Avatar Press

Avatar Press is an independent American comic-book publisher founded in 1996 and based in Rantoul, Illinois. The company emerged during the collapse of the 1990s comic-book speculation boom, when many publishers and specialist retailers were struggling or leaving the market. Its early catalogue concentrated on so-called “bad girl” comics and visually provocative fantasy-horror characters, including Pandora, Hellina, Lookers, The Ravening, and Brian Pulido’s Lady Death. Pandora became one of the company’s recurring flagship characters and was used in crossovers with other independent comics properties. The business was established by members of the Christensen family and associates who had previously operated Comic Cavalcade, a comic-book retail business founded in 1989. Richard Christensen was the founding publisher, while his son William Christensen served as editor-in-chief. Mark Seifert, who had worked with the Christensens at Comic Cavalcade, became creative director. The company launched in December 1996 with Pandora, Silent Rapture, and Donna Mia, followed by Lookers in January 1997. Despite the difficult market conditions, Avatar expanded its output and recruited creators including Mike Wolfer, David Quinn, Tim Vigil, Eric Powell, and Warren Ellis. During the 2000s, Avatar broadened its catalogue beyond its original exploitation-oriented material. It published licensed characters associated with Rob Liefeld’s former Awesome Comics, including Avengelyne and The Coven, and released previously unpublished or repurposed work by Alan Moore, including Glory and adaptations of prose and other material. Moore’s association with the company continued through projects such as A Small Killing, Neonomicon, Providence, Crossed +100, and Cinema Purgatorio. Other prominent writers who worked with Avatar included Garth Ennis, Jamie Delano, Mark Millar, Jonathan Hickman, and Kieron Gillen. Avatar became particularly associated with creator-driven books featuring graphic violence, horror, sexualized imagery, dystopian themes, and transgressive premises. Ennis’s relationship with the publisher was extensive, covering Dicks, 303, Chronicles of Wormwood, Crossed, Stitched, and later War Stories. Warren Ellis also used Avatar for projects such as Black Summer and the Apparat Singles Group, while Hickman’s God Is Dead and Gillen’s Uber became important 2010s titles. The publisher’s willingness to support material that larger mainstream companies might reject was central to its appeal to creators, but it also generated criticism, especially concerning violent and sexually coercive imagery in promotional and variant-cover artwork. Avatar has also published licensed comic adaptations and tie-ins based on properties such as RoboCop, Stargate, Night of the Living Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In 2010 it created the Boundless Comics imprint, which returned to the publisher’s earlier “bad girl” and cheesecake-comics tradition through projects including new Lady Death material, War Goddess, Lookers, and Jungle Fantasy Fauna. In 2009, Avatar launched Bleeding Cool, a comics and popular-culture news website led initially by writer Rich Johnston. Although editorially distinct from the comics line, the site became a significant part of the wider Avatar publishing operation. It faced criticism in 2018 after publishing an interview with far-right writer Vox Day; the site apologized and appointed Kaitlyn Booth as editor-in-chief, while Mark Seifert continued as managing editor. Avatar and Boundless have continued to solicit reprints, collected editions, bundles, and selected new projects. Recent documented activity includes the 2021 release of the Providence Compendium, Warrior Nun Dora, and a new Jungle Fantasy Fauna series, although the company’s website news page had not been updated after October 2020 in the cited reporting. Its current scale, ownership structure, and complete publication status…

