Mark Siegel, Founder of First Second and 23rd St. Books, tells the striking story of 23rd St.

Mark Siegel

When we launched First Second I didn't quite know we were standing at the edge of a comics renaissance. The landscape has transformed beyond anything I could have dreamed. Graphic novels have become a fixture in bookstores, libraries, and classrooms; entire generations have grown up with comics as a native language. The medium itself has stretched to deliver stories never before told in comics form.

First Second became a home for creators making their most ambitious work, and watching that community flourish has been the great privilege of my career.

We've published for readers of all ages from the beginning: kids in elementary school libraries, teens finding themselves in our YA titles, adults returning again and again for work that only comics can deliver. But as our catalog grew I started to feel there was a missed opportunity: adult graphic novels in North America occupy a distinctly different space than books for younger readers. Different retail channels, different review coverage, different conversations. The adult graphic novel market has its own rhythms, its own readers, its own potential—and it deserves a strategy built specifically to shape that landscape.

That realization is what sparked 23rd Street.

We're nearly twenty years on from First Second's beginnings, and the moment calls for something new.

The challenges facing independent-minded publishing have shifted. Reader expectations have evolved. The possibilities for what a graphic novel can be, formally, thematically, commercially, have expanded exponentially. We needed to respond to this present moment with fresh thinking, while holding fast to everything that makes our approach to publishing distinctive: a commitment to craft, an author-centered ethos, and an unshakeable belief in the power of great stories married to great art.

23rd Street stands shoulder-to-shoulder with First Second, not as a departure but as an evolution. It's a dedicated front door for grown-up readers, with the full weight of our editorial care and creative ambition behind them. This isn't about abandoning what we've built; First Second will continue publishing brilliant work for kids and teens. Rather, 23rd Street allows our adult titles to breathe, to find their natural audience with their own branded home.

What excites me most is the sheer range we're pursuing. Horror and nonfiction. Romance and memoir. SFF, biography, contemporary fiction, historical, travelogues... We're building an imprint for comics connoisseurs and curious newcomers alike, readers who want to be challenged, transported, unsettled, delighted. No assumptions, no house style, just a commitment to publishing the most compelling reads in this form.

The renaissance isn't over. In many ways, it's just beginning. And 23rd Street is our way of helping shape what comes next, and supporting the brilliant creators in our field.

Creative Director Kirk Benshoff answers questions about 23rd St.'s vision, first year, its next steps, and more: 

Kirk Benshoff

23rd St. just wrapped its first year--how does it feel seeing the imprint fully out in the world?

In a word, satisfying. This is something that we've wanted to do for a very long time. Seeing the first wave of 23rd Street titles in the wild is surreal after years of proposals, planning, and production. First Second has always been on the cutting edge with publishing for all stages of readers: early readers, middle grade, young adult, and adult. Publishing all kinds of content on all kinds of perspectives. Since First Second has grown so much, it only made sense to carve out a new space to focus on the adult market. Giving our readers who have been with us from the beginning cutting edge stories as they grow into adulthood. It really hit me how exciting this new chapter is going to be when I went into a bookstore and saw a bunch of our titles on display: Harrowing Game, Saint Catherine, The Giant, and Drome. Knowing right on the heels of these amazing books, we had more on the way. It feels good! It's needed! It's VERY satisfying!

What were your biggest creative goals when shaping 23rd St.'s identity, and how have they evolved over the year?

This is something I work very closely with Mark Siegel on. We want 23rd Street to be fun, sexy, exciting, scary, thrilling, and more! We want 23rd Street to be an escape from the everyday. So as we find new projects, look for new talent, and package our books.... We're always keeping those adjectives in mind. We're not constraining ourselves to any specific vision, but rather opening the flood gates to innovate. As the years have progressed, it's been the creative challenge to meet every creative challenge with our books with the equal amount of support.

How did you approach defining the look and feel of 23rd St., and what makes it visually distinct from other imprints?

I wanted 23rd Street to exude strength with a grand presence. Looking at the logo for the imprint itself, the convergence of the 2 and 3 gives the sense of two sides of a building at the corner of an intersection. A hat tip to the origins of First Second at the Flatiron Building, But the angle of the 2 and 3 also gives the feeling of two large objects merging into each other. Where our readers started with First Second as an entry point for comics, readers grow up to the more sophisticated and mature content of 23rd Street. Where the convergence of great stories and incredible art push the boundaries of the medium.

What's been your proudest creative moment so far?

In my role, I'm really there to help clear the runway so our creators can do their best work. My proudest creative moment is watching our creators revel in the success of their hard work. Making comics is inherently difficult, especially if you are doing everything by yourself. It can be a long journey that's affected by all types of things, both good and bad. By the time our creators have finished their pages, these books have become an extension of the creators themselves. So to see the public read the books, rave about them, and our creators on cloud nine... that's the thing I'm most proud of.

Looking ahead, what excites you most about the next phase of 23rd St.?

