EIGHT MONTHS LATER: JOSH BLAYLOCK TALKS DEVIL'S DUE

[MattBrady]

They’ve been on their own for eight months, and what has Devil’s Due learned? How have things worked since splitting off from Image? We caught up with Devil’s Due chief Josh Blaylock to talk about where things stand, where things are headed, the creators coming to the company, and where things may be in six months.

Newsarama: You’ve been on your own, apart from Image for over six months now. Are you satisfied with where DDP is at this point in time?

Josh Blaylock: I’m very satisfied. Since our debut, we've grown an average of 40% a month in revenues, more than doubling. Before leaving Image, we streamlined down to only a few select titles, but we've since ramped up, and exceeded anything we were doing before. G.I.Joe is still going strong, our studio partners Udon, Studio Ice, and Dynamic Forces are kicking ass and taking names, and we're looking at a couple new acquisitions into the fold, as well as the big launch for Aftermath.

I don't know that anyone in charge of an active company can ever feel like things have 'settled down', but I feel like we're more efficient than we've ever been. I have very dedicated, smart and talented people working for me, which made the transition as smooth as possible.

NRAMA: Were there any surprises out of the gate in regards to it on your own? Did any relationships between DDP and other parties within the industry change as a result of the move?

JB: No major surprises, really. We were doing so much on our own before, as was the way Image was structured for studios, and I came from a very do-it-yourself background in publishing and printing on top of it.

I think at first people had their doubts, and rightly so, but after almost a year we're showing that we're serious about this. The retailers voted us Best New Publisher of the Year for 2004, via Previews, so someone out there likes us.

I think San Diego was the most apparent indication of just how much the public perception of us has skyrocketed. This being our first year at the show as our own publisher, the response was phenomenal. The booth was packed, a lot of serious pitches from well known talent and property holders came in, and I had more productive meetings than ever. We were covered by VH1 and the G4 network. It just went very well.

NRAMA: Going back and touching on Previews for a moment - so much weight is put upon placement in the catalog, with many saying that if you move out of the front (where you were under Image), retailers don’t notice you. Did you see a dip in orders when you moved out of the front?

JB: We did see a dip, and I admit, a more significant dip than I expected, as retailers took their time to find us in the catalog. On our own, though, we were still making the same amount of money, so we didn't take a hit financially.

Now that our section in Previews is growing - we had 20 pages for October, and we've been in there for a while now, we're becoming very hard to ignore. Of course, I won't complain if our friends at Diamond decide to move us up to the front of the catalog.

NRAMA: Shortly after going solo, you took on other groups to publish their books. For a time, it seemed as if you split from Image to be a mini-Image. Did you?

JB: That was a natural assumption for anyone to have, but it was never my intention. Devil's Due makes no claims to be a provider of 'equality for all creators' or anything like that. It's a noble goal, but not something our business model works with.

Each new partnership with a studio or artist is taken on a case by case scenario. I've had to turn down ten times as many pitches as I've published, and many of those were impressive. To maintain our momentum, and become a serious, stable force in the industry, I need to guarantee that our books do well. If we put out too many books, we'll dilute our own market.

For example, I had to pass on a number of good Super-Hero pitches because for the past six months we've been planning the Aftermath line. One, it's not a creator owned line, and two, I can't have customers confused.

As for why I signed on our current partners, though - Army of Darkness. How could I pass that up? Street Fighter - a proven seller that was itching for a new home. Studio Ice - they're an international powerhouse with some of the most gorgeous art you've ever seen.

I'm not saying we haven't had our bumps in the road - the studios must be competent, reliable, and able to produce quality work while meeting the deadlines. Not to keep referring to Image, but since you asked... the Image deals are publicly stated as open ended. It's like you're dating someone. The only way to leave is to 'break up'... or die, in which case no one holds it against you.

Every one of our deals has a set term - we're entering into a partnership here, and we're both giving a lot of ourselves in hope that it's productive for everyone. This way there's eventually a 'no hard feelings' chance to leave.

If a studio has become an important part of our publishing, and things are going well, I know that I have to make sure they’re happy too, or else they might decide to go elsewhere at the end of the term. I guess you could say it's like a lease on an apartment.

