Acts of Violence: An Anthology of Crime Comics was cooked up by British Columbia based writer, letterer and publisher Ed Brisson. Like a criminal from the pages of the old pulps that inspired the stories within the anthology, Ed’s motives were selfish.

“I had the script for ‘The Orchard’ complete and knew I wanted to put it together as a single issue story,” says Ed. ”I didn’t want to force the story into something longer and I didn’t think that putting out a one-shot would be financially viable. I wanted a better way to deliver my story– a way that would be easier to get it into the hands of potential readers.

“At the same time, I was frustrated how difficult it was for writers to get their work out– how expensive it was for them to hire an artist and publish a book–  should they go the self publishing route. From personal experience, I know the cost difference between printing a 32-page book versus a 128-page book is not that great. So, I thought, what if I found other writers with similar goals and we joined forces in order to get our writing out there? The idea of an anthology that contained only a few stories, all single issue length or longer, was very appealing to me.”

With that goal in mind, he hit the online comics communities– places like Digital Webbing and Pencil Jack– and looked for other writers interested in the crime genre. Many writers responded but only a handful met Ed’s high standards.

All the writers involved would have to submit their stories to the group of writers for editorial review. The stories would not proceed until everyone felt they were up to snuff. This meant the writers not only had to be excellent storytellers, but also experienced proofreaders and editors, with an eye for what makes compelling crime fiction. Also, the writers would need to be able to take constructive criticism from their peers.

Second, everyone would have to hire an artist, and that artist had to be approved by the rest of the group first.

“I didn’t want to see these great stories killed by mediocre art,” admits Ed. “I read submissions from others and am hired to letter pitch projects on a regular basis and I’ve seen good stories killed by poor art too often. The script and art need to work together and neither should have to carry the other. The art, however, is what the reader is first going to see when she picks the book up. If it’s not up to par, they’re going to put the book down and your story will never get read.”

Next, those involved had to be able to front the cash for their own artist, and cover their even share of the cost of the cover art and printing.  Speaking honestly, Ed says this was the part with which most respondents had difficulty.

Even if a writer was willing and able to commit to Ed’s process, the deal was not sealed. Ed read published works by the writers, and engaged them in conversation to get a feel for how serious they were and how well they would be able to hit deadlines and deliver top quality work.

Ed ended up with four writers– Dino Caruso, Chad Boudreau, and the writing team of Todd Ireland and Kevin Leeson.

Acts of Violence was more than a year in the making. The writers were assembled by the summer of 2008, scripts turned in, reviewed, edited and approved by the end of the year. The majority of the art was developed throughout 2009. There was also a lot of discussion to be had on print options, the development of a marketing strategy, whether or not to seek distribution through Diamond, and a title for the anthology. “Acts of Violence” was among the first set of titles to be suggested in August 2008, but it would be many months later that the name was approved.

Acts of Violence debuted at the Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle in March 2010. Ed, Todd Ireland and Kevin Leeson were at the Con. The three writers describe the response to the anthology as “overwhelming”.

“We sold twice as many books as I’d expected to and I definitely left that Con feeling good about myself and the book,” says Ed. ”People seemed to really be into it, and you can’t ask for anything more than that.”

Ed credits Todd and Kevin for many of those sales. “They know how to talk to customers and how to move books off the table,” says Ed proudly. “I’m ever grateful for having them on board.”

The Emerald City appearance was the first of several stops for the Acts of Violencecrew. Ed, Kevin and Todd were also at the Vancouver Con at the end of March; Dino Caruso was at the Wizard World Toronto Comic-Con; and Chad Boudreau is attending the Central Canadian Comic-Con in October. The writers have some appearances and events lined up in their hometowns, and other appearances will announced at actsofviolencecomic.com as details are finalized.

The writers have been energized by the early positive response. Ed wouldn’t say if there was a second volume in the works, but he did admit the great reaction to Acts of Violence has him working on new material in the crime genre.

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Acts of Violence: A Crime Comics Anthology is listed in the April edition of Previews on page 299 under New Reliable Press. The order code is APR101035. Head to your local comic shop and ask them to order you a copy.

CLICK HERE for a PDF that you can print and bring to your local comic shop to let them know you’d like to order the book. The PDF contains all the info that your retailer will need for Acts Of Violence.
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Acts of Violence: An Anthology of Crime Comics is listed in the April edition of Previews on page 299 under New Reliable Press. The order code is APR101035. Head to your local comic shop and ask them to order you a copy.

Mike Carey, writer of The Unwritten, Hellblazer, and Lucifer, had this to say about Acts of Violence: “A dark, rich anthology. There are acts of violence in profusion: also addictions, betrayals, uneasy consciences, moral ambiguities, bad choices and inadequate redemptions. Most importantly of all, there are strong creative voices, using the comics medium to do ambitious things.”

