TALKING WITH MARK WAID ABOUT HIS NEW BOOM POSITION

[MattBrady]

by Vaneta Rogers

When BOOM! Studios announced at San Diego's Comic-Con International that Mark Waid would become the new Editor-in-Chief of the company beginning Aug. 1, people in the industry weren't quite as surprised as fans.

Waid hasn't exactly hidden his desire to work in an editorial capacity, and with his DC exclusive contract expiring today and his existing association with the executives at BOOM!, his move to this position may be unexpected, but not alarming.

Except, of course, for the readers of Waid's Brave and the Bold and new Flash series for DC. Color them shocked.

But in a press release provided by BOOM! Studios when the company made the announcement, Waid dispelled the fears of his fans by announcing that he has every intention of fulfilling his commitments and continuing to write his existing comics for DC.

And as fans started to ask questions about BOOM! Studios and started paying attention to their panel coverage, they discovered that BOOM! isn't exactly some new upstart "nobody" in the comics industry. Not only has the company landed a surprising number of movie deals for their series in a short amount of time, but they've attracted some well-known talent like Keith Giffen and Steve Niles, and acquired the rights to properties like the Warhammer miniatures game and Godfather movies.

Add to that the early rave reviews of Waid's first writing project with the company, Potter's Field (reviewed on Newsarama last month), and the reasons behind Waid's move to BOOM! Studios become a little less hazy.

Yet instead of guessing at what attracted Mark Waid to the E-i-C position at BOOM! Studios, Newsarama talked to Waid himself to find out his perspective on the deal - and to grasp for more guarantees that this doesn't mean he's walking away from the superhero comics that so many of his fans love.

Newsarama: E-i-C of BOOM! Studios? How did this come about, Mark?

Mark Waid: Well, you know, I've known Ross [Richie] and Andy [Cosby], the founders of BOOM!, for years and years and years. We've been talking about doing comics related stuff in the past. And a few years ago, Ross talked about wanting to start up his own comics company, so I gave him a little seed money, patted him on the head and sent him on his way because I thought it was adorable [laughs], and I said, 'Call me when the money runs out and we'll go do something else.' And instead, he turned it into this huge thing. He turned BOOM! into a company that is making deals right and left and is achieving market penetration not just in comics shops, but in bookstores and Hollywood in general. What's amazing is that they're really on the upswing with no end in sight. And I just thought, it's time to get involved.

NRAMA: Well, I heard the reaction from your mainstream comics fans in San Diego when the press release hit the web. The people who don't read anything but comics from the big two publishers were saying, BOOM! who??

MW: Sure, exactly.

NRAMA: But you're saying the company is making waves in the industry in other areas that mainstream comic shop fans might not be able to see?

MW: Yeah. That's just it. Look, nobody's fooling anybody. We're not out to displace Marvel and DC comics from the front of the Diamond catalog next month. That's not going to happen. But at the same time, it's a multimedia company. It's not just a matter of how many thousand extra copies of Zombie Tales can we move in the direct market -- which would be great -- but it's more important to get the material out in other places. We're exploring the online stuff, exploring the graphic novel market, and other outlets. They really do have a clear vision of how they want to expand into the comics market and expand into other markets, and what I can bring to the table is that I've got editorial experience to make sure the material we put out there is really good and is of a certain level of craft.

NRAMA: So you're talking about all these outlets -- are you going to be involved in all those areas? Not just the direct market, but the online side and the book market side as well?

MW: A little bit of everything. My first priority is to work with the writers, artists, colorists and letterers. Not only in comics but in online stuff, on licensed stuff, on whatever else we're working on. And we'll worry about that as our front line, just making sure the material is really good. But beyond that, I'm also one of the few people on the BOOM! board of directors, so they're counting on me being able to bring what I've learned in years and years of all these different companies and all these different levels of experience to try to help guide the company with some sort of vision for the future as well.

NRAMA: Speaking of all these different companies, it's hard to ignore that you've done this before, Mark. There was Acclaim Comics and Gorilla and CrossGen. You've done the "upstart companies" thing, and not always with a great amount of success. What would you say to people who ask, “Mark! Is this a trend with you?”

MW: I know! [laughs] Four different jobs in 13 years? What a rebel! I know!!

NRAMA: [laughs] Okay, okay, good point.

MW: You know, I was prepared for the fact -- and sure enough, it happened pretty quickly -- that people would come up and say, "Well gee, I sure hope this experience is better for you than CrossGen was." In which case, my answer is that I've been at BOOM! longer than an hour and a half and still haven't been screamed at by some insane multi-millionaire publisher. So I figure, I'm already ahead of the game. [laughs]

NRAMA: Well, you've got to think you learned something from that experience as well as the others -- both from the successes and the failures, finding out what worked and what didn't work.

