Alternative comics cover a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to mainstream

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

comics which in the past have dominated the American comic book industry. Alternative comic books span a wide range of genres, artistic styles, and subjects. Alternative comics are often published in small numbers as the author(s) deem fit. They are often published with less regard for regular distribution schedules. Many alternative comics have variously been labelled post-underground comics, independent comics, indie comics, auteur comics,

small press A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. Independent press is general ...

comics, new wave comics, creator-owned comics, art comics, or literary comics. Many self-published " minicomics" also fall under the "alternative" umbrella.

From underground to alternative

By the mid-1970s, artists within the underground comix scene felt that it had become less creative than it had been in the past. According to Art Spiegelman, "What had seemed like a revolution simply deflated into a lifestyle. Underground comics were stereotyped as dealing only with sex, dope and cheap thrills. They got stuffed back into the closet, along with bong pipes and love beads, as things started to get uglier." In an attempt to address this, underground cartoonists moved to start magazines that anthologized new, artistically ambitious comics in the 1980s. '' RAW'', a lavishly produced, large format anthology that was clearly intended to be seen as a work of art was founded by Spiegelman and his wife Françoise Mouly in 1980. Another magazine, ''

Weirdo Weirdo may refer to: * An eccentric * ''Weirdo'' (comics), an alternative comics anthology published by Last Gasp * "Weirdo" (song), a single by the Charlatans UK off their album ''Between 10th and 11th'' * ''Weirdos'' (film), a 2016 Canadian d ...

'', was started by the leading figure in underground comix, Robert Crumb, in 1981. These magazines reflected changes from the days of the underground comix. They had different formats from the old comix, and the selection of artists differed, too. ''RAW'' featured many European artists, ''Weirdo'' included photo-funnies and strange outsider art-type documents. '' Elfquest'' was based on a science fiction/fantasy theme with powerful female and male characters of varied races and cultures, and done in a bright and colourful

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

-like style. The underground staples of sex, drugs and revolution were much less in evidence. More emphasis was placed on developing the craft of comics drawing and storytelling, with many artists aiming for work that was both subtler and more complex than was typical in the underground. This was true of much of the new work done by the established comix artists as well as the newcomers: Art Spiegelman's ''

Maus ''Maus'' is a graphic novel by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman, serialized from 1980 to 1991. It depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. The work employs postmodern technique ...

'', much celebrated for bringing a new seriousness to comics, was serialized in ''RAW.'' While fans debate the origins of self-publishing in the comics industry, many consider Dave Sim an early leader in this area. Starting in 1977, he primarily wrote, drew and published '' Cerebus the Aardvark,'' on his own under the "Aardvark-Vanaheim Inc." imprint and announcing he would publish 300 issues of the series consecutively, something unheard of at the time for a self-published book. Sim is known for his activism in favor of

creators' rights In the United States, creator ownership in comics is an arrangement in which the comic book creator retains full ownership of the material, regardless of whether the work is self-published or published by a corporate publisher. In some fields of ...

and his outspoken nature in regards to the industry. He often used the back of his comic to deliver "messages from the President", which were sometimes editorials concerning the comics industry and

self-publishing Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pr ...

. Wendy and

Richard Pini Wendy Pini ''née'' Fletcher, (born June 4, 1951) and Richard Pini (born July 19, 1950) are the husband-and-wife team responsible for creating the well-known ''Elfquest'' series of Comic book, comics, graphic novels and prose works. They are al ...

founded WaRP Graphics, one of the early American independent comics publishers, in 1977 and released the first issues of their long-running series, ''Elfquest'', in February 1978. They followed with titles such as '' MythAdventures'' and related titles by Robert Asprin; and '' Thunder Bunny'', created by Martin Greim.

WaRP Warp, warped or warping may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books and comics * WaRP Graphics, an alternative comics publisher * ''Warp'' (First Comics), comic book series published by First Comics based on the play ''Warp!'' * Warp (comics), a ...

was also the original publisher of ''

A Distant Soil ''A Distant Soil'' is an epic space opera comic book series published by American company Image Comics, combining science fiction and fantasy with Arthurian themes. It is written and illustrated by Colleen Doran. "A forerunner of queer-friendly c ...

