STATE OF THE UNION: IDW'S CHRIS RYALL

[MattBrady]

by Chris Arrant

As we begin the early days of the year 2006, it is a time to look at what has come before and what is to come. The medium of comics is no different, and in an expansive series of articles here at Newsarama.com we are asking many of today's top publishers about 2005 and 2006.

We now turn our attention to California-based IDW Publishing. A division of Idea + Design Works, LLC, it was founded in 2001 with the release of Uno Fanta, a compendium of artist Ashley Wood's work. Since then, IDW has gone on to produce such books as 30 Days of Night, Popbot, CVO, Smoke and licensed titles including Transformers, CSI and Metal Gear Solid. During it's relatively short timeline, it has carved a niche, literally and figuratively, in the comics industry for providing unique and eye-catching titles in a more cinematic vein than most.

Newsarama sat down with IDW Publishing's Publisher & Editor-In-Chief Chris Ryall for a look at what 2005 was and what 2006 looks to be.

Newsarama: It's been almost a year and a half since you took the reigns as Editor-In-Chief of IDW back in August 2004, and publisher in the fall of 2005. Looking over your tenure so far, what goals have you accomplished and what are you still aiming for?

Chris Ryall: I think one of my goals was to diversify our publishing line. We’d built a nice name for ourselves as a horror publisher, but I felt like the long-term growth of the company would benefit from us branching out into other areas, too. So that was one goal, and I think we’ve made nice strides along those lines. Of course, no publisher will ever tell you all their goals for a given year are realized, and I’m the same—there are still lots of things I’d like to see us do. If I’m vague about what exactly those things are, well, it’s usually better to play such cards close to the vest, rather than making grandiose pronouncements or revealing any upcoming plans.

NRAMA: Do you have any kind of wish list of creators you'd like to work under the IDW umbrella in the future?

CR: Absolutely. Many of them are under exclusive contracts with others, some are veterans I’ve yet to track down, and some are just people I love. I’ve been a comic fan for thirty years, so in that time, the list of people who’s work I love has just grown longer and longer. One of the drawbacks of being a smaller publisher and trying not to overextend is just a dearth of titles that allow me to approach the creators I’d love to work with.

But you’d probably rather hear names, wouldn’t you? Alright, here’s a very short list of artists: Michael Golden, Paul Smith, Geof Darrow, Brian Hitch, Chris Weston, Andy MacDonald, George Perez, Dave Gibbons, Gene Ha… the list is so long. The great thing about this job is that at times, I’ve had a chance to work with guys I’ve always wanted to work with, people like Mike Grell, Ted McKeever, and Igor Kordey. Writers, I love the fact that I’ve gotten Peter David involved with our books. The usual list of creators, like Millar and Johns and Rucka and Ennis and Gaiman and Andy Diggle and Marc Andreyko (I know he’s worked for us before but I want more) and, like I say, most of the names who’re locked into exclusive deals. But I’d also love to work with guys like Roger Stern. And at the same time, I really like the idea of finding new talent, too. Guys like Zach Howard and Sean Murphy, or E.J. Su and Don Figueroa, Joe Corroney and others, really have a passion for their work, and sheer kick-ass skill… that makes this gig a joy every day.

Working with guys like Clive Barker and Richard Matheson has been incredibly gratifying, too. I desperately want to add Ray Bradbury to that list, and one project in particular. It’d be kind of my dream project in comics if I got to do that one.

Know also that I forgot about 50 names while naming those.

NRAMA: We forgive you. Looking back at 2005, what do you think were the highpoints for IDW Publishing?

CR: As editor-in-chief, I’d say it was getting The Transformers back into comic shops. On a more personal level, it was getting my first published comic into stores, Shaun of the Dead. And on another level entirely, it was getting to work with guys like Clive Barker, George A. Romero, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, and others.

I’m also immensely proud of books like Smoke and Easy Way, titles that maybe underperformed sales-wise but were among the best things we published. And Doomed, our revival of old ‘70s-style horror magazines, is also a personal high point.

