Hermes Press

Hermes Press is an American independent book publisher founded in 2000 by Daniel Herman and based in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Its publishing program combines art books, biographies, comics scholarship, original graphic novels, and archival editions of historically important newspaper strips and comic-book properties. The company is particularly associated with substantial reprint projects that preserve older material in collected and often hardcover formats. The business began with a relatively small list of specialist books about artists and comic art. Early titles included studies of Gil Kane, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Joe Chiodo. This initial emphasis established Hermes Press as a publisher serving collectors, historians, and readers interested in the visual culture surrounding comics rather than as a mass-market fiction or general-interest house. The list later expanded to cover pin-up art, movie-poster art, television design, and monographs on prominent illustrators and artists. A major turning point came as Hermes Press moved into licensed archival reprints of established properties. In 2008 it began publishing editions of the Buck Rogers newspaper strip, whose syndication originated in 1929. In 2009 the company entered agreements connected with the Dark Shadows comic books and The Phantom, helping it develop a larger-scale reprint program. Its subsequent catalog included newspaper-strip and comic-book material featuring The Phantom, Dark Shadows, Pogo, Mandrake the Magician, Mike Hammer, Alex Toth's Zorro, Terry and the Pirates, and other properties. Hermes Press's editions generally emphasize historical continuity, creator attribution, restoration, and bibliographic completeness. Its Phantom program has included Lee Falk's original newspaper-strip continuity and later material, while its Dark Shadows publishing has covered both Gold Key comic books and Ken Bald newspaper strips. The company also acquired rights to reprint Avon Phantom pocket books and began publishing those editions in 2016. Other projects have focused on the work of Alex Raymond, George Wilson, Walt Kelly, John Buscema, Frank Frazetta, and creators associated with television productions such as Thunderbirds. The company is not primarily a character-owning entertainment conglomerate. Instead, its brand identity is that of a specialist publisher and archival curator operating at the intersection of comics fandom, popular-culture history, artist monographs, and premium collected editions. In addition to licensed reprints and nonfiction, Hermes Press has issued original work, including a six-issue Phantom miniseries written by Peter David and illustrated by Sal Velluto, and the 2019 graphic novel Mother Goth Rhymes. Its catalog continues to appeal to collectors and readers seeking historically significant material in durable, research-oriented editions.

Hermes Press was established in 2000 by Daniel Herman in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Its earliest books were specialized art and comics titles, including a 2001 study of Gil Kane and subsequent books concerning Gil Kane, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Joe Chiodo. These publications positioned the company as a niche house for readers interested in comic-book artists, illustration, and the history of graphic storytelling. The publisher subsequently broadened its scope from artist-focused books to archival editions of comic strips and comic books. This transition made preservation and collection of historically significant material central to the Hermes Press identity. In 2008 the company began reprinting Buck Rogers, the pioneering newspaper strip first syndicated in 1929, and also issued editions relating to the Murphy Anderson period. In 2009 agreements associated with Dan Curtis Productions and King Features Syndicate enabled Hermes Press to undertake larger reprint programs for Dark Shadows and The Phantom. The Phantom became one of the company's most sustained publishing programs. Beginning in 2009, Hermes Press reprinted the original Lee Falk newspaper-strip continuity and continued through later portions of the strip's run. The program included daily strips and Sunday material, with volumes generally covering defined periods of continuity. In 2016 the company added rights to the Avon Phantom pocket books, expanding its treatment of the character beyond newspaper strips. Hermes Press also developed a substantial Dark Shadows line. From 2010 it issued the complete Gold Key comic-book series in five volumes and separately reprinted the Ken Bald newspaper strips. In 2020 it began publishing reprints of the Paperback Library novels written by Marilyn Ross. Other archival projects have covered Mike Hammer, Alex Toth's Zorro, George Wunder's Terry and the Pirates, and Mandrake the Magician. The company has also maintained a strong interest in art and comics history. Its nonfiction catalog includes material on the Silver Age of Comics, Walt Kelly and Pogo, John Buscema, Frank Frazetta, Alex Raymond, and other creators. In 2007 Hermes Press published Sylvia Anderson's memoir My FAB Years, relating to her work in television production, and it published material on designer Mike Trim, known for model work associated with Thunderbirds and similar productions. An Alex Raymond monograph appeared in 2016 with an essay by comics historian Ron Goulart, while The Art of George Wilson was published in 2025. Alongside reprints and reference books, Hermes Press has released original comics. Its Phantom miniseries, written by Peter David and illustrated by Sal Velluto, began in 2014 and concluded as a six-comic story arc in early 2016. In 2019 the publisher issued Mother Goth Rhymes, an original graphic novel that reimagines nursery rhymes through gothic themes and premiered at San Diego Comic-Con. Through these activities, Hermes Press has developed a catalog aimed at collectors, comics scholars, libraries, and readers seeking carefully assembled editions of classic and contemporary graphic material.

1. 2020Dark Shadows Paperback Library reprints begin

   The publisher begins reprinting Marilyn Ross's Paperback Library Dark Shadows novels.

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2. 2019Mother Goth Rhymes is published

   Hermes Press releases an original graphic novel built around gothic reinterpretations of nursery rhymes.

