Editing Studio Ironcat (section)

===Name change and employee departures===

The Bennetts responded by renaming the company '''International Comics and Entertainment''',<ref name=ann2714 /> but it is unclear if the name change was simply a [[Doing business as|DBA]], or a change to evoke "'''Iron''' '''Cat''' Entertainment".  For the most part, rebranding the company as I.C. Entertainment was cosmetic, as the company was still referred to as "Ironcat" during this period.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}}  In 2002, the company expanded its lineup to include [[shōjo manga]] titles, such as ''[[Central City (manga)|Central City]]'' and horror titles such as ''[[Mantis Woman]]''. From this point on, a slow exodus of staff departed the company.  Between May and August 2003, several key personnel departed the company, with one of the biggest departures occurring on July 31 (though not reported until October 6 of that year<ref name=add155>{{cite news |first=Jonathan |last=Mays |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature.php?id=155 |title=Strife at IC Entertainment |newspaper=[[Anime News Network]] |date=October 6, 2003 }}</ref>).  

On October 6, 2003, Brown, Johnson, and Graphics Editor Ellen Ohlmacher gave an interview to ANN, accusing Bennett of denying pay to themselves and several other company employees.<ref name=add155 />  A follow-up report by ANN stated that "[f]inancial documents obtained by ANN demonstrate a three-month gap in one employee's payment from March 31 to July 3, followed in September by back pay of only one-third of the $1,800 the employee claims to be owed. The records also indicate other former employees have not received some or all of their claimed back pay."<ref name=ann161 /> ANN later reported both Brown and Johnson eventually received full back pay as of October 27, though it is unknown if anyone else had received their missing pay.

As Ironcat's finances deteriorated and internal politics began to leak to the public, the company gained a reputation as a hotbed of "chaos", filled with "high-school politics" amongst staffmembers.  At one point the company held a "Save Ironcat" sale at the 2003 [[Otakon]] [[anime convention]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fansview.com/2003/otakon/080903b.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121085624/www.fansview.com/2003/otakon/080903b.htm|archive-date=2008-11-21|title=Otakon - I.C. Entertainment Woes - 2003}}</ref> During this time, the company returned to the Studio Ironcat name in October 2003, having settled amicably with Kanzaki over the name and other issues.