The comic book industry is at a point where publishers and retailers are experimenting. They’re developing new models for a classic product. A Wave Blue World has announced some changes. Their hope is to disrupt to standard release schedule we’ve come to expect. The publisher has announced it will be releasing “premier” first issues. Premier issues will be followed by digital releases and a collected edition of a series. All of this in a compacted 2-month time frame.

The indie publisher recently expanded their brand by hiring industry veterans Joseph Illidge, Editorial Director, and Lisa Y. Wu, VP of Sales and Marketing, to help launch their “Premier #1 Program.”

The Premier #1 Program came from A Wave Blue World’s recognition that the comic book market is evolving. Many readers are choosing to “Sample, Collect, and/or Binge” on comics. Readers don’t want to wait 6 to 9 months for the full story. The program offers readers choice and the ability to get the entire story within a 2-month period.

Each new title will launch with a Premier Edition #1. This will be the only single issue in print and will contain the full first issue as well as a “behind the scenes” look at concept art not found anywhere else. The first issue will be wrapped inside an exclusive cover with high-end art on premium stock.

Then, the reader has two options: 1. Read the subsequent issues digitally released every two weeks, or 2. Buy the collected volume within two months after the release of the Premier #1.

This new business model gives the readers the freedom to choose and sample with a guarantee of delay-free enjoyment and reflects A Wave Blue World’s values of integrating sustainability practices into its business decisions.

In the announcement, President/Co-Publisher Tyler Chin-Tanner explained:

Two of the challenge that prevents fans from reading indie comics are the difficulty in finding all the issues and waiting long periods of time for them to come out.  We’ve addressed both of those problems by having the full series completed in advance and ready to deliver in whatever format the reader prefers.

Executive Director/Co-Publisher Wendy Chin-Tanner said in the announcement:

Our goal in conceiving AWBW’s Premier Program is to solve a sales problem by creating a win-win solution for readers and retailers alike.

To kick off the Premier #1 Program this October, A Wave Blue World is revealing Mezo and Dead Legends.

Editorial Director Joseph Illidge said in the release:

The Premier line of books is a celebration of A Wave Blue World’s promise: To bring daring authors and innovative artists together for compelling stories about amazing characters and personal journeys. We can’t wait for you to see these books, created with the true collaborative nature of our comics community in mind!

Lisa Y. Wu, VP Sales and Marketing concluded:

Influential, innovative and progressive, A Wave Blue World is reinventing a modern approach to enjoying comics. We are redefining comics for our retailer sand readers for the 21st century in that we are placing their values into the designs of how we publish the stories of today and tomorrow.

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MEZO

Tyler Chin-Tanner, Josh Zingerman, Val Rodrigues, Doug Garbark, Thomas Mauer
Cover Artist: Claudia Ianniciello
$3.99 / 32 pages / Full Color
On Sale October

“The rise of the Tzalekuhl Empire threatens to disrupt the peace that has lasted for generations across the land of Mezo. When the conquest begins, a young girl named Kyma witnesses the death of her father, Hegol, a tribal leader who refused to yield.

As the solar eclipse nears, Kyma must unite the various tribes against an emperor determined to make them all kneel before his god or be sacrificed in his name.

MEZO is a daring Mesoamerican-inspired Game of Thrones-type epic that can only be found at A Wave Blue World.”

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DEAD LEGENDS

James Maddox, Gavin Smith, Ryan Ferrier
Cover Artist: Leo Colapietro
$3.99 / 32 pages / Full Color
On Sale October 9

“A widow seeking revenge. A champion hellbent on losing. A world-class assassin second-guessing her contract. The Dead Legends tournament contains a long history of pitting the best fighters in the world against one another, but this year, these combatants bend the rules and place the future of the tournament in jeopardy. This is the martial arts throwback series that hits harder than a kick to the skull, where alliances are made, bonds are broken, and fighters lose their lives.

DEAD LEGENDS is Kill Bill meets Enter the Dragon.”