Oni Press, which has had great success with licensed publications, has announced a new deal. They will be working with Sanrio (home of Hello Kitty and many other merchandise characters) to put out a series of comic books featuring Gudetama, the “lazy egg”. (I discovered the character at this year’s TCAF, and I found him adorable, particularly when napping on a bed of rice as sushi. You more often see him uncooked, though, as a yolk.) Oni will put out […]

Rumors were circulating over the past week that DC will be shutting down Vertigo. The imprint, which launched in 1993, was created for more mature content, and over the years, it’s been the home of some revolutionary titles (mostly horror and fantasy related), including Sandman, Swamp Thing, and Preacher. However, these days, the Comic Code Authority no longer exists, so there’s less need for a strong wall between types of comics; the visionary editors who gave Vertigo its unique feel […]

Goldie Vance was an entertaining Nancy-Drew-type series featuring an energetic young woman of color in a retro beach hotel setting. It launched in May 2016 as a miniseries by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams; shortly became an ongoing series; and had movie interest announced at the end of 2017. It’s had four stories collected so far: Volume 1, October 2016; Volume 2, May 2017; Volume 3, November 2017; and Volume 4, by another creative team, and the first after it […]

Ted Adams, founder of IDW, was replaced as CEO in July 2018. (His replacement was replaced seven months later.) There was mention at that time of him returning in a new role. Now we know what that will be. The parent “integrated media company”, IDW Media Holdings, will be launching Clover Press, a “joint book publishing venture… led by the company’s co-founders Ted Adams and Robbie Robbins.” Clover Press is skipping out on the comic book market, focusing instead on […]

It’s a tough road for a small indie comic that doesn’t have a publisher great at marketing (because there are so few of those) or some kind of big-name tie-in (such as a well-known creator or media interest). It’s impressive when, often due to the sheer stubbornness of its creators, a story makes it to its conclusion. James F. Wright and Jackie Crofts launched Nutmeg four years ago. He describes it as Breaking Bad meets Betty & Veronica. The premise […]

Just saw an article about changes in the sales and marketing department for Humanoids, the publisher working on expanding beyond its traditional reprints of European sci-fi graphic novels. They’ve brought in an experienced person as new director of sales and marketing, but this is what struck me about her description: Ailen Lujo, former DC Comics executive director of book trade marketing… She began her career at Soho Press, and during her tenure at DC she was instrumental in launching its […]

This happened a couple of months ago, but I just found out about it. I don’t know that it will have much practical effect, but there’s an historical component that made me nostalgic. F+W Media is a publisher of hobby and specialist magazines, books, and price guides, including Writer’s Digest, Goldmine, Antique Trader, Old Cars Weekly, Numismatic News, and Impact Books (which put out volumes on how to draw manga and comics, among others). (This field is known as “enthusiast […]

The show is still going on — I’m taking a short break before my final panel (and the final panel of the show), “History Though Comic Eyes” — but I wanted to take a few minutes to capture TCAF memories so far. First, the workshop went well! I’d been wanting to do a session on how to get publicity for newer comic professionals for a while (based a good amount on my PR: What Not to Do category). I was […]