Innovation Publishing
Encyclopedia
Innovation Publishing was an American comic book
company based in Wheeling
, West Virginia
. It was co-founded by David Campiti
in 1988 after writing a business proposal and raising US$400,000 to finance its launch. Innovation became #4 in market share, below Marvel Comics
, DC Comics
, and Dark Horse Comics
.
The company published many adaptations and tie-in
series of existing media properties, such as Anne Rice
's novels Interview with the Vampire
, The Vampire Lestat
, and Queen of the Damned. It also published Piers Anthony
's Incarnations of Immortality: On a Pale Horse
; the TV series Dark Shadows
, Quantum Leap, Beauty and the Beast and Lost in Space
; and the movie series Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street among others.
Innovation's original series included Angel Heat; Campiti's The Bodacious Adventures of Biff Thundersaur
; Dangerous Secrets; Dream Angel; The Experimentals; writer Al Rio
's Exposure; Galaxy Girl; Greylore; writer Kevin Juaire's Hero Alliance
; Legends of the Stargrazers; and writer Mike Barr
's The Maze Agency (continuing a series originally published by Comico
).
Innovation was one the first companies to delve heavily into recruiting talents from Brazil, starting the American careers of Mike Deodato
and Joe Bennett, among others. 1992 Russ Manning "Best Newcomer" Award
-winner Mike Okamoto
broke into comic books illustrating The Maze Agency #15 (Aug. 1990) and Hero Alliance #11-12 (Nov.-Dec. 1990).
Campiti left Innovation in 1993 to launch Glasshouse 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.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
company based in Wheeling
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. It was co-founded by David Campiti
David Campiti
David Campiti is an American comic book writer, talent agent, and co-founder of Innovation Publishing. As CEO of Glass House Graphics, Campiti oversees an international studio/agency of illustrators, writers, painters, and digital designers, producing artwork for such clients as Marvel Comics, DC...
in 1988 after writing a business proposal and raising US$400,000 to finance its launch. Innovation became #4 in market share, below Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, and Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
.
The company published many adaptations and tie-in
Tie-in
A tie-in is an authorized product based on a media property a company is releasing, such as a movie or video/DVD, computer game, video game, television program/television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property...
series of existing media properties, such as Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
's novels Interview with the Vampire
Interview with the Vampire
Interview with the Vampire is a vampire novel by Anne Rice written in 1973 and published in 1976. It was the first novel to feature the enigmatic vampire Lestat, and was followed by several sequels, collectively known as The Vampire Chronicles...
, The Vampire Lestat
The Vampire Lestat
The Vampire Lestat is a novel by Anne Rice, and the second in her Vampire Chronicles, following Interview with the Vampire. Many events in the two books appear to contradict each other...
, and Queen of the Damned. It also published Piers Anthony
Piers Anthony
Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob is an English American writer in the science fiction and fantasy genres, publishing under the name Piers Anthony. He is most famous for his long-running novel series set in the fictional realm of Xanth.Many of his books have appeared on the New York Times Best...
's Incarnations of Immortality: On a Pale Horse
Incarnations of Immortality
Incarnations of Immortality is the name of an eight-book fantasy series by Piers Anthony. The first seven books each focus on one of seven supernatural "offices" in a fictional reality and history parallel to ours, with the exception that society has advanced both magic and modern technology...
; the TV series Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows
Dark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
, Quantum Leap, Beauty and the Beast and Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
; and the movie series Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street among others.
Innovation's original series included Angel Heat; Campiti's The Bodacious Adventures of Biff Thundersaur
Biff Thundersaur
The Bodacious Adventures of Biff Thundersaur was a single comic book episode written by David Campiti and published by Innovation Publishing in 1991 as a pilot for possible series. It consisted of 27 black and white pages focusing around the fictional anthropomorphic dinosaur, Biff Thundersaur, and...
