IDW Media Holdings, parent company of Transformers, My Little Pony / Transformers and Transformers vs. The Terminator home IDW Publishing, released its second quarter fiscal year 2020 results today with key points including a second quarter net loss per share of $(0.04) on revenue of $11.6 million for the three months ended April 30, 2020.
Anticipated from coverage on these pages in recent months, IDW Publishing posted decreased revenue from $6.3 million in 1Q20 to $4.7 million in 2Q20. While unfortunately not all employees returned to their posts after a 20% workforce reduction, “the majority of furloughed employees have since been recalled.”
From comments by IDW Chairman, Howard Jonas:
“IDW Publishing adapted to the suspension of its direct comic market with increased sales of backlisted titles, games and digital offerings through the non-direct market and direct-to-consumer channels… If operations continue to normalize in the coming weeks and months as anticipated, we are positioned to pursue the tremendous opportunities for original content producers in the global entertainment market. We remain committed to moving towards an SEC registration and exchange listing to increase IDW’s visibility in the capital markets.”
Read the full press release here, then sound off on the 2005 boards!
raindance773
I still have my stocks if anyone is interested….
Maybe they will hit it out of the park with Star Wars: High Republic Adventures. And given that Disney is trusting IDW with part of their SW and Marvel licenses, Disney stuff like DuckTales, and some limited Marvel stuff, I can't help but wonder what the Mouse Lord has in mind for other Hasbro franchises.
lordsmurf
Agree. They're having problems with fresh ideas. The risk of leaving for 2-3 years is to be forgotten, then have hard time re-entering landscape. But worse risk is un-originality and watered-down stories that sinks property for far longer term.
IDWM is a penny stock now. Almost zero volume. It's basically a zombie owned by insiders and a few angels. I once said it was worth maybe $4 (when $8-15 ranges). But now that's its worth $4, it's appearing almost worthless.
Login to brokerage, print?
Vote with wallet.
pluto
1) the whole badgeless thing? decepticon agitators? starscream being…starscream? There were some redemption arcs in there but at least the combaticons were uniformly professional decepticons and outright baddies?
2) The combaticons were all imprisoned and Blast-off was even further ostracised from his team mates and especially Onslaught because of his part in the plan?
Dire 51
I would be okay if they went away for a while, as IDW simply cannot afford top tier talent.
Furthermore, history shows us that Hasbro can – and will – pull a license and let other publishers take the reins. At this point, that's what I'm hoping for.
Longitudinalwave
Yeah, my problem isn't with the Combaticons doing bad stuff…they're villains. In the G1 cartoon they tried to destroy the entire Earth by moving it into the sun, and Swindle sold his own teammates for no reason. The issue was that Blast Off wasn't really portrayed as a villain in TAAO, at least not in the way that he was in the G1 cartoon. He seemed like he was intended to receive some degree of sympathy from the reader, and then he brainwashed his commander into thinking that they were in love. If I thought that it was supposed to intentionally be a display of villainous creepy behavior, I'd be okay with it (and I don't have a problem with Airachnid being involved with it for exactly this reason), but I don't think that was what the writers were going for.
raindance773
There is no problem with them being villainous. I think it's more of:
1.) The relatively inconsistent way in which IDW and its writers for IDW1 portrayed the Decepticons. The second half of IDW made the entire Decepticon movement out to be well-intentioned, though wayward, activists and freedom fighters with whom we are to form some form of kinship… yet their waywardness goes completely off the rails and we find ourselves with a redemption story for a robotic despot and then this arc were the protagonist was literally part of a consent nightmare, directly during the time when our world was in a big movement of consent. It's tone deaf.
2.) Nothing happens to the characters who violate consent. Sure, art imitates life and often people who violate consent get away with it, but the message you unintentionally send is that acts of consent violation are either okay if you get away with them, or that they don't matter, or (at worst) consent doesn't matter at all. A simple letter from the author addressing it would have been find, and could have been used to really take a good stand, but that was ignored.
pluto
yeah imagine making the combaticons and airachnid villainous.
Longitudinalwave
Wasn't it Blast Off who was responsible for the whole "be-complicit-in-brainwashing-Onslaught-in-order-to-date-him" thing, not Vortex?
Though ironically, Vortex would probably fit the creepy, uncomfortable implications that that brought up better than Blast Off did, given that he's described as being a psychopath both in his bio and in IDW itself.
Also, the aforementioned Onslaught brainwashing was….just not a good idea. It comes across as really, REALLY creepy, and it doesn't feel like that creepiness was what the comic was going for, so they should've avoided it.
G1Prowl
Then don't support it, talk everyone you can into refusing to support them, and refrain from bitching if TF comics go away completely for the immediate future.
Focksbot
While I too am tired – in general – of the emphasis on unceasing output/churn that seems to characterise almost all media properties these days, I think it's got to the stage where it's like treading water. If they don't keep going, it'll sink completely.
By which I mean that if TF comics go down now, I can't see the format being revived for a very long time.
Dire 51
Sub Zero. Wins.
Dire 51
F@*< IDW.
GeoSociety
Yes, because even the worst aspects of the Sequel trilogy movies at peak, which even rival the Last Knight in plot stupidity put those' Prequel Politics to shame!
HA! Take THAT Lucas!
jimsloth
What you're describing is what I'm complaining about. Buncha babies. Jarjar is worse than ANY new character. The plot of Episode 1…. Please describe trade embargos more (sarcasm). And again, MITOCHLORIANS. George when given full reign was taking the mysticism of the force away and planned to do it for three more movies.
Anything in the worst of the Disney movies is better than that. Is it the best, or what I would have made, no. But if someone saves you from drowning, and breaks your rib giving you CPR, get some perspective.
Marvel.. Perlmutter was the worst. Disney is better than him. Not the best, but better.
Now for IDW, I don't know. They've done some great stories, but the over all structure of the last continuity kinda sucked. Haven't read any of the new stuff.
UKBrawn
I hope IDW pull it together as a company, I'm not sure they deserve all the hate even if their decisions seem wacky. As far as the TF comics go; I think people underestimate the influence of Hasbro in what they produce although I do agree that the current output is not up to scratch in art or story.
As for Disney/Star Wars: I really enjoyed the last trilogy, a lot more than the prequel films. I can see why people were pissed off, but I think the core Rey and Kylo Ren storyline is solid, probably the best between any characters in the series. I do understand the feeling though… if we were talking about the new Star Trek series(s) I would go into a massive nerdrage.
Novaburnhilde
The reputation of Star Wars right now is much worse than it ever was during the Prequel era, you're really downplaying the damage that's been done to the IP.
jimsloth
Ok, so unpopular opinion is Disney helped star wars… Everyone must be collectively blocking the prequel trilogy from their memory… And that George had planned to make 7,8,&9 about shrinking down into a Jedi's blood to examine MITOCHLORIANS I fu¢€ you not. So yes Disney £√¢€ing saved StarWars thank you very much.
raindance773
I guess so, if they think Disney hasn't done well with Marvel. I can't imagine what else, other than the comic books, they are talking about.
@Novaburnhilde, can you clarify please?
Predakwon
Just finish collecting the Marvel Classics. Work's already done. Hit PRINT!
Gimme Marvel ROM and Micronauts, too! Don't just sit on the license.
Rojixus
I have to admit I am curious as to what Marvel would do with the Transformers license should they get it when if IDW implodes.