Indie publisher shines the spotlight on a creator who was a key part of their early comics journey.
LOS ANGELES, August 26, 2024 – After making a splash in the Diamond PREVIEWS catalog for July, Cosmic Lion Productions is back with its latest round of offerings that will hit comics retail stores in November. In addition to continuing new work from one of indie comics’ modern legends, the publisher will release a new comic from one of their influences, which hearkens back to their early days as a young comics fan.
First up, Cosmic Lion is proud to release the next chapter in their Matt Howarth library, Termite Mound #2. Howarth began his career in the heady world of fanzines in the late 1960s, but rose to prominence in the ‘80s and ‘90s with Those Annoying Post Bros, before going on to create work for Fantagraphics, Mirage Studios (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and Ripoff Press.
Rescued from Howarth’s ‘90s era vaults, Termite Mound is a brand new sci-fi epic that stands alongside the work he created with Star Crossed and Keif Llama. When one man climbs to the top of the termite mound, will his daring act free a society under siege? And will the mysterious dreadlocked man keep him safe along the way? This three-issue saga kicks off Cosmic Lion’s wider Matt Howarth Library and reintroduces the creator to a modern indie comics audience.
Continuing the theme of reintroductions, Cosmic Lion’s other release for November is a deeply personal offering – and a genuine homecoming of sorts – as publisher Eli Schwab goes back to his comic roots with one of his earliest influences, Gary Cramer.
“Gary is from my hometown and worked in the comic shop I went to when I was growing up,” explains Schwab, “He also created the very first independent comic I ever bought. On a recent trip home to sort through my collection, I found the comic and looked Gary up online to discover he was still making new material. I immediately wrote to tell him about Cosmic Lion and that I was a publisher now. We struck up a friendship, and that has resulted in me publishing his latest comic. It’s a full-circle moment and I just love telling that story.”
In Parafrenic, Cramer and his collaborator, Tate Griffen, tell the story of half-man half-monster Paris Larkoff (a.k.a. Parafrenic) as he tries to navigate the dangerous Vagrant Street. How will he survive the creepy crazy creatures that inhabit it while trying to make a buck as an actor in a world where it isn’t always evident that the cameras have started (or stopped) rolling? Featuring truly unique stories with organic and authentic cultural references (consistent with creators who grew up in the ‘70s and ‘80s), incredibly detailed art, and more monsters per panel than any comic out there, Parafrenic is an entertaining and completely original offering in the world of comic books that must be seen – and read – to be believed!
Both titles are listed and available to order in the September PREVIEWS catalog for November on-sale. Further issues of the Matt Howarth Library and other new releases will follow each month as Cosmic Lion continues to bring readers the best of modern and legendary indie comics creators.
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