Tagged: Devil Due

Devil’s Due Departs Diamond Distribution

Devil’s Due Departs Diamond Distribution

Devil’s Due Publishing has pulled its distribution of comics and graphic novels from Diamond Comic and Diamond Book Distributors, effective today. The publisher will soon be announcing its new book store distribution partners, and will offer product direct to comic book retail outlets, as well as distribution through Haven Comic Distributors.

“For almost over a year Devil’s Due has been in an unwinnable situation wherein Diamond garnishes our revenues to pay back returns and fees it claims are owed from 2008 and 2009, making it impossible for us to keep up with payments to talent, printers, and other expenses while maintaining a stable business,” said Josh Blaylock, president of Devil’s Due, who was forced to wind down the company’s publishing rather than ramp up as it originally planned to do when hit with a rough economy in 2008. “We’ve exhausted every resource to get on track, with a primary focus on catching up with talent payments first and foremost, but when Diamond controls the money flow, that becomes impossible.”

The decision did not come lightly, adds Blaylock, “Of course this is the last thing a company wants to do in the Diamond dominated comic book industry,  but it is necessary if we are going to be able to ever again be able to turn the money faucet back on. I am hopeful that we will be able to work something out with Diamond in the future. Until we verify a number of questions regarding sales from late 2008 through the present, DDP will be utilizing other avenues of distribution to move back stock, as well as limited releases of select new material.

To order direct, DDP encourages customers to contact the numbers and emails below.

Haven Distributors
1-877-HAVEN-50(1-877-428-3650)
http://www.havendistro.com/

Devil’s Due Direct Sales: j.blay@devilsdue.net

It also welcomes fans to purchase digital downloads on Graphic.ly, iVerse through the iTunes App store, and comiXology, the latter of which currently has over 100 comics available at https://comics.comixology.com/#/devils_due including the never-released-in-print Hack/Slash – Mercy Sparx: A Slice of Hell crossover special, as the sales from these companies are going in large part towards paying off moneys owed to licensors and talent.

Relativity Media buys Rogue Pictures

  • News
  • January 5, 2009

Via Deadline Hollywood: Relativity Media, LLC has purchased Rogue Pictures from Universal Pictures and acquired Rogue’s entire library, its more than 30 projects in development and ownership of its producing deals, including the deal with Wes Craven.
 
The first picture set for release under this new deal is writer/director David S. Goyer’s (The Dark Knight) new horror film, The Unborn, produced by Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes production company. The Unborn is a supernatural thriller that follows Casey (Odette Yustman) a young woman pulled into a world of nightmares when a demonic spirit haunts her and threatens everyone she loves. Plagued by merciless dreams and a tortured ghost that haunts her waking hours, Casey learns that the spirit may be the soul of her unborn twin brother and must turn to the only person who can make it stop– Rabbi Sendak (Gary Oldman). The Unborn opens Friday.

Blog@Newsarama checked in with Hack/Slash creator Tim Seeley, since the film version of that comic was in development at Rogue. "Seeley confirmed that his book is still in the Rogue pipeline.  He also indicated that there may be more information in the offing." Between that and Devil’s Due getting back up to speed, those are good signs.

Devil’s Due Restructures

Devil’s Due Restructures

  • News
  • December 2, 2008

Devil’s Due Publishing has restructured their staff, with CEO PJ Bickett stepping down and two other staffers being laid off.

Bickett told Comic Book Resources, " I have officially separated from Devil’s Due." Replacing him on an interim basis will be DDP’s founder Josh Blaylock.

The lay offs include Editor Cody DeMatteis and Marketing Manager Brian Warmoth with Blaylock telling CBR, that their layoffs were “absolutely no fault of their own.”

"I have really enjoyed being a part of the DDP family for the past several years, and now it is time for me to move on to new challenges," Bickett said. "It was an honor working with such talented people, and I look forward to watching the company evolve."

Blaylock said in a release, "Coming from a strategic planning background, PJ was able to bring a fresh set of eyes to Devil’s Due. It has given us a unique perspective on the industry and where it’s going in years to come, and helped better prepare us for that."

Blaylock helped found the creative services outfit Kunoichi, Inc..and has been concentrating on that in lieu of DDP.  Now, Bickett will be spending most of his time on Kunoichi’s operations.  They recently entered into an agreement to purchase Arachia Comics.

Kunoichi and DDP have shared lineage and even shared Chicago offices blurring the line between the two. DDP currently works out of Los Angeles offices.

DDP has made its name with licensed properties, notably G.I. Joe and Halloween but lost the former to IDW and has suffered financially for it.  Their best known original title is Hack/Slash, which has been optioned by Rogue Pictures, a division of Universal Studios that just happens to be up for sale itself.
 

MTV Spotlights Comics Based on Videogames

MTV Spotlights Comics Based on Videogames

  • News
  • June 27, 2008

Once or twice I’ve written about all the comics that were based on videogames. But I’m relieved to find I’m not the nerdiest comic gamer out there. Tracey John at the MTV Multiplayer blog has posted an amazingly comprehensive list of every videogame that has been ported over to comic books.

There’s the sweet kids’ comics from our youths, like Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as upcoming ones like Gears of War. There’s even the ridiculously infamous Doom comic.

But wait! They left off Mercenaries (with a Mike Turner cover, no less) from Dynamite Entertainment and the upcoming Brothers in Arms. Also conspicuously absent are the Capcom comics Bionic Commando and Lost Planet from Devil’s Due Publishing that were announced here on ComicMix.

