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Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) is an American independent comic book publisher, well known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat adult comics. Creators associated with SLG over the years include
Evan Dorkin Evan Dorkin (born April 20, 1965) is an American comics artist and cartoonist. His best known works are the comic books ''Milk and Cheese'' and ''Dork'', the latter of which features his comic '' Eltingville''. His comics often poke fun at fandom ...
,
Roman Dirge Roman Dirge (born Roman Elliot; April 29, 1972) is an American comic book writer, artist, and former magician. He is best known as the creator of the comic book series ''Lenore, the Cute Little Dead Girl''. Career Told by his art teachers that h ...
, Sarah Dyer,
Woodrow Phoenix Woodrow Phoenix is a British comics artist, writer, editorial illustrator, graphic designer, font designer and author of children's books. Phoenix is best known for ''Rumble Strip'', published in 2008, a non-fiction look at the difficult social ...
, Jhonen Vasquez, and Andi Watson.


Company history

Slave Labor Graphics was started in 1986 by Dan Vado,"Newspeak: Slave Labor in California," ''Speakeasy'' #65 (Aug. 1986), p. 4. who remains the company's president and publisher. The first book Slave Labor Graphics published was ''ShadowStar'' #3, a female superhero character previously published independently by some of Vado's friends. The company's first wave of titles (''Samurai Penguin'', ''Barrabas'', ''Lee Flea'', and ''The Light'') were all written by Vado, with art by a variety of creators. Other early titles, such as ''Hero Sandwich'' and ''It's Science With Dr. Radium'', were all created by friends of Vado's from high school. Slave Labor Graphics's first major success was ''Samurai Penguin'' #1 by Vado and Mark Buck, which sold 58,000 copies in the summer of 1986. Other successes were '' Milk & Cheese'', a comic about mean-spirited
anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
dairy products by
Evan Dorkin Evan Dorkin (born April 20, 1965) is an American comics artist and cartoonist. His best known works are the comic books ''Milk and Cheese'' and ''Dork'', the latter of which features his comic '' Eltingville''. His comics often poke fun at fandom ...
, and '' Johnny the Homicidal Maniac'', a comic about the adventures of a serial killer by Jhonen Vasquez. In this time period, comic book speculation was rampant, so Slave Labor Graphics was able to sell its entire print run of many titles. However, at the end of the mid-1990s speculation bubble, some
distributors A distributor is an electric and mechanical device used in the ignition system of older spark-ignition engines. The distributor's main function is to route electricity from the ignition coil to each spark plug at the correct time. Design A ...
went out of business without paying Slave Labor Graphics. In 1995, Slave Labor Graphics added a more genre-oriented imprint called "Amaze Ink" intended to be for all audiences; the "stranger, more adult, and more difficult to categorize material" would still be published under the main "Slave Labor" imprint. In 2005, Slave Labor Graphics entered into a partnership with
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
to produce comic book series based on some of its properties: ''
Haunted Mansion Haunted Mansion may also refer to: *Haunted house, house or other structure inhabited by disembodied spirits *Haunted attraction (simulated), a type of amusement attraction Disney * The Haunted Mansion, a dark ride attraction located at multiple ...
'', '' Wonderland'', ''
Tron ''Tron'' (stylized as ''TRON'') is a 1982 American science fiction action adventure film written and directed by Steven Lisberger from a story by Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird. The film stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer ...
'', and '' Gargoyles''. Its own creations, such as Little Gloomy (1999–2005), Kid Gravity (2003–2007), and The Super Scary Monster Show: Featuring Little Gloomy (2005–2007), appeared regularly in ''
Disney Adventures ''Disney Adventures'' (also short-formed as ''D.A.'') was an American children's entertainment and educational magazine published twelve (later ten) times per year by Disney Publishing Worldwide, a subsidiary of Disney Consumer Products, a unit ...
'' magazine. In September 2008, SLG remodeled its lobby to be a smaller gallery/shop which opened as Boutiki in San Jose in December 2008. The gallery/shop is still operating (with name of Art Boutiki) as of 2014 December. In late 2010, Slave Labor Graphics established an independent
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
entitled Slab Yard Sound Company. In January 2012, editor-in-chief Jennifer de Guzman, who had been with the company since 2001, left to become the PR and Marketing Director at
Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...
.