MW: That's exactly it. While CrossGen didn't work out for me, it doesn't take Erwin Rommel to look back at the battlefield and say, it didn't work out for anybody. It wasn't like it was a problem I particularly had.

I can apply a lot of the things I learned there to this job -- about working with vendors, about working directly with creative people. And I think the big lesson that I brought out of CrossGen, pursuant to the actual creation of comics, is that when you're dealing with creative people in an editorial capacity, your first and foremost job is to know what it is that your creative people want, and to try to fulfill their needs in service of the larger story. Some guys are there for a big page rate -- okay, that's good to know. Some pencilers don't care if they get a big page rate as long as they get the pages from the inker -- okay, that's good to know. The colorist just wants the pages on time and doesn't want to work weekends. Or whatever. All of these things are important factors. And while you can't be loved by everyone who works for you -- and that's not the goal; the goal is to get out good stories -- you're going to get the best results if you're not screaming at people. You're going to get the best results from people if you're working together toward a common vision.

NRAMA: And do you believe your efforts guiding people toward a common vision will, theoretically, lead to growth for BOOM!? And more specifically, attract new talent as well as some of your old friends who know that you're able to do those things?

MW: I think so. I mean, I've already attracted a lot of existing talent, which I'm very flattered by. My inbox was filled with congratulatory messages when the announcement was made. And connections have been made with guys whom I've always wanted to work with, or guys whom I've worked with in the past and wanted to continue to work with. We're not in the position at this moment to name any names, but believe me, I've got a really big Rolodex. And while nobody's interested in raiding other companies -- I'm not interested in doing that -- if you've got creator-owned stuff you want to do, or if you've got an itch to work outside the majors, then by all means, let's talk.

NRAMA: And that itch to work outside the majors, is that something you have as well?

MW: Well ...

NRAMA: We read Empire, Mark, and it was good.

MW: Thank you.

NRAMA: And I know you can't do more of Empire at BOOM! because DC owns the rights to it, but I'm sure your fans would love to see more of those kinds of stories from you, and Potter's Field certainly seems to fit that bill.

MW: Well, I've always been fairly unique in that I've made it pretty clear that -- unlike some of my contemporaries and peers -- I am here for the characters as much as I am for the medium. Meaning, I'm one of the few people who actually, in the past, has enjoyed working on the iconic characters probably more than I have on my own creator-owned stuff. It's not hard to back that up by pointing to the fact that my creator-owned comics number so few that you can count them on two hands. That said, I've got a lot of properties that have been sitting here ready to be developed, and this is the time. Getting to a certain point in your life and no longer feeling like your primary job should be Green Lantern's caretaker -- or whatever -- is not the worst thing in the world.

NRAMA: But, you'll still be working on Brave and the Bold and The Flash, right? Don't scare us like that.

MW: This doesn't change that. The deal with BOOM! is not exclusive. Ross and Andy are very smart -- they knew without even having to ask. There are two reasons why it makes sense for me to continue working on those types of comics: As long as I can still dabble in Marvel and DC stuff, that scratches an itch that BOOM! can't. [laughs] That sounds terrible, but you know what I mean.

Like I said before, I enjoy working with those characters, so they knew I'd want to continue doing that. But second, it is important to remind people that I can still fulfill my other commitments and still work with other characters because we don't want this announcement to be about me leaving somewhere else, but instead the announcement should be about me joining BOOM! Studios. That's what the focus of this announcement should be about.

I have every intention of fulfilling my commitment at DC, and I've been talking to Marvel about what I can do there. And I don't anticipate that any of that will change.

NRAMA: There was already a rumor that you might leave Flash after only a couple issues, and this announcement feeds that fire, you know.

MW: Look, this was part of the deal from the beginning -- that I keep doing these comics. I want to keep doing Brave and the Bold. I want to keep doing Flash. As far as how long, we'll see what happens, but I'm committed to them right now.

NRAMA: I don't think you can make it much clearer than that.

MW: But you know, I do want to reiterate something I said in the video we released, which apparently has no audio...

NRAMA: [laughs] I tried to hear what you were saying in that, Mark. I really tried.

MW: [laughs] I know! And if you turn the audio all the way up and put the speaker right on your ear, you can kind of hear it.

But what I want to say again is that a huge part of the attraction here was that these guys love comics. Andy and Ross love comics. They're not comics guys trying to break into Hollywood. They're already in Hollywood. Andy created Eureka, which is Sci-Fi's highest rated series ever, even higher than Battlestar. Ross has turned BOOM! into a major market presence in just a few years. They're not looking to break in -- they're here.

