First Warner Bros. got DC, then Disney scooped up Marvel, and now, in the latest instance of a larger company coming in to prop up a struggling mainstream comic book publisher, Penguin House Publishing has officially acquired BOOM! Studios.
As announced on July 10th, this acquisition will see BOOM! Studios integrated into its new owner’s pop culture-centric Random House Worlds imprint, itself currently home to Star Wars literature house Del Rey Books, physical Lore Olympus webtoon collection publisher Inklore, and RH Worlds, a licensing program that provides book printing support to such brands as Marvel Studios, Magic: The Gathering, and World of Warcraft.
Per a report from Deadline, despite now being a subsidiary of the larger Penguin House Publishing portfolio, the BRZRKR studio will retain its editorial and publishing independence, with its distribution duties continuing to be handled by both Diamond and Simon & Schuster.
Penguin House Publishing have also stated that, at least for now, they are not looking to move BOOM! Studio’s physical offices from their current Los Angeles location.
At current, the deal has yet to be completed, though it is expected to be by the end of the summer.
Further, the exact terms of the detail, such as its new ownership percentages and the actual amount paid by Penguin House Publishing for BOOM! Studios, currently remain under lock and key.
In announcing BOOM! Studios’ change in ownership, founder and chairman Ross Richie asserted, “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.”
Offering his own comments, Random House Worlds President Scott Shannon opined, “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.”
Unfortunately for fans of a certain colorful hero franchise, while this deal saves BOOM! Studios as a whole from extinction, it will have no bearing on the fate of their massively popular Power Rangers line, as its impending end has little to do with the publisher’s handling of the the license – after all, behind the Keanu Reeves-led BRZRKR, said books were easily their most well-known and best-selling – and everything to do with Hasbro’s ongoing mismanagement of and lack of direction for the franchise overall.
To this end, in closing out of both BOOM! Studios’ time with the team as well as their initial run at full independence, the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Darkest Hour one-shot hits shelves on July 31st.
