A Distant Soil
| A Distant Soil | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the first issue (1983 series) |
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | WaRP Graphics (1983–1986) Starblaze Graphics (1987–1989) Aria Press (1990-1995) Image Comics (1996-present) |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publication date | December 1983 – December 2006 |
| Number of issues | 38 |
| Main character(s) | Jason Liana |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Colleen Doran |
| Artist(s) | Colleen Doran |
| Inker(s) | WaRP Colleen Doran |
| Letterer(s) | WaRP Bob Pinaha |
| Colorist(s) | WaRP Colleen Doran |
| Creator(s) | Colleen Doran |
| Editor(s) | WaRP Kay Reynolds |
| Collected editions | |
| The Gathering | ISBN 1887279512 |
A Distant Soil is a science fiction/fantasy comic book series written and illustrated by Colleen Doran, and is the work for which she is best known.
The story, which Doran created at the age of twelve, centers on a young girl who is born heir to an alien religious dynasty, and explores issues of politics, gender identity, and tolerance.
Its strong characterization and elegant art style has inspired the Young Adult Library Services Association to profile the book in their quarterly journal, and it has been nominated for the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards for Best Science Fiction in the Other category in 2001.
Contents |
[edit] Publication history
A Distant Soil was originally published by Wendy and Richard Pini's WaRP Graphics, but Doran subsequently left the company due to an acrimonious dispute with Richard Pini, who she alleged was attempting to claim copyright on her work.[1][2][3] The WaRP version of the story has never been reprinted, despite its unusual all-pencil style, although in one collected volume of the new series Doran did reprint the short Distant Soil story "R & R" that had appeared in a WaRP anthology.
After leaving WaRP, Colleen went on to completely rewrite and redraw the entire A Distant Soil series from scratch, initially for Starblaze Graphics. When The Donning Company, the parent company, folded Starblaze, Doran began self-publishing it under the Aria Press imprint, starting from the beginning yet again. (The ending of the Cold War necessitated some revision to political references in early chapters.)
Some years later Doran moved the series to Image Comics, where it is now in multiple printings as a series of trade paperbacks. The first volume has had four printings, and it is now in its fourth collected volume. It has sold, collectively, more than 500,000 copies.[citation needed]
[edit] Collected editions
The series has been collected into a number of trade paperbacks:
At The Donning Company the volumes were:
- Volume 1: Immigrant Song (collects A Distant Soil #1-4, 68 pages, The Donning Company, April 1989, ISBN 0-89865-514-5)
- Volume 2: Knights of the Angel (collects A Distant Soil #5-9, 120 pages, The Donning Company, April 1989, ISBN 0-89865-557-9)
The Image Comics collections are:
- Volume 1: The Gathering (collects A Distant Soil #1-13, 240 pages, Image Comics, June 1999, ISBN 1-887279-51-2)
- Volume 2: The Ascendant (collects A Distant Soil #13-25, 240 pages, Image Comics, November 1998, ISBN 1-58240-018-0)
- Volume 3: The Aria (collects A Distant Soil #26-31, 164 pages, Image Comics, July 2001, ISBN 1-58240-201-9)
- Volume 4: The Coda (collects A Distant Soil #32-38, 184 pages, Image Comics, softcover, March 2006, ISBN 1-58240-478-X, hardcover, November 2005, ISBN 1-58240-525-5)
[edit] Notes
- ^ "The Battle for A Distant Soil," The Comics Journal #108 (May 1986), pp. 7-12.
- ^ "Doran/WaRP Dispute Now Settled," The Comics Journal #110 (August 1986), p. 17.
- ^ "Donning Sues WaRP," The Comics Journal #123 (July 1988), p. 8-9.
[edit] References
- A Distant Soil (WaRP Graphics) at the Grand Comics Database
- A Distant Soil (WaRP Graphics) at the Comic Book DB
- A Distant Soil (Aria Press) at the Grand Comics Database
- A Distant Soil (Image Comics) at the Grand Comics Database
- A Distant Soil (Image Comics) at the Comic Book DB
