DSTLRY

David Steinberger and Chip Mosher, the co-founder and CEO of comiXology and comiXology head of content respectively, announced on April 13, 2023 a new comic and collectibles publisher called DSTLRY. Mosher says to expect “lots of great genre content in terms of sci-fi, horror, fantasy”.[1]

David Steinberger says that DSTLRY will have a great focus on ethics, creator empowerment and equity. Along with up-front participation by the founding creators, DSTLRY has set aside an additional 3% of company equity which will be distributed among the creators who have projects released within the first three years. This equity will be distributed based of performance of titles.[1]

As reported by Forbes Magazine David Steinberger says that “One of the biggest things that made comiXology successful was our understanding of the industry pain points,”. “Obviously we want to correct the situation with creator rights by giving them real equity and ownership. If they contribute to the success of our brand, they get to benefit from that. When you align the interests of the creator and the publisher, we all share in the rewards.” [1] Further more Steinberger continues that “We want to avoid all the scams and issues associated with crypto, so there are no wallets, no NFTs, no cryptocurrency components,”. “At the same time, we recognize that collectability is a fundamental part of the comics community. When we did straight digital distribution, we were only able to get about 15% of the total market. With DSTLRY, rather than fighting against the collector aspect, we are playing into it.”[1]

DSTLRY debut issue, The Devil's Cut, received 50,000 orders from comic book retailers and sales made from San Diego Comic-Con. The Devil's Cut contains 11 different stories, all from the founding creators. This initial issue is never to be re-printed in its initial 88 page format. With these stories contained within being continued as comic book series in the fourth quarter of 2023. The DSTLRY co-founders Chip Mosher and David Steinberger said in a joint statement "We're overjoyed by The Devil's Cut's reception,". "Our goal is to provide the most nurturing environment for creators to craft their best work and package that into premium formats. We couldn't be happier that retailers are as excited by The Devil's Cut as we are."[2]

In October 2023 Gone, the first series from DSTLRY launches written, drawn and coloured by Jock. The series is meant to continue his 8-page story "The Stowaway" from The Devil's Cut. Gone is an action-packed sci-fi adventure which is published in perfect bound 48-page issues.[3]

In November of 2023, Somna, written and drawn by both Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay will be released. The series is described as "an intoxicating blend of horror, eroticism, and the supernatural."[4]