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John Barber, No Longer Editor-In-Chief At IDW Publishing?

Bleeding Cool understands that John Barber, editor-in-chief of IDW Publishing – is no longer EIC of IDW. John Barber was a former IDW Hasbro Group Editor who IDW rehired as new Editor-in-Chief in 2018 after he spent a two-year stint as a writer. This followed Chris Ryall getting dropped by IDW as EIC back in March 2018 before he took a job at Skybound and is now launching a creator-owned imprint at Image Comics. John Barber was also a senior editor at IDW from 2011 to 2016 and an editor at Marvel Comics from 2004 to 2009.

John Barber, No Longer Editor-In-Chief At IDW Publishing?
John Barber from LinkedIn

At the time of becoming EIC, John Barber said "To me, the title of editor in chief has a resonance — and a legacy — in comics. It's something to live up to, a position I find pretty inspiring. So I don't know if I can really express my excitement at being back at IDW in this new role. As editor in chief, I'm in a position to help guide the company into a new era, working with our creators and our partners to make the best comics out there. IDW has some of the biggest and most fun properties in pop culture under our publishing umbrella, and I think some of the stuff we already have planned for the future will spin some heads. The comics world is constantly changing, and IDW's always changed with the times — keeping its core values and looking toward tomorrow. And being right in the thick of that is just where I want to be."

It is possible that John Barber's close history with Hasbro may have affected his role at the publisher. Last week, Bleeding Cool was tipped off at San Diego Comic-Con that Hasbro is pulling both their Transformers and GI Joe licenses from IDW – and presumably My Little Pony, Action Force, Dungeons & Dragons, Jem And The Holograms, and ROM as well, though we have no clarification on those.

Neither IDW representatives, nor John Barber, responded to questions when asked earlier.


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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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