COMIXOLOGY VETERANS DAVID STEINBERGER & CHIP MOSHER LAUNCH DSTLRY, A DIGITAL & PRINT PUBLISHER THAT PUTS COMIC CREATORS & COLLECTORS FIRST
DSTLRY Transforms the Creator-Publisher Landscape with Innovative Deals; Focused on Premium Comics & Collectibles that Empower Fans with a StubHub-Style Resellable Digital Marketplace
ComiXology co-founder and former CEO David Steinberger and former comiXology Head of Content Chip Mosher unveiled today DSTLRY, a next-generation comics publisher that redefines creator-owned comic books and collectibles. DSTLRY offers customers limited physical and digital item drops, available online or in-store at local comic shops, while providing creators with fairer deals alongside company ownership. The co-founders have been working on the project in stealth mode since departing comiXology/Amazon in summer 2022.
DSTLRY’s investors include international publishing giants Kodansha USA and Groupe Delcourt, as well as video game luminary John Schappert, superstar tech strategist Mike Vorhaus, and legendary producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura—the last three make up DSTLRY’s Advisory Board. These world-class advisors are committed to DSTLRY’s vision for premium content, hassle-free digital collectibles, and a more equitable comics industry.
“Chip and David have a rare pairing of skills, the ability to recognize true artistry and the technological wherewithal to elevate it,” said Lorenzo di Bonaventura, legendary film producer and advisor/investor in DSTLRY. “Artistic growth is spurred when its creators are nurtured and properly compensated for their achievements. This new system and its shared equity model will provide an invigorating environment which will foster great storytelling.”
DSTLRY’s Founding Creators include renowned writers and artists such as Scott Snyder (Batman, Wytches), Tula Lotay (Barnstormers), James Tynion IV (Something Is Killing the Children, The Joker War), Junko Mizuno (Pure Trance, Ravina the Witch?), Ram V (Detective Comics, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr), Mirka Andolfo (Sweet Paprika, Mercy), Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer, Catwoman), Jock (Batman: One Dark Knight, Wytches), Becky Cloonan (Wonder Woman, Batgirls), Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets, Joker), Elsa Charretier (Love Everlasting, November), Stephanie Phillips (Grim, Harley Quinn), Lee Garbett (Spider-Man, Skyward), Marc Bernardin (Adora and the Distance, Star Trek: Picard), Jamie McKelvie (The Wicked + The Divine, Captain Carter), and Founding Editor Will Dennis (Y: The Last Man, Snow Angels), with more Founding Creators, creative teams, and a publishing rollout to be announced later this year.
Each Founding Creator holds an equity stake in the company, and DSTLRY has set aside an additional 3% of company equity to be distributed among all creators who release projects during the first three years of DSTLRY’s publishing slate; allocation will be based on title performance. This innovative structure aligns DSTLRY with the comic creators, whose creations dominate the pop culture landscape but are too often under-recognized and under-compensated.
“Comic creators have historically received the short end of the stick when they create great characters and storylines for traditional publishers,” said co-founders David Steinberger and Chip Mosher in a joint statement. “DSTLRY is truly a creator-owned endeavor, with creators co-owning the company their creations fuel. It just makes sense that as creators help build the brand, they receive equity.”
DSTLRY’s oversized, premium-format single-issues will be available in print at local comic shops while digital single-issues will be available for purchase for up to one week after release on dstlry.co. These eco-friendly digital issues will be fully owned and resellable on DSTLRY’s marketplace—a “Stub Hub for digital comics”—with benefits like special discounts, exclusive drops, and meetups with the creators, depending on the item. Collected editions of single-issue comics in both print and digital formats will be widely available.
Digital owners can resell their items on the DSTLRY marketplace at a price of their choosing, with a percentage of resale going back to the creators, while each physical issue will be a limited-edition premium collectible fans will love to read and collect. More details about these physical and digital collectibles will be announced later.
Distilling decades innovating at both digital and print comic companies, co-founders David Steinberger and Chip Mosher have cultivated a vision for a more modern and ethical industry, embracing drop-culture with digital releases and providing fair compensation and upside participation for creators.
About DSTLRY
DSTLRY is a next-generation comics publisher and physical-digital collectibles company that redefines creator-owned comic books for consumers worldwide. Created by comiXology veterans David Steinberger and Chip Mosher, DSTLRY gives customers premium stories by top creators in premium physical and digital formats, including resellable digital editions with no crypto or NFT-hassle.
