Think bigger. You think Disney doesn't have eyes on Hasbro?

 

Depends if it’s within business rights.

 

I see posts like this all the time, and a lot of people in this thread share this belief, but it should be pointed out that as a whole comic and graphic novel sales were actually up in 2018 and way up in 2019. I'm sure a lot of that took a hit during the "pencils down" period this year when nothing was being shipped, as 2020 will be the year where every single industry took a hit somewhere, but for comics themselves they don't seem to be hurting as badly as some people think and likely aren't going to go away any time soon.

 

IDW Publishing Announces New President and Publisher

Thought I would include the update here:

Official Press Release

IDW Publishing Names Jerry Bennington As President, Jud Meyers As Publisher And Rebekah Cahalin As General Manager and Executive Vice President of Operations

SAN DIEGO, CA (July 22, 2020) -- IDW Publishing, a subsidiary of IDW Media Holdings Inc. (OTC PINK: IDWM), has selected industry veterans Jerry Bennington and Jud Meyers as the company's new President and Publisher, respectively. Rebekah Cahalin has been promoted to General Manager and EVP of Operations, covering both IDW Publishing and IDW Entertainment.

"As IDW accelerates its growth trajectory as a fully integrated multi-media company, we are very fortunate to have Jerry Bennington and Jud Meyers to assume these key roles at IDW Publishing," said Ezra Rosensaft, IDW's CEO. Rosensaft was recently promoted from CFO to CEO of IDW Media Holdings, and came to IDW after nearly 15 years at HBO. "We are equally as fortunate to have Rebekah Cahalin step into the GM and EVP of Operations positions. All three executives are already valued and vital members of the IDW team as well as inspiring leaders. I have no doubt that they will accomplish great things in their new positions," he added.

Bennington, who currently serves as IDW Publishing's EVP of Product Management, brings more than 30 years of industry experience to his new role, He will be tasked with overseeing IDW Publishing's strategic business units, integrating product cross-platform programs, establishing product growth initiatives with partners, broadening customer experiences to new platforms and expanding the company's extensive IP portfolio. As EVP of Product Management, Bennington established new business units including IDW Limited and IDW Games, and he increased IDW Publishing's stable of licensed IPs including the notable additions of Batman the Animated Series, Dragon Ball Z, Metal Gear Solid and Usagi Yojimbo. Prior to joining IDW Publishing, Bennington was the President of 3 Point Entertainment where he helped develop specialty licensed merchandise, and served as the VP of Marketing for The Upper Deck Company’s Upper Deck Games.

"As a long-standing member of the IDW team, I am thankful for the opportunity to build on Chris Ryall's work leading the company to product excellence and providing our readers with richer, deeper, and more meaningful experiences," said Bennington. "Collaborating with our valued customers and partners around the globe, we will achieve unparalleled quality and memorable stories and characters to be shared by family and friends."

Meyers, who currently serves as IDW Publishing's Sales Director, will oversee all aspects of production and publication in his new role as Publisher. He will continue IDW's history of creating quality literature while expanding the company's reach to new markets worldwide. Meyers started his career in the comic industry at Titan Publishing in London, England, where he helped launch and manage some of the most prestigious comic-book retail stores in the UK, including Forbidden Planet, Virgin Megastore and Meanwhile Comics. Later, he became owner and co-founder of several comic book stores in Los Angeles, and was the recipient of the Will Eisner Spirit of Retailing Award. Meyers also served as the Director of Sales & Marketing at Humanoids Publishing where he helped launch three successful new book imprints and expanded the French publisher's presence in the U.S. book market.

"I'm so grateful for the opportunity to step into this role and help continue IDW's legacy of quality storytelling," said Meyers, Publisher. "We have a wealth of talented creators and a brilliant editorial and production staff helping to shape our stories. In the coming months, we're going to add to our family, and we will continue to deliver the greatest licensed content in comics, expanding and shaping the global reach of all of our licensors and their brands."

Cahalin, IDW's current General Manager | Head of Operations, joined IDW in 2009. She achieved a series of increasingly important positions within the company's production, digital production and digital publishing teams highlighted by her work as Digital Publishing Director. In her new position, Cahalin will oversee and integrate all operations and business activities.

"I am so excited to work not only with the IDW Publishing team, but also everyone at IDW Entertainment," said Cahalin. "This new role provides a tremendous opportunity to enhance our operational infrastructure to further drive company objectives, and make this a truly holistic environment."

