NOW Comics
Encyclopedia
NOW Comics was a comic book
publisher founded in late 1985
by Tony C. Caputo
as a sole-proprietorship. During the four years after its founding, NOW grew from a one-man operation to operating in 12 countries, and published almost 1,000 comics books.
The company was headquartered in the Chicago Loop
in Chicago
, Illinois
. Most NOW titles were the results of licensing arrangements with such companies as Columbia (Sony) Pictures
, Broadway Video
, ELP Communications, CBS Entertainment, Inc.
, Speed Racer Enterprises
, and Leisure Concepts, resulting in titles like Vector, Mr. T & The Force
, Speed Racer, The Original Astro Boy
, Alias, Terminator: The Burning Earth
, The Real Ghostbusters
and Ghostbusters II, Fright Night, Married... with Children, and The Green Hornet.
In a four-year period, CPI grew from a one-man operation with annual sales of $110,000, to an international multi-million dollar corporation, with close to 100 full-time employees and freelancers, and the #3 position in comic book market share.
During this period, CPI created such cross-promotional ventures as The Real Ghostbusters cereal (with Ralston Purina) and Slimer's Ecto-Cooler Hi-C drink (with Coca-Cola Foods
).
In 1988, CPI purchased to rights to release the original Speed Racer
anime on home video. Under the banner NOW Video, Caputo released 22 volumes of Speed Racer videos and three special gift sets. In 1989, NOW co-produced The What NOW Caper, a sixty-minute comedy-documentary on comic book production.
That same year, however, the comics division began to lose steam, suffering from lack of focus and internal dissension. In 1990, NOW was forced to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy by Quebecor Printing and General Learning Corporation.
In 1991, NOW Comics relaunched as NOW Entertainment Corporation after being bought by General Learning. This new infusion of over $2 million in capital catapulted the company to number five in market share within its first quarter of business, and NOW Entertainment was nominated as best new publisher of 1991.
In 1994, the company ceased publishing after its "January 1995" releases, six months after founder Caputo left.
In 2003, Caputo returned, reviving the publisher as NOW Media Group, Inc. The new company, dubbed by Caputo as "NOW Comics 3.0," was re-launched as a graphic novel "self-publisher," giving creators a partnership role in the business. The business plan didn't pan out and NOW Media Group, Inc. folded in 2005, with the corporation fully dissolved in February 2006.
, Neal Adams
, Jim Steranko
, Bill Sienkiewicz
, Mike Baron
, Jeff Butler
, Dave Dorman
, and Chuck Dixon
. Alex Ross
did his first professional comics work with the company (in Terminator: The Burning Earth
). NOW also collaborated with entertainers like Mr. T
, Van Williams
, and Terry Gilliam
.
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...
publisher founded in late 1985
1985 in comics
-Year overall:* More independent publishers enter the marketplace: Aircel Comics, Arrow Comics, Blackthorne Publishing, Dragon Lady Press, NOW Comics, Sirius Comics, Strawberry Jam Comics, and Wonder Comics all publish their first titles...
by Tony C. Caputo
Tony C. Caputo
Tony C. Caputo is an American author, visual artist, entrepreneur, and former publisher.In 1985, Caputo founded NOW Comics, and NOW Entertainment Corporation a multimedia company that published comic books, children's periodicals, trade paperback books, and home videos of such characters as Speed...
as a sole-proprietorship. During the four years after its founding, NOW grew from a one-man operation to operating in 12 countries, and published almost 1,000 comics books.
The company was headquartered in the Chicago Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Most NOW titles were the results of licensing arrangements with such companies as Columbia (Sony) Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, Broadway Video
Broadway Video
Broadway Video is a media production and distribution company located within the Brill Building on Broadway, New York, United States. Founded in 1979 as a production house tasked with post-production work on Saturday Night Live, Broadway Video has since become one of the largest independent...
, ELP Communications, CBS Entertainment, Inc.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Speed Racer Enterprises
Speed Racer
Speed Racer is an English adaptation name of the Japanese manga and anime, which centered on automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha's 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha...
, and Leisure Concepts, resulting in titles like Vector, Mr. T & The Force
Mr. T (comics)
American actor Mr. T has headlined in a number of comic books both under his own stage name and in conjunction with his role on the TV Series The A-Team.-Mr. T and the T-Force:Mr. T and the T-Force was released in 1993 by NOW Comics...
, Speed Racer, The Original Astro Boy
Astro Boy (NOW Comics)
The Original Astro Boy is a twenty-issue 1980s comic book series by NOW Comics, based on the original Japanese Astro Boy series by Osamu Tezuka. The series was based mostly on the 1960s Astro Boy anime series, but begun to include elements from the 1980s series in later issues...
, Alias, Terminator: The Burning Earth
Terminator: The Burning Earth
Terminator: The Burning Earth was first published in 1990 by NOW comics. It was published as a five part story utilizing characters featured in James Cameron's popular film, The Terminator...
, The Real Ghostbusters
The Real Ghostbusters
The Real Ghostbusters is an American animated television series based on the 1984 film Ghostbusters. The series ran from 1986 to 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television, DiC Enterprises, and Coca-Cola Telecommunications. "The Real" was added to the title after a dispute with...
and Ghostbusters II, Fright Night, Married... with Children, and The Green Hornet.
History
NOW Library, NOW Video, and NOW Comics, started in late 1985 as a sole-proprietorship, with the first publications shipping in May 1986. The separate companies then became part of the Caputo Publishing, Inc. umbrella in 1987.In a four-year period, CPI grew from a one-man operation with annual sales of $110,000, to an international multi-million dollar corporation, with close to 100 full-time employees and freelancers, and the #3 position in comic book market share.
