Idaho Comics Group (ICG) is an independent

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

publishing company from

Boise Boise ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and nor ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

, that was founded in 2014 by Albert Frank Asker. ICG publishes two

comics anthologies A comics anthology collects works in the medium of comics, typically from multiple series, and compiles them into an anthology or magazine. The comics in these anthologies range from comic strips that are too short for standalone publication to co ...

: the officially licensed ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

and the Comics of Idaho'' and ''Idaho Comics''. The anthologies bring attention to comic book writers and artists from the state of Idaho; sales from the comics benefit the

Boise Public Library The Boise Public Library is a public library system in Boise, Idaho, that includes a main library at 715 South Capitol Boulevard and four branch libraries within the city. History Territorial Library In 1863 the Idaho Territory was created with ...

. Copies of the comic books produced by Idaho Comics Group can be found in the Idaho Reference section on the third floor of the

and in the Special Collections and Archives at the

Boise State University Boise State University (BSU) is a Public university, public research university in Boise, Idaho, United States. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has b ...

Library.

Overview

All of the comics published by Idaho Comics Group are

crowd-funded Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...

. The ''Tarzan and the Comics of Idaho'' anthologies, published in 2014, 2015, and 2016, feature Tarzan stories by writers and artists from the state of Idaho. (

creator

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American writer, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best known for creating the characters Tarzan (who appeared in ...

lived in Idaho during three different periods in his life.) The companion piece ''Idaho Comics'' anthologies, published in 2014 and 2015, feature articles on the history of comic books in Idaho that expand on subjects touched on in the ''Tarzan and the Comics of Idaho'' introductions. Articles in the ''Idaho Comics'' comics also bring attention to

autobiographical comics An autobiographical comic (also autobio, graphic memoir, or autobiocomic) is an autobiography in the form of comic books or comic strips. The form first became popular in the underground comix movement and has since become more widespread. It i ...

writer Dennis P. Eichhorn and his contributions to sequential art in Idaho. Notable creators associated with Idaho Comics Group include Albert Asker, Gaz Asker,

Todd Clark Pilot Speed (formerly known as Pilate) was a Canadian rock band, who were active in the early 2000s.Gerry Krochak, "Pilate strives for sincerity". ''Regina Leader-Post'', October 23, 2003. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the band consisted of vocali ...

Dame Darcy Dame Darcy Pleasant (born June 19, 1971, Caldwell, Idaho), better known by the pen name Dame Darcy, is an alternative cartoonist, fine artist, musician, cabaret performer, and animator/filmmaker. Her "Neo-Victorian" comic book series '' Meat C ...

Dennis Eichhorn Dennis P. Eichhorn (August 19, 1945 – October 8, 2015) was an American writer, best known for his adult-oriented autobiographical comic book series ''Real Stuff''. His stories, often involving sex, drugs, and alcohol, have been compared to thos ...

, Randall Kirby, Scott Pentzer, and

Charles Soule Charles Soule is an American comic book writer, novelist, musician, and attorney. He is best known for writing '' Daredevil'', '' She-Hulk'', '' Death of Wolverine'', and various '' Star Wars'' books and comic series from Del Rey Books and Marv ...

History

On August 30, 2014, Idaho Comics Group made its debut at the 2nd Annual Boise Public Library Comic Con with their two offerings: ''Tarzan and the Comics of Idaho'' #1 and ''Idaho Comics'' #1. On October 6, 2015, ''

The Best American Comics ''The Best American Comics'' was a yearly anthology of comics in the United States published by Houghton Mifflin from 2006 to 2019 as part of '' The Best American Series''. Stories were chosen using the same procedure as the other Best American ...

'' 2015 was released, and Idaho Comics Group contributors Dennis P. Eichhorn's ''Real Good Stuff'' #s 1–2 and

's "Voyage of the Temptress" were named to the list of "Notable Comics" published from September 1, 2013, to August 31, 2014, by series editor Bill Kartalopoulos. (Dame Darcy's "Voyage of the Temptress" made its print debut in ''Tarzan and the Comics of Idaho'' #1.) On August 27, 2015, ICG comic books were featured in a library exhibition at

. On October 7, 2015, ICG publisher Al Asker gave a talk on the History of Comic Books in Idaho at Boise State University. On October 13, 2015, ICG publisher Albert Asker remembered his late friend Dennis Eichhorn in a video produced by ''

The Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynold ...

