Former DC and Vertigo editor Jamie S. Rich has joined the webcomics juggernaut Tapas as its new editor-in-chief.
“Growing up reading indie and self-published comics in the 1980s, I saw whole new worlds, and I started telling my stories, too,” Rich told The Hollywood Reporter. “These days the realm may be digital, but it’s still comics. It’s still words and pictures, the basic components of modern storytelling. So, the great thing about Tapas is that it provides a platform for new voices, a place for the storytellers coming up now to share their voices. Anything is possible in a comic book.”
Rich has been involved in the comics industry since the 1990s, starting at Dark Horse and then becoming editor-in-chief for Oni Press in 1998. He worked as a freelance writer for several years, writing graphic novels like 12 Reasons Why I Love Her, You Have Killed Me and Archer Coe and the Way to Dusty Death, as well as the comic Lady Killer with artist Joelle Jones. He joined DC’s Vertigo imprint in 2015, then went on to serve as group editor for the Batman titles and Justice League titles during his tenure with DC.
Rich follows two other former DC employees to Tapas — Michele Wells, who is their chief content officer, and, Alex Carr, who joined the company earlier this week as senior director of publisher relations. Tapas was recently acquired by Kakao Entertainment, a South Korea-based entertainment company that’s been expanding in a big way around the world.
According to THR, Rich joins Tapas on June 21.