country. This pro-censorship movement soon culminated in the creation of the Comics Code Authority, a sanitizing regulatory group whose guidelines were specifically tailored to remove EC\u2019s comics from newsstands. EC\u2019s final comics \u2013 until now \u2013 were published in 1956, and the hugely popular MAD was re-formatted as a magazine to escape Code scrutiny. Even so, the untimely death of EC could not erase the company\u2019s far-reaching impact, having already inspired a young generation of readers \u2013 including John Carpenter<\/strong>, Guillermo del Toro<\/strong>, Matt Groening<\/strong>, James Gunn<\/strong>, George Lucas<\/strong>, Stephen King<\/strong>, George R.R. Martin<\/strong>, The Ramones<\/strong>, George Romero<\/strong>, Steven Spielberg<\/strong>, and hundreds more \u2013 who have cited EC\u2019s iconoclastic brand of storytelling as a deep and primordial influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are few things more sacred to the canon of comic book history \u2013 and global pop culture \u2013 than EC Comics. The company\u2019s audaciously inspired sensibilities have continuously echoed through nearly all facets of entertainment \u2013 like pieces of shrapnel embedded in American imagination,\u201d said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson<\/strong>. \u201cIt\u2019s both a huge honor and immense responsibility to be entrusted to work alongside the Gaines family in inhabiting EC\u2019s indomitable spirit for a new generation. At a moment when we find ourselves confronting the same reactionary forces \u2013 injustice, inequality, and of course, censorship \u2013 that EC challenged head-on, we intend to write a new and powerful chapter that honors and expands one of the most important legacies the comic book medium has ever produced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oni Press\u2019 first two new EC titles \u2013 EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS and CRUEL UNIVERSE, a pair of horror and science anthologies in the classic EC mold \u2013 will debut in July and August 2024, respectively, before the publisher introduces more series in genres and formats that will expand the scope and scale of the EC publishing line in ways never before attempted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more updates on Oni Press<\/a>, visit them on Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information, contact:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Hyde<\/strong> <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>Hanna Bahedry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Superfan Promotions Founder Superfan Promotions Publicity Coordinator<\/p>\n\n\n\n

david.hyde@superfanpromotions.com<\/a> hanna.bahedry@superfanpromotions.com<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Oni Press<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 1997, Oni Press has a 25-year history as one of the industry\u2019s most respected and acclaimed publishers of award-winning comic books and graphic novels with titles including Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim<\/em>, K. O\u2019Neill\u2019s Tea Dragon Society<\/em>, Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt’s The Sixth Gun<\/em>, Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer<\/em>, Ezra Claytan Daniels’ Upgrade Soul<\/em>, Brenna Thummler\u2019s Sheets<\/em> trilogy, and many hundreds more. In 2019, Oni Press merged with Lion Forge Comics \u2013 the Eisner Award-winning independent comic book publisher founded by Academy Award-winning producer and entrepreneur David Steward II \u2013 to create one of the largest, independent libraries of comics content anywhere in media. The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group now exists as a publishing subsidiary of Steward\u2019s diversified global media company, Polarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group publishes more than 60 original and licensed graphic novels annually, in addition to an extensive list of periodical comics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About EC Comics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the birthplace of TALES FROM THE CRYPT, MAD MAGAZINE, WEIRD SCIENCE, and more of the most influential and celebrated comic series ever published, EC Comics has cemented itself as one of the central nerves of American pop culture with a legacy that spans more than seven decades. From 1944 to 1956, EC \u2013 established as “Educational Comics” by founder M.C. Gaines and later rebranded “Entertaining Comics” under the leadership of Publisher & Editor William M. Gaines \u2013 led a creative renaissance for the comics industry that, for the first time, elevated the once-derided comics medium into the echelons of English literature and high art. Heralded as “one of the great explosions of vox-pop literature” by Time Magazine and “fiercely honest, politically adversarial, [and] visually masterful” by The Comics Journal, EC’s line of comics books – which collectively sold more than 10 million copies annually at their peak \u2013 entertained and informed in equal measure, using brilliantly crafted tales of horror, science fiction, satire, and battlefield conflict to critique and subvert America’s dark impulses toward violence, racism, inequity, environmental destruction, and war. