Business Round-up: Layoffs at Boom; Turmoil at Zenescope and much more

A lot of business related news of late so here’s a round-up – but scroll to the very end for my own reporting. 

Jon Moisan in happier times

• Boom has undergone some layoffs, including senior editor Jon Moisan, editor David Mariotte, associate publicity Amanda Lawson, and retailer sales manager Rosalind Morehead. Moisan and Morehead are what I would consider comics veterans – Moisan had been at Boom for three years, with six years at Skybound and six years at Marvel before that. He also worked at Dark Horse, so if you’re looking for someone who has seen it all, Moisan is your man. 

Morehead has a similar wealth of sales experience with two separate stints at IDW and time at DC on her LinkedIn. She’s listed herself as Open to Work, writing, “Hi everyone! I’m seeking a new role and would appreciate your support. If you hear of any opportunities or just want to catch up, please send me a message or comment below. I’d love to reconnect. hashtag#OpenToWork” 

Mariotte Was at Boom for nearly two years and previously at IDW for six. He’s also open to work, writing: 

Hey everyone! I am officially on the job hunt!

In the long-term, I’m looking for a new steady editorial gig or something related.

Currently, I’m open for freelance, both as an editor and a writer. If you need someone with a decade of experience, hit me up!

I will be updating my website, davidmariotte.com, soon as I can with some freelancing rates for editorial services and expectations of what I can provide.

And to answer this early, regardless of job hunt status, I will be at SDCC this year. Meeting schedules/flexibility very much TBD.

Honestly, I’m kind of terrified by the prospects of this all. There’s a lot of bad in the world right now and this is an extra stressor in so many ways.

I want to bet on myself right now, in finding something new, but I also know the best way to do that is with the support of my community.

I haven’t heard any specific reasons for letting go four very experienced personnel, but the ongoing transition of Boom to PRH, and the recent direct market woes probably contributed. 

• I admit that I haven’t been following the situation at Zenescope in the wake of the Diamond bankruptcy too closely, and I probably should have. They are one of the few remaining publisher at Diamond – although they recently signed up with start-up PhilBo – and they are one of the larger ones.  Zenescope’s mix of 90s bad girl comics aren’t much to my taste, but they have been around a long time and have their place in the ecosystem. In a way they symbolize the direct market itself: a publisher just out of the Top Ten who nonetheless puts out a regular line of niche comics, a business made possible by the quirks of the system that Diamond oversaw for decades. 

It seems that like most (all?) publishers, Zenescope has not been paid by New Diamond since May, and is pulling its books from them. Owner Joe Brusha has made his problems with New Diamond public, sharing a letter he sent to them with another website:

I’m the owner of Zenescope Entertainment. We have not been paid on invoices dating back to early May. This includes both past due amounts from Diamond and new invoices since then. This does not include the $70,000+ still owed to us from the bankruptcy. This is current, unpaid business. As a small publisher, we simply cannot continue to operate under these conditions. Our accounts receivable manager has made multiple requests for updates or a direct contact and those requests have gone unanswered. Let me be clear: our financial situation is reaching a crisis point, and my patience is gone. If we do not receive a response within 48 hours, we will halt all shipments to you until payment is made.

I have held back from going public with this, including speaking to outlets like Bleeding Cl, because I didn’t want to throw more fuel on what is already a dumpster fire. But if we continue to be ignored, I will start making this situation as public as possible. This is no way to conduct business.

Brusha went on to say that he has received no response to New Diamond, and “We’re likely going to have to explore legal options at this point. And based on what I’m hearing, I doubt we’re the only publisher considering that path. If other companies are in the same boat, it might be time to coordinate efforts. We will be sending out PR early next week alerting retailers they will not be getting our new releases from Diamond for the foreseeable future and that they can order directly from us.”

Not paying people and then ghosting them is….pretty troubling behavior to put it mildly. 

Upcoming releases from Zenescope include Killer Kobra #3. 

• On a more positive note, Diamond Veteran Steve Leaf has been hired by Hermes press as their Director of Sales. Leaf was formerly Assistant Manager at Diamond Comic Distributors. 

He holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Georgia State University and was accepted for the inaugural class of the Joe Kubert School. In the early 1970s he was actively involved in the comics scene in Atlanta including the Atlanta Comics and Fantasy Fair, the original Atlanta ComicCon, and was a pioneer in bringing the direct market to the area.

