Groom Lake TPBMedia Release -- IDW Publishing, a leader in graphic novel and book publishing, announced today that long-time Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall has been promoted to become the company's first Chief Creative Officer.

"Chris joined the IDW team just as we were building our publishing business and he's been an integral part of our growth and success" said IDW CEO, Ted Adams. "I'm very happy to be able to recognize his hard work with a title that reflects what he does for the company, and I'm looking forward to working with him and his editorial team as we work on our 2011 publishing schedule."

With more than a decade in the comics industry, as both a creator and editor, Mr. Ryall will continue to guide IDW's creative development. Mr. Ryall first joined IDW in 2004 as Editor-in-Chief, a role that he has grown impressively and will retain. Now, as IDW's Chief Creative Officer, Mr. Ryall's duties will expand to encompass the entire slate of IDW's publishing efforts across all platforms.

"When I joined IDW in '04, I looked forward to helping the company expand beyond its roots," said Mr. Ryall. "And in my six years here, it's been my pleasure to see my role grow exponentially as well. I look forward to continually pushing IDW forward in new and exciting ways."

An Eisner- and Eagle-nominated comic book writer, Mr. Ryall has worked in a variety of creative functions throughout his career. Mr. Ryall served as the Editor in Chief for filmmaker Kevin Smith's web venture before joining IDW. He is also the author of many different comic series, including Clive Barker's The Great and Secret Show, Zombies vs Robots, Groom Lake, Beowolf and Weekly World News, plus the co-writer of a prose book, Comic Books 101.

"In many ways, I still feel like I'm just getting started with IDW," Mr. Ryall added. "Especially when I consider the still-unannounced projects we've got coming up in 2011, and with the great editorial team we have assembled, I'm more optimistic than I've ever been."

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.