Writer, Marketer and all-around Good Guy Beau Smith has been announced as the new Director of Marketing for IDW’s Library of American Comics imprint. LOAC’s Creative Director is Dean Mullaney and it’s not the first time these two have worked together; Beau was Marketing Director for Dean’s Eclipse Comics back in the 1980s.

The Library of American Comics specializes in archival reprints of some of the best comic strips ever, including Dick Tracy, Terry and the Pirates, Rip Kirby, Bringing Up Father, Little Orphan Annie, King Aroo, Bloom County, The Family Circus, Li’l Abner, and Archie. They’ve even won a couple of Eisner Awards for their quality work. I love their Noel Sickles book and I can’t wait for the one on Alex Toth.

Beau’s resume is like a Who’s Who of the industry, with stops at Image Comics, Todd McFarlane Productions, McFarlane Toys and IDW as their first Marketing Director. He knows comics, knows everyone in comics, and knows how to sell and market all kinds of cool stuff. This feels like a big boost for the LOAC, especially if it means getting more of their great books into libraries.

Best of all, Beau can still free range in his native habitat of West Virginia, although I might get to see him more often at San Diego.

According to Beau he’ll still have enough free time to continue his writing. He keeps a regular column, Busted Knuckles, at Comics Bulletin and he also has a couple of nifty comic book projects coming up.

The first is Wynonna Earp: The Yeti Wars, an original graphic novel with artist Enrique Villigran that’s coming up from IDW in December.

He’ll be following that up with the Captain Action Winter Special with his longtime collaborator Eduardo Barreto, coming from Moonstone in January.

He is also the author of No Guts, No Glory: How To Market Yourself In Comics published by Blue Line Pro which is still available. (And considering how well Beau’s done for himself, you might learn a thing or three from getting your own copy.)

[Artwork: Terry And The Pirates from the Library of American Comics (top); Wynonna Earp by Beau Smith and Eduardo Barreto (bottom), © Beau Smith]