Soaring Penguin Press announced today that co-publisher Tim Pilcher is leaving the company. Tim joined Soaring Penguin Press in the latter part of 2018, and was responsible for bringing both Breakthrough: Our Time and Black to their list. As well, he was the driving force that made 2021 the publisher’s best year yet.
Pilcher is an Eisner nominated writer and editor and joined the company when founder John Anderson moved to open up the North American office of the company. Pilcher was previously the assistant editor at Vertigo Comics, Commissioning Editor at Ilex Press, and Humanoids’ UK Liaison.
Co-publisher John Anderson said in the announcement:
I’m going to miss having Tim around, he brought an insight into publishing comics in the UK. It was always good to have his opinion.
Added co-publisher Tim Pilcher:
I’ve spent four brilliant years working with John at Soaring Penguin Press and have been incredibly proud of the quality and diversity of books we’ve produced, from The Bad Bad Place and The Glass Wall to Urban Tails and The Rez. Unfortunately, recent demands from other projects have meant I’ve been unable to devote as much time as Soaring Penguin deserves, and with a heavy heart I have decided to step down. However, I know the company is in safe hands and—with two recent successful Crowdfunding campaigns for the forthcoming Nord by Martin Simpson, and Mark Stafford’s Salmonella Smorgasboard—I’m certain that this penguin will continue to soar ever-upwards!
Soaring Penguin Press has always been a huge fan of Mark Stafford’s work, with a story by him appearing in our their first publication back in 1997.
Best known as the co-creator of the graphic novels Cherubs! (with Bryan Talbot), The Man who Laughs, Lip Hook, and The Bad Bad Place (with David Hine), along with extensive work on other projects, Mark has twice been chosen by the British Council to collaborate on projects in South Korea. He is also the current artist-in-residence at The Cartoon Museum in London, UK.
Salmonella Smorgasbord is a new collection that presents stories and pieces in a hefty 200+ full-colour pages, celebrating the grotesque imagination of one of Britain’s most inventive comedic/horror artists. Salmonella Smorgasbord brings together many of Stafford’s rarely seen short comic strips, alongside restored older comics, and even more recent design work for theatre posters, record covers, beer labels, and T-shirt designs—meaning there’s plenty to discover, even for the most ardent fans.
Salmonella Smorgasbord is scheduled for February 2022 and is perfect for anyone with an appreciation of horror, comedy, and underground comics.
Meanwhile… #10 is a 128-page comics anthology with work by Gary Spencer Millidge, David Hine, Mark Stafford, Roger Langridge, Sarah Gordon, Ginny Skinner, Michael Doig, and India Swift, Oisin Roche (with Elaine M Will), Laurel Dundee, Chad Boudreau and Butch Mapa, Burhan Kum, Victor Martins, Andy Pearson (with Louise Fellows), Moray Rhoda and Daniel Hugo, Flo Pizzarello and Elisabeth Eudes-Pascal. Funds are currently being raised to print the comic through Kickstarter.
Meanwhile… is Soaring Penguin Press‘ anthology series, bringing together higher profile creators with less established creators who are looking to see their story in print. Each issue is curated to ensure the best quality of comics storytelling.
Meanwhile… combines ongoing series with stand-alone stories, so that every issue provides a satisfying read, but encourages the reader to pick up the next issue, too.
Tobias Taitt and Anthony Smith have signed to have their graphic novel, Black Bastard published by Soaring Penguin Press. Taitt originally wrote his autobiography as a novel, before adapting it into comics with artist Anthony Smith.
Told simply and adroitly, Black Bastard recounts how Taitt struggled to grow up in the UK after being abandoned by his Barbadian mother, who had hoped to find a better life there—but failed to find it. Falling into a life of (occasionally violent) crime from the age of 15, Taitt was shunted from children’s homes to reform schools to prisons throughout the ’80s, until he was able to stay out of trouble long enough to start to put his life together.
Originally appearing in the webcomic Aces Weekly, the print edition will provide previously unpublished material.
Black Bastard by Tobias Taitt and Anthony Smith is scheduled for publication in the UK in September, 2021, to coincide with October’s Black History Month.
Following their shift to a crowdfunding business model, Soaring Penguin Press has launched their Kickstarter campaign for its upcoming publication The Glass Wall from William Robertson and Yulio Lapko. The campaign ends on Tuesday 27th October and has a goal of $7,760. Creators William and Yulia met online 10 years ago through a shared love of art.
In a recent Zoom conference regarding the UK Comics Creator Survey, it emerged that only 13% of creators earned their sole income from comics. Soaring Penguin Press want to redress that imbalance. Kickstarters help provide a substantial up-front payment.
