For other uses, see Moonstone.
Moonstone Books
Type Comic publisher
Founded 1995
Headquarters Chicago, Illinois
Industry Comics
Website MoonstoneBooks.com

Moonstone Books is an American comic book, graphic novel, and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and prose anthologies as well as horror and western tales.

The company began publishing creator-owned comics in 1995, and since 2001 has also published material based on a number of licensed properties, including Zorro, Doc Savage, The Avenger, Buckaroo Banzai, Bulldog Drummond, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Mr. Moto, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, The Phantom, and several titles based in White Wolf's World of Darkness.

Contents

[edit] Participants

Moonstone's editor-in-chief is Joe Gentile, who frequently writes his own stories for their comics. Frequent writers, artists, and colorists for their books includeDave Ulanski, Mike Bullock, Chuck Dixon, Amin Amat, Ben Raab, Rafael Nieves, Peter David, Graham Nolan, David Gallaher, Eric Theriault, EricJ, Tom Mandrake, Vatche Mavlian, Richard Dean Starr, Doug Klauba, Paul Storrie, Mike W. Barr, Tom DeFalco, Max Allan Collins, Steve Ellis, Ron Goulart, Ken Wolak and Stefan Petrucha.

Cover to The Phantom #12 by Joe Prado.

[edit] Wide-Vision Illustrated / Graphic Novels

Moonstone publisher Joe Gentile recently created an all-new, graphic/illustrated novel format called "Wide-Vision". This revolutionary new style utilizes expansive illustrations which stretch across two pages and is designed to mimic the feel of widescreen films. The format made its premiere in July, 2006 with a 72-page Phantom story titled "Law of the Jungle", written by Joe Gentile and including painted artwork by Paul Guinan. The next Wide-Vision project, to be published in the Summer of 2008, will be Wyatt Earp: The Justice Riders by Richard Dean Starr. Future Wide-Vision projects are planned starring the Phantom, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and other Moonstone licensed characters.

[edit] Publications

[edit] The Phantom

See also: List of Phantom publications from Moonstone Books

Moonstone's most successful title is The Phantom, which is based on Lee Falk's superhero comic strip. Moonstone is the first US publisher to produce new Phantom stories for the comic book format since Marvel Comics cancelled their Phantom 2040 comic in 1995.

Moonstone started publishing Phantom graphic novels in 2002. Only five books, written by Tom DeFalco, Ben Raab and Ron Goulart, were published, but in 2003, Moonstone started a regular comic book series with the character, written by Ben Raab, Rafael Nieves, and Chuck Dixon, and drawn by the likes of Pat Quinn, Jerry DeCaire, Nick Derington, Rich Burchett and EricJ. After 11 issues, Mike Bullock took over the book, with Carlos Magno as the regular artist in 2006, leaving the series to finally come out on a more regular schedule.

Moonstone have also made and is in the process of making several special projects with the character. In 2006, a retcon of the Phantom's origin called "Legacy" was published, written by Ben Raab and drawn by Pat Quinn, which aimed to look like one of the Phantom's chronicle books. 2006 also marked the year when Moonstone invented the wide-vision format, introducing it to the world with the Phantom story "Law of the Jungle". Moonstone have also announced a Phantom Annual, and two prose collections featuring Phantom short stories.

The Phantom is Moonstone's best selling title.

Kolchak The Night Stalker as seen in comics by Moonstone Books. Art by Gordon Purcell, Terry Paliot, Ken Wolak.

[edit] Moonstone Noir

[edit] Moonstone Monsters

[edit] Kolchak the Night Stalker

Moonstone is publishing new stories based on the TV-series Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

Several graphic novels featuring the character have been published, as well as a regular, on-going comic book series. A "wide vision" graphic novel has been announced.

[edit] Buckaroo Banzai

Since 2006, Moonstone have been publishing comics with Buckaroo Banzai, the main character from the 1984 cult film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, which continues plotlines left unexplored in the movie.

[edit] Prose anthologies

Moonstone recently published a Stoker Award-nominated prose anthology with Kolchak, which sold out fast. Due to the success of the Kolchak collection, Moonstone released two new prose anthologies with The Phantom and The Spider, and announced others featuring The Avenger and one with Doc Savage.

[edit] Titles

[edit] Comics

Moonstone comics titles include:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Justin Gray on Psychotic Reation and the Book's Mission, Newsarama, September 19, 2008

[edit] External links