In August of last year, Scott Snyder announced “Nocterra,” a Kickstarter project and Image book that launched his new imprint, Best Jackett Press. Today, Snyder announced a massive second step: an 8-title deal with comiXology Originals and Dark Horse to publish new Best Jackett titles.
The titles feature an incredible pool of artistic talent, including collaborators new and old for Snyder, and we have all that information, as well as covers and preview art for all 8 series below. But, we also had a chance to hop on Zoom with Scott to discuss the move, what it means for Best Jackett today and tomorrow, and much more.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
So when we last spoke about Best Jackett, you had said that you didn’t want to just line up with one publisher, you wanted this to be a fluid thing that you could do this over here and this over there. This seems like a pretty firm planting into the ground of where Best Jackett is going to live, at least for the next while. Is that accurate? Do you feel like this is a, If nothing else, temporary home for Best Jackett right now?
Scott Snyder: Oh, no, no, I mean, we still have “Nocterra” as well as [redacted] coming out from Image in early 2022. And then we have two more projects that we’re doing in the direct market with different publishers. Those books are already lined up with artists, the whole thing. For me, what this really was a way to launch Best Jackett, after our initial success with “Nocterra.” In a really volatile market, to be able to find a partner for the first handful of books that were with big creators, you know, that I felt like, you know, needed the kind of financial security to that they would be able to work on these books consistently without having to go back to the Big Two or corporate comics, to you know, make ends meet for their families.
This deal was something that felt like everything that we wanted. It would allow us to retain the ancillary rights TV, film, merchandising for our books. It would pay secure page rates that were stronger than the Big Two at that time. And this all happened in a moment of tremendous uncertainty. And really more than any of that, the thing that was exciting to me was that Best Jackett, on a personal level, is really about trying to be the best writer I can be. I challenged myself to write a broad range of stuff and also be a better player in the community, be a better member of comics in general. What Chip [Mosher] and comiXology were trying to do at that time with the Originals line was to show the ways in which digital and print could be complementary to each other. And what we pitched them fit perfectly, where we would be able to kind of publish the books in digital formats that would fit each book.
BARNSTORMERS written by Scott Snyder with art by Tula Lotay and colors by Tula Lotay and Dee Cunniffe—A high flying adventure romance set just after the First World War.
So for example, the book with Tula Lotay, “Barnstormers,” that’s a book that we’re going to do in a more serialized format, where it feels almost like an old comic strip when it comes to digital. But then in print, that’s a book that might work better as a graphic novel, as opposed to single issue direct market. Whereas the book with Greg Capullo is a direct market beast. And it’s very hard to do that as a collected edition versus single issues. And Chip was very much like, let’s figure out the calculus with Dark Horse. And I got on the phone, I got to talk to Mike Richardson and Dan Chabon and a lot of the people we’ll be working with, to figure out the best way to make sure that each project had an organic delivery system to fans that would fit its sensibilities.
Continued belowWE HAVE DEMONS written by Scott Snyder with art by Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion and colors by Dave McCaig— The conflict between good and evil is about to come to a head when a teenage hero embarks on a journey that unveils a secret society, monsters, and mayhem.
And so it was exciting to me as a kind of first step where – well, the first step really, I guess, is “Nocterra” kind of being the financial engine, and, you know, the big kind of announcement, but then this was a way of saying, we’re going to do these books to show how digital and print can work together. We’re going to show how, not only that, but how, you know, having flexibility and digital and print can show how each thing has such a robust set of possibilities for how each book can be read, you know, and how each book can be read and digital how each book can be read in print.
And then when it comes to projects afterwards, being able to say look, we’re going to try things that are with book publishers or go from foreign rights to direct market all that stuff. So it’s not it’s not like this is the end all be all of what we’re doing it Best Jackett. But it’s a very, very important leg of the stool. And I want to really emphasize what a great partner comiXology was in in terms of kind of meeting the priorities that Best Jackett is about.
Now I know a lot of comiXology originals properties are miniseries; are these books ongoings, miniseries, or a hybrid model like the Mignola “Hellboy” model?
NIGHT OF THE GHOUL written by Scott Snyder with art and colors by Francesco Francavilla— A dazzling work of horror, intercutting between the present day narrative and the story of a lost horror film.