'' by Colleen Doran. As an alternative to most of the masculine-themed comics of its time – and even to this day – ''Elfquest'' became enormously popular among female comic book fans around the world, while also drawing a solid male fan base. WaRP Graphics paved the way for many independent and alternative comic book creators who came after them. At its peak in the mid-1980s, ''Elfquest'' was selling 100,000 copies per issue in the initial print run, attracting one of the largest followings of any direct-sale comic. Most issues up to No. 9 saw multiple printings. It was the visible success of ''Elfquest'' that inspired many other writers and artists to try their own hand at self-publishing. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', a series by Mirage Studios, was very influential on a new generation of creators and became a huge success story of self publishing. Jeff Smith, a friend of Dave Sim, was also very influential in self-published comics, creating the highly popular and long-lived '' Bone''. As with Sim with ''Cerebus'' and unlike mainstream comic books stories with their spontaneously generated and rambling narratives, Smith produced ''Bone'' as a story with a planned end. The publishing house Fantagraphics published the work of a new generation of artists, notably '' Love and Rockets'' by the brothers Jaime,

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South ...

and Mario Hernandez. Dan DeBono published ''Indy – The Independent Comic Guide'', a magazine covering only independent comics starting in 1994. It ran for 18 issues and featured covers by Daniel Clowes, Tim Vigil, Drew Hayes,

William Tucci William Tucci is an illustrator, writer, and filmmaker best known for his creator-owned title and character, '' Shi''. Career Tucci founded Crusade Comics in Bayport, New York Its flagship title, '' Shi'', debuted in March 1994. Publisher To ...

, Jeff Smith and Wendy and Richard Pini. Alternative comics have increasingly established themselves within the larger culture, as evidenced by the success of the feature film '' Ghost World'' based on one of the best selling alternative titles, '' Eightball'', by Daniel Clowes and the cross-genre success of the book ''

Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth ''Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth'' is a graphic novel by American cartoonist Chris Ware. Pantheon Books released the book in 2000 following its serialization in the newspaper ''Newcity'' and Ware's ''Acme Novelty Library'' series. ...

'', by Chris Ware, a story that was serialized in Ware's comic, Acme Novelty Library.

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

and Dark Horse Comics publish many alternative comics. Notable examples include Stan Sakai's '' Usagi Yojimbo'', Sergio Aragonés's '' Groo the Wanderer'', and James O'Barr's ''

The Crow The Crow is a supernatural superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fiancée at t ...

''. Oni Press used the term "real mainstream", coined by

Stephen Holland Stephen Roy Holland, OAM (born 31 May 1958) is an Australian former freestyle swimmer of the 1970s who won a bronze medal in the 1500 m freestyle at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. In a brief and spectacular career, he broke 12 world r ...

of the UK comic shop Page 45, to describe its output. Traditional American comic books regard

titles as "mainstream" and all other genres as "non-mainstream", a reversal of the perception in other countries. Oni Press therefore adopted the "real mainstream" term to suggest that it publishes comic books and graphic novels whose subject matter is more in line with the popular genres of other media:

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

s, romances, realistic drama and so on. Oni Press avoids publishing superhero, fantasy and science fiction titles, unless interesting creators approach these concepts from an unusual angle. Top Shelf Productions has published many notable alternative comics such as Craig Thompson's '' Blankets'' and Alex Robinson's ''

Box Office Poison ''Box Office Poison'' is a series of comic books (originally published by Antarctic Press) by Alex Robinson. It was published in collected form by Top Shelf Productions in 2001. The story concerns the life and trials of a group of young people in ...

''. In 2010 they branched out into unusual Japanese manga, with the release of ''AX:alternative manga'' (edited by Sean Michael Wilson). This 400-page collection received a high level of critical praise.

List of publishers

:''Though categories might overlap, this list makes a division between more strictly "alternative" comics and independent publishers operating primarily in the action-adventure, crime, horror and movie/TV-tie in genres.''

Alternative comics

* Alternative Comics (1993–present) * L'Association (France) (1990–present) * Black Eye Productions (1992–1998) * Buenaventura Press/Pigeon Press (2004–2010; 2010–2016) * Callworks Inc. (2009–present) * Cat-Head Comics (1980–1998) *

Conundrum Press (Canada) Conundrum Press is a book publishing company located in Wolfville, Canada, founded in 1996 by Andy Brown. Affiliated authors Conundrum is renowned in Canadian publishing for its innovative, wide-ranging, often genre-defying books of fiction, c ...

