Archaia has become a contender in the comic book market, and among their many breakaway hit graphic novels is one that is quickly becoming a pop culture icon, Mouse Guard. Created by David Peterson, Mouse Guard has been met with widespread praise from both fans and critics.

What’s the secret behind Archaia and Mouse Guard’s success? Jef spoke with the President of Archaia to find out…

NC: Now, Archaia has been a very interesting brand to watch recently, you guys have had a lot going on, and seem to have some very strong titles emerging. What do you think sets you apart from the other publishers in your market?

PJ: The most obvious difference to me is that Archaia is focused on creating high-quality products that are both compelling in terms of artwork and story, as well as presentation. With that, Archaia’s core product focus is hardcover graphic novels. This gives us a tremendous leg up on our competition in not having to cater to 22-page stories every time. More importantly, it truly allows creative freedom to our plethora of Creators—including Petersen, Tapalansky, Siddell, Matz, Smylie, Hester, Sheikman, Lewis and Churilla—to tell the story as they envisioned it to read, look and feel.

NC: This is a two fold question I guess. I’m curious as to what kind of marketing strategies are you employing at Archaia to stop the ongoing decline in print media over digital media? And, do you feel that this trend is affecting the comic market? As I haven’t really seen the big push for Digital Comics from you guys…

PJ: There are a lot of factors playing into the overall decline of print sales, not just digital. The declines in print sales, however, are almost purely limited to single issues, rather than graphic novels. So, the declines that are happening in the industry as a whole are not impacting Archaia’s core business, hence Archaia’s ability to thrive even in a down economy.

In terms of Archaia’s presence in the digital landscape, we have taken a much more targeted approach to build upon each success, rather than a shotgun approach of other publishers, diluting their digital brand in the process and wondering why nothing is working. To point to specific Archaia digital successes, we were the first to have a direct-to-Kindle graphic novel in Tumor, which took six of the top 10 best seller spots in that category for several months. As for iPhone success, Archaia released the first volume of Days Missing in consecutive weeks to find it as the number one download each week. In fact, Days Missing #1 is number 42 on iVerse’s top 50 downloads, having only been out for a month. For the month of April, Archaia has our big digital releases coming out, including our own app store in conjunction with iVerse, specifically designed for the iPad.

In terms of a large digital push, which will happen in the months leading up to SDCC, building on Archaia’s already proved digital track record. We know digi-bution is going to be a marathon, not a sprint, so we are careful considering every aspect, with the most important factor being fans’ experience and interaction with Archaia digital comics. We want to make sure that, while digital, we are not creating “throwaway” content. After all, we need readers to follow series, not just single issues, to really make digital a true success.

NC: It seems that Archaia is continuously growing, when others are simply fighting to keep their current market. Why do you feel this may be?

PJ: Well, it is the reality. Archaia is growing every month. Not to oversimplify our success, but it is for one very simple reason: We are an extremely balanced company. This isn’t a company of pure Creators. Nor is Archaia a company of pure business-minded individuals.

The first question we ask before signing any new title is, “Is this a great story that can be told for generations?” If the answer is yes, then we ask the pertinent business questions. If it is still in the affirmative, we quickly and aggressively move forward, minimizing as much risk as possible. I would be remiss if, again, I didn’t point out the fact that we are not built on the success or failures of single-issue comics. We are built around the success of Archaia’s graphic novels in whatever form they take: print, digital or other. Additionally, Archaia is in the business of publishing perennial content, not annuals.

NC: Since Mel has been talking with us at NC, I’ve noticed that you guys at Archaia have a very unique collection of titles, what is it you look for in the titles under the Archaia name?

PJ: To be honest, we actually have a very lengthy process of approving titles, as we take the quality of our titles extremely serious. But, the number one criterion is that it has to be a great story—not just a good one—that can be told for generations. It really doesn’t matter the genre or audience just as long as it is a great story. From there, we look at the artwork and other contributing factors. Archaia has an open submission policy, too. We are always looking for great material and encourage Creators, new and seasoned, to submit to Archaia at submissions (at) archaia.com.

While we pass on about 50 titles for every one we accept, it is important to note that many we pass on are just better suited for other publishers. And, luckily, many do get picked up by other publishers. The best way for Creators to know their chances with Archaia is to look at their story and answer some basic questions: Can my story transcend audiences and genres? Can my story be told for generations? Does my story have a unique quality that stands out from all similar stories? If the answer is yes to all these questions, I strongly encourage the Creator to submit to Archaia.

NC: Mouse Guard is quickly becoming a pop culture icon, I recently spoke with another editor who said, “It may be one of the best things to ever happen in comics”. Is this the kind of reaction you expected from the press when Mouse Guard first came across your desk?

PJ: I have spoken about this many times with Mark Smylie, who was the fortunate one to view and approve it for Archaia. The reason why I am still amazed by Mark approving this title was because it was so drastically different than all the other dark and noir titles Archaia was putting out at the time. But, if you go back to what I have said several times, a great story is a great story and that means everything to Archaia. So, it was a no-brainer for Mark to approve. And, while Mouse Guard truly is an all-ages title, it has many moments of authentic emotional struggles that can easily be related to in real life.

At the end of the day, Mouse Guard is true brilliance and is a benchmark for Archaia to measure storytelling and artwork.

NC: Public praise for the series has been amazing as well, but it’s not the only project Archaia has that’s been doing well. You guys have some other titles over there that are starting to really take of as well don’t you?

PJ: The reality is much different than the constant perception that Archaia has to fight. Mouse Guard is true brilliance and one of our best-selling titles for Archaia, hands down. But, it is important to note that we actually have several well-known titles that rival Marvel and DC graphic novel sales, including Artesia (Smylie), Awakening (Tapalansky), Gunnerkrigg Court (Siddell), Robotika (Sheikman), The Killer (Matz) and Okko (Hub), to name a few.

Archaia titles sell significantly better than if they are sold through another publisher. We know this because there have been several titles that have either come to us from other publishers or left to go to self-publish or to another publisher. In every instance, Archaia outperformed sales of other non-Archaia published volumes in the neighborhood of 3 to 1. Those are significant numbers.

NC: So what should readers be looking for in 2010 from Archaia?

PJ: Archaia has many great titles in the works, including Return of the Dapper Men (McCann), Berona’s Hundred Year War (Labbe/Coffey), the second volume of Awakening (Tapalansky), Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard and a third volume of Mouse Guard series (Petersen), The God Machine (Free), and about 12 other new titles, including Fraggle Rock, Dark Crystal and Labyrinth with The Jim Henson Company and Days Missing Vol. 2 with Roddenberry Productions.

I truly believe that all these titles are absolutely amazing! If they weren’t, Archaia wouldn’t be publishing them. But, the ones I want to make sure get a little extra attention as they may otherwise fly underneath the radar are The God Machine (Free) and Berona’s Hundred Year War (Labbe/Coffey). Both titles are just absolutely remarkable! NC