The End of Another Glorious Year

We just wanted to say to thanks to all of you for making this a fantastic year for Insomnia.

To think that over the last 12 months we have come from gearing up for our first full length graphic novel launch to where we are now is incredible.

We were tipped as “one to watch for 2009” in the 2008 Forbidden Planet Blog end of year round up – and I think we can safely say that we have held up our end with that ;)

Now for the Oscar Speech:

Thanks to all our wonderful creators who have made all this possible. Not just for the work on the books themsleves but for helping with promotion, sharing techniques and tips, covering events around the world, giving up time for signing and sketching, lending all sorts of expertise from outside of comics…the list goes on and on.

Thanks to UKomics, our wonderful printers. You couldn't find a more helpful bunch of people who really care about the books they are producing and who have gone above and beyond to offer help, support and advice to a new company such as us. Not only that but the production quality of the books has been commented on in almost every review.

Thanks also to Dave West of Accent UK for recommending them, and Shane Chebsey of Smallzone for putting us in touch through their printing service which I really can't recommend highly enough.

Speaking of Shane, thanks to all the tireless show organisers who have put on incredible events once again, even in these trying economic times.

Special thanks to John Freeman of Down The Tubes, The Geek Syndicate, Comic Racks and Sci-Fi Pulse for the incredible support you've shown in promoting us this year.

Highlights of this year are so many that it is hard to pick a only a handful but here goes:

• The launch of our first Original Graphic Novel Cages and seeing our books on the shelves of bookshops large and small.
  
  
• The incredible reaction to, and success of, the Cancertown launch at the Bristol SPEXpo
  
  
• Having the best selling Layer Zero ever (Choices) that needed to go to second printing only a few weeks after launch
  
  
• The launch of the Vigil line with Burke and Hare
  
  
• Getting forewords, covers, pin ups and quotes for our from some of the most respected creators in comics
  
  
• The response we are getting to the ebook previews and work in progress on show at events.
  
  
• Ruffling the feathers of the quilting world with Bad Rain the first Comics/Quilting crossover art with Ferret
  
  
• The gallery exhibitions for MILK and Cancertown work
  
  
• The Temple APA issue 5 with the mammoth Insomnia feature
  
  
• Needing to sign with an agent to deal with interest from film companies in our books
  
  
• So many of our creators getting work in print elsewhere, and winning so many awards and prizes, which just goes to underline the talent we have here.
  
  
• Being the first UK indie in the PSN Digital Comics Store and having our books up there on launch day.
  
  
• Too many interviews, reviews, articles, features in magazines, online, on podcasts etc to list
  

Crawford Coutts says:

"A huge thank you to the Insomnia Management team for all their hard work over the past 12 months, without whom we wouldn’t be where we are today. Big thanks especially to Nic for her dedication to creators and unfathomable ability to multi-task, to Al for keeping those books flying out the door and onto the shelves and sweet talking all those lovely retail owners, Martin for doing a wonderful job on Vigil and Richard Johnson for his advice and fantastic cover design.

I’d also like to welcome our new Business Development Director who’s taking us to all new places and help us drive forward to do even bigger and better things, Richard Murphy."

It’s been a good year for the indie comics world in general, and a great time to be involved.

See you all next year!