SS: Some of them, like the book with Greg, “We Have Demons,” has a lot of forward potential. But other books like “Night of the Ghoul” are very much like a set system, and then can be returned to with a brand new monster in a different way. Some books like “Barnstormers” are really one story and totally done. So there’s a full range. Again, the idea was to do things that would show the elasticity of us as creators and take the most expected, fun, familiar kind of book, but do it in a new way. Like, “We Have Demons,” where it’s everything you want from me and Greg, but multiplied exponentially. And then books like, “Book of Evil,” with Jock, which is mostly prose was spot illustrations, to historical fiction like “Barnstormers” to adventure stories, like a “Dudley Datson and the Forever Machine” with Jamal Igle. So the whole idea was to show range, and to be able to say, each thing would be delivered in a way that would respect the best way to do it digitally and then the best way to do it in print, and to show how those things can complement each other and be part of one system that helps bring people in on all fronts. That’s the way I read.
DUDLEY DATSON AND THE FOREVER MACHINE written by Scott Snyder with art by Jamal Igle and Juan Castro and colors by Chris Sotomayor— A rollicking adventure story about a boy, his dog and a machine that controls time and space! What could go wrong?
ComiXology, again, allows you to retain all the ancillary rights while paying really competitive rates, which are big reasons why Best Jackett is partnering with them. When the pandemic hit, I was very much like, how do I keep my artists like, Greg Capullo, or Francis Manapul or Francesco Francavilla, or, you know, people who were used to the have steady income from the Big Two, while also allowing us not to compromise and give away our rights so that someone else would own 50% of them. And comiXology came in and said, “we’ll pay more than DC or Marvel, and you can keep the rights.” That was huge for us.
They also publish a lot of my former students, people that I think are really exciting, emerging voices and comics. If you are a reader and you get a subscription to comiXology Unlimited, there’s a tremendous backlist of everything from like “Batman Year One” and “American Vampire” to brand new comiXology Originals like “Youth” and “Adora and the Distance.” So there’s this huge scope of people that I feel like they’ve employed and done right by, who were doing exciting things in the industry itself.
Continued belowAnd thirdly, they really give the creative reins over to us so that, you know, when it comes to the adaptability of how we do the book in digital and how we decide to do it in print, it’s our decision. That agency is something I’m not used to. I’ve been in corporate comics for 10 plus years. So finding a partner that was like, “if you want to do something where you make supplementary material and release it this way or that, great,” was hugely exciting.
The first step for us with Best Jackett was “Nocterra” and the Kickstarter and launching that at Image and saying ”this is the kind of stuff that we want to try,” doing a Kickstarter to fund an Image book, and paying it forward by doing something that’s transparent in the process. All that stuff is important to me with Best Jackett. And with this, it feels like the same priorities are there with comiXology.
You mentioned being able to tailor the print and digital in a way that is a little bit more under the control of the creators. I don’t want to throw shade on anybody here, but when you read certain [redacted large publisher] digital comics, it’s very clear that it was intended for print, and then was retrofitted for digital or vice versa. So does what you’re talking about require the artist to be doing two versions of the book? Or are you taking that initial art and then just more with a more careful and considered eye adapting it one way or the other?
CLEAR written by Scott Snyder with art and colors by Francis Manapul— A sci-fi mystery thrill-ride into a strange dystopian future, where a neurological internet connection is transforming reality.
SS: Both, I mean, it’s up to them. So to be totally inside baseball, some people like Francis Manapul on our book, “Clear,” which is about – without spoiling too much – a future in which we all connect to the internet, neurologically. And the kind of limits of that are that we can skin the world however we want, but the superstructure is still there beneath that skin. So if you want to say, Hey, I’m looking at a 1940s film noir world, everything is black and white very glamorous. But the architecture of the world still exists. If you want to say, “hey, I want to see a world where we lost World War Two, or we won, you know, against Vietnam,” there are filters you can use. And so for a book like that, there’s so much visual, versatility and such a buffet for Francis, that he decided he wanted to do different pages so that in digital, you could scroll through and see different filters. And in print, you would have more of a kind of spread experience. So he’s doing pages for both.
comiXology was great about saying there’s a budget to be able to pay you to do both things. Other books, like “Book of Evil,” which has prose and spot illustrations, comiXology was like, “do you want to try and do an Audible thing? Do you want to try and use a book reader?” All of it is experimental for us. So again, it’s very much like how each book might be best experienced, and they’ve been great partners in terms of taking some risks with us in that department.
THE BOOK OF EVIL written by Scott Snyder with illustrations by Jock— A prose story about four young friends growing up in a strange, near future where over 90% of the population are born as psychopaths.
That’s really exciting. I know that you’re a guy who’s a big supporter of comic shops, especially during COVID. To the shop owners who maybe are still hesitant on digital, what would you say to them about this deal? I think that the idea of presenting the comics in their best format for both digital and print is a big selling point, but if there’s still a little bit of skepticism, what would you say to them?
SS: My lifeline when I moved out here with my family and throughout my life has been my comic shop. The last thing that any of us involved at Best Jackett would do is something that we felt would compromise the integrity of the retail brick and mortar stores. But I’m not denying the existence of digital.
