DSTLRY

DSTLRY (pronounced "Distillery") is an independent creator-owned American comic book publisher founded in May 2023. It was founded by David Steinberger and Chip Mosher.

DSTLRY

Status	Active
Founded	May 2023 (2023-05)
Founder	David Steinberger and Chip Mosher
Country of origin	United States
Publication types	Comics
Fiction genres	Sci-fi Horror Fantasy
Official website	www.dstlry.co

DSTLRY publishes original comics, graphic novels, and merchandise that are intended to cater to both collectors of physical and digital content. Digital issues go on sale for a week, in which fans are able to buy comics directly from the company, after which owners are able to buy and sell comics on DSTLRY's secondary market.

History

David Steinberger, the co-founder and former chief executive officer of comiXology and Chip Mosher, the former head of content at comiXology, announced DSTLRY on April 13, 2023 in The New York Times.^[1]

David Steinberger said that DSTLRY will focus on ethics, creator empowerment, and equity. Along with up-front participation by the founding creators, DSTLRY sets aside an additional 3% of company equity to be distributed among the creators who have projects released within the first three years. This equity will be distributed based of performance of titles.^[1]

As reported by Forbes, David Steinberger stated, "One of the biggest things that made comiXology successful was our understanding of the industry pain points. Obviously we want to correct the situation with creator rights by giving them real equity and ownership. If they contribute to the success of our brand, they get to benefit from that. When you align the interests of the creator and the publisher, we all share in the rewards." Further more Steinberger continued, "We want to avoid all the scams and issues associated with crypto, so there are no wallets, no NFTs, no cryptocurrency components. At the same time, we recognize that collectability is a fundamental part of the comics community. When we did straight digital distribution, we were only able to get about 15% of the total market. With DSTLRY, rather than fighting against the collector aspect, we are playing into it."^[1]

Publication history

DSTLRY's debut publication, The Devil's Cut, received 50,000 orders from comic book retailers and sales made from San Diego Comic-Con. The Devil's Cut contains 11 different stories, all from the founding creators. This initial issue is never to be re-printed in its initial 88 page format. Many of the stories in The Devil's Cut expanded into comic book series in the fourth quarter of 2023. The DSTLRY co-founders Chip Mosher and David Steinberger said in a joint statement, "We're overjoyed by The Devil's Cut's reception... Our goal is to provide the most nurturing environment for creators to craft their best work and package that into premium formats. We couldn't be happier that retailers are as excited by The Devil's Cut as we are."^[2]

In October 2023 DSTLRY launched its first title, Gone, a 48-page science fiction adventure written, drawn and colored by Jock as a continuation of his 8-page story, "The Stowaway" from The Devil's Cut.^[3]

In November 2023, the company published Somna, which was written and drawn by both Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay. The series is described as "an intoxicating blend of horror, eroticism, and the supernatural."^[4] Somna was the recipient of the 2024 Eisner Award for Best New Series.

Founding creators

• Mirka Andolfo
• Brian Azzarello
• Marc Bernardin
• Elsa Charretier
• Becky Cloonan
• Lee Garbett
• Jock
• Joëlle Jones
• Tula Lotay
• Jamie McKelvie
• Junko Mizuno
• Stephanie Phillips
• Scott Snyder
• James Tynion IV
• Ram V^{[citation needed][5]}

