Tag Archives: lion forge comics

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Vampire State Building

Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.

Are You Listening? (First Second) – Tillie Walden’s latest is an intimate and emotional story about friendship, grief, and healing.

Black Terror #1 (Dynamite Entertainment) – Max Bemis takes on the classic character taking readers for a ride through the life of superhero and all the weirdness along the way.

Bury the Lede (BOOM! Studios) – A young reporter gets tied up in a murder mystery.

Catalyst Prime: Seven Days #1 (Lion Forge) – Announced over a year ago, the Catalyst Prime universe comes together for its first event.

Copra #1 (Image Comics) – The indie superhero comic gets a new start. Think an off the rails Suicide Squad where anything can happen.

Dead Eyes #1 (Image Comics) – An old school gangster is back out of retirement. This issue has been a long time coming and we’re intrigued.

House of X #6 (Marvel) – Jonathan Hickman’s reworking of the X Universe begins to wrap up and we want to see how this ends!

Mezo Premier Edition #1 (A Wave Blue World) – This publisher is trying something different with their single issues in that they’re releasing a premium first then you can buy the rest in trade or digitally. The concept is intriguing and we want to see if this has that extra something to hook readers to go along with this new distribution plan.

Nomen Omen #1 (Image Comics) – A new urban fantasy tale of witchcraft is perfectly timed for the Halloween season.

Strange Skies Over East Berlin #1 (BOOM! Studios) – It’s the Cold War and the Soviets have a secret weapon, an alien monster they don’t understand and can’t control.

Thanos: Infinity Ending (Marvel) – The conclusion to Jim Starlin and Alan Davis’ trilogy!

Vampire State Building #1 (Ablaze) – Artist Charlie Adlard goes from zombies to vampires! A group is caught in the Empire State Building as a legion of vampires attacks. It’s a battle to stop them from escaping and getting out of the building alive!

NYCC 2019: Gail Simone’s Catalyst Prime: Seven Days Debuts

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Days before the doors open to the convention hall for this year’s pop culture spectacle of New York Comic Con, Lion Forge has announced Gail Simone to attend the show to debut Catalyst Prime: Seven Days, the widely anticipated event which will determine the future of the Catalyst Prime universe!

In comic shops everywhere this week, legendary comic book scribe and Catalyst Prime Universe architect Gail Simone unleashes Catalyst Prime: Seven Days; a series that will unite the heroes of the CPU for seven issues that count down the days of a week that may be the final one in the history of humanity. 

To celebrate, Gail Simone will attend New York Comic Con, where she will be signing daily in the Lion Forge/Oni booth #2028 at the below times:

Thursday, October 3: 3pm – 4pm
Friday, October 4: 1pm – 2pm
Saturday, October 5: 3pm – 4pm

Outside of those times, fans can catch her at her table in artist alley J-34, where she will be signing copies of Seven Days throughout the show!

Lorena Payan was the first to realize a meteor was hurtling towards Earth two years ago. Now, she’s the first to realize the Earth is in danger once more from something equally cosmic but far more sinister. As a mystery figure dubbed, the Obsidian Men, begin appearing silently all over the globe our heroes Noble, Summit, and Accell join together to investigate, kicking off this seven-issue series. 

Catalyst Prime: Seven Days is written by Gail Simone, with art by José Luís, and will debut on shelves of finer comic book shops everywhere this Wednesday.

Catalyst Prime: Seven Days

NYCC 2019: Lion Forge Launches Mooncakes with Signings

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Just ahead of the release of an all-new collection of the beloved queer Chinese-American fantasy romance from co-creators Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu, Lion Forge has announced signings and events at New York Comic Con, and a launch event at New York’s Books of Wonder on October 14!

Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu will appear in the Oni/Lion Foge booth #2028 with daily signings throughout the show. Their full New York Comic Con signing schedule can be found below.

Thursday, October 3: 5 PM – 6 PM
Friday, October 4: 10 PM – 11 PM
Saturday, October 5: 12 PM – 1 PM
Sunday, October 6:  10:30 AM – 11:30 AM 

Additionally, fans can see the co-creators in conversation Oni editor-in-chief, Sarah Gaydos and others on the below panel on Thursday October 3: 

Uh Oh, It’s Magic: Supernatural Creator-Owned Comics
Thursday October 3
Time: 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM
Location: Room 1B03

Oni and Lion Forge present a panel of some of the year’s most anticipated creator-owned comics and graphic novels just in time for the Season of the Witch! Join Editor-in-Chief Sarah Gaydos, Senior editor Jasmine Amiri, along with Daniel Barnes and D.J. Kirkland (Black Mage), Sarah Graley (Kim Reaper), and Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (Mooncakes), for a “spirited discussion” on “the craft” of creating some of the most magical comics for teens and adults alike!