Titles

* ''Absent Friends'' (2004) * ''A Bag of Anteaters'' * '' Action Girl Comics'' #1–19 (by Sarah Dyer, 1994–2001) * ''Adora Gone and The Electric Electric Elephant'' (2010) * ''Awkward'' (by Ariel Schrag, 1999) * ''Autumn'' #1–5 (2004–2006) * ''Babyhead Magazine'' #1 (2004) * ''Babysitter'' * ''Bad Art Collection'' * ''Barrabas'' #1–2 (1986) * ''
Bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
'' #1–10 (by Jamie Smart, 2004–2005) * ''Beer and Roaming in Las Vegas'' * ''Bill The Clown'' 3 issues (1992–1993) * ''Bloody Dreadful'' (by Justin Bastard Sane) * ''Black Heart Billy'' * '' Bombaby Screen Goddess'' #1–3 plus a TPB (by Antony Mazzotta, 2003–2004) * ''Byron: Mad, Bad, and Dangerous'' (by Karl Christian Krumpholz, 2007) * ''Caffeine'' #1–10 (by Jim Hill; April 1996 – 1999) * ''Camping with Bigfoot'' * ''Captain Dingleberry'' * ''The Cat With The Really Big Head'' * '' Cemetarians'' 6 issues (2008) * ''Charm School'' #1–9 (by Elizabeth Watasin; Apr. 2000 – 2003) * '' Chumble Spuzz'' (by
Ethan Nicolle Ethan Nicolle is an American comic book creator, artist, and writer. He created the Slave Labor Graphics comic '' Chumble Spuzz'' which has been released as two graphic novels so far. He also worked with his younger brother, Malachai, to create ...
, 2008) * '' The Clarence Principle'' (by Fehed Said and Shari Chankhamma, 2007) * ''Cocopiazo'' * ''The Comical Tragedy of Punch and Judy'' * ''Comic Book Heaven'' * ''Corporate Ninja'' (2005) * ''Dead Eyes Open'' (by Matt Shepherd and Roy Boney, 2005) * ''Definition'' * ''Dim Witted Darryl'' * ''Dork'' #1–11 (by
Evan Dorkin Evan Dorkin (born April 20, 1965) is an American comics artist and cartoonist. His best known works are the comic books ''Milk and Cheese'' and ''Dork'', the latter of which features his comic '' Eltingville''. His comics often poke fun at fandom ...
, 1993–2006; continued by
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
) * '' Dr. Grave'' (by Ed Clayton * ''Dystopik Snomen'' (by Don M. Haring, Jr., 1995) * ''Eating Steve: A Love Story'' * ''Egg Story'' * '' Elmer'' * ''Emily and the Intergalactic Lemonade Stand'' * ''Emo Boy'' #1–11 (by Steve Emond, 2005–2007) * ''Empty Love Stories'' #1–2 (all stories written by Steve Darnall, Nov. 1994 – Aug. 1996) * ''Evenfall'' (by Pete Stathis, 2004) * ''Everwinds'' * ''Everything Can Be Beaten'' * ''Farewell Georgia'' * ''Fishmasters'' * '' Gargoyles '' 15 issues (by Greg Weisman, et al; a continuation of the
TV series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
) * ''Ghost Ship'' #1–3 (by Jon Lewis, Mar. 1996 – Oct. 1996) * ''Ghouly Boys'' * '' Gloomcookie'' #1–28 (by Serena Valentino and Vincent Batignole, 1999–2006) * '' The Griffin'' (by Dan Vado) * ''Halo and Sprocket'' #1–4 (2002) * ''
Haunted Mansion Haunted Mansion may also refer to: *Haunted house, house or other structure inhabited by disembodied spirits *Haunted attraction (simulated), a type of amusement attraction Disney * The Haunted Mansion, a dark ride attraction located at multiple ...
'' * ''Heart of a Corpse'' (by Justin Bastard Sane) * ''Hectic Planet'' (by
Evan Dorkin Evan Dorkin (born April 20, 1965) is an American comics artist and cartoonist. His best known works are the comic books ''Milk and Cheese'' and ''Dork'', the latter of which features his comic '' Eltingville''. His comics often poke fun at fandom ...
; previously known as Pirate Corp$) * ''Hero Sandwich'' #1–5 (1987–1989) * ''Highway 13'' #1–10 (by Les McClaine, 2001–2003) * ''Hummingbird'' * '' Hsu and Chan'' (by Jeremy "Norm" Scott) * '' I Feel Sick'' #1–2 (by Jhonen Vasquez, 1999–2000) * '' Imp'' * ''Iliad'' #1–2 * ''It's Science With Doctor Radium (1986) * ''Java Town'' #1–4 * ''Jellyfist (by Jhonen Vasquez and Jenny Goldberg) * ''Jet Comics'' #1–3 * ''Jet Pack Pets'' * '' Johnny the Homicidal Maniac'' #1–7 (by Jhonen Vasquez, 1995–1997) * '' Kitsune Tales'' #1 (by
Woodrow Phoenix Woodrow Phoenix is a British comics artist, writer, editorial illustrator, graphic designer, font designer and author of children's books. Phoenix is best known for ''Rumble Strip'', published in 2008, a non-fiction look at the difficult social ...
and Andi Watson, 2003) * ''Knights of the Living Dead'' * '' Lenore'' #1–13 (by
