With a mix of big name creators , new talent, high production values and
interesting stories, Speakeasy Comics is making a splash in the comic book
world. Indeed, since their launch many creators have flocked to the imprint, as
witnessed by the growing size of their listings in the Previews catalog
each month.

Scoop talked with Speakeasy’s founder Adam Fortier
about the company, how it’s done thus far, and what’s coming
up.

Scoop: We know you’ve been around the industry a bit, but what’s
your background in the business prior to starting Speakeasy?
Adam
Fortier: I had started, like many, working in a comic book shop for most of my
teens. I went to university for physics and math, worked in computer
programming. I started a multimedia animation and design studio and then decided
to consult for the comics industry. I started working with a small but
well-known company in Canada, and helped them land a very profitable license.
Everything pretty much mushroomed from there. In the last 5 years I have
consulted with IDW, Devil’s Due, Udon, and worked on some important licensing
ventures.

Scoop: What about prior to being in the industry, were you a
fan?
AF: I love golden age comics! I had a very extensive collection of
some pretty rare comics. I gave them up a few years ago. But as any hardcore
collector knows, there is something magical about chasing them down. I’m
starting to get into hand painted antique books from the 18^th and
19^th century. I guess once a collector, always a
collector.

Scoop: What were your early favorites?
AF: I have
always had a soft spot for the artistic stylings of Alex Schomberg. That stuff
still resonates. My favorite character is the Spectre- here’s a vengeful
superhero. He goes around punishing the wicked and not taking shit from anyone.
I can respect that. Oh, I liked X-Men #94 too.

Scoop: What made
you want to start a comics company?
AF: I worked as a consultant for many
years and I thought it was time to take the risk and responsibility on myself. I
had a business model that I wanted to try out. It’s a really scary but exciting
moment when you realize the buck stops with you.

Scoop: A lot of the
material you’re publishing seems to be darker in tone. Is that actually the
case, and is that deliberate?
AF: It isn’t deliberate. Speakeasy picks
out interesting stories and high levels artwork to publish. We do have some
books that have a darker tone to them like The Hunger, our graphic novel
Ravenous, and The Living & the Dead. But Speakeasy also covers
lighter fare with the Grimoire and Rocketo or Adventures of Bio
Boy. We try to cover many genres: all ages, horror, mystery, sci-fi/
fantasy, thriller, take your pick.

Scoop: Your comics seem to have
pretty high production values. Was this one of your goals in starting the
company? How happy are you with the results thus far?
AF: No, that was a
pleasant surprise. We wanted to work exclusively with Kinko’s but the high rate
of employee turnover there, made working with them difficult. [laughter]

Scoop: A lot of work goes into getting any kind of company up and
running. What did it feel like when your first issues came out?
AF: It
was as exciting for us, here doing the business end, as it was for the creators
of the projects themselves. It makes all those long hours at the office tangible
for our friends and family, you know. Speakeasy is real. It exists. Look, this
book has our logo and names in it. It’s tangible. That’s really cool. Andrew
Foley, the writer of “Parting Ways”, had the same feeling at the San
Diego convention this month. He was showing his wife the book and saying,
“It’s real. I wrote that. It’s printed and people can buy that.” I’m
paraphrasing of course.

Scoop: Have you had any surprises to date with
the material you’ve published, whether it’s sales, fan reactions or anything
else?
AF: My greatest surprise has been how responsive creators have been
in pitching us some really good material. We thought it would take a lot longer
to gain a reputation as people you a can trust. But I guess the lure of creative
freedom and being able to get an honest answer out of your publisher goes a long
way.

Scoop: Any disappointments thus far?
AF: Probably the
biggest disappointment is how slowly retailers are embracing us. We’ve had
retailers forced to order us because customer pull sheets demanded it. After
they got our stuff in it was easier t o convince them to stick with us, but it’s
been hard. They’re slowly coming around though, and that’s encouraging to
see.

Scoop: What are your short term goals for Speakeasy?
AF:
We want increased sales of our collected trades because Christmas is coming and
Speakeasy books would make excellent stocking stuffers. We want to keep dealing
with straight shooting creators that have awesome projects they want to see
published.

Scoop: What about in the long term?
AF: Long term
we want to expand our share of the direct market and really explore our foreign
licensing options.

Scoop: What new titles do you have coming
up?
AF: Ay Caramba! We have just so many coming up it’s not even funny!
I’d suggest going to www.speakeasycomics.com to
check out our latest offerings. We’ve got everything from Butternutsquash
to Athena Voltaire to The Living and the Dead to Project
EON to Silent Ghost to Spellgame to …… well, you’re
starting to get the picture!