Off of the show floor, Books of Wonder will be hosting a tie-in event to New York Comic Con on Sunday, October 6 at 6pm. Details can be found below:

Books of Wonder is thrilled to be hosting a special New York Comic Con at BoW event! Join us on October 6th at our 18 West 18th street store for this fantastic panel with eight amazing authors! Stop by on Sunday, October 6th 6-8pm for your chance to meet Garth Nix for Angel Mage, Mackeni Lee for Loki: Where Mischief Lies, Jess Rothenberg for The Kingdom, Heidi Heilig for A Kingdom for a Stage, Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker for Mooncakes, and Zoraida Cordova for A Crash of Fate; moderated by Dhonielle Clayton for The Everlasting Rose.

NEW YORK BOOK LAUNCH EVENT
Tuesday, October 14 @ 6PM
Books of Wonder

Mooncakes

Preview: Bezkamp

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Bezkamp

(W) Samuel Sattin (A/CA) Jennifer Hickman

In the village of Bezkamp, laws, land, rituals, and warriors are sacred. The written word is banished. Nem, son of one of Bezkamp’s strongest warriors, shows no signs of fire or strength. Forced to follow in his father’s footsteps, Nem must venture beyond their village walls in order to save land from being corrupted by the dangerous and toxic Crig beasts. As Nem begins to see more of their planet, he’ll begin to uncover the truth behind the village’s lies and start to fight for truth.

Bezkamp

SDCC 2019: Lion Forge Announces Signings and Programming

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Lion Forge Comics

Just under two weeks ahead of the opening of the exhibit hall at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Lion Forge has revealed a full slate of signings, giveaways, and programming at this year’s convention.

Fans will get multiple chances to meet some of their favorite creators throughout the show, with days and times outlined below:

Thursday, July 18
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Gene Ha (Mae)
12:30–1:30 p.m.: Norm Harper (Haphaven)
2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.: Gail Simone (Catalyst Prime: Seven Days)
3:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.: Rolled & Told Group Signing
5:00–6:00 p.m.: Michael Uslan & Andrew Pepoy (Dinosaucers)

Friday, July 19
10:00–11:00 a.m.: Ezra Claytan Daniels (Upgrade Soul)
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Wendy Xu (Mooncakes)
1:00–2:00 p.m.: Gail Simone (Catalyst Prime: Seven Days)
2:30–3:30 p.m.: Maia Kobabe (Gender Queer: A Memoir)
4:00–5:00 p.m.: Samuel Sattin (GLINT, Bezkamp)

Saturday, July 20
10:00–11:00 a.m.: Ben Fisher, Michelle Nguyen, and Emily Whitten (The Underfoot)
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Gail Simone (Catalyst Prime: Seven Days)
1:00–2:00 p.m.: Maia Kobabe (Gender Queer: A Memoir) 
2:30–3:30 p.m.: Rolled & Told Group Signing
4:30–5:30 p.m.: Ezra Claytan Daniels (Upgrade Soul)

Sunday, July 21
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Ben Fisher, Michelle Nguyen, and Emily Whitten (The Underfoot)

Lion Forge-related programming details can be found below.

The d20 Dames Present: Building Inclusive Gaming Adventures for All, Thursday, 7/18/19, 7:00p.m. – 8:00p.m., Room: 32AB
Are you ready to move past the pre-gen table top adventures and build a nightmare landscape (or delicious pie-scape) for your friends? We’re here to help! Build an Adventure with live-play D&D podcast, d20 Dames, Jen Vaughn + Kat Kruger plus some mysterious guest NPCs! We’ve written a little bit of everything from D&D adventures to YA novels to comic series. We’ll cover some of the basics on what makes a great RPG/D&D campaign in addition to highlighting some of our favorites from this past year. 

