When we think of American comics, our minds tend to gravitate toward the superhero oriented books that have been published out of Marvel and DC for over a century now. But in the late 80s and early 90s, independent, alternative publishers were cropping up across the country. And here in Wheeling, we had one of our very own.
Humble Beginnings
Innovation Publishing was founded by David Campiti, a Warwood native who discovered his passion in the comic book racks at the back of McNamara’s Drug Store. He made a ritual of visiting each Tuesday and Thursday, buying new issues of the latest Marvel and DC titles each week for nickels and dimes. In an ode to the old drug store and his upbringing, Campiti spoke of his dream to one day work with Stan Lee, and wrote about his passion for comics, “Some kids just read comics. I truly loved them…Comics weren’t ‘just’ a medium for kids. I realized early on you could tell ANY type of story in comics — a unique form different from novels or short stories or radio or TV or film.”
As a college student at West Liberty University, David began writing for the Wheeling Registrar, then Writer’s Digest, and the Comics Buyer’s Guide. He worked as a host and sketch writer for WKKW Radio before moving to North Attleboro, Massachusetts in 1982 to work as a copywriter. But around this time, he brought his old love of comics back into the fold, penning stories for the Pacific Comics’ anthology series, Vanguard Illustrated. He would go on, in just a couple of years, to write a Superman story for DC in Action Comics #573.
Innovation Publishing
As he began finding success within the comics industry, Campiti moved full time into working as a book packager, designing and editing several comics titles for smaller publishers. But in 1988, he returned home to Wheeling, and founded his own independent publishing company, Innovation Publishing, located on Jacob Street. During its four year stint, it was briefly one of the country’s most successful comics publishers, bringing over several titles that Campiti had developed and contributed to for other publishers. But its primary claim-to-fame was a slew of film and television adaptations and tie-in books.
One such adaptation was a six issue miniseries based on CBS’ 1987 Beauty and the Beast live television show. As CBS’ live action series maintained a cult following (and even garnered a reboot back in 2012), its popularity also bolstered Innovation’s sales.
Innovation also acquired the rights to The Nightmare on Elm Street and worked closely with the producers at New Line Cinema to publish three separate series based on the horror movie franchise. While the first comics run was a direct adaptation of the sixth film in the series, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, the later two were all original stories set within the Nightmare on Elm Street continuity.
And while Innovation was also responsible for several other high profile adaptations like Lost in Space, Child’s Play, or Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, their other major contribution to late 80s, early 90s comics racks was an adaptation of the first three books in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles novel series, beginning with her 1976 smash hit novel, The Interview with the Vampire. Innovation set out to make 12 issue serializations of each book, every issue boasting sprawling painted artwork, and scripts penned in collaboration with Rice herself.
Unfortunately, in the midst of adapting Rice’s third novel, the company went under as the broader comics industry collapsed in 1994, and the final issue was never published. Campiti had by 1993 after a series of internal disputes with the company’s top brass, and the story of Innovation Publishing came to a close.
New Horizons
After leaving Innovation, David moved on to found another comics packaging company, Glass House Graphics, where he still works to this day as CEO. In addition to their work in comics, Glass House broadly works to support artists around the world, and they’ve even co-produced an animated fantasy film in which Campiti has a voice acting role.
And, in 2011, Campiti’s childhood dream came true when he collaborated with Stan Lee himself on How to Draw Comics, a guide to aspiring comics artists on some of the tricks of the tarde. Years later in 2019, after Lee had passed away, David wrote the tribute, Life Without Stan Lee published by the Academy of Comic Book Arts.
The story and aftermath of Innovation Publishing is a peculiar, rather niche slice of history, but it’s one in which Wheeling is caught in the middle. Quaint as Campiti’s upbringing may have been, it propelled him to follow his passions and find success doing what he loves.