Lucian’s life is fucked. In a self-obsessed East London where everyone is smoking, snorting, or shooting, where nights pass in a fog of half-remembered physical and emotional wounds, Lucian’s been advised—no, instructed—that the only defence is to wear an armour of indifference. Then his best friend is accused of raping his ex-fiancee. Should he pick a side? Or is he best to stay out of it?
You can get a digital edition for £5 (about $7) or the “early bird” softcover edition for £10 (about $13). Other rewards include hardcover editions, t-shirts, and original art.
Soaring Penguin Press has announced they will be moving to a crowdfunding business model effective immediately, starting with any currently scheduled titles.
Following the publication of the UK Comics Creator Survey, Co-Publishers Tim Pilcher and John Anderson examined their business model to see if there was a way to redress the imbalance in the earnings of comics creators. The two came to the conclusion that the current “royalty-based pay scheme” meant there was no chance for creators to get a living wage. By pivoting to this model, the publisher can provide money up-front to creators.
The company will also continue to focus on publishing alternative voices. That was another thing the survey highlighted as imbalanced. The company realizes that this will require varying commitment from them to make sure titles are funded.
Their first title under the new business model will be the debut graphic novel The Glass Wallby William Robertson and Yulia Lapko, which is scheduled to come out in November.
Lucian’s life is fucked. In a self-obsessed East End London where everyone is snorting, shooting, or smoking, where nights pass in a fog of half-remembered physical and emotional wounds, Lucian’s been advised— no, instructed—that the only defense is to wear an armour of indifference. Then his best friend is accused of raping his ex-fiancee. Should he pick a side? Or is he best to stay out of it?.
Soaring Penguin Press and Mark Stafford have raised over £1,500 for London’s cash-strapped Cartoon Museum.
Soaring Penguin donated the entire proceeds of 50 signed copies of their latest graphic novel, The Bad Bad Placeby David Hine and Mark Stafford, to the museum, but Stafford went the extra mile by creating 50 unique paintings for every copy.
Fortunately, the Cartoon Museum has just received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, meaning that it will be able to open again safely, but as The Cartoon Museum’s Steve Marchant commented, “Many, many thanks for all the congrats and good wishes regarding our funding success. We’re not out of the woods yet – income has always been an issue – but we can see the sky.”
Anyone who makes a purchase on the Soaring Penguin Press website can also make a donation to the Museum when they check out.
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 are choosing up to five books and why they’re choosing the books. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look!
Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.
Alex
Top Pick: Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #1 (DC Comics/IDW Publishing) – I thoroughly enjoyed the first miniseries featuring these two properties, and while I half expect this to be nothing more than a shameless cash grab I’m oddly excited to see the Dark Knight cross paths with the Turtles again. I would say you don’t see that happen often, but that’s not necessarily the case anymore – and I’m quite happy about that.
Green Arrow #35 (DC Comics) – One of the sleeper hits for me is Green Arrows ongoing series. The art is whimsical and sweepingly beautiful, and the story about one man fighting a giant corporate conspiracy theory is far stronger than it seemed at first. Definitely one to keep on your radar.
Faith’s Winter Wonderland Special #1 (Valiant) – Marguerite Sauvage pulls double duty on this one, and I’m curious as to what she’ll offer – as long as it’s fun (and looks as awesome as she’s proven her self capable of drawing) then I’ll be happy.
Jen
Top Pick: Jupiter Jet #1 (Action Lab Entertainment) – The debut issue of this teenaged Robin Hood story with a science fiction twist grabbed my attention immediately. The art, vaguely reminiscent of Squirrel Girl (probably not a mistake), makes early promises of a book with lighthearted romps plastered from cover to cover.
Harley and Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica #3 (DC Comics/Archie Comics) – I am going to be honest–I didn’t know this title was out already. Time to catch up. Girl power is promised in BUNDLES in a book featuring four iconic women from comics, and the mashup of Good vs. Bad (can we definitively call Harley/Ivy evil?) should be a great time.
Jem and the Holograms Dimensions #1 (IDW Publishing) – More girl power. Step one: put a cat on the cover. Step two, promise some light-hearted hijinx featuring girls from both sides of the tracks (I’m sensing a theme this week…). Step three: throw in a good old-fashioned game of Dungeons and Dragons. What could possibly go wrong?
I Hate Fairyland Deluxe HC Vol. 1 (Image Comics) – A 36 year old woman trapped in a 6 year old’s body isn’t even close to the most grotesque thing going on in Skottie Young’s modern masterpiece. Young’s delightfully vulgar sense of humor truly shines in his first Image title. The Deluxe collection promises plenty of extras which will likely ooze with….something nasty.