''. On July 31, 2024, Screen Rant wrote an article about

Joe Quesada Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, ...

's new

Amazing Comics Several comics, comic book series or publishers have been called Amazing Comics: * Amazing (a.k.a. Amazing Comics a.k.a. Amazing Publishing Company), an American black-and-white comic publisher associated with David Campiti that operated from 198 ...

imprint and mentioned Idaho Comics Group as the first comic book publisher in Idaho. On August 24th, 2024, the Boise Public Library published its inaugural issue of Boise Comic Arts Festival Presents which featured an article on the history of comic books in Idaho written by ICG founder Albert Frank Asker. Idaho Comics Group founder Albert Frank Asker edited a story entitled "Aztlantis Attacks!" by Mexican comic book creators Baltazar Cardenas (writer), Rocío Pérez (artist), and Rodo Farías (colors) which will appear in ''Tomorrow Girl'' #6 (due out August 21st, 2024, from

Antarctic Press Antarctic Press is a San Antonio-based comic book publishing company which publishes " Amerimanga" style comic books. The company also produces "how-to" and "you can" comics, instructing on areas of comic book creation and craft. Beginning in ...

). Idaho Comics Group founder Albert Frank Asker wrote/contributed to a couple of stories in Tomorrow Girl Vol. 3: Fight For Justice from

which was released at the end of August of 2024. Idaho Comics Group founder Albert Frank Asker wrote/contributed to a couple of stories in Tomorrow Girl #7 which was released on October 17, 2024 by

Idaho Comics Group founder Albert Asker co-wrote Luchadora! This is the main story in Tomorrow Girl #11 which will be released on March 26th, 2025 by

. Tomorrow Girl #11 was also mentioned in Bleeding Cool News. Tomorrow Girl #11 will also be available for purchase in Sweden and the United Kingdom. The release date for Tomorrow Girl #11 was later pushed back to April 9th, 2025. Tomorrow Girl #11 was featured in a write-up by the biggest comic book magazine/internet news website in Mexico/Central America/South America: Comikaze.

Titles

''Tarzan and the Comics of Idaho'' (2014–present)

Issue #1 (2014)

Features work from the following Idaho writers and artists: *

(''

Superman/Wonder Woman ''Superman/Wonder Woman'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics. The series was published from October 2013 to May 2016. Written by Charles Soule with artwork by Tony Daniel, it explores the relationship between Superman and Won ...

'', ''

The Death of Wolverine "Death of Wolverine" is a 2014 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. The story has grown from both volume 5 (''Marvel Now!'') and volume 6 (''All-New Marvel Now!'') of the Wolverine main series, and also continued with " Hunt for Wolve ...

'', ''

She-Hulk She-Hulk (Jennifer Susan Walters) is a Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she First appearance, first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk ...

'', ''

Swamp Thing Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...

'') *

(''Real Stuff'', '' Weirdo'',

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner ( ; March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series '' The Spirit'' (1940–1952) wa ...

's ''

The Spirit The Spirit may refer to: * Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, p ...

: The New Adventures'') * Todd Clark (the nationally syndicated comic strip ''

Lola Lola may refer to: Places * Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama * Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States * Lola Prefecture, Guinea * Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture * Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands People * Lol ...

'') * Steve Moore (the nationally syndicated comic strip '' In The Bleachers'') *

('' Meat Cake'') * Allen Gladfelter (

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's/

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

's ''

Cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

'', Occupy Comics) * Steve Willhite (''FUBAR'', '' Jesus Hates Zombies'') * Scott Pentzer (''Rose & Gunn'', ''Sade'', '' Rock 'n' Roll Comics'') * Randall Kirby (''BOP! Comics'') * Jim Sumii (''Tura and Eva'') * Julia Green (''Mystic Pets'') * Adam Rosenlund (''Light Years Away'') COVER ARTIST * Jon Keithley (''Shivertown'', ''6x6'') * Shanae LaVelle (''Shivertown'', ''6x6'') * Gaz Asker (Idaho Comics) * Albert Frank Asker (Idaho Comics, ''6x6'')

Issue #2 (2015)

Features work from the following writers and artists: *

Monte Michael Moore Monte M. Moore (born 1971) is an American illustrator, screenwriter, and designer focusing on the comics, gaming and entertainment industries. Education Monte Moore was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1971, and grew up playing fantasy role-playing ...

