Evidently, Marvel sees some promise in this digital thing. PR:

Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) has appointed Ira Rubenstein to the position of Executive Vice President of Marvel’s newly launched Global Digital Media Group. In this newly created position, Mr. Rubenstein will oversee Marvel’s digital distribution strategy across all media and platforms. Mr. Rubenstein will relocate to Marvel’s New York headquarters and report to John Turitzin, Executive Vice President, Office of the Chief Executive.

Mr. Rubenstein joins Marvel after more than 12 years with Sony, most recently as executive vice president of Sony Pictures Digital. His appointment reflects Marvel’s commitment to growth in the digital space. He will be responsible for developing and implementing the company’s efforts to maximize the Marvel Universe across all digital media. He will look to extend the reach of Marvel properties into the digital marketplace by maximizing the potential of Marvel’s current proprietary digital consumer destinations — Marvel.com, MarvelKids.com, and Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited – as well as through digital video, animated content, mobile games, casual games and strategic partnerships.

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Do YOU want to join the most dynamic team in comics? Do YOU want to win fame, fortune, glory and free copies of BLEACH? Do YOU want to storm the shores of Toontown and hear the lamentation of the women while smelling bacon in the morning?

Well then, we may just have the opportunity for you!

Both the PW Comics Dept. and The Beat are looking for interns!

The PW Comics Dept. opening is for someone with a journalism background. Hours are extremely flexible. Knowledge of Microsoft Office, spread sheets etc necessary. Ability to open boxes, affix labels and look up pub dates on Amazon a plus. This is a non-paying position but a great opportunity to get into the ground level of publishing and journalism not to mention comics. Writing ability will be taken into consideration and there will be plenty of opportunities for writing, reviewing or whatever you want to do.

The Beat position is a virtual one, and will involve some coding, some posting, some proofreading, adding sidebar links, and so on. Again, non paying, but a great opportunity to get in on the first floor of big league blogging and also much room for growth. Local candidates will also be considered with even more opportunities for non paying grunt work that will make you feel extremely good about yourself. Candidates should be able to master “That Barton Fink feeling.”

If you are attending New York Comic-Con, come drop off your resume at the Publishers Weekly booth, #1164. We will NOT be conducting interviews at the show. However we will be collecting resumes. Please indicate which position you are interested in: if the PW position direct the resume to the attention of Calvin Reid. If the Beat position, to the attention of Heidi MacDonald.

If you wish to apply via email, send a note to my email. I will forward appropriate responses to Calvin.

That’s it — adventure awaits!

Boom! Studios has added Wendy Wallace as General Manager, the lastest in a string of hires that really seem to be beefing the place up.

Bringing an unprecedented level of entertainment industry experience, Ms. Wallace will oversee the day-to-day operations of the studio, providing steady leadership to the expanding BOOM! team as the company continues its explosive growth.

“Wendy is perfect to keep BOOM! running like clockwork. I’m truly excited to have her aboard in such a critical capacity as our GM. When it comes to organization and efficiency, Wendy doesn’t mess around. What’s more, she brings out a professionalism in those around her while still inspiring a highly creative atmosphere,” said Mark Waid, BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief. “Also, she has a mean left hook.”

Technorati Tags: Boom Studios

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Boom! Studios is looking for an editor:

COMIC BOOK EDITOR WANTED! BOOM! Studios is looking for the right candidate to join our dynamic team of editors and cover some of our licensed properties. If you’re smart, organized, have a good sense of story and design, and excellent phone skills, live in Los Angeles and play well with others, we’d like to hear from you. Must be able to politely and professionally navigate the tricky waters of materials approvals. Love comic books, gaming, films and TV? Let us know! Send cover letter, resume, and references to resumes@boom-studios.com, subject line: Editorial Position. Please note, emails for anything other than this position will be immediately deleted unread.

Go to it, kids.

IDW has hired a new editor named Denton J. Tipton to assist Chris Ryall. We also expect he will fill the void left by the departure of Ryder Windham from the editorial ranks long ago, and no, we can’t explain that joke either.

Denton J. Tipton, a journalist and former comics retailer, is the new Editor at IDW Publishing. He will be assisting IDW’s Publisher/Editor-In-Chief Chris Ryall with a variety of editing tasks, including overseeing the Transformers line of books and other projects yet to be announced.

