Boom Studios

BOOM! Studios operates as a prominent American publisher of comic books and graphic novels, headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The company was established in June 2005 by co-founders Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby, who were motivated by a frustration with the mainstream comic industry's focus on superheroes and sought to champion a wider array of creator-owned works. Richie's journey began in the marketing department of Malibu Comics in the early 1990s, where he met Cosby, followed by work as a script reader before venturing into publishing, an idea encouraged by comic book creator Keith Giffen. The company's business model centers on publishing both original, creator-owned content and licensed properties, generating revenue through the sale of physical and digital comic books and graphic novels. A key component of its strategy involves leveraging its intellectual property for adaptation into other media, such as film and television.

A significant milestone in the company's history was the establishment of a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox for feature films in 2013, which was structured to give both BOOM! and the original creators a share of the first-dollar gross, a notable arrangement in Hollywood. This was followed by a similar deal for television development in 2014. In June 2017, Fox solidified this partnership by purchasing a minority stake in the company. Consequently, when The Walt Disney Company acquired 21st Century Fox's assets in 2019, it also inherited this minority stake. The publisher has since entered into a first-look deal with Netflix in April 2020 for television and has seen its properties developed with Amazon Prime. In a major shift, Penguin Random House agreed to acquire BOOM! Studios from The Walt Disney Company and other stakeholders in July 2024, with the acquisition completed in September 2024. Despite the acquisition, the publisher is expected to maintain its Los Angeles offices and editorial independence.

BOOM! Studios organizes its diverse portfolio under four distinct imprints. The primary "BOOM! Studios" imprint features titles like *Something is Killing the Children* and Keanu Reeves's co-created blockbuster *BRZRKR*, which pre-sold over 615,000 issues. The "Archaia" imprint is home to critically acclaimed works such as *Mouse Guard*. The "BOOM! Box" imprint targets a different demographic with series like *Lumberjanes* and *Giant Days*, while the all-ages "KaBOOM!" imprint publishes comics based on licensed properties including *Peanuts*, *Garfield*, and *Adventure Time*. This multi-imprint structure allows the company to serve a broad spectrum of readers, from young children to adults, with content ranging across fantasy, science fiction, horror, and crime genres.

Keywords: comic book publisher, graphic novels, intellectual property, media adaptation, creator-owned comics, licensed properties, film development, television rights, content library, Penguin Random House