During this period, CPI created such cross-promotional ventures as The Real Ghostbusters cereal (with Ralston Purina) and Slimer's Ecto-Cooler Hi-C drink (with Coca-Cola Foods
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
).
In 1988, CPI purchased to rights to release the original Speed Racer
Speed Racer
Speed Racer is an English adaptation name of the Japanese manga and anime, which centered on automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha's 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha...
anime on home video. Under the banner NOW Video, Caputo released 22 volumes of Speed Racer videos and three special gift sets. In 1989, NOW co-produced The What NOW Caper, a sixty-minute comedy-documentary on comic book production.
That same year, however, the comics division began to lose steam, suffering from lack of focus and internal dissension. In 1990, NOW was forced to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy by Quebecor Printing and General Learning Corporation.
In 1991, NOW Comics relaunched as NOW Entertainment Corporation after being bought by General Learning. This new infusion of over $2 million in capital catapulted the company to number five in market share within its first quarter of business, and NOW Entertainment was nominated as best new publisher of 1991.
In 1994, the company ceased publishing after its "January 1995" releases, six months after founder Caputo left.
In 2003, Caputo returned, reviving the publisher as NOW Media Group, Inc. The new company, dubbed by Caputo as "NOW Comics 3.0," was re-launched as a graphic novel "self-publisher," giving creators a partnership role in the business. The business plan didn't pan out and NOW Media Group, Inc. folded in 2005, with the corporation fully dissolved in February 2006.
Creators associated with NOW Comics
During its operation, NOW acquired the talents of such industry veterans as Harlan EllisonHarlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
, Neal Adams
Neal Adams
Neal Adams is an American comic book and commercial artist known for helping to create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow; as the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates; and as a creators-rights advocate who...
, Jim Steranko
Jim Steranko
James F. Steranko is an American graphic artist, comic book writer-artist-historian, magician, publisher and film production illustrator....
, Bill Sienkiewicz
Bill Sienkiewicz
Boleslav Felix Robert "Bill" Sienkiewicz [pronounced sin-KEV-itch] is an Eisner Award-winning American artist and writer best known for his comic book work, primarily for Marvel Comics' The New Mutants and Elektra: Assassin...
, Mike Baron
Mike Baron
Mike Baron is the creator of comic books Badger and Nexus. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.-Biography:Mike Baron broke into comics with an illustrated text piece in the 1974 debut issue of Marvel Comics's Comix Book...
, Jeff Butler
Jeff Butler
Jeff Butler is an American illustrator and comic book artist. Butler worked with the art department of TSR, Inc...
, Dave Dorman
Dave Dorman
Dave Dorman is a science fiction, horror and fantasy illustrator.-Background:Dorman's parents are Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jack N. Dorman and Phyllis Dorman. Both parents are deceased. Dorman is married to award-winning TV/video producer, writer and publicist Denise Dorman of WriteBrain Media...
, and Chuck Dixon
Chuck Dixon
Charles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
. Alex Ross
Alex Ross
Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
did his first professional comics work with the company (in Terminator: The Burning Earth
Terminator: The Burning Earth
Terminator: The Burning Earth was first published in 1990 by NOW comics. It was published as a five part story utilizing characters featured in James Cameron's popular film, The Terminator...
). NOW also collaborated with entertainers like Mr. T
Mr. T
Mr. T is an American actor known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team, as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III, and for his appearances as a professional wrestler. Mr. T is known for his trademark African Mandinka warrior hairstyle, his gold jewelry,...
, Van Williams
Van Williams
Van Zandt Williams is a former actor best known for his television role as Britt Reid/the Green Hornet. He teamed for one season with the late Bruce Lee as his partner Kato, in the television series The Green Hornet, broadcast on ABC during the 1966-67 season.Williams was also known for his...
, and Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
.
Titles
- Alias
- Fright Night
- Ghostbusters II
- The Green Hornet (1989)
- Married... with Children (1990)
- MirrorWalkerMirrorWalkerMirrorWalker was the first comic book ever to combine cartoons with special effects photography throughout the issue. The concept and the main character, Alan Nonsense, were created by Barry Daniel Petersen who approached Chicago-based, award winning photographer Erich Schrempp to give the...
(1990) - Mr. T & The ForceMr. T (comics)American actor Mr. T has headlined in a number of comic books both under his own stage name and in conjunction with his role on the TV Series The A-Team.-Mr. T and the T-Force:Mr. T and the T-Force was released in 1993 by NOW Comics...
(1993–1994) - The Original Astro BoyAstro Boy (NOW Comics)The Original Astro Boy is a twenty-issue 1980s comic book series by NOW Comics, based on the original Japanese Astro Boy series by Osamu Tezuka. The series was based mostly on the 1960s Astro Boy anime series, but begun to include elements from the 1980s series in later issues...
(September 1987 - June 1989) - Ralph Snart AdventuresRalph Snart AdventuresRalph Snart Adventures is a comic book written by Marc Hansen and published between 1986 and 1993 by NOW Comics and currently being published by its creator Marc Hansen....
(1986–1993) - The Real GhostbustersThe Real Ghostbusters (comics)The Real Ghostbusters is a comic series spun off from the animated series of the same name. Versions were published by Marvel UK and NOW Comics. Publication of the series began on March 28, 1988.-NOW Comics:...
(1988–1990, 1991–1992) - Speed Racer (1985)
- Terminator: The Burning EarthTerminator: The Burning EarthTerminator: The Burning Earth was first published in 1990 by NOW comics. It was published as a five part story utilizing characters featured in James Cameron's popular film, The Terminator...
(1990) - Vector