 In February 2011 , creator Hillenburg first announced the release of the 32 @-@ page bimonthly comic book series , SpongeBob Comics , based on the show . The release marked the first time Hillenburg authored his own books . He said , " I 'm hoping that fans will enjoy finally having a SpongeBob comic book from me " . The comic book series is published by Hillenburg 's production company , United Plankton Pictures , and distributed by Bongo Comics Group . Although the characters of the series had previously appeared in Nickelodeon Magazine and in Cine @-@ Manga , the first issue of SpongeBob Comics marked the first time the characters have appeared in their own comic books in the United States . Hillenburg described the stories from the comic books as " original and always true to the humor , characters , and universe of the SpongeBob SquarePants series " . 