Denton Tipton spent the past seven years in the field of journalism, most recently as an editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune. A longtime comics connoisseur, Denton has seen the industry from many sides, having been a fan, retailer, writer, and now an editor.

“It seems that my entire life has been leading up to this moment,” says Tipton. “My years in comics, as both a hobby and a business, and my career in journalism, have given me the insight and professional tools needed to be a successful comic book editor.

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Rick Marshall, last seen at Wizard mag online, has joined ComicMix. PR follows:

Brian Alvey, Chairman of ComicMix, today announced the appointment of Rick Marshall to the newly created position of Online Managing Editor. Marshall will be responsible for online news operations, overseeing some new upcoming sites and managing an expanding editorial team.

Most recently, Rick Marshall was Online Editor/Content Manager for Wizard Entertainment. Under his editorial guidance, their web traffic grew from 16,000 page views a month to nearly 4 million. In 2006, he was named “Writer of the Year” by the New York Press Association for his work as staff writer for Metroland, an alternative newsweekly in the Albany area. His work has been printed (and reprinted) in various alternative newsweeklies, daily newspapers, trade publications and online media.

Alvey said, “We’re thrilled to add Rick Marshall to ComicMix. His knowledge of the comic industry and his solid grasp of how to present news for an online audience make him a great fit for us.”

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We’re battling some kind of virus that we got from eating some ill-advised food. It’s a real tussle that goes back and forth, and going to sleep before 4 am would probably help, as would getting up before noon. We’re working on it. So just a big newsy round-up today.

First, some people on the move:

• Joe Yanarella has been promoted to Senior Vice President — Operations at Wizard, from which he’ll oversee Ad Sales, Special Operations, and Conventions as well as his original editorial duties.

• Pamela Mullin has joined DC Comics as a publicist. She was formerly the publicist for Pantheon’s graphic novel line.

• Reportedly, Shannon Denton of Komikwerks and Actionopolis is joining Wildstorm as an editor.

• Johanna Draper Carlson has dropped out of the Savage Critic website.

§ You know a while ago someone suggested to us that the writer’s strike was a good opportunity for cartoonists to get on chat fests, but we didn’t think that was really going to happen! Marjane Satrapi beat Joe Quesada to the strike struck version of the Colbert Report. Satrapi put up with Colbert’s schtik pretty well, prompting him to say “That’s one of the dangers of your film — when you humanize your enemy, your enemy seems much more human.” Perhaps a writer could have made that line funnier. Quesada came on board to warn Colbert of a Skrull invasion.

§ Kevin Melrose has an excellent summary of the Red Sonja/Red Sonya legal battle which actually got to trial without anyone knowing what the heck was going on.

Red Sonja LLC, which owns the rights to Red Sonja — with a “j” — had filed a $5 million lawsuit in April 2006 accusing Paradox Entertainment of infringing on its trademark and attempting to create confusion in the marketplace. Paradox, which bought Conan and the entire Robert E. Howard library in 2006, owns the rights to Red Sonya — with a “y” — a character created by Howard in the 1930s.

Red Sonja is a character created in 1973 by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith for use in the Conan comics then published by Marvel. Red Sonya is Howard’s lesser-known pistol-packing Russian warrior from the 16th century.

The upshot is that Red Sonja LLC now owns ALL the Sonj(y)a’s, while Paradox retains rights to the rest of the Hyborian Age. In fact, here’s Paradoix’s statement. ICv2 has more.

A newsletter from MoCCA has a few news notes that we hadn’t seen elsewhere:

§ Ellen S. Abramowitz, of Newmark Real Estate, is the new Chairman. “2007 was a year of growth and great accomplishment for MoCCA,” she writes. “The MoCCA Art Festival drew close to 6,000 visitors and the Stan Lee Retrospective showcased one of cartoon arts finest. We have established a creative presence in NYC but need to do more! It has been and always will be the mission of MoCCA to promote the understanding and appreciation of comic and cartoon art. With our dedicated volunteers top-notch board of trustees and officers, we are poised to continue to make that happen.”

§ The gallery is closing from February 1st and March 5th, 2008 so the gallery can be reconfigured.

Currently our plan is to realign our movable wall units to allow for a more open gallery area, and allow for a more recognizable division in our exhibit areas.

