Posted in: Comics | Tagged:

The Bleeding Cool Top 100 Power List 2017 Countdown: #31-35

Published Sat, 30 Dec 2017 17:30:05 -0600

Last updated Sat, 30 Dec 2017 17:30:18 -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 new batches every day.

31. David Steinberger – co-founder and CEO of comiXology. Despite the comings and goings of competitors, he is still in charge of the biggest comics distributor of English language comics, and his marketplace can only increase.
32. David Glanzer – the bulldog battler of comic convention trademark, his recent court win against Salt Lake Comic Con over the trademark to the word "Comic Con" has given this Director of Marketing and Public Relations of Comic-Con International a massive leg up against his rivals, letting them dance to his tune.
33. Chris Powell – Vice President of Retailer Services at Diamond Comic Distributors, he's the man who is pushing the expansion of the direct market, as it contracts in other places, pushing for stores to open multiple locations to help prop up the direct market. If a comic book store opens near you, much of it can be down to this man.
34. Greg Capullo – artist on Metal, he's DC Comics' biggest draw right now working on Batman-related titles with Mark Millar's Reborn under his belt too. Whatever he does at DC brings more attention as an artist than anyone else.
35. Marie Javins – Her work on the DC Super Hero Girls line and on the Hanna Barbera line has seen her rewarded with sales and critical acclaim, rare bedfellows indeed, and her reward is to ask her to do the same for the superheroes, with the Justice League line. An overnight success after thirty years editing comic books…

Previous listings: