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Lion Forge Comics was an American comic book publisher founded in 2011 by David Steward II and Carl Reed. The company published works by a range of creators and focused on storytelling influenced by specific cultures and ethnics. In 2019, it became an
imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...
label following the company's merger with
Oni Press Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon, best known for publishing such series as '' Scott Pilgrim'' and ''Rick and Morty''. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's ...
. The merged company, Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Group, is owned by
Polarity Polarity may refer to: Science *Electrical polarity, direction of electrical current *Polarity (mutual inductance), the relationship between components such as transformer windings *Polarity (projective geometry), in mathematics, a duality of orde ...
. As of 2022, the Lion Forge name is largely dormant in its original role as a comic book publisher, with Oni Press handling the publishing. However, Lion Forge is still used as a brand name for other divisions, such as Lion Forge Entertainment, which was founded by Steward II in 2019 and follows a similar focus on diverse narratives.


Company history


Lion Forge

Lion Forge Comics was founded in 2011 by David Steward II and Carl Reed to give ethnically diverse creators an outlet to create ethnically diverse characters. The company began as a digital publisher but experimented with print comics when digital sales began to plateau industry wide. Initially, Lion Forge worked on developing their own original properties. However, the company picked up
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1980s properties ''
Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series. It centers on a high-technology attack helicopter, code-named '' Airwolf'', and its crew. They undertake various exotic missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War the ...
'', ''
Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American media franchise, entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three-television series: the original ''Knight Rider (1982 TV series), Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequ ...
'', ''
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'', ''
Punky Brewster ''Punky Brewster'' is an American Situation comedy, sitcom television series about a young girl (Soleil Moon Frye) being raised by a foster parent (George Gaynes) in Chicago. The show ran on NBC from September 16, 1984, to March 9, 1986, and ag ...
'', and ''
Saved by the Bell ''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television teen sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in prime time, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United ...
''. In 2012, the company launched its initial titles, and followed that up with American Greetings properties ''
Care Bears Care Bears are multi-colored bears, painted in 1981 by artist Elena Kucharik to be used on greeting cards from American Greetings. They were turned into plush teddy bears and featured in ''The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings'' (1983) and ...
'', '' Madballs'', and ''
Packages from Planet X ''Packages from Planet X'' is an animated science fantasy television series created by Jeff Harter. The series was produced by the Vancouver studio DHX Media and American Greetings Properties. The series premiered on Disney XD on July 13, 2013 a ...
''. By 2014, Lion Forge had staff in
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and Los Angeles in addition to its headquarters in St. Louis. In mid 2014, the company announced a children's line, Roar Comics, would launch with six titles. They also announced
IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...
would publish and distribute print version of their comic books. In July 2016, general counsel Geoff Gerber was promoted to president taking over from founder David Steward, who was named founder/publisher. Plus, additional editors and sale and marketing staff were also hired. It expanded its print line in the Fall of 2016 with the CubHouse
imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...
for grades pre-K through 12, splitting that age group off from Roar Comics. Both lines would be under Andrea Colvin as senior editor. By late 2017, it had grown to 30 employees located in St Louis,
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, and New York City, with many employees
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ing, and with Geoff Gerber as the company president. On
Free Comic Book Day Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to attract new readers to independent comic book stores. It usually takes place on the first Saturday of May and has historically been cross ...
2016, May 6, Lion Forge launched its superhero universe line, Catalyst Prime, under senior editor Joe Illidge with a single issue. The company began to grow through acquisitions in 2016. In early October 2016 it purchased Magnetic Press, renaming it as Magnetic Collection. In October 2017, it purchased the New York City-based comic journalism site ''
Comics Beat Heidi MacDonald (born November 15) is an American writer and editor of comic books based in New York City. She runs the comics industry news blog '' The Beat''. Career MacDonald is a former editor for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint and '' Disney A ...
''. Steward created a subsidiary called Syndicated Comics to control assets and content generated by ''Comics Beat''. In 2018, Steward II founded
Polarity Polarity may refer to: Science *Electrical polarity, direction of electrical current *Polarity (mutual inductance), the relationship between components such as transformer windings *Polarity (projective geometry), in mathematics, a duality of orde ...
, a media company intended to develop Lion Forge characters outside of comics, as well as serve as a holding company and investment platform for animation and other pop culture content. In February 2018, Lion Forge Comics indicated that it would enter the picture book market with a line under its CubHouse imprint that would hit the stands in May with two original picture books. In May 2018, Lion Forge announced its middle reader imprint, Caracal, with its first titles to hit the stand in late 2018. Lion Forge announced in June 2018 the Quillion imprint for tabletop gaming inspired stories to debut in September 2018. In November 2018, after a year of rapid expansion in staff and focus, the company laid off twelve out of approximately sixty employees primarily in editorial, in a restructuring move.


Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Group

On May 8, 2019,
Oni Press Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon, best known for publishing such series as '' Scott Pilgrim'' and ''Rick and Morty''. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's ...
announced a merger with Lion Forge Comics with the merger negotiated by Polarity. ''
Newsarama ''Newsarama'' is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website ''GamesRadar+'', also owned by Future US. Hi ...
'' reported that "in March 2019, Oni was the 10th ranked publisher on Diamond's Direct Market market share chart with 0.74% in dollar share and 9th in unit share with 0.64%. Lion Forge was not ranked in the top 10". The two companies merged into the Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Group (OLFPG) and became a
subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...
of Polarity. Oni Press and Lion Forge remained as imprint labels. All editorial, marketing, and production operations were moved to
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
– where Oni Press was headquartered – from
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
, where Lion Forge was headquartered. Joe Nozemack stepped down as president of Oni Press and, per Polarity, "moved into an unspecified 'board and advisory' role"; James Lucas Jones, of Oni Press, remained as publisher and became president of OLFPG. Multiple
layoffs A layoff or downsizing is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or, more commonly, a group of employees (collective layoff) for business reasons, such as personnel management or downsizing an organization ...
due to the merger were also reported. ''
OPB Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary public media organization for the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. It provides news, information, and programming via television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF translators, ...
'' reported that "Lion Forge cut ties with editor-in-chief Andrea Colvin, associate editor Christina "Steenz" Stewart, editor Jasmine Amiri, senior editor Amanda Meadows and Kayla Tan, a production and logistics coordinator". Asher Elbein of The Daily Beast reported that the layoffs included queer women, women of color, and employees who had requested accommodations under the
Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ...
. Elbein noted that the layoffs raised concerns about workplace practices at Oni–Lion Forge, particularly given the company's public commitment to inclusivity. Karama Horne of SyFy Wire observed that many of those affected appeared to be women and people of color, commenting on the broader implications in the comics industry. In response, David Steward II stated that the layoffs were a business decision necessary to maintain the company's stability and mission. The company now operates under the Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Group (OLFPG) name for business matters. However, Oni Press has become the primary name used for comic book publishing, while the Lion Forge name remains largely dormant, with Oni Press (as OLFPG) handling publishing operations. In June 2021, Sarah Gaydos stepped down as editor-in-chief; Jones became interim editor-in-chief. On June 29, 2022, it was revealed that Jones and Charlie Chu, vice president of creative & business development, were fired by Polarity. On July 14, '' The Beat'' reported that a staff purge continued with the company laying off some of the most prominent members of its staff, including senior VP of sales and marketing Alex Segura, sales manager Henry Barajas, and senior editor Amanda Meadows and editor Jasmine Amiri.


Lines

Lion Forge had several imprints aimed at different demographics. CubHouse was Lion Forge Comics’ imprint for children ages 8 and under. It publishes graphic novels and picture books. The imprint's first picture books released in May 2018 were ''Oothar the Blue'' by author-illustrator Brandon Reese and ''This Is a Taco!'' by Andrew Cangelose, illustrated by Josh Shipley. The Caracal imprint focuses on material for audiences aged 8–12. The first title under the imprint was released in late 2018. Young adults and teens are targeted by the Roar Comics imprint. Some of its tiles include ''Lighter Than My Shadow'' and ''The Castoffs''. The imprint was founded in 2014 with six titles, ''Care Bears'', ''Punky Brewster'', ''Saved by the Bell'' and original comics such as ''Roboy'', ''Crystal Cadets'' and ''MER''. Fans of
role playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, eith ...
s are the intended audience for the Quillon imprint, which releases comics inspired by tabletop role playing games. The first title, ''Rolled & Told'', was released in September 2018. Each issue includes a ready-to-play adventure.


Catalyst Prime

Joe Illidge, who began his career at the
minority Minority may refer to: Politics * Minority government, formed when a political party does not have a majority of overall seats in parliament * Minority leader, in American politics, the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative b ...
-focused comic publisher
Milestone Media Milestone Media Company LLC is the media company which created the Milestone Comics line, which were published and distributed by DC Comics. Milestone Media created the source material that was adapted as the '' Static Shock'' animated series. T ...
in 1993, was hired as Senior Editor to oversee the superhero imprint Catalyst Prime in June 2016. In 2017, he told the ''
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'' he wanted to focus on
diverse Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce * Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers ...
characters and creators, but that he did not want the line to be defined by that focus. In a
listicle In journalism and blogging, a listicle is an article that is structured as a list, which is often fleshed out with additional text relating to each item. A typical listicle will have a title describing a specific number of items contained within, a ...
of the best Black comics for the Stillwater News-Press, Lawrence Ware praised this line for "its dedication to authentic, three-dimensional portrayals of the lead characters". Comics in this line are set in a
shared universe A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, charact ...
where superpowers are triggered by events following an asteroid approaching Earth. The initial seven
ongoing series In comics, an ongoing series is a series that runs indefinitely. This is in contrast to limited series (a series intended to end after a certain number of issues thus limited), a one shot (a comic book which is not a part of an ongoing series), ...
in the imprint are ''Noble'', ''Accell'', ''Superb'', ''Incidentals'', ''Asthonisher'', ''Kino'' and ''Summit''. The next two series were ''Quincredible'' and the crossover event ''Seven Days''.


Magnetic Collection

Lion Forge acquired Magnetic Press in October 2016 and renamed it the Magnetic Collection. The collection is a cross-imprint brand line of curated material. Mike Kennedy, Magnetic Press Publisher and President, moved over with the purchase as Creative Director of the Magnetic Collection. Some of these titles are ''A Glance Backward'', ''Doomboy'', the ''Love'' trilogy, ''Warship Jolly Roger'' and ''Wasted Lands Omnibus''.


Lion Forge Entertainment

Lion Forge Entertainment (LFE) is an American entertainment company founded in 2019 by David Steward II and based in Los Angeles, California. A division of Polarity, the company develops and produces live-action and animated films, television series, and consumer products. LFE works with intellectual properties from Lion Forge Comics and also creates original content. Its animated productions are released under the Lion Forge Animation label. The company’s first project, ''
Hair Love ''Hair Love'' is a 2019 American independent animated short film directed by Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing Jr., and Bruce W. Smith, and written by Cherry. It follows the story of a man who must do his daughter's hair for the first time, a ...
'', was released in 2019 alongside ''The Angry Birds Movie 2'' in theaters. The short film received positive critical recognition and won the
Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year ...
in 2020.


References


External links

*
Magnetic Press
{{Oni Press 2011 establishments in Missouri Comic book publishing companies of the United States Publishing companies disestablished in 2019 Publishing companies established in 2011