MonkeyBrain Books


MonkeyBrain Books is an independent American publishing house based in Austin, Texas, specialising in books comprising both new content and reprinting online, international, or out-of-print content, which show "an academic interest," but which "reach a popular audience as well."

History

Founded by science-fiction author Chris Roberson with his business partner and spouse Allison Baker, MonkeyBrain Books specializes in "genre fiction and nonfiction genre studies" after two years focusing solely on non-fiction.
After dabbling in self-publication and Print On Demand, Roberson said he wanted to ensure that his books were distributed widely.

''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen''

The first project MonkeyBrain Books published was a collection of companion notes to Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's 1999 comic book series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume I: Heroes & Monsters: The Unofficial Companion to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, compiled by Texas-native Jess Nevins. It was nominated for an International Horror Guild Award and favorably reviewed in both Locus and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, among other publications. The companion to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II followed in 2004, and in 2006, Titan Books published the UK versions of both titles. In 2008, the guide to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier was released.

Other titles

Continuing its self-imposed remit to publish works of non-fiction genre studies, MonkeyBrain's debut titles also included a collection of short essays by Matthew Rossi, comprising a wide-ranging guide to numerous weird, odd, imaginary, and mythical places and things: Things That Never Were: Fantasies, Lunacies & Entertaining Lies, and a collection of articles/essays by Rick Klaw ruminating on everything from book-selling & signings, comics & science fiction and censorship: Geek Confidential: Echoes from the 21st Century. In 2004, MonkeyBrain's output included a substantially updated printing of Michael Moorcock's guide to Epic Fantasy, and The Discontinuity Guide, author and writer Paul Cornell 's attempt to form a coherent narrative from decades of Doctor Who continuity. In 2005, alongside Philip Jose Farmer commentator Win Scott Eckert's guide to the Wold Newton Universe, the -nominated Myths for the Modern Age, Chris Roberson edited the first volume in a projected annual series of Adventure anthologies, comprising "original fiction in the spirit of early twentieth-century pulp fiction magazines" across the genres, featuring contributions from Lou Anders, Paul Di Filippo, Mark Finn, Michael Moorcock and Kim Newman.
In 2005 MonkeyBrain also published Jess Nevins' World Fantasy Award-nominated Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana, the first comprehensive reference encyclopedia to the fantastic literature of the nineteenth century, while 2006 debuted MonkeyBrain's first art book, covering the work of John Picacio, MonkeyBrain's primary cover artist. Cementing MonkeyBrain's leap from non-fiction and reference genre works to include fiction, 2006 also saw publication of a collection of science fiction author Kim Newman's Richard Jeperson stories in The Man from the Diogenes Club, with a follow-up published the following year alongside Paul Cornell's imaginative science fiction novel British Summertime.
Robert E. Howard scholar Mark Finn's 2006 biography, Blood & Thunder: The Life & Art of Robert E. Howard, met with considerable critical praise, and not only won the 2007 Cimmerian Award, The Atlantean, but was also nominated for Locus and World Fantasy Awards.
In 2012, MonkeyBrain launched a [|new publishing arm for creator-owned comics] that would focus solely on digital distribution through Comixology.

Published works

  • Things That Never Were: Fantasies, Lunacies & Entertaining Lies by Matthew Rossi
  • Heroes & Monsters: The Unofficial Companion to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Jess Nevins
  • Geek Confidential: Echoes from the 21st Century by Rick Klaw
  • Wizardry and Wild Romance: A Study of Epic Fantasy by Michael Moorcock
  • Why Should I Cut Your Throat? by Jeff VanderMeer
  • The DisContinuity Guide: The Unofficial Doctor Who Companion by Paul Cornell, Martin Day & Keith Topping
  • A Blazing World: The Unofficial Companion to the Second League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Jess Nevins
  • Projections: Science Fiction in Literature and Film by Lou Anders
  • Myths for the Modern Age: Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton Universe by Win Scott Eckert
  • Adventure by Chris Roberson
  • The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana by Jess Nevins - MonkeyBrain's first hardback
  • Cross Plains Universe - Texans Celebrate Robert E. Howard by Scott A. Cupp & Joe R. Lansdale
  • Cover Story: The Art of John Picacio by John Picacio
  • The Man from the Diogenes Club by Kim Newman
  • Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre by Peter Coogan
  • The Hollow Earth by Rudy Rucker
  • The Secret Files of the Diogenes Club by Kim Newman
  • Blood & Thunder: The Life & Art of Robert E. Howard by Mark Finn
  • British Summertime by Paul Cornell - UK Hardback published by Gollancz, 2002
  • Cenotaxis by Sean Williams
  • Impossible Territories: An Unofficial Companion to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Jess Nevins
  • Escape From Hell! by Hal Duncan
  • Two Hawks from Earth by Philip José Farmer
  • Death of a Starship by Jay Lake
  • Mysteries of the Diogenes Club by Kim Newman

    MonkeyBrain Comics

  • Edison Rex #1–18
  • Aesop's Ark #1–3
  • The October Girl #1–4
  • Amelia Cole :
  • *Amelia Cole and the Unknown World #1–6
  • *Amelia Cole and the Hidden War #1–6
  • *Amelia Cole and the Enemy Unleashed #1–6
  • *Amelia Cole and the Impossible Fate #1–6
  • *Amelia Cole Versus the End of Everything #1–6
  • Bandette #1–ongoing
  • Wander #1–4
  • Masks and Mobsters #1–10, Justin Greenwood, Ryan Cody and Seth Damoose
  • Thoughts on a Winter Morning
  • The Stars Below
  • Spirit of the Law #1–2
  • Action Cats
  • Red Light Properties #1–13
  • Unfair
  • Denali #1–2
  • High Crimes #1–12
  • Phabula #1
  • The Red Panda :
  • *Mask of the Red Panda #1–3
  • *The Red Panda #1–10
  • Frost #0–1
  • Artful Daggers #1–17
  • Skybreaker #1–5
  • Knuckleheads #1–8
  • Theremin #1–4
  • Kinski #1–6
  • Subatomic Party Girls #1–3
  • Captain Ultimate #1–6
  • Avery Fatbottom: Renaissance Fair Detective #1
  • Anti-Hero #1–10
  • Detectobot #0–1
  • Dropout #1
  • Heartbreakers #1–8
  • * Stories originally published in Dark Horse Presents #35–37, Fifth Anniversary Special, 50–52 and 100-1
  • Inkshot
  • Real West #1–3
  • BOO! Halloween Stories :
  • *BOO! Halloween Stories #1–4, 2014, 2015, 2016
  • *BOO! 2014 Holiday Special
  • Strange Nation #1–8
  • Code Monkey Save World #1–4
  • The Army of Dr. Moreau #1–6
  • Old Red 203X #1
  • Amazing Forest #1–10
  • The Double Life of Miranda Turner #1–9
  • Prime-8s #1–2
  • D4VE #1–5
  • Panels for Primates :
  • *Panels for Primates
  • *Panels for Primates Junior
  • Art Monster #1–3
  • Copernicus Jones: Robot Detective #1–7
  • The Remains #1–4
  • GoGetters #1
  • Headspace #1–8
  • The Fallen #1–4
  • Skinned #1–6
  • Travel sketchbooks by Natalie Nourigat:
  • *Amsterdam Sketchbook
  • *Tally Marks #1–7
  • Henchmen, Inc. #1–2
  • Street Angel #1–5
  • * Stories originally published in Street Angel #1–5
  • Behemoth #1–4
  • Kings and Canvas #0–5