Comic industry veteran James Pruett has been named the new Chief Creative Officer for Silverline Publishing. His first act in the new position was to secure Silverline a spot in Diamond Comic Distributors’ PREVIEWS catalog.

“I’ve known Roland [Mann] since the 1990s, and I’ve been following what he’s put together with Silverline the last few years. I like what they’re doing, I like the energy they have, and I thought I could help take them to the next level,” Pruett said.

Pruett has nearly three decades of experience in the comics industry, starting with co-creating the comic series Negative Burn with his brother, Joe. He has been the Managing Editor/Associate Publisher at Caliber Comics, Editor at Tusk Entertainment, and recently, Pruett was the Publisher and CCO for Scout Comics. His writing credits include Midnight Sky, X-Men Unlimited, Black Mist, Negative Burn, and others.

“I’ve been after Jim for a couple of years now,” Silverline Publisher & Editor Roland Mann said. “We’re both in the central Florida area and so I see him at shows regularly. We tend to be on the same wavelength when it comes to comics, and he brings a pretty incredible résumé. We’re excited to have him join.”

“I know Silverline had books in the Diamond catalog quite a few years ago, and I asked Roland if he ever thought of getting back in,” Pruett said. “He immediately said yes. We were able to get that put together quickly…and then he asked me to come on board and help plan the future for Silverline. How could I say no?”

Silverline will return to the direct market by debuting their new series, Trumps, a sci-fi book about four kingdoms in a world called, The Deck. One kingdom rules over the others, becoming known as the Trumps, a title currently held by the Diamonds. The Clubs and Diamonds are currently warring over the seat of power, while the Queen of Spades tries to convince the Jack of Diamonds to dethrone his king and unite Spades and Diamonds.

The book, described as “Game of Thrones meets Lord of the Rings with a sci-fi twist,” features the creative team of Mann, Anthony Pereira, Thomas Florimonte, and Sid Venblu. It is in the December issue of PREVIEWS and will be in comic stores on February 14, 2024.