Collins Out at Wizard; Gemstone to PA
* Well-known on-line comics personality Sean Collins has apparently been let go by Wizard. He had worked a variety of jobs for the publisher and until his dismissal had most recently been the managing editor of the on-line iteration of the magazine, doing interviews and participating in the site's popular Thursday Morning Quarterback feature. Collins had done a credible job restoring traffic to the magazine's Internet effort after a abortive re-launch fiasco. Collins has written for various publications and was once the point man for heavily youth-branded apparel manufacturer Abercrombie & Fitch's interest in comics and cartoonists. It is unknown what he'll do next, although I recall seeing his name on comics-related freelance articles in the past so maybe that kind of work will result. Because of the positives associated with Collins' stint at Wizard, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that there are more employment casualties out there waiting to be confirmed.
"York has an exciting dynamic to it. It's definitely a city and a region on the move, and we're excited to be a part of that. This is a terrific entry into a rich marketplace, both in terms of the history to be found and the collectors with a vibrant interest in it."
I used to live about 50 minutes from York, and it was known less as a town with an exciting dynamic than that place you drove through on your way to Baltimore and/or where they gave the Post Office employees test. Unless someone out there as to something I'm missing, this sounds much more like a cost-based move more than a "publisher seeks amenable local cultural landscape" story, and becomes more interesting if it eventually ends up taking place in a greater context of several moves by Diamond businesses away from the Baltimore area. So one to note, anyway.
Well-known on-line comics personality Sean Collins 
* Steve Geppi's Gemstone Publishing 