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3. 2014Original Phantom miniseries launches

   The company publishes a new Phantom miniseries written by Peter David and drawn by Sal Velluto.

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4. 2010Dark Shadows Gold Key reprints begin

   Hermes Press starts its five-volume reprint of the complete Gold Key Dark Shadows comic-book series.

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5. 2009The Phantom and Dark Shadows agreements

   Agreements with King Features Syndicate and Dan Curtis Productions expand the publisher's licensed reprint activity.

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6. 2008Buck Rogers reprint program begins

   Hermes Press starts publishing archival editions of the Buck Rogers newspaper strip.

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7. 2001First specialist art and comics books

   The company publishes Gil Kane: Art of the Comics, written by Daniel Herman.

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8. 2000Hermes Press is founded

   Daniel Herman establishes Hermes Press in New Castle, Pennsylvania.

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A specialist, collector-oriented publisher focused on preserving and contextualizing classic comics, newspaper strips, comic art, and related popular culture.

• The Phantom reprint collectionsComic-strip archival editions2009

  A long-running archival program covering Lee Falk's original Phantom newspaper-strip continuity and subsequent portions of the strip. Hermes Press has issued daily and Sunday-strip collections organized around defined periods of the character's history, making the line useful to collectors and readers interested in the development of one of the earliest costumed comic heroes.

• Buck RogersComic-strip archival editions2008

  Hermes Press's Buck Rogers books preserve the long-running science-fiction newspaper strip that began syndication in 1929. The program also includes editions associated with the Murphy Anderson years, giving readers access to historically important material from different phases of the strip's production.

• Dark Shadows collectionsComic-book, strip, and novel reprints2010

  The Dark Shadows line includes a five-volume reprint of the Gold Key comic-book series, collections of the Ken Bald newspaper strips, and reprints of the Paperback Library novels written by Marilyn Ross. Together, the editions document several print manifestations of the television property.

• Walt Kelly's PogoComic-book reprint collection2014

  Between 2014 and 2018 Hermes Press published the Dell Comics version of Pogo in six hardcover volumes. The first two volumes received Eisner Award nominations, reflecting the editorial and collector interest surrounding the restoration and collection of Walt Kelly's work.

• Art and comics-history booksArt book and nonfiction publishing2001

  Hermes Press publishes monographs, biographies, memoirs, and studies covering comic-book artists, illustration, popular culture, and television design. Subjects have included Alex Raymond, George Wilson, Gil Kane, Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Chiodo, John Buscema, Walt Kelly, Frank Frazetta, Sylvia Anderson, and Mike Trim.

• Mother Goth RhymesOriginal graphic novel2019

  Published in 2019, Mother Goth Rhymes is an original graphic novel that revisits familiar nursery-rhyme concepts through darker gothic interpretations. It premiered at San Diego Comic-Con and represents Hermes Press's activity beyond archival and historical publishing.

• 2014Launch of an original Phantom miniseriesProduct launch

  Hermes Press had become closely associated with archival Phantom editions and extended its involvement with the property into new comic-book storytelling.

  What changed. The publisher released a six-issue original miniseries written by Peter David and illustrated by Sal Velluto.

  Aftermath. The story arc concluded in early 2016, adding an original-comics component to the company's Phantom publishing activity.

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• 2009Expansion of licensed property publishingStrategy

  The company had established experience with specialist art books and was developing capacity for longer, collector-oriented publishing programs.

  What changed. Hermes Press entered agreements connected with Dark Shadows and The Phantom, adding major licensed properties to its reprint portfolio.

  Aftermath. The agreements supported continuing series of collected editions, especially for The Phantom and Dark Shadows.

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• 2008Shift toward large-scale archival reprintsStrategy

  After beginning with specialist books about artists and comics art, Hermes Press sought a broader role in preserving established newspaper-strip properties.

  What changed. The publisher launched a Buck Rogers reprint program and subsequently expanded into other licensed comic-strip and comic-book archives.

  Aftermath. Archival reprints became a defining part of Hermes Press's catalog and market positioning.

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• 2025Hermes Press publishes The Art of George Wilson

  The publisher added a monograph on artist George Wilson to its art-book catalog.

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• 2016Hermes Press acquires rights for Avon Phantom pocket-book reprints

  Hermes Press obtained rights to reprint the Avon Phantom pocket books and began issuing the books in August 2016 on a bi-monthly schedule.

  M&AProduct launch
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• 2015Hermes Press announces Mandrake the Magician reprints

  The publisher announced a reprint project covering the King Features comic-book years of Mandrake the Magician.

  Product launchProduct generation
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• 2009Hermes Press expands into Dark Shadows and The Phantom reprints

  Agreements involving Dan Curtis Productions and King Features Syndicate brought Dark Shadows and The Phantom into Hermes Press's large-scale reprint program.

  M&AProduct launch
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• 2008Hermes Press begins Buck Rogers archival reprint program

  Hermes Press began publishing reprints of the Buck Rogers newspaper strip, a major early step in the company's development as an archival comics publisher.

  Product launchOther
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1. Hermes Press
2. Hermes Press official website