MARCHING ORDERS: DEVIL'S DUE LEAVES IMAGE

[MattBrady]

Following in the footsteps of Team Red Star and Dreamwave, Devil’s Due chief Josh Blaylock has confirmed for Newsarama that his studio will be leaving the Image umbrella at the end of this year. Blaylock took a few minutes to discuss the reasons for the departure.

“Basically, I feel like we’ve matured to a point as a studio where we have to make some sort of move,” Blaylock said. “I’m very, very grateful for the opportunity that Image gave us, but at the same time, there are certain things that we want to accomplish, and certain things that we want to control that just aren’t possible working under someone else. We need the control to be able to move faster on our own and be able to really brand ourselves. That’s something that’s very important to us - I want all the retailers and fans to know that when a Devil’s Due book comes out, it is a Devil’s Due book, and that it’s going to have our stamp on it that they’ve come to know means a certain level of quality.”

The studio is the home to the G.I. Joe and Voltron comic franchises, as well as a handful of creator/studio-owned titles, such as Oxido, Misplaced and Lovebunny & Mr. Hell. As recently announced, Devil’s Due’s other franchise, Micronauts has recently left the studio, bound for a new publisher.

Being under the Image umbrella, Devil’s Due books, like all books from studios other than those run by founders (such as Top Cow), carry an Image ‘i’ on the front cover, while any mention of Devil’s Due is inside. By splitting off on their own, “Devils’ Due” will be on the front cover, branding the entire line of books as coming from the same studio. This, and the level of control that comes with steering your own boat, was what appealed so strongly to Blaylock about splitting off on their own.

“The biggest thing is that everything will have our stamp on it,” Blaylock said. “We’ll be able to control our own negotiations for distribution, we’ll have more control over our advertising, and our marketing, and will be able to interact more in a one-on-one fashion with retailers.

“If we have a project that we really want to hype a lot, such as new creator-owned material, or a new big license, we’ll be able to control exactly how much exposure that project gets,” Blaylock said. “We’ll have our finger more directly on the pulse of all aspects of our books. A lot of this comes from when you’re being produced by someone else; you have to follow their rules. There’s no problem with that – it’s a fair deal, but when you get to a certain size, when you want to grow beyond that and branch out, you have to move out of your parent’s house.”

Another change that comes with the move will be a shift in the placement of Devil’s Due books in Previews, which is used by retailers to place their orders. As a result of being on their own, Devil’s Due will no longer be listed in the front of the catalog, in the Image section, but in the “Comics & Graphic Novels” section.

Prior to the expansion of several smaller publishers over the past two to three years, such a move was suicide for a publisher as several urban myths about Previews had surfaced, such as a high percentage of retailers don’t look beyond the Premier Publishers section (home to Dark Horse, DC, Image, and Marvel). While this may be true to some extent, several very popular publishers now call the section home, such as the aforementioned Dreamwave, CrossGen, Oni, and others.

When asked if Devil’s Due would remain exclusive with Diamond, Blaylock said the new publisher will “have a very close relationship with Diamond,” and added that he wasn’t overly concerned about seeing orders for Devil’s Due books drop through the floor thanks to the shift in catalog placement.

“While lower orders on books in the back section of Previews may be true in some cases, I don’t think it will be for the profile of books that we have,” Blaylock said. “I think retailers are going to still want those books, and will want to buy those books which in turn make them money, they’re going to come back to our section. Once they get back there, there’s a smaller amount of new products for them to look at in our section – they can focus on just the Devil’s Due books without having to sort through others.”

What Blaylock mentioned is part of the “branding” as well – despite coming from one studio, Devil’s Due books were listed in the Image solicitations as Image organized them, currently, by genre. So, as Blaylock explained, while G.I. Joe and something like Oxido may appeal to the same reader, due to a similar approach, overall feel and quality, the books are separated by 12 pages, and there’s no indication on the solicitation of Oxido #2 that the title is produced by Devil’s Due.

“I think this will play into the same mentality retailers have when they order form other sections of Previews - you go to each section of the catalog and order books from each company,” Blaylock explained. “If the publisher has something that retailers really want, they’re going to look at the section, and will look at what else you’ve got to offer.”