Shirley Special Events Suite @ The San Diego Public Library, 330 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101

Comics and History in Comics,Friday, 7/19/19, 3 p.m.–4 p.m.
Combining text and image can make complex or abstract subject matter more appealing, winning over even the most reluctant reader. Learn how graphic novels can be used to supplement lessons in STEM and history, and bring awareness to underrepresented and marginalized perspectives.  Panelists include: Jim Ottaviani (Hawking), MK Reed (Science Comics: Wild Weather), Ben Fisher, Michelle Nguyen and Emily S. Whitten (The Underfoot: The Mighty Deep). Moderated by Tracy Edmunds (Educational Consultant and Curriculum Specialist) Sponsored by CBC Graphic Novel Committee.

A Life Illustrated: Memoirs in Comics, Friday, 7/19/19, 5:30p.m. – 6:30p.m., Room: 8
Spring saw the release of both Genderqueer: A Memoir from Maia Kobabe (who uses pronouns e, em, eir); a moving work of graphic nonfiction detailing eir coming of age and coming out as non-binary, and the first collection of the beloved webcomic, Our Super Adventure from Sarah Graley (Rick and Morty, Kim Reaper) and Stef Purenins; documenting all the weird little everyday flashes of shared absurdity that make up relationships. Join us for a discussion on how and why the comic book medium provides the perfect format for telling the life stories of the people behind them.

SDCC 2019: Katie O’Neill’s Tour Kicks Off July 9 in Seattle with her SDCC Debut

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Just ahead of the release of an all-new companion story to the two-time Eisner Award-winning graphic novel The Tea Dragon Society, acclaimed graphic novelist Katie O’Neill ventures down the west coast for five signings in conjunction with her first-ever appearance at San Diego Comic-Con!

Katie is nominated again in this year’s Eisner Awards for her most recent work, Aquicorn Cove, a heartfelt story about learning to be a guardian to yourself and those you love. Her upcoming work, The Tea Dragon Festival, delivers another charming, gentle fantasy story about finding your purpose, and the community that helps you along the way. This highly anticipated follow up to the acclaimed 2017 graphic novel will be released in September.

Katie’s full itinerary can be found below, including signings and programming on site at San Diego Comic-Con!

SEATTLE, WA
Tuesday, July 9 @ 7PM
Third Place Books – Ravenna 

PORTLAND, OR
Thursday, July 11 @ 7PM
Powell’s Cedar Hills Crossing

SAN FRANCISCO
Saturday, July 13 @ 3:30PM
Charlie’s Corner
*with Mai K. Nguyen, author of Pilu of the Woods

SAN FRANCISCO 
Sunday, July 14 @ 12PM
Comix Experience

SAN DIEGO COMIC CON SIGNINGS 
All signings held at the Oni Press booth #1833

  • Thursday, July 18 @ 4:30pm – 5:30pm
  • Friday, July 19 @ 11:30am -12:30pm
  • Saturday, July 20 @ 2:00pm – 3:00 pm
  • Sunday, July 21 @ 2:30pm – 3:30pm

Additionally, fans can catch O’Neill in conversation with her editor at the below spotlight panel on Friday July 19: 

Katie O’Neill Spotlight, Friday, 7/19/19, 1:00p.m. – 2:00p.m., Room: 28DE

Join Eisner Award-winning children’s cartoonist Katie O’Neill(The Tea Dragon Society, Aquicorn Cove) in conversation with her editor Ari Yarwood, as they discuss Katie O’Neill’s evolving career, webcomics, craft, representation in children’s literature, and their favorite Tea Dragons.

LOS ANGELES
Tuesday, July 23 @ 6PM
Gallery Nucleus

Polarity’s Oni Acquisition Leaves Staff Scrambling for Jobs, to Pay Bills, and Medical Coverage

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While some were praising the acquisition of Oni Press by Lion Forge‘s new parent company Polarity, there was a very human side to the story as individuals were laid off just hours after the announcement. That’s even after the initial press announcement article said staffing decisions were still being made about that.

While many rightly pointed out those fired were women, queer, disabled, and people of color, they are also human beings with bills to pay and medical expenses to cover. They need our help in the short term and jobs in the long term.

While an official butcher’s bill isn’t know, we’ve been told from those in the know that most of Lion Forge’s staff has been laid off along with some of Oni’s. In essence, Oni was acquired to absorb Polarity’s comic publishing arm and run that operation out of their Portland office.

The firings undermine the quote from a damage control interview where Polarity/Lion Forge founder David Steward II has said:

…there are things that we have to do, unfortunately, from a business standpoint to make sure that the organization stays healthy and that we’re able to continue to keep on our mission going forward.

