Innovation Publishing (also known as Innovation Books and the Innovative Corporation) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

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 ...

company based in

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in Ohio County, West Virginia, Ohio and Marshall County, West Virginia, Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The county seat of Ohio County, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mo ...

. It was co-founded by

David Campiti David Campiti (; born May 9, 1958) is an American animation producer, comic book writer, talent agent, and packager. He was deeply involved with a number of comics publishers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including Eternity Comics, Pied P ...

in 1988 after writing a business proposal and raising US$400,000 to finance its launch. Innovation became number four in market share, below

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 ...

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

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

Overview

The company published many adaptations and

tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, website, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original proper ...

series of existing media properties, such as

Anne Rice Anne Rice (born Howard Allen Frances O'Brien; October 4, 1941 – December 11, 2021) was an American author of Gothic fiction, erotic literature, and Bible fiction. She is best known for writing ''The Vampire Chronicles''. She later adapted t ...

novels A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of '' ...

Interview with the Vampire ''Interview with the Vampire'' is a gothic horror and vampire novel by American author Anne Rice, published in 1976. It was her debut novel. Based on a short story Rice wrote around 1968, the novel centers on vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac ...

'', ''

The Vampire Lestat ''The Vampire Lestat'' (1985) is a Vampire literature, vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the second in her ''The Vampire Chronicles, Vampire Chronicles'', following ''Interview with the Vampire'' (1976). The story is told from the poin ...

'', and ''

Queen of the Damned ''Queen of the Damned'' is a 2002 horror film directed by Michael Rymer from a screenplay by Scott Abbott and Michael Petroni, and based on the 1988 novel ''The Queen of the Damned'' by Anne Rice, the third novel of the book series ''The Vampi ...

''. It also published adaptations of novels such as

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English author, humorist, and Satire, satirist, best known for the ''Discworld'' series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the Apocalyp ...

's ''

The Colour of Magic ''The Colour of Magic'' is a 1983 fantasy comedy novel by Terry Pratchett, and is the first book of the ''Discworld'' series. The first printing of the British edition consisted of only 506 copies. Pratchett has described it as "an attempt to ...

'' and ''

The Light Fantastic ''The Light Fantastic'' is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the second of the ''Discworld'' series. It was published on 2 June 1986, the first printing being of 1,034 copies. The title is taken from ''L'Allegro'', a poem by John Milt ...

'',

Piers Anthony Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob (born August 6, 1934) is an American author in the science fiction and fantasy genres, publishing under the name Piers Anthony. He is best known for his long-running novel series set in the fictional realm of Xan ...

's ''

On a Pale Horse ''On a Pale Horse'' is a fantasy novel by Piers Anthony, first published in 1983. It is the first of eight books in the ''Incarnations of Immortality'' series. The book focuses on Zane, a photographer about to commit suicide who instead kills D ...

'',

Don Pendleton Donald Eugene Pendleton (December 12, 1927 – October 23, 1995) was an American author of fiction and non-fiction books, best known for his creation of the fictional character Mack Bolan, which have sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide ...

's '' The Executioner'',

Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His 1970 novel ''Ringworld'' won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus, Ditmar Award, Ditmar, and Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula award ...

and

Jerry Pournelle Jerry Eugene Pournelle (; August 7, 1933 – September 8, 2017) was an American scientist in the area of operations research and ergonomics, human factors research, a science fiction writer, essayist, journalist, and one of the first bloggers. ...

's '' Lucifer's Hammer'', and

Gene Wolfe Gene Rodman Wolfe (May 7, 1931 – April 14, 2019) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He was noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith. He was a prolific short story writer and no ...

's ''

The Shadow of the Torturer ''The Shadow of the Torturer'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Gene Wolfe, published by Simon & Schuster in May 1980. It is the first of four volumes in ''The Book of the New Sun'' which Wolfe had completed in draft before ''The S ...

''; the

TV series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...

'', ''

Quantum Leap Quantum leap or ''variation'', may refer to: In general * Quantum leap (physics), also known as quantum jump, a transition between quantum states ** Atomic electron transition, a key example of the physics phenomenon * Paradigm shift, a sudden ch ...

'', ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'' and ''

Lost In Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...

''; films such as ''

Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction action film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (director), Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on a film story by ...

'', '' Psycho'', '' Child's Play'', and ''

A Nightmare on Elm Street ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' is a 1984 American Supernatural horror film, supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), ''A ...

''; and even the 1949

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

movie serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, ge ...

King of the Rocket Men ''King of the Rocket Men'' is a 1949 12-chapter movie serial from Republic Pictures, produced by Franklin Adreon, directed Fred C. Brannon, that stars Tristram Coffin, Mae Clarke, Don Haggerty, House Peters, Jr., James Craven, and I. Stanf ...

