Starting out as an indie publishing company in the comic book business is never easy, but in this new age of sequential art many small publishers like BOOM Studios!, Radical Publishing, and Th3rd World Studios (amongst many others) have crossed into the threshold of becoming a major force in the industry. The success of these companies inspires numerous up and coming talent to forge ahead and become entrepreneurs of their own, and Reliant Publishing fits this mold!
A fairly new company, Reliant Publishing was founded by Bill Guerra in 2008 who stated, “I’ve always wanted to work in comics, but, like many, I never knew how to get into the industry. I eventually found myself out of a job (thanks, economy!), and since no one was hiring – and I needed to eat – I decided to make and sell my own comic books. I immediately threw myself into learning exactly how comics are made, where to get them printed and sold… the next thing I knew, I was creating my own company!” Bill’s role with Reliant expands beyond just the founder as he is also the primary plotter, penciler, inker, letterer (by hand or computer) and colorer. His good friend, Craig Castillo, whom Bill has known for over 20 years, does most of the scripting.
Currently, Reliant Publishing is producing two titles: Tales From Thunder City and the anthology title, Reliant Presents. Reliant Presents was the company’s first release, debuting in December 2008. Both titles are available via www.indyplanet.com, but Tales From Thunder City has made the jump to distribution and will soon be available to comic shops- so tell your LCS to order you a copy!
Guerra says of Tales From Thunder City, “[It’s] told more like a ‘day in the life’ of heroes and villains in the city. Some characters will interact, some won’t. Some will get along, some will not. Not all characters will be featured in every issue. I thought it would be a fun way to tell a story about heroes and villains who inhabit the same city. It would also be a good way to see which characters work the best and which ones… not so much. Any breakout characters can be spun off to their own solo title.”
He goes on to talk about Reliant Presents, “[This] is an anthology title in which the opening story is about the supernatural menaces of the literary past, like Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster, Mr. Hyde, with some werewolves and zombies added… against newly rising modern day superhuman defenders. Think of it as the supernatural vs. the superhuman. It’s a mix of horror, sci-fi, and action. The idea for this goes back to 1998, which I pulled out, dusted off, updated and decided to run with it. Issue #4 has just been released and it’s really hitting its stride, as the next couple of issues will be action filled! The storyline will run until issue #12, although there’s enough plotted to keep going if people like it (possibly a spin off title). There is also a space opera I have been putting together which may be featured in Reliant Presents as either a back up feature or taking over with issue #13. We have also done a stand alone western, which may find its way into the pages of Reliant Presents.” Sounds pretty cool, right? I think ComicAttack.net’s very own Decapitated Dan may like to get his hands on this one! Reliant has recently released it’s third title, Jeremiah Cooper, which is marketed towards a more mature audience. The creative team includes writer Devin Bridgewater and artist John Stanicek, and issue #2 is set to be released soon.
It’s never easy to start a company from scratch, especially a company in which the highest selling item goes for less than $5. Yet, in looking at the product that is produced through Reliant, it would appear as if the future looks bright for the company. Said Guerra in closing, “Right now, I am trying to get Reliant Publishing noticed. It’s been like a grass roots effort so far, but we are slowly expanding. Hopefully, all our titles will be able to be picked up by comic stores within the coming months. I’ve set baby steps and am happy to say that I have been hitting them all.”
We here at ComicAttack.net completely understand where Bill is coming from and are happy to assist in spreading the word!
To learn more about Reliant Publishing, please visit their website at www.reliantpublishingonline.com.
Andy Liegl
andy@comicattack.net
Thanks a lot for the great article!
Is that gorilla-hulk in that bottom pic?
Interesting article that tells it like it is…a lot of hard work. Each one of these comics that I have read gets even better than the previous one. Congratulations for keeping the momentum going and staying focused on these projects. As they say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”.
Very good article man! will definitely check out an issue
@Bill- my pleasure!
@Billy- er… ?
@JoeJazz- Yeah, we’re experiencing the same indie feel here at CA.net! Slowly but surely building our readership!
@Speech- Check it out man!!
Thanks for the kind words everyone!
@ billy:
You’re close. It’s actually Bigfoot. (this is where you can insert Stewie Griffins comment of, “How is that close?”) LOL
Any small press success is a victory for the comics’ community!
SIDE NOTE: The rebel flag guy looks like a mix between a General Lee Turbo Teen and Captain Confederacy (wow, that’s a mouthful of pop culture).
I’m really glad to see this. I wish Reliant the best!
General Lee Turbo Teen and Captain Confederacy? I don’t know them, what are they from? I thought once I learned of Crazy Quilt and Kite-Man, that I had heard of everyone!