"I've been incredibly proud of the work the executive team and all of IDW has done in my time back with the company, and I wish them all the best with the exciting things the company has planned," said outgoing President, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Chris Ryall.

 

I've seen a lot of sources saying things like that, but they generally rely on digital sales of some sort, or something along those lines. I just find it hard to believe anything is going well in the industry with how things are. The direct market was dying, and is now dying even faster. The fact of the matter is that I'm not buying comics, my friends aren't, and all the stores are closing. Just seems really unlikely that things are alright.

 

Of course digital sales count, as they should, a sales a sale. Thing of it is the direct market and comic stores themselves might falter, but there's a popular misconception that those things are really as essential to the comics industry's success as the comics industry is to theirs, so people seem to think if all the little hole in the wall comic shops close up it must all be going down together...and, well, fortunately that's really not the case.

 

I'm stil not seeing where the numbers are...a lot of the big buyers I know aren't buying digital either. It's of course just anecdotal, but everyone I know is pretty stumped about where any possible sales are coming from. I'm of the belief that they get inflated somewhere down the line...there's just such little interest.

 

They'll keep saying it until their proven right one day.

 

Disney is in deep crap, and I wouldn't be surprised if they start selling some of their acquisitions in the next couple of years.

 

Disney is right now just trying to ensure it can make money in the midst of the pandemic taking out its overwhelmingly largest cash cow (its theme parks). Even if they did have their eye on Hasbro I’d be shocked if any action were taken in the next 2-5 years.

 

I’ve always felt that if sales in digital were so good, we’d see more openness about sales in those arenas...but we don’t. We’d also likely see more titles kept alive longer due to digital, but again we don’t.

 

Meh. I thought the TF comics we got from IDW when Roberts, Roche, Barber & Scott took over were the very best we'd ever seen. Ryall's mucking about was back around Furman's time (and a bit after). The only aspects I didn't like were imposed by others; the events, the idiotic cross-overs, and the bollocksed wrapping up.

I'm rather fond of the current comics, too. Not a patch on what they replaced, but hey, that's one hell of a high standard to meet.

I read the old Marvel (both US and UK) comics when they were fresh. I loved them then. I find myself rather less enthusiastic about them now; they just don't compare well to what we get now, in terms of plotting and characterisation (and as for the art back then...).

 

Why? They've never been all that forthcoming about physical sales numbers, either, with the usual harping about how many units were shipped in a month or whenever but never really how many were actually sold. That's just seems to be more of how things are done in publishing world rather than format.

It is anecdotal, but just think about it: If there was really such little interest in say Transformers everywhere, would IDW really still be putting out more and more content with a main ongoing, a secondary book, an '84 throwback title, and at least three different Transformers crossover miniseries' that I can think of this year alone?

 

True - hadn't thought of that. In the long-term, it still makes sense. I would not be surprised to see it happen, or at least an attempt, at some point.

 

Well they owe more Debt at this point then they are worth. They have few original titles and outside of Locke and Key and maybe wynonna earp none of the ones optioned for live action media have done well or lasted more than a season. They are in heavy debt and have been for awhile, so that's why everyone predicts their down fall. If you stay in the hole long enough, eventually the creditors stop lending and the banks come for their money. Then you go bankrupt.

 

Even with the current conditions slightly disrupting Disney's bigger cash flows, it's not like they're some tiny company that doesn't have some reserves to draw on. They'll likely also be one of the first players to DIVE into people's wallets when the pandemic is over and restrictions start getting lifted.

That said, they don't need to own any more of my media consumption. I'd prefer they keep their grubby mitts off Hasbro. There needs to be SOME competition out there for media properties.

 

IDW's New Publisher Placed on Administrative Leave 5 Days After Promotion

Well...that was unexpected:

Jud Meyers, who replaced Chris Ryall as Publisher of IDW Publishing, has been put on administrative leave five days after his promotion was announced.

"IDW Publishing has decided to put Jud Meyers on administrative leave. President Jerry Bennington will assume his responsibilities as interim publisher at this time," IDW CEO Ezra Rosensaft said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. IDW declined to comment regarding a reason for why Meyers was placed on administrative leave.

Jerry Bennington and Jud Meyers were promoted to President and Publisher, respectively, of IDW Publishing on July 22. Chris Ryall stepped down as President, Publisher and CCO the day prior. Rebekah Cahalin was also promoted to General Manager and EVP of Operations, covering both IDW Publishing and IDW Entertainment, during the reshuffling.

