JOSH: Originally Devil's Due was developed to house commercial art accounts and publish the occasional small press title. When we scored G.I. Joe, that changed everything for the better, since comics is what I was born for anyway. Since then that it's been a three tier plan: 1) Bring back characters with a huge fan following and bring them back the right way. We wanted to handle our properties with care, and continue to do so. 2) Once the readers and the industry know who we are--and have that faith in us--launch our own creator owned titles, and nurture them into solid properties. 3) Take over the world. That and continue to produce high quality comics, while slowly sticking our feet in other media, but always staying focused on comics. While I'd love to play a part in developing characters in other media, I don't want to be a movie director or a video game designer. I want to make comics, and ensure that I'll be financially able to do so.

G.I. JOE: FRONTLINE #1 DYNAMIC FORCES EXCLUSIVE COVER - SIGNED VERSION

BTC: How has your history (i.e. connection to comics, education, work experience, etc.) led you to entering the wild world of comics? JOSH: It's something I've really been striving for since I was a wee little toddler. In high school, I was one of those "most artistic" types, but usually blew off my art homework because I was too busy drawing comics. I read every single article I could get a hold of about my favorite artists. I was obsessed with reading about Image Comics' formation, the way (Todd) McFarlane was building his character up. I knew this was what I wanted to do more than anything.

I even went as far as to sabotage my own opportunities to gain scholarships or entrance into four-year programs, because I felt it was just postponing what I really wanted to do. I took advanced courses and got everything out of the way by 10th grade, so I only had to take the bare minimum for the last two years and concentrated on comics.

I'm very pro education, but 99% of the time, art degrees are a crock. It's one industry where your abilities far outweigh your rank in your graduating class. Instead, I entered into a two-year portfolio program for commercial art, and self published a black-and-white miniseries right out of high school. Of course, it wasn't very good and flopped, but I got every issue out and got them out on time. I'd been researching how to do it since I was 16, so I was hungry to get my first work out there. I also made a point to absorb any articles I could find on small businesses, entrepreneurial ventures, and loved to read about underdogs rising to the top, from (Walt) Disney to (Arnold) Schwarzenegger to crappy VH-1 behind the music stories.

Thanks to my parents, I always had a good understanding that it didn't matter if you were the best artist in the world if you didn't find a way for people to buy your work, and have the drive to see it through.

I followed that up with other small press work, while bouncing around the commercial art world. Fast forward a couple of years, and I was heavily involved in the '80s comeback long before it hit comics books, with T-shirts. I bounced around a couple of t-shirt licensing corporations, and combined what I learned there with my graphic arts education and comic book publishing experience to launch Devil's Due.

BTC: Wow, sounds like a real life "Rocky" story. Okay, speaking of Devil's Due, in a recent interview, an industry exec stated that his company was trying to develop an identity for each of its imprints. What would you say the Devil's Due brand stands for? When readers spot that logo on the cover, what should they expect to find inside?

JOSH: I like to think that we have our finger on the pulse of what the readers want. That we understand the subtle nuances of what makes a book click. I don't want to become a niche publisher, but I never want to be afraid to produce niche books--like Radiskull and Devil Doll or Love Bunny and Mr. Hell.

My whole life I've always been too weird for the mainstream, and too mainstream for the weirdos. I love punk rock, but I listen to top 40; I love black-and-white comics and big, full color slugfests; I like wearing baggy pants and beanies, but I also like to dress up in suits. So I've molded my company around that--trying to use that to be successful in both areas of the business. When you're in touch with the subculture, it allows you to know what people want a year before they even know they want it. And when it comes to licensed properties, I always tell the owner that we know how to please the hardcore fans without sacrificing mainstream appeal.

And I just want our readers to know we're a reliable studio, and that we'll deliver good art, a good story, and that our books will actually come out on a regular basis.

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