Lena Atanassova, Justin Eisinger & Bartek Jelonek

Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Dark Horse Comics, IDW, Tokyopop | Tagged: dogu, jobwatch

JobWatch: Lena Atanassova, Justin Eisinger and Bartek Jelonek get promotions and new appointments in and out of the comics industry.

JobWatch: Here are a few recent comic book industry moves of note, for Lena Atanassova, Justin Eisinger and Bartek Jelonek. First, Justin Eisinger has been announced as Samurai Rabbit/Usagi Yojimbo publisher Dogu Publishing’s first Editor-in-Chief, publishing through Dark Horse Comics.

“Best known for his work as co-author with George Takei on the graphic biography “They Called Us Enemy” and the just announced “It Rhymes With Takei,” Eisinger’s passion for inspired storytelling and knowledge of the publishing marketplace will help position Dogu for continued success. Bringing years of experience from IDW Publishing where he climbed the ranks to Editorial Director, Graphic Novels & Collections, Eisinger worked with some of the industry’s most celebrated creators while the company transformed from scrappy upstart to industry mainstay. He brings a confident hand to talent relations and publishing strategy, using a deep understanding of the mass market publishing ecosystem, comic retailer mechanics, customer behavior, and trend analysis to provide indispensable perspective. “Working closely with Stan Sakai is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Eisinger. “After a career working with so many different licensed properties and an assortment of creator-owned stories, it’s an absolute pleasure to spend every day focused solely on Usagi—which I tell the team every chance I get. Now keep an eye out for what we’ve got coming because we can’t wait to show off what’s cooking over here at Dogu.” The decision for Dogu Publishing to enhance its publishing capabilities and fully leverage its valuable partnership with Dark Horse Comics coincides with Usagi Studios preparing for additional mass media opportunities.”

Lena Atanassova has been promoted to editor-in-chief at manga-focused publisher TokyoPop. She joined TokyoPop in 2018 and most recently held the position of brand editor for its inclusivity-focused imprint LoveLove, which she helped launch in 2020 and that now has more than 100 titles focusing on straight and LGBTQ+ romance. In her expanded role, Atanassova will lead the TokyoPop editorial team, managing production of all titles, including manga, light novels and graphic novels. The publisher has plans to expand into horror, manhwa and webtoon-originated titles. Atanassova will also lead the acquisition of new titles and manage the expansion and production of a wide range of manga and graphic novels based on licensed IP with partners such as Disney, Ubisoft and others.

TokyoPop publisher and COO Marc Visnick said: “Lena’s passion for manga and storytelling makes her an asset to TokyoPop and her success in launching the LoveLove imprint, combined with her management skills and the way she resonates and connects with creators and fans, makes her perfectly suited to assume the role of editor in chief and help lead the company’s continued expansion and evolution.” Atanassova said: “I am honoured and excited to expand my role at TokyoPop. My passion for diverse stories that focus on the human experience is central to my perspective as an editor, manager and fan and I remain committed to working to provide a platform for creative expression and storytelling. Everyone deserves stories that speak to them, and I will make this a key focus of my new role.” LoveLove has published an expansive line of shojo, josei, girls love, and boys love manga and graphic novel titles by Asian and Western creators.”

Founded in 1997 by Stu Levy, TokyoPop was a key player early in the development of the American manga market, and after several tough years in the mid-aughts, retooled its business in time to ride this decade’s manga boom, seeing sales soar and hitting the PW fast-growing independent publisher list in both 2022 and 2023. It moved its distribution to Penguin Random House earlier this year.

Bartek Jelonek spent the last 13 years at DC Comics, where he served as director of international publishing and, most recently, director of international sales. He has now joined the Lego Group as Head of Global Publishing. At DC Comics, Jelonek was overseeing the comic publisher’s global localized publishing operations covering 70 territories and 20 languages, with over 15 million copies in circulation.

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