by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

DBPro. Digital Webbing. Runemaster Studios. Community Comics. Monkey Pharmacy. Blue Water Productions (formerly Tidal Wave). Digital Broome. Lynx Studio.

Gary Shipman. Scott Kinney. Jim Keplinger. Ryan Scott Ottney. Ramon A. Madrigal III. T Campbell. Gisele` Lagace.

Now, what do these studios and individual creators have in common?

Alias.

No, not the Jennifer Garner series, and no, they’re not all on the run, under assumed names.

Rather, this is about Mike S. Miller and Brett Burner’s Alias, a new independent publishing house that acts as an umbrella for individuals and studios who want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

And for the publisher’s launch month in April 2005, Alias will be doing a ’20 year roll back’ on prices for one-third of their titles’ #1 issues. “For our launch month, we'll have four 75 cent titles,” Miller, who is Executive Director of Alias, told Newsarama.

“When I told a friend that I was starting a new publishing company, his first question to me was, ‘Why?’ It actually took me back for a moment, since most of the other responses had been ‘Cool!’ or ‘Finally!’ I actually had to stop and give him a reasoned answer for why, among the ranks of hundreds of smaller publishing companies, not to mention the bigger independents and the Big Two, I would want to enter the realm of publishing, and more importantly, what would set my company apart from the rest. In short, why should people care?

“The main reason I’m doing this is because, well, I’ve always wanted to,” Miller continued. “I’ve had a business plan for starting my own publishing company for years now, but never managed to be in a position where it was a feasible option. In the past couple years, I’ve made the acquaintance of several people who just made that option a reality. The most vital of these people is Brett Burner, magazine publisher and print broker, and now the Publisher of Alias Enterprises. I’ve been working with him on several projects over the past two years, and we’ve thrown ideas back and forth almost on a daily basis. His business acumen and amazing ability to think outside the box has really been a driving force in this decision.

“I think the question of ‘why’ that my friend was asking had a lot to do with the realities of the comic market today. Comics just don’t make that much money. I mean, they can, obviously. But if you look at the numbers on most of the independent titles out there, they are barely breaking even, and certainly not making the kind of cash that a book from Marvel or DC is bringing in. So obviously if we maintain those kinds of numbers, there’s no way we’re going to get rich off this idea.

“But getting rich isn’t the idea. In a decade, maybe my ideals will become jaded, and getting rich will be more important to me! [laughs] But right now it’s not. Right now I want to lay the seeds of a company that will hopefully some day rival the Big Two. Obviously a lofty goal, and I’m realistic about what an Everest that is to climb. But a people without vision will perish, so I aim to aim high. Of course, that means starting low.

“We want to build a foundation on solid rock. We want to ensure that we produce an ever-growing line of quality products that meet deadlines and complete their stories. We’ve even gone so far as to ensure that reality in our contracts with our individual creators and studios. Hopefully, we will be able to garner enough of an audience for our company as a whole out of the various studios we are publishing, that we can build upon that foundation year after year.

“I’ve been in this industry a long time now, over 12 years and counting. I’ve been around the block a few times, and I’ve befriended several retailers in that time. I know what pisses them off, and I know what delights them. Of course, all retailers do not think the same, but when you get a consensus on how things should be done from the people who have their hand on the pulse of the comics industry, you pay attention. And I have paid attention to the mistakes and successes of those who have come before Alias. Those lessons will not go unlearned in this company.

“One of those lessons is “diversify”. Alias doesn’t have a “line” of books the way most companies do. We don’t just do Superheroes, we don’t just do Fantasy, we don’t just do All-Ages titles. What we do is diversify. Some of the studios we have taken under our umbrella are line-sensitive.

“DBPro is known mainly for their fantasy books.

“Blue Water focuses mainly on Myth-based Superheroes.

“Community Comics focuses on Christian friendly comics.

“But bring them all under one umbrella, and each of the audiences for those studios will draw from the others, as well as bring attention to the others at the same time. This is very personal to me, because I’m an idea person, but I rarely come up with ideas for the same genre over and over again. Right now I’m working on a Vampire trilogy called Bloodline, where vampires take over the world, and the government has to fight back the only way they can, by making vampires of their own. But I’m also working on Deal With The Devil, about a detective who makes a deal with a serial killer to save an innocent girls life. And The Imaginaries, about what happens to imaginary friends after they are forgotten by the children who gave them life. I have literally dozens of ideas, and more every week, and it seems as if none of them end up in the same genre. If I can’t stick to a single “line”, you can expect any company I’m in charge of to reflect that trait.

