NOW Comics was a comic book publisher founded by Tony C. Caputo in late 1985 as a sole-proprietorship with it's first titles shipping in May 1986. NOW Comics eventually became Caputo Publishing, Inc. in 1987. During the following four years, CPI grew quickly from a newsstand distribution deal with Warner Publishing Services, adoption of the Comics Code, and publishing licensed properties like The Real Ghostbusters, The Green Hornet, Speed Racer and others. At one point, NOW was the #3 comic book publisher.

Growing too fast, for the most part, killed NOW, which declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1990, but relaunched again the next year as NOW Entertainment Corporation after being bought by General Learning. In 1994, Caputo was forced out of NOW and the company ceased publishing soon after.

In 2003, Caputo started NOW Comics again as "NOW Comics 3.0" under NOW Media Group, Inc., with the intent to publish creator-owned trade paperbacks. Barry Peterson and Marc Hansen were given shares in the company. Four titles by Hansen were published including a 430-page volume reprinting the first 19 issues of Ralph Snart Adventures. Hansen ended his association with the company in 2005. In February of 2006, the corporation dissolved completely.

Update: As of October, 2008, Tony Caputo is involved in yet another comic book publishing venture.

Update: As of April, 2010, Tony Caputo is a DVS Technical Architect working for IBM.

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Tony Caputo hype about Marc Hansen

Tony Caputo's Comic Book Whitepaper (download)

NOW Comics website (Pretty slim on content)

Tony Caputo articles at ComicbookResouces.com

Fred Schiller blog entry about his days as a NOW editor

Tom Richmond blog on NOW and doing Married...With Children

Ron Fortier web page on NOW

Chicago Tribune article by Robert K. Elder ($) October 14, 2004
Also here (library card)
Basically covers NOW's history of growing too fast, and it's conflicts with talent.

Comics Journal articles on NOW Comics
#123, Jul 1988, page 14, "Chicago's Now Comics Get Newsstand Distribution."
#125, Oct 1988, page 16, "Now Cover Art Missing."
#127, Feb 1989, page 13, "Schiller's Story."
#127, Feb 1989, pages 5-15, "Creators Accuse Now of Non-Payment."
#127, Feb 1989, page 9, "Editorial Direction Lacking at Now."
#128, Apr 1989, pages 3-4, "Courage Before Freelancers, Cowardice Before Censorship."
#128, Apr 1989, pages 6, "Corrections." (for #127 NOW story)
#129, May 1989, page 33, "I Almost Puked."
#129, May 1989, page 33, "Now Again."
#139, Dec 1990, pages 7-8, "Now Suspends Publishing, Seeks Buyer."
#140, Feb 1991, pages 11-12, "It's So Long For Now."
#142, Jun 1991, pages 9-10, "Comics Companies Reborn in Chicago."