Esner Award-winning publisher Magnetic Publisher is known for bringing some of the best European comics on the market to the United States, just celebrated its 10th anniversary– Any independent feat, especially if the restructuring of the entire industry affects distribution, publicity and sales. In March, Magnage announced a new partnership with sister company Oni Press under Pallyity Banner to promote additional marketing, sales and manufacturing support, with releases starting in fall 2025. This is the lifespan of two brands, both of which may be people of the same age group.
Beat Attracted by magnetic news founders and publishers Mike Kennedy Talk about the company’s growth, future plans and the obstacles it faces over the past decade by email.
Beat: Congratulations on the 10 years of magnetic pressure! How have you grown into a creator since the founding of the brand?
Mike Kennedy: Thank you! The past decade has been an adventure to say the least. Who knows that from the fanatic graduation to the early 2000s publishing writers would lead to this…many people may easily regard the process of publishing comics as simple, but it certainly isn’t easy. High-quality content can be subjective, but curating a series that consistently resonates with the critically stingy fan community is difficult. Ensuring that content is produced at the same quality of production value also requires attention, not to mention the task of making meat and plates, marketing and distributing these books to the audience that appreciates…it seems to take so much time to make sausages that I almost forgot what it feels like to be a writer…
How has the company been through many changes in the comics and publishing industries over the past decade?
Kennedy: This is a fun roller coaster. We started with the era of crowdfunding, and it was a real game-changer. Our first champion was started, and there were some other earliest champions. Acquisition by Lion Forge in 2017 is a major operational change–I call our stage 2.0–It gives us the opportunity to explore different types and formats including single-shot comics. When Lion Forge’s parent company Pality acquired ONI Press, they were lucky enough to choose to carve Magnate Press from the Lion Forge-Oni merger to exist independently as a publishing entity. We took this opportunity to develop our brand identity again (we call it Stage 3.0).
Unfortunately, this is before the pandemic changes everything forever. Retail and trade distribution can be direct to consumers and online sales, and both of our feet jump into this sport. To date, we have conducted over 40 successful crowdfunding activities. We are lucky to have support from our fans and polarity to maintain flexibility in some rather radical industry shifts, and in 2025, that support will be important.
How can magnetic media in the industry continue to stand out today?
Kennedy: Over the past five years, we have done a great job in making what magnetic books make: high-quality materials for outstanding talents, mainly from abroad, seem to be brand new materials for the U.S. market. Although some people may think that magnetism is a “foreign translation house”, we try not to express ourselves in this way. Our books are chosen based on their merits and “American” appeal–Some people preach the visual style or story of European comics, which obscures certain “foreign quirks”. We want to break this stigma and encourage readers to see them as cool books, no matter where they come from.
How do you adapt to changing trends and readers want/need?
Kennedy: We definitely reacted to the changes people buy comics. We love bookstores and comic shops, and we will do more to support them in the coming year, but we also recognize the appeal and benefits of interacting directly with the local community through crowdfunding and exclusive products. It allows us to receive letters from fans directly and measure what they like, don’t like, want and hope. I was overwhelmed by the number of titles I personally like to post when reviewing submissions or acquisition candidates, but knowing what fans are looking for helps this curatorial filter.
Can you talk about the launch of magnetic news games and how branding grows?
Kennedy: I started my career in the video game industry (30 years ago) and I have always been a gamer, back to the first edition Dungeons and Dragons. After developing 20 years of interactive storylines and designing narrative systems for companies like EA, NAMCO, and Activision, I’m working on it to go back to some interactive storytelling and game design at Magnetic. We used some early desktop hybrid tips Hugo Broyler and The World of Casnobut the pandemic ultimately offers opportunities for real diving.
We launched the first role-playing game, Carbon grayIn 2021, build on the update of West End Games’ classic D6 system. In this way, we brand magnetic media playback as a game imprint. Success has led to new and greater developments, including Planet of the Apeswe started release this year last summer. This momentum has opened up other opportunities for other opportunities announced in the coming months. Games and interactive novels will be part of our development this year. But with graphic novels–That is still the core of what we do.
