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| Industry | Comics |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | Bill Marks |
| Headquarters | Toronto,Ontario,Canada |
Vortex Comics is a Canadian independentcomic bookpublisher that began operation in 1982. Under the supervision of president, publisher, and editor Bill Marks, Vortex was known for such titles asDean Motter'sMister X,Howard Chaykin'sBlack Kiss, andChester Brown'sYummy Fur, the last of which was a pioneer of alternative comics.[1] Vortex also earned a reputation for publishing Canadian comic book creators such as Brown,Ty Templeton,Ken Steacy, andJeffrey Morgan.
Vortex was founded by 20-year-old high school dropout William P. "Bill" Marks of Toronto in 1982, with its first title being an anthology comic of the same name. Marks recalled, "[Comic books] had a lot of potential for growth that I could see. I could see a revolution happening. By this timeCerebus was doing extremely well.Elfquest was a runaway success in the bookstores and on the best-seller lists.Eclipse was starting up and shortly thereafterPacific Comics started to get quite big."[2] Vortex received good distribution in both the U.S. and Canada. The company proved to be a major force in Canadian comics publishing throughout the 1980s.
Early issues ofVortex were edited by Marks himself (who later described them as "quite primitive") and received limited exposure.[2] In 1983 Vortex redesigned their approach, employedKen Steacy as editor,[2] and added new titles likeMister X and Templeton'sStig's Inferno, as well as Templeton &Klaus Schoenefeld'sKelvin Mace andMatt Howarth'sThose Annoying Post Bros. The first four issues ofMister X featured work by theLos BrosJaime andGilbert Hernandez.
In 1986–1987, Vortex again expanded, adding titles such asTed McKeever'sTransit,Bill White'sKaptain Keen & Kompany, Howarth'sSavage Henry, and the two-issuePeter Milligan seriesParadax. More significantly, Vortex began publishing a full-sized version ofChester Brown'smini-comicYummy Fur, bringing Brown's surreal, black-humor stories to a wider audience. In 1990,Yummy Fur was nominated for aHarvey Award (Special Award for Humor category). Around this time Vortex also began publishing book-length graphic novels and compilations.
However, hard times hit the comics industry in 1988, and Vortex, like many other small publishers, suffered. The company launched a few new titles in 1988, most notablyHoward Chaykin's erotic thrillerBlack Kiss.Black Kiss became one of the most controversial North American comics of the late 1980s, due to the comic having the sort of explicit scenes of sex and violence unseen in most comics published at the time. In addition, Vortex's printer at the time, Ronald's Printing, refused to print the book due to its content.[3] To help retailers who had worries over selling what could be described aspornography, Vortex released the series sealed in a plastic bag. (This meant that casual browsers could not open the comic, or obviously see the internal content.) The publicity overBlack Kiss didn't necessarily lead to strong sales, however, and by the end of 1988 Vortex's publishing schedule was erratic. Nonetheless, in January 1989, Vortex declared itself the third largest North American independent comic book publisher.[4]
Reflecting publisher Marks' interest in car racing, Vortex survived until 1994 with an odd mixture of alternative titles andNASCAR-themed comics. (In 1991 and 1992 Vortex sponsored the 'Rookie of the Year' award in NASCAR's Grand National series; the 1991 prize was won by future superstarJeff Gordon.)
In May 1994Matt Howarth officially movedThose Annoying Post Bros. to rival publisherAeon.[5] Shakeups in the comics industry that year hit the small press hard, and Vortex was no exception.[6] The last comic published by the company wasNocturnal Emissions #4, in March 1994, until a resurgence in 2021 with the titles Chaos Breaker and Queen of Skulls.
After a brief career as a race car driver, publisher Marks went on to produce and direct numerous feature films. Vortex was re-branded by Marks in 2009 asVortex Words + Pictures, and most recently Vortex has produced theGeorge Hickenlooper filmCasino Jack, starringKevin Spacey,A Dark Truth withAndy Garcia andForest Whitaker,Compulsion, starringHeather Graham (with cinematography by the legendaryVilmos Zsigmond), as well asTrailer Park Boys, and the indy hitWolfCop.
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| Books about/D.W. Series | 1987 - D.W. Flips! 1988 - D.W. All Wet1993 - D.W. Thinks Big1993 - D.W. Rides Again!1995 - D.W. the Picky Eater1998 - D.W.'s Lost Blankie1999 - D.W. Go to Your Room!2001 - D.W.'s Library Card2003 - D.W.'s Guide to Preschool2006 - D.W.'s Guide to Perfect Manners | ||||
| TV/Arthur Adventure Series | 1980 - Arthur's Valentine1981 - The True Francine (later republished and retitled in 1996 as "Arthur and the True Francine")1982 - Arthur Goes to Camp1982 - Arthur's Halloween1983 - Arthur's April Fool1983 - Arthur's Thanksgiving1984 - Arthur's Christmas1985 - Arthur's Tooth1987 - Arthur's Baby1989 - Arthur's Birthday1990 - Arthur's Pet Business1991 - Arthur Meets the President1992 - Arthur Babysits1993 - Arthur's Family Vacation1993 - Arthur's New Puppy1994 - Arthur's Chicken Pox1994 - Arthur's First Sleepover1995 - Arthur's TV Trouble1996 - Arthur Writes a Story1997 - Arthur's Computer Disaster1998 - Arthur Lost and Found1999 - Arthur's Underwear2000 - Arthur's Teacher Moves In2011 - Arthur Turns Green | ||||
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