Well now the circle is complete. Former DC online VP Ron Perazza has joined comiXology as Vice-President -– General Manager of Publisher and Creator Services. At DC, Perazza was responsible for the ambitious Zuda imprint and behind many other forward-looking initiatives. Since leaving DC last year he’s been a free agent, but presumably his non-compete is over, and comiXology is the perfect place for him and furthers their place as the driver of the digital comics era.
Although original digital content hasn’t been a priority for comiXology, with this move they would seem to have made an investment in that direction eventually.
ComiXology, the leading digital comics retailer and platform provider, today has named Ron Perazza to its management team as Vice-President – General Manager of Publisher and Creator Services. Veteran new media pioneer Perazza will take the lead alongside comiXology co-founder John D. Roberts in developing comiXology’s next generation publisher and creator tools.
“There are only a handful of people in the comic book industry that have the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience that Ron does, in taking comic books from the print to the digital world” said John Roberts, CTO and co-founder of comiXology. “Ron will be instrumental in the creation of a stellar set of next generation tools for our current and future publishing partners. We are confident that Ron will help comiXology take comics to the next level.”
Best known in the comic book industry for overseeing the development, launch and management of DC Comics’ groundbreaking online content initiative, ZUDA Comics as the imprint’s Editorial Director, Perazza has spent the bulk of his career bridging the divide between digital and print within the comic book industry, finding ways to publish comics that reach consumers in whatever form they want to read it.
Most recently, Perazza served as the Vice President of Online for DC Comics, focusing on building the company’s digital presence. While there, Perazza oversaw the company’s multiple websites and other digital initiatives, including participating in the launch of the DC Comics iPhone and iPad App in association with comiXology.
Previously Perazza acted as DC Comics’ Vice President of Creative Services; leading a multifaceted team responsible for a wide array of digital and print initiatives that ran the gamut from custom creative for business partners such as Coca-Cola, Pontiac, NASCAR, Burger King, and LEGO to assisting internal divisions in support of DC Comics’ marketing and advertising programs.
Before joining DC, Perazza worked for Marvel Comics developing trading card and game card sets based on Spider-Man, the X-Men and the fan-favorite OverPower Collectible Card Game.
Comixology has been a leader in original digital content with projects like BOX 13 & Valentine. In fact, I think they are the ONLY one who has.
This is a natural. Zuda was a class act, while it lasted, and so is Comixology. As a guy who now (leagally!) downloads 90% of his comics purchases, I’m excited to see news on this front.
Staying tuned…
Excellent, he’ll make a fine addition to the team at Comixology. Ron knows his stuff and will no doubt be a great asset—congrats, buddy!
I am a Comixology customer (150+ comics bought so far) and I like their service in general but I am very frustrated with their “Guided View” technology.
On medium sized devices (iPads, tablets, Netbooks, Notebooks) with Guided View often the following effects are present:
– bigger panels are split, changing the artist’s intended panel composition
– in bigger panels portions of the artwork are omitted
– smaller panels are magnified too much and appear blurry
Current Guided View adaptation of printed comics seems authored for smartphones and I believe that the technology should be extended to allow for alternative authoring on bigger devices.
Graphicly, for example, have chosen a panel by panel view which, on tablets and computers, offers a much better reproduction of the art.
Of course full page view solves those problems, but full pages look too small on a tablet screen and most laptop screens.
I hope that Ron Perazza, with his experience in the field, will bring a fresh view and contribute to improve the reading experience of the Comixology platform.
A quick one – I loved BOX 13! Brilliant stuff.
hell of a nice guy even if he is an eagles fan
Having been a Zuda artist and long-time supporter myself I can tell you first-hand that Ron is one of the smartest guys I’ve had the opportunity to work with. Whether it’s about re-shaping existing content or being aware of the changing work attitudes of a new generations of artists, Ron got insights and vision that serve as a catalyst for new ideas.
Glad to see him back.
And, from my point of view, him being an Eagles fan just means he’s a true-believer. How many VP’s fit that definition these days?
-R
wise up and move to the west side of PA Rob :)
Ron is Awesome…so happy for both COMIXOLOGY and RON! He knows his stuff.
Having had the displeasure of working with this guy on a few projects, I found him extremely abrasive and annoying. But hey, I guess you can’t like everyone you work with, so to each his own.
Great news for Ron and Comixology!