Hermes Press is an American publisher of art books, comic books, and comic book reprints. The company was founded in 2000 and is best known for their archival reprints of classic comic book and strip series and art books.
History
Hermes Press was formed in 2000 by
Daniel Herman
Daniel Herman (born 28 April 1963) is a Czech politician who served as the Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic in Bohuslav Sobotka's Cabinet from 2014 to 2017.
He was born in České Budějovice. His mother was a cousin of Hana Brady. ...
. It is located in
New Castle, Pennsylvania. In its first years of operation it published a limited amount of special-interest books: ''Gil Kane: Art of the Comics'', written by Herman (2001); Gil Kane: Art and Interviews" (2002); "Bill Sienkiewicz: Precursor" (2002); "Works of Art: Joe Chiodo" (2003). From there Herman focused on comic strip series reprints (
Star Hawks
''Star Hawks'' was a comic strip created by Ron Goulart and Gil Kane, first published on October 3, 1977, that ran through May 2, 1981. It was written through April 1979 by Goulart, followed by Archie Goodwin (1979-1980), Roger McKenzie (1980- ...
,
Buck Rogers
Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily US newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, books ...
,
The Phantom
''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The charact ...
, et al.), and later comic book series reprints and newly commissioned comic book adaptations and other original works.
In 2009 Hermes Press entered into an agreement with Dan Curtis Productions to reprint the Gold Key comic of ''Dark Shadows'', signifying Hermes's entrance into large-scale reprints, followed closely by their agreement with King Features Syndicate to reprint ''The Phantom''.
Art Books
Hermes Press has published several books on art and artists, including traditional mediums such as
pin-up
A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...
art to movie poster art, and including
Joe Chiodo
Joe Chiodo is an American artist and colorist who has worked in the comics industry. He has been recognized for his work with a nomination for the Comics Buyer's Guide Favorite Colorist Award in 1997 (with the company Wildstorm FX and colleagu ...
and
Carl Lundgren
Carl Leonard "Lundy" Lundgren (February 16, 1880 – August 21, 1934) was an American baseball and football player and coach.
Lundgren played football and baseball for the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign and played eight seasons o ...
.
In 2016 Hermes produced a monograph of the art of
Alex Raymond
Alexander Gillespie Raymond Jr. (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American cartoonist who was best known for creating the '' Flash Gordon'' comic strip for King Features Syndicate in 1934. The strip was subsequently adapted into m ...
, the creator of
Secret Agent X-9
''Secret Agent X-9'' is a comic strip created by writer Dashiell Hammett ('' The Maltese Falcon'') and artist Alex Raymond (''Flash Gordon''). Syndicated by King Features, it ran from January 22, 1934 until February 10, 1996.
Premise and publ ...
and
Rip Kirby
''Rip Kirby'' is an American comic strip created by Alex Raymond and Ward Greene featuring the adventures of private detective Rip Kirby. The strip ran from 1946 to 1999 and was in the hands of artist John Prentice for more than 40 years.
Pub ...
, among many others.
The essay in the book was written by comics historian
Ron Goulart
Ronald Joseph Goulart (; January 13, 1933 – January 14, 2022) was an American popular culture historian and mystery, fantasy, and science fiction author.
He published novelizations and other work under various pseudonyms: Kenneth Robeson, Con ...
.
Series Reprints
Hermes Press has reprinted comics such as ''
Mike Hammer Michael Hammer or Mike Hammer may refer to:
*Michael Armand Hammer (1955–2022), American philanthropist and businessman
*Michael Martin Hammer (1948–2008), engineer and author
*Mike Hammer (character), a fictional hard boiled detective
** ''Mick ...
'', ''
Dark Shadows
''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport ...
'',
Alex Toth
Alexander Toth (June 25, 1928 – May 27, 2006) was an American cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but he is also known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout ...
's ''
Zorro
Zorro (Spanish language, Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed a ...
'', and
George Wunder
George S. Wunder (April 24, 1912 – December 13, 1987) was a cartoonist best known for his 26 years illustrating the ''Terry and the Pirates (comic strip), Terry and the Pirates'' comic strip.
Born in Manhattan, Wunder grew up in Kingston, New Y ...
's ''
Terry and the Pirates
''Terry and the Pirates'' is an action-adventure comic strip created by cartoonist Milton Caniff, which originally ran from October 22, 1934, to February 25, 1973. Captain Joseph Patterson, editor for the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, ...
