Broken Frontier

Even though the new year has already started, we still have one more goodie to present you with as part of our Year Ender 2004 feature, which wouldn't have gotten as much attention during our Broken Frontier Awards announcement last week. We serve you a look at what six publishers thought of the year that was, which we do today together with AdHouse's Christ Pitzer, IDW's Chris Ryall and Viper's Jessie Garza.

Check back later this week for the second and final part featuring Moonstone's Joe Gentile, Top Cow's Jim McLaughlin and Arcana's Sean O' Reilly.

 

CHRIS PITZER - ADHOUSE BOOKS

BF: What were the goals AdHouse  had set for 2004? Have they been achieved?

CP: I wanted to get the AdHouse name out in front of the comic buying public as much as possible, which I guess is a goal of all publishers. As a realistic goal, I tried to have at least one new product per month at the end of the year.

BF: What were some of the highlights of the past year for AdHouse overall?

CP: The Harvey and Eisner nominations for Project: Telstar were pretty cool. 

BF: Is AdHouse satisfied with its 2004 sale figures?

CP: Unh... No? I thought we put out some really neat books that just didn’t seem to hit good numbers.

BF: What are some of the areas AdHouse is looking to improve in?

CP: Higher numbers? Seriously, I have to start making some profits on these books. [Laughs]

BF: In your opinion, which was the best project AdHouse put on the stands in 2004?

CP: If “best” equals ambitious, I’d say The Collected Sequential: over 200 pages and a hardcover to boot.

BF: Which was the most underrated project published by AdHouse?

CP: Maybe Monkey & Spoon, just because we didn’t get fantastic numbers. I understand why, but I just don’t like it.

BF: Which of AdHouse’s creators (new or old) delivered the best goods this past year?

CP: Well, if you take into consideration the goods that I’ve had a chance to see that haven’t been published yet, I’d say Joel Priddy and James Jean. Those cats have hit some home runs with their Project: Superior submissions. 

BF: In your opinion, which was the best book put out by a publisher other than yours?

CP: I’d go with McSweeny’s Quarterly #13. The BEST comics anthology (period).

BF: Are you satisfied with the way the industry evolved over the course of the year? Are there any trends in particular you noticed that are going to be relevant in 2005?

CP: One trend which I’ve noticed is the influx of more publishers. This past month I think there were two or three announced.

BF: What can fans look forward to from AdHouse next year?

CP: Big year for the House of Ad! First Project: Superior, which is kicking butt in a big way. Then Process Recess, the James Jean sketchbook, which is freaking beautiful. Then we have two new series called The Secret Voice by Zack Soto and Zig Zag by J Chris Campbell. We also still have a few other surprises, but that’s a good chunk for now!

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CHRIS RYALL - IDW

BF: What were the goals IDW had set for 2004? Have they been achieved?

CR: Well, we wanted to keep producing adult-oriented comics of the highest quality, so yeah, I'd say we did what we set out to do. I know there are more goals - aren't there always? - for 2005, like expanding our customer base, expanding the types of material we offer, but for the most part, 2004 played out like we all hoped.

BF: What were some of the highlights of the past year for IDW overall?

CR: Well, some might say that hiring me as IDW's new editor-in-chief in 2004 was a highlight. Sure, it might just be ME that says that, but in my book, that's a highlight. Also, further diversifying the books we offer, getting attention from critics and Hollywood alike for challenging books like ALEISTER ARCANE, and putting plans into motion that'll really make our next few years special. Creatively, pairing up with writers like Clive Barker and Richard Matheson to offer adaptations of their work, as well as working with talented folks like Steve Niles and comic veterans like Beau Smith and Mike Gold, these were among my personal favorite moments of the year.

BF: Is IDW satisfied with its 2004 sale figures?

CR: Is any publisher ever satisfied with their sales figures? I think we'd always like to reach more people, sure, but yeah, our books performed like we expected.

BF: What are some of the areas IDW is looking to improve in?

CR: Shelf space at comic shops, of course. I'm also looking to diversify our product line even more. There're a lot of good ideas out there that appeal to people looking for more than just traditional superhero fare, so we're going to do our best to offer a wide variety of those in '05.

BF: In your opinion, which was the best project IDW put on the stands in 2004?

CR: Oh, no, you don't. You're not getting me to play Sophie's Comic Choice.
I liked so many of our books - I think Niles did a great job extending the 30 DAYS OF NIGHT storyline, and his ALEISTER ARCANE, something different for him, felt like his most accomplished piece of writing so far. Matt Fraction's doing something great in his half of 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: BLOODSUCKER TALES, and new artists like Kody Chamberlain have also been great to work with. Personally, I love the look of the ALEISTER and REMAINS trade paperbacks, as well as the stories, too.

BF: Which was the most underrated project published by IDW?

CR: All of 'em? I'd probably say REMAINS, because Niles and Kieron Dwyer did a great zombie tale that didn't get as recognized as it should've been. But again, I'd say that all of our books deserve more recognition. Sales and acclaim, the two things publishers can never get enough of.

BF: Which of IDW's creators (new or old) delivered the best goods this past year?

