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  The History of NOW

 

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NOW Library, NOW Video, and NOW Comics, started in late 1985 as a sole-proprietorship, with the first publications shipping in May 1986.

In a four-year period, NOW Comics grew from a one-man operation with annual sales of $110,000, to an international (12 countries) multi-million dollar Illinois corporation, on Michigan Avenue, with 20+ employees, 70+ freelancers and number three in market share. NOW Comics produced almost 1,000 publications since 1986, through a dozen distributors, including WARNER PUBLISHER SERVICES, the world's largest distributors of magazines and books,and Diamond Comic Distributors.  These publications included VECTOR (the world's first computer generated color comic magazine), MR. T & THE FORCE , SPEED RACER, ASTRO BOY, ALIAS, THE TERMINATOR, THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS, FRIGHT NIGHT, GHOSTBUSTERS II, MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN and THE GREEN HORNET, and SPEED RACER Home Videos and Gift Sets. These highly recognized characters were licensing arrangements with companies such as COLUMBIA (SONY) PICTURES, BROADWAY VIDEO, ELP COMMUNICATIONS, CBS ENTERTAINMENT, INC., SPEED RACER ENTERPRISES and LEISURE CONCEPTS, INC.


NOW Comics appeared in dozens of radio, television and print interviews and articles within such publications as THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE, ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE, THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, THE NEW YORK TIMES, CBS TV, and INSIDE CHICAGO.

NOW acquired the talents of such industry legends as Harlan Ellison, Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Bill Sienkiewicz, Mike Baron, Jeff Butler, David Dorman and Chuck Dixon. Caputo and NOW Comics also "discovered" Alex Ross (TERMINATOR: THE BURNING EARTH). In addition, collaborated with celebrities, MR. T, Van Williams (TV's GREEN HORNET) and Terry Gilliam (of MONTY PYTHON).

In his relentless pursuit for additional sales, NOW organized cross-promotional activities with RALSTON PURINA (THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS cereal), COCA-COLA FOODS (SLIMER'S Ecto-Cooler Hi-C drink), FUJI FILM, VENTURE STORES and COLUMBIA (SONY) PICTURES. In 1988, NOW purchased to rights to release the classic Japanimation; SPEED RACER on home video. Under the banner, NOW Video, NOW released 22 volumes of SPEED RACER videos and three special Gift Sets, including the SILVER ANNIVERSARY EDITION

In 1989, NOW co-produced THE WHAT NOW CAPER, a sixty-minute comedy-documentary on comic book production, with City Video Productions, and has worked as a publishing consultant for various companies, including Walt Disney Publications.

In 1991, NOW Comics was reborn as NOW Entertainment Corporation through a bankruptcy reorganization, the outcome of an attempted hostile takeover by Quebecor Printing.  This new infusion of over $2 million in goodwill payments and capital catapulted the company to number five in market share within its first quarter of business and NOW Entertainment was nominated as best new publisher of 1991. NOW Entertainment Corporation ceased publishing forever in 1994 six months after its founder Tony C Caputo left to pursue legal action against the company's new owners, as they attempted an intial public offering (IPO).

NOW Comics was re-launched as NOW Media Group, Inc. a graphic novel "self-publisher" in 2003, giving creators a partnership role in the business. NOW Media Group, Inc folded in 2004, but NOW Comics will live on forever.

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