The layout of the gallery is being handled by EPoc Partnership, a SoHo based design firm headed by partners David J. Ennis 2, RA and Shelly M. Pocsidio, who are also involved in a more extensive remodeling of the gallery to take place over time.

§ Upcoming shows:

When the monsters and web artists come down in March, they will be replaced by “Moving Pictures” an exciting showcase that will examine the transition of print comic and cartoon characters into live-action and animated film and TV stars. Previews will begin on “Moving Pictures” on April 17th, with official opening and closing dates to be announced shortly.
In September, MoCCA will switch its spotlight from the screen to the political stage, when it opens “Drawing the Vote,” an exhibit exploring the election process through the filter of comic and cartoon art. Official opening and closing dates, and opening night party details to come.

Joey Manley writes:

ComicSpace, LLC is looking for a full time PHP/MySQL guru.

You must have a plethora of knowledge, experience, talent and (most importantly) imagination. Unix/Javascript/AJAX/CSS proficiency will make our eyes bulge out of our heads. If you’re also an avid reader of comics, we’ll probably start giggling with delight.

You must live within driving distance of either Portland, Maine or Unity, Maine, or be willing to relocate to within driving distance of one of those two locations.

ComicSpace, LLC is a fully funded Web 2.0 startup, which means you should consider working for us only if you like not knowing whether you’ll still have a job in a year. Did I mention we’re fully funded?

Contact us at this email address: ComicSpaceLLC@gmail.com — preferably this week or next!

Filling the void left by Filip Sablik’s rise to Publisher, former Wizard Editorial Director Mel Caylo has been named the new Top Cow VP of Marketing and Sales:

Top Cow Productions is proud to welcome a new addition to its staff. Mel Caylo has assumed the role of Vice President of Marketing & Sales, where he will take over for Filip Sablik, who has been promoted to Publisher. Caylo will develop and implement large-scale marketing, advertising, and promotional efforts, working closely with Top Cow’s promotional partners. He will be heavily involved with Top Cow’s trade and consumer show presence, developing Top Cow’s website and weekly “Moosletter,” and become the primary contact point for retailers and press.

“Mel was a great guy to work with when I knew him at Wizard Entertainment,” said Top Cow President Matt Hawkins. “I really liked his energy and he had such an infectious personality. He’s someone I could trust and he’s always been a big cheerleader for our product. When I heard he was available, I immediately sought to add him to our team.”

Caylo served as the Editorial Director at Wizard Entertainment from 2004 to 2007, where he forged, nurtured and strengthened relationships with numerous individuals and companies not only in the comic book industry, but in the movie, television and home video fields as well. He previously worked at Wizard from 1998-2002 where he started out as a copy editor and rose to the position of managing editor before leaving to try his hand at his own business. As a longtime member of the comic book press, Caylo brings with him an understanding of and familiarity with the industry that he intends to use to continue Top Cow’s reputation as a cutting-edge publisher and entertainment powerhouse.

“I have followed Top Cow ever since it was founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992, and I have long admired how it has continued to put out such great product in the face of fierce competition,” Caylo remarked. “That is a great testament to the talented people who work there, and I cannot wait to join the team. I look forward to helping put the word out about Top Cow’s tradition of excellence, especially with the exciting projects they have lined up ahead and the ‘Wanted’ movie coming in the summer!”

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Filip Sablik, formerly VP of Sales and Marketing at Top Cow has been promoted to Publisher.

As Publisher, Sablik’s primary responsibility will be to oversee aspects of Top Cow’s comic book and graphic novel publishing including editorial, sales, and marketing. Sablik joined Top Cow in September 2006 as Vice President of Marketing and Sales after 6 years at Diamond Comic Distributors. During his tenure Top Cow has embarked in a number of innovative marketing efforts including the fan driven Pilot Season, regular promotional trailer releases, and the upcoming Witchblade trade paperback re-branding campaign. Sablik will continue to report directly to Matt Hawkins, President of Top Cow. As part of the transition, Sablik will relocate from his Baltimore office to the Top Cow home office in Los Angeles.

“I can’t recall a time I’ve been more excited professionally. This is an incredible thrill and honor,” commented Sablik, “I look forward to continuing to grow Top Cow’s success in both the direct and book markets. Our team at Top Cow is top notch and our editorial output is at an all time high point. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I intend to embrace it fully.”

