Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, HRL, top 100 2017

The Bleeding Cool Top 100 Power List 2017 Countdown: #96-100

Published Sat, 23 Dec 2017 08:00:11 -0600

Every year, Bleeding Cool runs its Top 100 Power List of members of the comics industry. And every year we get told how wrong we are. Somehow, it's always for completely different reasons and from completely different directions. Why was X in when Y was not? Why is Z is high when W is so low? And neither U or T should be on this list after that incident involving V…

But that's part of the fun. This attempt to list the most powerful people working in the English-speaking comic book marketplace is, of course, flawed. It is judged by all manner of attributes, the ability to influence what comics exist and sell, but also the willingness to use that power in the industry to affect things, and the ability to retain said power if a job is taken away. Which is why you will see a number of people on a higher spot than their bosses.

The Power List rewards those who combine roles, creator, publisher, distributor, retailers, those who are double and triple threats, and also where power is concentrated in one person rather than being spread out among many. Some powerful organisations or groups, where power is diffused amongst many individuals, drop down or drop out altogether.

It does not measure talent or likeability, and it does not intend to represent diversity. All it does is note power, used for betterment — or detriment — in comics.

The list was created in consultation with a number of senior figures in the comics industry, and I thank them for their help. Although because they all disagree, they'll all think the final list is wrong, too.

Watch for a new batch twice a day. And we begin with #96 to #100…

96. Peter Dolan. Owner and manager of New York store Main Street Comics, he is also President of ComicsPRO, the largest collective of comic book retailers and activist group that acts as a gatekeeper to much content to the direct market, runs Local Comic Shop Day and annual summits.

97. Zach Weinersmith. Creator of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal webstrip and the most-funded comic creator on Patreon, to the tune of over $7500 a month from over 3000 patrons, even after the events of Patreongate.

98. Stanley Lau. Also known as "Artgerm", his covers for DC Comics have created a mini-collectible bubble so much that DC was forced to reprint his Supergirl cover after there was minor printing damage. They wouldn't have done that for anyone else.

99. Zainab Akhtar. Comic book blogger and journalist who managed to attract the critique of an industry over the way The Lakes Comics Festival behaved towards her, and is rapidly becoming a major go-to voice for media for comics.

100. David Hyde. Ex-DC PR guy, he heads up Super Fan Promotions, representing a number of comic book companies and creators trying to get media attention.

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