But they love comics. And I don't think I have to show anybody my resume to prove that I love comics too, and I'm not going to put up with guys that don't. I'm not interested in joining forces with guys who don't love comics as much as I do. So I'm here to tell you, they love comics, I love comics .. it's a good marriage.

[virginsinner]

whoa. But Yay. waid deserves this.Poor Flash and B&B though.

Last post, if today were opposite day

[Chris Noeth]

Great news!
I wish Mark all the best and I'm looking forward to all new Boom titles he is involved with.

Best,

Chris Noeth

[Superclone]

I know I'll be checking out Boom's stuff. Waid should be EiC at DC. He has the right mindset about comics, something that the great disaster has never had.

[Mike Bullock]

Mark & Ross are great guys. I'm sure this is a match made in Heaven.

[TF_Loki]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

MW: This doesn't change that. The deal with BOOM! is not exclusive. Ross and Andy are very smart -- they knew without even having to ask. There are two reasons why it makes sense for me to continue working on those types of comics: As long as I can still dabble in Marvel and DC stuff, that scratches an itch that BOOM! can't. [laughs] That sounds terrible, but you know what I mean.


I have every intention of fulfilling my commitment at DC, and I've been talking to Marvel about what I can do there. And I don't anticipate that any of that will change.

Those bits in bold fill me with joy. Come back to us, Mark.

Good luck in the new job too!

[sniperboy65]

I'd like to see him sign on creators like Keith Giffen and Ron Lim to do more work. They have been working on books like Zombie Tales but I think they can do more.

[Tophman]

Great to hear that Mark Waid is finally getting the recognition his talent & abilities deserve. I can't wait to see what he does with BOOM! studios (which I honestly haven't heard of before today).

I'm also hoping that he's good to his word as I'm a huge fan of his current work with Brave & the Bold and has been greatly anticipating what he has in store for Wally in The Flash!

Congrats, master Waid!

Originally Posted by SuperClone

I know I'll be checking out Boom's stuff. Waid should be EiC at DC. He has the right mindset about comics, something that the great disaster has never had.

Amen to that. Considering all the trivia in his head about DC's past, he would've been a perfect EiC.... and give us hope for 2008. As it stands, the news doesn't really help the recent departures of creative talent from DC's proverbial ship (even if he insisted that he's sticking with the DC books he's working on now for the long haul).

[Michael Heide]

Originally Posted by virginsinner

Poor Flash and B&B though.

Huh? Why? You've read the interview, right?

[weaselwelch]

Originally Posted by virginsinner

whoa. But Yay. waid deserves this.Poor Flash and B&B though.

Last post, if today were opposite day

Poor Flash & B&B??

According to the interview he will still be writing those.

[Arvandor]

I just don't see how he'll get the time for it all. EiC at an ambitios indy publisher, writing his own creator-owned comics AND working for both Marvel and DC!

Something will have to give.

[Kamandi2]

I hope he can revive War of the Worlds. After it ended at issue 6 it really left nothing resolved.

[SpyGuy]

Originally Posted by Superclone

I know I'll be checking out Boom's stuff. Waid should be EiC at DC. He has the right mindset about comics, something that the great disaster has never had.

That's what we're calling Dan DiDio now? "The Great Disaster"? Hmmm, kinda catchy.

As for Mark Waid, wouldn't it be better for BOOM! if he was exclusive with them? He has a considerable fanbase, after all, so making BOOM! the only place to buy new Mark Waid stories seems like it would be better for the company.

Based on this interview, it feels like Waid is behind BOOM! as long as it doesn't interfere with what he wants to do with BRAVE AND THE BOLD and THE FLASH. That could change down the road, of course, but you would think that if he was entirely committed to promoting BOOM!, then he wouldn't need to keep scratching his various itches elsewhere for their competition.

[TF_Loki]

Originally Posted by SpyGuy

As for Mark Waid, wouldn't it be better for BOOM! if he was exclusive with them? He has a considerable fanbase, after all, so making BOOM! the only place to buy new Mark Waid stories seems like it would be better for the company.

Based on this interview, it feels like Waid is behind BOOM! as long as it doesn't interfere with what he wants to do with BRAVE AND THE BOLD and THE FLASH. That could change down the road, of course, but you would think that if he was entirely committed to promoting BOOM!, then he wouldn't need to keep scratching his various itches elsewhere for their competition.

Yeah, but as he says in the interview, he likes mainstream big two superheroes. Not gonna get any of that at BOOM! Anyway, for now it's only 2 titles. And he probably has had a lot of lead time to get scripts in the bag so his start as EiC will be relatively free of outside commitments.

