It is with great sadness that I note the passing of Drew Ford of It’s Alive press. Drew died of complications from Covid last week, as recounted in a heartbreaking post from his wife Kiki.
Drew launched a line of reprints of long OOP but worthy books and comics at Dover press about a decade ago. This line included my own Secret Teachings of a Comic Book Master, which I co-wrote with Phil Yeh. Drew was a steady guiding force, and I greatly appreciated his efforts to get this book back into print – and the quality of the ensuing book.
After Dover shut down the imprint, Drew went off on his own with It’s Alive, bringing out books from William van Horn, Sam Glanzman, Doeg Moench and many more via crowdfunding. It was big investment, low return labor of love, and as Kiki’s post reveals, it was a hard road for Drew. I have no doubts that the stress of running It’s Alive contributed to his passing – indeed, he was on his way to his warehouse when he collapsed.
In addition to the friends and family he left behind, Drew also left a publishing company and fulfillment of his crowdfunding. Glen Haumann of ComicMix and Dimitrios Fragiskatos of Anyone Comics in Brooklyn have stepped in to help sort these out, and please give Glen and Dimitrios a round of applause. This is also a labor of love and decency and another example of how the comics industry rallies when necessary.
Details on Drew’s funeral, Kiki’s ongoing fundraising effort and Glen and Dimitrios’s efforts below:
Many of us in the comics community have been saddened by the sudden passing of Drew Ford.
We are helping Drew’s widow, Kiki, make it through this difficult time, and to deal with the fallout of suddenly having this fall in her lap.
ComicMix is helping Kiki go through all “It’s Alive!” business, and Dimitrios Fragiskatos of Anyone Comics in Brooklyn is helping to deal with the logistics of whatever existing inventory is available.
As we are coming in cold, we ask the following:
If you have placed an order with It’s Alive! and have yet to receive it, whether you are a customer, retailer, or wholesaler, please send a copy of your order to us, and we ask for some patience as we go through inventory.
If you are a retailer looking to stock It’s Alive! books, contact us and we’ll send you a list of our remaining inventory as soon as we have one.
If you have a project with It’s Alive! Press at any stage of development or publication, please contact us immediately and let us know where in the pipeline things stand, so we can determine how best to move forward.
Send email to [email protected] and include “IA Press” in the Subject: line.
Andrew’s memorial service will be this Saturday, October 8th, at 11am. It will be held at Green-Wood Cemetery and will be approximately 20 minutes long.
Green-Wood Cemetery
500 25th St
Brooklyn, NY 11232
If you are able to attend, Kiki would appreciate your presence. And if you are able, please contribute to this GoFundMe to help Kiki with the sudden death expenses:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/drew-ford-wife-kiki-needs-support-and-love