Roman Dirge Roman Dirge (born Roman Elliot; April 29, 1972) is an American comic book writer, artist, and former magician. He is best known as the creator of the comic book series ''Lenore, the Cute Little Dead Girl''. Career Told by his art teachers that h ...
, 1998–2007) * ''Life of a Fetus'' #1–7 * ''Likewise'' #1–2 (by Ariel Schrag, 2002) * '' Little Gloomy'' #1–6 (by
Landry Walker Landry Q. Walker (born September 1, 1971), is an People of the United States, American comic book writer living in El Sobrante, Contra Costa County, California, El Sobrante, California. Biography Landry Walker is the co-creator (with artist Eric ...
and Eric Jones, 1999) * ''Little Gloomy Adventures'' one-shot (2003) * ''Little Gloomy Crypt of Creepts'' one-shot (2004) * ''Little Gloomy Hallowe'en Special'' one-shot * ''Little Scrowlie'' 18 issues (by Jennifer Feinberg and Todd Meister; Mar. 2003 – Jan. 2008) * ''Longshot Comics'', Shanne Simmons (volume 1: 1995. volume 2: 1997) * ''Love In Tights'' * ''
Metamorphosis Odyssey ''Metamorphosis Odyssey'' is a lengthy allegorical story told in several distinct parts in several formats, from Science fiction magazine, illustrated magazines to graphic novels to comic books. The work of American writer/artist Jim Starlin, the ...
'' (by
Jim Starlin James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, an ...
) * ''Midnight Sun'' * '' Milk & Cheese'' 7 issues plus a TPB (by
Evan Dorkin Evan Dorkin (born April 20, 1965) is an American comics artist and cartoonist. His best known works are the comic books ''Milk and Cheese'' and ''Dork'', the latter of which features his comic '' Eltingville''. His comics often poke fun at fandom ...
, 1991–2000) * '' Mister Blank'' 15 issues (by Christopher J. Hicks, 1996–1998) * ''Model A'' * ''The Monsters In My Tummy'' * ''Mr. Night'' * ''Murder Can Be Fun'' #1–12 (anthology; 1996–1999) * ''MuZz'' * ''My Monkey's Name is Jennifer'' (2002) * '' Next Exit'' #1–10 (by Christy Lijewski; 2004 – 2006) * '' Nightmares & Fairy Tales'' #1–23 (by Serena Valentino and Camilla D'Errico, May 2002 – May 2008) * '' Nil: A Land Beyond Belief'' original graphic novel (by James Turner, 2005) * ''No Hope'' * ''Oblivion City'' * '' Oddjob'' #1–8 (by
Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 191920 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1979. He w ...
and Tyson Smith, Spring 1999 – May 2001) * ''On the Bus'' * ''One Fisted Tales'' #1–11 (anthology, 1990 – Aug. 1994) * ''Outlook:Grim'' #1–6 (2003–2004) * '' The Pants Ant Trouser Hour'' * ''
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
'' (by Andi Watson, 2005–2006) * ''Patty Cake'' 33 issues (by Scott Roberts; 1997–2005) * ''Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer'' * ''Pirate Club'' #1–10 (by Derek Hunter & Elias Pate, 2004–2006) * ''Pirate Corp$'' (by
Evan Dorkin Evan Dorkin (born April 20, 1965) is an American comics artist and cartoonist. His best known works are the comic books ''Milk and Cheese'' and ''Dork'', the latter of which features his comic '' Eltingville''. His comics often poke fun at fandom ...
, 1989–1993) * '' The Price'' * ''Private Beach'' #1–7? (2002?) * ''Punk Rock & Trailer Parks'' (2008) * ''The Replacement God'' #1–8 (by
Zander Cannon Alexander Cannon (born November 1, 1972) is an American cartoonist, known for his work on books such as '' Top 10'', '' Smax'' and '' Kaijumax''. Career Cannon's first professional comics work was '' The Chainsaw Vigilante'', a spin-off from '' ...
, June 1995–1997) * '' Rex Libris'' #1–13 (by James Turner, 2005–2008) * ''Rogue Satellite Comics'' #1–3 (Reilly & Atkinson, 1996–1997) * ''The Royal Historian of Oz'' * '' Samurai Jam'' #3–4 (by Andi Watson, 1993, previously ''Samurai Funnies'', published by Solson Publications) * '' Samurai Penguin'' #1–8 (1986–1988) * ''Samurai Penguin: Food Chain Follies'' #1 * ''Sanctuary'' * ''Screenplay'' #1 * ''Screwtooth'' #1-? (2006) * '' Serenity Rose'' #1–5 (by Aaron Alexovich, 2003–2004) * ''Seth Throb, Underground Artist'' * ''Shadoweyes'' (by Sophie Campbell, 2010) * ''ShadowStar'' #3 (1986; #1–2 published by Savage Graphics) * '' Sidney Mellon's Thunderskull!'' * ''The Sister's Luck'' (by Shari Chankhamma, 2010) * ''Skaggy The Lost'' #1–4, trade paperback * ''Skeleton Girl Comics'' #1–3 * ''
