Top Shelf Productions

Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, originally owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. Now an imprint of IDW Publishing, Top Shelf is based in Marietta, Georgia.

Top Shelf publishes comics and graphic novels by authors such as Alan Moore, Craig Thompson, James Kochalka, Andy Runton, Jeffrey Brown, Nate Powell, Alex Robinson, Jeff Lemire, and Matt Kindt.

History

The company was founded by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock after discussions between the pair at the 1997 Small Press Expo. Previously Warnock had used the Top Shelf name as the title for a self-published anthology, whilst Staros had worked in the industry representing Eddie Campbell in the United States and self-published a number of comics-based zines. The partnership evolved from combining Warnock's design skills and marketing abilities with Staros' talents for editing and book-keeping. The duo started publishing under the name Primal Groove Press, but soon changed the name to Top Shelf.

Martin Lewis

Martin Lewis may refer to:

See also

Chris Staros

Chris Staros (born c. 1961) is the publisher of the graphic novel publisher Top Shelf Productions, as well as the former president of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF). He is also the author of Yearbook Stories, 1976–1978, published by Top Shelf.

Early life

Staros never read comics as a child, thinking that books with pictures were for children. Later, he learned guitar and spent years playing in rock bands. As an adult, Staros spent a decade in the high-tech software industry. One day in 1990, Staros stepped inside a Marietta, Georgia, comic book store. Uninterested in superhero comics, Staros was directed to Alan Moore and David Lloyd's V for Vendetta. That chance encounter led to Staros making comics his career.

Career

Staros spent the next four years studying all forms of comics, from the Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics to contemporary alternative titles. He officially entered the comics field in 1994 with The Staros Report, an annual fanzine dedicated to promoting "the most intelligent and innovative" graphic novels in the business. In addition to ranked reviews, each issue of The Staros Report featured interviews, comics, bibliographies, character guides, letters, and more. He published four editions of The Staros Report, during which time he also became the American art and distribution agent for cartoonists Eddie Campbell and Gary Spencer Millidge.

J. Martin (Hampshire cricketer)

J. Martin (first name, date of birth and date of death unknown) was an English cricketer.

Martin made a single first-class appearance for Hampshire in 1904 against Somerset. In Somerset's second innings Martin took four wickets, including that of England Test cricketer Lionel Palairet. In Hampshire's first innings Martin scored 39 runs batting at number eleven. In Hampshire's second innings Martin scored 27 runs batting in the same position.

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