NRAMA: So DDP is still seeking new titles and projects?

JB: We're always going to be looking for projects. We've never had a 'call for original concepts', and probably won't for a long time, but if someone has an idea, there's nothing stopping them. There are just a lot of factors that determine what gets picked up. Right now we're looking at some properties that might surprise people - targeted as much towards the book stores as they are the comic shops, and I'm not talking about fantasy books either.

I've gotten so many decent submissions that I've toyed with the idea of starting a second company to publish those books - offering a basic service to the titles, but no guaranteed promotion. They'd be an outlet for more people to see their books published, and guaranteed money makers for the company. Then 1:00 AM rolls around and I'm up working on something and I come to my senses. Another project? Am I trying to kill myself?

NRAMA: Speaking to your licensed books, was there any concern on the part of Hasbro or other license holders about splitting from Image and the power of the “i” on the cover?

JB: Fortunately, no. Actually, and this is no slight to the big 'i', but they were happier. It meant their products would stand out more strongly in our line-up, rather than playing second tier to other titles. If anything I'd say it immediately earned us a lot more respect in their eyes.

NRAMA: In that vein, how do your relationships with your licensors stand? Are you still just a licensee to them, or are you more of an R&D partner, a place where concepts can be developed and tested without casting things in plastic, and seeing them sit on store shelves?

JB: Technically we're still just licensees, but say, in the case of Hasbro, we've taken on an enormous amount of freelance work from them like the G.I.Joe Trading Card Game from the Hasbro-owned WotC and art for their new major toy line, Xevos. Some of our characters have been made into toys. It's becoming an R&D thing very organically and very unofficially... although I welcome talks if anyone at Hasbro wants to make it official. We want to do some package art!

For World Events Productions, the company who owns Voltron, they've hired a company to produce a clip of animation that is based entirely on our comic books. They're doing their Hollywood thing now, working with the networks and studios, but I got to say seeing your book animated is a big thrill, regardless of what happens.

NRAMA: How much freedom do you have though – for example, was Hasbro behind GI Joe Reloaded, or was that all you?

JB: That was definitely us, but they were very cool about letting us push the envelope. They give us a lot of freedom on the flagship title too, though, so the differences in tone of the two books may not seem as apparent as originally thought.

NRAMA: Speaking of Reloaded, what’s the line there? You said previously that you want to make it more realistic, but it’s still based on a toy line for kids. Where do you draw the line on what to show/include/write about?

JB: Reloaded is just supposed to have a more 'grounded' feel. What makes stories powerful, and what makes villains scary, is to make them relevant to today's society. We want to show you why Cobra Commander does what he does, and although he's completely out of his mind, make you wonder if he doesn't have a point sometimes. We want to show you some of the tough dilemmas the Joe team faces when questioning their orders when something seems wrong, and how sometimes they just have to persevere and hope what they're doing is right.

We're not going to show Storm Shadow going Kill Bill on a hundred Joe troops if that's what you're looking for, but hopefully we create a story that's not as 'black and white' as the classic continuity.

Where Hasbro is very protective of their iconic characters, this 'elseworld' gives us a chance to bend the rules. This is the title where no character is safe. If you doubt that, just stay tuned over the next few issues and see if I'm lying.

NRAMA: And the regular Joe series?

JB: We're shaking things up here too, as anyone who read issue #32 knows. Not only have we added a special back-up story by the Aspen guys lately, but the central story is about to go insane.

I know everyone says that about every story, but this is the real deal. General Hawk, who has led the G.I.Joe team since the Marvel comic debuted, was shot point blank by Cobra Commander, and things are not looking good. Cobra Commander was surprised too, when the Baroness shot him, leaving him there to die alongside his nemesis.

It doesn't stop there. By issue #37, the G.I. Joe team will be reduced to a very small roster, and struggling to stay together, while Cobra seems to explode, despite the ... change in leadership.

NRAMA: Of the properties you publish, Joe has been, by far the most popular, with Micronauts and Voltron somewhat languishing. Do you think this is a Joe thing, where GI Joe is just so much more popular than the others, or a problem where you haven’t hit the right formula on Voltron and Micronauts to make them click with readers?

