Christian Dery Acquires Dreamwave

Primal · Aug 11, 2005

Strong existing titles?

- August 10, 2005 -
CHRISTIAN DERY ACQUIRES DREAMWAVE

(Quebec City, Canada) - Entrepreneur Christian Dery has acquired Dreamwave Productions' intellectual assets and inventory in an auction conducted on August 2, 2005.

In addition to securing the Dreamwave name and logo, Mr. Dery has also obtained all rights to the studio owned titles Warlands, Neon Cyber, Shidima, Echo, Fate of the Blade, Garden of Blades, Limbo City, Arkanium, Necrowar, Dark Minds, Capsoul, and Sandscape.

"I've been planning to get into the comic book business for some time now, and the opportunity to start with a catalogue of such strong existing titles was too good to pass up," said Mr. Dery. "The comic book industry is very exciting right now with a growing, global market and a number of concepts and characters branching out into other media. Dreamwave's properties attracted me largely because of their universal appeal. I strongly feel that books like Warlands, Dark Minds, and the rest, can transcend the traditional comic book market and reach a world wide audience if we approach them with a renewed focus on excellent, versatile stories and lush, eye-popping art. Which is exactly what we intend to do."

Further details about Dreamwave's re-launch will be made available in the coming weeks. All inquiries should be sent to [email protected]
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Source: Dreamwave.ca

ginrai · Aug 11, 2005

hmmm..

No one read those titles when Dreamwave Printed them.. No ones gonna read em now.

Wreckgar · Aug 11, 2005

From what I hear, Warlands was good when it was still under Image. Once it hit DW, it sunk. Fate of the Blade was also relatively popular. Otherwise the other books can slowly fade into the obscurity of 50 cent bins.

RabidYak · Aug 12, 2005

This just in, man flushes money down toilet.

NormanB · Aug 12, 2005

RabidYak said:

This just in, man flushes money down toilet.
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Right after setting it on fire.

If he paid more than 10 grand for all of that, he's an idiot.

ginrai · Aug 12, 2005

whats worse is.. he might legally have to now pay off all of Dreamwaves Debts.

Cheetatron · Aug 13, 2005

ginrai said:

whats worse is.. he might legally have to now pay off all of Dreamwaves Debts.
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Owned...

DevilzFan · Aug 13, 2005

I believe (and I could be wrong) The money he spent to buy the rights to everything in the auction, is what's going to DW's debts.

Prime64 · Aug 13, 2005

I hope this means they'll be reprinting Darkminds, as well as releasing new material. I don't think anyone is going to hold anything against Dreamwave with a new owner. Also while this might look like the buyer is throwing his money away. I think these properties have potential to spin off into other media like movies and television. Look at Men In Black, which was an obscure comic book that became a blockbuster movie.

Primal · Aug 20, 2005

TALKING WITH DREAMWAVE'S CHRISTIAN DERY

Last week, we reported the name of the new owner of Dreamwave’s assets. Today, we sit own with Christian Dery to talk about who he is, and his plans for the Dreamwave properties.

Newsarama: First, tell us a little bit about yourself - what do you do other than…well, buy DW assets?

Christian Dery : It may sound pretty boring to the average comic book fan, but at the moment I'm co-president of a commercial financial services company. I basically work as a finance consultant--creating business plans and marketing strategies--while dabbling in real estate and now publishing on the side.

NRAMA : So this is your first dip into publishing?

CD : Correct. I have been a lifelong comics fan, but this is my first foray into publishing. That said, my years of experience managing various companies have taught me a few things that should be useful along the way. I know how a successful business should be run. Right now, I’m working on surrounding myself with people who have experience in the comic book field and can help me in an editorial capacity. They’ll use their knowledge to make sure Dreamwave’s books are creative and high quality. I’ll use mine to make sure our titles sell.

NRAMA : In that vein then - what attracted you to Dreamwave’s assets in the first place?

