An Interview With Jesse Dubin of 8th Wonder Press (Denver Comic Con 2015)

Written by Neil Greenaway

At Denver Comic Con 2015 I had the chance to sit down and talk with Jesse Dubin of 8th Wonder Press about his take on publishing indie comics. This interview originally ran on Bleeding Cool on 05/26/2015, and you can read their version of it here.

Jesse Dubin of 8th Wonder Press.

Neil Greenaway: First off, what is the name of your book?

Jesse Dubin: Uncanny Adventures is our anthology series. It started three years ago. The latest edition is Uncanny Adventures: Duo, which is a three part mini-series made up entirely of two page comic stories.

NG: As a local indie publisher, do you see any boost in exposure from attending Denver Comic Con?

JD: Absolutely. A lot of folks don’t understand, or don’t know that there is a large comic environment in their own community. So you don’t have to go to San Diego or Wizard World in order to have a meaningful experience involving comic creators.

Jesse Dubin with 8th Wonder Press books.

NG: How did you get into publishing indie comics?

JD: I kind of got tired of not seeing the comics that I wanted in the world. As everything got darker and more grim, I kind of wanted to see the other side. There are some really inspirational books out there like Atomic Robo and the kind of fun stuff like that, that we weren’t seeing at the time. So I thought, well I wonder if I could find people doing those kind of stories that I’m interested in and helping get them out there. And sure enough, there are those people. So it’s really rewarding. Interestingly enough, Marvel, DC, and other big companies have now started going lighter, so I know that I was not the only one.

8th Wonder Press Draw Your Own Comics Strip Paper.

NG: Is there a decent network of comic creators to work with in Denver?

JD: Absolutely! There are a ton of local folks. We’re fortunate to work with Dan Conner and Mr. V. I would say that 45-50% of our total books are local to the Denver area.

Uncanny Adventures: Duo #1 from 8th Wonder Press.

NG: Do you feel that as a publisher, you have gained (or lost) any advantage by being located in Denver?

JD: In terms of finding creators and working with people, we’ve had a huge advantage. There are very good communities of creators and artists here to work with, and everyone is very welcoming.

Denver Comic Con can be a bit of an island in terms of getting out to present your books to other people, so we’ve done Salt Lake, Kansas City and Planet Comic Con. The East Coast has another big show every weekend. So it is easier to make the circuit and meet connections out there. But in terms of making quality comics and finding content and creators, Denver is great.

8th Wonder Press books.

NG: In your eyes, is there a benefit to working in indie books as opposed to work for the Big Two?

JD: Yes. When you are an indie creator, you own 100% of what you make, and that’s a BIG deal. Our books, even though we print artists work, we do not own anything. All we are acquiring is the stories to print, and get out there, but they own every piece of the work they produce for us. Which I think is the big draw. A lot of the smaller presses offer that sort of deal. And truthfully, the Big Two, they want to see published indie work before you can get a job working on Batman. So it is also sort of how folks come up the ranks these days.

NG: Any final thoughts for the day?

JD: Just that we are always looking for talented creators that are looking for ways to get their work out there. Folks who maybe haven’t been printed before, and they are just looking for that opportunity. Everyone is invited. So hit us up at www.8thWonderPress.com or on Facebook or Twitter at 8th Wonder Press. We love meeting people, and look forward to talking to them.