Meyers previously served as IDW Publishing's Sales Director. He began his comics career at Titan Publishing in London, England, where he launched and managed retail stores such as Forbidden Planet, Virgin Megastore and Meanwhile Comics before doing the same in Los Angeles, CA. Meyers was the recipient of the Will Eisner Spirit of Retailing Award and was the Director of Sales & Marketing at Humanoids Publishing.

 

I guess it depends on who was doing the expecting?

https://twitter.com/alexdecampi/status/1288130159917195265

https://twitter.com/DAvallone/status/1288150001827209216
"I've known Jud was a thief for about six years. You're saying there are more and different crimes?"

 

Damn that was shorter than Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries marriage.

What did he do?

 

This might provide some insight:

Why Is IDW's New Publisher, Jud Meyers, On Administrative Leave?

Bleeding Cool scooped everyone last week, announcing Jud Meyers as the new Publisher of IDW Publishing. Of all of the newly promoted people, he is the one with the least experience at IDW, only having worked there less than a year as Global Sales Director since last August. He does have wide experience within comic book sales however, but it is that which seems to have caused issues. The Hollywood Reporter posted last night that one day into the job, he had been placed on administrative leave. But why?

Initially working at Titan Publishing in London, Jud Meyers worked at a number of comic book stores in the UK in the early nineties, including Forbidden Planet, Virgin Megastores, and Meanwhile Comics. In 1994, Meyers moved back to New York City and took a position at Avalanche Of Wonder, a comic book mail-order service. Moving to Los Angeles in 1997, he then launched a similar company, Krypton Collectibles.

In 2003, Meyers co-founded with Carr D'Angelo, his first brick and mortar comic store, located in Sherman Oaks, California, the famous Earth-2 Comics. In 2009, Earth-2 formed a partnership with Geoff Johns and purchased Golden Apple Comics, turning it into another Earth-2 Comics. He later left Earth-2 and opened a new comic book chain, Blastoff with his partner, Scott Tipton.

It then transpired that Earth-2 Comics sued Meyers and Blastoff. In the suit, Earth-2 Comics claimed that Meyers had sold product from Earth-2 to Lone Star Comics and kept the proceeds off books, in his wife's name, ahead of setting up Blastoff as a rival store, for which Earth-2 also claims Meyer also took the Earth-2 customer list. Overall, Earth-2 claimed damages of in excess of $120,000. The complaint was eventually settled, but one of the witnesses against Meyers was Chris Powell, now at Diamond Comic Distributors.

Meyers was also named Director of Sales and Marketing at Humanoids. Which I am told, became a problem for Humanoids, as Chris Powell at Diamond, declined to work with him. Also, Humanoids appearance at retailer events and conventions would attract the attention of aggrieved retailers over Meyers' presence.

Then the final Blastoff Comics store closed last year and I understand the chain went out of business, still owing Diamond Comic Distributors around $35,000. There were then allegations that stock that had been consigned by collectors to Blastiff sell, and then placed in storage, managed to make it to the marketplace without money – or stock – being returned yet to those dealers.

As a result of all this, former comic book retailers now working at Diamond Comic Distributors – and those who still believe Meyers owes them a pretty penny – have been rather standoffish in dealing with Jud Meyers, as he joined prominent comic book publisher IDW Publishing in his Global Sales role. DC's decision to leave Diamond knocked a lot of that on the head, but the appointment of Jud Meyers as Publisher of IDW unearthed it all again, and it made its way to Bleeding Cool over the last week. Right now, Diamond are not happy campers. I am told thatChris Powell, Chief Relationship Officer at Diamond/Geppi Family Enterprises continues to refuse to work with him and I am told that Tim Lenaghan, Chief Procurement Officer at Geppi Family Enterprises, has joined Powell in that. The negotiations between Diamond and IDW were handed over to Dirk Wood, IDW Director Of Marketing, who everyone loves, but this really should not be his job.

Will it be easier for IDW with Diamond now that Meyers is on administrative leave? And is this the reason why that decision has been made? IDW is not commenting. Melissa Gotto of the appropriately-named LA PR firm Scandal Co-Active told us that IDW has no further comment other than the statement that was released.

"IDW Publishing has put Jud Meyers on administrative leave. President Jerry Bennington will assume his responsibilities as interim Publisher at this time." – Ezra Rosensaft, IDW CEO.

There's a video that Jud Meyers made about the most important comic book to him, and it is one that a number of industry figures have been sharing amongst themselves this week with increasing levels of snark.