CD : Their variety and quality. Dreamwave produced some excellent books which pushed the boundaries of traditional North American comics in a number of ways. Titles like Warlands, Darkminds, and Necrowar were really a breath of fresh air amid the mountains of superhero books that come out every month. I plan to continue that tradition of putting out high quality comics in a variety of genres. I realize this is not the common sentiment, but I strongly feel that the vast majority of comic book fans are extremely open to non-superhero stories. Unfortunately, Marvel and DC are too locked into their fifty year old business models to really take a chance on those sorts of books, and when they do, as with DC’s Vertigo line, they tend to be aimed at niche markets. Meanwhile, the smaller publishers who do take those chances lack the resources to produce comics that have the quality and visual flair necessary to attract the casual fan. With Dreamwave I hope to do both: take chances, and put together books that are new, exciting, beautiful, and great reads.

NRAMA : Something that needs to be asked from the outset - are you in any way connected with Pat or Roger Lee in this acquisition?

CD : I have no connection with Pat Lee or Roger Lee. As far as I know, they heard of me for the first time this week, like everybody else.

NRAMA : Were you the only bidder on the assets, or were there others?

CD : There were other bidders but I’m not authorized to disclose any information on them. Suffice it to say that there was a demand for these properties, and I feel lucky to have acquired them.

NRAMA : Can you give either a specific or ballpark figure in regards to what you paid for the assets? Was this higher/lower than what you were anticipating that you would pay?

CD : Lower. I bought the assets for an extremely reasonable price, especially given the amounts spent to purchase the CrossGen, Chaos, and Valiant catalogues over the past few years.

NRAMA : Specifically speaking, the assets were largely inventory and the trademarks, correct? Do you have, for example, any of the original files used to print the issues?

CD : The assets include 12 intellectual properties and an inventory of a few hundred thousand comic and graphic novel units, some of which will be available through our online store at dreamwave.ca shortly. We also own the rights to the Dreamwave name and logo, which we intend to keep using. As for the original high resolution files, we are working on recovering them but it’s a complicated process. That said, I’m not sure we’re going to reprint much of the previous material. We want to start fresh, and will be revamping some of these titles quite drastically.

NRAMA : With a revamping, why hold on to the "Dreamwave" name? Certainly, there could be some negative connotation, as the news of the bankruptcy did spread…

CD : There are pros and cons, you’re right. Obviously the Dreamwave name has been tarnished in the last few months, but at the same time it still has a great deal of resonance with a number of fans and retailers. As anyone in any business will tell you creating a brand identity is an extremely hard thing to do, and, even with the hits it has taken, the Dreamwave brand is still strong and extremely recognizable. It would be foolish for me to abandon that. All that said, we plan to make it clear from the beginning that this is a new Dreamwave, one that will continue the positive things the old company did, while at the same time dealing honestly with freelancers. As a matter of fact, we've already been in talks with some former Dreamwave creators about bringing them back, and everyone seems to be very enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead. The bottom line is that we feel the changes we’re making and (most important) the books we’ll be producing will outweigh any negative sentiments.

NRAMA : Of the properties acquired, which, to you, are the standout titles and why?

CD : Darkminds and Warlands are obvious, because of their past success and the fact that they are still fairly unique in North American comics. There just aren’t many straight sci-fi or fantasy series out there. Given the right creative teams, we feel those books could have a significant impact on the market, and attract both genre fans and superhero readers looking for something new. Of course our other titles like Necrowar, Arkanium, Fate of the Blade, and Sandscape also have a lot of potential. We have some extremely cool things planned.

NRAMA: What’s your publishing plan, in broad strokes? Are you looking at self-publishing the titles, or are you looking to team with a publisher, say, an Image, Speakeasy, or other publisher?

CD : Right now things are still in the planning stages - the auction only ended a week ago, remember, but we’re already talking to creators we would like to work with, and some printers as well. At this moment, while I wouldn’t totally rule out working with another publisher, we’re probably going to put the books out ourselves. There are simply very few pre-existing publishers who would allow us to print our comics with our logo and brand name on the cover, and those that would are smaller, newer ones who couldn’t offer us anything we can’t do ourselves.

