Otter Press
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder | Rik Booth, Ross Alexander |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Comic books, magazines |
Otter Press is an Australian publisher specializing in comic books, notably recognized for distributing the American Simpsons Comics series within Australia. Established in 1998 by Rik Booth and Ross Alexander, Otter Press launched its operations with Simpsons Comics issue #32 and has since issued hundreds of Simpsons-related publications spanning over ten distinct series. The company further diversified its portfolio by producing various anime, film-based, and other graphic novel titles.
History
From 1993 to 1997, the Australian publication of Simpsons Comics was managed by Trielle Corporation (Trielle Komix). Following Trielle’s liquidation in 1998, Rik Booth—who brought consulting expertise from Marvel Comics in the Australasian region—and Ross Alexander acquired the Australasian publishing license from Bongo Comics, the original American publisher of Simpsons Comics. They then formed Otter Press and released their inaugural issue (No. 32) within that same year.
Initially issued every two months, Otter Press increased its release frequency in response to market demand, issuing earlier editions monthly when new issues were not yet available. Between 1999 and 2001, issues #15 through #31 were reprinted across four American trade paperback collections.
The Bart Simpson comics series originally included a complimentary Radioactive Man comic to achieve a 64-page count for its first fifteen releases. Subsequent editions eliminated this insert and instead combined two US comic issues per publication. In 2008, Otter Press transitioned the Bart Simpson series from quarterly to bi-monthly publication, alternating between issues that reprinted two US comics and those containing one US comic alongside stories from the One Shot Wonders collection.
In addition to Simpsons titles, Otter Press published comics featuring Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, and SpongeBob SquarePants, as well as standalone comic adaptations of films such as Batman Begins and X-Men: The Last Stand. They also produced magazines connected to popular toy franchises like Action Man Magazine. However, around 2018, Otter Press discontinued new comic releases, and their website is no longer active.
Comics titles published
- Futurama Comics
- High School Musical The Official Magazine (2009–)
- Jimmy Neutron Digest
- Looney Tunes Activity Special (2009–)
- Looney Tunes All-Star (2008)
- Looney Tunes Comic Capers! Magazine (2009–)
- Looney Tunes Magazine (2008)
- Scooby-Doo Magazine (2008–)
- Simpsons Comics (1998–)
- SpongeBob SquarePants The Official Magazine (2007–)
- Shrek (2004)
- Tom and Jerry Activity Special
- Walt Disney Comics Digest
- Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Digest
- Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge Digest
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold SuperMag (2012–)