Beyond Comics

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Beyond Comics
FounderGraig Weich
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationNew York City, New York
DistributionDiamond Comics Distributors
Key peopleGraig Weich, CEO/Owner
Publication typesComics, graphic novels, posters, trading cards
Nonfiction topicsAwards: HBO sponsored UAS - Animation Award in BSB , NY IIFVF Award - Best Action Short , Comic Book Golden Panel Award
ImprintsGekido , Code Name: Justice , Ravedactyl
Owner(s)Beyond Comics Inc.
No. of employeesCompany Mentors: Todd McFarlane, Walter Simonson, Klaus Janson, Denny O'Neil, Carmine Infantino, Joe Orlando and Sal Amendola
Official websitehttp://www.BeyondComics.TV

Beyond Comics is a U.S. publishing company distributed by Diamond Comics Distributors. Beyond Comics publishes the five titles: Gekido, Code Name: Justice, Ravedactyl, Justice, and Gekido vs. Code Name: Justice, all created by Beyond Comics' Graig Weich, an independent comics writer/artist, known as the spokesperson and founder of Beyond Comics and the creator of the characters.

Early life

Beyond Comics was launched by Graig Weich who began reading comic books as a child, finding in them a sense of hope and inspiration when he was bullied as a child. Weich comments, "When my friends and I were bullied, I thought, 'If we were superheroes, we could defend the kids being attacked.'"[1]

Career history

Before Beyond Comics became a publishing company, it started out as an art studio founded by Weich with its first commissioned and published comic book artwork being a two-page color pinup poster drawn by Weich in Todd McFarlane's Spawn #30, which depicted the eponymous character, Spawn confronting his adversary Angela, published in 1995 when Weich was a teenager.[2][3]

After the September 11 attacks, Beyond Comics, who had been planning to launch their first comic book, had their founder Graig Weich speak with some children who informed him that they did not feel there were any heroes that they could identify with. In response, Beyond Comics and Weich created the superhero Justice, a man who, following the passing of his girlfriend in the World Trade Center, wears an American flag as a mask, and decides to take it upon himself to confront terrorists. Beyond Comics published the comic with Weich who created the character in order to symbolize hope and a sense of empowerment for civilians. The first years proceeds from the first tribute issue titled Civilian Justice was donated to The Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York with the families from Windows on the World (R.O.C. N.Y.) H.E.R.E Fund, which aided victims and families of non-union workers who lost their lives in the attacks. Next, at the New York City Comic Book Museum's first annual Golden Panel Awards in October 2002, which honors creators who legitimize the comics medium, Beyond Comics with Weich were awarded the Golden Panel Award.[4] An original Civilian Justice piece was also displayed in the exhibit "Heroes Among Us: The Art of 9-11".[5]

Media appearances

Gekido No. 1

Beyond Comics' was featured with Weich as its spokesperson on the Fox TV show with the episode titled "A Comic Book, a Violin and a Hoarder" on the August 24, 2011 premiere episode of the FOX reality television appraisal series Buried Treasure, in which Leigh and Leslie Keno of Antiques Roadshow appraise valuable items for their owners. This episode was rebroadcast on CNBC in 2015.

Beyond Comics subsequently had Weich appear as their spokesperson on AMC's Comic Book Men episode titled "Life After Clerks", for the February 9, 2012 episode of the reality television series, where he goes to the Kevin Smith Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash store.[6] Beyond Comics later appeared with Weich in two more episodes, in Season 2 on the episode titled "Con Men" where they featured Beyond Comics' spokesperson Weich and their super heroes Code Name: Justice with Ravedactyl plus showing the Gekido comic with all of them standing beside Comic Book Men's Mike Zapcic, and appearing again for Season 3 as well.[3][7][8][9]

Beyond Comics' company comic book studio and art they created were featured with Weich appearing on E! Entertainment Television's episode titled "Baby Got Super Powers", the December 2, 2012 episode of the reality TV series Ice Loves Coco, in which Beyond Comics cast model Coco Austin as a super heroine character in his comic book "Gekido".[10][11] The character appeared in the book Gekido, and Coco appeared as the scantily-clad super heroine at the 2012 New York Comic Con to promote it. [12]

The Howard Stern Show's Lisa G covered the story for the Howard 100 News of Beyond Comics having Weich draw Stern-Show producer Gary Dell'Abate as a Ninja in their comic book Gekido along with Coco[13][14][15][16] According to Weich, the character Gekido (which means Rage in Japanese) is a centuries-old man wearing modern-day samurai-like body armor on a mission to confront the world's oldest Ninja clan to stop their plans for world domination, using a mystical artifact that may destroy the world.[1][3] Other celebrities that Beyond Comics has officially cast as characters in their comics include Donald Faison, Adrianne Curry, Gary Dell'Abate and Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa. [3]"E! Ice Loves Coco "Baby Got Super Powers" 03x06 Promo". EonlineCanada. YouTube.