And I don’t want this all to be all about my projects, but working closely with artist Gabriel Rodriguez on Land of the Dead, his first post-CSI project, and now on Clive Barker’s The Great and Secret Show, has been the most creatively satisfying relationship I’ve ever had or wanted. Gabriel is such a huge talent, one I think everyone will stand up and notice when they see his work on Clive’s book, if they haven’t already. He’s got more skill, and a stronger work ethic, than just about anyone I’ve ever worked with.

I’m also happy we were able to show that there was still a market for comics based on Joss Whedon’s Angel if done right.

Finally, bringing Peter David’s Fallen Angel back to market is certainly a high point, too.

NRAMA: Any plans to have Joss Whedon more involved with future Angel releases?

CR: No plans, but it's something I'd certainly love. Joss seems a bit busy with a few movies in the works, and even on the comic side, with Astonishing X-Men and a Buffy miniseries for Dark Horse in 2007. I think we've done a great job with Angel and Spike thus far (and so must he, since he and his production company, Mutant Enemy, have approved everything before we've done it), but I'm like any fan who'd love to see him handle his characters once more, with feeling.

NRAMA: Ahh… let's see if any Buffy fans get the last bit.

Anyway, as the New Year unfolds, can you tell us in broad strokes any new initiatives or points IDW is gunning for in 2006?

CR: I’d say further diversifying our line, and offering a good split between licensed books and new titles, is still our primary goal. We’re exploring some ways to help expand the way comics are presented to the world.

NRAMA: "We’re exploring some ways to help expand the way comics are presented to the world." Can you tell us what you're hinting at here? Is it more a question of where comics show up, or possible new formats or marketing strategies?

CR: Yes.

NRAMA: You run a tight ship, sir…

CR: Loose lips sink ships.

NRAMA: That they do. Early on, IDW was primarily known for it's horror books such as 30 Days of Night. While 2005 saw expansion into other areas with licensed titles and others, can you sum up for us a general statement about what an IDW book is for you?

CR: To me, an IDW book is a good, high-quality alternative to the same ol’ thing. You want superhero comics? Cool—most everyone does, and there are more than enough good ones available from other publishers. You want other genres, and the best production values in comics? That’s what we’re here for. We offer an ever-growing variety for people who want more than just superhero books.

NRAMA: So…. just to get this on the record; IDW has no plans for a superhero book in the future?

CR: Plans? No plans. But you know how you can't always trust everything an editor tells you...

NRAMA: Coming from an editor, that's a bit disconcerting…

Anyway…Interest has been piqued lately about the subject of online comics. Does IDW have any views on this?

CR: I’m of two minds, since I run good webcomics on Movie Poop Shoot (Kevin Smith’s pop culture site that I run in my “spare time”). I like them in short doses, and they’re a great way for new talent to produce samples without having to go into debt printing indie comics. But I don’t think online comics are the future as much as maybe downloadable comics are, at least for a certain segment. I do know most people still prefer to read comics on paper, and that’s where we’re continuing to focus the bulk of our efforts.

NRAMA: Let's talk about those downloadable comics. What is IDW's take on this, and do you have any plans in this area for 2006?

CR: I think downloadable comics are a viable way to deliver comics to people, even if I personally prefer to hold a comic in my hands. But as technology changes and makes downloadable comics for of a workable option, publishers certainly need to find ways to embrace this format rather than fighting against it. It's tough, because you need to find a way to not only make the format enjoyable for readers, but also find a business model that encourages people to pay for downloads they can find for free elsewhere online. Do we have plans to look more at this format? Sure.

NRAMA: Several of the original books under the IDW umbrella have been announced as being worked on for TV, film and video games. Can you give us a run down of what's been optioned and where it's at in development?

CR: Well, not entirely, because with various studio buy-outs and changes, some of the projects are in constant flux. But of the projects that’ve been optioned, 30 Days of Night has the best chance of happening before too long. There may be other announcements of a similar nature before too long, too.

