As The Beat reported earlier this year, veteran IDW editor Scott Dunbier stepped down from the publisher back in April, just ahead of a wave of layoffs. Since then he’s been teasing an announcement on his next move, and now we’ve got confirmation that he’s starting his OWN publishing company, called ACT 4. Dunbier will host a panel on Friday, July 26th where he’ll reveal the initial publishing slate.
The announcement was teased on socials with the logo design – which is from the one and only Chip Kidd.
Dunbier comments “The goal of Act 4 will be to create books—comics, graphic novels, collections, Artist’s Editions—that are bound together by the quality of their content. Making this move is exciting, and a bit scary, but I love the books that I do, and it’s time to bet on myself.”
More information will be revealed here!
Scott Dunbier: Act 4 Publishing, Friday, 7/26/24, 1:30PM – 2:30PM, Room: 10
As we noted before, Dunbier invented the Artists Edition format, and it’s been much imitated…we’re sure he’s had no shortage of job offers, but he’s betting on himself and starting his own shingle. And why not? From 1995 until earlier this year, Dunbier led many of WildStorm/DC and IDW Publishing’s most acclaimed projects. Besides inventing both Absolute Editions AND Artist’s Editions, he was the editor on Alan Moore’s America’s Best Comics line, the Cliffhanger imprint, and Darwyn Cooke’s series of Parker graphic novels. He has more Eisner and Harvey and Ringo awards than has has shelf space to put them. With this kind of resume, it’s about time he started his own gig.
And the company is rolling out just as he planned back in a Social Media post
And if you’ve forgotten Dunbier’s excellent work, here’s the cover of the BATMAN: YEAR ONE artists edition cover, Dunbier’s last hurrah for IDW.