(1995–present) * Drawn & Quarterly (Canada) (1991–present) *

Fantagraphics Books Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

(1976–present) * First Second Books (2006–present); division of Holtzbrinck * Highwater Books (1997–2004) * Kitchen Sink Press (1970–1999) * Koyama Press (2007–present) * Last Gasp (1970–present); originally an underground publisher; hasn't published original comics since c. 2005 *

Gator Graphix Gator is a slang word for alligator. Gator may also refer to: People nicknamed Gator *Mike Greenwell (born 1963), American Major League Baseball player nicknamed "The Gator" *Ron Guidry (born 1950), former Major League Baseball pitcher * Gator ...

(1986-1988) *'' Mineshaft Magazine'' (1999–present) *

MU Press MU Press (officially Miscellanea Unlimited Press) was an independent comic book publisher based in Seattle, Washington, which operated 1990 – c. 2006. MU Press was one of the industry's most prolific " furry" comic publishers, while its mid-199 ...

(1990–c. 2006) * NBM Publishing (1984–present) * Neoglyphic Media (2012–present) *

Pantheon Books Pantheon Books is an American book publishing imprint with editorial independence. It is part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.Random House, Inc. Datamonitor Company Profiles Authority: Retrieved 6/20/2007, from EBSCO Host Business Source ...

graphic novel division (1978–present); subsidiary of Random House * Sacred Mountain (1998–present) * Silver Sprocket (2012–present) * Slave Labor Graphics/Amaze Ink (1986–present) *

Space Face Books Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

(2011–present) * Sparkplug Comics (2002–2016) * Starhead Comix (1984–c. 1999) * Top Shelf Productions (1997–present) * Township Comics (2016–present) * Vortex Comics (Canada) (1982–1994) *'' World War 3 Illustrated'' (1980–present)

Independent

A Wave Blue World A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

(????–present) *

Aardvark-Vanaheim Aardvark-Vanaheim is a Canadian independent comic book publisher founded in 1977 by Dave Sim and Deni Loubert and is best known for publishing Sim's ''Cerebus''. For a brief time, the company also published other titles, sometimes under the name ...

(1977–present) *

Abrams ComicArts Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael ...

(????–present); Imprint of

Abrams Books Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael ...

* Action Lab Comics (2010–present) *

AfterShock Comics AfterShock Comics is an American comic book publisher founded in April 2015. AfterShock is described as a "hybrid comic book company combining the creative edge of an independent comic book publisher with the strengths and experience of a traditio ...

(2015–present) * Albatross Funnybooks (????–present) * Alterna Comics (2006– present) *

Amulet Books Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael ...

(????–present); Imprint of

* Antarctic Press (1984–present) * Apollo Comics (2016–present) *

Apple Comics Apple Comics, also known as Apple Press, was an American comic book publisher which operated from 1986 to 1994. Founded by Michael Catron, they began by taking over the publishing elements of comic production from WaRP Graphics, before expanding ...

(1986–1994) * Attaboy Funny Books (2014–present) * Aspen Comics (2003–present) *

Asylum Press Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...

(1999–present) * Avatar Press (1996–present) * Arcana Comics (2004–present) * Ark Vindicta Development & Publishing, LLC (2012–present ) *

Bedside Press Bedside Press was a comics publishing company founded in 2014 by Hope Nicholson and based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 2014, Bedside Press published a diverse range of comic and prose works including anthology collections like ''The ...

(2014–present) *

Beyond Comics Beyond Comics is an American independent comic book publishing company founded by comics writer/artist Graig Weich, through which Weich has published comics featuring his creations, including ''Code Name: Justice'', ''Ravedactyl'', ''Justice'' ...

(????–present) *

Black Mask Studios Black Mask Studios is a comic book and graphic novel publishing company formed by Matt Pizzolo, Steve Niles and Brett Gurewitz, designed as a new infrastructure to support comic book creators and a new pipeline for transgressive art. Black Mas ...

(2012–present) * Blackthorne Publishing (1985–1990) * Blue Juice Comics (2012–present) * Boom! Studios (2005–present) * Caliber Comics (1989–2000) *

Class Comics Class Comics is an independent comic books publisher, founded in 1995 by Patrick Fillion as Class Enterprises, which specializes in gay erotic comics. Class Comics Inc. is now run by Fillion and his partner Fraser in Vancouver, British Columbia. ...

(1995–present) * Comico (1982–1997) *

Continüm Comics Continüm Comics was an American comic book publisher which operated between the years 1988 and 1994. Owned and operated by Joseph Naftali, the company's most successful title was ''The Dark''. Notable creators who worked for Continüm include Ge ...

