By Filip Sablik
Publisher, Top Cow Productions, Inc.
“So this is the New Year, And I have no resolutions,” – Death Cab for Cutie
Well, that’s not quite true. I do have one resolution; it’s “do better.” Every year I take a look at how we did as a company and try to figure out ways we can improve. Improve the stories, the art, our timeliness, the value we bring our fans, really every aspect of our publishing business.
I try to avoid doing a ton of self-promotion with this blog for a number of reasons. And besides, I figure there are a number of places where you can find me hyping up our new projects and besides most Blog@Newsarama readers would tune me out if all I did was chat up Top Cow projects.
However, since it’s the beginning of 2010 I hope you’ll indulge me if share some of my excitement with you. Here’s what Top Cow has in store for you in 2010:
Angelus and Witchblade – Ron Marz and Stjepan Sejic continue their dynamic partnership monthly in Witchblade, and in the beginning of the year they’ll also give you a second dose of their awesomeness with Angelus, starring Dani Baptiste.
The Darkness – Phil Hester and artists like Michael Broussard, Whilce Portacio, and others will bring Jackie’s war with The Sovereign to a brutal and pulse-pounding conclusion in 2010. You won’t want to miss the twists and turns Hester has in store for you.
Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box – Rob Levin, Bryan Edward Hill, and Alessandro Vitti are going to take you on a globe-trotting, high stakes action-adventure thrill ride with Finn and Glori, the stars of Broken Trinity. You say you miss Tomb Raider? Pick up this series and you will get your fix of that kind of story.
Magdalena – We finally give Ron Marz a chance to write the series he’s always wanted to write for the Cow – Magdalena! With artist Nelson Blake II and covers by Ryan Sook, this is going to be the definitive Magdalena series. We’re getting to the core of who Patience is and the Magdalena’s place in the Top Cow Universe.
Pilot Season – You say you want to see the winning titles from Pilot Season years past? Done. Look for announcements about Velocity, Twilight Guardian, and Genius series coming soon and those series to hit you hard in 2010.
Artifacts – This is the big daddy. If you only pick up one Top Cow series in 2010, it should be Artifacts. Thirteen issues, thirteen Artifacts that guide the fate of the Top Cow Universe, a horrifying crime, and the world will never be the same. No, really. Things kick off in July, but astute readers will see events building in Witchblade, The Darkness, Angelus, and Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box.
It’s shaping to be our biggest, most ambitious year for the Top Cow Universe to date and you will not want to miss out. Questions will be answered; we’ll make you laugh, cry and everything in between. If nothing else I hope you take away how frickin’ passionate we are about the stories we are telling. And we still plan to “do better.” You can count on it.
Next time I promise to get back to more global comic talk and less shilling.
Take care,
Filip Sablik
Publisher Guy
Filip Sablik is the Publisher of Top Cow Productions, Inc. He’s been in the business for ten years and is in his thirties. Occasionally, he does a bit of writing and drawing. He loves comics. Top Cow Productions, Inc. was founded by Marc Silvestri, co-founder of Image Comics. Top Cow currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and two licensed) in the industry’s Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
So will this new Velocity series be written by Joe Casey, or will it be handled by another writer?
February 4th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
2010 looks to be a BIG year for the Cow and I for one couldn’t be happier!! Keep up the great work folks!!
Filip: Is Kenneth Rocafort still drawing the new Cyber Force ongoing this year (2010) or has that been pushed back/shelved? And what are the chances of getting another season of Hunter-Killer? Between these two teams, and The Darkness, Witchblade, and Angelus I can’t get enough Top Cow!!!
Eggie (Top Cow fan for LIFE!!!!)
February 4th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Go Filip!
February 4th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
I wish they would do another necromancer series,I really liked that book.
February 4th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Necromancer is showing up in the next solicited issue of Witchblade webweasel so that’s a good sign.
What I’m curious about is Magdelena. With the first issue of the ongoing listed at $3.99 does this mean we now have to worry about all the Top Cow books going up in price?
February 4th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
You got me at Twilight Guardian.
I will say, Artifacts sounds intriguing as well.
February 4th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Any Cyber-Force spinning out of Image United?
February 4th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Thanks for the feedback, everyone!
Jeff – the Velocity series will be written by Ron Marz with art by Kenneth Rocafort. We plan on including some of the Joe Casey and Chriscross work in the eventual trade.
Eggie – we are still planning on doing a Cyberforce series with Kenneth. Nothing concrete to announce yet, but it’s in the works. Hunter-Killer is a possibility as well.
Evan – some of our series will be at $3.99 and some will be at $2.99 (like Witchblade and The Darkness). We held the line for 2009, but in some cases the market is forcing us to price series at $3.99.
Take care,
Filip Sablik
Publisher, Top Cow Productions
Get a FREE Witchblade trade from http://www.instocktrades.com !
February 4th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
Filip- Please explain if you wouldn’t mind how it is that the market is forcing you raise the price of books. I mean if the market can hold the higher price tag as capitalists I understand the desire to raise the prices and increase the profit line or is it because Marvel stuck it to everyone and since they seem to not have lost readers for it than why shouldn’t everyone else make a stab at the higher ticket tag. Just curious.