NRAMA: So, 30 Days of Night… Last we heard, the movie had found a home at Columbia house with producers Sam Raimi & Robert Tapert, director David Slade and screenwriter Stuart Bettie. Has a script been worked out?

CR: It has, although everyone knows how these things work--there are always tweaks and revisions, even into shooting. But everyone seems happy and ready to roll.

NRAMA: Ok, back to the comics themselves… Lately in conversation there has been significant discussion on the ballooning of titles by Marvel & DC impacting the way every other publisher in the Direct Market operates. How are you working to adapt to the reality as it is in full effect for 2006?

CR: Well, we tried to plan a Transformers/30 Days of Night/CSI mega crossover, but when that didn’t pan out, we just decided to keep doing what we’re doing.

We know that shelf space for the indie books is increasingly limited, so we just try to produce the best alternatives we can. I mean, the people who want to read every single “brick” that builds the House of M, that’s what they’re going to do. But I also think that the abundance of crossover books and titles burns some people out. Like, if every single title Marvel or DC publishes is of utmost importance to a storyline, then really, they all lose their importance. How do you prioritize your buying if everything is a priority? I loved the idea of Grant Morrison’s Seven Soldiers books, but kee-rist, that was a lot to keep up with. It was too much. Sometimes, you just want a story with an ending. We offer that. We do a lot of self-contained miniseries. But really, at the end of the day, we can’t compete directly with Frank Miller on a Batman book, nor are we trying. We’re just out to take care of our own, and do everything we can to show retailers and fans the value in our titles. That’s all anyone should do.

I think I tend to prattle on, don’t I…?

NRAMA: Prattle away!

CR: In 2006, IDW was seen expanding further into licensed titles such as Shaun of the Dead and Transformers, as well as dusting off older comic books such as Maze Agency and Grimjack. First looking at the licensing of outside properties, what are IDW's goals for this?

CR: They’re easy to define—we have to like the property. You come to us with a great offer for something we have no affinity for, and I don’t want to do it. I never wanted to take a gig that was so driven by just a need to make money that I was forced to work on properties I don’t like. A licensed book is a lot of work, and something we all live with for months and months. That can be a huge grind if you don’t like the material. Luckily, we make decisions based on things we like that also seem like viable books.

NRAMA: And looking at the dusting off of older comic series for publishing at IDW, what criteria are involved in choosing which books to look at?

CR: Same thing. Ted Adams, our former Publisher, and I were both huge fans of First Comics and editor Mike Gold. Mike’s old letters pages are the reason I wanted to bring back letter columns in our books. By which I mean, we did Jon Sable and GrimJack because we loved those years ago and think they aged really well. For a decade, as a fan, I pined away for new Jon Sable comics. It was great to be able to actually help make those happen.

Short answer: we look at products we like that still seem viable today.

NRAMA: Probably one of the biggest events for IDW in 2005 was acquiring the license to do Transformers books. The property itself has had a long and varied history in comics to say the least, but now that IDW has issues in fan's hands…. what is IDW's stance on it?

CR: My stance on it is that the other guys did the job with varying degrees of success, but Transformers comics were never all they could be. Now they are.

My stance is also that all this talk of the Transformers being somehow “nostalgia” properties will be proven to be nonsense over the course of our run. This isn’t an ‘80s fad, this is just a cool idea that, when executed well, makes for a really entertaining read. I never quite got why Transformers were seen as nostalgia, but Conan, or Spider-Man, or James Bond, aren’t. Then I realized—it’s because the books weren’t done right for a long enough period of time to show how viable a property it is. That time is passed, though.

NRAMA:Have you seen any discernable carry-over from the new fans that the IDW Transformers books could have brought to other IDW titles?

CR: That’ll certainly be interesting. We’ve approached things a bit cautiously in the ads we run in the Transformers books. I think things like Angel and Spike are a natural leap for those fans; 30 Days of Night or other horror books might take them a few years. That’s definitely one of the more exciting aspects to this—if you’re a Transformers fan and looking to see what else is out there beyond just superhero comics, well, you might really like some of our other titles. We now offer comics that hit you from the age of 13 to 40+. That said, I would love to be there when a Transformers fan checks out his (or her) first issue of Popbot.