“At the end of the day, I think that diversity will enable us to swim with the big boys some day. Granted, we don’t have A-list names, and granted, there are plenty of “small-time” folks in the industry who are trying to make a buck, and it makes sense that they’d jump on the bandwagon of anyone who will give them a chance for more exposure! But that doesn’t mean that these aren’t quality products that people will enjoy when they give them a chance. I remember going to a convention a couple years ago and marveling at how strong the small press books had become. Obviously not all of them are Eisner worthy, but so many were on par or better than what the “corporate” companies were doing that I was literally taken aback. I thought that if there were just some way to bring these awesome books under one roof and get the kind of advantages the larger publishers get without making it a financial impossibility for them to join in! It was sure to change the face of comics for the better.”

Sherwin Schwartzrock, Design Director/Partner of Community Comics: “Ben Avery and I have worked with Mike Miller on past and current projects. Mike's relationship to us has always been personal, professional and most of all, trusted. Anyone knows that means a lot in this business. So when he introduced us to Alias we knew this was going to be a good relationship.

”Community Comics is a studio creating Christian-themed comics. Alias offered us the best of both worlds... not only were they able to market our crossover product effectively to the direct market, they were savvy enough to connect with a Christian store distributor to offer our titles in that market as well. We couldn't be happier.

”David's Mighty Men is a well-crafted and fun read. It's going to be obvious to readers that veteran, Javier Saltares is having a lot of fun working on this series.”

Scott Kinney: "I've traded message board messages and emails with Alias Executive Director Mike S. Miller going back to the Image boards on AOL in the mid-nineties. I met with Mike and Publisher Brett Burner at last summer's San Diego Comic-Con, and could see that they had something exciting going on. And I know Mike, when he gets it in his head to do something, he goes all out! When they asked me to be part of the Alias team and publish Killer Stunts, Inc. as part of their initial launch, I jumped all over it. Mike knows what it takes to create and properly promote quality creator-owned comics as he's done this himself through other companies for many years now. This is the real deal, and I'm thrilled to be a part of Alias."

Darren G. Davis of Blue Water Productions: "I am looking forward to uniting resources with Alias to produce top-notch comics with this dynamic team. This is an amazing opportunity for us to expand the 10th Muse franchise in a new direction. We hope to take a fresh approach to an established story with a new celebrity partnership. In the wake of the Paramount Studios option for Legend of ISIS comes the birth of an ongoing series in May. Among the titles is Judo Girl, debuting in April. We are excited to be working with the next creative wave in comics."

At the same time, Miller, who’s also Editor-in-Chief of the Comic Book Digest, said Alias will be publishing CBD as well. “Since I'm Executive Director of Alias, as well as E-i-C of the Comic Book Digest, it only made sense to pull the CBD out of the Magazine section in Previews (where few people seem to tread) and into the comic section under the Alias umbrella where it's sure to garner more notice by retailers and fans alike. Hopefully people won't see a conflict of interest any more than when Wizard started getting into producing and promoting their own line of comics. Then again, since we don't actually review comics, we can't be seen as being slanted in our reporting.”

“We're also releasing the color version of Deal With The Devil, previously published in the Comic Book Digest in black and white.”

As mentioned, Alias launches in April with new titles, four of which are priced at 75 cents. Here’s a rundown of the Alias’ list of titles debuting in April 2005 (available in the February 2004 Previews catalog):

Deal With The Devil #1 (written by Mike S. Miller, art and cover by Sherwin Schwartzrock)
Special First Issue Rate: $.75
Four issue limited monthly series
Full color
32 pages

Deal With The Devil is the tale of a man who once had it all; family, faith, health, the respect and adoration of his peers, and the reputation as the best homicide detective in FBI history. In his last case, his prey became his hunter, and his career was ended in shame and worthlessness. Four years later, his nemesis returns to ask for... his help. Find out why in this thrilling journey through the darkness in a world where things are never what they seem...