At San Diego Comic Con 2024, you reveal many new champions in 2025 during your 10-year celebration. How did you determine the publishing section of this banner for the year?
Kennedy: This is another year of candidate title, not the available publishing slot machine. Magnetism is still a lean operation, so we can comfortably release a limited number of titles monthly/yearly… We have filled in 2025 for 2025 and we have built our slate in 2026.
One thing we are pleased to have recently announced is our first view relationship with the French production studio tag 619. This relationship will bring a lot of excellent materials to the United States through magnetism, and this alone will make a big part of the year ahead. We also covered more titles in comic form, which we thought would be very exciting. Last year’s Tezuomi Comics, based on Osamu TezukaWe hope to follow up with more success, and we have three new series in this series.
Can you give us more details on expectations that will be even surpassed in 2025?
Kennedy: In addition to the 619 brand relationship and comic titles that will be detailed soon, we are also pleased to reveal the details of the operational partnership we have been working with sister company Oni Press. They have spent a year with banners, a series of outstanding success projects that further enhance their profile that hasn’t appeared yet. With the blessings and encouragement of the shared parent company Pallienty, we outline the various ways magnetism benefits from certain operational synergy. So, we are excited to announce our new distribution partnership with ONI recently. Not only will they help enhance our business in retail, but we will welcome their production and editorial support so that we hope to bring more awesome products to market.
What are the biggest obstacles Magnetic Press faces since the release of Magnetic Press?
Kennedy: Apart from the market shifts during the pandemic mentioned above, the biggest challenge is maintaining more and more high-quality releases with such lean teams. Magnetism started out with a single (plus wife) surgery in our kitchen and after three years it grew beyond the way we handled it alone. May God bless the lion forging–Those years as branded weather is easier, but due to its own challenges to maintain the brand identity. When the magnetism was set up independently again in 2020, a lot of operating pressure fell on my board. Polarity helps to relieve the burden, but there are still plenty of rotating dishes to handle. Fortunately, we left surprisingly broken dishes on the floor.
What is the biggest achievement of Magnetic News in the first 10 years?
Kennedy: Just still nearby! However, I am proud of the growing trademark and fan base that our brand has created. Since launch, we have been lucky enough to receive 31 Eisner Award nominations–Every year of our qualification–Last year, we won the first Best Publication Design Trophy Georges Bess. Get up at that stage and accept the trophy Mike Mignola I remember being a highlight in my clinical practice. We conducted 44 crowdfunding activities, generating nearly $4.5 million in total revenue. We are respected in our licensing partners and in the creative community. These are the good things to be proud of.
What did you learn that you will apply for the next 10 years?
Kennedy: Of course, it is better to have a lot of small classes left in the kitchen. However, on a wider scale, knowing who you are, what you do well and being faithful to it is the key to longevity. Our brand has crystallized a lot over the past five years and tried many different things, and a delicate identity will help us maintain our creativity for the next 10 years. Not only will we continue to bring the most noteworthy material from the entire coast, but we also hope to open up an imagination through our interactive narrative and game plan. It is great to be a passive reader, but if we can inspire more creativity in this era, when content can be generated through thoughtless buttons, then we will do something to preserve human interest in art.
How do you want to see the company grow in its second decade?
Kennedy: In the coming years, more familiar properties and licenses should be brought to our shelves. Work with large licensors, such as Disney/20th century studios Planet of the ApesOur profile has been growing in the industry and we have signed some other exciting licenses to be revealed later this year. This licensed work will not distract us, but all products will benefit if they can help attract magnetism as a whole. It was a very exciting time, and there were a lot of cool things on the ground. We can’t wait to reveal all these details in the coming months!
Do you want to add anything else?
Kennedy: It has been a very satisfying journey so far and I am frustrated with the support of our fans. We are not perfect, just humans, but we are full of enthusiasm for these books and we will try our best to make readers satisfy their abilities. Life of stress and conflict is too short, and nothing is more rejuvenated than brisk escape from a good book. And, our mission will continue to provide imaginative destinations.
For more information on magnetic media, visit Magnetic-press.com.
