Michael Catron
| Michael Catron | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 9, 1954 |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Publisher |
Notable works | Fantagraphics Books Apple Comics |
| https://web.archive.org/web/20120204152235/http://homepage.mac.com/mikecatron/Main/Menu64.html | |
Michael Catron (born October 9, 1954)[1] is an American comic book editor and publisher. He is former publisher of Apple Comics and co-founder of Fantagraphics.
Biography
Catron met Gary Groth while they were both enrolled at the University of Maryland. In 1974, Catron and Groth put on a Washington, DC-area rock and roll convention that ended in financial failure. Nonetheless, he and Groth dabbled in music publishing with the short-lived magazine Sounds Fine,[2] which they co-published until 1979. During this period, Catron also worked as a public relations assistant for Mike Gold, at the time employed by DC Comics.[3]
In 1976 Catron and Groth co-founded Fantagraphics Books, at that point located in College Park, Maryland. They took over an adzine named The Nostalgia Journal, quickly renaming it The Comics Journal.[citation needed] Catron acted as Fantagraphics' co-publisher until 1985, also handling advertising and circulation for The Comics Journal from 1982 to 1985, when he left the company.[3]
In 1986, Catron established Apple Comics, which began as a packager for Wendy & Richard Pini's WaRP Graphics but with its own financing structure.[4] Soon, Apple branched out to publishing original titles, and became known for publishing war comics, particularly the long-running title Vietnam Journal (as well as many spin-offs and one-shots). Apple Comics went defunct in 1994.
From 2000 to 2008 he served as a board member for the Grand Comics Database.[5]
Catron has been the agent for the estate of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster.[6]
In early 2012, Catron relocated to Seattle and returned to Fantagraphics as editor with the publishing company he co-founded 36 years earlier.[7][8]
References
- ^ Miller, John Jackson (June 10, 2005). "Comics Industry Birthdays". Comics Buyer's Guide. Archived from the original on October 30, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Matos, Michelangelo (September 15, 2004). "Saved by the Beagle". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.
- ^ WaRP Titles Now Under Apple Aegis," The Comics Journal #110 (August 1986), p. 17.
- ^ GCD Documentation: The Board
- ^ Kaye, Edward. "Winners of the 2011 Joe Shuster Awards Announced!" Hypergeek (June 18, 2011).
- ^ Spurgeon, Tom. "CR Newsmaker Interview: Mike Catron" The Comics Reporter (Fefruary 5, 2012).
- ^ Baehr, Mike. "Welcome back Mike Catron & Preston White!" The Comics Journal Blog (Fefruary 6, 2012).
External links
- "Michael Catron's Home Pager". Archived from the original on February 4, 2012.