Killer Stunts, Inc #1 (created and written by Scott Kinney, penciled by Scott Cohn, inked by Mike Manley with cover by Mike S. Miller)
Special First Issue Rate: $.75
Four issue limited monthly series
Full color
32 pages

Billy Andrews, a Hollywood stuntman who's struggling in his relationship with a rising film starlet, Laura Leigh, and to keep his fledgling stunt company, Killer Stunts, Inc., afloat in the new age of CGI-dominated special effects is sucked into an assignment from a covert government agency -- not knowing he's being used as a pawn in a vast conspiracy. In over his head, the daredevil-for-hire re-teams with his former mentor, John Lynch, an aging legend in the stunt community, and is forced to utilize all his "tricks of the trade" to not only stay alive, but to stop the bad guys from pulling off a major heist.

In development as a major motion picture and videogame by producers Charles "Chuck" Gordon (Die Hard I & II, Field of Dreams) and Adrian Askarieh (Spy Hunter).

Elsinore #1 (a Monkey Pharmacy production by writer Kenneth Lillie-Paetz and artist Brian Denham)
Special First Issue Rate: $.75
Nine issue limited monthly series
Full color
32 pages

Did the Apocalypse already happen without anyone noticing? Angels scour the sky and demons stalk the streets. Meanwhile, the patients of Elsinore Mental Hospital are under the control of a secret society. Locked up without treatment, the inmates are developing supernatural powers. Humankind's only hope for survival is descending further into madness... The end begins here.

Lethal #1 (plot: Rômulo Soares & Wagner Baehr, script: Bart A. Thompson, penciler: Jack Jadson, inkers: Ruy José & Wellington Dias, colorist: Outlaw)
Special First Issue Rate: $.75
Ongoing monthly series
Full color
32 pages

Frank Aaron, a police officer in Blackstone City, carries a curse in the form of severe Lycanthropy — Frank is a werewolf. Sharing the secret of his plight with Dr. Carl Sanchez and his homicide partner Daniel Whitman, Frank hopes to control or end his curse in order to join “The Special Division” which deals in superhuman and paranormal cases to help those like himself.

Tenth Muse Volume II #1 (writer: Darren G. Davis, penciler: Alex Amezcua, inkers: Billy Crooks & Todd Swain, colorist: Snowcone, covers: Keu Cha, Alex Amezua & David Moran)
Issue Rate: $2.99
Ongoing monthly series
full color
32 pages

The Muse is back and things have not gotten any easier on Mount Olympus. In fact, the future of the entire Greek Pantheon teeters on the brink of extinction. The gods look to Emma Sonnett, the Tenth Muse, to restore their glory and preserve the old ways. But before they can fix this divine rift, the Muse and Ares, the god of war, must find out the cause of this Olympian cancer. And when Olympus finally falls the world itself is poised to suffer.

Tenth Muse Volume I: Trade Paperback 1 (Issues 1-4) (writer: Marv Wolfman, penciler: Ken Lashley, inker/colorist: Draxhall Jump Studios, cover: David Moran)
Trade Paperback
$9.99
Full Color
96 pages

Greek mythology has documented the nine Muses, the inspirational daughters of the almighty Zeus. But history forgot one -- the Tenth Muse.

Emma, Brett and Dawn were the best of friends -- until Emma disappeared, leaving only a note saying goodbye. Now, eight years later, Emma is back, without answers. What happened to Emma? What is her connection with Grayson Bishop, and, most of all, how did ordinary Emma Sonnet become the mysterious Tenth Muse?

“Introducing The Tenth Muse, a new kind of super-hero saga unlike anything you've ever seen before. A mystery. An action series. A character- driven saga that will bring you to the edge of your seat. See if you can unravel the mystery of The 10th Muse..

Judo Girl #1 (writer: Terrance Griep, penciler: Nadir Balan, inker: Nick Schley, colorist: Wes Dzioba, covers: Nadir Balan, Mark Brooks & Jimmy Taylor)
Issue Rate: $2.99
Four issue limited monthly series
Full color
32 pages
Shipping with 3 separate covers

From the pages of The Tenth Muse comes a new hero. Judo Girl is a woman on a mission: after having spent 40 years in suspension animation -- she searches for her missing brother. And Captain Steel hasn't exactly spent the last four decades collecting rust. Indeed, his awful plans are about to solidify on a worldwide scale. On the flip side is a retro story set during the era of go-go boots and slot cars revealing the secret origin of the original Steel Ray. Martial art meets pop art! Both the modern story and the retro story tie in together for one fantastic adventure!

