Recently I had the chance to chat with Joseph Illidge about his career, his new company Illuminous, and a lot more. Check out the full interview below.
Mike McLarty: Tell us about the inception and journey of Illuminous, as well as the desired destination.
Joseph Illidge: The journey of my company, Illuminous, started in 1993 with my first job in the comic book industry at Milestone Media, a company founded by four men to own and create a multicultural superhero universe for comics, animation, and other media. That first example of entrepreneurship in the creative space was a spark, and working at DC Comics in the Batman editorial office was a masterclass in the caretaking and expansion of intellectual properties.
After working at Heavy Metal magazine and spearheading the revitalization of their “Taarna” character from the animated Heavy Metal movie, I knew it was time to start my own company. The freedom to directly work for a wide array of clients, companies, and creators to realize their original ideas as comic books and graphic novels means greater flexibility for both parties.
The desired destination for Illuminous evolves as the comic book and entertainment industries experience groundbreaking changes in real time. Right now, the primary position is serving as the gateway to idea realization for entrepreneurs with “the one project” they’ve always wanted to put into the world, as well as publishers looking for a company with experience to curate and revitalize their IPs.
MM: What initially drew you into wanting to enter comics? Describe your fandom.
JI: My fandom goes back to my childhood and my mother buying comic books for me from the newsstand every Friday after work. In my high school and college years, I gravitated to where the sophisticated stories and artists were emerging, regardless of the genre. Experiencing Marvel’s role as the home for innovative artists, DC’s powerhouse mid-80s with The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, and Batman: Year One, and the birth of Image Comics, Vertigo, Milestone, and rebellious publishers from Chaos Comics to Tundra.
What drew me into getting into the business of comics was seeing a Milestone comic book at the newsstand and realizing that company was going to change the world. In that moment, I wanted my future to be one of the tastemakers in comics, working behind the scenes and with like-minded creative people to shape the worlds of popular culture.
My path has taken me through three of the most influential companies in comics and graphic novels: DC Comics and their Batman line, Milestone and their creation Static becoming the titular character in the Warner Bros. “Static Shock” cartoon, and Heavy Metal magazine, which introduced French illustrators to the North American market and acted as a precursor to DC Comics’ Vertigo line.
MM: Your origin story within the comic industry goes back to the mid ‘90s, particularly as an editor. Tell us about what it was like to work at Milestone and especially D.C. Comics?
JI: Milestone was the perfect company to start my career at because it was highly collaborative and fearless. The stories and characters were both what the industry needed and wasn’t prepared for at the same time.
Whether it was a story about heroism wrapped in corporate espionage like Hardware, a crossover event with DC Comics’ Superman editorial office like Worlds Collide, or a storyline about how the building of a theme park put superheroes on different sides of the urban development vs. disenfranchisement argument like The Long Hot Summer, the Milestone comics were daring, and it was exciting to be a part of the team pushing the envelope in comics every week, every month.
DC Comics, and particularly the Batman editorial office, was the next level in terms of creative management within one of the most powerful corporations in the world. Working within a larger fictional landscape led to the opportunity to develop stories and projects with long-term impact for beloved characters, sometimes with cross-pollination between different editorial offices handling Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League.
Both experiences taught me invaluable lessons that serve me in the present day, and I utilize the full range of my knowledge for my clients!
MM: Follow-up: Being an editor is akin to being an orchestra leader, managing all the disparate parts into one unified piece of music.
JI: Being an editor in comics is akin to so many things, and your analogy is a good one, with one crucial difference. In any orchestra performance, the conductor is visible.
With editing in comics, we serve as invisible allies. The person behind the curtain. The Oracle to the creative team’s Birds of Prey or Batsquad.
Seeing your team(s) firing on all cylinders and making amazing comics, uplifting them in various ways, seeing when they hit their collective groove and knock it out of the park…that’s the best part of the job!
MM: What are the various ways our readers have to contact or follow you and Illuminous online?
JI: ILLUMINOUS can be found on Instagram @illuminousideas
I can be found on almost all of the socials
Instagram: illmasterone
Threads: illmasterone
TikTok: josephillidge
LinkedIn: Joseph Phillip Illidge
Facebook: Joe Illidge
BlueSky: josephpillidge
Twitter/X: JosephPIllidge
I’m easy to find!
