Co-Founder David Steinberger on One Year of Publishing at DSTLRY

I generally try to stay in the moment and plan for the future, but with any business—and life in general—I’m a fan of looking backwards at milestone moments. Today, DSTLRY has been publishing for (only!) one year. (Read to the end of the post for a surprise!)

First, let’s talk about what co-founder and CCO Chip Mosher and I wanted to get done. When we first started talking about what would become DSTLRY—about two years ago—we were dismayed by the antagonistic relationship between creator and publisher. We needed to do better; if creators were treated with the respect they deserved, we believed they would bring their best and deliver epic storytelling. From the deal to the execution, to the production and packaging, to the marketing and retailer and fan communication, we wanted to create and support stories worth collecting and cherishing—stories of the highest quality to demand both collector and mass-market attention.

We also felt the industry seemed absolutely ashamed of collectibility. That releasing in episodic form, printed to initial demand, somehow diminished the industry. We thought that taking care with the packaging, paying for incredible cover art, and still delivering a great price might create a change in the perception of the ever-dwindling paper quality and bloated prices that permeate collector’s choices. We think collecting should be fun, like it was for us when we started collecting.

So: how’s it going?

Let’s start with the roster of Founding Creators—our inaugural line-up of creators, who also own a portion of DSTLRY (the FCs, as we call them internally). The FCs were incredible enough to land DSTLRY’s reveal in The New York Times. And of course their friends—other top-tier creators—gain ownership by bringing their talents to a DSTLRY series or collectible. The level of talent and the delivery of epic storytelling is astonishing. Thank you to every DSTLRY comic creator: writers, artists, colorists, letterers, editors, localizers, and designers. Not to mention the amazing DSTLRY crew! (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!)  

Chip and I could not be more grateful for the trust of creators and staff. Without them, there is no DSTLRY.

DSTLRY single issues deliver twice (or more) the number of pages found in two 22-page $4.99 comics. Oversized with superior paper stock. Incredible cover art. And spot gloss on every book. And we do “Digital with Benefits”: free digital add-ons with print purchases, first look at extremely rare covers, opportunities to meet creators, goodies at cons…what we call “The DSTLRY Difference.”

We love collectibility, in physical form at your local comic shop and in digital at dstlry.co, while embracing the mass market. Our collected editions are available in print at your LCS and book stores, and in digital at dstlry.co, Kindle/Comixology, Apple Books, and Google Books. 

DSTLRY never forgets that collecting is FUN! We added the capability for digital collectors to get signatures and sketches with DSTLRY Remarques, and have some secret collectibles out there. We will continue to add fun to our “Ownership with Benefits.”

DSTLRY was named 2023 Publisher of The Year at The Comics Beat, had three Eisner nominations (and won a historic Eisner for Best New Series with Somna), and has had multiple 5/5 stars and “best first issue of the year” accolades throughout 2024. 

Finally, a huge shout-out to the fans. The Founding Fans who bought t-shirts before we had even released an issue. The folks who pull at their local comic stores. The trade waiters. Without creators there would be no comics, but without fans there would be no creators to support. All the love.

Not too shabby for the first year of publishing. 

You’ve read to the end of this self-indulgent post! For your dedication, a big reveal: we hid a very rare easter egg in all our #1A covers (and The Devil’s Cut). (It’s the Dust Lorry, the famous misunderstanding of our name, which is pronounced  “Distillery”.) 🚛💨. These are the rarest of variants. Only one per box shipped. If you have one, you know you got something special. Happy hunting! 

Here’s to the future.

🥃 Cheers,

David (and Chip)