Ted Noodleman, Bicycle Delivery Boy (writer: Jim Keplinger, artist: Ryan Ottley)
“Ted Noodleman Rides Again!”
Trade paperback
$9.99
Color
96 Pages

The complete works of Ted Noodleman as originally published on MoviePoopShoot.com and in Digital Webbing Presents, all completely re-mastered and in full color. Plus: Brand new Noodleman stories from many of today’s rising stars of comics, behind the scenes art and script battles, and much more!

Soulcatcher (by Jason Henderson, Lou Manna, Terry Pallot, Leslie Barkley, Ed Dukeshire)
Graphic novel
$4.99
Color
64 pages

From the creator of Sword of Dracula, Soulcatcher tells the story of a young, smart and sexy widow who comes to New Orleans, the "the most haunted city in America," in search of the ghost of her dead husband. Instead she discovers she has the power to absorb the abilities of the recently dead-and uncovers a mystery the spirit world will kill to protect.

Pakkins’ Land #1 (creator and artist: Gary Shipman, studio: Pakkins Presents)
Ongoing monthly series
$2.99
Color
32p

The incredible series that was nominated for Eisner, Harvey and Russ Manning Awards is now in never before seen full-color. This is the way Pakkins’ Land was meant to be seen.

A series of strange events brings Paul to a fantastic world called "Pakkins’ Land". There he meets a mysterious giant Eagle of light who gives him a feather as a token of friendship. At the touch of this feather Paul feels something magical, and as the Eagle mysteriously vanishes, Paul realizes that he is lost in this new world. Soon Paul is befriended by a pair of extraordinary talking animals, who set off together to find the long lost King Aryah, and try to return Paul to his own land. The pathway is not without danger.

All-Ages: Sure to appeal to all who enjoy the works of C.S. Lewis, L. Frank Baum and J.R.R. Tolkien.

David’s Mighty Men (by Javier Saltares)
Graphic Novel
$4.99
Color
64 Pages

Join David and his mighty men in this whimsical but reverent retelling of some of the Bibles greatest heroes. Created by Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse Comics creator, Javier Saltares. Two complete stories in one 64-page Graphic Novel.

Story one: Trust: “Four against four hundred?”
Written and drawn by Javier Saltares
Inks, Chris Ivy
Colors, Stu Chaifetz
Letters, Craig Schutt

Story two: “The Giant Mole Hill”
Written, drawn and inked by Javier Saltares
Colors, Craig Schutt and Josh Ray
Letters, Craig Schutt and Josh Ray

Legacy Pocket Manga (writers: Sean Jordan & Carmen Treffiletti, artist: Edu Francisco
Trade Paperback (issues #1 – 4)
$9.99
Color
116 pages

Zelandria is a patchwork world of magical lands and technologically laden cities, where age-old myths collide with futuristic wonders, and mystical creatures dwell among ordinary men. A place where power is contingent on nobility and feudalistic hierarchies govern widespread provinces. It is here where the seeds of legend are sown and the paths of heroes are paved. It is here where a Legacy will be born.

While these are just some of the titles coming out in April, Miller said there’re a whole lot more projects and titles that fans and readers can look out for in the near future, such as Lions, Tigers and Bears (through Image, debuting in January), Lullaby (also through Image, debuting in February), The Imaginaries (Image), The Burning Man, The Hedge Knight, Legacy, Imperial Dragons, OzF5: Gail Force, The Legend of Isis, Beautiful Death, Armor Quest, Penny and Aggie and Lethal Enforcer.

“We're planning to put out all kinds of comics, as long as they're good comics. We are going to keep the 'rating' down to PG-13 or better, so that across the board people aren't generally worried about giving our comics to kids.

“Our vision is to produce a solid line of books of a multitude of varieties, by offering what we are sure is the best deal in comics publishing to individual creators as well as studios. We are not an ‘exclusive’ publisher for any of our partners, instead, we intend that our way of doing things will be so beneficial to our partners that they will never want to get up and leave thinking that they could do better without us. We intend to come up with new and innovative marketing ideas and implement them in ways that will reach new readers and introduce them into the comic market, instead of just cannibalizing the same customers that come into comic shops already. How are we going to do this? It's a secret. Seriously,” Miller concluded.

For more on Alias, check out: http://www.aliasenterprises.com