Paradox Press was a division of

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

formed in 1993 after editor Mark Nevelow departed from

Piranha Press Piranha Press, an imprint of DC Comics from 1989 to 1994, was a response by DC to the growing interest in alternative comics. The imprint was edited by Mark Nevelow, who instead of developing comics with the established names in the alternative co ...

. Under the initial editorship of

Andrew Helfer Andrew Helfer (born August 17, 1958) is an American comic book creator best known for his work as an editor and writer at DC Comics, where he founded the Paradox Press imprint. Career Andy Helfer joined DC Comics in 1981 and assisted Joe Orlan ...

and

Bronwyn Carlton Bronwyn Carlton is an American comic book author, editor, and radio DJ. She has written a number of DC Comics titles, including ''Catwoman'' and '' The Books of Faerie'', as well as the Paradox Press imprint title, '' The Big Book of Death. '' ...

the imprint was renamed. It is best known for

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s like ''

A History of Violence ''A History of Violence'' is a 2005 action thriller film directed by David Cronenberg and written by Josh Olson. It is an adaptation of the 1997 graphic novel of the same title by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, ...

'' and ''

Road to Perdition ''Road to Perdition'' is a 2002 American crime drama film directed by Sam Mendes. The screenplay was adapted by David Self from the graphic novel of the same name written by Max Allan Collins and illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner. The film ...

''. Jim Higgins edited the line after Helfer's departure, and

Heidi MacDonald Heidi MacDonald (born November 15) is a writer and editor in the field of comic books based in New York City. She runs the comics industry news blog '' The Beat''. Career MacDonald is a former editor for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint and ''Disney ...

briefly took the helm in 2000 at the time of the line's final three '' Big Books'', none of which ever saw publication.

History

Paradox Press was designed to publish

graphic novels A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

that were not of the superhero genre (as comprises most of DC's publishing efforts) and were lacking the fantasy and sci-fi elements of DC's "mature reader" line,

Vertigo comics Vertigo Comics, also known as DC Vertigo or simply Vertigo, was an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics started by editor Karen Berger in 1993. Vertigo's purpose was to publish comics with adult content, such as nudity, drug us ...

. Due to the limited interest in non-fantasy stories among the graphic novel demographic, the line produced only a handful of books over its decade-long history. While almost all received critical acclaim, none reached high sales amongst the general graphic-novel and comic book reading populace. Two of the imprint's books (''

'' and ''

'') were adapted into successful films and

Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. He is best known for his non-fiction books about comics: ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and '' Making Comics'' (20 ...

's ''

Understanding Comics ''Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art'' is a 1993 non-fiction work of comics by American cartoonist Scott McCloud. It explores formal aspects of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in ...

'' (originally published through

Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hard ...

) is considered one of the authoritative bibles of the medium. The true-life anthology series of ''Big Books'' also found a niche following. ''

The Big Book Of ''The Big Book Of'' is a series of graphic novel anthologies published by American company DC Comics imprint Paradox Press. Publication history The ''Big Books'' were published between 1994 and 2000. Just over half of them (ten out of seventeen) ...

'' series was an anthology series, each devoted to a theme or concept, e.g., ''The Big Book of Conspiracies'' or ''The Big Book of Urban Legends''. Due to low sales amongst the line, it was phased out, and most of the books under this imprint are out of print for the foreseeable future. Those books which have remained in print were released under DC's more lucrative Vertigo label.

Books

Below is a list of books published under the Paradox Press logo: * ''

The Big Book of ''The Big Book Of'' is a series of graphic novel anthologies published by American company DC Comics imprint Paradox Press. Publication history The ''Big Books'' were published between 1994 and 2000. Just over half of them (ten out of seventeen) ...

'': ** the '70s ** Bad ** Conspiracies ** Death ** Freaks ** Grimm ** Hoaxes ** Little Criminals ** Losers ** Martyrs ** Scandal! ** Thugs ** the Unexplained ** Urban Legends ** Vice ** the Weird Wild West ** Weirdos * '' The Bogie Man'' * '' Brooklyn Dreams'' * ''Family Man'' * '' Gon'': ** Gon ** Gon on Safari ** Gon Swimming ** Gon Underground ** Gon Wild! * ''Green Candles'' * ''A Gregory Treasury'' * ''

'' * ''Hunter's Heart'' * ''La Pacifica'' * ''The Project'' * '' Reinventing Comics'' * ''

'': ** Road to Perdition ** Road to Perdition: On the Road *** On the Road to Perdition Book 1: Oasis *** On the Road to Perdition Book 2: Sanctuary *** On the Road to Perdition Book 3: Detour * ''

Stuck Rubber Baby ''Stuck Rubber Baby'' is a 1995 graphic novel by American cartoonist Howard Cruse. He created his debut graphic novel after a decades-long career as an underground cartoonist. It deals with homosexuality and racism in the 1960s in the southern U ...

'' * ''

'' In addition, several magazines entitled ''Weird'' collected reprint material from the above volumes.

Unpublished work

Slated for 2001 Paradox Press had intentions to release a book known as ''The Big Book of Wild Women''. From time to time mentions of this book can be found on the internet. The book is narrated by "Susie the Floozie". The book was to profile notable women throughout history who had made an impact on our culture while pushing the envelope of unconventional behavior. Among the women to be profiled were risqué

nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...

-comic

Rusty Warren Rusty Warren (March 20, 1930 – May 25, 2021) was an American comedian and singer, specializing in sex-related themes and such songs as "Bounce Your Boobies" and " Knockers Up!". Early life Warren was born in New York City in 1930 and adopted s ...

, B-movie goddess

Tura Satana Tura Satana (July 10, 1938Some sources give her birth year as 1935, i.e. Dave Itzkoff"Tura Satana, Cult Actress, Is Dead" ''New York Times'', February 5, 2011; accessed January 8, 2014. – February 4, 2011) was a Japanese American actress, v ...

, presidential candidate

Victoria Woodhull Victoria Claflin Woodhull, later Victoria Woodhull Martin (September 23, 1838 – June 9, 1927), was an American leader of the women's suffrage movement who ran for President of the United States in the 1872 election. While many historians ...

, 19th century sex star Lola Montes, legendary seductress Cleopatra, scandalous writer Anaïs Nin and kinky pin-up icon

Bettie Page Bettie Mae Page (April 22, 1923 – December 11, 2008) was an American model who gained notoriety in the 1950s for her pin-up photos.

. According to DC comics the book is in a perpetual "pre-production".

References

{{Authority control American companies established in 1993 2001 disestablishments in the United States DC Comics imprints Defunct comics and manga publishing companies