In the lead up to San Diego Comic-Con, Lion Forge has announced new panels and some amazing staffing changes. Geoff Gerber, formerly, Lion Forge’s lawyer, will take over as President with David Steward remaining as Founder/Publisher. The company will be located at Booth #2300, so stop by and check them out.

Here’s the rest of the team that’ll be forming like Voltron (and you should check out their Voltron: Legendary Defender #1 this week too):

Rich Johnson – V.P Sales, Marketing and Business Development

As Vice President Book Trade Sales for DC Comics, Johnson worked at DC for nearly a decade where he established the category of graphic novels within the bookstore and library markets where it exploded into a publishing and pop culture phenomenon. Johnson later moved to Hachette Book Group, serving as co-founder and Co-Publishing Director for Yen Press, and later launched Brick Road Media, LLC as a consulting firm for pop culture clients.

 

Syndee Barwick – Director of Marketing and Product Development

Syndee Barwick has over 25 years of writing, marketing, brand strategy and management experience in the entertainment industry. After working with award-winning artists in the music industry, Barwick worked with DC Comics/Warner Bros. for nearly 20 years as both Director, Marketing and Director, Product Management – DC Directspearheading  DC’s super-successful in-house collectibles division.

 

Mark Smylie – Executive Editor

As founder of comic publisher Archaia, Smylie published the NY Times bestseller and Eisner- and Harvey-Award winning comic book Mouse Guard; the Eisner winner Return of the Dapper Men as well as Eisner nominees The Killer, Tumor, and Spera.

 

Joseph Phillip Illidge – Senior Editor 
Joseph Phillip Illidge began his editorial career began at Milestone Media, Inc., the first Black-owned mainstream comic book company to have a co-publishing deal with DC Comics. He then moved to the DCU as an editor of the Batman line of comic books. He is is a writer, editor, columnist, and public speaker on the subjects of race, the medium and business of comics, and the corporate politics of diversity. In addition to his coverage by The New York Times, CNN Money, the BBC, and Publishers Weekly.