“Filip has done great work since coming on board with us,” stated Hawkins, “and I’m fully confident he will do a superb job shepherding our core business. Having him in place will allow me to expand our efforts in other media, which in turn strengthens our publishing base. We’re at a real turning point in Top Cow’s history with three hit properties in three different media and it’s time to strike while the iron is hot!”

PR:

Devil’s Due Publishing proudly announces the addition of Brian Warmoth to its Chicago office as the company’s new Marketing Manager. In a year of major growth for DDP, Warmoth will handle marketing and publicity for Devil’s Due’s swelling catalogue of titles, including Mark Powers’ epic sci-fi series Drafted, Stefan Hutchinson and Tim Seeley’s Halloween: Nightdance, Seeley’s own Hack/Slash, Ryan Schifrin’s Spooks, and an expanding library soon to be announced projects.

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Virgin Comics has a new marketing director:

Neil Marks has been named Marketing Director of Virgin Comics, it was announced today by Larry Lieberman, Virgin Comics’ Chief Marketing Officer to whom he reports. In his new role, Marks will work closely with Lieberman in overseeing brand marketing initiatives for Virgin Comics, inclusive of driving sales for Virgin Comics titles across multiple distribution platforms and supervising activities at Comic-Con and other consumer and trade events. Marks, who will be based in New York, will also play an integral role in the evolution of Virgin Comics’ Licensing and Retail programs.

Marks most recently spearheaded marketing initiatives for the East Coast sales office of National CineMedia, the largest digital in-theatre movie network in North America. Prior to National CineMedia, Marks spent over 8 years at Comedy Central, the Viacom owned cable television network. As Director, Marketing & Advertising at the network, he was charged with overseeing the strategic creative development and media planning for off- channel consumer & trade marketing for such award-winning programs as South Park, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, Chappelle’s Show and the annual celebrity Roast. Before his tenure at Comedy Central, Marks held a media planner position at Ammirati Puris Lintas, and graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from Penn State University.

“We are thrilled that Neil is joining the Virgin Comics family, and look forward to working with him as the Virgin Comics brand continues to grow and evolve,” said Lieberman. “Neil played a key role in the growth of the Comedy Central brand, and I know he’ll bring the same creativity and expertise to Virgin Comics.”

After a well publicized series of down sizings, Wizard has announced they are promoting Darren Sanchez to VP of Manufacturing where he’ll oversee the production of the entire line of magazines

Wizard Entertainment announced today the promotion of Darren Sanchez to Vice President of Manufacturing. Sanchez will report directly to COO Fred Pierce and be responsible for all aspects of the manufacturing and production of all of Wizard publications which include Wizard, Toyfare, Anime Insider, Toy Wishes and Special Operations.

In making the announcement Wizard COO Fred Pierce said, “Darren’s promotion to VP of Manufacturing is well deserved. Through his dedication and hard work he has proven time and again what a tremendous asset he is to our organization.”

Sanchez, a 15 year veteran of the comic industry, joined Wizard 10 years ago as Production Director. Prior to coming on board at Wizard he spent five years with Valiant as Production Manager and Managing Editor.

In addition to his work at Wizard, Sanchez is the Publisher of the independent comic label, After Hours Press (AHP) as well as a Creator/Writer of several comic titles at AHP, including Foxwood Falcons, Impossible Tales and Celestial Alliance. Additionally he is working on a novelization of his comic title, the Foxwood Falcons. His creativity also extends into feature films; he is Producing and co-writing the feature, CRY, for Lights Out Productions.

Before his career in the comic industry, Sanchez, was an Attack Helicopter Pilot in the United States Army.

ICv2 catches up with Gareb Shamus and sits down to ask him about recent personnel changes. . Shamus confirms the departure of associate publisher Rob Felton, but says that publisher Jim Silver has not left, contrary to many rumors swirling earlier this week. Shamus also talks about the IFL, his leaving his position as CEO, and the problems with launching a new fight league:

Asked about his experience at IFL, Shamus indicated that the audience response has been very positive, with the show averaging two to three million viewers a week during the season. But sponsors have not come forward to support the new league as rapidly as expected. “Even though the sport is exploding in the 18 to 34 demographic, the sponsor community has take a little longer to get associated with the sport than I expected,” he said. “There’s a lot of baggage that went with the sport because of how it was handled years ago.”