NRAMA:In addition to the aforementioned licensed titles and old classics, IDW is constantly developing new series such as Supermarket and the critically acclaimed Smoke. Can you tell us what IDW's publishing strategy is about?

CR: Ahh, I forgot to mention Kristian Donaldson when I talked about good new talent. How great is he? And how happy am I to be working with Brian Wood on a title? And how many questions am I going to ask myself here? (That was the last one)

Our publishing strategy is largely what I mentioned above—to publish good, exciting comics that offer alternatives to people beyond the norm. Like I say, working on Smoke last year was so gratifying. Igor Kordey is one of the most passionate, honest people in comics, and his talent is just sublime. I wish more people beyond those who acclaimed it had checked the book out, just because it was so good and so different from your typical comic.

I like comics that have a story to tell, and a point of view. Our strategy is to publish things we like, and hope that others feel the same way.

NRAMA: Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith's 30 Days of Night was one of IDW's earliest successes, and has spawned several spin-offs. How does IDW view that series as a franchise in IDW's larger plan?

CR: I know it’s really the book that built IDW, and the concern there is that you get reliant and fall back on an anchor more than you should. So we don’t want to burn things out. I think there is still a lot more to be done with the 30 Days universe—Steve really hasn’t even scratched the surface as far as its potential goes, and I’m excited about the idea of expanding on what he and Ben built, should that happen. But I also want to make sure we don’t burn people out on the property and lean too heavily on it. It’s a balancing act.

NRAMA: One of the frequent outsider opinions of IDW books is the propensity for art styles in the vein of Ashley Wood and Ben Templesmith. From IDW's standpoint, what would you say to those claims?

CR: I’d say that anyone who said that after about January of 2005 hasn’t been paying attention. Ash and Ben are both huge parts of IDW, and I hope that they always will be. I love both guys and their work to death. But I have worked really hard to reject styles that seem like they’re just “Ash-esque” or “Ben-lite.” The way I’ve explained it to people who are inspired by their work—and they rightfully should be, since both guys are so dynamic—is that it’s good to be inspired by someone. But it’s better to take that inspiration and work on being your own man or woman. We have the real Ashley Wood—I don’t need another one. I need Zach Howard or Andy Kuhn or David Messina or J.K. Woodward or Jeremy Haun or Gabriel Rodriguez or Igor Kordey. Those guys all worked on some of the bigger books we put out this year. They’re all great artists, and they’re all nothing like Ben or Ash (nor are our TF artists, E.J. Su and Don Figueroa). So that might’ve been a more apt critique two years ago, but it ain’t now.

NRAMA: Another issue that's frequent brought up by those on the fence about IDW is the cover prices, which average about 50 cents to one dollar more than the average comic book. Although you've made significant steps on this issue with the recent Transformers issue, can you explain where the added cost is coming in and what IDW has to say about the issue?

CR: You say we’ve made significant steps with Transformers like we finally did something right. I don’t agree. With Transformers, we wanted the younger fans (hopefully there are some who still read!) to be as able to get these comics as any other, so we dropped the price a buck. With a book like Transformers, with its built-in fan base hungry for new comics, they probably would’ve paid our normal price for the book, so essentially, we left that extra buck on the table for a book that’s going to sell more copies than anything else we sell. And yet, still all the message board scuttlebutt will be that our prices are set to gouge fans. (That’d be a pretty bad business plan, wot?)

You ask where the added cost on our books is coming from a few questions below where you admit that small publishers like ourselves have a hard time finding shelf space in retail stores lately, what with all these big crossovers. I’d think the question of our price would answer itself, but I know people will still carp. The thing is, the carping tells me that they at least like our product. If no one complained, that’d mean they didn’t care.

