IDW announced Friday at SDCC that it has purchased the specialty archive publisher, Sunday Press Books. Since its founding in 2005, Sunday Press Books has brought 17 classic comics back to life, including the “pre-Popeye comics” Thimble Theatre, the Eisner award-winning titles Dick Tracy as well as Little Nemo in Slumberland. 

The publisher was created and is currently lead by Peter Maresca, with the goal to publish “the finest collections of American comic strips presented in their original size and colors.” He’s relieved to have been able to make this deal with IDW and take some of the back-end work off of his back. Maresca says “the business end has been daunting. Partnering with IDW allows me to take advantage of their infrastructure, while concentrating on the production of new editions.”

IDW is also helping Sunday Press Books with distribution as it seeds a digital publishing program that it hopes will “bring SPB’s classic restored works to a new generation of readers,” per Publishers Weekly. IDW is no stranger to this area. The publisher  also does the job of maintaining its own classics under the Library of American Comics imprint and through special Artist and Artisan Editions.

With this new workload distribution, Maresca plans to hone in on area he worries is “destined to disappear,” broadsheet newspaper strips. Thanks to this mutually beneficial purchase, Sunday Press Books can continue doing its important, award-winning work.

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