A couple of changes at Dark Horse as Jim Gibbons has been promoted to assistant editor. Gibbons, one of about 12 trillion former Wizard staffers now working in the comics industry, has worked in DARK HORSE PRESENTS, Brian Wood’s THE MASSIVE, and Guillermo del Toro’s THE STRAIN, as well as Francesco Francavilla’s THE BLACK BEETLE and Tom Morello’s ORCHID. All a pretty impressive portfolio.
“Jim has quickly established himself as one of Dark Horse’s bright, up-and-coming editorial staffers,” said Dark Horse president Mike Richardson. “His hard work on Dark Horse Presents helped to win us the industry’s two major awards. I am certain that with the same level of dedication he has shown thus far, he and the books he works on will win many more for Dark Horse in the future. Congratulations, Jim.”
“Jim brings all the best qualities a creator can hope for from an editor: he pushes you to do your best work, kicks your butt when you are behind, and buys you a beer when you are done. I’m lucky to have him on my team,” said Francavilla.
Gibbons is also a frequently entertaining blogger at Enemy of Peanuts—hopefully his editorial duties will still allow him to write there.
Gibbons is replacing departing associate editor Rachel Edidin, who is going freelance after 7 years at Dark Horse. Edidin has a very active tumblr and wrote:
As a handful of you already know, I’ve given notice. After nearly seven years as an editor at Dark Horse Comics, I’m going freelance. My last day at Dark Horse will be February 22.This is a big step for me, and, I think, a good one. I’m a little nervous, but more excited. It feels like the right direction, and the right time.
I’m still going to be working in comics, as a freelance editor, consultant, and writer. This isn’t a goodbye: it’s a paradigm shift that’ll let me engage with a field I love in more ways than would have been possible working for a single publisher, empowering creators looking for alternatives to traditional commercial publishing, building and troubleshooting comics programs and boutique lines for publishers, and working on my own creative projects.
I’ve said before but want to emphasize again that this split is as amicable as such a transition can be. Dark Horse has been nothing but supportive of my decision to strike out on my own, and I hope to continue to work with them as a freelancer. Meanwhile, we’re working together to make the transition as smooth as possible for both the creators I work with and the editors who will be inheriting my projects.
I’m tremendously grateful for the chance to be part of the Dark Horse team. It’s been an amazing seven years, and I’ve had the chance to work on phenomenal projects with an awesome set of colleagues and creators, including some of my personal heroes.
I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Edidin is ALSO a very insightful writer about comics and comics culture and we’ll doubtless be seeing more of her excellent writing everywhere.
Best of luck to both Gibbons and Edidin in their new roles.