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forcibly shuttered by the Comics Code Authority \u2013 a pro-censorship group specifically tasked with eradicating EC’s illuminating influence from the American comic book industry \u2013 in 1956, EC’s unique brand of subversive storytelling lived on through the continued success of MAD Magazine, which would fuel American counterculture through the death of Publisher William M. Gaines in 1992. EC’s titles and stories have been adapted in a number of media \u2013 including the long-running HBO’s long-running TALES FROM THE CRYPT franchise of television series and feature films \u2013 and continue to be celebrated by multiple generations of comic creators, filmmakers, comedians, and musicians as a seminal influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, EC Comics’ canon of classic stories can continuously be found in print through new editions at Dark Horse Comics, TASCHEN, Fantagraphics, and IDW Publishing. In 2024, EC announced a new partnership with multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher Oni Press to produce the first all-new EC Comics titles in nearly 70 years.\u00a0

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EC COMICS IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE \u2013 AND ALL\u2013NEW PUBLISHING LINE \u2013 AT ONI PRESS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Infamous and Influential Comics Imprint That Redefined Pop Culture Returns with Staggering New Titles and Superstar Creators \u2013 Beginning Summer 2024 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seventy years after the creation of the Comics Code Authority irrevocably changed the course of comics history, the most infamous, notorious and controversial comic publisher of all time is set to return from the grave in summer 2024\u2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oni Press \u2013 the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic fiction for more than 25 years \u2013 is proud to announce a brand-new publishing partnership with William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. that will see the full-fledged return of EC Comics to comic shop and bookstore shelves worldwide with a slate of all-new series beginning in the summer of 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning with EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1<\/strong> in July and CRUEL UNIVERSE #1<\/strong> in August \u2013 the first official EC Comics series produced in nearly seven decades \u2013 Oni\u2019s ambitious EC Comics publishing program will be overseen by Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson<\/strong> and Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn<\/strong> in partnership with Cathy Gaines Mifsud<\/strong> and Corey Mifsud<\/strong>, the daughter and grandson of legendary EC Publisher William M. Gaines<\/strong> and administrators of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs my father said, \u2018Only in the bounds of good taste!\u2019 and I\u2019m so excited to exhibit EC’s good taste with Oni Press, who have distinguished themselves with both an award-winning library of comics and graphic novels and a passionate understanding of EC\u2019s singular role in shaping comics history,\u201d said Cathy Gaines Mifsud, <\/strong>President of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc.<\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEC Comics is no stranger to a good comeback story! We\u2019re thrilled to make this return with Oni Press and usher the classic EC sensibilities into the modern world,\u201d said Corey Mifsud, Executive Director of <\/strong>William M. Gaines Agent, Inc<\/strong>.<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s always been our dream to one day bring the fearless creative spirit of EC to a new generation. Working hand-in-hand with Oni\u2019s award-winning team and a sensational cast of creators, it\u2019s a pleasure to \u2013 at long last \u2013 shepherd EC into the 21st<\/sup> century with all-new series and stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Hahn, Oni\u2019s curated line of EC titles \u2013 which will include at least two series on a monthly basis from July 2024 onward in the genres of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and more \u2013 will feature contributions from a rotating cast of high-profile comics talents that includes writers Jason Aaron<\/strong> (Thor<\/em>, Southern Bastards<\/em>), Brian Azzarello<\/strong> (Batman: Damned<\/em>, 100 Bullets<\/em>), Rodney Barnes<\/strong> (Killadelphia<\/em>), Corinna Bechko<\/strong> (Invisible<\/em> Republic<\/em>), Cullen Bunn<\/strong> (The Sixth Gun<\/em>), Christopher Cantwell<\/strong> (Briar<\/em>), Cecil Castellucci<\/strong> (Shade the Changing Girl<\/em>), Chris Condon<\/strong> (That Texas Blood<\/em>), Joshua Hale Fialkov<\/strong> (The Bunker<\/em>), J. Holtham <\/strong>(AMC\u2019s The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/em>), Jeff Jensen <\/strong>(HBO\u2019s Watchmen, Green River Killer<\/em>), Matt Kindt<\/strong> (BRZRKR<\/em>, Mind<\/em> MGMT<\/em>), Sean Lewis<\/strong> (King Spawn<\/em>), Stephanie Phillips<\/strong> (Grim<\/em>), Jay