I’ve no doubt that the bulk of any talkback here will be in regards to this, no matter the hours that I spent on the rest of the interview. No one looks at simple economics and the numbers of comics being sold, ours or others, when they complain. And for some odd reason, when a book like Concrete, a b&w book that sells for $3.50 and offers maybe 18-20 comic pages, is prices that high, yet we take a shot when our books are 22 pages plus a 4-page prose story plus a letters page. Again, what can you do? I take the same approach as with everything I do at IDW—I do the very best I can, and offer up the most possible value. You know how Marvel and DC are starting to put some ads in the back of their books now? We’ve always done that. We print on better paper. We offer those prose stories and long letters columns and do other such things. It’s perceived value—if you think these extra things are worth your extra buck, you’ll buy the book. If you don’t, you won’t… and you’ll probably post loudly about that fact here. But anyone who knows this business knows that us lowering our price by a buck wouldn’t do anything for our sales, and it’d greatly hurt both us and the retailers who buy our books.

Again, long-winded reply, and I’m not even sure I made my point fully. But to say more sounds like I’m protesting too much. So let me just end with saying that I find the accusatory phrasing of this question as offensive as some people find our prices.

NRAMA: Point taken. Moving on…

Recently, IDW signed an exclusive deal with Diamond Distributors and as a result, effectively left the FM distribution house. What led to this decision, and what is your view overall of the comics distribution playing field as it is developing?

CR: What led to this decision is typical behind-the-scenes business that isn’t really anything we should talk about publicly. That’s not meant to be evasive; I simply don’t think anyone should worry about the day-to-day business of comics. The end product is what it’s all about. The licensing fees or printing costs or costs of creator rehab (oops, I’ve said too much) or distribution are all the things that do nothing but lessen fans’ enjoyment of comics.

When we first signed to do Transformers, there were multiple threads on our forum… about what we must’ve paid for the license. This baffled me. Like I say, I’ve been a comics fan for decades—I care who’s handling Teen Titans next or if Rom: Spaceknight will ever come back, or other such things about the comics. So I’m from that school, that the creative is what matters, not the business. So the only thing that can come out of talking about comics distribution is either a) yawns or b) misinterpretation. Comics message board talk is rarely fun any more, and this is partly why—because people know just enough about the business end of comics to let these sorts of details bog them down.

I think, if I’ve shown anything in my interviews, it’s that I’m not one to be overly coy or not speak my mind. So I’m not being cagey here. I just don’t think this is interesting, or anyone’s business but ours.

NRAMA: OK, let's round out the interview with a final look at the creative side of things. Looking at the slate of creators involved with IDW at the present time, who would you say would be the "MVP" of your company?

CR: I’d never be able to pick just one (but if I did, it’d be Ashley Wood). But I’d never want to rank people like Simon Furman, Peter David, Gabriel Rodriguez, Don Figueroa, Ben Templesmith, David Messina, EJ Su, Zach Howard or others. I’ll just say that our company would be worse off without any of these people. And my days would be worse without these people a part of it. Later this year, I think people will also see just how important people like Brian Wood and Kristian are, and Peter David will again show why he’s been such a fan-favorite for so long (his Spike vs. Dracula is amazing). So many more. I don’t want to just run down a list of all the good creators I’m working with now, but suffice it to say that it’s not hyperbole to say that the slate of titles we have planned for 2006 and the creators working on them are the strongest they’ve ever been in the history of IDW.

Newsarama offers our congratulations to Ryall who became a father to a baby girl January 3rd! (His wife became a mother, too…nothing weird implied.)

[khuxford]

Ummm...fix the formatting, please?

I like some of what IDW is coming out with. The prices are a bit heavy, though, so it makes it hard to "try" something new...

Edit: Oops...yeah...congrats!

[Howard]

Newsarama offers our congratulations to Ryall who became a father to a baby girl January 3rd! (His wife became a mother, too…nothing weird implied.)

Congrats Chris.

[KyleCowstar]

Originally posted by Howard
Congrats Chris.

Yea, Congrats! I love the Poop Shoot too!

[Spaz_Monkey]

Ryall's the man! Terrific work on the Poop Shoot, runs IDW and is a new dad!

