You didn’t really think Chris Ryall was going to stay on the market very long after he decided to leave IDW did you?
The Hollywood Reporter says Ryall has joined Skybound Entertainment. He’ll be working alongside Skybound SVP/EIC, Sean Mackiewicz, but Ryall’s exact title hasn’t been decided upon yet.
A little bit of background here: Ryall was either Editor-in-Chief or Chief Creative Officer of IDW for well over a decade and is widely respected in the industry. He’s also very experienced in licensed books.
What does Skybound founder/owner Robert Kirkman have to say about this hire?
“You’d have a hard time finding someone more well-liked in comics than Chris,” stated Kirkman. “His mark on the comics industry is undeniable. I’ve admired his work from afar for many years and am thrilled for him to be part of the Skybound team.”
Skybound is somewhat unique in comics. It has a line of comics based out of Image. Some of them have been developed for television, like Walking Dead and Outcast. The film and TV line is growing. There’s some video game activity. It’s a increasingly large entity that tends to revolve around genres and Ryall is an expert in that transmedia space where genre film, TV and toys overlap with comics, so this is a really interesting fit and probably a no-brainer for Skybound the second Ryall was available.
Official PR follows:
Skybound Entertainment has hired Chris Ryall to work alongside Senior Vice President and Editor-in-Chief Sean Mackiewicz in an effort to expand Skybound’s publishing line. Previously, Chris worked as the Editor-in-Chief and Chief Creative Officer of IDW Publishing, where he set the creative direction and publishing plan for IDW’s comic book and graphic novel division.
“As a fan of genre material and comic books all around, working with Skybound Entertainment is a natural fit for me,” said Chris Ryall. “I’m excited to work with the team in place at Skybound and expand an already phenomenal library of content.”
“Chris’ impeccable track record as an editor reflects the quality of stories that we aim for with all Skybound projects,” said Sean Mackiewicz. “He is an ideal addition to our team as our comic book slate continues to grow.”
“You’d have a hard time finding someone more well-liked in comics than Chris,” said Robert Kirkman. “His mark on the comics industry is undeniable. I’ve admired his work from afar for many years and am thrilled for him to be part of the Skybound team.”
Titles currently published at Skybound include The Walking Dead, Oblivion Song, Outcast, Gasolina, Redneck, and more. Skybound’s editorial team also recently expanded outside of the comic books realm and launched the Skybound Books imprint, in partnership with Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books.
Most interestingly, Skybound is funded well enough to go deep into development with its projects. They don’t rush things out. And, then, they’ll bank a bunch of issues before publishing the first to make sure they come out on schedule. It’s a unique publisher in the comics world. From the interviews I’ve read, it seems like most of their properties have been in the works for a year before they’re announced. At least.
Ryall has the chops from a creative and an editorial point of view to handle that kind of process, I should think.
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