Earlier today, Comixology Originals announced its 2025 slate, which includes five new games, 17 ongoing projects, and a medical printing deal with Mad Cave Studios. There’s a lot to consider, says Comixology’s principal Jeff DiBartolomeo took the time to answer some questions about the program, how it fits into Amazon, and why they’re doing all this.
Heidi McDonald: Jeff, I feel like Comixology Originals has been laying low for a while since the standalone Comixology website merged with the Kindle. But clearly, with these announcements, the program is still alive, well, and growing. Can you talk a little bit about how this program fits into Comixology’s overall business and why now is a good time to expand?
Jeff DiBartolomeo: Back when Comixology was founded, we always believed that our business was built on three things: serving comic customers, comic publishers, and comic creators, and we still believe that today. While selling comics, graphic novels, and comics is an important part of our business, it’s not everything. can help creators create is part of us.
I have been in my current position for over a year. We were already busy with all the projects we had going on, and it wasn’t until earlier this year that we felt we were ready to start signing more projects. When we quietly announced that we were open to new proposals, we were shocked by the number of submissions we received, so it took time to go through them all and decide which ones to pursue.
McDonald: You have incredible talent in this lineup, how do you go about finding projects for this program? Are there any special qualities that make a work a Comixology original?
DiBartolomeo: Our roster of new signings includes many well-known and critically acclaimed Comixology Originals creators such as Scott Snyder, Alex Seguraand Kimjoy. We like to think of Comixology Originals as a creative family, and we’re excited to have so many returning faces. But we also have some new faces. Some of them are industry veterans and some are newcomers.
What they all have in common is that they all come to us through word of mouth. Our pipeline is completely organic. Creators who have experienced Comixology Originals know we have something good going on here, and they spread the word, vouch for us, and recommend new writers and artists.
In terms of specific qualities, we really have all the areas covered. From day one, the Comixology Originals program has been designed to be a place for creators to take risks. Some stories move us, some stories make us feel bizarre, and some stories make us restless. For some, it’s the art that takes them to the top; for others, it’s the story. For some, we don’t even know what the story is going to be, but we put together an amazing group of writers/artists and let them do their thing. But we try not to be too strict about what we sign because we don’t want to be pigeonholed. For example, you’ll see some really fun teen games in the next round, although they’re not related to book of evil.
McDonald: Such a large slate shows a strong editorial team. Who helped put it together?
DiBartolomeo: The Comixology Originals team is lean and mean. A small group of us, with a combined tenure of 32 years at Comixology, carefully read all proposals that come in and Pamela Mullin Horvath Coming from Superfan Promotions, he is a key member of the CO team. We had a process where we voted, argued, debated, cried, and finally decided on the books we wanted to read.
McDonald: Previously, Dark Horse was CO’s printing partner, but you’ve expanded to Ablaze and now Mad Cave. What makes these partnerships such a good fit?
DiBartolomeo: We are still working closely with Dark Horse. They expect to print 20 original Comixology titles in 2024. We have a strong ongoing relationship with Dark Horse. It’s been a pleasure working with them, but we’re always open to the idea of working with other print publishers. We produced so many titles that we found ourselves in a situation where no single publisher could commit to printing them all while still offering their own distribution.
Ablaze contacted us and we hit it off immediately. They are passionate about what they do and have chosen their first three games very wisely – Harvey Cortman’s “Marley’s Ghost” Already an Eisner Award winner, but they also picked roux council and Grammadon punch Before they were each nominated for a 2024 Eisner Award (go through Best Digital Comics and Sections Richard Starkings Nominated for Best Lettering, and general practitioner as part of Lee Loveridge’s Nominated for Best Coloring). I’d say it’s a keen eye for quality! It’s been a pleasure working with them, the first batch of books to be printed looks fantastic and we’re excited to do more with Ablaze. In fact, we just renewed our contract with Ablaze for six games!
Mad Cave is a publisher we have long admired. They are doing great things. When we started discussing collaboration, it didn’t take long for them to select 10 books to print. It’s a bold step out the door. We like to be bold.
The key thing about Ablaze and Mad Cave is that, like Dark Horse, they are easy to work with, they care about the creators and want to work with them on distribution, and they care about the quality of the product they produce. So do we.
McDonald: Apparently, Comixology Originals has one of the biggest companies on the planet behind it, and as part of Amazon, some of Amazon’s most popular streaming titles are based on comics (Boys, invincible). I guess perhaps the most obvious question is: What does launching original author-owned comics do for Amazon? How does Amazon support them?
DiBartolomeo: When Amazon first acquired Comixology in 2014, one of the things they appreciated was our relationship with and respect for comic creators. We work closely with Amazon MGM Studios, who review every Comixology original at every stage from initial pitch to release. The studio has selected several CO games in various stages of development, and the creators are part of the process. Joining a diverse company like Amazon opens up exciting possibilities.
But that’s not why Amazon is committed to the Comixology Originals program. In our opinion, the more excellent comics are produced every year, the better for the long-term healthy development of the market and comics industry. Our goal is to curate a list with titles that will appeal to both lifelong fans of the comics medium as well as first-time comics readers.
McDonald: I know numbers are a closely guarded secret, but do you have any reader trends you can share? Romance novels, for example, have been the hottest genre in publishing, do you see that in comics? Also, are there any CO games that have achieved breakthroughs?
DiBartolomeo: Publishers always talk about creating comics with new readers in mind. Again, this is about the long-term health of the business. Our data shows that nearly a third of our customers bought their first comic book, graphic novel or manga from us last year. It’s really exciting to see that, especially since sales and lending are still so strong among our long-time core comics readers. There’s a lot of doom and gloom on the internet when it comes to the state of the comics industry, but Comixology’s actual numbers are very positive.
When we think of our breakout hits, we think of comics that resonate with die-hard fans and appeal to casual readers. The unifying factor for success is not driven by genre. We’ve seen the success of horror, crime, sci-fi and romance films, all of which resonate with different audiences. Our goal is to provide a platform for great writers and artists to produce their best work. The history of Eisner Award nominations and wins tells us we are doing something right.
McDonald: It’s not really a question, but you told us that Comixology Originals has been active for a while now – it must be a good feeling to be able to showcase that with a great series like this.
We’ve always had a great lineup! In 2024, we will launch 94 different digital editions of Comixology Originals (a combination of single issues, collections, and original graphic novels) and 23 print editions. This year, our six co-titles are tied to four Eisner nominations, so the future is looking bright. It’s very exciting to announce 17 new deals with some really great writers and artists, and it’s exciting to have multiple avenues for print distribution. It gives us options for the future.
One of our goals is to continue to provide new readers with a way to discover comics. Whether digital or print; single, compilation or graphic novel; young adult or adult – we want to meet new readers and connect them with exceptional storytellers and artists. For years, Comixology’s mission statement has been to “make every person on the planet a lifelong comic, graphic novel, or comics fan.” Comixology Originals is one of the ways we fulfill this mission.