Congrats, Chris!

[MattBrady]

Originally posted by KyleCowstar
I love the Poop Shoot too!

don't we all...don't we all.

MattB

[BlueThunderArmy]

Congrats Chris.

Smoke was phenomenal, and I enjoyed the first issue of Fallen Angel.

[sequart]

Does anyone know what the next 30 Days story is going to revolve around?

[American Caesar]

I snagged a copy of Paul Wilson's "The Keep" adaptation, and I was impressed by the spare linework... it was very unusual. This is the kind of thing that would have trouble finding a home elsewhere.

[jmarshall]

[quote]Originally posted by MattBrady
[b]So let me just end with saying that I find the accusatory phrasing of this question as offensive as some people find our prices.[b]

I find his overly defensive attitude offensive. It's a simple question and deserves a simple answer, even if it's "none of your business", although that would be a cop out.

[b]When we first signed to do Transformers, there were multiple threads on our forum… about what we must’ve paid for the license. This baffled me. Like I say, I’ve been a comics fan for decades—I care who’s handling Teen Titans next or if Rom: Spaceknight will ever come back, or other such things about the comics. [b]

Why is it that comics professionals can never "understand" why fans are curious about business aspects? I AM curious about how much they paid for Transformers. Do I NEED to know? NO, but I don't NEED to know all the behind-the-scenes details of, say, how the LotR movies were made, but I love watching all those docs on the extended discs anyway. Fans are CURIOUS about his stuff. Why is a comic priced at $3.99? How much money is going to each of the creators? Does the writer get paid less than the artist? Do more popular creators get paid more? How much do they make a year? We’re curious about these things. Why? Because WE NEVER HEAR ABOUT THEM ANYWHERE! There’s such a cloak of secrecy behind this stuff and it’s just stupid. The only reason to not tell us is that you’re somehow ashamed of the financial details, i.e. you paid too much or you paid too little. If so, then just tell us you’re too ashamed to say, but quit acting like fans should have no right to be curious about such stuff, especially when knowing this stuff hurts no one. It’s not like I will stop (or start, in my case) buying Transformers now that I know how much IDW paid for the license.

[KyleV]

I find his overly defensive attitude offensive. It's a simple question and deserves a simple answer, even if it's "none of your business", although that would be a cop out.

In Chris' defense, he's had to answer this question about seven million times -- just on this web site.

Again, in his defense, it's not exactly a hard answer to suss out on one's own. And yet he seems to have to explain it to every single person who posts on this site.

I've got no problems with him being cranky about it.

[pah25]

Can't wait to find out what Bryan Hitch is working on - must be stopping with the delayed Ultimates series for Marvel.

[Del Gorky]

Thanks for the lengthy interview Chris and enjoy changing diapers. On to other matters.

I can't freaking believe the first poster actually complained about the prices. Did you not read the stupid interview? If price is a huge concern, go buy yourself a big handful of Archie comics or maybe Team America or MASK out of the 50 cent bin and be happy.

Small press comics produced in full color are not cheap. They weren't when First Comics and Comico did it, and they aren't now. The great hope is that the quality is worth the price. For 30 Days of Night, Smoke, new Jon Sable, and new Grim Jack, it has been for me.

Keep printing the Grimjack trades and I will buy them regardless of price. The same goes for the Maze Agency stuff. If you are an Adam Hughes fan, is there any reason not to buy the Maze trades. There are probably legal entanglements galore but I would love to see new and well done Elementals and Elementals trade paperbacks.

Thanks Chris for making ancient comic readers happy!

[skeletorjr]

[quote]Originally posted by jmarshall
[b]

Originally posted by MattBrady
[b]So let me just end with saying that I find the accusatory phrasing of this question as offensive as some people find our prices.[b]

I find his overly defensive attitude offensive. It's a simple question and deserves a simple answer, even if it's "none of your business", although that would be a cop out.

