Frank Miller Strikes Partnership With Abrams ComicArts (Exclusive)
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Comic creator Frank Miller has struck a unique publishing deal with Abrams ComicArts.
The acclaimed graphic novel arm of art and illustration-centric Abrams will now be the book publisher of select titles from Miller’s independent and self-published book company, Frank Miller Presents. Miller, the creator behind The Dark Knight Returns, 300 and Sin City, becomes the latest big comic name to work with the company, which already works with comics author Brian Michael Bendis and comics painter Alex Ross, and is known for such titles as My Friend Dahmer and The Superhero’s Journey.
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The first titles to be released under the partnership will hit in fall 2024 and include Ronin Rising, Miller’s sequel to his acclaimed and influential 1983 miniseries Ronin; and the young adult fantasy Pandora. Ronin Rising will be available in two formats, a collector’s edition and a manga edition, via Abrams’s new Kana imprint.
Miller launched FMP in 2022 with the goal of self-publishing several titles in the single-issue format, also known as floppies. Ronin Rising, then known as Ronin Book 2, and Pandora, were among the initial titles. Abrams will publish the collected editions, putting out a high-quality and handsome package the imprint is known for. One thing the new partnership does is take the comic titles beyond comic shops and puts them into bookstores, opening up the potential readership base.
Abrams will additionally release other titles and formats down the line and may even release new titles or single-issue series. Those details are still being determined.
“Abrams’ unique distribution and outreach ensures that the work of our imprint will continue to connect with fans, no matter where they may be,” Miller said in a statement.
Stated Abrams ComicArts vp and publisher Rodolphe Lechat, “For 75 years Abrams has practiced the art of books, and we will use our experimented savoir-faire, our strong market expertise, and Frank Miller’s acumen to create the best and most groundbreaking graphic novels with him and his team at Frank Miller Presents.”
One comic title still waiting to be released is probably the most eagerly anticipated by fans: the Western-set Sin City tale, on which Miller is working with Italian artist Milo Manara. It is unclear whether Abrams or FMP will publish that book, but sources said the hope was to see it hit shelves later this year or early next.
For now, readers will have to make do with Ronin Rising and Pandora.
Written by Frank Miller, with art by Miller, Philip Tan and Daniel Henriques, Ronin Rising was Miller’s return to his cyberpunk samurai tale first published by DC Comics. The story will be published simultaneously in two formats. The first will be a deluxe collector’s edition, which will come with an all-new cover by Miller, a new foreword by DC chief Jim Lee and 49 pages of bonus material, showcasing each spread from the six-issue miniseries as Miller originally intended, in full landscape format. The second will commemorate the Japanese roots and influences of Ronin, and will come in a traditional manga format.
Pandora, meanwhile, tells of a disaffected girl who gets a chance to change her unhappy life when she discovers a flower-shaped relic with the power to warp reality. Miller co-wrote the book with Anthony Maranville and Chris Silvestri, and it features art by Emma Kubert, the daughter of popular X-Men artist Andy Kubert and granddaughter of comics legend Joe Kubert.
Check out the first-look reveal of the books, which are expected to hit stores in October, below.
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