Warhammer Monthly was a comics anthology published by Games Workshop 's publishing arm, Black Library , from March 1998 to December 2004, running to 86 issues in total. The final two issues were published bi-monthly under the name Warhammer Comic . It featured stories set within the fictional universe of Games Workshop's miniature wargames Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 , amongst others.
31-577: The comic used an anthology format, usually featuring three or four stories each of seven to eight pages in length. The stories in Warhammer Monthly were usually serialised, and would run for several months. The most popular stories returned for more series, and were often collected in trade paperback form. The December 2002 issue of the comic book was called Warhammer Warped Visions . It featured one-shot variations of Black Library's most popular comics, but with their settings reversed between
62-532: A collection in 1986 by Pantheon Books ) "established a beachhead for 'graphic novels' in the book trade". In the 1990s, "trade paperbacks found their popularity boom". Comic book publishers began releasing trade paperbacks of collected story arcs directly after those stories' original periodical publication, because a new reader could purchase the trade paperbacks and access the entire series' stories to date. The Librarian's Guide to Graphic Novels for Children and Tweens by David S. Serchay explains: "At first it
93-404: A collection of stories originally published in comic books , reprinted in book format, usually presenting either a complete miniseries, a story arc from a single title, or a series of stories with an arc or common theme. A trade paperback may reproduce the stories either at the same size in which they were originally presented (in comic book format), in a smaller " digest-sized " format, or
124-589: A companion comic book entitled Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . In 1989, Kevin Eastman invited freelance illustrator A.C. Farley to do cover paintings for the TMNT collected books. Peter Laird also invited Farley to do issue #29 of the TMNT comic. Farley was eventually invited to be part of the studio and crafted many paintings and comic artwork for the TMNT until his departure from
155-415: A larger-than-original hardcover. This article applies to both paperback and hardcover collections. In the comics industry, the term "trade paperback market" may refer to the market for any collection, regardless of its actual cover. A trade paperback differs from a graphic novel in that a graphic novel is usually original material. It is also different from the publishing term trade paperback , which
186-537: Is a book with a flexible cardstock cover that is larger than the standard mass market paperback format. For many years, trade paperbacks were mainly used to reprint older comic-book stories that were no longer available to the average reader. Original copies of those stories were scarce, and often very expensive when found due to their rarity. In 1954, "the first mass-market paperback reprints of American comic book material" began with " The MAD Reader , published by Ballantine Books ". The reprint collections of Mad in
217-555: Is eventually collected into trade paperback or hardcover edition that prints several issues in one package". Author David S. Serchay wrote that with books "trades have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) and a spine and come in a variety of sizes. In some cases, the pages of the trade are larger or smaller than they were in the original comic book". A trade paperback will sometimes feature additional artwork, such as alternative cover art , pinup galleries by guest artists, or additional story material that had not been released in
248-719: The Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 universes. For example, the Dark Elf Malus Darkblade was portrayed as a female Dark Eldar named Maless, while the Titan Imperius Dictatio was shown as an Empire Steam Tank. Warhammer Monthly was cancelled after issue 86. In 2006, Games Workshop licensed the comic books rights to Boom! Studios . That publisher's first Warhammer 40,000 release was Damnation Crusade , written by Warhammer Monthly stalwart Dan Abnett . In 2007, The Black Library started
279-417: The " Dark Phoenix Saga " and "The Power of Iron Man". Similarly, trade paperbacks were a "minor endeavor" for DC "until 1986's collection of The Dark Knight Returns ". Brian Cronin, for CBR , highlighted that The Dark Knight Returns trade "was a true game-changer. The crux of the great Alan Moore /DC Comics feud is that Moore's deal with DC for Watchmen said that Moore and Dave Gibbons would get
310-664: The 1980s allowed smaller publishers to flourish. In 1981, Warp Graphics 's Elfquest series "landed in bookstores" as full color trade paperback collections – "it was the first graphic novel series to push its way out of the comic book marketplace". The success of series such as Mirage Studios ' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Dave Sim 's Cerebus showed that "readers were interested in bound comic book collections, whether they were called phone books, comic book novels, albums or graphic novels". In 1984, Marvel shifted from trade paperbacks which were general collections to trade paperbacks which were notable recent runs such as