(1988–1994) *

Creative Impulse Entertainment Creative Impulse Entertainment (also known as ''Creative Impulse'' and ''CIE'') is a transmedia production company founded by Jan Lucanus in 2003. With the company mantra "Intrigue, Entertain, Inspire Social Change", CIE bills itself as a home for ...

(????–present) * CrossGen (Cross Generation Entertainment) (1998–2004) * Darby Pop Publishing (2013–present) * Dark Horse Comics (1986–present) * Desperado Publishing (2005–present);

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...

imprint since 2009 * Devil's Due Publishing (1999–present) *

Diego Comics Publishing Diego is a Spanish masculine given name. The Portuguese equivalent is Diogo. The name also has several patronymic derivations, listed below. The etymology of Diego is disputed, with two major origin hypotheses: ''Tiago'' and ''Didacus''. Et ...

(2012–present) * Drawn & Quarterly (1990–present) * Dynamite Entertainment (2005–present) * Eclipse Comics (1978–1994) *

Emerald Star Comics Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p. ...

(2013–present) * Event Comics (1994–1999); absorbed by Marvel Comics * FantaCo Enterprises (1978–1998) *

Fierce Comics Fierce were a British three-piece, all girl R&B group. They were signed to Colin Lester and Ian McAndrew's Wildstar Records, and scored four hit singles on the UK Singles Chart in 1999 and 2000.Search for "Fierce" performed aEveryhit.com/ref> ...

(2005–present) * First Comics (1983–1991) *

The Fourth Age ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

(2021-present) *

Harrier Comics Harrier Comics (officially known as Harrier Publishing) was a British comic book publisher active in the mid-to-late 1980s. Harrier was notable for putting out black-and-white comics in a mold more similar to American comics than to typical Br ...

(U.K.) (1984–1989) * Harris Comics (1985–2008) * Hyperwerks (1997–present) *

(2000–present) *

(1992–present) *

In Planet Studio IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independ ...

(2010–present) *

Iron Circus Comics Iron Circus Comics is an American graphic novel publisher founded in 2007 by C. Spike Trotman. Based in Chicago, it is known for publishing the ''Smut Peddler'' line of "lady-centric porn" anthologies and graphic novels, and for its pioneering us ...

(2007-present) * keenspot (2000–present) * Lion Forge Comics (2011–present) * Malibu Comics (1986–1994); absorbed by Marvel Comics *

Markosia Markosia is a British comic book publishing company. History Markosia was founded by Harry Markos in 2004. He employed Richard Emms (previously of APC) as the Editor-in-chief as well as lead designer. in 2005. Markosia had already published H ...

(2005–present) * Millennium Publications (1990–2000) * MonkeyBrain Books (????–present) * Moonstone Books (1995–present) * NBM Publishing (1976, 1984–present) * NOW Comics (1985–2006) * Oni Press (1997–present) *

Papercutz :PAPERCUTZ (stylized as :papercutz or :PAPERCUTZ) is a Portuguese electronic music act formed as a side project in Porto that became a fully active band in 2008. Bruno Miguel is the only official member of Papercutz and solely responsible for ...

(2005–present) *

Pendulum Press Pendulum Press was a publishing company based in West Haven, Connecticut West Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. It is located on the coast of Long Island Sound. At the 2020 census, the population of the city was ...

(1970–1994) *

Personality Comics Personality Comics was a short-lived American comic book publishing company that specialized in unauthorized biographies of entertainers and professional athletes, adult comics, and parodies, frequently combining all three genres. Operating f ...

(1991–1993) * Radical Comics (2007–present) * Raw Studios (????–present) * Raytoons Comics (2007–present) * Red 5 Comics (2007–present) * Revolutionary Comics (1989–1994) * Rippaverse (2022-present) * Shadowline (1993–present) * Slave Labor Graphics (1986–present) * So Cherry Studios (2014–present) * So What? Press (2011–present) * TidalWave Productions (2007–present) * Udon Entertainment (2000–present) *

Un Faulduo The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizin ...

(2005–present) * Urban Comics (2012–present) * Valiant Comics (1989–1996, 2012–present) * Viper Comics (????–present) *

Wanga Comics The Wanga kingdom is a Bantu kingdom within Kenya, consisting of the Wanga (Abawanga) tribe of the Luhya people (Abaluyia). At its peak the kingdom covered an expansive area from Jinja in west to Naivasha in the East African Rift. The Wanga ki ...

(2005–present) * WaRP Graphics (1977–present) * Zenescope Entertainment (2005–present)

References

External links