TKO Studios
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Comic book publishing |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Founder | Tze Chun, Salvatore Simeone |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Comic books, prose novels, graphic novels |
TKO Studios is a United States-based comic book publisher established in 2017 by Tze Chun and Salvatore Simeone.
History
Since its inception in 2017, TKO Studios set itself apart by distributing comics directly to readers and retailers, avoiding the traditional distributor Diamond Comic Distributors.[1] In 2020, the company formed a distribution alliance with Ingram Publisher Services / Publishers Group West to handle its book distribution.[2]
The initial wave debuted on December 10, 2018, introducing four limited series: The Fearsome Doctor Fang created by Tze Chun, Mike Weiss, and Dan McDaid; Goodnight Paradise by Joshua Dysart and Alberto Ponticelli; Sara from Garth Ennis and Steve Epting; and The 7 Deadly Sins by Tze Chun alongside Artyom Trakhanov. These titles were made available as trade paperbacks, collections of individual issues in box sets, and digital formats. To encourage readership, the first issues were distributed digitally at no cost.[3]
The second wave arrived on October 28, 2019, continuing with the same distribution approach and featuring four new miniseries: The Banks by Roxane Gay and Ming Doyle; Pound for Pound by Natalie Chaidez with Andy Belanger; and Sentient by Jeff Lemire accompanied by Gabriel Walta.[4] Notably, in 2020, Sentient garnered TKO its inaugural Eisner Award nomination for Best Limited Series.[5]
Launching on November 9, 2020, the third wave included three limited series: Lonesome Days Savage Nites authored by Salvatore Simeone with art from Steve Niles; The Pull written by Steve Orlando alongside Ricardo López Ortiz’s artwork; and Redfork, created by Alex Paknadel with Nil Vandrell as artist.[6] This phase also marked the introduction of an illustrated prose book titled Blood Like Garnets, written by Leigh Harlen and illustrated by Maria Nguygen. Additionally, this wave featured a new collection of standalone comics under the banner TKO Shorts, which included titles such as Seeds of Eden, The Father of All Things, and Night Train.[7]
In 2021, the series Lonesome Days Savage Nites was shortlisted as a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award.
TKO Rogue
November 2021 saw the launch of TKO Rogue, an imprint focused exclusively on prose publications. Its inaugural titles, Brood X and One Eye Open, were slated for release in January 2022.
Comics miniseries
| Release date | Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Cover Artist(s) | Colorist(s) | Letterer(s) | Boxed Set (Miniseries) | Trade Paperback | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAVE ONE December 10, 2018 |
The Fearsome Doctor Fang | Tze Chun Mike Weiss |
Dan McDaid | Daniela Miwa | Steve Wands | ISBN 9781952203015 | ISBN 9781732748514 | ||
| Goodnight Paradise | Joshua Dysart | Alberto Ponticelli | Giulia Brusco | ISBN 9781952203022 | ISBN 9781732748521 | ||||
| Sara | Garth Ennis | Steve Epting | Elizabeth Breitweiser | Rob Steen | ISBN 9781952203039 | ISBN 9781732748538 | |||
| The 7 Deadly Sins | Tze Chun | Artyom Trakhanov | Giulia Brusco | Jared K. Fletcher | ISBN 9781952203008 | ISBN 9781732748507 | |||
| WAVE TWO October 28, 2019 |
The Banks | Roxane Gay | Ming Doyle | Jordie Bellaire | Ariana Maher | ISBN 9781952203060 | ISBN 9781732748583 | ||
