Gigantic Continues to Grow
This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on November 14, 2006 Sign up now!
by Kate Culkin, PW Comics Week -- Publishers Weekly, 11/14/2006
Gigantic Graphic Novels, the Brooklyn-based press founded by writer Rick Spears and artist Rob G. in 2005, has recently expanded its list with the publication of Rotting in Dirtville and Hellcity. Spears and G. plan to keep Gigantic small and give both new and established artists a chance to work on unusual projects that might not find a home elsewhere.
In an interview with PW Comics Week, Spears explained that he and Rob G. originally turned to self-publishing in 2001 when they were unable to find a home for their comic Teenagers from Mars. When the time came to collect Teenagers into a trade paperback, they decided to found their own company. The book was published in February 2005, and has almost sold out its initial print run of 6,500. Gigantic released the duo's Dead West later the same year.
James Callahan's Rotting in Dirtville, released in August, tells the story of a small town invaded by alien zombies in a spare, eerie pen and ink style, exploring what happens when a community ignores outside events until it is too late. After meeting Callahan, the artist for Strange Detective Tales (Oddgod Press), at SPX, Spears's first reaction was: "I've got to work with this guy." One of Gigantic's goals is "to give young kids an opportunity to really break out," and after learning Callahan was working on Rotting, Spears chose it as the first book the company published not by himself or Rob G. Spears and Callahan now are collaborating on as yet untitled project.
An old friendship brought the just-released Hellcity to Gigantic. Writer Macon Blair attended film school with Spears at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Spears named the hero of Teenagers after Blair. Blair initially wrote Hellcity as a screenplay, but Spears saw the story's potential as a graphic novel and approached the artist Joe Flood, a recent School of Visual Arts graduate. Spears explained: "We needed someone young, who would be willing to do a large project over a few years and was talented enough to bring the crazy visual stuff to life." The result combines elements of horror, black humor and pulp fiction in a tale of murder and corruption set in the capital of Hell, with the demons who populate the book leaping off the page.
"It is an unexpected thing to find myself working as editor," Spears noted. He used a light touch, making recommendations but not demanding changes. He also sought out the advice of Rob G., Blair and Callahan on his own work.
Gigantic's staff is minimal: Spears shoulders most of the duties, with Rob G. pitching in with design work. Gigantic's output will remain at two books a year, although it may eventually expand to three. With the exception of Teenagers, which had a built-in audience from the comic, Spears keeps initial print runs small, usually between 3,000 and 5,000 copies. "As these artists grow, the sales will grow."
For publicity, Spears "tries to do viral marketing, through Web sites and interviews and previews." The only ad Gigantic buys is one in Diamond Previews. The company scored an unexpected product placement earlier this year on the ABC hit television show Grey's Anatomy, which featured a comic artist with Teenagers. The tight-knit Gigantic crew often makes appearances at comics conventions, including SPX, MOCCA and New York ComicCon. The company has a nonexclusive direct distribution deal with Diamond and also distributes through Cold Cut and Bulldog; for the trade book market it distributes through Publishers Group West in the United States.
While Gigantic's readers are primarily young adults and teenagers, Spears also said that "librarians champion our stuff," noting Teenagers included a censorship theme that appealed to them. Spears praised librarians for their recognition that graphic novels bring young readers into the library. He tried to cultivate the company's relationship with libraries through reviews in Booklist and PW and having a presence at library trade shows, often through Publishers Group West.
Spears acknowledges the company has made its mark with horror, but he wants to avoid defining a particular Gigantic aesthetic, beyond a willingness to take risks. He explained: "I want us to do those books that wouldn't exist if we didn't have this company."
