Top Cow, Underdog
Local comics publisher survives and thrives in the shadow of DC and Marvel
"America has only invented two art forms: comic books and jazz, both of which are more popular overseas."
Matthew Hawkins, president of Los Angeles comic book publishing house Top Cow, might sound like an embattled executive, but theoretically, he should have less to worry about than the 50 other boutique publishers vying for the 15 percent of the market left uncontrolled by publishing giants DC and Marvel.
In one of the bloodiest years for the industry - six publishers folded - Top Cow boasts big-time film and TV adaptations. These include a movie starring Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman, based on the graphic novel Wanted, and the anime show adapted from Top Cow's Witchblade, which unexpectedly proved successful in the competitive Japanese market. Top Cow even has a five-year plan, a rarity in the volatile comic book industry.
At the company's miniature office in West L.A., nearly a dozen staff members are huddled in five undersized rooms. The place looks exactly as it should: ugly scarlet carpeting; young men working in the dark, their faces lit only by their computer screens; and every surface covered with the pages of sprawling illustration, terse storylines, and supernatural heroes and heroines.
While much smaller than Marvel or DC - Top Cow publishes a handful of comics each month to every hundred the giants put forth - the company has made a name for itself by taking chances. "We try to be edgy," Hawkins said. "Marvel and DC own so much of the market and they own superheroes. A lot of the stuff that we do isn't superheroes; it's a lot more supernatural, violent, and sexy."
Case in point: "The Magdalena," a female character created on the premise that female descendants of Mary Magdalene have been enlisted by the Roman Catholic Church to battle evil in all its incarnations. The avenger spouts religious dogma, is ungodly sexy, and experiences no end of inner turmoil as she slowly uncovers corruption in the Church and must shift her own loyalties.
Despite the arguably fetishistic renderings of females, Top Cow's fan base includes women drawn to its wide range of heroines, including Sara Pezzini of Witchblade.
Indeed, the Witchblade compendium is a thing of comic glory: page after page of NYPD homicide detective Pezzini battling evil, armed only with an ancient and enigmatic witchblade weapon and a laughably small waist. It costs a fortune, both to print and to buy, and dwarfs a brick.
"Nobody does that," Hawkins said. "People publish these thick books in black and white and they're usually 25 to 30 dollars. Nobody publishes giant books like that in color. The problem is that people are afraid to try new things because they'll lose money. One advantage for us is that we don't have a board of directors that we have to report to, so a lot of times we do crazy shit." (The compendiums are now on their third printing.)
Hawkins, garrulous and freckled, takes a sip from his Rock Star energy drink. At 38, just as he's found himself firmly embedded in the business of publishing comics, he wonders if his age is about to become a liability. "I'm almost at the top end of the demographic. Am I out of touch? I almost use myself as an anti-barometer. If there's one of our books that I really dig, that makes me more concerned," he says.
That anti-barometer has worked. As the company proudly attests, Top Cow is the number one independent comic book publisher in average sales per title over the last 12 years. Hawkins recalls the days he worked 80 to 100 hours a week trying to get the company on its feet.
"It's really weird," he says. "People look at us now like, 'Wow, you guys are an overnight sensation.' Well, we've been at it for over 15 years."
Published: 09/20/2007
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