Featuring the talents of Toren Atkinson, Ed Brisson, Chad Boudreau, Dino Caruso, Damian Couceiro, Todd Ireland, Kevin Leeson, Manoel Magalhaes, and Marvin Mann and cover art by Fiona Staples, Acts of Violence unveils a roster of new voices in hard-boiled crime comics.

Check out a 20-page preview of Acts of Violence.

128 pages for only $9.95us.

CLICK HERE for a PDF that you can print and bring to your local comic shop to let them know you’d like to order the book. The PDF contains all the info that your retailer will need for Acts Of Violence.

At the height of their popularity in the late 1940s and early 50s, crime comics were read by millions each month. With their graphic depiction of violence and criminal activity, the comics were eventually deemed too immoral for the public and were crushed by censorship.  

Crime Does Not Pay is credited with starting the crime comics genre. It was first published by Lev Gleason Publications in 1942.

Crime Does Not Pay is recognized as the comic that started the genre. First published in 1942 by Lev Gleason Publications, Crime Does Not Pay featured comics that visualized the lurid details of “true” criminal activity as carried out by all manner of hoodlum, including murderers. The publication had an immediate impact. 

As the popularity of superhero comics declined in the years after World War II, more and more publishers sought to achieve the success of Crime Does Not Pay. New titles like Crime Reporter, Crimes by Women, Famous Crimes, and Murder Incorporated fed the public demand for stories with adult themes. 

At this same moment in time, the comic book industry became the target of increasing public criticism. Crime comics and their horror genre contemporaries took the bulk of the assault, though even superheroes were under scrutiny. In 1948, an article published in the Saturday Review of Literature described comics as the “marijuana of the nursery; the bane of the bassinet; the horror of the house; the curse of kids, and a threat to the future.” 

In 1954, Dr. Fredric Wertham published Seduction of the Innocent, the now infamous alarmist book that warned comics were a cause of juvenile delinquency. It was a minor bestseller when released but scared enough parents that a campaign for censorship started. Around the same time, a U.S. Congressional inquiry was launched to look into the comic book industry. 

Several examples were given to demonstrate the obscene imagery, loose morals and negative influences of comic books. Arguably the most notorious was True Crime Comics #2. In Jack Cole’s “Murder, Morphine, and Me”, a female character’s eye is held open and threatened with a hypodermic needle. 

The cover art on Crime SuspenStories #22 is the most notorious cover illustration. William Gaines, publisher of E.C. Comics, had to defend the cover during the Senate Committe of the Judiciary to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency hearings in 1954.

The end result of the inquiry and mounting public concern in the United States was the creation of the Comics Code Authority in 1954. The Code placed limits on the content within comics. It was particularly hard on horror and crime comics, many of which folded. It was the sounding of the death knell for crime comics and, arguably, adult themes in general. The Golden Age of comics was over. 

Superheroes rose in popularity in the late 50s and early 60s to fill the gap, a safer and presumably more kid-friendly era of comic books. This Silver Age lasted until the mid-80s. 

I and the other writers / co-creators of Acts of Violence grew up during the Modern Age of comics. In the mid-80s to early-90s, mature themes and darker tones became increasingly prevalent and popular. Batman: The Dark Knight and Watchmenhad a profound impact on the industry, but so too did anti-heroes like Punisher and Wolverine, and small publishers like First Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Image Comics, all of which leaned toward stories laced with darkness and nihilism, but also mature themes in general. 

Robin was murdered by The Joker in the comics we read as kids. Within the pages of X-Men, storylines involved the genocide of super-powered mutants. This was serious stuff. By the time we were in high school and college in the 90s, changes in the industry and with comic readers’ tastes had made it possible for resurgence in horror and crime comics. A new generation of comic creators reignited the crime genre. Among those were Brian Azzarello, Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Frank Miller and David Lapham. 

With Acts of Violence, we add our voices to the crime comics genre. We know the undeniable allure of tales that depict the forbidden, but we also know readers of the Modern Age require three dimensional characters and solid storytelling. We looked to both the past and present masters to find the correct tone for our scripts, and then sought out some of the brightest emerging artistic talents to bring our shady, violent episodes to vivid life. 

Crime comics, and comics in general, no longer enjoy the large readerships of the Pre-Code Golden Age. Superheroes are still the dominant force in the market; but we know there is a collection of readers that seek out mature stories within many genres; readers like you. It is for you we created Acts of Violence. We hope you are entertained and engaged by our collective efforts. 

[Acts of Violence will appear in the April edition of Previews. Mark your calendar and place your order with your local comic shop. Sources used for "A Brief History of Crime Comics" include CrimeBoss.com; The Mammoth Book of Crime Comics; Wikipedia; ComicsAlliance.com; and, ComicBookWebsites.com.]