Mam Tor Publisher Profile

Introduction

Mam Tor™ Publishing started in 2004 by Editor In Chief Liam Sharp when Liam produced a portfolio artbook to submit to publisher. It is now an award winning publisher that is attacking pop culture on a multiple front of graphic novels, movies, and anthologies. What follows is a profile about Mam Tor™ from an interview with designer Tom Muller.

Name:

Mam Tor™ Publishing

Editor In Chief/Director:

Liam Sharp

Started by:

Mam Tor™ Publishing was started in 2004 by Liam Sharp and his wife Christina McCormack.

Characters:

We don't have a core set of characters (like Marvel or DC for instance), but some of our creators work within their own "pocket universe" if you will. Some of our recurring characters/stories are Viking Zombie Elvis (our company mascot), Jed Lightsear, Case Variant, Machivarious Point,The Wormcast, Rumours of Ragnarok, Necromachia, etc...

At Mam Tor™ we avoid mainstream super-hero comics (there's enough of them as it is!), and we focus on the left-field, the strange, horror, SF, Fantasy that is original and breaks the mold. In a nutshell: 21st Century Pulp Fiction, or "ROCK! on a page".

Famous For:

We're "famous" for our dedication to creator-owned material that would otherwise not be available. We give creators the space to let loose and tell the stories, both in written prose and sequential art, they want. Our anthology Mam Tor: Event Horizon™ has been a great success with that, attracting "big name" talent, while offering a platform for new talent that might otherwise not be seen.

The material we publish is for everyone who wants something different from the mainstream: illustrated weird fiction, be it SF, Horror, or Fantasy and everything in between - but we don't play it safe: we're looking at original approaches to the genres. Our latest release, the Worry Doll graphic novel by Australian writer/artist Matt Coyle is a perfect example of a beautiful piece of work that we felt just needed to be seen. So far the book has received widespread critical acclaim and press and various international art exhibits are being organized as a result.

Public Company (Can you own a piece of it?):

Mam Tor™ Publishing is a private company.

Percentage Of Market Share (According to Diamond):

Creator Owned Projects:

We're dedicated to producing creator driven works that might not ordinarily find a home on the bookshelf - their being too niche, radical or unquantifiable - despite the evident quality and commitment they display.

Mam Tor™ has not been created as a commercial venture, but as a forum for subcultural, underground, science fiction, horror or fantasy artists, without the usual editorial restrictions.

This is evident in our award-winning anthology publication Mam Tor: Event Horizon™, which brings together the talents of creators like Steve Niles (“30 Days Of Night”), Liam Sharp (“The Possessed, Testament”), Brian Holguin (“Spawn”), Ashley Wood (“Popbot, Metal Gear Solid”), Alan Grant, Greg Staples, Simon Bisley alongside up-and-coming stars Kev Crossley, Ali Pow3rs, Dave Kendall, Emma Simcock-Tooth, etc. It showcases the finest in underground, fantasy, and science fiction in a unique mix of comics and illustrated text stories by some of the finest names in the industry and the stars of tomorrow.

Aside our anthology title, we're publishing art books, and graphic novels, with Matt Coyle's Worry Doll recently released.

Location:

Mam Tor™ is a UK-based company, operating from Derby.

Website:

Official Site: www.mamtor.com
Forum: www.nyxxunderground.com/MAMTOR/

Send Projects to:

People can submit their ideas to us via email or when they bump into us at conventions. We have a detailed submissions policy on our site to tell creators what we're looking for.

In Other Media:

Aside from publishing comics and graphic novels, we're also active as a media company developing various properties for other media. At the moment we're filming and producing a live action "rock-mock-slock-umentary" on Viking Zombie Elvis which will premiere at the Bristol Comic Expo 2007.

Get A Job With:

At present time we're not looking to expand. If that would happen we'll announce it on our site.

History:

During 2004, Mam Tor™ Publishing was established by Liam & Christina McCormack-Sharp to publish "Sharpenings, The Art of Liam Sharp".

"Sharpenings", a personal artbook featuring previously unreleased art samples of Sharp was initially a portfolio showcase he could send publishers. The book gained success, and during Sharp's many convention visits he started to meet a lot of like minded, and more important, unpublished artists and writers who couldn't seem to break into the industry because their work was considered too far removed of the mainstream market. Sharp, who always has walked the fine line between commercial success and artistic freedom saw potential and an opportunity to use his publishing imprint as a way to offer the talent a stepping stone in the industry, while offering well known creators a playground where they could let their creativity run free without the usual editorial restrictions.

Together with designer Tom Muller and friend John Bamber he set out to expand the company to start publishing more work. This saw the launch of the critically acclaimed and award-winning anthology, "Mam Tor: Event Horizon™".

Currently we're working on releasing collected anthology stories, movies and graphic novels.