BROKEN FRONTIER AT 20! I sometimes wonder if those people who have been such sources of inspiration to me are aware of how profoundly they have shaped my approach to comics coverage and, in turn, how that has so significantly guided Broken Frontier’s own ethos and direction. Annie Koyama is one of those figures who, through the much-missed Koyama Press, brought so many indie and alt talents to my attention and constantly reminded me that championing new talent and boundary-pushing voices should also be an essential part of BF’s mission.
That support has continued through the impressive Koyama Provides initiative providing grants to deserving artists. Annie remains one of my absolute heroes in comics so I am delighted to be able to run this interview with her to kick off our 20th anniversary celebrations at Broken Frontier. Both retrospective and statement of intent, it’s a fascinating look at the role of one of of the comics community’s most vital figures over the last decade-plus…
ANDY OLIVER: The origins of Koyama Press make for compelling reading and, dare I say it, a unique story in comics. So let’s begin by exploring how a major life event led you down an alternative path and the challenges you faced as someone new to the publishing industry. Can you tell us a little about those early days?
ANNIE KOYAMA: In 2005 I was given a terminal diagnosis (brain aneurysms) and sent home with only a couple months to live. Insisting on a risky surgery saved my life, though one aneurysm remains inoperable. Not knowing how much time I’d have left when I recovered, I decided to use my funds to support emerging artists primarily in Canada. I quickly expanded that to include artists from the U.S. and a few further abroad. I had no plans to become a publisher, but after one project turned into the Trio Magnus: Equally Superior book, there was no turning back.
I had no background in publishing whatsoever, I’d been a film producer prior to falling ill. I’d always worked in the arts and initially wanted to be a painter. I do like a challenge and though I had to learn a lot in a short time, I’m not afraid to ask questions, so I learned pretty quickly.
I’d helped run small businesses in the past and any business acumen you have is useful in any new venture. The biggest challenge I faced after having several titles to sell was the lack of a large distributor to get the books out into the world.
AO: What I always loved about Koyama Press’s creative line-up over the years is that it felt almost like a kind of equivalent of a theatre repertory company in terms of recurring names who became associated with KP, complemented by new talents in each wave of publishing. In terms of your curation of the artists you selected, and the eclectic books you put out, how would you describe the ethos of the press? And what were some of the logistics and practicalities involved in making those publishing choices?
KOYAMA: I’d wanted to publish art books but within the first year, two art book stores in Toronto, where I live, closed. That didn’t bode well for the kind of books I wished to get out there. At first my mission was to break out new artists, which takes a greater effort when no one has heard of the artist in question. Using social media to promote the books helped a lot, as did going to as many shows as I could afford. I published work that I liked and the art had to speak to me obviously. I preferred to work with an artist alone versus a writer and artist together. After I met Michael DeForge and met a lot of other cartoonists, I chose to continue on that path.
From Michael DeForge’s ‘Stunt‘
Since I used my own money to fund the press, I had more freedom to choose work that might not see the light of day otherwise. Though not a good business choice, I was less concerned about how many books I sold in the early days. Later, when the stakes were higher, when Consortium took on the distribution of the books, a few things changed out of necessity. Working further ahead was an adjustment not just for me but for the artists who’d previously worked with me. And with cartoonists like Julia Wertz, Eleanor Davis, Renee French and Emily Carroll coming on board, there was more pressure to sell more books and to do more events. I would not have been able to manage all the work without the help of Ed Kanerva, Helen Koyama and Daniel Nishio.
From Jesse Jacobs’ ‘Crawl Space‘
AO: With the benefit of now being able to look back post-Koyama Press from a slightly removed perspective at the work you published, what do you see as the major achievements of the press? Conversely, are there any artists that you feel still haven’t achieved anything near the level of recognition they deserve?
KOYAMA: I still think that introducing new artists to the world was the most rewarding part of my work. Striving for consistency in the book production was something that I think we accomplished. Small presses lack the funds to hire publicists and designers for every book which means that we had to work with the resources we had. I think we did quite well, considering. Striving for a certain level of professionalism in a field that sometimes feels like the Wild West, was important to me.
From Emily Carroll’s ‘When I Arrived at the Castle‘
I’d argue that there are many artists who deserve more recognition in comics. Sometimes if an artist is not very prolific, I think that they may fall off of people’s radar between books. Some have pursued animation gigs and haven’t time to work on another book.
AO: Championing emerging artists who deserve far wider audiences is also one of our key aims here at BF and it was also something that was very much at the very heart of what you were doing with Koyama Press. Given the often harsh realities of pursuing comics as a paying career is there anything you think we should be doing more of as an industry and as a community to support and mentor newer voices on the scene?
KOYAMA: I think that what is sorely missing is a basic knowledge of business practices. So much anxiety could be avoided if artists had some of these very learnable skills under their belts.
From Patrick Kyle’s ‘Don’t Come in Here‘
I’d love to see more mentorships but I’d prefer that those who choose to be mentors get paid for their time. To me, that means that more people like myself or institutions set up mentorships. There are a lot of artists who cannot afford to pay for the opportunity to be a mentee so having subsidized slots would be desirable too.
Unless we can grow the market for alternative comics, I don’t see the economics of small press publishing changing much. And if publishers can’t sell more books, they will not be able to pay out higher advances. The ideal of not having to take on a day job in order to support one’s art practice is unrealistic for most. I wish I had a solution here but I don’t.
From Ben Passmore’s ‘Sports is Hell‘
AO: We live in a world where the arts were an absolute lifeline in lockdown and yet one where arts funding is being heavily cut as economies face sharp downturns. With that in mind I want to move on to your amazing Koyama Provides initiative which provides crucial support to artists through mini-grants. How would you describe the aims of Koyama Provides in terms of the kind of artists and practice you’re supporting?
KOYAMA: While I have been quietly giving financial help to artists since 2007, when I decided to close Koyama Press (announced in 2018), I chose to make the grants public before the press closed in 2020. By the end of 2022, I’ll have given out over $300,000, formally. The initial aim was to give a bit of aid to artists to help with a project that they wouldn’t have been able to start or complete otherwise. I have since broadened the scope to support artists in other ways, for instance, travelling to take part in a residency, childcare, materials and tools, studio rent, publicity, covering printing costs etc. The grants are not given solely based upon need, but that is certainly a large reason for the initiative.
While I’ve given many grants to emerging artists, this past year, I concentrated on mid-career artists. Unlike in many other businesses where compensation increases with experience, comics seem to lag behind in that respect, sadly.
AO: We all know the more negative aspects of the comics scene and the challenges that creators face but given that we’re celebrating 20 years of Broken Frontier in this series of interviews we’re asking everyone a variation of this question. Over the last decade or so what were some of the key positive developments within comics as a scene/medium/industry that you think are worth celebrating?
KOYAMA: I’d say that the amount of new and diverse voices is very exciting and though I remain ambivalent about crowdfunding, I can’t deny that good work has been funded this way.
Follow Koyama Provides on Instagram to discover more about this amazing initiative.
Top BF logo by Joe Stone
