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Posted June 25, 2013 by Alvin Minon in Comics
 
 

BOOM! acquires Archaia

BOOM! Studios has just recently acquired Archaia Entertainment from its parent company Kunoichi, making Archaia now an imprint of the indie publishing studio.

“BOOM! is very committed to maintaining the brand we’ve worked so hard to build and preserving our relationship with our creators, fans, and retailers. They’re fans of Archaia first and foremost, and are avidly working behind the scenes to expand our market penetration and carry our catalog deeper into retail channels.” -Jack Cummins, President

BOOM! has been one of the most rapidly expanding publishers since 2005 and with its stronger infrastructure, it hopes to level up the market reach and readership of Archaia. Despite of this acquisition, Archaia will still function as a separate imprint and there’s no news of any change within the team so far. Jack Cummins will still be Archaia’s President and Chief Operating Officer while the Editor-in-Chief position will still be manned by Stepehen Christy.

 

Below is the full press release which is also available here:

June 24th, 2013 – Los Angeles, CA – BOOM! Studios, the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning comic book and graphic novel publisher and two-time winner of Diamond Comics Distributors’ prestigious “Best Publisher” Gem Award, has merged with Eisner and Harvey Award-winning Archaia Entertainment, the publisher of graphic novels including Mouse Guard, A Tale of Sand, Rust, Spera, Cowboy, and Gunnerkrigg Court. BOOM! Studios will be the surviving company and the Archaia brand shall be maintained as a distinct imprint of BOOM!.

The addition of Archaia positions BOOM!’s catalog of intellectual property as the largest independent company-controlled comic book and graphic novel library, behind only industry titans DC Entertainment (Warner Bros.) and Marvel Entertainment (Disney). BOOM!’s comic books and graphic novels pioneer a new business model, sharing intellectual property ownership between the company and the creators who generate the content. BOOM!’s Chief Executive Officer and founder, Ross Richie, noted, “Our creator-friendly model ensures that creatives are rewarded financially as they generate the franchises of tomorrow. Archaia operates with the same philosophy and objectives, which is one of the many reasons this combination is such a great fit.”

“We are thrilled and excited to join with BOOM!,” Archaia President and Chief Operating Officer Jack Cummins, who will continue in the same role, said. “BOOM! is very committed to maintaining the brand we’ve worked so hard to build and preserving our relationship with our creators, fans, and retailers. They’re fans of Archaia first and foremost, and are avidly working behind the scenes to expand our market penetration and carry our catalog deeper into retail channels. Archaia readers can expect the same editorial approach that has garnered industry-wide awards but we will have a much stronger platform to deliver our content in all forms and channels. I am personally looking forward to bringing our team together with the fantastic team Ross has built.”

Richie added, “Archaia has a terrific track record for creating award-winning, beautiful books with high production values. Jack Cummins, Stephen Christy, Mark Smylie, and the entire Archaia team have built an amazing publisher. With BOOM!’s resources, Archaia fans will see more of the books they love, while retailers will enjoy better business through stronger trade terms.” The companies also plan to put key items from the Archaia catalog back into print.

BOOM! Executive Chairman Scott Lenet of the venture capital firm DFJ Frontier noted, “We are excited to be investors in a profitable, growing company with a fantastic early track record of creating, curating, and marketing properties that audiences genuinely love. We have ambitious plans to continue to fund the company’s expansion in comics, graphic novels, and other media.”

August 2nd sees the release of the first BOOM! Studios feature film, the Universal Pictures-distributed 2 Guns starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, based on the Steven Grant comic book published by BOOM!. The company is currently preparing its second feature film for production: Jeremiah Harm, based on the comic book by Keith Giffen, Alan Grant, and John Mueller, will be directed by Timo Vuourensola of Iron Sky (jeremiahharm.com).

Archaia has optioned Royden Lepp’s graphic novel Rust to Twentieth Century Fox. Among Archaia’s other announced deals are the development of Lucid (Warner Bros.),Bolivar (Warner Bros.), and Feeding Ground (Pressman Films).

Recently, legendary creators including writer Paul Jenkins (Wolverine: Origin, Inhumans) and artist Brian Stelfreeze (Batman: Shadow of the Bat, WednesdayComics) have announced to the industry that BOOM! is their new publishing home. This summer BOOM! also launched the first original comic book Clive Barker has ever created and written, Clive Barker’s Next Testament.

July sees the blockbuster release of Archaia’s Mouse Guard: The Black Axe, created by Eisner Award winner David Petersen, Cyborg 009 in partnership with acclaimed Japanese publisher Ishimori, and The Thrilling Adventure Hour based on the long-running stage play of the same name.

 

About BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios has been founded by Ross Richie in 2005 and has then been one of the most rapidly expanding comic book publishers today. It has received several awards such as Diamond Gem, Eisener and Harvey Awards that recognize original and licensed comic books and graphic novels. BOOM! is home to titles such as Suicide Risk, Next Testament, Hellraiser, Fairy Quest, Planet of the Apes, Polarity and Irredeemable. It is also home to the all-ages imprint KaBOOM! which publishes Peanuts, Garfield, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Herobear and the Kid, and Snarked. For more information, visit www.boom-studios.com

 

About Archaia
Archaia Entertainment, LLC, founded as a niche publisher in 2002, is a multi-awarded winning graphic novel publisher that has earned world renowned awards such as Eisner and Harvey Award and several other recognition such as those from Ain’t it Cool News, Comic Related and Graphic Policy among others. Known for the stunning visuals and content, Archaia is home to hits such as Mouse Guard, Cow Boy, Gunnerkirgg Court, Rust, Spera, Mr. Murder Is Dead, Lucid, Artesia, Syndrome, Tumor, The KIller, Old City Blues, Bolivar, Return of the Dapper Men, An Elegy for Amelia Johnson and The Jim Henson Company graphic novels. For more information, visit www.archaia.com

 


Alvin Minon