BOOM! Studios is no longer owned in part by Fox, Disney, or even Ross Richie as the company has been sold to Penguin Random House.
More specifically, Random House Worlds, a division of Penguin Random House, which has a lot of experience publishing prose books from the worlds of Star Wars, Marvel, Magic: The Gathering, and more.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Richie said, “This is exciting news for our fans. The biggest prose book publisher in the world is excited about comics and wants to get into the action and believes it is an area of growth. They want more people to read — more people to read comic books!”
According to the announcement, BOOM! Studios will retain its editorial and publishing independence and will remain in Los Angeles. As for Richie, he is not transitioning to Penguin Random House as part of the deal, instead he said he will take a long vacation.
It has been an incredible 16 years of seeing BOOM! Studios grow, with incredible talent and titles like The Lumberjanes, Irredeemable, BRZRKR, and Erica Slaughter. I remember the first time their head of PR reached out to Major Spoilers in our early days to see if we would want to cover their books, and to see the company grow since then.
As for the question on if Disney still has a stake in the company, according to the press release, Disney sold its minority stake in the company as part of the transaction.
Here is the complete press release:
Random House Publishing Group To Acquire Boom! Studios, Will Become Part Of The Random House Worlds Portfolio Of Imprints
The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, has entered into an agreement to acquire BOOM! Studios, the world-class comic book, graphic novel and licensed storytelling publisher and studio. The acquisition was announced today by Scott Shannon, President of Random House Worlds, and Ross Richie, Chairman and Founder of BOOM! Studios. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in summer 2024.
The BOOM! Studios publishing program will join the Random House Worlds portfolio of imprints alongside Del Rey, Inklore and the RH Worlds licensing program. BOOM! Studios will retain their editorial and publishing independence reporting to Shannon. Keith Clayton, VP Publisher, Random House Worlds, and Bill Takes, EVP of Business Strategy, Random House Publishing Group, will work alongside Shannon and the BOOM! Studios team to help manage and integrate the new imprint.
BOOM! Studios titles will continue to be distributed by Diamond Comic Distributors to the direct market and Simon & Schuster to the bookstore trade. No changes are planned to relocate the BOOM! Studios Los Angeles-based office.
Founded in 2005 by Richie, BOOM! Studios publishes under four distinct lines—BOOM! Studios, BOOM! Box, KaBOOM!, and Archaia—and has produced bestselling, award-winning original work, including Keanu Reeves’ BRZRKR, Something is Killing the Children, and Lumberjanes, while also breaking new ground with established licenses such as Power Rangers, Dune, The Expanse, Garfield, Firefly, Labyrinth, and Dark Crystal. BOOM! Studios has produced numerous feature films and television 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.
Random House Worlds is a portfolio of imprints within the Random House Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, the world’s largest trade publisher. It consists of Del Rey, founded in 1977 and is the world’s foremost publisher of science fiction and fantasy, publishing the renowned authors such as Terry Brooks, Naomi Novik, Douglas Adams, Siliva Moreno-Garcia, Robin Hobb, Max Brooks, Pierce Brown, Katherine Arden and Danielle L. Jenson, among others; Inklore, which publishes the best in manga, manhwa, manhua, webcomics and graphic novels, both licensed and original, for adult audiences; and the Random House Worlds imprint dedicated entirely to licensed book publishing, acting as a home for the largest pop culture brands across genres and media types.
“It’s every entrepreneur’s dream to launch a company, build it, and sell it to the best,” said Richie. “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.”
“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,” said Shannon. “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. We are excited to continue that tradition with BOOM! as part of the Random House Publishing Group.”
