IDW’s Chris Ryall Stepping Down as President and Publisher

IDW Publishing’s Chris Ryall will officially be stepping down from his role as President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer. The joint announcement was officially made late Tuesday night, with confirmation that Ryall’s change in roles at the company would be so he could pursue new business opportunities. Ryall has taken on that role since December of 2018, after returning to the company after briefly stepping down as CCO and editor-in-chief. Ryall’s “new business opportunities” will reportedly include a new storytelling venture “focused on the disparate worlds and characters that he brought to life at IDW Publishing“, which will be created in partnership with Ashley Wood and other IDW creators.

“Change is often hard, and I will miss this extended family I have worked with for more than 15 years,” Ryall said in a statement. “In the past year alone, we brought on some amazing hires, expanded the scope of many of the departments, and re-focused the foundation of the business to best support the integrated multi-media company that IDW has become. Our collective success with the entertainment team on Locke & Key has been a crowning moment for the entire company. I’m so proud of this special place and the incredible people who work here. I know that I leave IDW perfectly poised for continued success.”

This change in Ryall’s current role will reportedly not impact his ties to Locke & Key, as he will continue to serve as an executive producer on the Netflix adaptation. He will also reportedly remain the sole editor of any future Locke & Key titles.

“After the wonderful experience this past year serving as an Executive Producer on Locke & Key and working with the amazingly creative team that brought the show to life, I look forward to bringing exciting new stories into the world through many different storytelling forms,” Ryall added. “I’m thrilled to be back working alongside Ashley Wood, as well as other creators to come, in developing interesting projects for our World of Syzygy venture.”

During Ryall’s time at IDW, the publisher signed a multi-year publishing initiative with the Smithsonian Institution, launched a major program to produce Spanish-language graphic novels for the North American market, transitioned its foreign book distribution business to Penguin Random House and led IDW Publishing to 15 prestigious Eisner Award nominations in 2020, the most of any publisher.

“Chris has been instrumental in IDW Publishing’s success, and we thank him for the passion and commitment he brought to the company,” IDW Chairman Howard Jonas said in a statement. “We wish him all the best in his new ventures. With Chris’s departure, IDW will be restructuring and expanding its operations, and we will name a new management team very soon.”

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