Skeleton Key A skeleton key (also known as a passkey) is a type of master keying, master key in which the serrated edge has been removed in such a way that it can open numerous Lock and key, locks, most commonly the warded lock. The term derives from th ...
'' #1–30 (by Andi Watson, July 1995 – Jan. 1998 ) * '' Sky Ape'' #1–4 * ''Slacker Comics'' #1–18 (by
Doug Slack Douglas John Slack (born 5 April 1941) is a former Australian politician. He was the National Party member for Burnett in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1986 to 2001. Slack was born in Gayndah, Queensland, and was a farmer and ...
, Aug. 1994 – Oct. 1998) * '' Slow News Day'' (by Andi Watson, 2001) * '' Street Angel'' #1–5 (by Jim Rugg, 2004–2005) * '' Sparks'' * '' Squee'' #1–4 (by Jhonen Vasquez, 1997–1998) * ''Strongman'' by Charles Soule * '' Sugar Buzz'' #1–9 (by Ian Carney and
Woodrow Phoenix Woodrow Phoenix is a British comics artist, writer, editorial illustrator, graphic designer, font designer and author of children's books. Phoenix is best known for ''Rumble Strip'', published in 2008, a non-fiction look at the difficult social ...
, Jan. 1998 – May 2002) * '' Swerve'' #1–2 (by "Downer" creator Kyle S. Hunter) *''
The Jam The Jam were an English rock band formed in 1972 in Woking, Surrey, consisting of Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler. They released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in ...
'' #2–6, 1989–1990 (by Bernie Mireault; came from Matrix Graphics, moved to
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
) * '' The Super Scary Monster Show: Featuring Little Gloomy'' * '' Tales from the Heart'' #3–11, 1988 – May 1994 (by Cindy Goff, Rafael Nieves and Seitu Hayden; came from Entropy Enterprises) * '' Tron: The Ghost in the Machine'' (2006–2008; miniseries following up the film and the video game ''TRON 2.0'') * ''The Trouble With Igor'' #1 (2006) * '' True Swamp'' #4–5 (by Jon Lewis, Oct. 1994"Newswatch: True Swamp Joins Slave Labor Line-Up," ''The Comics Journal'' #172 (Nov. 1994), p. 38. – Feb. 1995); first 3 issues published by Peristaltic Press * ''
Truth Serum "Truth serum" is a colloquial name for any of a range of psychoactive drugs used in an effort to obtain information from subjects who are unable or unwilling to provide it otherwise. These include ethanol, scopolamine, 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate ...
'' * ''Ubu Bubu'' #1–4 (2008–2009) * ''Ursa Minors'' #1-? (2006) * ''Vaistron'' #1–5 (2005) * ''The Vesha Valentine Story'' (by Des Taylor, 2011) * '' The Waiting Place'' 18 issues (by Sean McKeever,
Mike Norton Mike Norton is an American comic book artist and writer, known for his work on '' Battlepug''. Early life Mike Norton first discovered comics as a child when his father gave him a copy of ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #163, before he was old enoug ...
, and David Yurkovich; Apr. – Sept. 1997; Nov. 1999 – Feb. 2002) * ''Weird Science'' (1986) * '' Where's It At, Sugar Kat?'' #1–3 (by
Woodrow Phoenix Woodrow Phoenix is a British comics artist, writer, editorial illustrator, graphic designer, font designer and author of children's books. Phoenix is best known for ''Rumble Strip'', published in 2008, a non-fiction look at the difficult social ...
and Ian Carney, Sept. 2000 – Mar. 2001) * ''
Whistles A whistle is a musical instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It is a type of fipple flute, and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small sl ...
'' (by Andrew Hussie, 2007) * ''Wonderland'' * '' Zombies Calling'' (by Faith Erin Hicks, 2007)


Notes


References


WONDERCON '07: Slave Labor panel report
Newsarama ''Newsarama'' is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website ''GamesRadar+'', also owned by Future US. Hi ...


External links

*
Slave Labor Graphics
an
SLG Publishing
at the Comic Book DB * {{Authority control Companies based in San Jose, California Publishing companies established in 1986 1986 establishments in California Comic book publishing companies of the United States Publishers of adult comics Disney comics publishers