Continued belowIt’s the idea of saying, look, if you pay $5.99, you can read all of our books, but you don’t just want to read them on digital. I read everything digitally; so I read the books digitally, but I want them when I like either in physical format monthly or I want them as a collection. And so what I’d say is it’s time for us to grow up and be like, “how do I do something that expands the audience?” A lot of people will come into comiXology from having read manga or have an Amazon Prime subscription and they’ve heard about comics, they want to experiment. The idea is to embrace all of that and say it’s all one ecosystem and say, “Look, finding multiple ways in for readers is exactly what we want.” So there’s no way in which I’m going to read a book digitally and be like, I don’t want to own that book. I do it all the time with literal books. I listen to everything now on Audible, and when I like it, I buy the book. I like to have the book on my shelf.
CANARY written by Scott Snyder with art and colors by Dan Panosian— It’s 1891 and a mine collapses into itself. Find out what the dark substance found 666 feet underground is in this horror Western!
I can only speak from personal experience. But my experience and and the way I see my kids consume things is by absorbing them in the immediate through digital, through Audible, through snippets on whatever social media they use, but then to want the thing in a tangible real way and talk about it and share it with their friends in a experiential way.
So I would just say, if for some reason, like, this doesn’t work, and it’s hurting comic stores, the last thing I would do is continue. But I believe in my heart, like on my kids, that the way forward for comics is to be like we’re all in this together. And to pretend that digital doesn’t exist or to say, “Don’t buy digital or buy print.” none of that works. It’s really about saying, “digital offers this, print offers this, do you want both, or do you want one or the other?”
And really, I think, again, this expands the audience, having people come in and find things digitally, and then go to their first comic store and be like, “Hey, I read this on comiXology. I’d really like to get the collection or by the way, do you sell the statue? Or do you sell this?”
DUCK AND COVER written by Scott Snyder with art and colors by Rafael Albuquerque— A manga-influenced teen adventure set in the strange post-apocalyptic America… of 1955.
So let me give you an example. My 10 year old fell in love with My Hero Academia, because Jorge Jimenez told me, “This is my biggest influence, you have to watch it.” So I started watching [the anime] with my 10 year old. He went to the comic store and bought the statues and whatever else they had. And then he read the manga. And then reading the manga was like the last step, but now he has every single volume of it on the shelf. The same thing happened when “Fortnite” did a crossover with Marvel; my 10 year old fell in love with Wolverine. He was like “Wolverine is so cool.” We watched every single Marvel movie about Wolverine, even Logan, which I had to DVR on regular television so they edit out like the most violent parts and all the curses. He loved it so much. He was like now I want to read all the good comics. So he’s read “Dark Phoenix Saga,” he’s read “Weapon X,” he’s read “Wolverine” by Frank Miller. And that’s what he’s going to be for Halloween this year.
So what I’d say is, it’s about an embrace of the synergy of all of these different geek neighborhoods and not being so segmented or compartmentalized. A kid can find their way in or an adult can find their way in through anything. And our job, my belief, is to make those doors as wide and tall and as inviting as possible to move through those different neighborhoods of Geekdom. Let’s celebrate everything, as opposed to being like, “well, you know, you didn’t really you know, or you didn’t grow up on this.” That’s just bullshit. It’s really about like being like, “Hey, you like this is your first comic. And your first comic is because you play Fortnite and you decided you like that. Great, come on in.” That’s the attitude. That’s Best Jackett. That’s what we’re doing with this.
Continued belowThe last thing I’d say is that, again, all of this stuff of comiXology is a first step in a mission that for us at Best Jackett, and I think for a lot of creators is a long term project. So I’m going to be doing teaching. We’re also going to have a leg of the stool at Best Jackett that’s about helping emerging creators realize their projects. It’s very much all of one piece. How do we, as an industry, find ways that celebrate every different aspect of geek culture and comics in ways that help drive sales in each of those neighborhoods, instead of feeling like one competes with the other? That’s the goal.
ComiXology Originals and Scott Snyder’s Best Jackett Press Announce Multi-Title Deal
Snyder to pen eight titles co-created with Rafael Albuquerque, Greg Capullo, Francesco Francavilla, Jamal Igle, Jock, Tula Lotay, Francis Manapul, and Dan Panosian
Titles to be digital first from comiXology and Kindle, then in print via Dark Horse Books
July 26th, 2021 New York, NY — Scott Snyder is coming to comiXology Originals in a big way. ComiXology’s exclusive content line, comiXology Originals, and Scott Snyder’s publishing company, Best Jackett Press, announced today that Snyder will be writing eight new titles for comiXology Originals. The titles will be made available as digital first releases exclusively on comiXology and Kindle with all eight titles collected in print and released at a later date by Dark Horse Books.
