and I see that DC/Vertigo editor Karen Berger is quoted in the latest issue, calling Vertigo "the HBO of comics." Which makes me google up the Official HBO of Comics™ Timeline:
October 24, 2003 -- Larry Young on Newsarama.com: “At San Diego this year, I kept hearing from agents and producers that AiT is ‘the HBO of comics,’ and I have to say I kick myself for not having come up with that one myself because it's so
nail-meet-head. So while we have all ages appropriate stuff like Electric Girl and Colonia like HBO's morning programming, and comedy stuff like Sky Ape and Mantooth! and drama and action like Last Of The Independents and The Couriers that echoes HBO's prime-time offerings, Codeflesh fits right in to what we're doing like that after 11 pm slot where you can get your thrillers and slam-bang with your mature audience advisory. A little something for everyone.”
February 24, 2004: Graeme McMillan quotes "AiT is the HBO of comics" post on the Brian Wood delphi forum.
May 9, 2004: Larry Young on Ken Lowery's site: "That whole 'HBO of comics' thing you hear about our company, most recently on the Variety comics blog, was ironically in a review about a couple of our upcoming superhero books."
July 17, 2004 -- Jeff Mariotte on ComixFan: "I always say that IDW is the HBO of comics."
July 18, 2004 -- Print Variety calls AiT "the HBO of comics."
January 4, 2006: writer Matt Maxwell: I've a far better idea of what AiT/Planet Lar does: 'HBO on paper,' comes to mind, and I think that's a quote.
January 10, 2006: BOOM! Studios publisher Ross Richie calls his company the HBO of ncomics in an interview with Heidi MacDonald in Publishers Weekly's comics blog.
February 15, 2006: Larry Young quoted in Northeast In-Tune: "No one is going to be able to compete with Spider-Man by offering the adventures of Insect Man, you know? So why bother? If monthly superhero comics are what you want, you’re already being served, and served well. So we take the different track. That’s why VARIETY called us 'the HBO of comics.' We offer the high-quality entertainment you can’t get elsewhere, just as HBO offers the high-quality entertainment you can’t get on the networks."
April issue of PLAYBOY: Vertigo editor Karen Berger calls Vertigo "the HBO of comics."
--Josh
