In 2007, Dean Mullaney created IDW Publishing’s archival imprint The Library of American Comics, which he edits and designs. Almost immediately his efforts began to usher in a new Golden Age of classic comic strip reprint collections, significant in both the material itself and the manner in which it is presented. In its first four years, LoAC was nominated for nine Eisner awards and other accolades, and it has been called “the gold standard for archival comic strip reprints.”

Under his guidance, Milton Caniff’s Terry and the Pirates, Alex Raymond’s Rip Kirby, Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy, Harold Gray’s Little Orphan Annie, Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson’s Secret Agent Corrigan, Chic Young’s Blondie and other strips have been showcased for seasoned fans and new readers alike.

This wasn’t the first time he made a big impact on comics, though.

In 1978, he launched Eclipse Comics when he published Don McGregor’s Sabre, the first graphic novel created for the comics specialty market. Eclipse championed creator ownership and the first line of Japanese manga in English translation, and had the first digitally-colored comic book.