We’re excited to offer the first of four volumes of the new format for Strangers In Paradise and it’s now available for pre order! The 484 page hardcover is only available through Abstract Studio and will ship in mid June. The epic SiP story has been equally divided into four volumes priced at $38.95 each. Volume One is 484 pages in glorious black & white with a new cover. The hardcover is only available here at our website. A softcover version will hit the market this summer and will be our retail version for stores and libraries around the globe. What will happen to the previous SiP collections—the Pocket Editions and the Omnibus box set? They will not be reprinted. We will continue to sell them until they are sold out, so you can still buy them to complete your collection. But once they are gone the new 4-volume collection will rule the kingdom from that day forth. All hail the king of SiP collections!
As I write this we have 6 days left to go on our Kickstarter campaign for the new art book AFTER DARK.. and we are so happy the project has been well received. We’ve passed the final stretch goal—so every book order gets every stretch goal perk we offered—and the project support continues to grow! As we enter our final week on the month-long campaign I want to thank Pat Shand for his invaluable help with our first campaign. Pat has made the experience smooth and trouble free. Pat should be on everybody’s radar, he’s a wonderful writer and I once did a cover for one of his series, Destiny,NY. Check him out.
Fun fact here: The title and cover design were Robyn’s idea. Here it from roughs to final.
Mark Your Calendars: I’m excited to announce Robyn & I will be at Lake Como Comic Art Festivalthis year, May 12-14. The guest list of artists is incredible and I’m really looking forward to it. Beautiful location, beautiful art, beautiful country… it just doesn’t get any better does it? More later when we get closer.
The Terry Moore After Dark… kickstarter campaign launched to great success. We were fully funded in 7 minutes and reached 100K the first day. I was beyond excited about this. It was incredible to watch it all happen live. The first three stretch goals were met, giving the book high quality paper, a ribbon bookmark, and spot gloss on the cover. So now the book is both beautful and extremely well made. I love that.
Our next stretch goal is a gorgeous Frank Cho print of Francine and Katchoo. This is a stunning pen and ink 2-color illusrtation in Frank’s super clean style. We’d love to include this print with every order!
I’m posting daily kickstarter updates on my 3 social media platforms: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Follow me there to get the news while it happens. And please check out the kickstarter and help us spread the news about it. Thank you!
We’re launching our first Kickstarter this week on Wednesday, February 1 for a new art book titled AFTER DARK. It wil be 120 pages of naughty pinups and sexy sketches featuring the main characters from my books Strangers In Paradise, Echo, Motor Girl and Parker Girls. Naturally Katchoo leads the group and she adorns the cover for three different editions: a softcover, a hardcover, and a Limited Edition Hardcover that is available on through this campaign. So when you see three different covers of Katchoo in a chair as the night progresses—green, yellow, red—you’re looking at the covers unique to each edition—softcover, hardcover, Limted hardcover.
This campaign will run the whole of February to March 3. We’re hoping to raise $29k to cover the cost of printing the book(s). If we raise more, it opens tiers of extras and goodies, new merchandise and original art!
There’s still time to sign up for notification when the campaign opens. There’s no comittment with sign-up, it just gives you the chance to be one of the first people to open the page on Wednesday and scope it out. So please sign up and help us spread the word. You’re the only PR person we have and we believe in you. I personally think you should get raise, too. Let’s talk about it after the campaign. 😉
Read Diamond’s official statement below and add exclamation points in your head because this is wonderful news. (!)
Diamond Book Distributors is pleased to announce that it has signed a worldwide distribution agreement with Abstract Studio to exclusively distribute their books to North American and international book markets, as well as libraries. Distribution to the comic book specialty market is handled exclusively by Diamond Comic Distributors.
Under the banner of Abstract Studio, Terry Moore has been publishing his groundbreaking comics and graphic novels for almost thirty years. His seminal work, Strangers In Paradise, carved out a unique space for him in the world of American comics. Originally published in 1993, when The Death of Superman and other superhero titles were dominating comic book sales, Moore set out to explore a different narrative with Strangers in Paradise, one that would eventually be termed “slice-of-life dramedy.” The story centers around the lives of Francine and Katchoo, a pair of twenty-something best friends who eventually fall in love. The fan-favorite series features romance, action, intrigue, and Moore’s signature humor.
“Having worked closely with Diamond Comic Distributors for almost thirty years, I know that Diamond Book Distributors is the perfect partner to bring Strangers In Paradise to bookstores and libraries around the world,” said Terry Moore. “I’m looking forward to working with the great team at Diamond to introduce my books to a new generation of readers.”
Strangers In Paradise was in publication for fourteen years, during which time it received great critical and commercial acclaim, including wins for an Eisner Award, a Reuben Award, and a GLADD Award for Best Comic. Terry would follow it up with Echo, Rachael Rising, Motor Girls, Serial, and the more recent Parker Girls. With consistent, thoughtful, and innovative storytelling, Moore has built a devoted following in comic shops.
“I first met Terry and Robyn Moore back in the early 2000s when they were exhibiting at an ALA (American Library Association) Annual Conference. This was a time when graphic novels were just getting a foothold into libraries and bookstores,” said Rich Johnson, Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Diamond Book Distributors. “It was a new category and in some ways Terry’s slice-of-life books were ahead of their time for these markets. The time is finally right to introduce Terry Moore to a new audience.”
“I’m proud that Abstract Studio has chosen Diamond Books to be its partner in bringing out new editions of Strangers in Paradise,” said Tony Lutkus, President of Diamond Book Distributors. “Terry’s storytelling is beloved, timeless, and always groundbreaking—Strangers in Paradise is one of the few series ever to have won GLAAD’s Outstanding Comic Book Award multiple times. Terry’s outstanding works deserve to be found on bookstore and library shelves everywhere.”
Strangers In Paradise Volume 1 will be published with a new format and cover in June 2023, with Volume 2 releasing in October 2023.
