Penguin Random House's Random House Publishing Group is acquiring BOOM! Studios, the comic book, graphic novel and licensed storytelling publisher and studio. BOOM! Studios will join Random House Worlds, which includes Del Rey, Inklore, and the RH Worlds licensing program. The companies said that BOOM! Studios will retain its editorial and publishing independence, and its titles will continue to be distributed by Diamond Comic Distributors to the direct market and Simon & Schuster to the bookstore trade. There are no plans to relocate the BOOM! Studios offices in Los Angeles, Calif.
Founded in 2005 by chairman Ross Richie, BOOM! Studios has four imprints: BOOM! Studios, BOOM! Box, KaBOOM!, and Archaia. It has published such original work as Keanu Reeves's BRZRKR, Something Is Killing the Children, and Lumberjanes and licensed work involving Power Rangers, Dune, The Expanse, Garfield, Firefly, Labyrinth, and Dark Crystal. BOOM! Studios has also produced many feature films and TV series, including 2 Guns (2013), The Empty Man (2020), Just Beyond (2021), and Mech Cadets (2023). It is currently in production on Butterfly, a live-action series for Amazon Prime Video starring Daniel Dae Kim and Reina Hardesty.
Richie commented: "It's every entrepreneur's dream to launch a company, build it, and sell it to the best. I'm excited to hand the reins of BOOM! over to the best and largest publisher in the world. Their focus on readers and retail partnerships will build upon our work and help our creators achieve even more success. Personally, it's time for me to take some much-needed time off with my family and explore what's next."
Scott Shannon, president of Random House Worlds, said, "Over the past several years Random House Worlds has partnered with BOOM! Studios on various projects and had the benefit of seeing first-hand their best-in-class comic publishing. Ross and his team have built a dynamic, imaginative home for a diverse and talented roster of creators. We are thrilled to welcome BOOM! Studios to our house, and now work side-by-side with this imaginative team. The acquisition of BOOM! Studios is a major step in Penguin Random House's expansion of support to the direct comics market and a key part of our commitment to being the best publisher for creators across all categories."