Millar Burrows

Avatar Press was established in December 1996 by William A. Christensen, initially focusing on "bad girl" comic titles. The company's early offerings included characters like Pandora and Hellina. Before founding Avatar, Christensen and his associates were involved in the comic retail business and had experience in comic magazine writing.

As the 1990s progressed, Avatar Press expanded its publishing during a speculative boom in the comic industry. The 2000s saw the company license characters from other defunct publishers and begin to attract well-known writers. This period marked a significant shift as Avatar became increasingly recognized for publishing violent and extreme content by popular and critically acclaimed creators such as Alan Moore, Garth Ennis, and Warren Ellis. They also ventured into adaptations of science fiction and horror media. The company launched the news site Bleeding Cool in 2009.

In the 2010s, Avatar continued to publish works by prominent authors, including Moore's later comics, Kieron Gillen's "Uber," and Jonathan Hickman's "God Is Dead." The publisher faced criticism regarding controversial "torture" variant covers. Avatar also introduced the Boundless Comics imprint for "bad girl" and "cheesecake" style comics. Despite some recent inactivity on its news page and a controversy involving an interview on Bleeding Cool, Avatar and its imprint continue to release and solicit material.

Avatar Press began its operations in December 1996, launching with three initial titles: Pandora, Silent Rapture, and Donna Mia. The company was founded by Richard Christensen, with his son William Christensen serving as editor-in-chief and Mark Seifert as creative director. Prior to this venture, the Christensens had established a comic retail business called Comic Cavalcade in 1989, and Seifert had also worked within that organization. William Christensen had also gained experience in comic publishing roles at London Night Studios. The initial output from Avatar Press leaned heavily into the "bad girl" comic genre, featuring characters such as Pandora, Hellina, Lookers, and Lady Death, which became emblematic of the company's early identity.

In the 2000s, Avatar Press experienced a significant evolution in its publishing strategy. The company began to feature characters licensed from Rob Liefeld's Awesome Comics, and notably, became a significant publisher for acclaimed writer Alan Moore, releasing adaptations of his prose and original works. This attracted other high-profile writers, including Garth Ennis and Warren Ellis, who produced a substantial amount of material for Avatar. The press gained a reputation for publishing extreme and violent titles, such as Ennis's "Crossed" and Ellis's "Black Summer," often citing creative freedom as a reason these creators chose Avatar. This shift moved the company's recognition away from its initial "bad girl" focus towards its more challenging and adult-oriented content.

The 2010s saw Avatar Press continue its trajectory of publishing works by established and popular writers, including Kieron Gillen's "Uber" and Jonathan Hickman's "God Is Dead." Alan Moore continued to release significant portions of his later comics work through Avatar, such as "Neonomicon" and "Providence." The company also ventured into adapting well-known science fiction and horror franchises. However, this period also brought controversy, particularly concerning "torture" variant covers on titles like "Crossed," which drew criticism. Avatar launched the Boundless Comics imprint in 2010, revisiting the "bad girl" and "cheesecake" aesthetic. The news and pop culture website Bleeding Cool, launched in 2009, also faced scrutiny in later years.