Blaylock said that even with the move, plans call for the numbering on currently running series will continue. “Our record is something that I’m very proud of – that we have a book that’s been running consistently for that long,” Blaylock said. “I want to see G.I. Joe #100 come out with our name on it.”

The move will require a few more changes around the studio – Blaylock said that Devil’s Due will be shortly moving to a new office space, and would probably bring on a couple of people to handle some of the increased workload the shift will cause.

“There will be more work involved, but at the same time, there will be less miscommunication,” Blaylock said. “Just anytime there’s another party involved, you end up with some degree of crossed signals. We run a tight ship, and I’m really proud of everyone at the company, and really honestly believe that we’re one of the hardest working studios out there that gets all of our product out on time. We’ve proved that we can handle a tremendous amount of books for a company our size and get them out reliably and consistently. Any growth that we have form now on is just going to make that stronger.”

When asked if he’s sure he had the cajones it takes to fully move into publishing, Blaylock pointed to his background as proof. “I come form a background of a smaller scale, but this is something I was researching and looking into even before I was out of high school – the way the distribution works and everything that went along with comic book production,” Blaylock explained. “Although I was trying to break in as an artist for a number of years, I viewed learning all I could about distribution and production as something that went along with trying to get in. It wasn’t until years later that I realized that some people just concentrate on their craft. I happened to learn all this other stuff, and it’s something that has benefited me now.

“That said, I guess what I can tell people about how we’ll continue with things out on our own is that we know what we’re getting into – this isn’t case where someone who’s been a freelancer for a long time just jumps into the publishing game. We’ve basically been in the publishing game for a long time, and know what’s required of it. We’ll just keep on delivering quality books on a consistent schedule. If they’re not, then we’ll hear about it direct – we’re responsible.”

In closing, Blaylock again wanted to thank Image for helping the studio get to the place where it was able to move to the next stage in its growth. “Personally, I think that we’re a great success story in comics – and at the same time, it shows someone what Image can help someone to do.

“But as for now, I think we’re blazing a unique trail. We have our long-term goals, but we’re concentrated on the comics market. We want to slowly grow to become a much bigger comic book company. While I’m very interested in selling rights to things in Hollywood, and the vide game industry, and would love to work more with those industries, I got into this through comic books. I’m not one of these guys who just draw and write comics so I can direct movies somehow.

“I want to be in comic books. If I branch off in any other directions, it’s another feather in the Devil’s Due cap, but it’s not what I want out main goals to be. If I were to cash in on another industry, it would just be so I have more time to put out the comic books I want, and not have to be as concerned about sales.”

[vanilla ice]

I guess the track record shows Image comics only benefits first timers once they know all the ropes.. Its more beneficial to pimp their own selves.. Jimbo really knows how to drop the ball.
Maybe he should make a sophomore contract to keep talent.

[Pariah]

As long as the books aren't renumbered, this is great news! Best of luck to Josh and the crew, their books are worth getting.

[Sean Walsh]

Originally posted by vanilla ice
I guess the track record shows Image comics only benefits first timers once they know all the ropes.. Its more beneficial to pimp their own selves.. Jimbo really knows how to drop the ball.
Maybe he should make a sophomore contract to keep talent.

Thank God that those first-timers Erik Larsen and Todd McFarlane are still with Image, huh? Yikes, just think how long they'd have lasted without the big "I" in the upper left corner of their comics...!



Sean

[jclem3]

Best of luck to Devil's Due. Self-publishing is difficult and it hasn't exactly been a bed of roses for Team Red Star and Dreamwave as far as going on their own was concerned.

However, I am glad to see that certain studios have the confidence to strike out on their own. Shows me that they see something good in the industry for them to make the leap.

[djcoffman]

Thumbs up to Devil's Due. I know they'll do well on their own-- and Im really glad they have a great track record. Josh is a smart fella and knows the business well. Not that they didnt have it before, but they have my stamp of approval... like that means shit anyway! but still, it's good to see a small camp do big things.

