Mark Poulton

Mark Poulton never imagined that partnering with his seven-year-old son on a graphic novel about an evil pizza tree would change everything. But when Pizza Tree earned a Ringo Award nomination and a Moonbeam Award bronze medal in 2018, Mark realized that building something with family might matter more than building for corporate publishers.

The New Jersey native spent two decades in the industry before pivoting to creator-owned work. He’d written for various publishers, worked with legendary creators, and learned the business from the inside out. But it was that self-financed kids’ graphic novel, co-created with his son Chase and artist Ryan Onorato, that showed him a different path forward.

Today, Mark runs Haunted Pizza LLC alongside Chase, now a seasoned convention veteran who became the youngest author to sign at San Diego Comic-Con at age seven. Their horror and superhero titles have collectively crowdfunded over $1 million across platforms like Indiegogo and Kickstarter.

The flagship title, Graveyard Shift, is a love letter to 90s Image Comics mixed with Universal Monsters and X-Men storytelling. Co-created with artist Jon Malin, the series follows a team of betrayed scientists reborn with powers after their employer attempts to silence them. The project has raised over $280,000 across multiple volumes, with legendary covers by Rob Liefeld and variants featuring top industry artists.

Mark’s other indie properties include Loose Threads, a meta-comedy about comic book characters breaking into the real world to demand their creator finish their stories, featuring a final cover by George Perez. The company also publishes titles like USAssassin, Writhe & Payne, SeaDog, and Viking Wolf.

Perfect for fans of horror-superhero hybrids, creator-owned empowerment stories, and family business success tales in independent comics.