(painted covers for

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 ...

and

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

) COVER ARTIST *

Bill Schelly William Carl Schelly (November 2, 1951 – September 12, 2019) was an Eisner Award-winning author who chronicled the history of comic books and comic book fandom, and wrote biographies of comic book creators, including Otto Binder, L.B. Cole, Jo ...

(''

Alter Ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...

'' magazine, ''The Eye'', ''Fandom's Finest Comics'') *

(''Real Good Stuff'', ''Extra Good Stuff'') * Todd Clark (''

'') * Randall Kirby (''BOP! Comics'', ''Anything That Loves'') * Scott Pentzer (''Sports Superstars'', '' Rock 'N' Roll Comics'', ''Rose & Gunn'', ''Sade'') * Adrianne Presnell (''6x6'') * Steve Willhite (''FUBAR'', '' Jesus Hates Zombies'', ''Mother Russia'') * Peter Lawson (Border Town Comic Con) * Dick Trageser (''Fandom's Finest Comics'') * John Barrie (''TATCOI'' #2) * Michelle Estrada (''TATCOI'' #2) * Jay O'Leary (''Push'') * Bob Beason (''Captain Bengal'') * Geoffery C. Everts (

cartoons animator, ''Jethro's Rad Euro-Zine'' 2.0) * Jake Scholl (''Blade of the Broken'') * Bethany Schultz Hurst (award-winning poet of Miss Lost Nation, English professor at Idaho State University) * Gaz Asker (''Tarzan and the Comics of Idaho'' #1, ''Idaho Comics'' #1) * Albert Frank Asker (''Tarzan and the Comics of Idaho'' #1, ''Idaho Comics'' #1, ''6x6'')

Issue #3 (2016)

Features work from the following writers and artists: * Ward P. Hooper (Mayor's Art Award, 2005; Best Idaho Visual Artist, 2007 and 2012) COVER ARTIST * James Lloyd (Art Director of the

Treefort Music Fest Treefort Music Fest is a five-day indie rock festival held at several venues throughout downtown Boise, Idaho in late March. The inaugural festival took place from March 20–23, 2012, featuring Built to Spill, The Joy Formidable, Poliça, a ...

, ''Mystic Pets'', ''Cowboy Comics'') *

(''Real Stuff'', ''Real Good Stuff'', ''Extra Good Stuff'', ''The Adventures of Ace International'') * Jacob Bear (''

Hawk and Dove Hawk and Dove are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates, they appeared in ''Showcase (comics), Showcase'' #75 (June 1968) during the Silver Age of Comic Books. The du ...

'', ''Batbear'', ''Deadpooh'') * Randall Kirby (''BOP Comics'') * Joseph Bradshaw (''Kingdom of Freedom'') * Treycen Fluckiger (''Why Not?'') * James Lichtenberg (''Why Not?'') * Hector Diaz (Art Director for

Nampa The Namibia Press Agency (NAMPA) is the national news agency of the Republic of Namibia. It was founded in 1987 under the name Namibia Press Association as a SWAPO partisan press agency, and resuscitated after independence under its current name ...

's Dia En Downtown) * Scott Pentzer (''Sports Superstars'', '' Rock 'N' Roll Comics'', ''Rose & Gunn'', ''Sade'') * Damon Bradshaw (''Push'') * Gaz Asker (Art Director, Idaho Comics Group) * Albert Frank Asker (Editor-In-Chief, Idaho Comics Group) : The back cover features a few kind words from

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winning author

Anthony Doerr Anthony Doerr is an American author of novels and short stories. He gained widespread recognition for his 2014 novel '' All the Light We Cannot See'', which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Early life and education Doerr grew up in Cleveland ...

. The full letter from Anthony Doerr to Idaho Comics Group was published in the interior of issue #3.

''Idaho Comics'' (2014–present)

Issue #1 (2014)

Features an article on the history of comic books in Idaho with a special emphasis on

and his time in Idaho working as a cowboy/adventurer, ranch hand, photography and

stationery Stationery refers to writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, continuous form paper, and other office supplies. Stationery usually specifies materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter paper) or by equipment such as computer p ...

store owner, gold prosecutor, and city councilman in

Parma, Idaho Parma is a city in Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,983 at the 2010 census, up from 1,771 in 2000. It is the fourth largest city in the county (behind Middleton, Caldwell, and Nampa all in the county’s eastern po ...

