Well, we’ve already had big personnel changes at Aftershock and Mad Cave this week. Now Scout Comics is getting into the act, with Charlie Stickney leaving as Editor, and James Pruett returning to the company as publisher, with Richard Rivera taking on the new EIC role.
In a nice twist, Pruett is the TWIN BROTHER of JOE PRUETT, head of Aftershock. So Scout and Aftershock are basically the Puma and Adidas of comics – those rival shoe companies were also founded by brothers.
PR below:
“While I was away, discovering new parts of the world and my own soul, I found myself missing Scout Comics. So, when James Haick and Brendan Deneen reached out to me, I was excited to discover that the timing was perfect for my re-entry into the world of comics. A world that is near and dear to my heart.”With the return of Pruett, Richard Rivera takes on the brand new role of Editor-in-Chief, where he will work closely with Scout’s creators. Former Co-Publisher Charlie Stickney moves on to focus on his own writing career, including expanding the White Ash Universe.
“I am beyond excited to have Jim Pruett back at Scout,” CEO Deneen said. “He has a deep knowledge of and history in the comic book industry. As Scout continues to expand at an incredible rate, having his and Richard’s steady hands on the wheel only means that we can continue to put out the best creator-owned books in the world. I also want to wish the very best to Charlie, whose contributions have been deeply appreciated by me and the rest of the Scout executive team.”
Rivera added, “Jim’s leadership and experience have been missed by us all. I’m honored to be Editor-in-Chief and looking forward to working with creators and retailers on several new programs that we have been planning and can now accelerate their rollout!”
Scout Comics & Entertainment, Inc. was founded in 2015 and has over 250 comic titles in their catalog. Scout books have sold to Disney, Amazon Studios, FilmNation, State Street, and Rooster Teeth, among others.
In a separate release, Stickney announced his own future endeavors.
Exciting horizons abound! Charlie Stickney, twenty-year veteran of the entertainment industry, beloved comics community member, and series creator of celebrated White Ash and more, has left Scout Comics.
During his two-year tenure at the publisher, Charlie brought on such great titles as Karl Kesel and David Hahn’s Impossible Jones, Pat Shand and Rio Burton’s Azza The Barbed, and Zack Kaplan and Arjuna Susini’s Forever Forward. He also ran point on Scout‘s distribution with Simon and Schuster, shepherding Solar Flare, Stabbity Bunny, The Mall, and White Ash to the book market, as they began generating expansion in both distribution and IPs.
Charlie spoke of his role and relationship with Scout Comics:
“I loved my time being part of the leadership group at Scout. When I brought White Ash there in 2019, taking a comic to the direct market seemed like such a daunting and bewildering task. Jim Pruett, then Publisher of Scout, led me through the process and helped me connect with stores all around the country. So when they offered me the opportunity to be Co-Publisher and to pay forward what I’d been taught, I jumped at the chance to help other creators develop and bring their stories to a larger audience—
Over the last couple of years Scout has grown from a small company putting out 6-10 titles a month to one that’s internationally known with a slate of offerings that can approach 25 books monthly. With several imprints, a toy line, a gaming division and multiple titles in development as films and television series—in all that growth I believe the time has come for me to pass the baton to the next person into what I’m sure will be a very successful future for Scout—
I’m truly grateful to James Haick and Brendan Deneen for appointing me Co-Publisher and entrusting me with the responsibility of growing the brand of Scout Comics. I worked with an incredible group during my time, including David Byrne, Richard Rivera, Lesa Miller and Don Handfield. I’m confident that going forward Scout will be in great hands, and the next generation of creators will be very well taken care of.”
Not only does this departure allow Charlie to shift focus to his fan-favorite urban fantasy, White Ash, but also, he will continue to celebrate the comics community; to support and cultivate relationships with other creators. Tenured in crowdfunding, with Glarien #1 as one of the largest single-issue Kickstarters of all-time, Charlie openly shares his experience and knowledge with a diverse community of writers, artists, colorers, and letterers, with the hope of expanding a positive and thriving industry, in creative projects as well as comics readership.
And this is only the beginning of what’s to come…
Charlie Stickney is the writer and co-creator of The Game, writer of The Adept for Immortal Studios, producer of the award-winning documentary The Entertainers, as well as helped create the animated series Horrible Histories and Cosmic Quantum Ray.