[mpg]

playing it safe no longer eh?

i dig this move....go for it, guys! Image was started on this very same principle.... this is the cycle of comics....get your start..anywhere you can...then break out....

i dont know what image needs to do....but it seems like they are getting used big time here....maybe in this era of exclusivity....they need to lock people up...they have lost Top Cow...Homage/wildstorm...team red Star..Dreamwave...who else?? i wonder how big a piece of the comic pie graph that is

[Mr Wesley]

Originally posted by Sean Walsh
Thank God that those first-timers Erik Larsen and Todd McFarlane are still with Image, huh? Yikes, just think how long they'd have lasted without the big "I" in the upper left corner of their comics...!

And the little bald guy with the foul mouth. What's his name again? "Ben" Something... Benny? Benben? Bendilbert? Bendingleberry? Bendi-straw?

While it does look that Image is losing a lot of talent, you have to remember that all those folks were studios, not individual creators. If I was a part of a team of folks who produced 4-5 comics a month, it would make perfect sense to seek the security of a larger publisher while we learned the tricks, and then broke out on our own when we were ready.

[majorjoe23]

Originally posted by mpg
playing it safe no longer eh?

i dig this move....go for it, guys! Image was started on this very same principle.... this is the cycle of comics....get your start..anywhere you can...then break out....

i dont know what image needs to do....but it seems like they are getting used big time here....maybe in this era of exclusivity....they need to lock people up...they have lost Top Cow...Homage/wildstorm...team red Star..Dreamwave...who else?? i wonder how big a piece of the comic pie graph that is

They lost Top Cow like five years ago for a month, but they came back and are still a part of Image comics.

[mpg]

mr silvestri didnt want to play it safe....i should have added that...

[S. Kurtz]

Originally posted by vanilla ice
I guess the track record shows Image comics only benefits first timers once they know all the ropes.. Its more beneficial to pimp their own selves.. Jimbo really knows how to drop the ball.
Maybe he should make a sophomore contract to keep talent.

I don't understand how this is an indication that Jim dropped the ball. Isn't this exactly what the "Image Central deal" was designed to do...provide opportunity for publishers and creators?

I think the way Image Central works is widely mis-understood, otherwise you would realize that this is a success story for Image Central, a perfect execution of what it was created for.

Keep in mind that Image Central made the same small flat fee from an issue of G.I. Joe as it did from an issue of PvP. G.I. Joe sells three times as much as my book. Image Central isn't out to profit from creator's work, it's designed to provide an opportunity for them.

Good luck to Devil's Due. I'll miss seeing your books in the Image section!

[MicroZone]

Originally posted by Sean Walsh
Thank God that those first-timers Erik Larsen and Todd McFarlane are still with Image, huh? Yikes, just think how long they'd have lasted without the big "I" in the upper left corner of their comics...!



Sean

Realistically, this hurts Image far more than it does Devil's Due. DD make up many of Image's top sellers, including most of their top four or five many months. What do they have if GI Joe leaves?

Spawn? I was under the impression that Spawn was wrapping up & Todd was about to license it off to someone else.

Top Cow? What titles do they publish? You have to stop & think now don't you. And until they work out their deal with JMS (translation: kiss his butt and give him whatever he wants) their top comics are pretty crap.

Powers? Savage Dragon? That's about it. And SD doesn't sell for crap, even according to Larsen.

[starvenger]

I'm not a big Devil's Due fan - Blaylock's writing hasn't really grabbed me - but this is a huge step and I hope that they do well.

[BClayMoore]

Originally posted by MicroZone
Realistically, this hurts Image far more than it does Devil's Due. DD make up many of Image's top sellers, including most of their top four or five many months. What do they have if GI Joe leaves?

Spawn? I was under the impression that Spawn was wrapping up & Todd was about to license it off to someone else.

Top Cow? What titles do they publish? You have to stop & think now don't you. And until they work out their deal with JMS (translation: kiss his butt and give him whatever he wants) their top comics are pretty crap.

Powers? Savage Dragon? That's about it. And SD doesn't sell for crap, even according to Larsen.

I know Scott tried to point this out, but you do understand that Image makes as much money off of each and every one of these books as it does of of each Devil's Due title, regardless of how they sell, right?

-BCM

[IanZL]

This is pretty cool, following in your buddies at Dreamwave's footsteps huh?