Stephens<\/strong> (Dwellings<\/em>), Zac Thompson<\/strong> (Cemetery Kids Don\u2019t Die<\/em>), Ben H. Winters<\/strong> (CBS\u2019 Tracker),<\/em> and more; artists Kano <\/strong>(Gotham Central<\/em>, Immortal Iron Fis<\/em>t), Peter Krause<\/strong> (Irredeemable<\/em>), Leomacs <\/strong>(Rogues<\/em>), Malachi Ward<\/strong> (Black Hammer: The End<\/em>), Dustin Weaver <\/strong>(Avengers<\/em>, Paklis<\/em>), and more; designer Rian Hughes<\/strong> (The<\/em> Multiversity<\/em>); alongside covers from Lee Bermejo<\/strong> (A Vicious Circle<\/em>, Batman: Damned<\/em>), Greg Smallwood<\/strong> (The Human Target<\/em>), J.H. Williams III <\/strong>(Sandman: Overture<\/em>, Promethea<\/em>), and more to be revealed in the weeks and months ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeventy years ago, EC Comics redefined what comics could be with shocking, confrontational and brilliantly crafted stories that challenged the existential issues at the center of American life \u2013 censorship, racism, sexism, nuclear proliferation, and more. Today, those battles continue in alarming and pernicious new ways,\u201d said Oni Press Editor-in-Chief, Sierra Hahn. \u201cWhat better time to resurrect the undying spirit of EC Comics \u2013 one of the most entertaining, subversive, and influential publishers of all time \u2013 with an all-star cast of storytellers to examine today\u2019s society through the lens that William Gaines and his legendary collaborators have left us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded by M.C. “Max” Gaines<\/strong> \u2013 often cited as one of the original creators of the comic book format \u2013 as \u201cEducational Comics\u201d in 1944, EC spearheaded a watershed evolution in the craft, quality, and power of the comics medium under Max’s son, William M. Gaines<\/strong>, following the elder Gaines\u2019 sudden death in 1947. Rechristening his father\u2019s creation as \u201cEntertaining Comics,\u201d publisher, editor, and writer William M. Gaines<\/strong> recruited one of the most legendary creative stables in the history of the comics medium \u2013 including future Eisner Hall of Fame inductees Johnny Craig<\/strong>, Reed Crandall<\/strong>, Jack Davis<\/strong>, Al Feldstein<\/strong>, Frank Frazetta<\/strong>, Harvey Kurtzman<\/strong>, Joe Orlando<\/strong>, John Severin<\/strong>, Marie Severin<\/strong>, Al Williamson<\/strong>, Wally Wood<\/strong>, and many more \u2013 to oversee the creation of a revolutionary slate of new series that would soon grow to include TALES FROM THE CRYPT<\/strong>, MAD MAGAZINE<\/strong>, WEIRD SCIENCE<\/strong>, TWO-FISTED TALES<\/strong>, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Widely celebrated for fearlessly confrontational stories that were as creatively innovative as they were culturally subversive \u2013 confronting racial and gender inequality, militarism, and environmental degradation in ways that would anticipate both the burgeoning counterculture and Civil Rights movements \u2013 EC\u2019s urge to probe the darkness lurking beyond the edges of post-war America though tales of horror, science fiction, humor, and war earned the company millions of readers \u2026 and established a new high watermark for one of the first definitively American artforms: the comic book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, EC\u2019s reign at the forefront of the American comic book industry \u2013 a period during which it eclipsed Marvel, DC, and Archie with sales of 10 million comics per year \u2013 would come crashing down in 1954 as an anti-comics moral panic swept America, inspiring book burnings, police surveillance, and a Congressional investigation that would see William M. Gaines\u2019 testimony broadcast live in households across the country. This pro-censorship movement soon culminated in the creation of the Comics Code Authority, a sanitizing regulatory group whose guidelines were specifically tailored to remove EC\u2019s comics from newsstands. EC\u2019s final comics \u2013 until now \u2013 were published in 1956, and the hugely popular MAD was re-formatted as a magazine to escape Code scrutiny. Even so, the untimely death of EC could not erase the company\u2019s far-reaching impact, having already inspired a young generation of readers \u2013 including John Carpenter<\/strong>, Guillermo del Toro<\/strong>, Matt Groening<\/strong>, James Gunn<\/strong>, George Lucas<\/strong>, Stephen King<\/strong>, George R.R. Martin<\/strong>, The Ramones<\/strong>, George Romero<\/strong>, Steven Spielberg<\/strong>, and hundreds more \u2013 who have cited EC\u2019s iconoclastic brand of storytelling as a deep and primordial influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are few things more sacred to the canon of comic book history \u2013 and global pop culture \u2013 than EC Comics. The company\u2019s audaciously inspired sensibilities have continuously echoed through nearly all facets of entertainment \u2013 like pieces of shrapnel embedded in American imagination,\u201d said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson<\/strong>. \u201cIt\u2019s both a huge honor and immense responsibility to be entrusted to work alongside the Gaines family in inhabiting EC\u2019s indomitable spirit for a new