CR: You really want me to pick which kid is my favorite, huh? Can't do it. Niles was by far our most consistent and prominent creator, and he's always great. But many new artists, like DESPERADOES artist Jeremy Haun, or THE THIEF OF ALWAYS artist Gabriel Hernandez, were a pleasure. Hector Casanova really did some cool things on LURKERS. And, of course, getting pages from guys like Richard Corben, Scott Morse or Kelley Jones makes any day that much better.

BF: In your opinion, which was the best book put out by a publisher other than yours?

CR: I don't really read anything by anyone else.
No, I'm kidding. There were so many - it was a great year for comics. Fantagraphics' COMPLETE PEANUTS reprints are amazing. I loved comics like Joss Whedon's ASTONISHING X-MEN and Geoff Johns and Brian K. Vaughn provided some of the best reads all year. Lesser-read books like H.E.R.O. and HUMAN TARGET are so good, I hope at least the latter title survives next year. ADAM STRANGE was also a great read. And as good as books like INVINCIBLE, WALKING DEAD and even SHE-HULK were, the most satisfying read I got all year was probably EX MACHINA. I'm sure I've left off a lot of books I enjoy, but these are the ones that really stick in my head.

BF: Are you satisfied with the way the industry evolved over the course of the year? Are there any trends in particular you noticed that are going to be relevant in 2005?

CR: Did it evolve? It felt a lot like business as usual this year, with titles like the X-books outselling other, better books. As much as I love what Joss Whedon's doing, it'd be nice to see people try out smaller titles, too. EX MACHINA, WALKING DEAD and REMAINS should be outselling UNCANNY X-MEN, if quality were the determining factor.

BF: What can fans look forward to from IDW next year?

CR: My writing debut! And also, as I’ve already said, a lot of variety in our offerings. Everything from the return of GRIMJACK and JON SABLE to a new Cal McDonald series, Bigfoot from Niles, Rob Zombie and Corben, books from Ed Brubaker, Ted McKeever, Tom Jane, so many good creators. And, of course, the debut of letters pages in our books. And that’s just for starters...

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JESSIE GARZA - VIPER COMICS

BF: What were the goals Viper had for 2004? Have they been achieved?

JG: Some of our goals for 2004 were to consistently put out quality product and try to reach as many retailers and fans as possible and spread the word about what we’re doing.
Yes, we’re pleased with what we’ve been able to accomplish up until now. It’s because of the gradual growth and continued fan support we’re still publishing books.  We published 13 comic books and 2 trade paperbacks in 2004. We couldn’t be any happier.

BF: What were some of the highlights of the past year for Viper overall?

JG: Being able to continue the book that helped launch the company has been very exciting, and the continued emails from fans wanting more Dead@17.  In addition, this opened the door for us to be able to work with very talented individuals such as Kazu Kibuishi, We’re also very happy to be able to have added our first web comic, “You’ll Have That” by Wes Molebash with strip updates three times a week MWF. Fans can check it out at: http://www.vipercomics.com/webComics/yht/default.asp.

BF: Is Viper satisfied with its 2004 sale figures?

JG: Very pleased, actually it wasn’t till end of August 2004 that I realized what are sales had been for the year.  We’ve spent so much time just publishing and promoting books we hadn’t looked at where we were at.

BF: What are some of the areas Viper is looking to improve in? 

JG: We’re hoping to improve our website updates, we try to do regular updates but sometimes our project deadlines prevent us from doing them as often as we’d like.

BF: In your opinion, which was the best project Viper put on the stands in 2004?

JG: I can’t pick one, Dead @17 and Daisy Kutter are just awesome books, each in their own way.  Both creators are outstanding and will have a long future in comics. We stand 100% behind all books we publish.

BF: Which was the most underrated project published by Viper?

JG: Daisy Kutter was underrated. Kazu’s artwork and story telling are just outstanding.  Initial orders weren’t what we expected, but as issue #3 arrived in stores re-orders for issues #1 and #2 began to come in.

BF: Which of Viper's creators (new or old) delivered the best goods this past year?

JG: Once again, we just can’t pick one. Both Josh Howard and Kazu Kibuishi have spent many long hours perfecting the stories and artwork. They both deserve praise.

BF: Which was the best book put out by a publisher other than yours?

JG: I really liked what Image published, “Flight”.  This book had a lot of talent and some very unique and cool stories. Also liked some of the books Arcana put out, as well as Raven Gregory’s “The Gift”.

BF: Are you satisfied with the way the industry evolved over the course of the year? Are there any trends in particular you noticed that are going to be relevant in 2005?

JG: Overall I’m satisfied with the way the industry has evolved over the year. I’m noticing a small but gradual improvement in sales.  I also think comic conventions are starting to draw people in that are not comic fans but more curious spectators, which hopefully will make new comic fans out of them.

BF: What can fans look forward to from Viper next year?

JG: Next year is going to be a very exciting year for Viper. We have 8 different titles scheduled for release and 1 pending a contract approval. The first 2 titles are Oddly Normal by Otis Frampton and Random Encounter by Niccolo Balce, both released in March 2005. We’re also looking forward to possibly releasing the Dead @17 ongoing in late 2005, and a 3 issue mini-series spinning off from Dead@17 in August 2005.

- Frederik Hautain