Coco Austin and Beyond Comics founder Graig Weich being filmed for E! TV's Ice Loves Coco at New York Comic Con

Afterward, Beyond Comics' spokesperson, Weich, was then featured showing their collectible art on the (March 14, 2013) VH1 TV show For What It's Worth with hosts Gary Dell'Abate and Jon Hein (producers of the The Howard Stern Show).[17]

Next, Beyond Comics with Weich was featured on the (August 19, 2015) FOX TV Day Time Talk Show Ice & Coco.[18]

Beyond Comics' spokesperson, Weich, is an avid Star Wars supporter and even cast Dave Prowse ("Darth Vader") in Beyond Comics' film that won the award sited below. Beyond Comics' spokesperson Weich was also featured in the 2016 Newsweek Magazine Star Wars Special Edition (page 77), and on Yahoo News when being present at the Disney Store in Times Square, Manhattan for the September 4, 2015 midnight commencement of Force Friday, premiering merchandise related to the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[19]

Awards

  • 2002 Honorary Golden Panel Award (for Beyond Comics' Civilian Justice)[4]
  • 2003 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival Award for Best Short Film (for Beyond Comics' Ravedactyl: Project Evolution)[20] through founder Stuart Alson's itndistribution.com
  • 2014 HBO sponsored Urban Action Showcase Film Festival Expo Award for Best Animated Short Film (Blood, Sweat and Bones) (for Beyond Comics' Ravedactyl Vs. Code Name: Justice)[21]

Nominations

  • 2014 Urban Action Showcase Film Festival Award, 2Min Warning category (for Beyond Comics' 'Code Name: Justice')[22]
  • 2014 Urban Action Showcase Film Festival Award, Blood Sweat & Bones: Short Film Showdown (for Beyond Comics' 'Code Name: Justice')[22]

Further reading

  • Myricks, Dan (June 11, 2014). "Going Big! Focus Entrepreneur of the Month: Beyond Comics' Graig Weich - Focus of New York Swim 2014". Focus of New York Swim 2014 pp. 94–95.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b Orel, Gwen (December 13, 2013). "See you in the funny papers, Montclair". NorthJersey.com.
  2. ^ Orzechowski, Tom (Editor). Spawn #30 (April 1995). Image Comics. pp. 23-24.
  3. ^ a b c d Lawton, Adam (October 29, 2013). "Graig Weich talks about comic 'Gekido' and AMC series 'Comic Book Men'". Media Mikes.
  4. ^ a b Robinson, Bryan (November 18, 2002). "Comics on Par with Picasso". ABC News.
  5. ^ Weiland, Jonah (October 23, 2002). "NYC Comic Book Museum presents Golden Panel Awards, 'Heroes Among Us' exhibited". Comic Book Resources.
  6. ^ "AMC's Comic Book Men clip". Comic Book Men. February 19, 2012.
  7. ^ "AMC's Comic Book Men". Comic Book Men. March 7, 2013.
  8. ^ "IMDB - AMC's Comic Book Men". IMDB. March 7, 2013.
  9. ^ "IMDB - AMC's Comic Book Men - Ep - Con Men". IMDB. March 7, 2013.
  10. ^ "E! Ice Loves Coco "Baby Got Super Powers" Promo". Eonline. YouTube. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  11. ^ "New York Comic Con 2012". Daily News (New York). October 12, 2012.
  12. ^ Neuenschwander, Andy (December 2, 2012)."Ice Loves Coco Recap: Baby Got Super Powers". E!.
  13. ^ "Howard 100 News - H100 News: Gary gets drawn into a comic book.". Twitter/SternShow. Augest 28, 2012.
  14. ^ "The Most Bootyful Superhero Ever! Coco’s Curves Take On Comic-Con". Radar Online. November 30, 2012.
  15. ^ "Coco the comic book…". Bleeding Cool News. December 3, 2012.
  16. ^ "The Coco Blog". Coco Austin. April 17, 2013.
  17. ^ "For What It's Worth". VH1.
  18. ^ "Ice & Coco". IMDB.
  19. ^ [1]
  20. ^ "New York International Independent Film & Video Festival". nyfilmvideo.com
  21. ^ "Urban Action Showcase Film Festival Expo" (sponsored by HBO's Cinemax ). http://www.urbanactionshowcase.com
  22. ^ a b "Urban Action Showcase Film Festival Expo" (sponsored by HBO's Cinemax ). http://www.urbanactionshowcase.com
  23. ^ "Going Big! Focus Entrepreneur of the Month: Beyond Comics' Graig Weich - Focus of New York Swim 2014". http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/752971

Further reading

External links


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