ONI'S 2006 STATE OF THE UNION

and the upcoming Wasteland?

JLJ: We kind of just wait for projects to feel right. With Wasteland, it was something Antony Johnston developed as an ongoing series. From its very inception that’s what it was supposed to be. It’s written to take advantage of that format and to appeal to that audience. We have a couple other ongoings in development that will probably debut late in ’06 or early in ’07. It just kind of happened this way.

NRAMA: You're almost at the half-way point in the release schedule of Ted Naifeh's Polly & The Pirates. Although Naifeh's done work outside Oni before and since, the combination of Naifeh and Oni produced his most well-known work and also some of Oni's in the three volume Courtney Crumrin series. Can you tell us how that relationship was originally started, and how it is now?

JLJ:I love Ted and Ted’s work, but Ted has always been [Oni Publisher] Joe Nozemack’s “brother.” They understand one another in a way in which I understand neither of them [chuckles] and their relationship is something I know both hold dear.

As far as I’m concerned, I don’t know another creator more dedicated to developing his talent and his craft than Ted is. He’s one of the few people I’ve met that stretch themselves for every endeavor and I respect that more than I can put into words.

Ted will always have a home at Oni—for Courtney, for Polly, or for whatever he comes up with next. He’s one of our “lifers.”

NRAMA: Who else besides Ted could be counted among those Oni "lifers"?

JLJ: Oh, there are plenty of people for whom the door will always be open. Tons. In fact, there are very few creators that I've worked with over the years that I wouldn't jump at the opportunity to work with again.

NRAMA: Can you tell us the status of Naifeh's Glimmer, which was announced several years ago prior to Polly & The Pirates?

JLJ: See, this is another reason why I love Ted. He’s extremely self-aware. Yeah, he was a fair way into Glimmer when he realized the pieces just weren’t fitting together the way he originally envisioned. He was smart enough to know that it just wasn’t time for that project so he put it back on the shelf. He’ll come back to it, when the time is right, but Ted has enough ideas that he doesn’t have to force something that isn’t gelling right now…

NRAMA: Oni recently solicited the second long-form work of Hope Larson, cartoonist of the critical hit Salamander Dream from AdHouse Books. Hope has done work with Oni before in lettering some books, but can you tell us how Gray Horses came about?

JLJ: Well, I’d been a fan of Hope’s work ever since Bryan O’Malley had introduced me to it and I knew she was someone I wanted to do a book for Oni. Salamander Dream was a book that in a lot of ways I felt like I missed the boat on (thank goodness for Chris Pitzer!) so I was determined to try and get a project from her this year. Luckily, Hope is the most wonderful combination of talent and responsibility that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with and she turned in a brilliant script and a wonderful book. I’m just happy we get to be a part of it.

NRAMA: At San Diego Comicon you spoke briefly about Jamie S. Rich's Love The Way You Love. Can you tell us more about that, from story to formatting and release?

JLJ: Love the Way You Love is going to be in the same format as our current series Love As A Foreign Language and Northwest Passage—affordable digest graphic novels, slimmer than a regular manga volume, but much meatier than a normal comic book. It’s an interesting way of doing things and one that I’ve grown quite fond of. We’re also doing our next Neal Shaffer project, Borrowed Time, in this same format.

As for story, it's got love, wit, and rock ‘n’ roll in a manner only Jamie S. Rich could possibly deliver. We just signed the artist for the series, too, so there should be more details trickling out about the book as we get closer to the launch.

NRAMA: One of the quickest rising stars in comics in recent years has been Bryan Lee O'Malley. Although he released Lost at Sea first, his work on Scott Pilgrim really made him a name to follow for everyone in the industry. Can you tell us about upcoming plans with his work at Oni?

JLJ: It’s just Scott Pilgrim for the time being. He’s finishing up volume 3 now and will probably jump right into volume 4 after that.

NRAMA: Looking at the Scott Pilgrim series in particular, it faced some potential problems with a critical buzz but a slow ordering pattern. Fast forward a year and some change, and you've got 3 volumes and a movie option with the guys behind Shaun of the Dead. Looking at the book publishing, how did the series blossom?

JLJ: Well, it was just a book we believed in. When Bryan was first putting together the pitch, I knew there was nothing else out there like it. When the pages started to roll in, we were all just so excited about it, it drove us to just keep pushing until it caught on. Creatively, Bryan is just one of those guys that just keep getting better, keeps pushing in new and unexpected ways. When you have a creator like that, doing work like this, you have no choice but to get behind it in a major way.

NRAMA: B. Clay Moore's name has been popping up frequently in Oni conversations. Can you tell us about what he's got planned with Oni?