I'm over the moon excited about the opportunities to work with new people! I want to work with creators that have only worked in the direct market space. I want to grow our authors who have written for First Second and have them move on to the 23rd Street adult market. I also love the search for finding new and undiscovered talent. I'm excited about the opportunity to push the boundaries of what comics can do. Introducing new types of comics in the U.S. market that may be normal in other parts of the world. We have this rare opportunity to grow with our readers who start reading as part of First Second and keep reading into the 23 Street lists. I'm delighted to watch the 01/23 family get even bigger and publish really cool books!

Editorial director Calista Brill offers a look at all that 23rd St. accomplished in its first year:

Calista Brill

I joined Mark Siegel in a glorious experiment of graphic novel publishing in 2008, when I started working with him at First Second. The imprint has been a dream come true for all of us: editors, designers, authors, artists. 

And now, a new dream is becoming a reality: 23rd St.! With 23rd St., we've created a new imprint for grown-ups that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with First Second, sharing an ethos of craft, care, and risk-taking while giving our adult graphic novels their own place to live.

23rd St. has defined its voice and identity as an eclectic, risk-taking publisher for a diversity of readers through its first-year list. Allow me to elaborate! First, Saint Catherine by Anna Meyer is a bracing, funny, ferocious debut about faith, desire, and the gnarlier parts of adulthood; it's the kind of book that proves that comics can hold multitudes. Plus: demonic possession! 

On its heels comes Youssef Daoudi's The Giant, a sweeping graphic portrait of Orson Welles that thinks as ambitiously as its subject. And Antoine Revoy's The Harrowing Game delivers a taut, uncanny thrill ride that channels the greatest in horror manga. A masterwork, truly! These three alone announce an imprint that can do intimate storytelling, grand biography, and high-concept suspense without breaking stride.

Then there's Kasia Babis's Breadcrumbs, a memoir that braids a personal coming-of-age with Poland's transition from communism to democracy. Breadcrumbs is political/personal history told with wit, warmth, and wistfulness. And get ready to be wowed: Jesse Lonergan's Drome is a big swing in the very best sense. It's a mythic, formally inventive epic that reminds us how elastic the comics page can be. And Lucas Wars, by Laurent Hopman and Renaud Roche, gives us the kind of cinematic, behind-the-curtain reportage that film obsessives and story nerds will pass around for years. (Plus Star Wars fans, natch.)

Rounding out the year, I love the range: Mia Jay Boulton and Laurel Boulton's Of Swamp & Sea, Vol. 1 (lush, sexy, transportive fantasy); Paul Pope's Total THB, Vol. 1 (a definitive, remastered edition of a cult-classic worldbuilder); and Sander Funneman and Peter Brouwers' Electric Life (pop-science nonfiction that crackles with wonder). This is exactly the span we hoped for—books that entertain, provoke, and linger.

Everything in Color: A Love Story by Stephanie Stalvey (April 28, 2026)

Interrogating her own upbringing in an evangelical community, Stephanie Stalvey weaves a story of faith, alienation, romance, and acceptance in this beautifully painted graphic memoir. From Instagram’s favorite storyteller, whose heartfelt comics inspire millions every day. Perfect for fans of Blankets by Craig Thompson and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel.

Martyr Loser King written by Saul Williams, illustrated by Morgan Sorne (April 28, 2026) 

In Martyr Loser King, the East Africa country of Burundi is a source of the precious mineral coltan, a component of every technology on earth. The people who mine coltan are exploited, and the land around the mines is used by the rest of the world as a dumping ground for defunct machines. But from the rubble, creativity and rebellion rise in the form of a hacker who calls himself Martyr_Loser_King and an otherworldly stranger named Neptune Frost. Together, they launch a cyberattack that reverberates throughout the world. But the world is too focused on old enemies to recognize a new transformative force that seeks not destruction, but rebirth and understanding.

Clara & the Devil written by Olivie Blake, illustrated by Little Chmura (May 5, 2026)

Clara has the rest of her life figured out. She'll graduate college with the support of her best friend, Jonah; marry her adoring boyfriend; take a full-time job at her local library; and settle down in her small seaside hometown. But when an unusual tourist—tall, dark, and infernal—comes to town, Clara's careful plans quickly start to unravel. Star author Olivie Blake and artist Little Chmura kick off a deliciously dark graphic novel romance series with Clara & the Devil, Volume 1.

The Adventure Zone: Story and Song written by Griffin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Justin McElroy, and Travis McElroy, illustrated by Carey Pietsch (July 14, 2026)

After six beloved and bestselling installments, The Adventure Zone series returns one final time for a grand finale: Story and Song. Our heroes—Taako, Magnus, and Merle—are about to discover the long-lost truths about themselves, their shared history, and the nature of the threat they've been facing since they first agreed to join the Bureau of Balance. But just as their eyes are opened to the truth—mere moments after being reunited with long-lost loved ones—the forces that have hunted them for all these years catch up in a spectacularly horrifying fashion.

Shelf Awareness thanks 23rd St. for its support, and celebrates the publisher's first year—and its exciting plans for the future.