Schedule Monthly Number of issues (vol 1)
50
(vol. 2)
21 The Best of Negative Burn, Year One ISBN 0-941613-69-0 | Format Ongoing series Editor(s) Joe Pruett | |
 | ||
Publication date (vol 1)
January 1993 – December 1997
(vol. 2)
May 2006 – June 2008 Publishers Caliber Comics, Image Comics, Desperado Publishing Similar Deadworld, Flaming Carrot Comics, Iron Empires, Tomorrow Stories, Judgment Day | ||
Negative Burn is a black-and-white anthology comic book published beginning in 1993 by Caliber Press, and subsequently by Image Comics and Desperado Publishing. Edited by Joe Pruett, Negative Burn is noted for its eclectic range of genres, mixture of established comics veterans and new talents, and promotion of creative experimentation.
Contents
Publication history
The first volume of Negative Burn ended with issue 50 in 1997. Revived by Image and Desperado in 2005 with two seasonal specials, Negative Burn returned to a monthly format in 2006. The first eleven issues of the new volume were published by Image; the title is now exclusively published by Desperado.
A typical issue of Negative Burn might include a number of stand-alone stories; a new chapter of a longer, serialized piece; recurring features such as Brian Bolland’s “Mr. Mamoulian”; and a sketchbook section. The sketchbook featured studies, rough drawings, and never-before-seen artwork by a single illustrator. Artists such as Dave Dorman, Michael William Kaluta, David Mazzucchelli, Terry Moore, P. Craig Russell, Greg Ruth, Charles Vess, and even Neil Gaiman have been featured in the sketchbook section.
Desperado Publisher Pruett views the new incarnation of Negative Burn is a potential launching pad for new creators: "I’m offering Negative Burn as a way for a new creator to break in with us. If a creator shows promise and potential with his/her short story contributions then I might try to find them work with an already established creator or title in our library of titles, such as Dalibor Talajic and Federico Dallocchio with Deadworld and Will Volley with Antoine Sharp. I believe there needs to be an outlet for new talent . . . and [I] will try to do what I can to help them."
Regarding Negative Burn's current sales, Pruett said "it has the advantage of being a well-known commodity from it’s long run in the 90’s, but even then it suffers from the consistent month-to-month drop in sales that is the rule of thumb in the marketplace. As long as we can break even with Negative Burn I’ll keep it going."
The title was scheduled to return for a third time, as a yearly, in 2009 from Desperado as a 200-page trade paperback anthology. After a November 2009 announcement that Desperado was becoming an imprint of IDW Publishing the 2009 paperback was canceled in 2010 June and was re-solicited in April 2010 to be published in June 2010 by IDW Publishing but has since been canceled. (ISBN 1600108105).
Creators
Notable Negative Burn contributors include Brian Bolland, Alan Moore, P. Craig Russell, Dave Johnson, Dave Gibbons, Evan Dorkin, Phil Hester, Arthur Adams, Edvin Biuković, Bob Burden, Zander Cannon, Mark Chiarello, Guy Davis, Michael Gaydos, Dean Haspiel, Darko Macan, Mike Wieringo, Terry Moore, Brian Michael Bendis, Josh Neufeld, Ron Kasman, Patton Oswalt, Paul Pope, Jim Mahfood, Moebius, Roxanne Starr, Mike Perkins and Tony Harris.
Awards
Negative Burn has been nominated for over twenty comics industry awards, including the Harvey Award, the Eisner Award, the Eagle Award, the Don Thompson Award, and many others. In addition, the collection Negative Burn: The Best from 1993-1998 was named by Diamond Comic Distributors' Scoop e-newsletter as a Top Ten Trade Paperback of 2005.
Collected editions