JB: I don't think I'm offending our other licensors when I say Joe is just a huge property. Not only was it an amazingly successful cartoon and toy line, but it was a comic book series that ran for 12 years. The other properties are each missing one of those pieces of the puzzle, as successful as they were.

I think with Voltron, the story is so strong, and so accessible, it would be hard not to get sucked into it if tried. The book's not selling as well as I'd like it to, but our trade paperback sales through book stores took an interesting turn for the better, so there seems to be long term potential. I also estimate that about half the readership of Voltron is female, so it's great for diversifying our audience. Still, I believe any title with the right creative team can improve in both fan following and sales, and Mark Waid will play a big part in that come October. I'm confident that those who pick up the book for Mark will be sucked into the tale that Dan Jolley and Marie Croall have crafted, and who knows, maybe Mark will do more, and larger projects with us in the future.

NRAMA: Rounding the horn then, what’s the current plan with Micronauts?

JB: The Micronauts property is currently on indefinite hiatus right now. Trust me, I know how tiring that phrase has become, but I'm not really allowed to say any more. There might be an announcement sometime in the near future, but I can't promise anything. I really wish this situation was more open to the public, but for now, mum's the word until we can explain exactly what's going on with this property.

NRAMA: Licensed books as a whole – you’ve said that they’re your bread and butter, but from your view point, is DDP too dependant upon them? After all, to date, your creator-owned work has been...modestly successful in comparison to your property books. How big of a concern is that for you?

JB: You're absolutely correct, and that's something on my mind since day one. If you look at what I've done with DDP since we began publishing on our own, I've expanded in three different directions. The licensed books, studio partnerships, and on a more subtle note, outsourcing our creative talent for freelance partnerships.

The studio partnerships, for the most part, are low risk. We provide a lot of services, financial backing, and exposure to the studios, but don't take nearly the risk that we do on comics created in house. This builds our market share, income, and therefore, stability.

The freelance services we provide, while not necessary, really helps strengthen the company financially, and builds relationships for future licensing and merchandising opportunities.

We've also made serious in-roads to the book stores, which applies to all of the books we publish.

The only thing left is to come full circle, and develop a line of our own characters - something that Devil’s Due owns, that will build the company's strength. Something that allow us to be the licensors down the road.

NRAMA: Speaking of studio-owned titles, let’s touch on Aftermath again. Why now, and why superheroes?

JB: Well, aside from being a company president, I'm a big geek for comics, and this is what I've wanted to do since I was very, very young. So achieving a life-long dream doesn't hurt. Why now? Because we're ready. And because there's a void in the industry right now for new product - I'd still try this if there wasn't, but things just worked out that way.

Why Superheroes? Because if you look at the history of comics for the past 60 years, the only thing that has prevailed as a universe of titles has been super heroes. The books retailers are the most willing to support - are superheroes. The one genre that those untapped readers will try out? Superheroes.

Just like everything in my life, I've kind of gone about the success with Devil's Due in a backwards way. I've been publishing offbeat, alternative genres since I was 18 years old. We got mainstream by not publishing superheroes. A lot of superhero fans complained we caused their racks to be overrun by those 'silly 80's comics', even though we brought thousands of long lost comic fans back into shops over the past few years, strengthening our industry, and now those ‘80s fans can complain about us tapping into a genre that's been done before that they don't care about - hopefully a lot of them crossover, though. It's all silly, really - but the wider audience we have, the better, no matter who complains.

The key is putting our own spin on it, and assigning writers and artists who will do just that - who will instill faith in fans and retailers that the stories will be good, and the books won't fade away overnight.

If they still don't like it? We publish Hack/Slash - tongue in cheek slasher horror. Lovebunny and Mr. Hell - superhero parody. Kore and WarStone - post-modern fantasy. Semantic Lace - manga sci-fi. Hedge Knight - fantasy. Radiskull and Devil Doll - alternative/comedy. Misplaced.