341-496: The Great Superman Comic Book Collection was "the first DC comic book collection in the modern tradition". Paul Levitz of Vulture commented that "these collections of reprints were united by their title character or series but only accidentally had any commonality of story or theme, and their existence as books was clearly an afterthought". The growth of trade paperbacks and graphic novels in
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#1732798022372372-403: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. In the following year, two new members were added, penciler Jim Lawson from Connecticut and New Jersey's Michael Dooney who would paint a number of covers. With the addition of these four core artists along with Peter and Kevin, Mirage's Ninja Turtles output would expand over the next couple of years to include numerous Mirage spin-off titles, as well as
403-505: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Eastman and Laird hired a core group of artists to help with the increasing workload. The first addition to the studio roster was Eastman's high school friend Steve Lavigne , brought on in 1984 as a letterer . In 1985, Eastman and Laird hired artist Ryan Brown to assist them as an inker for the Turtles. Brown would be the first in a long line of artists, other than Eastman and Laird, that would work on
434-609: The Warhammer Monthly Archive, a site with free PDF versions of the comics. However the site was closed in 2009. Warhammer Monthly was voted the Best New British comic in the 1999 National Comics Awards . The series was nominated for two Eagle Awards and won one: Trade paperback (comics) In comics in the United States , a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade ) is
465-516: The book trade than in comics shops". Trade paperbacks and graphic novels are the preferred format for circulating library collections, since these collections are created to be read, and not to be retained as collector's items or as investments. Attempts to catalogue and circulate single-issue comics can pose difficult problems and the durability of the trade paperback format is an important consideration for longevity and collection development in public and school libraries. Trade paperbacks "are also
496-557: The building. Eastman and Laird along with Brown, Dooney, Lavigne, Lawson and Farley toured extensively over the years, making personal appearances and attending many comic book conventions in Detroit , Chicago , Hawaii , San Diego , Ohio , Boston , and Portsmouth, New Hampshire among many others. As the TMNT went mainstream, later additions to the studio would include Eric Talbot from Eastman's and Lavigne's old high school, writer Stephen Murphy , and Brown's friend, Dan Berger, who
527-485: The company's website announced that its divisions had been completely dissolved, and all e-commerce sales would wind up on September 19, 2021. The website has remained active in archive form to document the comics published before IDW took over its rights, and is no longer actively updated. Here is the list of writers and artists who were part of Mirage Studios. List in alphabetical order: Mirage produced many titles, although most did not remain in publication for more than
558-509: The future involvement of Mirage with the Turtles, and the future of Mirage itself, was unclear at the time of the announcement. Mirage went dormant on December 31, 2009. Already completed projects released into 2010, with the rest being canceled. The final project released by the studio was TMNT volume 4, issue 32, released in May 2014. Since August 2011, IDW has held publishing rights to TMNT comics under license from Viacom. On September 9, 2021,
589-473: The gaps. From 2013 to 2018, graphic novels were the highest-selling format for comic books". According to industry reports, "the massive shift to graphic novels as the preferred format for comics continued in 2019 bringing sales in the book channel above the comic store channel in North America for the first time in the history of the medium" and that "the sales of graphic novels were growing faster in
620-430: The larger suppliers, and other retailers that do not normally carry comic books. Despite the growing popularity of the trade paperback, the serialized, individual issues are still considered the primary mode of sale by comics publishers, and a poorly selling series may face cancellation irrespective of trade paperback sales. However, some series, such as Ms. Marvel and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur , "survive on
651-518: The late 1950s and early 1960s increased their popularity. In the 1960s and 1970s, Marvel Comics (first through Lancer Books and then through the Fireside Books imprint) published trade paperbacks which were collections around specific themes such as battles, villains and individual characters. After Marvel's success with their Fireside Books collections, DC Comics began publishing similar themed collections through Warner Books . In 1981,
