Interviews

It might be all well and good for Harry Potter and his inherited money and fancy scholarship-based schooling in a Scottish castle, but stories about young magic-users rarely seems to ever look beyond that....

Goblins don't get the respect they deserve, do they? They're twisted creatures of malicious intent, born of dark magic and with creepy pointed ears - but nobody ever gives them their due as servants...

[Concluding our conversation with IDW publisher Ted Adams, we get into digital, new books for 2014 and IDW's plans for getting into the TV business. Read part one here. ]

[IDW publisher Ted Adams is one of the most personable executives in the industry, and one of the most forward looking when it comes to expanding to new markets. As IDW celebrates its 15th anniversary, we chatted with Adams about the structure of the company, his background and how IDW has explored new outlets and products including digital, mass market and merchandising. One of IDW's biggest recent success stories in their "Micro Fun Packs"—little goodie bags sold at mass market checkout areas which include a mini comics, stickers, foldout posters, and POG-like collectibles—an unusual move into merchandising for a comics publisher but one he thinks will drive readers back to comics shops. IDW's successes also includes creator owned books like 30 Days of Night and Locke and Key and one of the industry's best archival programs with the Library of American Comics and Yoe Books. Given his background in the maw of the "indie comics era" working at Eclispe, Dark Horse and Image, Adams has been able to put what he calls his entrepreneurial spirit to work on taking advantage of the expanding audience for comics. And he's not done yet. Many thank to IDW's Rosalind Morehead for setting up this interview.]

Comics is an unpredictable world to wander through. One day everything is understandable and safe, Chew sits on the shelf next to Revival, and the world is as you’d expect. But then one day...

Straight from the offices of Publishers Weekly, it’s More to Come! Your podcast source of comics news and discussion starring The Beat’s own Heidi MacDonald. In this week's interview special, Publisher's Weekly's Calvin Reid interviews...

Kelly Angel is the writer and artist of Anything About Nothing, a webcomic which describes itself better than I ever could. But I shall describe it anyway! A collection of strips, longer-form comics, illustrations...

One of the real breakout comics of 2013 was Bandette, from the husband and wife team Colleen Coover and Paul Tobin. A digital comic that is creator-owned and sold by Monkeybrain for only 99¢,...

Jim Zub's 2014 is picking up some real speed right now. Most well-known for his series Skullkickers with Edwin Huang and Misty Coats, which is soon heading towards the penultimate arc, he's building up a head of stream to take him straight through into 2015. Alongside his creator-owned fantasy sword-swinging monster-kicking fighty fight series, he's also now writing various projects for DC, Marvel, Dynamite and many others. One of the most interesting things about Zub as a creator, and what first caught my attention, is his openness about his career and creative process. The extensive comic book tutorials on his website offer some brilliant advice on a range of topics, from publicity to building a creative team, and right through to the tricky stuff nobody else talks about - like, for instance money. Which means there's a lot to talk to him about! Ahead of issue #25 of Skullkickers - which you'll get to see preview pages from below - he spoke to me about building Skullkickers, assembling the team, and how he's managed to keep interest in the series so high.

If you like comics, you've almost certainly seen Matthew Wilson's work. Colourist for many of the most acclaimed comics of the last few years, his work has been seen on Wonder Woman, Young Avengers,...

Straight from the offices of Publishers Weekly, it’s More to Come! Your podcast source of comics news and discussion starring The Beat’s own Heidi MacDonald. In this week's interview special,  Heidi MacDonald interviews leading British...

Buoyed by the success of the five arc of Five Ghosts, the ship-shape creative team of Frank Barbiere, Chris Mooneyham and Lauren Affe have been sailing forward these past few months on a wave...