. Also features an autobiographical story by

about the time

Lyle Smith Lyle Hilton Smith (March 17, 1916 – July 26, 2017) was an American football and basketball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Boise Junior College—now Boise State University&mdas ...

recruited him to play football at Boise Junior College (now

). ''Idaho Comics'' #1 features work by: *

* Albert Frank Asker COVER ARTIST and also two stories that Asker submitted to

Piranha Press Piranha Press, an imprint of DC Comics from 1989 to 1994, was a response by DC to the growing interest in alternative comics. The imprint was edited by Mark Nevelow, who instead of developing comics with the established names in the alternative c ...

when he was thirteen years old. * Gaz Asker COVER ARTIST and also comic strips by the Idaho Comics Group art director

Issue #2 (2015)

Features a brand new autobiographical story by Dennis Eichhorn about the time he was investigated by the Salt Lake City Police Department over a comic book he published in

Moscow, Idaho Moscow ( ) is a city and the county seat of Latah County, Idaho. Located in the North Central Idaho, North Central region of the state along the border with Washington (state), Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 United States ...

, in 1974; as well as two other autobiographical stories by Eichhorn. Features a continuation on the article on the history of comic books in Idaho — again with special emphasis on

and the comic books published in Idaho based on his characters. ''Idaho Comics'' #2 Features work by: * Albert Frank Asker * Gaz Asker * Reilly S. Clark * Damon Bradshaw COVER ARTIST *

* Scott Fife * Jim Loney * Jim Sumii *

Seth Tobocman Seth Tobocman (born 1958) is a radical comic book artist who has resided in Manhattan's Lower East Side since 1978. Tobocman is best known for his creation of the political comic book anthology ''World War 3 Illustrated'', which he started in 197 ...

* Mark Zingarelli

Podcast: Idaho Comics with Albert Asker

The ''Idaho Comics with Albert Asker'' podcasts serve as a compendium piece to the Idaho Comics Group comic books, adding depth and breadth to the subjects touched on in the "History of Comic Books in Idaho" articles. Each month Asker interviews a person with ties to comic books in Idaho. Episodes of ''Idaho Comics with Albert Asker'' can be found on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

, and

Stitcher Stitcher was a media company that specialized in the creation, distribution, and monetization of podcasts. Stitcher created original shows through networks such as Earwolf and Witness Docs. Stitcher provided ad sales and distribution services to ...

. (There is another podcast coming from this group, called ''The Idaho Comics Group Sports Report and Podcast''.) *Episode One (October 2016): "Idaho Comics News" (Pilot) *Episode Two (November 2016): Randall Kirby *Episode Three (December 2016): Steve Willhite *Episode Four (January 2017): Josh Shapel *Episode Five (February 2017): Catherine Kyle *Episode Six (March 2017): Adam Rosenlund *Episode Seven (April 2017): Jacob Bear and Dan Feldmeier *Episode Eight (May 2017): Terry Blas *Episode Nine (June 2017): Shanae Lavelle *Episode Ten (July 2017): Scott Pentzer *Episode Eleven (August 2017): Ethan Ede *Episode Twelve (September 2017): Erica Crockett *Episode Thirteen (April 2018): Brian Douglas Ahern and Randall Kirby *Episode Fourteen (June 2018): Julia Green *Episode Fifteen (July 2018): James W.A.R. Lloyd *Episode Sixteen (July 2018): BONUS! Wizard World Comic Con Boise 2018 Review *Episode Seventeen (August 2018): The

Project Part I *Episode Eighteen (September 2018): The

Project Part II *Episode Nineteen (December 2018): CF Arik Grant *Episode Twenty (April 2019):

Ron Randall Ron Randall (born November 22, 1956) is an American comic book artist best known as the creator of the character Trekker. Career A graduate of The Kubert School, Ron Randall's first published comic book work was a two-page backup story titled ...

Notes

References

External links

Idaho Comics Group
— Tumblr site
Mystery House Radio
— SoundCloud site * {{DEFAULTSORT:Idaho Comics Group 2014 establishments in Idaho Comic book publishing companies of the United States Companies based in Boise, Idaho