[Simon DelMonte]

He's my big question: will having Waid as a writer and as EiC get BOOM wider distribution? It's becoming clear that some smaller shops (like the one I use) are reluctant to offer space to the smaller firms.

[Michael Heide]

Originally Posted by Arvandor

I just don't see how he'll get the time for it all. EiC at an ambitios indy publisher, writing his own creator-owned comics AND working for both Marvel and DC!

Something will have to give.

BOOM is not as huge as Marvel, even smaller than Dark Horse or Top Cow. And Waid is an experienced editor (DC, early nineties).If he reckons that he won't be swamped with work at BOOM, I don't see why he wouldn't be able to continue writing his two DC books (one of which only ships eight months a year) and perhaps even a Marvel book (he would be a great addition to the already stellar writing team on Amazing).

[Jimmy Palmiotti]

Mark was the first person I worked with that actually took the time to teach me a lot of what I learned about writing and storytelling. [ YEAH, blame mark, lol]

working with him on GATECRASHER way back when was the real start of my career and I will forever be grateful to him...and hearing this news about him working with a company whose books I buy on a regular basis makes all the sense in the world.

I look forward to seeing his hand at work on future titles and I cant say enough good things about mark...

If you haven't given any of Booms current array of titles a shot, you really should.

This is AWESOME news for ross and andy and especially the fans!!!

JIMMY PALMIOTTI

[avatar_007]

That's great. Maybe he can finally make "Enigma Cipher #2" a priority? I'm probably the only one out here who read #1, but I'd really like to read the second part. Thanks.

[Jeff Bohn]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

NRAMA: And I know you can't do more of Empire at BOOM! because DC owns the rights to it

Did they give up the rights to it when they finished the series at DC? Man, that'd really put a crimp in my wish for a Golgoth Legendary Comic Book Heroes figure!

Congrats on the new job!

[moshdaddy]

BTW, the video they spoke of in the interview is posted at www.boom-studios.com. The audio has since been fixed.

Chip

[Merai]

Colour me selfish but when I read this, my first thought was: "Yes, Waid still on Flash!" My second thought was "YES! TALKING TO MARVEL! BOOYAH!" My third thought was: "Oh. Yeah. Good for Boom!"

I was afraid he was going to re-sign his DC exclusive but this is brilliant. I doubt he'd go back on FF again, even though that was awesome, but basically anything he writes turns to gold. If Brubaker had to leave Cap (Please God No!) he's the ONLY one I'd want following him.

[STL]

Look forward to Mark's stuff from Boom. I've read a lot of stuff from him but my favourite was and will always be Ruse. I hope he replicates some more non-supertights magic.

As for him talking to Marvel and DC that's awesome. If there was ever a writer whose talents ought to be shared, it should be Mark. Keep him on Flash and B & B and give him FF, a Cap mini, X-Men whatever.

[Kody]

My sincere congratulations to BOOM! Studios and Mark Waid. I've had the pleasure of working with BOOM! and I've been impressed with their ability to carve a unique place in the comics industry. Looking forward to many years of quality comics with Mark at the helm.

[Marc Patten]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

by Vaneta Rogers

But they love comics. And I don't think I have to show anybody my resume to prove that I love comics too, and I'm not going to put up with guys that don't. I'm not interested in joining forces with guys who don't love comics as much as I do. So I'm here to tell you, they love comics, I love comics .. it's a good marriage.

I knew Ross back when he was at Malibu (Ultraverse) nearly 14 years ago, and we'd talk regularly as I was head of purchasing at Heroes World Distribution and he was marketing and sales. When BOOM formed with Ross's name attached and I saw all the cool stuff they were doing, I thought, "Nah, couldn't be the same guy I knew back then."

Then at the Baltimore Diamond Summit last fall, I stopped by the BOOM booth and sure enough there was my old phone buddy, Ross. We chatted for a bit and he was just so excited by everything he was doing it was infectious. He is such a great guy, and like me and so many others, he loves comics like nobody's business. He's here to make great comics, and Mark Waid has made an excellent choice to helm the ship there.

The difference this time is that Mark can still go and write any superhero comics for the big two he wants, which is even better than being DC Exclusive for him. Congrats to all here, I wish you guys the best of luck. Put out some kick-ass comics and don't listen to anyone who tells you no.

best,
Marc
Destination Entertainment, LLC

[Rob S.]

I'm really excited about what this means for Boom's output, and I'm definitely looking forward to Potter's Field (and more Brave & Bold and Flash). Best of luck!