Author: Newsroom
LOS ANGELES 02/04/2025 — Today Skybound and Image Comics, in partnership with Scott Dunbier’s Act 4 Publishing, announced a multi-year, worldwide distribution deal that names Skybound as Act 4’s publishing partner, with launch titles arriving in Fall 2025.
Scott Dunbier, the visionary behind the industry-changing Artist’s Edition format, has spent decades redefining what comics publishing can be and how comics can be presented. Truly fostering the connection between artists, stories, and readers, an Artist’s Edition is an art book disguised as a comic collection. Although appearing to be in black and white, all the art is scanned in color, enabling the reader to see the work as close to the original as possible – ink gradients, blue pencil, and all the unique nuances that make original art so special – are all clearly visible, all printed at the same size as drawn. The only better way to experience these pages is to stand behind an artist’s drawing board as they draw.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Skybound and to announce my first two books with them,” said Scott Dunbier. “We are going to have some very exciting news in the coming months that I can’t wait to share with you all. Looking forward to a bright future!”
Skybound and Act 4’s publishing partnership will span products including Artist’s Edition hardcover books, single issue comics and series collections, and Connoisseur Editions, a new deluxe hardcover format. The Connoisseur Edition is a brand-new format developed by Act 4 featuring a slipcase and premium finishing, collecting a complete comics series in an oversized, readable format. This format promises to transport the reader back to childhood, where they are completely immersed in the world on the page, reading a book in a larger-than-life format.
The first releases in this distribution deal will be Jim Aparo’s DC Classics Artist’s Edition and Darwyn Cooke’s The Complete Spirit Connoisseur Edition, coming in September and October 2025, respectively.
Future releases within the publishing partnership include J. Scott Campbell’s Danger Girl Artist Edition, Dave Stevens’ Covers and Stories’ Connoisseur Edition, Jason Pearson’s Body Bags Artist’s Edition, Paul Smith’s Leave It to Chance Artist’s Edition, and EC Comics Artist’s Editions. Publishing details for these books will be announced in the coming months.
Announcements of both additional formats and deals with other publishers and creators will be forthcoming.
“Scott Dunbier has innovated and redefined the comics industry at every stage of his career, and Skybound is proud to partner with Act 4 to bring his most ambitious endeavor to life,” said Sean Mackiewicz, SVP, Publisher, Skybound. “This line of comics and books celebrates visionary creators, impeccable storytelling, and world-class original art, and will deliver them to a bigger audience than ever before.”
Coming September 2025, experience the peak period of Jim Aparo’s artistry from his runs featuring Batman (Brave and the Bold, Detective Comics) and The Spectre (Adventure Comics), with over 175 pages of original art in Jim Aparo’s DC Classics Artist’s Edition. This gorgeous hardcover presents classic Aparo art from what is regarded as his peak period and features eight stories, including four complete The Brave and the Bold stories, four complete Adventure Comics issues featuring The Spectre, as well as a selection of classic covers and pages.
Then, in October 2025, leap into the crime-ridden, two-fisted tales of Darwyn Cooke’s The Spirit, featuring Will Eisner’s most famous creation, now collected in its entirety for the first time in this oversized collectible edition, presented within a beautiful slipcase. This edition is designed by Sean Phillips, who also oversaw the Eisner-winning Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition – Last Call, to which this book is a companion in size and scope. J. Bone, Cooke’s long-time collaborator, provides an introduction.
Also included in this definitive version of Cooke’s The Spirit is a gallery featuring all the covers, two variant covers from a Rocketeer/The Spirit crossover, and several never-before-seen drawings. Collects The Spirit #1-6, #8-12, and the Batman/The Spirit one-shot.
Jim Aparo’s DC Classics Artist’s Edition (978-1-5343-3487-8 | SRP $150.00) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday September 17, 2025 and at booksellers on Tuesday September 30, 2025.
Darwyn Cooke’s The Complete Spirit Connoisseur Edition (978-1-5343-3409-0 | SRP $100.00) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday October 8, 2025, and at booksellers, along with digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play on Tuesday October 21, 2025.