Creator Quotes
Mirka Andolfo
Having produced comics from both Europe and America, DSTLRY excited me with a solution that redefines digital distribution, collecting, and sales in a way that could profoundly disrupt the global comics market. When David and Chip first talked to me about the company (it was just an idea, at that point), I was hooked by their vision, which is now our vision. I can’t say how proud I feel to be among such big names, with my fellow founding creators!
Brian Azzarello
These are exciting times for our medium, and it’s thrilling to be on the cutting edge. As most comic readers know, it’s where I do my best work.
Marc Bernardin
Life is too short to make comics with people you don’t like. I had the most wonderful time working with Chip and David on Adora and the Distance and Census, so when they told me they were launching a new publishing company—one that would feel different from every other and incentivize creators to do their best work—I jumped at the chance to hop aboard. I’m excited to see how it all comes together!
Elsa Charretier
I’m incredibly excited to join DSTLRY and be a part of what might very well be a revolution in creator-owned comics. David, Chip, and the team have an outstanding track record when it comes to bringing a breath of fresh air to our industry, and I couldn’t be happier to tag along.
Becky Cloonan
My heart has always been in creator-owned comics, and this bold new opportunity celebrates the medium while keeping its eye on the future of sequential storytelling. Me and my collaborators are cooking up something ambitious and winding and dark—a story that feels right at home with DSTLRY.
Lee Garbett
Having produced comics for both the big two superhero publishers as well as the creator-owned staples, I’m ecstatic to be a part of the next era of comics. DSTLRY is forward-thinking, sustainable, and ambitious in ways the industry has yet to witness. Stay tuned. Exciting times ahead!
Jock
I’m hugely excited to be working with a publisher as aggressive and progressive as DSTLRY. It’s no surprise that the team that heralded comiXology is approaching digital collectibles ethically and smartly in a way that should grow the comics market, while still embracing our local comic stores. Chip and David have created something special here and I can’t wait to share what we have coming up!
Joëlle Jones
I started my career in creator-owned comics and it was hard to resist returning after discovering DSTLRY. The new strides in digital and creator-owned incentives immediately grabbed my attention. I can’t wait to show you the next-level comics we’re crafting.
Tula Lotay
I’m so excited to be part of this new chapter in comics. I can’t believe I’m among such great talents. It feels like the beginning of something very special.
Jamie McKelvie
I’m really excited to be working with DSTLRY to move comics in an entirely new direction, and honored to be among the founding lineup that features some of the best creators in the industry. Chip and David have created something unique with DSTLRY and I can’t wait to see where we all take it.
Stephanie Phillips
I’m very excited to be working with DSTLRY to bring new stories to life alongside a host of incredible creatives. Chip and David are committed to finding new ways to engage readers through print and digital comics, while also supporting creatives and allowing us to tell the best stories we can. I can’t wait for readers to see what’s to come from DSTLRY…
Scott Snyder
I’m truly thrilled and honored to be a part of the launch of DSTLRY! I’ve been in comics for a decade and a half and I’ve never been more excited about an opportunity than this one. DSTLRY’s commitment to creators is unparalleled, from the creative to the fiscal, which is why they’ve attracted such an inspiring murderer’s row of talent. Bottom line, this is the best new space in comics for creators, and I can’t wait for you all to see the books we’re all making for you.
James Tynion IV
What excited me most about my conversations with Chip and David was their creative ambition. I had a whole line of titles in my head that I knew I couldn’t do alone, and now I can do them bigger and better than I had ever imagined, alongside a truly stellar roster of creators. I’m very excited about what the future holds for DSTLRY, and more than that, I’m excited to bring these new titles to life.
Ram V
I’m very excited to be creating new stories at DSTLRY alongside some incredible creative talents. Chip and David are bringing a modern, innovative approach to comics publishing in the creator-owned space—one that is supportive of my ambitions as a writer/creator/storyteller while bringing forth exciting ideas in terms of a new digital playground for readers. I’m looking forward to telling these new stories and I cannot wait to see the new ideas DSTLRY fosters among both its creators and its readers!
Founding Editor Will Dennis
I’ve based my entire editorial career on bringing together the best talent and helping them to do what they do best, so joining up with Chip and David seemed like the natural culmination of that ethos. They are building an incredibly innovative company where creators can really have fun making the comics they want to make, and I couldn’t be more excited about the amazing projects we have cooking. Watch this space!