generation. At a moment when we find ourselves confronting the same reactionary forces \u2013 injustice, inequality, and of course, censorship \u2013 that EC challenged head-on, we intend to write a new and powerful chapter that honors and expands one of the most important legacies the comic book medium has ever produced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oni Press\u2019 first two new EC titles \u2013 EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS and CRUEL UNIVERSE, a pair of horror and science anthologies in the classic EC mold \u2013 will debut in July and August 2024, respectively, before the publisher introduces more series in genres and formats that will expand the scope and scale of the EC publishing line in ways never before attempted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more updates on\u00a0Oni Press<\/a>, visit them on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Oni Press<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 1997, Oni Press has a 25-year history as one of the industry\u2019s most respected and acclaimed publishers of award-winning comic books and graphic novels with titles including Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim<\/em>, K. O\u2019Neill\u2019s Tea Dragon Society<\/em>, Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt’s The Sixth Gun<\/em>, Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer<\/em>, Ezra Claytan Daniels’ Upgrade Soul<\/em>, Brenna Thummler\u2019s Sheets<\/em> trilogy, and many hundreds more. In 2019, Oni Press merged with Lion Forge Comics \u2013 the Eisner Award-winning independent comic book publisher founded by Academy Award-winning producer and entrepreneur David Steward II \u2013 to create one of the largest, independent libraries of comics content anywhere in media. The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group now exists as a publishing subsidiary of Steward\u2019s diversified global media company, Polarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group publishes more than 60 original and licensed graphic novels annually, in addition to an extensive list of periodical comics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About EC Comics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the birthplace of TALES FROM THE CRYPT, MAD MAGAZINE, WEIRD SCIENCE, and more of the most influential and celebrated comic series ever published, EC Comics has cemented itself as one of the central nerves of American pop culture with a legacy that spans more than seven decades. From 1944 to 1956, EC \u2013 established as “Educational Comics” by founder M.C. Gaines and later rebranded “Entertaining Comics” under the leadership of Publisher & Editor William M. Gaines \u2013 led a creative renaissance for the comics industry that, for the first time, elevated the once-derided comics medium into the echelons of English literature and high art. Heralded as “one of the great explosions of vox-pop literature” by Time Magazine and “fiercely honest, politically adversarial, [and] visually masterful” by The Comics Journal, EC’s line of comics books – which collectively sold more than 10 million copies annually at their peak \u2013 entertained and informed in equal measure, using brilliantly crafted tales of horror, science fiction, satire, and battlefield conflict to critique and subvert America’s dark impulses toward violence, racism, inequity, environmental destruction, and war. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forcibly shuttered by the Comics Code Authority \u2013 a pro-censorship group specifically tasked with eradicating EC’s illuminating influence from the American comic book industry \u2013 in 1956, EC’s unique brand of subversive storytelling lived on through the continued success of MAD Magazine, which would fuel American counterculture through the death of Publisher William M. Gaines in 1992. EC’s titles and stories have been adapted in a number of media \u2013 including the long-running HBO’s long-running TALES FROM THE CRYPT franchise of television series and feature films \u2013 and continue to be celebrated by multiple generations of comic creators, filmmakers, comedians, and musicians as a seminal influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, EC Comics’ canon of classic stories can continuously be found in print through new editions at Dark Horse Comics, TASCHEN, Fantagraphics, and IDW Publishing. In 2024, EC announced a new partnership with multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher Oni Press to produce the first all-new EC Comics titles in nearly 70 years. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EC COMICS IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE \u2013 AND ALL\u2013NEW PUBLISHING LINE \u2013 AT ONI PRESS The Infamous and Influential Comics Imprint That Redefined Pop Culture Returns with Staggering New Titles and Superstar Creators \u2013 Beginning Summer 2024  Seventy years after the creation of the Comics Code Authority irrevocably changed the course of comics history, the most infamous, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":30669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30668\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gayleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}