Archie #26 (Archie Comics) – What can I say, I’ve been a sucker for the redhead and his bumbling misadventures since I was a kid. Old habits, and all that. But the All-new Archie has taken us some places we’ve never been before, and I for one can’t wait to see where we go next.
Shay
Harley & Ivy Meet Betty & Veronica #3 (DC Comics) – Do I really need a reason? It’s like my childhood met my teen hood in a bar and I’m here for it. This might be one of the few times where crossing the streams is a good thing.
Throwaways #10 (Image Comics) – Dean and Abby are still trying to get to the bottom of the conspiracy theory that is their life while dealing with the latest hinderences , like being separated by guards, as the hunt for the truth. The series is hit or miss but, they seem to be getting their bearings so either way this will be interesting.
Hawkeye #13 (Marvel) – Clint and Kate in LA on a case. There will be humor, there will be blood, there will be awesome , in the start of what looks like a killer story arc.
Brett
Top Pick: A Small Revolution (Soaring Penguin Press) – A revolution in a small country seen through the yes of an innocent child. If there’s ever been a comic more geared towards me, I don’t know what it is. The concept sounds amazing and I can’t wait to read it.
Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands #2 (DC Comics) – The first issue was a perfect balance of action, characterization, and social justice. Hope this issue continues that trend.
Captain America #696 (Marvel) – The first issue was good (not great) but Mark Waid and Chris Samnee seem to be exploring what it means to be Captain America. What they have to say should be interesting and both know the character well, so this should be an interesting read no matter what.
The Consultant #1 (Action Lab: Danger Zone) – When superheroes screw up, this is the guy who cleans up the mess. I’ve read the first issue and while there’s some slight issues with characters standing out in design, the story is fantastic and exactly what I hoped for.
Winter War (Caliber Entertainment) – The story of the 100-day war of Finland versus the Soviet Union at the dawk of World War II. Sounds really interesting.
Soaring Penguin Press has agreed to publish the English edition of Sugar: The Life of My Cat by Serge Baeken. The book was originally published by Belgian publisher Blloan, and subsequently in French by Dargaud.
Sugar is the biography of Baeken’s cat who came to the family as a kitten and lived eighteen years; and who became something of a legend even after his passing.
Serge Baeken is an author and illustrator of who in July 2016 was awarded the deAuteursprijs for his illustration work by copyrights management company deAuteurs. The jury called Baeken “an illustrator with an authentic body of work, an autonomous and committed artist who creates his own universe through his work.”
Sugar: The Life of My Cat will be published in early 2018.
Soaring Penguin Press has agreed to publish the first volume of the popular web comic Breaksby Emma Vieceli and Malin Rydén.
Presented in weekly segments from February 2014 to August 2016, Breaks has garnered a reputation as an intelligent and thoughtful coming-of-age story:
From self-publishing to some of the biggest book publishers in the world, Emma loves telling stories with pictures. Her work includes: Doctor Who for Titan comics, the New York Times-bestselling Vampire Academy graphic novel series for Penguin Random House, Avalon Chronicles for Oni Press and the critically acclaimed independent web series, Breaks with co-creator Malin Ryden. Her recent work includes the Alex Rider series for Walker books, The Adventures of Supergirl for DC comics, and Back to the Future for IDW. Alongside comics, she worked on the A&E television series, Bates Motel, providing the sketchbook found by Norman Bates.
Malin Rydén is a published freelance fiction writer, sharing her time between two continents, two languages and too many imaginary worlds to count. While the bulk of her work remains firmly rooted in speculative fiction, she has made forays into crime and contemporary young adult fiction as well as comic scripts. Current projects include a collection of horror shorts dealing with what lurks beneath the idyllic Swedish surface, a time-travel novel about the worst dad ever, a paranormal crime drama as well as several collaborative projects with other authors.
Breaks will be published in the latter part of 2017 as both a trade edition and a limited prestige publication.
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!
Soaring Penguin Press has agreed to publish the first volume of the popular web comic Breaks by Emma Vieceli and Malin Rydén.
Malin Rydén is a published freelance fiction writer, sharing her time between two continents, two languages and too many imaginary worlds to count. While the bulk of her work remains firmly rooted in speculative fiction, she has made forays into crime and contemporary young adult fiction as well as comic scripts. Current projects include a collection of horror shorts dealing with what lurks beneath the idyllic Swedish surface, a time-travel novel about the worst dad ever, a paranormal crime drama as well as several collaborative projects with other authors.