behind the scenes

Digital comics have grown in several different directions over the last few years, but one of the most interesting developments is how they've enabled people to try new ways of distributing comics, marketing to readers, and building an audience. The Humble Bundle is perhaps one of the most fascinating new models; a pay what you want program that works with publishers to offer huge collections of comics in one go. From the very first Image Comics bundle last year right through to the new Gamer Comics bundle with Dark Horse, companies have seen incredible sales through this system, expanding audiences by staggering degrees. With Humble Bundles now a routine mini-event for comics readers, ComicsAlliance spoke to the company's director of books, Kelley Allen, about how so much has changed over just one year, and where she sees Humble Bundle heading over the next few years.

Caitlin DiMotta goes by @ComicsLawyer on Twitter and she is exactly that. As an attorney and partner at Impact Law Group, she works with many comics creators as their lawyer. Her clients include Kelly Sue DeConnick, Ed Brubaker, Rick Remender, Chip Zdarsky, and Jeff Lemire. Her top priorities are protecting the rights of artists and educating them about their legal rights. ComicsAlliance sat down with her to learn more about the work she does.

Interviews, panel appearances, fan mail -- artists and writers understandably get much of the focus when we talk about professionals in the American comics industry. But beyond the front lines there's a whole host of people working hard to keep the business running: accountants, lawyers, publicists, librarians, production staff and many others. Most of these people don't have the opportunity to talk about their work with the people who read the comics they help put in their hands, but the work they do is important -- often integral -- to this industry. Whether it's making sure creators get paid, designing logos, or even planning a convention, these people affect how the whole package of our industry comes together. In the first of what we've planned as a series of spotlights on the behind-the-scenes comics pros, we're speaking with Alex Segura, Archie Comics' Senior Vice President - Publicity and Marketing. Segura started his career in comics as a journalist but has spent nearly a decade doing publicity at DC Comics and Archie, the latter of which has been especially praised by this site and others for revitalizing its brand. One of the architects of the new Archie Comics, Segura sat down with us to talk about how he ended up as a publicist and what exactly that job entails.