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| Type | Comic publisher |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977 |
| Founder(s) | Wendy and Richard Pini |
| Headquarters | Poughkeepsie, New York |
| Key people | Wendy and Richard Pini, Michael Catron |
| Industry | Comics |
| Divisions | Apple Comics Father Tree Press |
| Website | http://www.elfquest.com |
WaRP Graphics, later Warp Graphics, is an alternative comics publisher best known for being the original publisher of the Elfquest comic books. It was created in 1977 by Wendy and Richard Pini. The company title is an acronym formed from the founding couple's name: Wendy and Richard Pini.
In addition to Elfquest, WaRP also published a few other comic book series, including MythAdventures and related titles by Robert Asprin, and Thunder Bunny, created by Martin Greim.
WaRP was also the original publisher of A Distant Soil by Colleen Doran, until Doran left in acrimonious circumstances, alleging that publisher Richard Pini was attempting to claim copyright on her work.[1][2] (The Pinis later sued fellow publisher Starblaze Graphics for publishing Elfquest reprints, as well as attempting to re-secure the rights to the A Distant Soil series.[3] Starblaze countersued; the dispute was settled in 1988.[4][5])
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Apple Comics
In 1986, publisher Richard Pini turned all of WaRP's publishing and marketing duties over to Michael Catron's Apple Comics so that WaRP could concentrate on editing comics.[6] Titles packaged by the newly-uncapitalized Warp for Apple included the anthology series FantaSci, Vietnam Journal, and Lee Marrs's Unicorn Isle (which only ran to #5 of a projected twelve issues).
In 1987, Apple Comics took over all the other titles, and WaRP concentrated solely on publishing Elfquest titles, for the first time inviting other writers and artists to join in.[7] Beginning in 1997, WaRP also published some Elflord comics by Barry Blair and Colin Chan, who had also written for Elfquest.
Father Tree Press imprint
WaRP also launched a book publishing imprint, Father Tree Press (named after the Wolfriders' original tree-home in Elfquest), primarily reprinting Elfquest stories. WaRP and Father Tree Press still exist but are not currently publishing new books.
Partnership with DC
In 2003 the Pinis signed the worldwide publication rights for Elfquest to DC Comics. DC put out two series of "manga-style" digest reprints (now complete), the first four volumes of an archive reprint series, one new graphic novel, and a four-part comic series entitled Discovery, which has since been collected. DC and Warp split in 2007; it remains to be seen if any further stories will come about.
Titles published
- Blood of the Innocent (4 issues, 1986)
- A Distant Soil (9 issues, 1983–1986)
- Elflord (4 issues, 1997)
- Elfquest (1977-present; many mini-series and specials)
- FantaSci (1986)
- MythAdventures (12 issues, 1984–1986)
- Return to Centaur (or: What Kind of Foal Am I?) (1990)
- Thunderbunny (12 issues, June 1985–November 1987)
- Unicorn Isle (2 issues, 1986)
Notes
- ^ "The Battle for A Distant Soil," The Comics Journal #108 (May 1986), pp. 7-12.
- ^ "Doran/WaRP Dispute Now Settled," The Comics Journal #110 (August 1986), p. 17.
- ^ "NewsWatch: WaRP files $4 million lawsuit," The Comics Journal #115 (April 1987), pp. 11-12.
- ^ "Donning Sues WaRP," The Comics Journal #123 (July 1988), p. 8-9.
- ^ "NewsWatch: WaRP & Donning Settle," The Comics Journal #125 (October 1988), pp. 15-16.
- ^ "WaRP Titles Now Under Apple Aegis," The Comics Journal #110 (August 1986), p. 17.
- ^ "Newswatch: Hirings and Firings: Barry Blair Joins Warp Graphics," The Comics Journal #167 (April 1994), p. 32.
References
- WaRP Graphics at the Grand Comic-Book Database
- WaRP Graphics at the Comic Book DB
- Company history from official site
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
