X-Men: Elsewhen, the long-awaited continuation of comics creator John Byrne’s storied run on the title during the 1970s, has made an unexpected splash since its release in June. To date, Abrams says it has sold 25,000 copies, selling through its initial pre-order, and a second printing is already on the way for August.
But in an uncanny twist, the X-Men title was published not by <a href="https://comicvibe.com/marvel-fined-160000-over-san-diego-comic/” title=”Marvel Fined $160,000 Over San Diego Comic”>Marvel Comics, Byrne’s old publisher, but by Abrams ComicArts, a division of the venerable art book press that has served as go-to licensee for standalone, original, and high-prestige Marvel graphic novels since 2022.
Founded in 2009, and formally expanded into its own division in 2024, Abrams ComicArts has amassed a list of 51 titles across various genres and imprints: graphic novels in the MarvelArts line, retrospectives of legendary artists like Jack Kirby, historical nonfiction by the likes of Derf Backderf, graphic adaptations of novels like Dune, and imported manga from its new Kana imprint.
It’s a multifarious identity that editorial director Charles Kochman admits has the potential to confound. But now, with a full-time staff of nine (not counting assorted freelancers and seasonal interns) and a range of editorial voices, Kochman is aiming to make Abrams something both bigger and more defined: a home for comics that tackle serious subjects and entail serious artistry.
Kochman talked with PW about where Abrams ComicArts is headed next.
X-Men: Elsewhenis a hit. Did the response to the book catch you off guard?
Yes and no. John’s one of those seminal creators who hadn’t done anything in a while, and we knew a book like this would get attention. What we didn’t count on was the lure of pure nostalgia for people who grew up reading John’s X-Men. And also, the story that seemed to get the most attention was a creator who got to finish the story on his own terms, outside of a corporation sort of dictating where he could go.
Byrne is famously particular about the publishers and editors he works with. Was he wary of you? Did it take some additional persuasion to get him to work with Abrams?
It’s funny that you say that. John and I worked together at DC, so we have a little bit of a complicated history. But at the time, [Byrne’s frequent former editor] Chris Ryall was working for us, and when I mentioned the project to him, he reached out to John. I think without Chris, we probably wouldn’t have come to terms, and I was more than happy to step aside for the greater good of the project. So as far as I know, John’s really happy with the way the project came out and the acclaim and love that it’s getting. He deserves all that.
So does this become a model for future projects? Is there a market at Abrams for the unfinished dream projects that comic creators never got to do?
Well, I don’t know if Marvel wants to open that door for everyone. At the end of the day, I want to do stories that Marvel is supportive of—not that they weren’t supportive of this, but it says a lot about Marvel’s relationship with Abrams that we were able to make this work. Marvel is very involved. We send them an outline for everything [in MarvelArts projects] after we agree on it with the creator. They review the outline, the full manuscript, the pencils—every step. What I like about it is that we get to do the projects that Marvel may not have the bandwidth to do, or may not have thought of, in a format that Marvel doesn’t regularly do.
Looking at the broader slate that you’ve put together, it’s a pretty wide range of books in a broad spectrum of genres. Is there an Abrams ComicArts identity that knits it together somehow?
Now that we’re a division, we’re a bigger team. Our publisher, Joseph Montagne, is leading that, and I feel that the core of our business has always been nonfiction. My Friend Dahmer and The Best We Could Do are books that tackle serious subjects in comics form. These seem, to me, the easiest books for our sales team to present to buyers, because when you’re dealing with a subject like the Brooklyn Bridge or Andy Warhol, they already know what the subject is. Whereas when you’re dealing with fiction, it’s a little harder unless you have an all-star [creative] team.
You launched the Kana line as an imprint devoted to manga in 2024. That’s a pretty developed market, with an established fanbase and reader loyalties. How do you try to establish a unique identity for Abrams there?
We have an editor, Kristiina Korpus, who knows the market really well. First and foremost, it’s about the art. There’s a long history at Abrams of publishing great artists, so one of the things I’ve tried to do is expand my definition of art. I think you have to push the definition of what comic art is.
You have a number of nonfiction books coming out this fall, or out already, that feel very topical, even though they’re about past history: The Dissidents, about 1920s radicals; Framing Emmett Till,about a murder that helped spark the civil rights movement; Bitter Pill,about gay rights. Do you see these stories as a market opportunity, or is there a risk attached to them?
I don’t see any risk. I’ve avoided doing anything directly related to the politics of the moment. When Derf [Backderf, cartoonist of The Dissidents] started talking about what book would follow up Kent State, we had no idea that it was going to be as prescient as it is. It’s a book about 1916, and Woodrow Wilson’s America, but the seeds that were sown back then are what we’re experiencing now. Framing Emmett Till was a book that we signed up six years ago. Eric Battle did an amazing job working on that book, and so did Christopher in terms of putting the writing together. Emmett Till is one of the most important stories that this country has to tell, and as we see, those stories are being daily erased. There is censorship, there is suppression of our history. So by the time the book comes out, it will be even more invaluable.