Look, the truth is, no matter what I try to do to be mainstream, I always end up being too much of a counter-culture kinda guy to completely pull it off. The same goes for a lot of us at DDP. So no matter what we do, these Aftermath titles will have a much different vibe than the books from the big two, I assure you. That's why I made sure to develop the initial concepts behind each book - to ensure they were the right combination of marketable yet unique.

It's hard to explain why something's 'different' in a few sentences - which is why I'll let the books speak for themselves. I've also learned in my years that being 'too different' can work against you as well.

NRAMA: Well, looking at it from another angle, you’ve got a lot of titles for one smallish publisher. The corpse of CrossGen is still warm, with many pointing to rapid expansion as the cause of death. How are you working to make sure, next year, Newsarama’s not running stories about what your bankruptcy papers reveal?

JB: Well, first off, the studio partnerships take a lot of cash to front for publishing, but in the long run, they're fairly low risk, safe money makers. I've been working on this for MONTHS now, making sure we're playing it safe, and once the creators were on board, began to move full steam ahead.

But also, this comparison's a little skewed. You won't find me giving animation studios half million dollar jobs, or building million dollar convention set-ups or what have you. We can analyze why CrossGen failed all night long, but in a nutshell, if they hadn't paid such extravagant creative rates and ran the company as if it didn't have such a huge financial backing, they could have been profitable instantly. That's what's the most encouraging about this for me - if we achieve CrossGen sales numbers? Forget it - we're golden. Their main titles sold very well for a new company. I also believe that if they had launched a Super-Hero universe rather than the off-world fantasy titles, those sales would have been even better.

Despite a much smaller nest egg to start Aftermath with, Devil's Due is in a much better position to earn the trust of fans and retailers. They spent millions to convince customers how big and 'stable' they were. Our three year track record does that for us. If a retailer orders these books from us, he or she knows they'll arrive.

If we pull this off, we'll achieve the same buzz that CrossGen did without spending a penny beyond smart creative choices and some guerilla promotion.

NRAMA: Talking about that expansion…the creators you’re bringing in – Chuck Dixon, Andy Smith, Mark Waid, Joe Casey, Marv Wolfman, and all the rest…no offense, but how’d you land them?

JB: Sometimes I ask myself that. The most flattering thing I've heard so far regarding this topic was from Ron Marz. He told fans in a panel that he wasn't going to take this job. To be honest, I think he just wanted to see my plans to learn what 'crazy asshole' was gonna blow another zillion bucks on a failed universe. It makes for good convention gossip. And then something crazier happened - he took the job.

I think it's a testament to the line that we were able to convince two former CrossGen writers, who should have been the most jaded.

Maybe it's because we're doing something the other companies aren't. Maybe it's because they like the way we're treating them. Or maybe it's my stunning blue eyes. I don't know. I'd love to hear what they say.

NRAMA: Are there further expansion plans after Aftermath, or is the goal for now just to get all the lines up and running?

JB: If the initial reaction to the Aftermath books is strong, I'll immediately plan a fifth one, and then we'll probably ride that for a while. I think it's best if the universe grows organically, but still keep each book independent. You want most of your new titles to blend in with what's going on in the other titles. Also, if you really want them all to be unique, there's only so many you can do. I'll keep my expectations conservative, but my goals high.

As far as DDP as a whole? I'd like to secure a few more big licenses, expand our bookstore sales, get a good handle on newsstand distribution - something we haven't done since Image, set up an R&D relationship with a large toy or design company, set up a couple of projects with a movie studio and video game company, and see the Aftermath line off to a successful launch. All of the ancillary stuff is just to secure the future of the comic books. Some of that will take a few months, some a couple more years.

I don't see much desire to grow about twice as big as we'll be by the end of the year. That would put us firmly in the #3 spot, and mean that we'll probably be around for a long long time. Anything beyond that? I'm more inclined to start buying Chicago lakefront investment property rather than spend any more money on these crazy funnybooks!

[Carlton_FExM]

I wish these guys all the best!
A very excellent company!

BTW, Cannonbusters #0 is totally badass!!!

Keep up the good work.