| Pound for Pound | Natalie Chaidez | Andy Belanger | Daniela Miwa | ISBN 9781952203046 | |||||
| Sentient | Jeff Lemire | Gabriel Walta | Steve Wands | ISBN 9781952203077 | ISBN 9781732748590 | ||||
| WAVE THREE November 9, 2020 |
Redfork | Alex Paknadel | Nil Vendrell | Giulia Brusco | Ryan Ferrier | ISBN 9781952203138 | ISBN 9781952203091 | ||
| The Pull | Steve Orlando | Ricardo Lopez Ortiz | Triona Farell | Thomas Mauer | ISBN 9781952203145 | ISBN 9781952203107 | |||
| Lonesome Days, Savage Nights: The Manning Files Vol. 1 | 'Salvatore Simeone' | Szymon Kudranski' | 'Thomas Mauer' | 'ISBN '978-1-952203-11-4' Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: invalid character' | 'ISBN '978-1-952203-11-4' Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: invalid character' | ||||
Comics Shorts
| Release Date | Title | Writer | Illustrator | Cover Artist | Colorist | Letterer | Collected In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAVE ONE November 9, 2020 |
TKO Shorts #1: Seeds of Eden | Liana Kangas Joe Corallo |
Paul Azaceta | Jeff Powell | TKO Presents Tales of Terror ISBN 9781952203565 (TPB) November 15, 2021 | ||
| TKO Shorts #2: Father of All Things | Sebastian Girner | Baldemar Rivas | Steve Wands | ||||
| TKO Shorts #3: Night Train | Steve Foxe | Lisandro Estherren | Patricio Delpeche | ||||
| WAVE TWO February 28, 2021 |
TKO Shorts #4: Dame from the Dark | Rob Pilkington | Kit Mills | Ariana Maher | |||
| TKO Shorts #5: Hand Me Down | Alex Paknadel | Jen Hickman | Simon Bowland | ||||
| TKO Shorts #6: Killiamsburg | Erick Freitas | Jelena Đorđević-Maksimović | Steve Wands | ||||
| WAVE THREE June 1, 2021 |
TKO Shorts #7: River of Sin | Kelly Williams | Chas! Pangburn | ||||
| TKO Shorts #8: Roofstompers | Alex Paknadel | Ian McEwan | Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou | ||||
| TKO Shorts #9: The Walk | Michael Moreci | Jesús Hervás | |||||
Prose Novels
| Release Date | Title | Author | Illustrator(s) | Cover Artist(s) | Colorist(s) | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 9, 2020 | Blood Like Garnets | Leigh Harlen | Maria Nguyen | Maria Nguyen Jared K. Fletcher |
Maria Nguyen | ISBN 9781952203732 (TPB) |
| January 11, 2022 | Brood X | Joshua Dysart | M.K. Perker | ISBN 9781952203282 (TPB) | ||
| One Eye Open | Alex Grecian | Andrea Mutti | ISBN 9781952203299 (TPB) | |||
Original Graphic Novels
| Release Date | Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Cover Artist(s) | Colorist(s) | Letterer(s) | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1, 2021 (preorders) July 6, 2021 (retail) |
Djeliya | Juni Ba | ISBN 9781952203244 (TPB) ISBN 9781952203275 (HC) | ||||
| Scales & Scoundrels – Book 1: Where Dragons Wander1 |
Sebastian Girner | Galaad | Jeff Powell | ISBN 9781952203220 (TPB) ISBN 9781952203251 (HC) | |||
| Scales & Scoundrels – Book 2: The Festival of Life2 |
ISBN 9781952203237 (TPB) ISBN 9781952203268 (HC) | ||||||
| November 15, 2021 (preorders) | Graveneye | Sloane Leong | Anna Bowles | ISBN 9781952203176 (TPB) | |||
1Initially released by Image Comics during 2017-2018 as Scales & Scoundrels #1-10 2First published by Image Comics in 2018 as Scales & Scoundrels #11-12, including an additional 250 pages of new material.
Media adaptations
In August 2020, development began on a feature film adaptation of The Banks under MACRO, with the screenplay penned by the company's founder, Roxane Gay. The production team includes Charles D. King, Poppy Hanks, Jelani Johnson, Tze Chun, and Jatin Thakker.