February 4th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
I quit reading Top Cow more than a year ago,and i’m not seeing any reason to come back. Would have been intrested in Magdalena but Marz is writing it,so NOPE.
Marz is to Top Cow what Bendis is to Marvel. Writing everything and it’s all going to crap.
February 4th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Bring back Malachy Coney,Marcia Chen as full time writers. They where good!
February 4th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
While I’m obviously overjoyed about Twilight Guardian and my other projects, I’m really jazzed to read Pandora’s Box. Rob Levin is a darned talented guy, and it’s great to see a new title from him!
February 4th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
I became an instant fan of Witchblade when it started with the AMAZING art of the late GREAT Michael Turner! I drifted away from comics for a while, but was brought back by the increase in the hardcover and TPB market. And when the Ron Marz Witchblade was released in TPB for $4.99, I became instantly hooked again! With the addition of Stjepan Sejic, HOLY TOP COW!(pun…too corny?)
Like so many other comic fans, time constraints and money have dictated that I only read TPBs and HCs. My comic drug-dealer of choice… amazon.com. And then came BROKEN TRINITY and WITCHBLADE vol. 7 & 8, or rather THEY NEVER CAME!
Filip – what happened? Were they released? If not, will they ever be?
I’m trying to wait, but as time passes, my attention and comic funds are starting to be pulled elsewhere. This particular issue wasn’t mentioned above, can you please shed some light? I no longer visit comic shops, nor am I “message boards” inclined, so I apologize if you have addressed this elsewhere. Thank you!
February 5th, 2010 at 1:21 am
Top Cow is an amazing company! And Filip’s a class act all the way through! Marz and Hester have brought some much needed direction and substance to Witchblade and the Darkness. Thanks for keeping most titles at $2.99 for 09!
Let’s get those titles out on time, because in my opinion, that actually hurts the casual fan more than the raise in price does.
Best of luck for 2010!
February 5th, 2010 at 3:24 am
LOL!
February 5th, 2010 at 8:47 am
Still no word on more Madame Mirage? Bummer… I know Dini’s a busy guy and all, but still!
February 5th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Howdy everyone,
Thanks for keeping the conversation going!
Lou – I can’t fully go into all of the details, but the overall direct market (where we sell the mass majority of our individual issues) continues to be more and more competitive and individual issues are selling fewer copies. All you have to do it look at the top 10 comics from the last month and compare them to the top 10 comics from 2 years ago – even the top 10 are selling fewer copies. That dip in sales has affected titles lower on the sales charts even more. We would have loved to continue pricing our books at $2.99 in 2010 as we did in 2009, but it simply wasn’t financially viable.
C. Scott – sorry to hear you feel that way. We don’t have any plans to have Ron go anywhere though, we’re pretty darn happy with the work he’s done and is continuing to do.
S. McD – Good point. Our trade program has fallen a bit behind and for that I apologize. We’re a small company and some internal staff changes pushed a lot of production duties on to our trade designer, which delayed some releases. We’re working hard to get back on track and you’ll see Broken Trinity in stores on February 17th, Witchblade Volume 7 should be in stores in late March/early April, and Volume 8 will follow later in the Spring.
Shaun – nothing official to announce yet, but I can tease by saying I’ve been having some really interesting conversations with Paul over the last few weeks.
Take care,
Filip Sablik
Publisher, Top Cow Productions
Get a FREE Witchblade trade from http://www.instocktrades.com !
February 5th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Filip – THANK YOU for responding to my comments and for giving me a heads up on the trade release dates!
I’m really just relieved that they were actually delayed and I didn’t miss them. And unlike C. Scott, Ron Marz is definitely the reason I’m back with Witchblade and the whole Top Cow universe!
Well….Mike Choi, Kenneth Rocafort, and Stjepan Sejic’s AMAZING art helped!
Thanks again.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Filip-
thank you for responding all the reasons you cited sound reasonable and not being one of the top two means you have to work harder to get books noticed. I guess my question was more a reaction to Marvel’s shenanigans with their excuses for price jumps ( let’s be honest, they did it because they have an over inflated opinion of themselves and their product.) I could be wrong but just as flooding the market has always been a Marvel ploy to eliminate competitors in the past I see taking more of the fans dollars for their books is a way of them trying to assure themselves their will be less money, especially in this financial climate for fans to try out other companies books.
Again thanks for answering my question. I am a fan of Top Cow.
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:51 pm
As a UK reader im looking forward to getting the new trade paperbacks when they are released like “Darkness Accursed Vol3 3″
I only get TPB as in the u.k. its harder to get the comics.
I have a few questions though,
1) When is the Top Cow online shop going to be back up as it has been down for months.
2)Any news on the media releases from top cow, I.e. Darkness videogame sequel & Maggie & Withchblade movies.
3) Can we buy shares in Top Cow (Are they a public company?)
Many Thanks
Regards
Olly
Uk Top cow Mega Fan