Innovation Publishing


Innovation Publishing was an American comic book company based in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was co-founded by David Campiti in 1988 after writing a business proposal and raising US$400,000 to finance its launch. Innovation became number four in market share, below Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Dark Horse Comics.

Overview

The company published many adaptations and tie-in series of existing media properties, such as Anne Rice's novels Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and Queen of the Damned. It also published adaptations of novels such as Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, Piers Anthony's On a Pale Horse, Don Pendleton's The Executioner, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's Lucifer's Hammer, and Gene Wolfe's The Shadow of the Torturer; the TV series Dark Shadows, Quantum Leap, Beauty and the Beast and Lost In Space; films such as Forbidden Planet, Psycho, Child's Play, and A Nightmare on Elm Street; and even the 1949 Republic movie serial King of the Rocket Men.
Campiti brought to Innovation a number of properties he had overseen with other publishers, including Hero Alliance, Power Factor, and Mark Martin's Gnatrat. Innovation's original series included Justice Machine and writer Mike W. Barr's Maze Agency, and Legends of the Stargrazers.
Innovation was one of the first companies to delve heavily into recruiting talents from Brazil, starting the American careers of Mike Deodato and Joe Bennett, among others. 1992 Russ Manning "Best Newcomer" Award–winner Mike Okamoto broke into American comics in 1990 illustrating the Innovation titles The Maze Agency and Hero Alliance.
Campiti left Innovation in 1993 to launch Glass House Graphics, a studio/agency for illustrators, writers, painters, and digital designers. Shortly thereafter, in early 1994, Innovation closed, leaving substantial debts to creators, printers, and investors.

Titles published

Adaptations

  • Anne Rice
  • * Interview with the Vampire, #1–12
  • * The Master of Rampling Gate, TPB
  • * The Vampire Lestat, #1–12
  • * The Queen of the Damned, #1–11
  • * The Vampire Companion, #1–3
  • Beauty and the Beast, #1–6
  • Bozo, the World's Most Famous Clown, #1
  • Child's Play
  • The Colour of Magic, #1–4
  • Dark Shadows
  • * Book One, #1–4
  • * Book Two, #1–4
  • * Book Three, #1
  • Forbidden Planet, #1–4
  • The Light Fantastic, #1–4
  • Lost in Space
  • * v1, #1–18
  • * Lost in Space: Project Robinson, #1
  • Lucifer's Hammer, #1–2
  • Mack Bolan: The Executioner, #1–3
  • A Nightmare on Elm Street
  • * Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, #1–3 and 3-D
  • * Nightmares on Elm Street, #1–6
  • * A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Beginning, #1–2
  • On a Pale Horse, #1–5
  • Quantum Leap, #1–13
  • The Phantom of the Opera, TPB
  • Psycho, #1–3
  • Rocket Man: King of the Rocket Men, #1–4
  • The Shadow of the Torturer, #1–3
  • Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet, TPB

    Original series

  • 3×3 Eyes
  • Ack the Barbarian, #1
  • All Hallow's Eve, #1
  • Angel of Death, #1–4
  • Angry Shadows, #1
  • Avenue X, #1
  • Black and White Magic!, #1
  • Biff Thundersaur, #1
  • Celestial Mechanics: The Adventures of Widget Wilhelmina Jones, #1–3
  • Cobalt Blue — by Mike Gustovich and Keith Pollard
  • Cyberpunk
  • * Cyberpunk Graphic Novel #1
  • * v1, #1–2
  • * Book Two v1, #1–2
  • * The Seraphim Files, #1–2
  • The Dead Heat, #1
  • Equinox Chronicles, #1-2
  • Gnatrat: The Movie
  • The Group Larue, #1–3
  • Headman, #1
  • Hero Alliance
  • * End of the Golden Age, #1–3
  • * v2, #1–17
  • * Hero Alliance Annual, #1
  • * Hero Alliance & Justice Machine: Identity Crisis, #1
  • * Hero Alliance Quarterly, #1–4
  • * Hero Alliance Special, #1
  • Justice Machine
  • * The New Justice Machine
  • * Justice Machine Summer Spectacular
  • * v3, #1–7
  • Lunatic Fringe, #1–2
  • Legends of the Stargrazers, #1–6
  • Maze Agency
  • * v1, #8–23
  • * Annual, #1
  • * Special, #1
  • Mangle Tangle Tales, #1
  • Masques, #1–2
  • Media Starr, #1–3
  • Neon City, #1
  • Neon City: After the Fall, #1
  • Newstralia, #1–5
  • Alex Niño's Nightmare, #1
  • Bruce Jones' Outer Edge, #1
  • Power Factor
  • * v1, #1–3
  • * Special, #1
  • Professor Om, #1
  • Bruce Jones' Razor's Edge, #1
  • Walt Kelly's Santa Claus Adventures
  • Scaramouch, #1–2
  • Sentry Special, #1
  • Seraphim, #1
  • Straw Men, #1–8
  • SoulQuest, TPB
  • Timedrifter, #1–3
  • Torchy, #1–5
  • Vigil: Fall from Grace, #1–2
  • Vigil: The Golden Parts, #1
  • Vigial: Kukulkan, #1
  • Wonderworlds, #1