[Los Angeles, March 19, 2025] – Massive Publishing, one of the largest emerging brands in independent comics, has announced a distribution agreement with AMP® Comics as part of the new Massive Indies program. The program, which was announced last month, is designed to consolidate and promote a large sector of the independent comic market under a single distribution account available for order via Lunar Distribution. AMP® Comics will make its Massive Indies / Lunar debut in June with NeverWars #1.
AMP® represents a collective of entertainment industry vets, including Don Handfield, a seasoned comic creator (Dark Age, The Source, Unikorn) whose first book, The Rift, was adapted for television by Steven Spielberg for the Amazing Stories reboot on Apple+. Handfield is joined by Joshua Starnes, a founding partner of Red 5 Comics (The Dark Age, Afterburn, Machine Girl), who will serve as President. Meanwhile, David Byrne, creator of indie hit STAKE and former Scout Comics Co-Publisher, will oversee release and development strategy as Publisher. Joshua Malkin will serve as Editor-in-Chief, with Eshan Kamarsu as Creative Executive. The all-star team at AMP® Comics will join Massive in its distribution agreement with Lunar Distribution for the Direct-Market through this exciting new initiative.
“The entire AMP team is thrilled to join Massive and Lunar to deliver our singular storytelling style into the hands of readers. That’s why we’re pumped that our first new title is NeverWars. NeverWars transports readers back to those childhood lands we all cherished – Oz, Wonderland, Neverland – now fractured by conflict, much like our own divided world. But beneath the darkness runs a current of hope that even in our most broken places, courage and connection can rebuild what’s been lost. AMP’s partnership with Massive and Lunar echoes that hope, and our carefully crafted promotional journey invites retailers and fans to rediscover not just the magic of these worlds, but the parts of themselves they left behind there.” – Don Handfield, CEO, AMP®
“We couldn’t be more excited to be partnering for the launch of AMP® Comics and carrying their titles alongside some of the best independent comics in the industry. The marketing and care that they’ve put into the upcoming NeverWars series is a testament to their passion and excitement for making comics” – Michael Calero, CEO, Massive Publishing.
AMP® Comics, a new creator-centric independent comics publisher, makes its debut in stores TODAY with the release of Prodigal Son, co-written by Handfield and Cobra Kai star Martin Kove. Meanwhile, the publisher is set to launch through the Massive Indies program in April in comic book shops nationwide, AMP brings together veterans of both publishing and entertainment, with a shared vision for a sustainable, creator-driven publishing model. The publisher will focus on quality over quantity and effective marketing, AMP is dedicated to benefiting both creators and readers alike.
In an unprecedented show of support for a new series, AMP Comics, through their partnership with Thunder Comics, is offering NeverWars #1: Dorothy Gale – Land of Oz, entirely FREE to retailers with no qualifying order.
The magical realms of Wonderland, Oz, and Neverland have been thrust into a devastating war that spans worlds and generations. The twisted magic of the Jabberwock transforms good into evil, turning beloved childhood figures into shadows of their former selves. In NeverWars, the heroes we grew up with must grapple with the horrors of conflict, the loss of innocence, and the fight to hold onto hope.
Told through three uniquely illustrated and completely distinct first issues, NeverWars invites readers to experience this epic saga from multiple perspectives. Readers can choose to enter the NeverWorld through one of three characters: Dorothy Gale, now a WWI nurse on the frontlines of the Great War, as she faces the horrors of battle and a return to Oz. Georgie Bird, a young English recruit whose stuffed rabbit leads him into Wonderland, where he discovers his grandmother, Alice, has been transformed by the Jabberwock’s evil magic into the Red Queen. Or readers can soar alongside Petr Pfanne, a German spotter in the Red Baron’s Flying Circus who crash-lands in Neverland, only to find himself unable to fly in a world torn apart by the war.
Neverwars #1: Dorothy – Land of Oz will be offered in the Lunar Distribution catalog through Massive Indies June solicitations and will be available to pre-order in the Lunar catalog starting in April, with an expected release date of June 25th at local comic book shops. We invite retailers and readers to keep an eye on the Massive Indies section for all future Amp Comics publications.
Massive Indies is a sub-distribution initiative organized by Massive Publishing to assist independent publishers and studios in getting their books into comic shops during an unprecedented time of uncertainty in the comic distribution pipeline. Besides amplifying existing publishing houses under a unified banner, the program will also serve as an open platform for submitting titles for inclusion in the Massive Indies solicitations within the Lunar catalog. Unlike traditional imprint models, this sub-distribution approach enables each publisher or studio to retain its autonomy and control over their publishing lines. So far the response has been overwhelming, with numerous quality publishers and studios applying to be part of the first wave of partners.
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