List of publications

Series

Title	Issues	Writer	Artist	Colorist	Start date	Conclusion date
Gone	#1–3	Jock			October 4, 2023[6]	April 24, 2024
Somna		Becky Cloonan Tula Lotay		Lee Loughridge Dee Cunniffe	November 15, 2023[7]	March 27, 2024
Blasfamous		Mirka Andolfo			December 20, 2023[8]	June 19, 2024
White Boat		Scott Snyder	Francesco Francavilla		March 20, 2024[9]	February 5, 2025
Spectregraph		James Tynion IV	Christian Ward		April 10, 2024[9]	December 24, 2024
The Blood Brothers Mother		Brian Azzarello	Eduardo Risso		May 1, 2024[9]	February 5, 2025
Life	#1–6	Brian Azzarrello Stephanie Phillips	Danijel Zezelj	Lee Loughridge	August 21, 2024[10]	January 8, 2025
The Big Burn	#1–3	Joe Henderson	Lee Garbett	Lee Loughridge	July 24, 2024	January 8, 2025
The Missionary		Ryan Stegman	Jason Howard	Tamra Bonvillain	September 4, 2024[10]	To be confirmed
Time Waits	#1–3	Chip Zdarsky David Brothers	Matt Wilson	Tamra Bonvillain	September 11, 2024[10]
One for Sorrow	#1–3	Jamie McKelvie			November 6, 2024[11]
The City Beneath Her Feet		James Tynion IV	Elsa Charretier	Jordie Bellaire	December 11, 2024
Warm Fusion		Scott Hoffman	Alberto Ponticelli	Lee Loughridge	December 11, 2024
You Won't Feel a Thing		Scott Snyder	Jock	Jock Lee Loughridge	January 15, 2025
Endeavor		Stephanie Phillips	Marc Laming	Lee Loughridge	February 5, 2025
Through Red Windows		Ram V.	Joëlle Jones	TBA	February 26, 2025
8 Rules to Make It Out in One Piece		Pierrick Colinet Elsa Charretier	Elsa Charretier	Nick Filardi	TBA
Shepherd		Marc Bernardin	Ariela Kristantina	Lee Loughridge

One-shots

Title	Writer(s)	Artist(s)	Colorist(s)	Release date
The Devil's Cut	Scott Snyder Brian Azzarello Marc Bernardin James Tynion IV Ram V. Stephanie Phillips Becky Cloonan Jamie McKelvie Jock Mirka Andolfo Tula Lotay Elsa Charretier & Pierrick Colinet	Becky Cloonan Jamie McKelvie Mirka Andolfo Tula Lotay Elsa Charretier Eduardo Risso Francesco Francavilla Lee Garbett Jock Christian Ward Joëlle Jones Junko Mizuno Ariela Kristantina	Lee Loughridge Nick Filardi	August 30, 2023[12]
Come Find Me: An Autumnal Offering	Becky Cloonan Celine Loup Molly Mendoza Vanesa R. Del Rey Joe Pavelka	Becky Cloonan Celine Loup Molly Mendoza Vanesa R. Del Rey Andrew Betsch HamletMachine	TBA	October 30, 2024
Through the Boughs: A Yuletide Offering	Patrick McHale James Tynion IV Sweeney Boo Ryan Andrews K. Wroten Molly Mendoza Grim Wilkins	Jim Campbell Grim Wilkins Jensine Eckwall Sweeney Boo Molly Mendoza Ryan Andrews K. Wroten	TBA	December 11, 2024

References

1. Salkowitz, Rob. "Ex-Amazon Execs Announce New Comics And Collectibles Venture DSTLRY". Forbes. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
2. Johnston, Rich (August 19, 2023). "The Devil's Cut From Dstlry Got Over 50,000 Orders". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
3. Johnston, Rich (July 20, 2023). "Gone by Jock From Dstlry Will Cover Diamond's Previews". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
4. Johnston, Rich (August 21, 2023). "Becky Cloonan & Tula Lotay's Somna #1 in Dstlry November 2023 Solicits". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
5. Johnston, Rich (April 13, 2023). "From The Ashes Of ComiXology Rises DSTLRY – Full Creator List". Bleeding Cool.
6. Brooke, David (July 20, 2023). "New details emerge for DSTLRY series 'Gone' by Jock". Adventures in Poor Taste. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
7. Johnston, Rich (August 21, 2023). "Becky Cloonan & Tula Lotay's Somna #1 in Dstlry November 2023 Solicits". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
8. Johnston, Rich (September 16, 2023). "Mirka Andolfo Launches Blasfamous #1 in Dstlry December 2023 Solicits". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
9. Johnston, Rich (December 17, 2023). "Snyder, Tynion IV & Azzarello New Comics in Dstlry March 2024 Solicits". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
10. Johnston, Rich (May 23, 2024). "Life #1, Missionary #1 & Time Waits #1 in Dstlry August 2024 Solicits". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
11. "JAMIE MCKELVIE Q&A: MYSTERY, MURDER, AND GOTHIC VICTORIAN SPLENDOR OF ONE FOR SORROW". DSTLRY. September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
12. Brooke, David (May 22, 2023). "DSTLRY sheds light on first title 'The Devil's Cut' out August 2023". Adventures in Poor Taste. Retrieved August 21, 2023.