''. Campiti brought to Innovation a number of properties he had overseen with other publishers, including '' Hero Alliance'' (originally with Sirius Comics, Pied Piper Comics, and Wonder Color), ''Power Factor'' (originally with Wonder Color and then Pied Piper), and

Mark Martin Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959), nicknamed "the Kid", is an American former stock car racing driver. He most notably drove the No. 6 Ford Motor Company, Ford for Roush Racing for the majority of his career. From 1989 to 2009, Martin wo ...

's ''Gnatrat'' (originally with Sirius Comics). Innovation's original series included '' Justice Machine'' and writer Mike W. Barr's '' Maze Agency'' (both series originally with

Comico Comico or Cómico (Spanish "comical" or "funny") may refer to: * Comico: The Comic Company, American comic company 1982–1997 * Comico (NHN Japan), a webtoon portal owned by NHN Japan Corporation NHN Japan Corporation is the Japanese subsidiary ...

), and ''Legends of the Stargrazers''. Innovation was one of the first companies to delve heavily into recruiting talents from

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, starting the American careers of

Mike Deodato Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho, better known by his pen name Mike Deodato ( ; born May 23, 1963), is a Brazilian comic book artist. Early life Mike Deodato was born on May 23, 1963, in Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil. He is the son of comic ar ...

(''Beauty and the Beast'') and Joe Bennett (''The Light Fantastic''), among others. 1992 Russ Manning "Best Newcomer" Award–winner Mike Okamoto broke into American comics in 1990 illustrating the Innovation titles ''The Maze Agency'' and ''Hero Alliance''. Campiti left Innovation in 1993 to launch Glass House Graphics, a studio/agency for illustrators, writers, painters, and digital designers. Shortly thereafter, in early 1994, Innovation closed, leaving substantial debts to creators, printers, and investors.

Titles published

Adaptations

* Anne Rice ** ''

'' (1991–1993), #1–12 ** ''The Master of Rampling Gate'' (1991), TPB ** ''

'' (1990–1991), #1–12 (collected in 1991 as ''The Vampire Lestat: The Graphic Novel'') ** ''

The Queen of the Damned ''The Queen of the Damned'' (1988) is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the third in her ''The Vampire Chronicles'' series. It follows ''Interview with the Vampire'' and ''The Vampire Lestat''. This novel is a continuation of th ...

'' (1991–1993), #1–11 (#12 is unpublished) ** ''The Vampire Companion'' (1990–1992), #1–3 * ''

'' (1993), #1–6 * '' Bozo, the World's Most Famous Clown'' (1992), #1 * '' Child's Play'' * ''

'' (1991), #1–4 * ''

'' ** Book One (1992–1993), #1–4 ** Book Two (1993), #1–4 ** Book Three (1993), #1 * ''

'' (1992–1993), #1–4 (collected in 1993 as ''Forbidden Planet: The Saga of the Krell'') * ''

'' (1992–1993), #1–4 * ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...

'' ** v1 (1991–1993), #1–18 ** ''Lost in Space: Project Robinson'' (1993), #1 * '' Lucifer's Hammer'' (1993), #1–2 (#3–6 unpublished) * '' Mack Bolan: The Executioner'' (1993), #1–3 (#4 is unpublished) * ''

'' ** ''Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare'' (1991), #1–3 and 3-D (reprints #3 with 3-D sections) ** ''Nightmares on Elm Street'' (1991–1992), #1–6 ** ''A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Beginning'' (1993), #1–2 (#3 unpublished) * ''

'' (1991–1993), #1–5 (#6 is unpublished) * ''

'' (1991–1993), #1–13 * ''

The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera may refer to: Novel * The Phantom of the Opera (novel), ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (novel), 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux Characters * Erik (The Phantom of the Opera), Erik (''The Phantom of the Opera''), the title char ...

'' (1991), TPB * '' Psycho'' (1992), #1–3 * '' Rocket Man: King of the Rocket Men'' (1991), #1–4 * ''

'' (1991), #1–3 * ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

A Study in Scarlet ''A Study in Scarlet'' is an 1887 Detective fiction, detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would go on to become one of the most well-known detective ...

'' (1989), TPB

Original series

* ''

3×3 Eyes ''3×3 Eyes'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuzo Takada. It was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazines ''Young Magazine Kaizokuban'' and ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from 1987 to 2002, spanning to a total of 40 vo ...

