The comic industry has been in a downward spiral over the last decade, with sales becoming shaky as specialty comic shops close. While Marvel and DC have big parent companies to keep them afloat, smaller publishers like IDW Publishing are becoming more at risk of failure under the current business model. As these companies continue to produce woke products people don’t want and promote people who don’t understand the comic buying audience, such as Heather Antos, jobs and more are lost, with new layoffs being reported.
IDW Publishing has been under intense scrutiny, especially as their company relies on expensive licenses of various properties for the majority of their comic sales. The publishing company has obtained the license to publish Dungeons & Dragons, Star Trek, Godzilla, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sonic The Hedgehog, and many others. The expectations of sales for such big-name properties create a predicament for the company, given the industry’s current state. However, outside of the success of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creators’ work in the form of The Last Ronin, IDW Publishing has struggled to move the needle.
The company has emerged from multiple years of losses, with 2023 finally showing some profitability after slashing more than 40% of its workforce and delisting itself from the New York Stock Exchange. This massive restructuring has hit comic creators hard, as IDW Publishing completely cut its creator-owned line, where original characters and stories were born, to focus more on its licensed properties.
In the midst of all this cutting, one person survived: Heather Antos. She not only kept her job but received a promotion to be in charge of these licensed properties. While IDW Publishing has lost properties like GI Joe and Transformers over recent years, Heather Antos remains in charge of Star Trek, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Sonic The Hedgehog. The load has apparently been so heavy that IDW Publishing posted a recent job search for an assistant editor for the books.
However, while hiring another entry-level position, IDW Publishing laid off five more employees.
First reported by Bleeding Cool, IDW Publishing has confirmed these people were recently terminated:
- Amber Huerta, Chief People Officer & Chief Operations Officer at IDW Media Holdings
- Timea Spoon, Senior HR Manager at IDW Publishing, which means that all of HR has gone. And since there is no more HR department, the firings are being carried out by Finance and Legal, not the co-publishers or EIC.
- Daniela Diiorio, Director of Development at IDW Entertainment…so only Daniel Hendrick is left there now.
- Deon Carrico, Project Manager at IDW Publishing
- Kristen Simon, Group Editor, Collections, Graphic Novels and New Initiatives at IDW Publishing
With more layoffs at the beginning of 2024, the company doesn’t seem optimistic in their strategy beyond what’s coming with a sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin.
They’ve already announced a reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles main line in hopes of garnering some short-term support with a new #1, a cynical tactic that keeps the speculator market going in the comic industry. They have already announced that Jason Aaron will be writing the book, which most fans believe will lead to a tarnishing of the TMNT brand.
The company is also doubling down on pride month, with Heather Antos heavily pushing a full Star Trek special to double down on the woke agenda. Even though these identity politics-driven stories don’t typically sell, companies like IDW Publishing continue to push them harder.
What do you think of IDW Publishing laying off even more people under Heather Antos leadership? Leave a comment and let us know.
All while the heartless monster, Heather Antos still keeps her job. IDW can not go bankrupt fast enough.
BOB’S ASS AWARD
The sooner IDW is gone the better the same with Archie, DC, Marvel, Boom, Dynamite, Image, Oni, Valiant, and the rest.
IDW should die an ignominious death which will hopefully teach other companies to abandon the Cult of DEi and cramming aberrant lifestyles down the throats of mainstream people who don’t want to have a serving of sewage in every comic.
They need to give up on licenses. At some point they won’t be able to afford them.