Avatar Press began publishing in December 1996 in Rantoul, Illinois, during a difficult period for the American direct-market comics industry. The company was connected to Comic Cavalcade, a retail business founded in 1989 by Richard Christensen and his son William Christensen. Richard became Avatar’s founding publisher, William served as editor-in-chief, and former Comic Cavalcade manager Mark Seifert became creative director. The first three releases were Pandora, Silent Rapture, and Donna Mia; Lookers followed in early 1997. The company’s first identity was built around independently published “bad girl” comics, combining horror, fantasy, violence, and highly sexualized character designs. Pandora became an important recurring property and crossed over with characters such as Hellina, Razor, Lady Death, Shotgun Mary, and Widow. Avatar nevertheless expanded quickly beyond this niche, working with creators including Mike Wolfer, David Quinn, Tim Vigil, Eric Powell, and Warren Ellis. In 2000 Avatar licensed characters from Rob Liefeld’s former Awesome Comics line. The following year it published Glory material written by Alan Moore, beginning a long association with Moore. Avatar later released adaptations and reprints connected to Moore’s prose and other work, including Magic Words and A Small Killing. Moore’s later Avatar projects included Neonomicon, Providence, Crossed +100, and Cinema Purgatorio. The publisher’s attraction for Moore and other established writers was partly its willingness to give creators latitude on controversial or commercially unconventional material. Garth Ennis became one of Avatar’s most important recurring writers. His work for the company included the Dicks series, which moved from Caliber Comics to Avatar in 2002, as well as 303, Chronicles of Wormwood, Crossed, Stitched, and later War Stories. Warren Ellis contributed Black Summer and the Apparat Singles Group, an experimental line conceived as imaginary first issues inspired more by pulp traditions than conventional superhero publishing. Avatar also published Mark Millar’s The Unfunnies and licensed adaptations involving properties such as RoboCop, Stargate, Night of the Living Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. By the late 2000s and early 2010s, Avatar was increasingly identified with extreme horror, graphic violence, dystopian fiction, and creator-owned projects by prominent writers. The publisher launched Boundless Comics in 2010 as a separate imprint for Lady Death and related cheesecake-oriented titles. War Goddess appeared in 2011, and a new Lookers series followed in 2016. Avatar’s main line also added Jonathan Hickman’s God Is Dead and Kieron Gillen’s Uber in 2013. Uber was later described as a central and well-regarded part of the company’s line. The company’s content strategy attracted controversy. In 2013, Jamie Delano objected to a Crossed “torture” variant cover that depicted sexual violence against women and stated that he would not do further work for Avatar. Comics journalist Heidi MacDonald subsequently criticized the publisher’s torture-themed covers, prompting a public debate among creators and readers. The dispute reflected a broader tension in Avatar’s business model: the same creative freedom that attracted writers and supported transgressive fiction also produced criticism over marketing, sexual violence, and the boundaries of exploitation imagery. Avatar expanded into media publishing in 2009 by launching Bleeding Cool, a comics and popular-culture news website. Rich Johnston served as head writer, while Mark Seifert was associated with the site’s management. In 2018 Bleeding Cool drew criticism for an interview with far-right writer Vox Day. The site apologized and appointed Kaitlyn Booth as editor-in-chief; Seifert continued to be identified as managing editor in the cited material. Later documented activity includes crowdfunded projects released in 2021, including the Providence Compendium and Warrior Nun Dora, as well as Boundless’s Jungle Fantasy Fauna. Avatar and Boundless have continued to solicit reprints, collected editions, bundles, and selected new works. However, the available reference material does not establish a complete current corporate structure, financial profile, executive roster, or publication schedule. The Avatar Press website’s news page was reported as inactive after October 2020, while Bleeding Cool continued operating.

1. 2021Crowdfunded and Boundless releases appear

   The company released the Providence Compendium, Warrior Nun Dora, and a new Jungle Fantasy Fauna series.

   Source
2. 2013God Is Dead and Uber expand the 2010s line

   Jonathan Hickman’s God Is Dead and Kieron Gillen’s Uber became notable additions to Avatar’s high-profile creator catalogue.

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3. 2010Boundless Comics is created

   The new imprint was established for Lady Death and similar fantasy, horror, and cheesecake comics.

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4. 2009Bleeding Cool is launched

   Avatar entered comics journalism and pop-culture news through the Bleeding Cool website.

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5. 2001Alan Moore’s Glory material is published

   Avatar released previously unpublished Glory issues written by Alan Moore, strengthening its creator-focused reputation.

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6. 2000Awesome Comics properties are licensed

   Avatar began publishing Avengelyne, The Coven, and other characters connected with the defunct Awesome Comics.

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7. 1997Lookers joins the line

   Lookers followed the initial launch and reinforced Avatar’s early bad-girl comics identity.

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8. 1996Avatar Press begins publishing

   The company launched in December with Pandora, Silent Rapture, and Donna Mia.

   Source
9. 1989Comic Cavalcade is founded

   Richard and William Christensen established the comic-book retail business that preceded Avatar Press.

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Independent comic-book publishing focused on creator-driven horror, science fiction, exploitation, fantasy, licensed adaptations, and controversial or extreme subject matter.

• PandoraOriginal comic-book series1996

  One of Avatar Press’s launch titles and an early flagship character. Pandora helped define the publisher’s initial focus on independent bad-girl fantasy and horror comics and later appeared in crossovers with other properties, including Hellina and Widow.

• Lady DeathOriginal and licensed comic-book line

  Brian Pulido’s dark-fantasy character became one of the best-known properties associated with Avatar’s early catalogue. Later Lady Death material was published through the Boundless Comics imprint alongside similar fantasy, horror, and cheesecake-oriented titles.

