Oni Press

Website: Oni Tumblr

Style Classification: Independent Disparates/Creator Owned Content

Notable Works: Stumptown; Letter 44; The Sixth Gun; The Bunker; Rick and Morty

Story:

I don't classify Oni Press as a primarily "Licensed Property" publisher, even if one of their highest profile titles is Rick and Morty, based off the acclaimed Adult Swim cartoon. That seemed like sweepstakes they won. It helps get their name and other books front and center in the heads of the reading public.

Which is a good thing.

Oni Press was formed in 1997 in Portland, Oregon, by a couple of guys---Bob Schreck and Joe Nozemack---who longed to see comics that they would want to read on the market, a market they felt was too saturated with superhero titles.

They profess to not publish any superhero books, but that leaves me curious about their Mighty Zodiac character. I imagine they have done something clever with the title, and from what I've read of theirs, I'm affording them the benefit of the doubt.

Their title The Bunker breaks all kinds of story-telling boundaries with both the narrative and the artwork. Letter 44 is another envelope pusher that's actually political sci-fi. The Sixth Gun was written by popular standout Cullen Bunn, and has just finished its multi-year run. It was a western about six mystical and powerful pistols, and one girl's fight to stay alive and in possession of the titular sixth gun.

I picked up the Oni Press starter pack and was happily enlightened.