Chris Ryall has stepped down from his position as Chief Creative Officer and Editor-in-Chief at IDW Publishing. The news broke late yesterday afternoon, and Ryall confirmed the news via his Twitter feed.
The business of leaving a 14-year job eats up a lot of hours so it seems sometimes word can leak out before there’s time to announce it publicly– but it’s true, I’m stepping aside from IDW. We’ll announce things properly soon… https://t.co/qWS0GmRub8
— Chris Ryall (@chris_ryall) March 7, 2018
The good mister @chris_ryall has done some amazing things during his tenure at IDW. He’s been nothing but kind, open and welcoming to me and I am happy to count him as a friend. Chris, know that you’re awesome and I wish you the best of luck on your next adventure https://t.co/WNN6L3MOOZ
— Neil Kleid (@neilkleid) March 7, 2018
I’ll admit, I’m pretty bummed out that Ryall is leaving IDW Publishing. For 14 years he oversaw a number of popular acquisitions and series that put IDW Publishing on the map.
In a message to IDW staff, Ryall said, “I remain excited about comics, about creating, and about giving people good reasons to keep reading and, separately, about seeing everything IDW is going to do next. I first noticed IDW’s books in its earliest days, impressed by the care and uniqueness that those early titles offered, so it’s been a thrill to join all of you to build things out in an even bigger way. And I look forward to once again being able to experience IDW’s output with a fresh eye.”
While an official announcement is still pending from IDW Publishing, Associate Publisher David Hedgecock has been named interim Editor-in-Chief.