Oni Press is an American independent comic book publisher based in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1997 by Bob Schreck and Joe Nozemack with the goal of publishing the kinds of comics and graphic novels they themselves would want to read. Unsatisfied with the material that was dominating the industry, the men believed firmly that sequential art could be used to tell virtually any story. While Schreck left the company in 1999, Nozemack has built Oni Press into one of independent comics' most respected and innovative publishing houses by publishing one of the most eclectic and varied lines in the comic industry.^[1]

The company name derives from oni, the Japanese word for the devils or demons popular in Japanese folklore.^[1]

[edit] Overview

The Oni Press booth at the Stumptown Comics Fest 2006. Photo:Joshin Yamada.

Recently, Oni Press used the term "real mainstream", coined by Stephen Holland of the UK comic shop Page 45, to describe its output.^[2] Traditional American comic books regard superhero titles as "mainstream" and all other genres as "non-mainstream", a reversal of the perception in other media. 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: thrillers, romances, realistic drama and so on. For the most part, Oni Press avoids publishing superhero titles, unless interesting creators approach these concepts from an unusual angle. However, at one point, Rich Johnston of All The Rage reported that Oni Press and Marvel Comics were creating a publishing deal for Oni creators to work on Marvel superhero characters, but the deal fell apart.^[3]

Oni Press publishes very few comic books on an ongoing monthly basis - Marc Guggenheim's Resurrection, Antony Johnston and Christopher Mitten's Wasteland and, until recently, Greg Rucka's Queen & Country. Most of their titles are either irregular recurring miniseries, often published in four to six monthly installments, or original graphic novels.

Oni Press material initially released as comic books is usually later collected into trade paperbacks. They have published well over 100 titles,^[4] with multiple books undergoing reprints due to sustained popularity.^{[citation needed]} Several of their books have won the Eisner Award including: Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim, Rick Spear & Chuck BB's Black Metal, Hope Larson's Grey Horses, and Greg Rucka's Whiteout: Melt and Queen & Country, with many more receiving nominations.

[edit] List of titles

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Article at Bookslut
• 2004 Oni Press State of the Union interview, Newsarama
• 2006 Oni Press State of the Union Interview, Newsarama

[edit] External links

• Oni Press Official Website