IDW Teams With Comics Experience for New Series

IDW Publishing has just announced a new major push for publishing new creator-owned series through a partnership with Comics Experience. The focus here will specifically be on new talent. That’s why the alliance with Comics Experience, an online community and comics knowledge base, is important. In the announcement, four mini-series were highlighted.   Tet is a series from Paul Allor and Paul Tucker spans genres, combining mystery, war and romance, all against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the subsequent years in what sounds to be an intriguing package. Drones by Chris Lewis and Bruno Oliveira is another interesting concept. The story involved two drone operators who operate in a world where the concept of entertainment and danger are very thinly distinguished.     Gutter Magic is a series from Rich Douek and Brett Barkley about an alternative reality where magic is so prevalent that it was used to fight World War II. The world is composed of magical families and dynasties, including one where the latest magician struggles with every element of magic. Creature Cops: Special Varmints Unit by Rob Anderson and Fernando Melek is set in the near future, where animals have been combined to form unusual new species. Although there was no indication, the title name suggests there may be elements of humor involved in this one.   Although IDW is well known for publishing comics with popular liscensed properties like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, Transformers, Ghostbusters, My Little Pony, X-Files and many others, they have also had success with creator-owned titles. Locke & Key, the collaboration between writer Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez, was a hit, both critically and commercially.     This alliance reminds me a little of DC Comics’ venture into online comics: Zuda. This is quite different in that IDW will use online comics as a resource to find new talent and then publish them as print comics (and digital copies, of course). Many complained about Zuda’s lack of creator control, so IDW’s new initiative would seem to benefit creators who can create quality work and build an online buzz.   The first series from this partnership will begin in January 2015.