The Only Theme Is Diversity: Meeting The Talent Behind New Publisher Comicsburgh

Starting any company is a tall task, but founding an entirely new comic book publisher with a full slate of releases? That’s crazy talk. Yet it didn’t stop creators D.P. Brown, Grant Lankard, and Marvin Wynn from establishing Comicsburgh, named after their home of Pittsburgh. Comicsburgh has an ambitious lineup, including The Edge, Beowulf, and The Theme of Thieves. Comicon.com caught up with the trio and asked about the titles, the curious name of their company, and the challenges they are facing as an indie publisher.

 

 

Tom Smithyman: How did the three of you meet, and how did you decide to band together to form an independent publisher?

Grant Lankard: I met Marvin because his comics were at Geek-a-drome in Brookline. Paul, the owner, suggested that I reach out to him and some of the other Comicsburgh talent.

D.P. Brown: I met Marvin and Manny Theiner, our other co-founder, at a Steel City Con why I was promoting and selling my comic The Theme of Thieves.  I guess what struck me was that they had the branding and logo of Comicsburgh pretty much already set, and Marvin asked me if I wanted to be down. I was looking for a way to get my comic into stores, and he had a relationship with Diamond Distribution.

He told me about Grant, and then the four of us got together and decided to share expenses to travel to different cons in and outside of Pittsburgh.  We started spending so much time together at cons that it was just a natural next step to form the Comicsburgh publishing company officially when we were making a name for ourselves throughout the city.

 

 

Smithyman: I imagine the challenges of being a publisher are legion. What are the most vexing ones and what steps are you taking to overcome them?

Marvin Wynn: Time and funding. There is never enough of either, so there is a lot of trade-off and rollover. Not being able to do comic creation full time is the issue on both items.

Lankard: Promoting the books is by far the hardest part of being a comic book creator. There really isn’t a solution other than putting the work in and reminding yourself how lucky you are to have a following to market to.

Brown: Yeah, as Grant said, having to keep reminding people you’re out there and that you should be taken seriously is a challenge.  The business side of things can be really vexing because we are all creators, so sometimes it takes away from the creator side when you have to constantly worry about the day-to-day business. The great thing about what we do, though, is we have main control over what goes in our comics and how they go out. It’s fun as hell when you can see a smile on someone’s face when they come back and tell you how much they’ve enjoyed your book.

 

 

 

With a name like Comicsburgh, you’ve really embraced the City of Pittsburgh. And, of course, with Pittsburgh creators like Ron Frenz to Scott McDaniel to Jim Shooter, the city has a long affiliation with the comics industry. What does a name like Comicsburgh say about your organization?

Lankard: Pittsburgh has a proud tradition of being a great book town. More than just the names that you mentioned, Pittsburgh is great at supporting its independent creators.

Brown: Comicsburgh and its black and gold logo and brand represent the city of Pittsburgh.  Because we do comics, we just like Manny says we’re more than just Pirates, pierogies, and Penguins. Pittsburgh people love supporting their own, and it’s a very prideful city.  We feel that the name Comicsburgh represents the same thing.

We’re one of the only publishers that have the city in its name, and when we go out of town, we get a lot of love and support from the name alone.  It starts up great conversations, then in turn leads us into great sales.

Wynn: It says that we represent the Burgh and the Three Rivers. The goal is to show that there is more going on here than sports.

Smithyman: What kind of comics are you publishing? Is there a theme to your slate?

Lankard: The only theme is diversity. We have fantasy, superhero, sci-fi, horror, and slice-of-life comics. Whatever your taste is, I guarantee that there’s at least one comic book made by Comicsburgh that you’ll enjoy.

 

 

 

Smithyman: What does success look like for Comicsburgh?

Wynn: Being invited to a comic convention where all fees are covered. As well as a line with 20-plus people in it.

Brown: Success for us means building a sustainable independent publishing company where creators can tell original stories, retain ownership of their ideas, and actually reach readers. We want our books everywhere, but we also want Comicsburgh to grow beyond publishing — into education, media, conventions, and campus programs that show people there are real opportunities in the creative industries, particularly comics.

Financial success matters because it allows us to keep publishing and investing in creators, but ultimately, success is when Comicsburgh becomes a recognizable platform where we can cultivate great ideas and turn them into real products, find an audience, and create opportunities for the people behind them.

 

 

 

Smithyman: OK D.P., I’m just gonna get this out of the way now. Your bio on the Comicsburgh website mentions Cleveland. And it says you’re a long-suffering Browns fan (which, you know, goes without saying). Were you at all hesitant to mention the Mistake on the Lake on a website that is proudly Pittsburgh?

Brown: Hahaha. I was born and raised in Cleveland, but I lived half my life in Pittsburgh. I would say I’m a child of both cities. I think you should be proud of where you come from.  It’s such a great conversation starter when people do realize I’m from Cleveland and talk about the rivalries and how much both cities have in common with their hard-working blue-collar backgrounds.

I’ve met so many yinzers (Pittsburghers), been up and down all the hills and valley areas, and understand the city just as much as the one I was born in. It’s a great city that Comicsburgh is representing.

 

 

Smithyman: Pittsburgh was infamously destroyed in Marvel’s New Universe graphic novel The Pitt. Please tell me you’re not going to repeat history. I live within the blast zone!

Brown: Pittsburgh is safe as far as I’m concerned unless Marvin decides to have his characters from The Edge destroy it!  Those characters love to wreak havoc!

Wynn: I have a lot of plans for the Burgh in The Edge. Not going to destroy it just yet.

Smithyman: Maybe I’d better look into relocating, just in case! Best of luck with Comicsburgh.