Outlaw

A new publisher of graphic novels is entering the scene, according to ICV2.com.

"New company Outlaw Entertainment has announced three graphic novels for June, the first in the “up to fifteen titles a year” it is planning. The company plans to produce a diverse line of graphic novels, and also be a source for intellectual property development. The graphic novels will be 112-page, color books at $7.99."

The price is nice, provided the quality of the material and the production value is good. The guys involved in the company have anime and video game creation backgrounds, so they should have a sense of visual quality, I hope.

Regardless of price it can be difficult to get adults to buy product that they aren't familar with - either characters or talent involved in the project. This particular publisher might be best off creating all-age and young adult material. They might be going that route--I couldn't quite tell from the brief column. Those age groups are much more open to trying new things, especially since most of them are new to the medium anyway.

The column doesn't mention if the publisher is selling these items through the monopoly distribution channel Diamond Distribution, or via their own web site. I'll have to check out the June Diamond Previews catalog next month and see. With Diamond's order regulations it can be tricky for a small publisher to meet the requirements and get their stuff out into comic book retail stores, so any new publisher has to do a good deal of PR to get the word out and order numbers up where they need to be. I've seen many a good comic disapear when order numbers fell below Diamond's required minimums.

To read the column on ICV2 click here.