JLJ: Well, Clay’s first book for us is The Leading Man and it’s going to rock. We’re going to be releasing a load of preview pages leading up to it’s solicitation and I think it’s going to be a great book for us. The book revolves around Nick Walker, one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, who happens to be one of the government’s top espionage operatives. It’s a fun, sexy adventure book that both Clay and artist Jeremy Haun are really pouring their all into. It’s going to be quite the wild ride. Oh, and it’s full color.

NRAMA: What's the current status of Greg Rucka's Queen & Country comic series, and what can fans look forward to?

JLJ: Well, 2005 wasn’t exactly a banner year for Q&C. We knew it was going to be a slow year for the main series and had planned a couple Declassified minis to tide fans over. Well, the Nick Poole mini that Greg oversaw and Antony Johnston & Chris Mitten wrote and drew went off without a hitch, but there were some hiccups on the series that focused on Tom Wallace.

Hopefully, we’ll be over the last of those hiccups in the next few weeks. Regardless, we’re back to rolling on with the ongoing starting with March’s issue 29. Joining Greg for this new arc are artist Chris Samnee and cover artist Brian Hurtt. Both guys are doing some awesome work on the series and we’re on track to ship on time. After that arc, Greg has some big plans for the series, but fans will have to stay tuned to see what those plans are.

NRAMA: Everest by Greg Rucka and Scott Morse was announced several years ago, but due to both creators scheduled it was put on hold. Where is the book at now in terms of completion, and could you speculate on when it'll be solicited?

JLJ: I really can’t. Things are so different for both those guys since we initially announced the project. Scott is a father now and working full-time at Pixar. Greg has a family, too, as well as being one of the architects of the new DC Universe, and his ongoing career as a novelist. At this point, I really don’t know when the calendars will align long enough for this project to happen. I wish I had better news for you… It’s a project we’re as excited for as anyone…

NRAMA: In 2005 you did the Oni Comics Talent Search. How did that go, and do you plan to do another one in 2006?

JLJ: It went well. We had way more entries than we ever expected and are already working with two of the artists who we found during the process. I think we’ll probably do another one this year, but we’ll have to figure out a better way to organize it. The sheer volume of entries was so huge that it took us a lot longer to get through them than we initially expected.

NRAMA: As the new year unfolds, can you tell us in broad strokes any new initiatives or points Oni is gunning for in 2006?

JLJ: Well, you already brought up Antony Johnston & Chris Mitten’s Wasteland ongoing. That’s a pretty big deal for us as it’s our first new ongoing since Love Fights and only our forth stab at the format overall. B. Clay Moore and his Battle Hymn collaborator Jeremy Haun are doing Oni’s first color miniseries since Nocturnals with the aforementioned Leading Man. Plus, I wouldn’t be surprised to see us get back into the licensing game this year. I know people don’t immediately think of us for that type of stuff, but we’ve done some really hip and interesting tie-ins over the years. Joe and I both feel like it’s a potentially valuable component to the Oni line and something we should get back to.

NRAMA: Speaking of those past licensing tie-ins, can you pick out your favorite from the Oni bunch and explain why?

JLJ: That's tough, because pretty much all of them were before my time. My personal favorite is probably the Blair Witch stuff because if you take away the taint of the sequel, you see what a masterful batch of horror stories Jen Van Meter created. Plus you get gorgeous artwork from the likes of Bernie Mireault, Tom Fowler, and Guy Davis. It's good stuff that works completely independently of either of the films.

NRAMA: Several books under the Oni umbrella have been announced as being worked on for TV, film and video games. Can you give us a run down of what's been optioned and where it's at in development?

Well, usually that's more of our publisher Joe Nozemack's domain, but I'll do my best…

- Scott Pilgrim is in development at Universal with Marc Platt's production company producing along with our Hollywood production partner, Eric Gitter, and Joe. Edgar Wright, who co-wrote and directed Shaun of the Dead, is directing and co-writing. He and the other writer, Michael Bacall, spent some time with Bryan in Toronto and are now hard at work on the screenplay.

- Courtney Crumrin continues on at Fox 2000, New Regency and Stan Winston's company. Graham Tallman is working on the current draft of the script.

- The Coffin is still at Fox with James Cameron's company involved.

That's pretty much all the stuff I'm allowed to talk about at this point, but wheels are in motion for a variety of other Oni comics to make the transition from printed page to silver screen. We're lucky to be working with some extremely talented people. Producers Eric Gitter and Peter Schwerin are just amazing guys who truly understand both the comics and the film and television mediums. They're continually meeting with managers, producers, agents and studios to do everything possible so that our projects don't just get option, but get made. Our lawyer, Fred Goodman, is one of the smartest, most forward thinking people I've met, and the dashing Brent Weinstein and the rest of the folks at United Talent Agency really make all of our growth in L.A. possible.

NRAMA: Any kind of wish list of creators you'd like to work under the Oni umbrella in the future?

