Magma Comix Announces First Wave Of Creators

Magma Comix has (finally) announced its first wave of creators. The upstart publishing company aims to empower comic book creators with the freedom and support necessary to make their 100% creator-owned passion projects to excite and enthrall readers. 

Magma Comix promises that all creators signed to the label will receive a fair and transparent deal with advance royalties and first-look deals. The publisher will also provide direct market support through a multi-distributor approach, with low risk ordering for retailers. In a video interview I conducted last month for Comicon, the Magma Comix gang told me that for the first three issues, unsold stock would be returnable by retailers, which relieves some of the stress of over/under ordering new titles. 

The first creator names released are Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Eamon Winkle, Jason Starr, Dalibor Talajić, Steve Orlando, and Megan Huang.

“From moment one, Magma was the perfect home for The Scale Trade,” said Steve Orlando of the collaboration with Magma. “Building this wildly modern, boldly provocative dragon tale with Megan has been a dream, but that dream wouldn’t be possible without the support of an aggressive, forward-thinking publisher dedicated to supporting creators and laying the foundation for this business’s future. An idea is a seed–but without a rich creative ecosystem like Magma, that seed would never have a chance to grow.” 

“Magma is poised to become the next big name in creator-owned comics. It’s been invigorating to work with such a top-notch team, including one of my favorite collaborators, Dalibor Talajić, and to have the creative freedom to tell the stories we want to tell,” said Jason Starr of his involvement. 

“I’m looking forward to releasing my new series with Magma,” said Megan Huang. “Of all the homes that this book could have landed with, I’m so happy that it is included as one of Magma’s launch titles!”

On their Magma Comix project, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly said “It’s been seven years since the Hivemind set our sights on a creator-owned comics series – and in Magma, we found a like minded group of passionate professionals prepared to build a new home for creators to thrive. We’re thrilled to help launch this new publisher who’ve been so supportive of our strangest instincts – and we can’t wait for readers to see the imaginative stories on the horizon!”

“Working with Jackson and Collin on this book has been an absolute blast, and I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity to bring their creative vision to life,” added Eamon Winkle. “From the beginning we were hooked onto the same wavelength, playing off each other’s ideas and excitement while developing character design and building the world. Honestly, it never felt like work, just having a great time.”  

“They say comics will break your heart, but comics will also mend your soul,” said Magma Comix Founder and CEO, Denton Tipton. “The best stories have that power, and we need to do better for the people that create them. To that end, Magma is blessed to be working with such talented storytellers who hold comics dear in their hearts and their souls.”

“Surely one of the most potent drugs in the world is the thrill of creation and I can confidently say our creators must be off their heads at this point,” said Magma Comix Editor-in-Chief, Bobby Curnow. “All of our teams are pouring everything they have into their books, creating some of the best comics I’ve read in my fifteen years of editing. It’s been a real pleasure to help bring these stories into the world”

Magma Comix begins its title rollout this week, although I believe Steve Orlando may have dropped the name of his in the quote above, and from Jackson Lanzing, Colin Kelly, and Eamon Winkle’s statements, it looks like they’re all working on the same project. Stay tuned for more details.