Good luck to you guys really, as long as you keep putting out that great, great Voltron book, you will have my money.

[Charlie Hustle]

“Basically, I feel like we’ve matured to a point as a studio where we have to make some sort of move,”

translation: i like everybody else who's worked with image (yes i'm speaking from experience) am tired of getting reamed with their shady accounting practices that make it almost impossible to pull in a profit

[jawaplumber]

Good luck to Josh and the Devil's Due gang. I wasn't too crazy about their flagship GI JOE series when it first launched, but I think Josh has improved steadily as a writer along with the rest of the DD product. If anyone isn't already reading it, I highly recommend GI JOE: FRONTLINE. If you're more of an old school Joe fan, this might be more up your alley.

[Crusader]

Best wishes to the Devil's Due Dudes. They've always seemed like a good bunch of folks, and I wish them much success.

[Conor E]

Originally posted by MicroZone
Spawn? I was under the impression that Spawn was wrapping up & Todd was about to license it off to someone else.

Huh? Can anyone confirm this?

[adamania]

I will follow GI Joe anywhere it goes, and JB hasn't let me down thus far. Here's hoping a fresh start will bring Larry Hama into the fold for a run or two.

I just want to be able to say "Stop! Hama-time."

[djcoffman]

Originally posted by Conor E
Huh? Can anyone confirm this?

I talked to Todd about this a month or so ago-- he said it was all rumors-- and usually stuff you read like that is just rumor mill type things.. Spawn will continue along it's path.

[FIG]

.......I have to truthfully say in my opinion that the first few issues of G.I. Joe were some of the most horribly drawn comicbooks I've ever seen. I picked up a few recently and was pleasantly surprised to find that the title had a different penciler. Time to go collect the few issues after the frist artist left, what was his name again?

[phoenx]

Ok...I'm lost here.

[Sean Walsh]

Originally posted by FIG
.......I have to truthfully say in my opinion that the first few issues of G.I. Joe were some of the most horribly drawn comicbooks I've ever seen. I picked up a few recently and was pleasantly surprised to find that the title had a different penciler. Time to go collect the few issues after the frist artist left, what was his name again?

Steve Kurth. Moved over to Micronauts, I believe; and now that this book is canned due to someone else getting the license, I think he's project-less over at Devil's Due...

At times, I kinda miss Kurth's Joe art. Badeaux's not bad, but whenever I see how he draws Cobra Commander's facemask, I cringe and hope for more fill-in issues...

Sean

[roman123]

S. Kurtz,


I don't understand how this is an indication that Jim dropped the ball. Isn't this exactly what the "Image Central deal" was designed to do...provide opportunity for publishers and creators?

You are right. Image is supposed to provide opportunity for publishers and creators. But a proffesional organization is supposed to have a certain relationship with its partners/creators, that does not push them away. It just seems to me as if Image does not put forth the effort to help the companies it publishes for. No special advertisment for the books, just some free Previews Magazine ads. It just seems to me as if Image is just here to give their name and nothing else.


I think the way Image Central works is widely mis-understood, otherwise you would realize that this is a success story for Image Central, a perfect execution of what it was created for.


I dont see any success in what they do. Image just tries to flood the market with all sorts of books, some good books and some.....Well, you know the quality. Image is going to have to pick up another 6-7 more books to stay at the 7% they were at, before Devils Due left. Cant wait to see the quality of work that gets picked up, at such short notice


Keep in mind that Image Central made the same small flat fee from an issue of G.I. Joe as it did from an issue of PvP. G.I. Joe sells three times as much as my book. Image Central isn't out to profit from creator's work, it's designed to provide an opportunity for them.

OK So, people just leave Image because they are making so much money that they want to stop making it!?! You can't speak for other creators unless you know what is going on underneath the table. If Image was taking just a small flat fee then why would Dreamwave, MVCreations, Red Star and Devils Due want to leave? I can't stand it when people say everything is ok at Image! Obviously, that is what they want you to think. Take a look over there again, NO everything is not ok. You would have to be blind not to see that.

I also wish good luck to Devils Due!

"Roman Lettuce Taste So Good!"