Speakeasy Comics is closed. That has yet to be verified by Adam Fortier, but I just got off the phone with Ben Lichius, who pointed me to this article.

We were never contacted by anyone representing Speakeasy, so we got this news at the same time as everybody else. The timing couldn’t be worse for BC, considering that the first issue was slated to be on store shelves on March 1^st, and at this point we don’t even know if it’s gone to press.

 I want to assure those of you who have been looking forward to the book that this isn’t the end for The Black Coat—he’s too stubborn to die! We will do our best to find a new publisher in a timely manner.

 I feel particularly awful for Ben, who had invested so much time and energy into coordinating with Speakeasy and struggling to make things happen. While our experience with Speakeasy had negative elements and it would be easy to start slinging dirt and accusations, I still admire what they were originally trying to do (previous to Ardustry’s involvement). One less independent publisher, especially one of their size, is a blow to the entire industry, both for the present and the future. It means that there are less unique books on the shelves and fewer opportunities for new voices to be heard.