Blake Northcott Named Editor-in-Chief of Massive Publishing (Exclusive)

By Timothy Adams

Massive Publishing, home of the Whatnot Publishing imprint, has named a new Editor-in-Chief. ComicBook.com can exclusively reveal acclaimed author, comic book writer, and screenwriter Blake Northcott is the new Editor-in-Chief of Massive Publishing. Northcott and Whatnot recently teamed for the release of Northcott's The North Valley Grimoire, which became Canada's most-funded fiction novel of all time on Kickstarter in 2018. Northcott followed it up in 2020 with a short story, The Omega Artifact, which is currently in development as a feature film with Papa Octopus Productions.

"Blake's commitment to the craft of storytelling, her passion for comics, and the amazing ability she has to connect with creators, is what made her the obvious choice to help lead the company into its next phase of expansion and innovation," said Michael Calero, CEO/Co-Publisher of Massive Publishing. "Massive has quickly become the most exciting brand in the industry," said Northcott. "What Michael [Calero], Trevor [Richardson], and Kevin [Roditeli] have accomplished within a year is nothing short of extraordinary. I'm so honored to be working alongside such a talented group of people."

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(Photo: Blake Northcott)

Sean Gordon Murphy Draws Cover for Blake Northcott's The North Valley Grimoire

Whatnot Publishing recruited Batman: White Knight creator Sean Gordon Murphy to illustrate the cover for Blake Northcott's The North Valley Grimoire. Northcott is the international bestselling author of Arena Mode, which is currently in development as a streaming series for Heavy Metal Studios. Murphy's cover for The North Valley Grimoire #1 was the first time the duo has collaborated together since DC's ongoing Catwoman series in 2020. 

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In 2018, The North Valley Grimoire was crowdfunded through Kickstarter, becoming the platform's most-funded prose novel ever in Canada. It's described as "Spycraft meets Spellcraft," and is a magical spy thriller focusing on a CIA black ops division that hunts rogue magic users.

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(Photo: Whatnot Publishing)
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(Photo: Whatnot Publishing)

Massive Publishing was founded in 2022 by Michael Calero, Trevor Richardson, and Kevin Roditeli, and launched with its first imprint Whatnot Publishing, a partnership with the social commerce platform, Whatnot. After distributing over 800,000 units to retailers in their first six months, Massive was added to the Deluxe Publisher Tier of Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise. Massive recently announced the launch of its flagship line with its first title being Sean Gordon Murphy's five-issue limited series, The Plot Holes (August, 2023). Also announced, two new imprints, 'Overlook', a horror imprint helmed by writer Cullen Bunn, and the CEO of Hustle & Heart Films, Heath Amodio; and 'Kingwood Comics', David Crownson's imprint focused on Black creators and characters. Crownson's Harriet Tubman, Demon Slayer will launch September 2023 and is currently being adapted into a live-action series on Disney+.

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