I guess my nerd crown is safe… for now.

ComicMix Radio: Next On Deck – The Incredible Hulk!

ComicMix Radio: Next On Deck – The Incredible Hulk!

Direct from Book Expo 2008 in LA, one of the biggest questions on the floor actually involves The Incredible Hulk movie set to open in just under two weeks. Will Marvel Studios hit another homer or end up batting .500 at the end of the summer? We begin our coverage with a frank talk with the movie’s producer, Gale Anne Hurd, plus:

– More on Devil’s Due Publishing and a preview of their newest series

– Disney gets back into comics

– Clear the bookshelves for some amazing works from Joe Simon

And we manage to do a Hulk story without a reference to Lou Ferrigno – honest? Press the button and you’ll see!

 

 

 And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via iTunes - ComicMix or RSS!

 

ComicMix Radio: Plans of The Devil!

ComicMix Radio: Plans of The Devil!

As the summer approaches, Devil’s Due is well on the way to hitting the convention scene as the hottest indy publisher in the marketplace.

We have a full preview of the projects that will push them to the top, plus:

– Marvel crams Ultimates 3 into a new package

– Tommy Lee gets animated

– Gail Simone gets her revenge

All that and the Return of Michael Myers (not the funny one) – better press the button!

 

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via iTunes - ComicMix or RSS!

Interview: From Animation to Print With James Farr and ‘Xombie’

Interview: From Animation to Print With James Farr and ‘Xombie’

  • News
  • April 3, 2008

In 2003, James Farr posted online the first chapter of Xombie, a short film he produced using Flash animation, on the ‘Net. The eerie tale introduced viewers to Zoe, a young girl who finds herself alone in a zombie wasteland with no memory of how she came to be there, as well as a sentient zombie named Dirge who rescues her from the menacing flesh-eaters.

Four years, 10 episodes and 13 million views later, Xombie: Dead on Arrival (as the series was later named) is widely regarded as one of the InterWebs’ first "cult classic" original animated series, and Farr  remains one of the most popular filmmakers from the early days of the Flash-animation scene. The series, with its well-scripted dialogue and pacing, as well as Farr’s use of talented voice actors who gave life — or rather, death — to many of the characters, continues to be held up as a prime example of the medium’s potential.

So, with a celebrated animated series behind him, what did the talented creator do next? He jumped into the world of comics, of course.

The first issue of Xombie: Reanimated, a six-issue series written by Farr with art from Nate Lovett, hit comic shops in 2007 courtesy of Devil’s Due Publishing, just a short time after the final episode of Dead on Arrival hit the online world. Reanimated continued the story of Zoe and Dirge, picking up ten years after the first adventure and moving Farr’s unlikely heroes (along with their zombie dog, Cerberus; the Egyptian mummy, Nephthys; and her zombie dinosaur, Chimaera) into a brand new medium.

According to Farr, Dead on Arrival and Reanimated provided the first two chapters in a trilogy that, he hopes, is breathing fresh air into the musty, recycled conventions of zombie-genre storytelling.

I spoke with Farr about the recent release of the Xombie: Reanimated collection, as well as the line of Xombie-inspired figures produced by DDP. We spoke about what’s next for the series, and his forays into manga, sniper-avoidance and his "big role" in last year’s live-action Transformers film.

(more…)

Scaring Up ‘Halloween: Nightdance’

Scaring Up ‘Halloween: Nightdance’

  • News
  • February 1, 2008

Ah, as Valentine’s Day nears, it’s time to turn your thoughts to… Halloween?

Comic Book Resources has an interesting interview with Stefan Hutchinson, the writer of Halloween: Nightdance, a four-issue miniseries hitting shelves in February from Devil’s Due Publishing. The topics of discussion include, of course, "Why February?"

What’s really interesting about the interview, however, is what Hutchinson has to say about the "Halloween" film franchise and when he believes it lost its edge.

As Hutchinson explains it:

The first half of [the first "Halloween" film] is all in daylight, with very ‘normal’ characters, and it’s really, really creepy. You can’t really get that when you have Busta Rhymes performing Kung-Fu moves on a villain that worked principally due to his uncertain and ethereal eerieness. It’s the same sense of disappointment that comes from finding out the Wonderful Wizard of Oz is just an old man.

Even if you aren’t the sort to buy into the Halloween comics, you’ll be certain of one thing after you read the interview: Hutchinson knows his "Halloween" history.

The Big San Diego ComicCon Troma Contest

The Big San Diego ComicCon Troma Contest

  • News
  • April 25, 2007

Via Sean McKeever, Previews magazine, in conjunction with Devil’s Due Publishing and Troma Studios president Lloyd Kaufman (it already sounds like a Hollywood production, doesn’t it?), is having a contest the grand prize for which includes: a $6,500 value! — includes:

  • Round-Trip airfare to San Diego (hotel accommodations not included)
  • Dinner with Lloyd Kaufman in San Diego
  • A pass into the Comic-Con
  • A grab-bag of Troma DVDs
  • The original cover art to the Troma GN
  • A signed copy of the Troma GN, autographed by Lloyd Kaufman and Tim Seeley

Note again, the hotel is not included in this prize package, so if you happen to be the lucky winner and you didn’t book months ago, you’d better be prepared to bunk with a friend or pack a sleeping bag.  Here’s a PDF of the entry form.

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