Indie comic publication AdHouse Books is closing its doors, making its final chapter one for the books by releasing its hundredth comic title Grass of Parnassus to mark the occasion. While the initial news of hearing the close of an indie comic publisher seems disappointing, the owner of AdHouse couldn’t disagree with that sentiment more. After twenty years of producing fan-favorite comics and graphic novels such as Mtsyry: Octobriana 1976, Screwed Up, and of course Grass of Parnassus, AdHouse has now come to a natural and welcomed end.
In a release issued by AdHouse Books owner Chris Pitzer, he made the official announcement declaring the end of the publisher. The reason Pitzer offered as to why he made this decision came in four parts: sales, Kickstarter, COVID (sort of), and the claim that he’s old. The first two go hand in hand as part of the reason to close up shop as sales began to drop and Pitzer didn't want to launch a Kickstarter account to save a vocation he describes as being a ‘side gig’. It is clear Pitzer has a very ‘chips fall where they may’ approach to the closure of his indie comic book publication.
As far as the pandemic’s impact on AdHouse Books, Pitzer says the publication wasn’t greatly affected. Pitzer says the most he suffered from COVID-19 was loneliness from a lack of comic conventions. The main reason AdHouse is shutting down is simply that Pitzer is ready to move on to something new and doesn't want to keep putting time, energy, and money into a business that he says lacks return. “There is no way I could afford to live on the earnings from the House of Ad. And I’m sorry… I want to travel, retire and be comfortable. Last I checked, all of that takes money.”
So with the reasons as to why AdHouse is wrapping up, the next step for AdHouse is to finalize a proper send-off, the publisher’s hundredth publication with Grass of Parnassus. AdHouse Books will reportedly publish a hardcover collection of Kathryn Immonen and Stuart Immonen’s Grass of Parnassus in September of this year. The husband and wife comic-creating duo first launched their comic on Instagram until moving to the page through AdHouse Books. Now, the comic creators can humorously boast, “We’re the book that killed AdHouse!”.
Grass of Parnassus follows a huge cast of Sci-Fi characters including angry space techs, anxious energy workers, and snack-driven vat-grown bears. The saga takes place aboard a malfunctioning flying space rock, soaring through the cosmos, searching for the next adventure life would throw at it. The same can be said for Chris Pitzer, hanging up his cap for the last time on the AdHouse Books rack, choosing the perfect last comic to publish, one with a story that acts as a perfect metaphor for Pitzer’s twenty-year journey in indie comic publishing, and assuredly the continued adventures to come.
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