Comings & Goings old

Via PR, official confirmation of Sarah deLaine replacing Betsy Gomez as Image Comics' PR & Marketing Coordinator. deLaine is a long time Image staffer and formerly worked at Comic Relief.

Some changes at Image Comics, which had a dynamite 2010 with the success of WALKING DEAD and many new series. As announced in a press release, Top Cow, which has functioned pretty much independently of Image for marketing and PR, will be moving some of its operations to the Image Central office, coordinating more production, marketing and sales efforts. Top Cow had a big hit in 2010 with ARTIFACTS, a big event crossover for their long running WITCHBLADE and DARKNESS franchises, but they don't have a huge publishing program and some consolidation seems like a move to strengthen both companies.

Tokyopop has just signed a deal with Diamond Book Distributors for distribution to both comics shops and bookstores. This marks Tokyopop's return to Diamond...

While I was off the grid, the Blogfather Dirk Deppey announced via Twitter that he had been laid off by Fantagraphics: I've been laid off...

After three years in top management positions, Mark Waid is leaving his current position as COO at BOOM! Studios to go back to freelancing. He'll continue to write INCORRUPTIBLE and IRREDEEMABLE, his hit titles for BOOM!, and Stan Lee's THE TRAVELER. Editor-in-chief Matt Gagnon, who stopped into that position in July, will oversee BOOM!'s creative output. Waid spoke exclusively to CBR with his usual candor about the move, stressing that unlike his tenure at CrossGen, he was leaving on friendly terms.

A lot of changes have been announced over the last month at DC. Here's what we know or can guess.

On Friday, Alex Segura announced he was leaving DC Comics as Publicity Manager, and strongly hinted he'd be staying in comics. Today, it's been announced that he'll be joining Archie Comics as Executive Director of Publicity and Marketing. Segura previously freelanced as a Publicity Coordinator for Archie prior to working at Wizard and DC. Archie has recently revitalized their publishing program under the leadership of co-CEO Jon Goldwater, with news grabbing events such as showing Archie's marriage, and adding an openly gay character to Riverdale's cast of characters. They've also updated their product list with such things as an Archie Magazine and digital comics.

Clark, we are not in Metropolis anymore. In the continuing evolution of DC Entertainment into a pillar of the Warner Brothers library, Amit Desai...

Popular Publicity Manager Alex Segura Jr. has announced today is his last day at DC Comics.

More PR as DC continues to restructure. Longtime employees Alison Gill and Nick Napolitano have been promoted to SVP, Manufacturing & Operations and VP, Manufacturing Administration, respectively. More recent hire Jeff Boison has been promoted to VP, Publishing Operations. Gill is an industry veteran whose promotion reflects her in-depth knowledge of all things concerned printing and production.
Much of the job duties mentioned for the trio includes working with the new bi-coastal set-up of the company.

Continuing DC's rollout of promotions and restructuring, Mark Chiarello, the mastermind behind WEDNESDAY COMICS and many other much-admired projects over the years such as BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE, has been promoted to VP Art Direction & Design. Chiarello had been overseeing most of DC's art-related output for some time, and the appointment consolidates functions which had been under several positions that were eliminated in the restructuring.

Via the Source, DC Editor-in-chief Bob Harras has announced the new structure of the DCU, with long time editor Eddie Berganza getting promoted from group editor to Executive Editor. Group Editors Matt Idelson and Mike Marts will oversee the Superman and Batman groups, respectively, while Ian Sattler has been promoted to Director--Editorial, Special Projects & Archival Editions. The post doesn't go into details of what that will cover, but since Harras left running the recently downsized reprint department, it sounds like Sattler will be taking that over. The editorial team is rounded out by Vertigo's Karen Berger and MAD's John Ficarra-- it isn't clear if they are reporting to Harras or not, nut in any event they will be working closely.