Broken Frontier

The ‘Visioneers’ of Comics! OTB takes a look at some of the folks who have defined, are defining, and will continue to define the comics industry with their vision, their passion and their talent. First up is Speakeasy’s Outspoken Spokesperson, Adam Fortier!

Welcome back all you OTB Mavens out there! Things are finally getting settled here at the elegant and spacious OTB Headquarters, overlooking beautiful LA (That’s Left of Annapolis). Thanks to all you wonderful folks out there for your support of this little corner of the vast Broken Frontier!

As some of you may notice, there will be a variety of focus points for OTB, all with the common theme of our tagline A New Vision for the Comics Industry...One Idea at a Time. To that end, sometimes we’ll focus on publishers or studios and sometimes we’ll feature a new initiative or program. Other times the focus will be on concrete suggestions of how each of us as a fan, consumer, retailer or pro can help to think ‘outside the box’ and improve this little corner of creation called comics! Every once in a while, I’ll force you all to sit through my ramblings about the industry and other times other lucky folk will get to be king for a day at OTB headquarters and share their own thoughts. And every now and then we’ll spotlight a single individual who has made an impact on comics as a whole and ask him to share his or her insights into what we can all be doing to make comics better!

With that being said - insert drumroll here - we are proud to present Adam Fortier! Now a number of you may be going… who? Well, it’s a shame this guy is not more widely known, but chances are that will be changing once he, along with his brand new publisher SpeakEasy Comics, gets a little more out in the spotlight. The thing is though, even if you haven’t heard his name, you’ve probably been enjoying or at least been aware of the impact he has made on the industry without even knowing who he is. Tell me more, you say? Never Fear!

Okay, the most obvious first question, give us the edited biography of Adam Fortier. A little bit of personal background, but mostly your background in comics... what have you done, and where?

AF: I started out at Dreamwave. After a couple of years, I moved on to IDW, Devil’s Due and UDON. I helped out with licensing, printing, marketing, liaison and pretty much anything else that was needed for everyone.

You were involved in a number of licensing development deals with a number of publishers. Which ones specifically and how did they come about?

AF: Well, I had thought of Transformers initially and I was the first person to get behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The other properties were really suggested by others (like Capcom), and I had to work with the people that really wanted to do licenses and to understand the properties.

Why licensing? What drew you to that focus? Previous experience? A vision for it?

AF: Nothing really drew me to licensing. I had talked to Hasbro about doing animation for a Transformers movie and so became the person most equipped to deal with Hasbro for the comic book licenses. I came from a professional background, so I had a better understanding of the business atmosphere than others who might never have stepped foot in an actual office space.

How do you feel about the current state of licensing in general in the comics industry? Is it a true blessing for comics, bringing in new fans? Is it a fad that will fade? Is it being saturated right now or has the potential barely been tapped?

AF: Most things are licensed right now, in my mind. You have to go through almost the same steps in a Batman comic or a Spider-man one that you would in dealing with Transformers or GI Joe. With that in mind, if we’re just talking about properties that weren’t originally comics that are then turned into comics, I don’t really think anything in particular. Though, I will say that it’s got to be a lot harder to generate prolonged interest in a comic based upon a movie or video game, as they’re all created to last only a short period of time before someone moves onto the next property. A comic is a comic, whatever it’s based upon. It’s not easier to sell a licensed property, but I don’t think it’s harder either. There are still interesting licenses out there, so keep an eye out!

I believe you were part of some initiatives to 'break' the Direct and book store monopoly on comics by seeking to get licensed books out in alternative locations, or as part of special promotions. If so, what was the vision there?

AF: We were able to get Street Fighter comic books in Blockbuster, so that was really cool. Getting comics in alternate venues sounds really great, but it’s very risky as well. You need to print a great deal to get it in all the stores, and if it’s not well received, you’re screwed. The vision would be to get the proper books into the proper channel and then they would do well. It’s also important how they’re sold, whether they’re shelved with other items based on the same property or shoved away with magazines. If you’re selling a comic book based on a movie and you’re able to get the book shelved right beside the DVD that makes life a lot easier.

In an industry where a LOT of creative people are doing their best to be business people, being publishers, owning publishers etc, my impression is that you're a business guy who is also creative. Could you tell us some about the difference? Where do you see yourself in relation to this?

AF: Well, I’m a business guy first, a creative guy second. That’s important because if the numbers don’t add up, the book doesn’t make any money. If no money is made, someone doesn’t get paid. A business guy thinks numbers first, a creative guy thinks content first. I’m not saying get rid of the creative person, but have the business and creative separate. That way everything is covered.

How has it been working with people whose history is obviously far more creatively filled?

AF: It’s entertaining, to say the least, working with creative people. It takes a big adjustment going from corporate to creative, though. There aren’t set hours, deadlines aren’t always followed and sometimes there’s more handholding – I’m not at all saying every creative individual is like this, but I didn’t expect it at all, so even one instance is odd for me.

Speak on Speakeasy, why a new publisher? Why now? What were the pieces you wanted to get together before launching and what is the ultimate vision for this entity?

AF: I had to make sure I had properties that I believed in and that I wasn’t in conflict with another company that I consulted with. I had to make sure I had the printer set up, the distributor, etc. There are a huge number of steps to go through to publish comics, it’s fairly daunting. Often you find out about it only as you’re in the middle of it and it’s not something you can prepare for in the beginning.
My vision is to have a publishing company that is both known as a quality and a reliable publisher. It may seem like a simple goal, yet it’s one that will take a while to get right. But, I’m willing to take the time to get there.

I know you've been involved in the development of a line of books debuting soon from SE, but what angle do you take creatively? Are you a writer? An idea man? An artist? All of the above?

AF: Well, initially I was an idea man, developing the initial universe (with the help of Brian Augustyn, of course). I stepped away fairly quickly though, and allowed the writers, artists, and editors to really paint a beautiful picture. It’s kind of cool, really. I got to have been involved creatively from the beginning, but I’m apart enough that I can be a fan when reading the books, too.

As someone who has been something of a visionary in the industry, what is your vision for comics?

AF: My vision is for comics to go back to the monthly format they have been since the 30’s. They still are, technically, but there’s a trend going towards writing for trade paperbacks. In my mind, that usually lessens the impact of the individual issues and I’d like to see comic books go back to single impact comics instead of long arcing stories.

What are our biggest challenges right now as an industry and how do you think we need to approach things in order to address these challenges?

AF: For challenges, the biggest is growing our fan base so that we can keep making comic books for years to come. You do that by creating content that will appeal to a wide audience. It’s tougher than it sounds and it will take a lot of time. In the end, though, I think it will be worth it.

What is the single biggest gem of creative insight for improving the industry you would like to put on the table right now? As a gift to the entire industry can you, in essence, say “Try this, it'll work”?

AF: Nothing that I haven’t already said before. We need to increase our fan base and go after children, they’re the future. Until we do that, I don’t think you’ll see any large spikes in sales.

Anything else you would like to add?

AF: Comics rule!

Thanks for your time Adam! Check out Speakeasy Comics at their website!

Next Week: Our first guest columnist serves up a juicy column as a fan tip: Comics Swapping! A concrete way you as a fan can help improve the odds of all those “Best Books No One is Reading!” Same OTB Channel, Same OTB Time!