The Four Color Media Monitor

The site that first announced this was the industry suckup Comics Beat:

A lot of changes suddenly at comics companies all over. I’ve just learned that Chris Ryall, formerly Chief Creative officer and Editor-in-Chief at IDW, has stepped down.

The move is entirely of his own volition, I’m told.

Even if his resignation is voluntary, that doesn't mean it had nothing to do with the disaster they became in the past couple years, as they suddenly went the same ill-advised route Marvel did and began pandering to social justice mentalities, hiring writers like Mags Vissagio and Aubrey Sitterson, the latter who caused a serious embarrassment and PR catastrophe after he insulted Americans devastated by 9-11, which also includes plenty of GI Joe fans. And David Mariotte's abrupt attack on the consumers was no improvement. All these errors combined evidently had a negative impact on their income, bringing them down to barely a tenth of what they once were in sales, and there's no telling if they'll recover.

Their best option, for those succeeding Ryall, is to move away from identity politics and distance themselves from any contributor, internal or freelance, who can't keep their mouths shut. And maybe they should start concentrating less on licensed merchandise comics that make up too much of their inventory (but whose licenses they may stand to lose) and focus more on creator-owned fantasy adventures. If they don't, chances are much higher they'll be out of the ball game within another year or so. From what I know, Chuck Dixon's got a project he'll be publishing under their labels, and that'll be good if they go through with and fully respect the deals with him. But if not, then again, they mustn't be surprised if it'll further the negative impacts on their business.

Labels: bad editors, indie publishers, licensed products, moonbat writers, msm propaganda