The partnering continues! White Ash Comics, a respected indie comics shingle run by Charlie Stickney, is joining IDW as an imprint, with Stickney as publisher and CEO, Conor Hughes (Void Rivals) as CCO, Nicole D’Andrialeading editorial, Tango heading design, and Travis Escarfullery in charge of production.
White Ash’s line-up of titles presents a unified universe, and the line will continue with various ongoing titles at IDW. The publisher has raised more than $1 million on Kickstrter for various project but will shift to a direct market focused publisher.
Praised as Supernaturalmeets Saga, the WHITE ASH Universe takes place in the struggling coal-mining town of White Ash, Pennsylvania, blending epic fantasy worldbuilding with compelling romance. Now remastered and featuring new bonus stories, the WHITE ASH universe will be released in its originally intended format for the first time ever through the new White Ash Comics imprint at IDW.
Stickney and IDW CEO Davidi Jonas were gung ho for the move:
“Ten years ago, artist Conor Hughes, colorist Fin Cramb,and I got together and started working on what would become the foundation of the WHITE ASH Universe. I’m beyond thrilled to be partnering with IDW, a company with a long lineage of championing independent comics like LOCKE & KEY, BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES, and the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES,” said Charlie Stickney, Publisher & CEO of White Ash Comics. “Through our White Ash Comics imprint at IDW, we look forward to bringing our stories to comic shops and bookstores for the first time in the format they were always intended to be read in. With all-new stories mixed in with the classic tales, we’re excited to introduce the world of WHITE ASH to a new generation of readers. As a writer, creating an expansive, ongoing saga is rare in the world of modern comics, and being able to do a deep dive into the lore and history of WHITE ASH, while still getting to spend time exploring all the nuances of our characters, is a gift that I treasure and look forward to sharing with our fans for the next decade.”
“We’re champions of building and supporting new worlds at IDW Publishing,” commented Davidi Jonas, CEO of IDW. “The White Ash Universe will feel right at home under the IDW umbrella, and we’re looking forward to having readers enter this universe for the first time while the current fans get to experience the stories in a whole new way and witness it expand and reach new heights.”
WHITE ASH #1 launches in April as an ongoing series, followed by THE GAME #1 in June, with more limited series fleshing out the universe to follow, starting with GLARIEN: SHORT AND DEADLY, starring the world’s most dangerous elf. They will also have an ashcan at February’s ComicPRO meeting, and more retailer facing promotions are in the works, including a cover program and a collections program.
White Ash Comics is represented by Aaron Kogan Management.
Interior color art by Conor Hughes and Fin Cramb