[b]When we first signed to do Transformers, there were multiple threads on our forum… about what we must’ve paid for the license. This baffled me. Like I say, I’ve been a comics fan for decades—I care who’s handling Teen Titans next or if Rom: Spaceknight will ever come back, or other such things about the comics.

Why is it that comics professionals can never "understand" why fans are curious about business aspects? I AM curious about how much they paid for Transformers. Do I NEED to know? NO, but I don't NEED to know all the behind-the-scenes details of, say, how the LotR movies were made, but I love watching all those docs on the extended discs anyway. Fans are CURIOUS about his stuff. Why is a comic priced at $3.99? How much money is going to each of the creators? Does the writer get paid less than the artist? Do more popular creators get paid more? How much do they make a year? We’re curious about these things. Why? Because WE NEVER HEAR ABOUT THEM ANYWHERE! There’s such a cloak of secrecy behind this stuff and it’s just stupid. The only reason to not tell us is that you’re somehow ashamed of the financial details, i.e. you paid too much or you paid too little. If so, then just tell us you’re too ashamed to say, but quit acting like fans should have no right to be curious about such stuff, especially when knowing this stuff hurts no one. It’s not like I will stop (or start, in my case) buying Transformers now that I know how much IDW paid for the license.

I can understand being curious, I guess (not something I would personally ever care to ask), but ultimately, is it really any of our business?

[Del Gorky]

[quote]Originally posted by jmarshall

[
. The only reason to not tell us is that you’re somehow ashamed of the financial details, i.e. you paid too much or you paid too little. If so, then just tell us you’re too ashamed to say, but quit acting like fans should have no right to be curious about such stuff, especially when knowing this stuff hurts no one. It’s not like I will stop (or start, in my case) buying Transformers now that I know how much IDW paid for the license.

You have every right to be curious but not a single right to know. It has nothing to do with being ashamed and everything to do with running a business. How the deal is structured and what the payments are directly affects IDW's future negotiations and how it must do business to stay in business. So frankly, it's Chris Ryall's business and not yours.

Go build a business of your own; it will take up so much of your time and energy you won't be nearly as curious about the details of others' businesses.

Loved your post since there was no real discussion about IDW's comics or on 80% of the interview which was about comics themselves and not the ugly sausage grinding necessary to produce them.

[Robert_Coyner]

If IDW keeps putting out high quality work like Smoke and SuperMarket you'll never hear me complain about price point. I wouldn't settle for Ashley Woods' work being published in anything less than the best format available. That said, I know Smoke may have underperformed, but I think Alex De Campi is a writer who is going to really grow in popularity in the future. It may be a long term investment - which seems rare in this industry - but with all the critical acclaim it received I think not continuing Smoke is a bad idea. (Though in this case, from what I hear, our loss may be France's gain?)

[GeorgeG]

He had me at Roger Stern.

Get him on a title and I'll get it.

People question prices. On everything. We question the price of gas nowadays. We'll shop and compare prices on just about anything, from a loaf of bread to a big screen TV. Why do people in the comic book industry think comics will get a pass?

I liked everything I saw in this interview by Chris, but really it's time to stop being defensive (or whatever describable term you want to use) about the price of IDW's titles.

It's relevant.

Just as relevant as it is with looking at DC's or Marvel's prices. Do I want to purchase a title for $2.99 or $2.50? Do I want to pay this amount?

To think that IDW gets a pass on this subject is foolish. It's not a slam against their perceived quality--which the consumer ALSO has--but just a relevant subject matter.

IDW should look at things with a PR standpoint in mind. It's going to be asked. When it does, answer it using an already produced corporate statement. You see FAQs all the time on sites. You should be ready for it and not take three to four paragraphs to state an answer when it can take you two to three sentences.

The price will always be a topic. But I also think IDW's defensiveness regarding it has perpetuated it even moreso. Just state a simple equation (marketplace, price, profit, etc.) or statement and be done with it. Like I said, why make a four paragraph answer when it can be done in a couple of sentences.

If people don't choose to accept that, then oh well. Nothing you can do.

Funny enough, I liked PAD's response to a poster's questioning of IDW's prices (Fallen Angel thread). That was a great example of how to combat that issue.