NRAMA : In your statement, you mentioned that you feel the DW titles can transcend the traditional comic book market – how do you plan on doing that, and getting the titles to reach a larger, world-wide audience?

CD : My feeling is that most comic book publishers in North America think too small. They focus almost exclusively on the direct market, without taking into consideration both the book trade and, most importantly, the global comic book marketplace. That’s not to say that direct market retailers aren’t important—they are and we will do everything in our power to both work with them and create a demand for our books that will make them easier to sell—but I feel the various secondary comic book markets haven’t really been exploited correctly. Some North American publishers are doing a better job of getting their product into bookstores, but too many ignore overseas opportunities, specifically in Europe and Asia. With Dreamwave, I am working to take advantage of those opportunities by forming alliances with overseas publishers, and creating books that will have a global appeal that most North American comics simply don’t. The business models I’m looking at aren’t Marvel’s or DC’s, but Warner Bros’ and Sony’s. There’s no reason why a great, high quality comic book can’t have the same global appeal and commercial success as a great, high quality Hollywood movie.

NRAMA : Going back to what you mentioned – you’ve approached creators. Are you looking to see if former DW creators would come back to the projects they were on?

CD : We are in talks with several creators already, some are former Dreamwave employees, while others are people you would never expect to work on a Dreamwave book. We’re really trying to emphasize quality over anything else. Not everyone we hire will have a huge name in the comic book industry, but they will all be extremely talented and have a passion for the projects they’re working on. Combine those two things and you get a high quality product which, in the end, is all that really matters.

NRAMA : In the big picture, what is your larger rollout plan? When are you looking at launching your first title, and how many total titles do you think you’ll eventually publish?

CD : 2006. I know that’s pretty broad but, as I mentioned earlier, we’re still in week one and a lot of things need to be finalized before we can make definite announcements about shipping dates and creative teams. As far as the number of titles go, we’re going to keep it small and streamlined to start out with, and then grow as the market allows. To be honest, I’d rather do a handful of excellent books than dozens of mediocre ones. I know it’s a cliché, but I’m a big believer in quality over quantity.

NRAMA : Are you looking at publishing ongoing series or series of miniseries, or graphic novels?

CD : We’re looking at publishing miniseries and graphic novels, though some titles will be effectively ongoing in the sense that we will do a number of miniseries based around the same characters and setting. Of course, a lot will depend on what the creators attached to our various projects want, and what the market will bear.

NRAMA: Have you started talks with printers, distributors, and others in your push to get these to a worldwide audience?

CD : Yes. Everything is gradually taking shape. I’m not looking to rush anything at this point, I want it to be done right, not just done fast.

NRAMA: Finally, your desire to see comparisions between DW and Warner Bros and Sony lead to the obvious question - will you be actively pursuing other media with these properties? Any in particular that you think would/could/will make the jump easily?

CD : I can easily imagine a Darkminds movie or a Warlands animated series, but comics are our main focus. If other media opportunities come, that’s great. If not, it won’t change what we’re trying to do.
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Source: Newsarama

brittap · Aug 20, 2005

poor basterd, I think he really belives what he's saying

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Christian Dery Acquires Dreamwave

Primal Veteran

ginrai lost with no way home.

Wreckgar Anthony Stark Moderator

RabidYak Go Ninja Go Ninja Go

NormanB Well-Known Member

ginrai lost with no way home.

Cheetatron Drat, outsmarted by a Lorry, I am disgraced

DevilzFan CobraIsland.com Veteran

Prime64 In state of deep blue

Primal Veteran

brittap Well-Known Member

Log in or Sign up

Christian Dery Acquires Dreamwave

Primal Veteran

ginrai lost with no way home.

Wreckgar Anthony Stark Moderator

RabidYak Go Ninja Go Ninja Go

NormanB Well-Known Member

ginrai lost with no way home.

Cheetatron Drat, outsmarted by a Lorry, I am disgraced

DevilzFan CobraIsland.com Veteran

Prime64 In state of deep blue

Primal Veteran

brittap Well-Known Member

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