The Caliber Hit
Mission Statement: To preserve, showcase, and celebrate the ground-breaking independent work of Caliber Comics and its founder, Gary Reed, from 1989 to 2000.
Caliber Comics were a small comics publisher who hit well above their weight, During their 18 year run as a publisher, Caliber published early work by many up-and-coming future comics stars, including Brian Michael Bendis, Mike Allred, Phil Hester, and many more. Even more importantly, Caliber was the home to many creators who either had brief moments of prominence or for whom this was their only real professional work. As such, these are people whose stories are seldom told, and their stories are well worth remembering.
During its two decades in existence, Caliber published several hundred comic books, most of which represent unique artistic viewpoints. Sadly, most of those titles are completely forgotten today.
And yet, Caliber is seldom mentioned, even by comics cognoscenti. As a relatively small publisher, working out of unfashionable Michigan and mostly publishing in black and white, Caliber never received major notices in the semi-pro fan press. Their output was seldom mentioned in magazines like Wizard, seldom reviewed in The Comics Journal, and never had fanzines devoted to their work. Thus the need for The Caliber Hit. We will aim to fi ll in this gap in fandom’s collective knowledge by exploring Caliber in all its permutations.
We will aim to place Caliber in the deeper context of the comic book industry of the 1990s and 2000s, especially exploring the unique niche this company fi lled. We will also explore the creative threads that spun this company and tell a deeper narrative about comics history.
This isn’t just a niche that’s wanted, but one that’s desperately needed as memories fade and as prominent participants in this story start to die out. Simply put, time is running out to tell this story well.
While we will discuss Caliber with well-known creators like Mike Allred, Brian Michael Bendis, Jim Calafi ore, Joe Casey Guy Davis and Phil Hester, the emphasis of this project will be on the men and women who created only a handful of works for the company. For example: Eric Haven (creator of Angryman), Paul and Brooke Kowalski (Beck & Caul Investigations) and Mike Macropolopus (The Harvest King).
We Promise To:
Respect all the work published
Recognize the limited resources available to most Caliber Comics creators
Honor the intent and risks taken by the creators and Caliber Comics
We Intend To:
Present the history of Caliber Comics and Gary Reed from 1989-2000 using a variety of mediums
Tell the story from the point of view of the creators
Establish a comprehensive catalog and index of material published
We Might:
Publish a coff ee table type history book
Create a YouTube Channel
Publish new collections in print and/or digital formats
If you would like to contribute to The Caliber Hit contact us at omahaboundentertainment@gmail.com