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Paradox Press was a division of
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
formed in 1993 after editor Mark Nevelow departed from Piranha Press. Under the initial editorship of Andrew Helfer and Bronwyn Carlton, the imprint was renamed. Paradox was best known for publishing the graphic novels ''
A History of Violence ''A History of Violence'' is a 2005 action thriller film directed by David Cronenberg and written by Josh Olson. It is an adaptation of the 1997 DC Comics, DC A History of Violence (comics), graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The fi ...
'' and '' Road to Perdition'', both of which were later adapted into feature films. Jim Higgins edited the line after Helfer's departure, and Heidi MacDonald briefly took the helm in 2000 at the time of the line's final three '' Big Books'', none of which ever saw publication.


History

Paradox Press was designed to publish
graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...
s that were not of the superhero genre (as comprises most of DC's publishing efforts) and without the fantasy and sci-fi elements of DC's "mature reader" line
Vertigo Comics DC Vertigo, also known as Vertigo Comics or simply Vertigo, is an Imprint (trade name), imprint of the American comic book publisher DC Comics. Vertigo publishes comics with adult comics, adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and ...
. Because of the limited interest in non-fantasy stories among the graphic novel demographic, the line produced only a handful of books over its decade-long history. While almost all received critical acclaim, none reached high sales amongst the general graphic-novel and comic book reading populace. Two of the imprint's books — ''
A History of Violence ''A History of Violence'' is a 2005 action thriller film directed by David Cronenberg and written by Josh Olson. It is an adaptation of the 1997 DC Comics, DC A History of Violence (comics), graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The fi ...
'' and '' Road to Perdition'' — were adapted into successful films, and
Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. His non-fiction books about comics, ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and '' Making Comics'' (2006), are made in comic ...
's ''
Understanding Comics ''Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art'' is a 1993 non-fiction work of comics by American cartoonist Scott McCloud. It explores formal aspects of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in ...
'' (originally published through
Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hardcov ...
) is considered one of the authoritative bibles of the medium. The true-life anthology series of ''Big Books'' also found a niche following. ''
The Big Book Of ''The Big Book Of'' is a series of graphic novel comics anthology, anthologies published by American company DC Comics imprint (trade name), imprint Paradox Press. Publication history The ''Big Books'' were published between 1994 and 2000. Just o ...
'' series was an anthology series, each devoted to a theme or concept, e.g., ''The Big Book of Conspiracies'' and ''The Big Book of Urban Legends''. The imprint was phased out after attracting low sales, and most of the books under the Paradox label are out of print for the foreseeable future. Those books that have remained in print were rereleased under DC's more lucrative Vertigo label.


Books

Below is a list of books published under the Paradox Press logo: * ''
The Big Book Of ''The Big Book Of'' is a series of graphic novel comics anthology, anthologies published by American company DC Comics imprint (trade name), imprint Paradox Press. Publication history The ''Big Books'' were published between 1994 and 2000. Just o ...
'': ** the '70s ** Bad ** Conspiracies ** Death ** Freaks ** Grimm ** Hoaxes ** Little Criminals ** Losers ** Martyrs ** Scandal! ** Thugs ** the Unexplained ** Urban Legends ** Vice ** the Weird Wild West ** Weirdos * '' The Bogie Man'' * '' Brooklyn Dreams'' * ''Family Man'' * '' Gon'': ** Gon ** Gon on Safari ** Gon Swimming ** Gon Underground ** Gon Wild! * ''Green Candles'' * ''A Gregory Treasury'' * ''
A History of Violence ''A History of Violence'' is a 2005 action thriller film directed by David Cronenberg and written by Josh Olson. It is an adaptation of the 1997 DC Comics, DC A History of Violence (comics), graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The fi ...
'' * ''Hunter's Heart'' * ''La Pacifica'' * ''The Project'' * '' Reinventing Comics'' * '' Road to Perdition'': ** Road to Perdition ** Road to Perdition: On the Road *** On the Road to Perdition Book 1: Oasis *** On the Road to Perdition Book 2: Sanctuary *** On the Road to Perdition Book 3: Detour * '' Stuck Rubber Baby'' * ''
Understanding Comics ''Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art'' is a 1993 non-fiction work of comics by American cartoonist Scott McCloud. It explores formal aspects of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in ...
'' In addition, several magazines entitled ''Weird'' collected reprint material from the above volumes.


Unpublished work

Slated for 2001 Paradox Press had intentions to release a book known as ''The Big Book of Wild Women''. From time to time mentions of this book can be found on the internet. The book is narrated by "Susie the Floozie". The book was to profile notable women throughout history who had made an impact on American culture while pushing the envelope of unconventional behavior. Among the women to be profiled were risqué
nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...
-comic Rusty Warren, B-movie goddess Tura Satana, presidential candidate Victoria Woodhull, 19th century sex star Lola Montes, legendary seductress
Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...
, scandalous writer Anaïs Nin and kinky pin-up icon
Bettie Page Bettie Mae Page (April 22, 1923 – December 11, 2008) was an American model who gained notoriety in the 1950s for her pin-up model, pin-up photos.DC comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
stated at the time that the book was in a perpetual "pre-production".


References

{{Authority control American companies established in 1993 2001 disestablishments in the United States DC Comics imprints Defunct comics and manga publishing companies