''. In 2015 Hermes announced their reprint of
Lee Falk
Lee Falk (), born Leon Harrison Gross (; April 28, 1911 – March 13, 1999), was an American cartoonist, writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the comic strips ''Mandrake the Magician'' and ''The Phantom''. At the ...
's first comic creation,
Mandrake the Magician
''Mandrake the Magician'' is a syndicated newspaper comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloon ...
, specifically the
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
years of the comic books.
Buck Rogers
Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily US newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, books ...
In 2008 Hermes Press began reprinting the
Buck Rogers
Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily US newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, books ...
comic strip, which began syndication in 1929. They also published the
Murphy Anderson
Murphy C. Anderson Jr. (July 9, 1926 – October 22, 2015) was an American comics artist, known as one of the premier inkers of his era, who worked for companies such as DC Comics for over fifty years, starting in the Golden Age of Comic Books in ...
years independent of their sequential continuities.
Dark Shadows
''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport ...
Starting in 2010 Hermes Press reprinted the complete Gold Key comic book series in five volumes.
Hermes also reprinted the complete run of the
Ken Bald
Kenneth Bruce Bald (August 1, 1920 – March 17, 2019) was an American illustrator and comic book artist best known for the '' Dr. Kildare'' and ''Dark Shadows'' newspaper comic strips. Due to contractual obligations, he is credited as "K. Bruce" ...
newspaper strips.
In 2020 Hermes began reprinting the Paperback Library softcover novels written by
Marilyn Ross.
The Phantom
''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The charact ...
In 2009 Hermes Press announced that they would begin reprinting the original comic strip continuity of The Phantom, starting with the Lee Falk's strips and continuing through the complete run of the strip. Each year since Hermes has come out with at least one volume of Phantom daily strips, and has come out with two Sunday strip continuities as of 2014. Each of the dailies reprints cover at least one year of continuity for the series, and the reprints are expected to continue.
In 2016 Hermes announced that they acquired the rights to reprint the Avon Phantom pocket books; they have said that it will publish bi-monthly starting in August 2016.
Walt Kelly
Walter Crawford Kelly Jr. (August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973), commonly known as Walt Kelly, was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip ''Pogo (comic strip), Pogo''. He began his animation career in 1936 at The Walt ...
's ''Pogo''
From 2014 to 2018 the Dell Comics comic book version of ''
Pogo'' in six hardcover books. Volume's One and Two received an Eisner nomination
Comics history
Besides comic reprints, Hermes Press has also published books written on comics history, such as ''Silver Age'', which is a historical text written on the artists behind the characters created in the
Silver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an int ...
.
Hermes Press has also published a biography of
Walt Kelly
Walter Crawford Kelly Jr. (August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973), commonly known as Walt Kelly, was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip ''Pogo (comic strip), Pogo''. He began his animation career in 1936 at The Walt ...
,
the creator of ''
Pogo'', a history of artist
, and other books focusing on the history of comic books.
In 2007 Hermes Press published the biography of British television producer
Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Beatrice Anderson (; 25 March 1927 – 15 March 2016) was an English television and film producer, writer, voice actress and costume designer, best known for her collaborations with Gerry Anderson, her husband between 1960 and 1981. In a ...
, ''My FAB Years'',
which was about her involvement in the industry. Hermes Press also published a book on
Mike Trim
Mike Trim (born 26 August 1945) is an artist famous for illustrating the cover of ''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds'', which depicts a Martian tripod striking down the heroic ''Thunder Child''. A book of his illustrations en ...
, who created many of the models used in ''
Thunderbirds Are GO'' and similar titles.
In 2013 Hermes Press published a biography of artist
Frank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta (born Frank Frazzetta ; February 9, 1928 – May 10, 2010) was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers, and other media. He is ...
, written by his son, which was printed in connection with
Famous Monsters of Filmland
''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' is an American genre-specific film magazine, started in 1958 by publisher James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman.
''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' directly inspired the creation of many other similar publica ...
.
New comics
Hermes Press printed an original mini-series of ''The Phantom'' in November 2014 written by Peter David, with art by
Sal Velluto
Sal, SAL, or S.A.L. may refer to:
Personal name
* Sal (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname
Places
* Sal, Cape Verde, an island and municipality
* Sal, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province
* Ca ...
, in a six-comic arc that finished in early 2016.
In 2019 Hermes published an original graphic novel, ''Mother Goth Rhymes'', which was a collection of "revisited nursery rhymes with dark, gothic twists."
It premiered at the San Diego Comic Con.
Publications
References
{{Authority control
Comic book publishing companies of the United States
Publishing companies established in 2001
Book publishing companies based in Pennsylvania