Into the Digital Age...

David Yurkovich began his career in comic book publishing with the 1996 release DEATH BY CHOCOLATE, published by his (then) new company SLEEPING GIANT COMICS. Trouble followed David like a black cloud enroute to a thunderstorm concert, as it seemed that no matter how obscure, no matter how weird or unusual a name he'd adopt for his comics or his characters, sooner or later other companies would sweep down like vultures and pluck away, leaving David plucked and confused. David did not believe these acts were done out of malice. "It's a big world, and there are only so many words in the English language," the Yurk was once quoted as saying. Thus it was that David's THRESHOLD series, a salt-and-pepper super-hero tale about an off-beat team of crime-fighters living and working in Philadelphia came to be associated with the pornographic offerings of the Avatar comics empire. Thus it was that one of David's THRESHOLD characters, Meridian, was soon featured in a book by another company. Thus did David continue down the road of the absurd, crafting titles with goofy names like THE BROCCOLI AGENDA (little knowing that a cookbook of the same name was in development by a major New York book publisher) and ALTERCATIONS (little dreaming that his own cousin would choose the same title for her memior of life in the Girl Scouts of America).

Yurkovich vanished from the scene for a while to write a novel and illustrate a children's book, and he has only recently begun to re-emerge from the swamps. Now a resident of Los Angeles, David (like all Los Angeles residents) survives by eating wild berries and nuts and by converting sand into a pasty peanut-buttery spread that he consumes on slabs of tree-bark. His 2004 graphic novel LESS THAN HEROES was published to rave reviews. David acknowledges that "paying off those reviewers was the best money I ever spent, except for that 2-for-1 deal at McDonald's last January."

David's recent and current output in sequential storytelling includes two online projects. First is NOCTURNE, an experimental, stream-of-consciousness tale conceived in August; a preview of the story appears on ComicSpace. A much larger preview is available at Sleeping Giant Creations: Nocturne. Completed volumes will be running on Wowio during 2008.

A deluxe digital version of The S.H.o.P. (Super-Heroes of Philadelphia) is now available on wowio in 2 volumes. The story, original published in 2000 and long out of print, has been optimized for online viewing. It features updated art, annotations, and additional material not seen in the original print edition. Download volumes 1 and 2 NOW free of charge:

THE SHOP: 2008 REVISION (VOLUME 1)
THE SHOP: 2008 REVISION (VOLUME 2)

The BILL MANTLO BENEFIT PROJECT (a benefit project showcasing the career of writer Bill Mantlo) was published in June 2007 by SLEEPING GIANT COMICS (now an imprint of SLEEPING GIANT CREATIONS. The benefit magazine is also featured on Wowio as a free download:

MANTLO: A DIGITAL LIFE IN COMICS

SGC was co-founded by David and his bride, the charming and sophisticated Dianne Pearce. D&D are in collaboration on several children's books and are in the process of adopting their first child. They also build websites.

Write to David: david@sleepinggiantcreations.com.

YURKOVICH ON MYSPACE

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE: REDUX ON MYSPACE