Part of the initial announcement of Polarity was one of investment and funding. While the elimination of redundant positions would be expected in a merger/acquisition, this mass layoff, including another 11 laid off recently at Lion Forge, signals a business hemorrhaging money, a comics and entertainment dot com bubble in the making. It’s a sign of weakness, not strength. It also has become the story of the acquisition.

It looks like those fired are again in the double digits leaving talent out their for other publishers to snatch up including award winning creators. Some of that talent directly responsible for the diversity in creators and content that the company claims is a priority.

The layoffs also make little sense unless production is also being cut, otherwise you’d have a smaller staff producing the content of two publishers. No matter the careful spin by Polarity, there’s many questions they haven’t answered.

Below are just some of those looking for work or need our help to help cover medical expenses (if there are more, please comment below or contact us so we can add them):

This is just some of those laid off and the real people behind corporate decisions beyond their control.

There’s much more to come to this story.

Layoffs Have Already Begun Due to the Oni/Lion Forge Merger

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Update: We’ve been told of many more layoffs but attempting to confirm the extent so as to not exaggerate. If anyone has more specific details or can confirm what we’ve been told, please contact us.

The press release and announcement isn’t even 2 hours old and already staff are losing their jobs due to the merger of Oni Press and Lion Forge. We’re told there’s multiple staffers who have been let go of the around 40 staff involved. In the initial story staffing decisions were mentioned but it’s happening much sooner than expected.

Mergers will lead to staffing cuts as positions overlap but decisions can take weeks, months, or longer to shake out. The Disney/Fox merger for instance is expected to cause up to 10,000 jobs lost over the next year as decisions are made.

We’ll let the Tweets below do the talking.

https://twitter.com/swindlesoiree/status/1126173121348694016

Lion Forge and Oni Press Merge Under Polarity

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Rumors have been swirling of buyouts and mergers in the comics publishing world for some time and this year it looks like some of that is finally play out with today’s announcement that Lion Forge and Oni Press have announced a merger. Polarity, the parent company of Lion Forge, will become the majority owner of the new combined entity, with James Lucas Jones serving as president and publisher and the Oni team leading creative and business operations.

The combination of the two companies creates an industry player focused on creator-owned, cutting-edge licensed partnerships and original content. Both companies are known for engaging diverse and under-served audiences. In March 2019, Oni Press held 0.74% of the dollar share and 0.64% of the unit share for Diamond Comic Distributors. In 2018, the publisher made up 0.83% of the dollar share and 0.54% of the unit share.

The deal, which streamlines and concentrates the editorial, marketing, production and operations in Portland, OR, was orchestrated by Polarity president, Edward Hamati, who oversees administration and corporate development for Polarity.

As part of this transition, Joe Nozemack is stepping down as president and will move to a board and advisory role with the company. Sarah Gaydos will be serving as editor in chief of the new company. The staffing of the two companies is still up in the air as both have about 20 employees.

The move comes after the announcement of Polarity, Lion Forge’s parent company and its focus on expanding its reach into other media such as games, television, and film.

From Comics to Beyond, David Steward II Launches Polarity

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David Steward II

News was revealed today that Lion Forge founder David Steward II has been quietly expanding his portfolio over the past year to meet the demands of today’s modern audiences. The goal is to go beyond comics but also television, movies, streaming, and gaming. In early 2018, Steward formed Polarity, a holding company and investment platform and began recruiting a new team of professionals.

The focus is authentic content for a global audience and Polarity has recruited individuals beyond the traditional Hollywood roots.

To form Polarity, Steward sought out talent from the business world to augment the creative talent led by himself and Carl Reed, Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of several companies in the Lion Forge brand family.  Polarity oversees operations for the portfolio and pursues new business opportunities to expand the company’s offerings.  

David recruited Edward Hamati, Polarity’s President, in early 2018. The two previously worked together at a private equity firm. Hamati also leads the firm’s corporate development activities including mergers and acquisitions and investments.

The core management team includes Shonagh Clements (Chief Legal Officer) and Angie Smith (Chief Financial Officer), well regarded industry professionals and leaders. On the portfolio operations side, the team includes Chip Schafer (VP, B2B services focus) and Rick Johnson (VP, publishing focus).

Polarity is based in St. Louis, MO with an office in Boston, MA.

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