Already, the fledging Portland-based company has won the rights to reprint Frank Miller and Simon Bisley’s “Bad Boy”, previously published in installments in the British edition of GQ magazine, and signed filmmaker Kevin Smith (”Chasing Amy”) to write comics based on his hit debut film “Clerks.”

The 40-page, full-color magazine-format Bad Boy, the story of a young boy struggling to regain his freedom from an oppressive society, will be released in December with a $4.95 cover price. “It’s incredibly good — it’s Miller and Bisley!–and it’s a shame it’s never been available in North America,” said Scheck. “I’m already trying to get Miller and Bisley to collaborate on more “Bad Boy.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Smith’s comic-writing debut will be a 15-page story featuring “Clerks” characters Silent Bob and Jay in the Monthly Oni Double Feature #1, set to be released in January. Matt Wagner (Mage) handles art chores. Smith’s Bob-and-Jay story will be followed up by Clerks: The Comic Book, a 32-page, black-and-white one-shot featuring the “Clerks” characters, scheduled for an early 1998 release. Newcomer Jim Mahfood provides art.

So how come a hot movie director wants to squeeze comic book scripting into an already busy schedule? “I’ve always been a comics guy and a Clerks comic book seems to make sense,” Smith said. “The characters and situations transfer easily from the movies to comics, and comics are a big enough medium to hold anything. In a world where Hate can exist as a comic, so can Clerks.”

Smith said he wants to write more stories based on the “Clerks” characters and hopes it can eventually evolve into bimonthly title.