JLJ: It’s both easy and difficult to come up with these dream lists. Honestly, I get to work with so the best creators in the world, it’s hard to wish for more, but what the heck, I’ll give it a try…

- I’d *love* to work with Patton Oswald or Brian Posehn. I’ve been a big fan of Posehn’s since the Mister Show days and I’ve really gotten into Patton’s stand-up over the last year or two. Both of those guys are so funny and such nerds… I just think it’d be awesome.

- Matt Wagner. I know he’s done a couple small Oni things before but they were before my time and Matt is one of the all-time greats in my book.

- There are three DC illustrators whose work I just adore and I would leap at the chance to work with. Cliff Chiang, Javier Pulido, and Marcos Martin are all just amazing talents that blow my mind.

- Mike Oeming. Yeah, I work with Mike monthly on Powers [Jones co-edits with Jamie S. Rich], but I don’t know if that’s enough. At this very moment, Mike might be my favorite person in comics.

- Brian K. Vaughan is a guy who can do no wrong these days. Ex Machina is up there with Gotham Central for me in terms of books from the Big Two I just can’t wait to read.

- Paul Azeceta (of Image’s Grounded) is about as kick-butt a guy as I’m likely to ever meet.

- Brandon Graham is a long-time favorite of mine who I need to work with.

- There are several Flight contributors I’ve grown quite fond of: Neil Babra, Phil Craven, and Vera Brosgol.

- As long as I’m dreaming, I’ll add Wes Anderson. I’d be really interested to see where he would push the medium.

There are at least two or three guys who would have been on that list last year but who I think I might actually be working with this year. Woo hoo!

NRAMA: Oni has developed itself for publishing both original graphic novels as well as serialized series. Can you tell us what goes into the decision of which format to approach on a book, and if you see a sea change in Oni's future on increased reliance on one format over another?

JLJ: Well, there are a variety of things to consider. Potential audience, the market, storytelling requirements, and the profile of the creators involved all play a part in deciding which potential format we publish a project in. I think all those concerns fluctuate and change over time and depending on the project so I don’t ever see us settling on one format over the other.

NRAMA: Interest has been piqued lately about the subject of online comics. Oni has been doing that for awhile, with free original comics in your "Sunday Comics" series as well as offering free online portions of your backlist. What is Oni's current vantage on online comics, and what do you have planned for 2006 in this arena?

JLJ: Well, we’d like to get back to it. We’ve practically let that part of our site die on the vine over the last year so we’re planning on restructuring it and doing some different things with the website and the notion of web comics.

NRAMA: Oni distributes all its releases exclusively though Diamond, both with the Direct Market and bookstore sales. Can you tell us about Oni's forays into bookstores, and if there is anything positive or negative to report in that area?

JLJ: It’s a slow, steady growth. Courtney Crumrin continues to experience strong sales in that market and Scott Pilgrim’s numbers are growing. We’re just continuing to do our thing and grow our sales in the market. Unless you have a title with a big media tie-in, be it a feature film or an anime or whatever, it’s not a quick process. Until we have that kind of cross-promotion, we just have to keep banging on doors and hoping that our positive buzz and word of mouth will help us grow our presence in that market. It’s something we’re definitely dedicated to.

NRAMA: You spoke in a previous interview about the ballooning of titles by Marvel & DC impacting the way every other publisher in the Direct Market operates. How are you working to adapt to the reality as it is in full effect for 2006?

JLJ: We’re trying to be more aggressive in terms of getting material to retailers in advance, selling them on the books so they can more effectively sell their customers. Every month we send sales kits that include previews, marketing strategies and comparison titles to about 150+ direct market retailers and we add more all the time. We’re also being more particular about format, taking into account the audience and their preferences when determining whether a series should be serialized in the 32-page format, the 64-page format, or presented as an OGN.

NRAMA: In your 2004 interview with Newsarama.com about Oni Press being the "Real Mainstream", you said that Oni was the biggest North American company in terms of backlist. When planning and scheduling releases, how do you factor in the merits of the title's initial sales with their long-time backlist sales? How do you divide up your focus between marketing new releases as well as re-marketing backlist books?

JLJ: Well, frontlist feeds the backlist. When Queen & Country is coming out regularly, it drives people to the older books. Same goes for any title. We saw a surge in Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life sales when Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was released. So, the bulk of the backlist marketing we do is in conjunction with related frontlist material. But it’s not limited to that. For example, certain titles have a stronger library appeal, so we’re constantly pushing them to that market. Others have a better potential to be used in schools. These things affect our plans and our marketing. Finally, there’s the Hollywood buzz. It’s silly, but a lot of comic readers tend to let studio execs determine their interest level. If Joe Blow at Big Time Studios likes Scooter Girl, then a lot of people decide maybe they should try it out, too.