Pardon the comic geekery of the following, but HOLY CRAP:
DC FORMS ALLIANCE WITH HUMANOIDS
“In a move that will increase its bookstore presence and direct market share, DC and Humanoids have today jointly announced an agreement which will see DC act as the English language publisher for Humanoids. The agreement calls for the publication of 36 books per year.”
…
Humanoids Publishing is the American arm of Les Humanoides Associes, a juggernaut of European comics, probably best known here in the States as the publisher of French comics artist Moebius and HEAVY METAL (or METAL HURLANT, as it was originally known. Yes, that HEAVY METAL — the inspiration for that bizarro cartoon flick.) Comics in Europe are more than a little different than they are in America; more serious, more varied, more adult. Superheroes don’t have a hold on the medium in the same way as the American direct market, and so as a result, you get more things like THE METABARONS, an outlandish and over-the-top generational sci-fi action saga; THE HUNTING PARTY, a political thriller set in the last days of the Soviet Union; or SON OF THE GUN, a twisted take on westerns, killers, biblical metaphors, and redemption. They’ve suffered a bit with the current form of the western direct market for comics, as most American comics readers don’t typically buy their books because (no surprise here) American comics companies and American comics specialty retailers tend to focus the majority of their time and efforts on the superhero franchises of American comics.
So, needless to say, putting the weight and power of DC Comics, a subsidiary of megamediaconglomerate AOL/Time Warner, behind Humanoids’s books makes the future a lot brighter for one of the best comics companies around. And probably means that the average Barnes & Noble customer might chance upon a Humanoids book in the near future…