'' (translation of the manga) * ''Ack the Barbarian'' (1991), #1 * ''All Hallow's Eve'' (1991), #1 * ''Angel of Death'' (1990), #1–4 * ''Angry Shadows'' (1989), #1 * ''Avenue X'' (1992), #1 * ''Black and White Magic!'' (1991), #1 * ''Biff Thundersaur'' (1991), #1 * ''Celestial Mechanics: The Adventures of Widget Wilhelmina Jones'' (1990–1991), #1–3 * ''Cobalt Blue'' ( trade paperback, 1989) — by

Mike Gustovich Michael Gustovich (born November 15, 1953) is an American artist, known for his comic book art and inking in the 1980s and early 1990s for such publishers as Marvel Comics, DC Comics, First Comics, Comico, and Eclipse Comics. He is the creator of ...

and

Keith Pollard Keith Pollard (; born January 20, 1950) is an American comic book artist. Originally from the Detroit area, Pollard is best known for his simultaneous work on the Marvel Comics titles ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Fantastic Four'', and ''Thor'' ...

* ''Cyberpunk'' ** ''Cyberpunk'' Graphic Novel #1 (1989) ** v1 (1989–1990), #1–2 (reprints the 1989 graphic novel) ** Book Two v1 (1990), #1–2 (collected in 1990 as ''Cyberpunk Book Two'' graphic novel #1) ** ''The Seraphim Files'' (1990), #1–2 (collected in 1990 as ''Cyberpunk: The Seraphim Files'' Book One) * ''The Dead Heat'' (1990), #1 (All American Comics imprint) * ''Equinox Chronicles'' (1991), #1-2 * ''Gnatrat: The Movie'' (1986) * ''The Group Larue'' (1989), #1–3 (collected as ''The Group Larue'' Graphic Novel #1) * ''Headman'' (1990), #1 * '' Hero Alliance'' ** ''End of the Golden Age'' (1989), #1–3 (reprints the Pied Piper Comics graphic album) ** v2 (1989–1991), #1–17 (continues from Wonder Comics) ** ''Hero Alliance Annual'' (1990), #1 ** ''Hero Alliance & Justice Machine: Identity Crisis'' (1990), #1 ** ''Hero Alliance Quarterly'' (1991–1992), #1–4 ** ''Hero Alliance Special'' (1992), #1 * '' Justice Machine'' (from

) ** ''The New Justice Machine'' (1989–1990) ** ''Justice Machine Summer Spectacular'' (1990) ** v3 (1990–1991), #1–7 * ''Lunatic Fringe'' (1989), #1–2 * ''Legends of the Stargrazers'' (1989–1990), #1–6 (collected as ''Legends of the Stargrazers'' Graphic Novels #1 & 2) * '' Maze Agency'' ** v1 (1989–1990), #8–23 (from Comico) ** Annual (1990), #1 ** Special (1990), #1 * ''Mangle Tangle Tales'' (1990), #1 * ''Masques'' (1992), #1–2 * ''Media Starr'' (1989), #1–3 (collected as ''Media Starr'' Graphic Novel #1) * ''Neon City'' (1991), #1 * ''Neon City: After the Fall'' (1992), #1 * ''Newstralia'' (1989–1990), #1–5 *

Alex Niño Alex Niño (born May 1, 1940) is a Filipinos, Filipino comics artist best known for his work for the American publishers DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Warren Publishing, and in ''Heavy Metal (magazine), Heavy Metal'' magazine. Biography Early l ...

's ''Nightmare'' (1989), #1 * Bruce Jones' ''Outer Edge'' (1993), #1 * ''Power Factor'' ** v1 (1990–1991), #1–3 (#1 reprints Wonder Comics and #2 reprints Pied Piper Comics) ** Special (1991), #1 * ''Professor Om'' (1990), #1 * Bruce Jones' ''Razor's Edge'' (1993), #1 *

Walt Kelly Walter Crawford Kelly Jr. (August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973) was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip ''Pogo (comic strip), Pogo''. He began his animation career in 1936 at The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney S ...

's ''Santa Claus Adventures'' (1990) * ''Scaramouch'' (1990–1991), #1–2 * ''Sentry Special'' (1991), #1 (a ''Hero Alliance'' character) * ''Seraphim'' (1990), #1 * ''Straw Men'' (1989–1990), #1–8 (All-American Comics imprint) * ''SoulQuest'' (1989), TPB * ''Timedrifter'' (1990–1991), #1–3 * '' Torchy'' (1991–1992), #1–5 (reprints from

Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, ...

) * ''Vigil: Fall from Grace'' (1992), #1–2 (collected as ''Vigil: Fall from Grace'') * ''Vigil: The Golden Parts'' (1992), #1 * ''Vigial: Kukulkan'' (1993), #1 * ''Wonderworlds'' (1992), #1

References

External links

* {{Comic book publishers in North America navbox Defunct comics and manga publishing companies Comic book publishing companies of the United States Defunct companies based in West Virginia Publishing companies disestablished in 1994 1988 establishments in West Virginia 1994 disestablishments in West Virginia Publishing companies established in 1988

Overview

Titles published

Adaptations

Original series

See also

References

External links