Action Lab Comics

Action Lab Entertainment / Action Lab Comics
IndustryPublishing
FoundedOctober 2010; 14 years ago (October 2010)
FounderShawn Pryor, Dave Dwonch, Shawn Gabborin
Headquarters
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
,
United States
Key people
Shawn Pryor, Dave Dwonch, Shawn Gabborin, Chad Cicconi
ProductsComic books
WebsiteOfficial website

Action Lab Entertainment (also known as Action Lab Comics or ALE), is an American publisher of comic books, known primarily for the publication of the all-ages fantasy title Princeless, as well as a wide range of titles from all genres. The company is also known for embracing digital comics[1] and is recognized as one of the first publishers to release a digital-only Free Comic Book Day title.[2]

History

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Action Lab Entertainment was founded in October 2010[3] by Shawn Pryor, Dave Dwonch and Shawn Gabborin. All three of the founding members had prior experience in self-publishing[4] and had worked together to publish small press comic books under Pryor's PKD Media imprint.

Action Lab's first release was Back In The Day, an original graphic novel written by Dave Dwonch, with art by Daniel J. Logan (an artist who had also previously worked with PKD Media), and released in February, 2011.[5] This inaugural publication was available for pre-order through Discount Comic Book Service and marked the company's first foray into nationwide distribution.[6]

During the same time period as Back In The Day's launch, Pryor ran a Kickstarter fundraiser to both promote and gather funds for the company's second title, Fracture, described as a "superhero dark comedy";[7] Fracture was written by Shawn Gabborin, with art by Chad Cicconi and Dave Dwonch. Pryor's campaign surpassed its funding goal by nearly 10%, allowing Action Lab to schedule the book's first issue for a July, 2011 release; the release would also mark Action Lab's entrance into the direct market.[8]

In October 2011, the company released two books: the horror-suspense one-shot Snowed In, written by Shawn Gabborin with art by Rick Lundeen, and the first issue of the all-ages fantasy title Princeless, written by Jeremy Whitley, with art by Mia Goodwin.[9] Princeless, featuring the teenage Princess Adrienne (a princess who decides that she does not need a prince to rescue her and becomes a hero in her own right), became a major hit for the company, garnering five nominations in the 2012 Glyph Comics Awards[10] ("Story of the Year", "Best Writer", "Best Artist", "Best Female Character" and "Best Cover") and two nominations at the 2012 Eisner Awards ("Best Single Issue" and "Best Publication for Kids"),[11] giving the company both industry and worldwide recognition.

Also in October, 2011, Action Lab launched Globworld, its first digital-only title,[12] based on the MMORPG specifically designed for children. This release also marked the company's first use of licensed characters and was also its first cross-company tie in.

February, 2012, marked Action Lab's largest single-month expansion since the publisher's inception, in which they released two graphic novels and a trade paperback: the graphic novels Exo-1 and the Rock-Solid Steelbots, with story and art by Daniel J. Logan, and script by Shawn Pryor, and Monsters Are Just Like Us, with story and art by SuperUgly, and Space-Time Condominum, a trade paperback collecting the first "season" of Dave Dwonch's webcomic of the same name. All three were released as part of the "Signature Series" line, which includes individual numbering and hand-signatures for each copy.[13] Action Lab also announced at this time that it had taken over the publication of the series Jack Hammer, written by Brandon Barrows with art by Ionic, from the small-press publisher Reasonably Priced Comics, and that it would be part of the "Signature Series".[14][15]

Action Lab partnered with the National Football League to release NFL Rush Zone, a line of comic books based on the NFL Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core. The first issue was released digitally during Super Bowl XLVII[16]

In 2021, Action Lab was the subject of numerous claims of late payments and predatory contracts.[17][18][19]

Titles

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  • Amerikarate
  • Going to the Chapel (Comic) - Written by David Pepose, Art by Gavin Guidry. Four-issue limited series, released September 2019 - February 2020.
  • Princeless - Written by Jeremy Whitley, Art by Mia Goodwin. Four-issue limited series, released October 2011 - February 2012.
  • Spencer & Locke - Written by David Pepose, Art by Jorge Santiago Jr. Four-issue limited series, released April 2017 - August 2017.
  • Zoe Dare
  • NEW MEN - Written by Murewa Ayodele, Art by Dotun Akande. Ongoing series, started April 2020.[20]

References

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  1. ^ http://www.actionlabcomics.com/2011/07/28/action-lab-acquires-digital-comics-distribution/[permanent dead link] Action Lab Comics blog post regarding digital distribution, Accessed 4/8/12
  2. ^ Alverson, Bridgid (April 6, 2012). "Shawn Pryor on Action Labs' digital FCBD comic". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "Welcome to the Lab!". Archived from the original on 2012-03-17. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  4. ^ "About". Action Lab Comics. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  5. ^ [1] Dave Dwonch's blog regarding current projects, Accessed 4/8/12
  6. ^ "Pre-order 'Back in the Day' at DCBS!". Archived from the original on 2011-03-01. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  7. ^ [2] Daily Athenaeum Newspaper article May 25, 2011. Accessed 4/8/12
  8. ^ http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/23808096/action-lab-entertainment-presents-fracture Fracture Kickstarter page, Accessed 4/8/12
  9. ^ http://www.majorspoilers.com/sneak-peek-snowed-in Major Spoilers, Sneak Peek at Action Lab's October titles. Accessed 4/8/12
  10. ^ Parkin, John (March 8, 2012). "2012 Glyph Comics Awards nominees announced". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  11. ^ "The 2010 Eisner Awards: Winners". Archived from the original on 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  12. ^ http://globworld.com/blog/2011/10/07/globworld-comic-book-to-release-next-thursday-oct-13/ Globworld.com's official press release, accessed 4/8/12
  13. ^ "Action Lab Officially Introduces The Signature Series Line This December!". Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  14. ^ http://comicrelated.com/news/15119/who-is-jack-hammer Archived 2012-05-19 at the Wayback Machine Action Lab's Jack Hammer teaser posted on Comic Related, accessed 4/8/12
  15. ^ "Well, then...2012 News". Brandon Barrows Comics blog. 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2012-04-08. As of late 2011, Jack Hammer has moved to Action Lab Comics.
  16. ^ "Action Lab Launches First NFL Rush Zone Comic Book at Super Bowl XLVII". Comic Book Resources. 2013-01-31. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  17. ^ "An Accounting of Action Lab Allegations". Women Write About Comics. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  18. ^ "Rich Johnston Talks To Bryan Seaton About Action Lab". Bleeding Cool. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  19. ^ "An Exploration of the Action Lab Contract". The Comic Book Yeti. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  20. ^ "Action Lab Announces Nigerian 'Action/Biopunk' Comic Book". SODA & TELEPATHS. 2020-04-21. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
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