Editor Charlie Kochman, who has spearheaded the creation of a whole new mega kids franchise by bringing Jeff Kinney’s Diary of A Wimpy Kid to the masses, has been rewarded with a promotion to Executive at Abrams.

Kochman joined Abrams in February 2005 from DC Comics/MAD Magazine. His background in comics has significantly increased Abrams’ exposure in this exciting growth area of publishing. His first acquisition for the company was the award-winning Web comic Mom’s Cancer by Brian Fies, which received an outpouring of critical acclaim from publications including the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. He has gone on to acquire, develop, and edit important, distinctive works such as R. Crumb’s Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country; Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier; M by Jon J Muth; Nat Turner by Kyle Baker; Tall Tales by Al Jaffee; Wacky Packages with Art Spiegelman; and many other successful books, including Jeff Kinney’s bestselling series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

As Executive Editor Charles will continue to acquire and edit new books and develop talent. In this new role he will report directly to Steve Tager, Senior Vice President, Publisher of Abrams.


Congrats to Charlie…he really has kept Abrams in the forefront of the graphic novel revolution, and put out some good books along the way.

1 COMMENT

  1. Congratulations, Charlie! Abrams is one of the great art book publishers, and Abrams Image takes that expertise and applies it to subjects outside “Fine Art”. Even a title like “Love Is…” was designed in an attractive edition which sold nicely.

  2. Another congratulations to Mr. K! Charlie is one of the best in comicsdom. When you leaf through a book he’s worked on, you can almost see the love on the page. I can’t wait to see what he’s got planned for us next!

  5. Congratulations to Charlie! His promotion is well-deserved and long overdue. As a former mentee, I am especially happy to have worked so closely with him and very proud of him for all he’s achieved.

  7. I had the pleasure of handling the business end of the books Charlie edited at DC/MAD for more than a decade. Throughout all of that time, virtually all of our most ambitious and creatively successful projects — and many of our best selling — began in Charlie’s fertile imagination.

    I saw an endless parade of veteran and newly discovered creators shower him with praise, respect, appreciation and trust, all well-earned. It wasn’t because he let them run amok but because he challenged them and guided them and ultimately enabled them to produce their best work. His attention to detail is absolute, tracked in tiny handwriting on little scraps of paper with the pen that’s eternally stuck in his shirt.

    Charlie, I miss being able to walk into your office to see what new piece came in, what writer or artist you discovered, what new idea had you excited. I’m proud of having been able to help you realize the vision of your creators so many times, and I’m having a ball watching you hit new levels at Abrams. Congratulations! See you in San Diego.

    SR