• CrossedHorror comic-book series2008

  A highly graphic horror franchise associated particularly with Garth Ennis and later creators. The series became emblematic of Avatar’s extreme-content positioning through its depictions of societal collapse, cruelty, and violent transformation.

• NeonomiconHorror graphic novel2010

  A 2010 Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows project published by Avatar. It connected the publisher with mature, literary, and Lovecraft-influenced horror while also reflecting the company’s willingness to release challenging material from prominent creators.

• UberAlternate-history science-fiction comic2013

  Kieron Gillen’s war and alternate-history series, launched through Avatar in the early 2010s. It was described in contemporary commentary as a central and critically regarded part of the publisher’s overall line.

• God Is DeadFantasy and speculative-fiction comic2013

  A Jonathan Hickman-associated series added to Avatar’s high-profile creator catalogue in 2013. Its premise and presentation fit the publisher’s emphasis on provocative, violent, and unconventional speculative fiction.

• Providence CompendiumCollected comic-book edition2021

  A collected edition associated with Alan Moore’s Providence, released in 2021 after the project had been supported through crowdfunding.

• Bleeding CoolComics news website2009

  A comics and popular-culture news site launched by Avatar Press in 2009. It operated as a media extension of the broader publishing business and continued to publish after the Avatar website’s own news page became inactive.

• 2018Change Bleeding Cool’s editorial leadership after controversyOther

  The publication of an interview with Vox Day prompted criticism of Bleeding Cool’s editorial judgment.

  What changed. Bleeding Cool apologized and appointed Kaitlyn Booth as editor-in-chief.

  Aftermath. Mark Seifert continued to be identified as managing editor in the cited material.

  Source
• 2010Create the Boundless Comics imprintStrategy

  Avatar wanted a dedicated home for Lady Death and material resembling the company’s earlier bad-girl and cheesecake output.

  What changed. The publisher established Boundless Comics and used it for Lady Death, War Goddess, Lookers, and later Jungle Fantasy Fauna.

  Aftermath. Boundless preserved and extended a distinct segment of Avatar’s original market positioning.

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• 2009Enter comics journalism through Bleeding CoolStrategy

  Avatar sought to extend its presence in comics culture beyond periodical and graphic-novel publishing.

  What changed. It launched Bleeding Cool with Rich Johnston as head writer and Mark Seifert as managing editor.

  Aftermath. Bleeding Cool became a continuing media operation associated with Avatar, although its editorial practices later generated controversy.

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• 2000Broaden the catalogue through licensed propertiesStrategy

  Avatar had established itself with original independent bad-girl comics but sought additional recognizable characters and audiences.

  What changed. The company began publishing characters from Rob Liefeld’s defunct Awesome Comics, including Avengelyne and The Coven.

  Aftermath. The move expanded Avatar’s catalogue beyond its wholly original early properties and supported its wider licensing strategy.

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• 2018Bleeding Cool Vox Day interview controversyControversy

  Bleeding Cool was criticized for publishing an interview with far-right writer Vox Day. The site apologized for running the interview and appointed Kaitlyn Booth as editor-in-chief, while Mark Seifert remained associated with the site’s management.

  Source
• 2013Criticism of torture-themed Crossed variant coverControversy

  A variant cover for a Crossed issue written by Jamie Delano depicted sexual violence toward women. Delano objected publicly and said he would not undertake further work for Avatar. Comics journalist Heidi MacDonald also criticized Avatar’s broader use of torture-themed covers, prompting debate among creators and readers.

  Source

• 2021Avatar releases crowdfunded projects and new Boundless material

  Documented releases included the Providence Compendium, Warrior Nun Dora, and a new Jungle Fantasy Fauna series under Boundless.

  Product launch
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• 2010Boundless Comics imprint launches

  Avatar created Boundless to publish Lady Death and related bad-girl and cheesecake-oriented comics.

  Product launch
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• 2009Avatar launches Bleeding Cool

  The company launched a comics and popular-culture news site with Rich Johnston as head writer.

  Product launch
  Source
• 2000Avatar expands into Awesome Comics properties

  Avatar began publishing licensed characters associated with the defunct Awesome Comics, including Avengelyne and The Coven.

  Other
  Source
• 1996Avatar Press launches with three titles

  The publisher began operations in December with Pandora, Silent Rapture, and Donna Mia.

  Other
  Source

1. Avatar Press
2. Avatar Press official website