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#1732798022372682-452: The main arc may also be omitted, and in older trade paperbacks it was common practice to omit pages from the main story related to other subplots . Since trade paperbacks may be less expensive and more convenient than buying the individual periodicals, readers may forgo purchasing individual issues in favor of the trade. A significant benefit of the trade paperback version is that it is often available in bookstores, from smaller booksellers to
713-425: The popularity of their trades sales, not just in the direct market and local comic shops, but in book stores across the world" and at " Scholastic [book] fairs and the like". Other times a series might be relaunched after cancellation, such as Iceman and The Unstoppable Wasp in 2018, if the series has good trade sales. In 2018, Screen Rant highlighted that "publishers and retailers traditionally ignore
744-593: The primary culprit in people's confusion of the lexicon, since 'TPBs make up 95% of what many librarians refer to as graphic novels'". Mirage Studios Mirage Studios was an American comic book company founded in 1983 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in Dover, New Hampshire . The company was best known for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ( TMNT ) comic book series and the subsequent franchise it has spawned. Mirage Studios
775-578: The rights to the characters once the book went out of print. At the time that Moore signed the deal, which was [before] the Dark Knight Returns was collected, the idea of a comic book staying in print was absurd. Well, by the time that Watchmen was finished, Dark Knight Returns was a sensation as a trade paperback and naturally, DC gave Watchmen the same treatment [...] and it's never been out of print since". The Dark Knight Returns , Watchmen , and Art Spiegelman 's Maus (published as
806-785: The sales of trade paperbacks when it comes to deciding whether or not a specific title is doing well. For decades, the single issue has been king, even though those sales figures are far from helpful. [...] Trade paperbacks are increasingly important as a marker of what sells, with 2016 seeing a 12% jump in trade sales over 2015 - a period when single issue sales fell. Even 2017, which saw both trades and single issue sales fall compared to 2016, trades were down 9.38%, compared to single issues dropping 10.4%". In 2019, Bleeding Cool emphasized that "in recent years, collected issues/trade paperbacks are more popular and profitable than monthly comic book periodicals. As single issue sales have consistently plummeted, trade paperbacks and graphic novels have filled in
837-693: The standard issues. A common practice is to include an art gallery featuring the artwork of the original comic book covers from which the series was compiled. Many feature introductions written by prominent figures, some from outside the world of comics—for instance, The Sandman: Worlds' End features an introduction by Stephen King , the Ultimates 2 book has an introduction by Jonathan Ross and most Hellboy trade paperbacks have included introductions by prominent authors. Trade paperbacks generally do not feature advertisements, fan mail , or special foil or embossed covers. "Back-up" stories not related to
868-610: The studio to resume his freelance business in 2004. In 1991, Mirage secured an interlocutory injunction against Counter-Feat Clothing for similar designs of drawings. The Mirage artists operated out of a renovated factory space in Florence, Massachusetts . This is where the bulk of the creative output was done, such as the Playmates Toys toy designs and the Archie TMNT comic series , until Tundra Publishing took over
899-560: Was brought in from Ohio to ink the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventure title from Archie Comics . In 1988, Mirage participated in the drafting of the Creator's Bill of Rights for comic book creators. On October 21, 2009, it was announced that Viacom had purchased most of Mirage's rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property. Mirage retained the rights to publish 18 issues a year, though
930-516: Was started in 1983, in Dover, New Hampshire. The company was named "Mirage" because there was no actual company. Less than a year before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 was published in May 1984, Eastman and Laird began experimenting with numerous series. Mirage then moved to Sharon, Connecticut , and stayed there for two years before ending up in Northampton, Massachusetts . With the success of
961-437: Was the most popular stories that were being collected, but more and more comic book stories are now being put into trade, sometimes less than two months after the 'newest' issue is sold. And [...] not only recent material but a great deal of older material is finally being collected into trades". In 2015, Polygon highlighted that "though this was far less common a decade ago, pretty much every monthly comic out there right now