; Dangerous Secrets; Dream Angel; The Experimentals; writer Al Rio
Al Rio
Al Rio is a Brazilian comic book artist best known for his work on the American comic book series Gen¹³ and DV8. The companies Rio has worked for include Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Chaos Comics, Image Comics, Zenescope Comics, Malibu Comics, Wildstorm Comics, Crossgen, Vertigo,...
's Exposure; Galaxy Girl; Greylore; writer Kevin Juaire's Hero Alliance
Hero Alliance
The Hero Alliance is a fictional American team of comic book superheroes in an eponymous series published by different companies. It was created by writer Kevin Juaire.-Publication history:...
; Legends of the Stargrazers; and writer Mike Barr
Mike W. Barr
Mike W. Barr is an American writer of comic books, and mystery, and science fiction novels.-Biography:Barr's debut as a comics professional came in DC Comics' Detective Comics #444 , for which he wrote an 8-page back-up mystery feature starring the Elongated Man...
's The Maze Agency (continuing a series originally published by Comico
Comicó
Comicó is a village and municipality in Río Negro Province in Argentina....
).
Innovation was one the first companies to delve heavily into recruiting talents from Brazil, starting the American careers of Mike Deodato
Mike Deodato
Mike Deodato , sometimes credited as Mike Deodato Jr., is the professional pseudonym of Brazilian comic book artist Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho.-Biography:...
and Joe Bennett, among others. 1992 Russ Manning "Best Newcomer" Award
Russ Manning Award
The Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award is an American award presented to a comic book artist whose first professional work appeared within the previous two years. It was named after comic book artist Russ Manning...
-winner Mike Okamoto
Mike Okamoto
Mike Okamoto is an American comic book artist and commercial illustrator best known for co-creating Marvel Comics' Atomic Age; as a "good girl art" cartoonist; and as the five-time International Network of Golf Illustrator of the Year.-Early life and career:Born and raised in Detroit Michigan,...
broke into comic books illustrating The Maze Agency #15 (Aug. 1990) and Hero Alliance #11-12 (Nov.-Dec. 1990).
Campiti left Innovation in 1993 to launch Glasshouse 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
- Beauty and the Beast
- Child's Play
- Dark ShadowsDark ShadowsDark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
- Incarnations of Immortality: On a Pale HorseIncarnations of ImmortalityIncarnations of Immortality is the name of an eight-book fantasy series by Piers Anthony. The first seven books each focus on one of seven supernatural "offices" in a fictional reality and history parallel to ours, with the exception that society has advanced both magic and modern technology...
- Interview with the VampireInterview with the VampireInterview with the Vampire is a vampire novel by Anne Rice written in 1973 and published in 1976. It was the first novel to feature the enigmatic vampire Lestat, and was followed by several sequels, collectively known as The Vampire Chronicles...
- Lost in SpaceLost in SpaceLost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
- A Nightmare on Elm Street
- Quantum Leap
- Queen of the Damned
- The Vampire LestatThe Vampire LestatThe Vampire Lestat is a novel by Anne Rice, and the second in her Vampire Chronicles, following Interview with the Vampire. Many events in the two books appear to contradict each other...
Original series
- Angel Heat
- The Bodacious Adventures of Biff ThundersaurBiff ThundersaurThe Bodacious Adventures of Biff Thundersaur was a single comic book episode written by David Campiti and published by Innovation Publishing in 1991 as a pilot for possible series. It consisted of 27 black and white pages focusing around the fictional anthropomorphic dinosaur, Biff Thundersaur, and...
- Dangerous Secrets
- Dream Angel
- The Experimentals
- Exposure
- Galaxy Girl
- Greylore
- Hero AllianceHero AllianceThe Hero Alliance is a fictional American team of comic book superheroes in an eponymous series published by different companies. It was created by writer Kevin Juaire.-Publication history:...
- Justice MachineJustice MachineThe Justice Machine is a fictional team of superheroes originally created by Michael Gustovich and appearing in comic books from many small publishers in the 1980s and 1990s.-Publication history:...
- Legends of the Stargrazers
- The Maze Agency