Having been involved in retail and sales for almost twenty years, he subsequently began working for Diamond Comics in retailer services before moving to purchasing, handling accounts for publishers including Dark Horse, IDW, Wizard Magazine, Archie Comics, Crossgen, Slave Labor Graphics, AC Comics, Abstract Studios, and Zenescope Entertainment for over thirty plus years. He also served as judge on the Eisner and Ringo awards.

He is now bringing his decades of expertise to Hermes Press as our Director of Sales.

• In more growth news, Massive Comics is adding a new division, the Massive Pilot Program, in addition to it’s Massive Indies program. This will be  creator facing activity to help bring more indie comics to market via crowdfunding. This was a little complex, so I’m just running the PR in full, but the short version is that the first book in the program will be Josh Blaylock’s Disavowed, which launches a Kickstarter on Tuesday 6/17: 

Massive Publishing is proud to announce the launch of its brand-new initiative: The Massive Pilot Program — a creator-first platform designed to help comic book creators launch new series by combining the power of crowdfunding with Massive’s publishing infrastructure.

The Pilot Program offers fans and collectors a unique opportunity to support and shape the future of independent comics. Each Pilot campaign features a high-end early release version of the series debut, and will be produced in limited quantities for collectibility. These premium editions will feature upgraded paper stocks, specialty covers, exclusive content, and collectible treatments curated specifically for campaign backers who are investing in the future of the series.

“Our goal is to build a bridge between creator ideas and reader support,” says Michael Calero, CEO of Massive Publishing. “With the Pilot Program, fans aren’t just buying a comic — they’re part of launching it.”

Massive Publishing, home to hits like Zorro: Man of the Dead, Eye Lie Popeye, Detective Kaiju, and Pinupocalypse — Continues to innovate with their approach to independent comics. This initiative gives fans early access to potential breakout series with backer-exclusive content, both physical and digital. Series that gain traction will be fast-tracked for full release and direct-market distribution. Best of all, 100% of the initial funding goal goes directly to the creative team, covering production costs and supporting creators from day one.

The first title to launch as part of the Pilot Program is The Disavowed, written by Josh Blaylock (Mercy Sparx, G.I. Joe) with art by industry veteran Pop Mhan (Ghost Rider, The Flash, SpyBoy). This debut issue will set the tone for what the Pilot Program is all about: creator-owned storytelling at its boldest, paired with premium production for fans and collectors who want to get in on the ground floor. If you love bold storytelling, killer art, and being part of something new from day one — follow the campaign on Kickstarter and be notified when it goes live on Tuesday, June 17th.

• FINALLY, Uncivilized Books is helping out fellow indie publisher Living the Line by carrying the manga Bonten Taro’s Face Meat in their online store – it’s not a sub-distribution deal, as another website had erroneously reported. Uncivilized’s Tom Kaczynski went on to say:

That being said, there is a core concern that Uncivilized and Living the Line share. We both have long-standing relationships with Diamond Comics. In the wake of Diamond’s Chapter 11 filing, we had hoped their reorganization would stabilize the market. Instead, the opposite has occurred. New ownership has failed to offer any payment timeline for books already delivered. At the same time, publishers are asked to solicit more titles despite having no communication since the new ownership period.

This situation is unsustainable. Publishers and shops are asked to continue operations based on faith alone, with no outreach, no clarity, and no public plan from either the Diamond “estate” or the new owners. The uncertainty is damaging not only to our businesses but to the larger ecosystem of independent creator-owned comics.

We urge new Diamond owners Ad Populum to publicly address unpaid invoices and provide a concrete roadmap for repayment of all outstanding debts, including those incurred within the reorganization period. Without this, publishers like Uncivilized and Living the Line, who rely on timely cash flow to release ambitious, artist-driven work, cannot continue at their current pace.

Pic unrelated but mood.
Photo by Erik Mclean

• I spoke to a smaller publisher on background who has had similar dealings with New Diamond, including shipping $10k worth or product in May and not getting paid for it…or even having a response from anyone about when they will be paid. Maybe how to pay people were some of the “trade secrets” that former Diamond employees took with them to Alliance Entertainment? With publishers large and small publicly calling out New Diamond for their lack of communication, it feels like something’s gonna give. I asked this publisher why they thought new Diamond was doing this and they said “We hoped you could tell us!” After some discussion about what was going on, this publisher said “Maybe that’s what they want. Maybe they want to stop carrying comics and just shut it down.”

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve heard some more elaborate versions of the above idea floated for some time now. Certainly New Diamond is doing little to end this kind of speculation.