This week has been a bonanza of access to the creative team behind MARVEL ARTIST ARCHIVE: JIM LEE, which is live on Kickstarter as of this writing. Writer Stuart Moore and Editor-in-Chief John Barber gave us great insight into the project and what it’s like documenting a living legend such as Jim Lee.
The fact that the Kickstarter has blown past its $25,000 funding goal is a testament to this team’s instinct for the kinds of projects fans want to see. For this third round, we sit down with Mason Rabinowitz, Director of Publishing Operations at Pan Universal Galactic Worldwide. Before joining PUG-W, he worked as Creative Director at Agents of Branding and Chief Product Storyteller at Big Bang IP. Along the way, he earned his stripes as a freelance writer and copywriter, building a background that spans publishing, branding, marketing, and entertainment while working with companies like Disney, Top Cow, and more.
Rabinowitz was kind enough to sit down with us to discuss Pug-W working on the MARVEL ARTIST ARCHIVE: JIM LEE, and what we can look forward to when it comes to all things Pug-W!
ACTION A GO GO: PUG-W has entered the publishing space with an ambitious vision. What gap in the market did you believe the company was uniquely positioned to fill?
Mason Rabinowitz: There are other publishing companies doing really great things, so I don’t know that I’d use the term “gap,” but we believe that there’s enough space in the world of fandom for the kinds of projects we’re passionate about to succeed.
AAGG: Launching a new publishing company is no small undertaking. What has been the biggest challenge in turning PUG-W from an idea into a reality?
MR: There’s always a new problem to solve every day, and that’s an exciting part of the job, but the biggest challenge—and I think this is true for most of us in business and in life—is that there’s never enough time, and you can’t make more.
AAGG: Marvel Artist Archive: Jim Lee is your first major Marvel archival release. Why was Jim Lee the right creator to launch this series?
MR: The short answer: because he’s Jim Lee. It starts with the fact that so many of us here are personally huge fans of his work, but it’s also because of the incredible impact he had on comics during his Marvel run and the lasting influence of the work.
AAGG: Premium art books continue to attract passionate audiences despite an increasingly digital world. What do you think collectors are looking for that digital editions simply can’t replicate?
AAGG: PUG-W’s mission extends beyond comics into games, prose, and other creative projects. How do you decide which ideas are the right fit for the company?
MR: First, you can’t fully appreciate amazing art like this when you’re looking at it itty-bitty on your phone or tablet. But even more importantly, fans want something beautiful they can hold in their hands, where they can appreciate the weight and the craftsmanship of the book itself and flip slowly through the pages.
MR: It’s true, we have no shortage of good ideas—or at least we think they’re good—but you can’t do everything. It really comes down to three things: Is this something the customer wants? Are we excited about it? And is it something our incredible team at PUG-W is especially suited to bring to life?
AAGG:You’ve worked in both crowdfunding and publishing. How have those experiences shaped the way you think about serving today’s comic readers and collectors?
MR: However you’re going to deliver your product to customers, you’ve still got to focus on creating great work that fans will be excited about. Crowdfunding lets us speak a little more directly to the biggest fans and include exciting additional flourishes or items that wouldn’t work in traditional retail, but at the end of the day, it’s about making great stuff.
AAGG: Building relationships with companies like Marvel requires a tremendous amount of trust. What does PUG-W bring to the table that makes it an appealing publishing partner?
MR: When it comes to Marvel specifically, when you’ve got a former editor and former publisher of the company on your team, there’s a level of trust there from the start. But beyond that, the PUG team has decades of experience working with major brands and IP. Our partners know that we’re going to work with them to create the best possible fan experience and a great representation of their brand because we care as much as they do.
AAGG: As a publisher, how do you balance honoring the legacy of legendary creators like Jim Lee while also finding fresh ways to present their work to modern audiences?
MR: We’ve got some fun new modern rewards for this campaign; check out our mini-covers! But I think we’re more interested in creating something timeless than something that’s too worried about being modern. With iconic art from Jim Lee, incredible writing from Stuart Moore, and beautiful layouts from our designer, Blaise Sewell, I think we’ve created something truly classic.
AAGG: Looking beyond this Kickstarter, where do you hope PUG-W is five years from now?
MR: Talking to Action-A-Go-Go about how our next Artist Archive book is going to live up to the incredible success of the previous books in the series.
AAGG: Every publisher develops a philosophy over time. If someone picked up three different PUG-W books a few years from now, what qualities would you hope immediately tell them, “This could only have come from PUG-W?”
Mason Rabinowitz: There are a lot of great publishers doing really fantastic stuff that I’m a big fan of, so I don’t ever want to say we’re the only ones doing this. But I hope that whenever someone sees the PUG-W logo on a book, they can tell it was made for fans, by fans, and that we put our hearts and souls into making something we’re proud to have our name on and are excited to enjoy right along with every other fan.
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It’s been great interviewing this team and learning more about their process, and more importantly, the passion that went into making this happen. As a lifelong Marvel fan, I can say firsthand that Jim Lee was a huge influence on me. I was just learning to read when Jim Lee’s art exploded with X-MEN #1. Having said that, being able to get a volume like this and really explore the full breadth of his work at Marvel is a treat, and it’s great to see the success of this project.
A special thanks goes out to this team for giving me such great access, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!