Annie Koyama may be the patron saint of small-press publishing. When Koyama received a terminal diagnosis in 2007, she took her life in a new direction. Having held a successful career for many years in film and advertising, and after surviving high-risk brain surgery, it was time for a change:
“When I did not die, I didn’t want to go back to a $%!@% job – I didn’t know how much time I had left. I wanted to do something with art and books – those are the things that make me happy, and the things that helped get me through my sickness.” -Annie Koyama
With no previous experience in publishing or comics, Koyama emerged in the alternative small-press scene as a force of nature. She quickly made friends, connections, and artistic discoveries that led to the establishment of her internationally recognized, Toronto-based Koyama Press publishing house. Over the past ten years, Koyama Press has published more than 100 titles, by new and established artists from North America and beyond.
Koyama is known in the comics community for her unwavering generosity, enthusiasm, and professionalism. In 2013, she began collecting original art to donate to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum that would represent a snapshot of the independent comics industry.
“Over time, I built a collection of art that is as unique and diverse as the cartooning community from which it is derived.” -Annie Koyama
The Annie Koyama Collection ensures the preservation of work from this generation of artists. This exhibit offers an introduction to a wide network of cartoonists, publishers, and collectives in the world of contemporary alternative comics. From autobiography to science fiction, horror, humor, kids’ comics, and beyond – all are united here by Koyama’s discerning eye.
