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| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 2010; 15 years ago (October 2010) |
| Founder | Shawn Pryor, Dave Dwonch, Shawn Gabborin |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Shawn Pryor, Dave Dwonch, Shawn Gabborin, Chad Cicconi |
| Products | Comic books |
| Website | Official website |
Action Lab Entertainment (also known asAction Lab Comics orALE), is an American publisher of comic books, known primarily for the publication of the all-ages fantasy titlePrinceless, as well as a wide range of titles from all genres. The company is also known for embracing digital comics[1] and is recognized as one of the first publishers to release a digital-onlyFree Comic Book Day title.[2]
Action Lab Entertainment was founded in October 2010[3] byShawn Pryor,Dave Dwonch andShawn Gabborin. All three of the founding members had prior experience inself-publishing[4] and had worked together to publishsmall press comic books under Pryor'sPKD Media imprint.
Action Lab's first release wasBack In The Day, an originalgraphic novel written by Dave Dwonch, with art byDaniel J. Logan (an artist who had also previously worked with PKD Media), and released in February, 2011.[5] This inaugural publication was available for pre-order through Discount Comic Book Service and marked the company's first foray into nationwide distribution.[6]
During the same time period asBack In The Day's launch, Pryor ran aKickstarter fundraiser to both promote and gather funds for the company's second title,Fracture, described as a "superhero dark comedy";[7]Fracture was written by Shawn Gabborin, with art by Chad Cicconi and Dave Dwonch. Pryor's campaign surpassed its funding goal by nearly 10%, allowing Action Lab to schedule the book's first issue for a July, 2011 release; the release would also mark Action Lab's entrance into thedirect market.[8]
In October 2011, the company released two books: the horror-suspenseone-shotSnowed In, written by Shawn Gabborin with art byRick Lundeen, and the first issue of the all-ages fantasy titlePrinceless, written byJeremy Whitley, with art byMia Goodwin.[9]Princeless, featuring the teenage Princess Adrienne (a princess who decides that she does not need a prince to rescue her and becomes a hero in her own right), became a major hit for the company, garnering five nominations in the 2012Glyph Comics Awards[10] ("Story of the Year", "Best Writer", "Best Artist", "Best Female Character" and "Best Cover") and two nominations at the 2012Eisner Awards ("Best Single Issue" and "Best Publication for Kids"),[11] giving the company both industry and worldwide recognition.
Also in October, 2011, Action Lab launchedGlobworld, its first digital-only title,[12] based on theMMORPG specifically designed for children. This release also marked the company's first use oflicensed characters and was also its first cross-company tie in.
February, 2012, marked Action Lab's largest single-month expansion since the publisher's inception, in which they released two graphic novels and a trade paperback: the graphic novelsExo-1 and the Rock-Solid Steelbots, with story and art by Daniel J. Logan, and script by Shawn Pryor, andMonsters Are Just Like Us, with story and art bySuperUgly, andSpace-Time Condominum, atrade paperback collecting the first "season" of Dave Dwonch'swebcomic of the same name. All three were released as part of the "Signature Series" line, which includes individual numbering andhand-signatures for each copy.[13] Action Lab also announced at this time that it had taken over the publication of the seriesJack Hammer, written byBrandon Barrows with art byIonic, from the small-press publisherReasonably Priced Comics, and that it would be part of the "Signature Series".[14][15]
Action Lab partnered with theNational Football League to releaseNFL Rush Zone, a line of comic books based on theNFL Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core. The first issue was released digitally duringSuper Bowl XLVII[16]
In 2021, Action Lab was the subject of numerous claims of late payments and predatory contracts.[17][18][19]
In February 2022 a civil class-action lawsuit was filed against Action Lab by 40+ contracted comic book creators, claiming "lateness, lack of communication, non-payment, lack of statements, changing publishing plans, lack of agreed marketing" among other failures to meet contractual obligations.[20]
In August 2023 the class-action lawsuit was dismissed by the United States District Court Western District Of Pennsylvania at the request of the involved parties, then in February 2024 it was refiled in Alleghany County Court and dismissed again.[21] As reported by the website "Bleeding Cool News":"Comic book attorney Gamal Hennessey replied, "The presiding judge dismissed the suit on the grounds that too many of the contractual agreements submitted in the case had different terms,". Legal representative Michael Levitz told Bleeding Cool, "The case was dismissed on a technicality. The individual creators can still pursue their claims, just not as a class action, because there are different versions of the publishing agreement and different forms of damages. We are contemplating our next steps, as many creators are willing to pursue their cases separately.""[21]
After the lawsuits were filed, Action Lab immediately ceased publication of all series and their official website has gone defunct, now leading to a page advertising the webhost.
As of late 2011, Jack Hammer has moved to Action Lab Comics.
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