Wizard VP and Associate Publisher Rob Felton was found to be surplus to requirements yesterday. In addition, “Toy industry guru” and publisher Jim Silver very quietly gave notice over the last few weeks.

This is the latest (and highest) in a string of goings (no comings) at Wizard over the last few months. And oddly, people just couldn’t wait to tell us about it. (Can this same crowd please update us regularly on the comings and goings elsewhere in the biz?) Why all the glee? Well, perhaps it is because Wizard has a lot of disgruntled ex-employees now…or perhaps because their business model is so rooted in the past, and everyone has been telling them that for 7 or 8 years or so.

Speculation on the exits of Felton and Silver involved high paychecks and cost cutting.

Victor Gorelick has succeeded the late Richard Goldwater as Archie E-i-C, and Mike Pellerito has been upped to Managing Editor. PR below:

In the late 50’s, Victor Gorelick, a graduate from The School of Industrial Art, was hired to work in the production department at Archie comics. In a few years, Victor moved on to become the Art Director and later an editor. By the mid 80’s Victor had been promoted to Managing Editor, where he has strived to keep Archie current and relevant to each new generation of readers. We are pleased to announce, Victor Gorelick has recently been named as Archie Comics’ new Editor-in-Chief.

Among his accomplishments, Victor also serves on the board of advisors to the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and is always looking for new talent. Victor hired Kubert School graduate Mike Pellerito to work in the production department. Mike moved on to become an Associate editor, where he worked with Victor and soon became the Editor for Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic X and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. His hard work and dedication to his job is the reason why the decision was made to promote Mike Pellerito to the position of Managing Editor.

Victor Gorelick has succeeded the late Richard Goldwater as Archie E-i-C, and Mike Pellerito has been upped to Managing Editor. PR below:

In the late 50’s, Victor Gorelick, a graduate from The School of Industrial Art, was hired to work in the production department at Archie comics. In a few years, Victor moved on to become the Art Director and later an editor. By the mid 80’s Victor had been promoted to Managing Editor, where he has strived to keep Archie current and relevant to each new generation of readers. We are pleased to announce, Victor Gorelick has recently been named as Archie Comics’ new Editor-in-Chief.

Among his accomplishments, Victor also serves on the board of advisors to the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and is always looking for new talent. Victor hired Kubert School graduate Mike Pellerito to work in the production department. Mike moved on to become an Associate editor, where he worked with Victor and soon became the Editor for Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic X and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. His hard work and dedication to his job is the reason why the decision was made to promote Mike Pellerito to the position of Managing Editor.

Much chatter going around today of downsizing in DC’s book trade sales division. We have some names but are waiting for more solid information. The move is not much of a surprise, since it was heavily rumored after DC announced its distribution deal with Random House.Since Random House has its own in-house sales staff which will deal with buyers, the extra sales staff at DC Comics was no longer necessary. Developing.

ANN is reporting a new round of layoffs at anime company ADV, which just recently started getting back into the manga publishing game:

An A.D. Vision (ADV) representative has informed ANN that the company has laid off 13 staff members from various departments of the company. “In October, ADV has laid off a number of positions, pretty much across the board. During the same period, we’ve also hired several new people. The changes in our staff levels and the allocation of staff across departments is a reflection of our priorities for the coming year.”

The move follows recent layoffs at both Funimation and Geneon. The anime business in America has been shaky for a while now, having matured quite some time ago, and facing increased competition from bootlegs, downloading and the other ills of the modern world. While these movies don’t mean it’s all over, it just means that adjustments will continue to be made.

In a somewhat unusual indie-to-indie hiring move, Arcana Studio’s e-i-c Sean O’Reilly has moved over to Platinum to run their animation arm:

Platinum Studios, Inc., an entertainment company that controls one of the world’s largest independent libraries of comic book characters, announced today that it has retained Sean O’Reilly, editor in chief of Arcana Studios, to become publisher of Platinum Studios Comics and head of Platinum Studios’ animation efforts across digital and film platforms.

“Sean is a comic creator, a publisher, and an entrepreneur – that makes him incredibly knowledgeable and valuable to Platinum Studios,” said Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, Chairman and CEO of Platinum Studios, Inc. “In a very short period of time, Sean has delivered a fantastic track record of finding and developing great content. In addition, his keen eye values content for its cross marketability and financial opportunities.”