We received notices of two comic publishers hitting "100" milestones on Wednesday, with one shutting down, one ahead of expectations and looking ahead, and both thanking retailers.

We first reported on AdHouse Books back in 2003, when the company was planning to publish Southpaw, a new graphic novel by Scott Morse (see "Scott Morse’s Southpaw").  It went on to publish nearly 100 different publications in its 20-year history, and will complete its 100-product run with Grass of Parnassus, by Kathryn and Stuart Immonen, a 224-page new graphic novel due out in September.  While there will likely be at least one more product after Grass of Parnassus, publisher Chris Pitzer announced today on the company blog that AdHouse Books will be shutting down.

Pitzer listed a number of factors leading to the shutdown, including his age ("I just felt like that was enough for me"), declining sales through Diamond Comic Distributors, and an unwillingness to move to Kickstarter ("It always felt like my putting my hand out and asking for alms").  He is offering the company's assets for sale, so there's a chance the company and/or its titles will continue in some form.  AdHouse Books had an impressive history, with its titles garnering Eisner nominations in eight of its 20 years in business, including three since 2015, and winning awards in 2008.

On the flip side, AfterShock Comics announced that its 100th title (accounting for a lot more than 100 individual products) would be Campisi: The Dragon Incident, by James Patrick and Marco Locati, due out in August. Patrick's last book for AfterShock, Kaiju Score, was picked up by Sony for a movie adaptation (see "’Kaiju Score’ Acquired").

The company is ahead of where it expected to be at this point, according to Editor-in-Chief Mike Marts.  "As we near the debut of our 100th title, we've exceeded even our own expectations," he said.  "With much more on the horizon, the best is yet to come as we continue to bring the most 'dangerous' stories to life."

The two publishers, while headed in different directions, were united in their appreciation for the support of comic stores.

"Aside from continuing to release cutting-edge content that comic book fans love, our growth and success is directly linked to our grass roots efforts, shop-by-shop investment, ambassador program, and ancillary projects such as our Save Our Shops (S.O.S.) Pandemic Benefit Book," AfterShock SVP-Sales and Marketing Steve Rotterdam said of the milestone.  AfterShock Publisher Joe Pruett added, "Our first 100 titles would not be possible without these efforts and our invaluable retail shop partners across the country, who have supported us since day one."

AdHouse Publisher Pitzer also thanked retailers for ordering his books.  "I’d like to thank all the retailers over the years who took a chance on AdHouse," he wrote.  "It is truly a golden age of comic publishing, and I realize you can’t order everything.  The fact you took a chance on us is appreciated!"