The Branch

[stlfan79]

I stopped buying Devils Due's GI Joe at Image at issue 6 because I felt it was very bland. I really never looked at anything else from them until recently when they got Starlin on Cosmic Guard, then I heard about LeSean Thomas' Cannon Busters, and then the Aftermath line (which I am going to buy Breakdown and Infantry from). Now I will give anything they put out contemplation in regards to a purchase because they have shown a desire to lure top talent.

[FIG]

Among Cannonbusters I'm looking forward to some other books like Defex, Breakdown, Kumori, Infantry and pretty much anything and everything from Studio Ice.

[kingofcities]

Can't wait for the Aftermath books. I already have them on my pull list. Continued good luck to DDP.

[Carlton_FExM]

Speaking of, Studio Ice, I got a chance to meet some of the creators at the Expo on Saturday.

I bought a very sweet poster and got it signed by the artists.
A very nice bunch of people! I'm going to be following their work very closely.

Me.

[tralfaz]

i really wish i could get into GI joe again, but it really was a let down and hasnt lived up to its potential... theres just something about it that isnt entertaining

[Tinnitus Tim]

I am looking forward to Aftermath, two titles especially.

For the comparison with Crossgen, I agree that the saw to big in the beginning but :

'' If a retailer orders these books from us, he or she knows they'll arrive.''

I think Crossgen was the most serious company in regards of respecting their shipping schedule (until the financial problems arrived) and everyone should acknowledge that.

[Scavenger]

Originally posted by tralfaz
i really wish i could get into GI joe again, but it really was a let down and hasnt lived up to its potential... theres just something about it that isnt entertaining

Try the Reloaded titles. The launch specials were really good, the ongoing not as good, but Reiber, one of the special writers is taking it over soon, so I have high hopes.

[Duke Jupiter]

"I think it's a testament to the line that we were able to convince two former CrossGen writers, who should have been the most jaded."

Actually, according to Blaylock's list, that would make three former CrossGen writers - Mark Waid, Ron Marz and Chuck Dixon .

Back in the day, I would've gotten a No-Prize

DJ

[bart foster]

even "bad" gijoe is good enough for me I loved this series as a kid I love this series now

[wgpcgreeijn]

Devil's Due have earned my loyalty and i can't wait for Aftermath titles. Wish they'd cut out the variant covers though!

By the way, Rieber's already writing the Reloaded series, and awesome Chuck Dixon takes over with issue#10. I'd urge anyone wanting to get into this series to give Chuck a try!

[Studio D Comics]

Originally posted by Duke Jupiter
"I think it's a testament to the line that we were able to convince two former CrossGen writers, who should have been the most jaded."

Actually, according to Blaylock's list, that would make three former CrossGen writers - Mark Waid, Ron Marz and Chuck Dixon .

Back in the day, I would've gotten a No-Prize

DJ

Not quite.. you also have to give an explantaion for the mixup to get the No-Prize.

Like.... maybe 1 of those names is REALLY a pseudonym used by one of the other former CG writers



later
don

[tralfaz]

Originally posted by Scavenger
Try the Reloaded titles. The launch specials were really good, the ongoing not as good, but Reiber, one of the special writers is taking it over soon, so I have high hopes.

yeah, several people have pointed me in that direction. i guess i got jaded by the ongoing series

[Polyphonic Pete]

I'm kinda interested in the Aftermath books coming out . . . depending on what I am buying at the time, I may check them out.

I'm glad Devil's Due is doing well . .. I was definitely impressed with their studio after reading Masters of the Universe, Micronauts, and Kore when they were associated with Image.

I am eagerly awaiting the return of Kore (a great horror/fantasy comic), but I am a little disappointed with all the problems they have been having with Micronauts. Dan Jolley has been writing a great book, and from what I understand, he is kinda frustrated over this "hiatus" (my brother lives in his hometown and recently talked to Jolley when he ran into him at one of the local comic stores). Here's hoping Devil's Due can iron out those Micronauts problems and keep the book going . . .

Good luck with all future projects as well, DDP!

--- Matthew (Polyphonic Pete)

[IanZL]

Originally posted by Scavenger
Try the Reloaded titles. The launch specials were really good, the ongoing not as good, but Reiber, one of the special writers is taking it over soon, so I have high hopes.