[lex luthor]

Originally posted by MattBrady
I’m also immensely proud of books like Smoke and Easy Way, titles that maybe underperformed sales-wise but were among the best things we published. And Doomed, our revival of old ‘70s-style horror magazines, is also a personal high point.

IDW should be proud of these series. These were some of the best titles of 2005. At the very least, one of these titles is getting an Eisner.

And a few things off the top of my head. . .

Smoke wasn't the biggest seller of 2005. Have the sales of the tpb so far justified a sequel to the series?

Gary Challoner (sp) hinted that he may be doing more work for IDW in '06. Since this is love IDW Day on Newsarama, don't you think this is the perfect opportunity to tell the Newsarama faithful what that project might be?

[skeletorjr]

Let me also recommend that everyone out there go buy THE KEEP. One of my favorite books, and currently one of my favorite comics. I'm hoping that IDW might have further F. Paul Wilson books in the works, I'd love to see an adaptation of THE TOMB, or some of the other Repairman Jack novels

[skeletorjr]

Originally posted by sequart
Does anyone know what the next 30 Days story is going to revolve around?

I think vampires.






Sorry, that was just bad

[matchesmalone]

"Another issue that's frequent brought up by those on the fence about IDW is the cover prices, which average about 50 cents to one dollar more than the average comic book."

Since when is the average comic "$2.99-$3.50"? I think "$2.50-$2.99" would be a bit closer to reality, based either on number of copies sold, or number of titles sold at those prices.

$3.99 for a 32 page book, and $7.49 for a 48 page book, are too expenisve.

IDW cherry-picks by mentioning Concrete. You could equally well cherry-pick on IDW by citing the example of their $3.99, 22 pages of black and white reprint book by that 100 Bullets artist.

All things equal, paying $3.99 for IDW books will only encourage other publishers to charge that price. It's happened with any other product you can think of.

[ShawnMallory]

"Too expensive" is really just a matter of opinion and personal choice. If you're not buying IDWs books then what does it matter the cost? And if you do buy them then there must be a high enough quality to the comics that you're willing to pay for it.

It's never a question of 'fair/unfair' pricing. I buy shirts, pants, boots etc...do Gucci shoes and designer clothes cost more? Heck yes! But it doesn't affect me because I don't shop for that. I know what my budget is and shop accordingly, same goes for comics. I recently put 2 comics backs(Hulk and Wolverine) so I could purchase DMZ 1 and 2. There are over 100 titles that see release every month, and to get pissy over a small handfull being priced a certain way seems silly(IMHO).

For me IDW has put a lot of great books out in 2005 including Castlevania, Hellhouse and the Saw one-shot. Soon I'll pick up the Smoke trade which looks amazing and probably the TF trades when those come out.

[ninjai]

IDW has created for itself a good niche in the small press circle with Transformers and MGS. I think they need to run with these titles more and better. I'd definitely like to see them branch off more but so far in terms of numbers I haven't seen them be too successful with that.

[matchesmalone]

Originally posted by ShawnMallory
"Too expensive" is really just a matter of opinion and personal choice. If you're not buying IDWs books then what does it matter the cost?

I just explained, higher pricing will pull the industry upward. The more books are sold at $3.99 for 22 pages of story and artwork, the sooner other publishers will meet them at that price point. Do you want to pay $3.99 for every comic you buy? I don't.

[KyleV]

I just explained, higher pricing will pull the industry upward.

That's a joke.

IDW is an INDIE comic business. Marvel and DC aren't going to raise their prices beyond what most consumers are willing to pay and do you really think most consumers are buying indie books, let alone IDW books? I'm sure Chris would love it if that were the case, but it's simply not.

It's supply and demand, which is why they can get by selling the Transformers comics at $2.99 -- Transformers has a built in audience, so the demand is there.

Most of the market is held by Marvel and DC, neither one of whom is going to look towards the indie market for pricing issues.

IDW prices their books so they can survive. That's all anyone needs to know.