With these new titles, #1 New York Times bestselling writer Snyder is returning to his creator-owned roots and collaborating with some of the biggest artists in comics, including Rafael Albuquerque, Greg Capullo, Francesco Francavilla, Jamal Igle, Jock, Tula Lotay, Francis Manapul, and Dan Panosian. Legendary comics editor Will Dennis is overseeing the titles.
“This historic, multi-title deal with comiXology Originals has enabled us to assemble a murderers’ row of artists and together we’re challenging ourselves creatively to work outside of our comfort zones and really lean into the possibilities of making comics,” said Scott Snyder. “This deal allows me the freedom to explore the kind of storytelling I’ve wanted to try for a long time, while supporting my need to try something that’s not totally comfortable for me.”
“Massive in scope and creative range, these comics embrace all the things you love about Scott Snyder as a writer, while offering stories that are unexpected and new,” said comiXology’s Head of Content Chip Mosher. “Teamed with the best artists in the business, these creator-owned comics range from horror and sci-fi to historical fiction, there’s truly something for everyone.”
The titles include:
BARNSTORMERS written by Scott Snyder with art by Tula Lotay and colors by Tula Lotay and Dee Cunniffe—A high flying adventure romance set just after the First World War.
THE BOOK OF EVIL written by Scott Snyder with illustrations by Jock—A prose story about four young friends growing up in a strange, near future where over 90% of the population are born as psychopaths.
CANARY written by Scott Snyder with art and colors by Dan Panosian—It’s 1891 and a mine collapses into itself. Find out what the dark substance found 666 feet underground is in this horror Western!
CLEAR written by Scott Snyder with art and colors by Francis Manapul—A sci-fi mystery thrill-ride into a strange dystopian future, where a neurological internet connection is transforming reality.
DUCK AND COVER written by Scott Snyder with art by Rafael Albuquerque—A manga-influenced teen adventure set in the strange post-apocalyptic America… of 1955. In conjunction with Albuquerque’s Stout Club Entertainment.
DUDLEY DATSON AND THE FOREVER MACHINE written by Scott Snyder with art by Jamal Igle and Juan Castro and colors by Chris Sotomayor—A rollicking adventure story about a boy, his dog and a machine that controls time and space! What could go wrong?
NIGHT OF THE GHOUL written by Scott Snyder with art and colors by Francesco Francavilla—A dazzling work of horror, intercutting between the present day narrative and the story of a lost horror film.
WE HAVE DEMONS written by Scott Snyder with art by Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion and colors by Dave McCaig—The conflict between good and evil is about to come to a head when a teenage hero embarks on a journey that unveils a secret society, monsters, and mayhem.
Continued below“Scott Snyder is one of the pre-eminent writers in comics,” said Dark Horse Publisher Mike Richardson. “We look forward to seeing these new titles join the ranks of Dark Horse’s creator-owned classics, like Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston’s Black Hammer, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, Frank Miller’s Sin City, and Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s Umbrella Academy.”
The first titles arrive this October. Additional details on exactly how the comiXology Originals’ Best Jackett Press titles will be digitally released will be announced closer to release.
“Our goal at comiXology is to make everyone in the world a lifelong comics, graphic novel, or manga fan,” said comiXology CEO and co-founder David Steinberger, who oversees comics for Amazon worldwide. “With Best Jacket Press joining comiXology Originals, there is now a library of nearly 50 creator-owned titles that are available in our subscriptions services. With over 30,000 books in comiXology Unlimited and these forthcoming titles from Scott, the value comiXology Originals brings to comiXology Unlimited and Kindle Unlimited customers is far beyond the modest monthly costs.”
“One of the things I’m so excited about is experimenting to find new ways to build and nurture a community of readers,” said Snyder. “We want each release to be an event and we can’t wait for readers to see what we have planned, whether they’re reading via comiXology Unlimited, print, or both.”
ComiXology Originals titles are available at no additional cost for members of Amazon Prime, Kindle Unlimited, and comiXology Unlimited, and for purchase on the Amazon Kindle Store and comiXology. Prime Reading offers all Amazon Prime members a rotating selection of over a thousand top Kindle books, magazines, short works, comic books, children’s books, and more – all at no additional cost. Kindle Unlimited gives customers access to more than 1 million titles, including thousands of audio books, and current magazines for just $9.99 a month with a free trial period at amazon.com/kindleunlimited. ComiXology Unlimited offers over 30,000 comics, graphic novels and manga for just $5.99 a month with a 30-day free trial at comixology.com/unlimited.
For more updates on comiXology Originals, check out http://comixologyoriginals.com.