Ney Reiber (who wrote G.I. Joe REBORN) is the current RELOADED writer. Chuck Dixon is going to be the new RELOADED writer in a few issues. Personally, I think the COBRA REBORN book was THE best G.I. Joe comic out of that Devil's Due yet and that they should really be chasing down Paul Jenkins (who wrote that issue) to take over for RELOADED.

I dropped RELOADED after the last issue. I don't like Chuck Dixon and the story wasn't grabbing me (My favorite character there (Beachead) didn't seem to be doing anything interesting). I'm still getting G.I. Joe (on and off, better now that it used to be) Voltron (last issue was kind of slow, but overall really good) and the upcoming Infantry.

[RickN]

I enjoyed reading about DDP's business approach. I'm very interested to see how it works out for them. I hope it continues to go well.

They've pulled in some talent for the Aftermath books so I'll check them out. I was hoping for a little more from GI Joe Reloaded, but I admittedly didn't stick with it for long. Maybe the trade...

[Kintoun]

Originally posted by Polyphonic Pete
I'm glad Devil's Due is doing well . .. I was definitely impressed with their studio after reading Masters of the Universe, Micronauts, and Kore when they were associated with Image.

--- Matthew (Polyphonic Pete)

Actually, Masters of the Universe has never been a Devil's Due title. The relaunch started as an Image series and then became affiliated with Crossgen. MVC next became an independent company until they recently rejoined Image. Unfortunately, Masters of the Universe Volume 3 is ending soon with issue 8. So there's only three issues left.

Kintoun

[SkyWarp]

GI Joe has become better than ever since #25.

Brandon Jerwa is one of the best writers one could have picked out for GI Joe. He knows his history, and he is doing an excellent job at bringing it to the present.

His Master and Apprentice series is the PERFECT place for people to get a good feel for his writing style.

[Sinister Grynn]

Jerwa's writing on the Frontline series with the arc on Chuckles that came out weekly toward the end is as good, if not better, than the Master & Apprentice. His writing is so good I am hoping he doesn't get lured away to something like another x-book or ultimates title by marvel. I hope he's on Joe for the long haul.

[Soylent Bob]

Amen to That! I love Master And Apprentice, and the classic Joe-book is hitting every note right on pitch. I hope Devils' Due will tap the talent resource they have sitting right in front of them and give Jerwa a non-G.I.-joe assignment quick, before Joey Quesadilla comes knocking!

Hmmm. I wouldn't be surprised if he has an Aftermath book waiting in the wings! They're probably just waiting to see how the launch goes with the big names but I'm sure he could hold his own. I'd buy it on his name alone, but if they teamed him with Stefan Casseli again, WOW. Those two guys make magic.

Oh, and Micronauts was cool, I'm sad to see it go.

[MR2525]

Devil's Due rocks!
Stefano Caselli is amazing - a superstar in the making baby!
I loved how they got Talent Caldwell on GIJOE too! I hope they grab more artists to help get themselves more recognition. The comic community needs to take notice of this company!

[Reliant]

For me, Devil's Due filled that space vacated by the loss of all my CrossGen titles. I was already enjoying the hell out of UDON's Street Fighter, but I recently picked up Voltron and really got hooked into that unfolding space opera and wound up snaring all the back issues--it's less of an 80's property revival as one would think and has that kind of original Star Wars vibe currently missing from the current prequel movies.

I also can't wait for Darkstalkers and Rival Schools as well, so I'm very glad DDP is doing well...

[littlewolvie]

A lot of superhero fans complained we caused their racks to be overrun by those 'silly 80's comics', even though we brought thousands of long lost comic fans back into shops over the past few years, strengthening our industry, and now those ‘80s fans can complain about us tapping into a genre that's been done before that they don't care about - hopefully a lot of them crossover, though. It's all silly, really - but the wider audience we have, the better, no matter who complains.

Considering I collect comics as well as G.I. Joe, I won't be the one complaining. All that matters to me is that DDP keeps up the good work (and maybe they can push Hasbro a bit to spend some more attention to Europe concerning their current G.I. Joe toys line, 'cause right now it's a rather sad situation)