Boom! Studios out to prove doubters wrong
Samuel Jackson's Cold Space from Boom! Studios
Darkwing Duck
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Boom! Studios founder and CEO Ross Richie recounted his history in the comics industry, and talked about his plans to prove his doubters wrong, at a Saturday morning breakfast presentation at the ComicsPRO Annual Members meeting.
Boom! debuted in 2005, as did Virgin, Speakeasy and Alias. Richie pointed out that while those other companies have come and gone, Boom! is still thriving and is now the No. 6 direct-market publisher.
Richie described a bet between Diamond Comic Distributors’ Bill Schanes and comic-book retailer Phil Boyle about Boom!, in which Boyle has bet a dollar against Schanes, arguing that Boom! can become the No. 5 publisher. Richie said their goal for this year is to “Prove Bill Wrong” and to take that No. 5 spot.
While the bet is friendly — Richie described Schanes as one of his inspirations in publishing, for his work at Pacific Comics in the 1980s — Richie said he has often been inspired to challenge the conventional wisdom.
For example, the Boom! Kids line is intended to challenge the premise that, in today’s direct market, comics for kids don’t sell.
Boom! has plans to add Darkwing Duck to its lineup in June 2010. Along with a DuckTales serial in “Uncle Scrooge,” Richie said Boom! was bringing back a “Disney Afternoon” lineup.
Richie also said some might question publishing comics based on a canceled TV show — but comics based on Farscape and The Muppet Show have been very successful for the company.
Boom! gave retailers a six-page preview of “Cold Space,” a comic book co-written by Samuel L. Jackson. Richie described Jackson as a big comic-book fan, and said this summer’s “Iron Man 2″ should bring even more interest in the comics market to the actor. In “Cold Space,” a rogue lands on a hostile planet featuring
R. Crumb trading cards
two warring factions, and sees the potential for making some money. Jeffrey Spokes provides one cover for the book (shown above), and Dave Johnson the other. Eric Calderon co-writes and Jeremy Rock draws.
Richie also talked about Boom! Town, the company’s more lit-oriented imprint, which will feature a reprint of Harvey Kurtzman’s The Grasshopper and the Ant, R. Crumb trading cards, and R. Crumb’s Devil Girl candy.
Boom! Town is working in conjunction with Denis Kitchen Publishing Co. in these endeavors. Kitchen, the longtime cartoonist, author, publisher and agent, attended the ComicsPRO meeting as a guest of Boom! Studios. The Crumb cards, which have a retail price of $11.95, are packaged as a 36-card set and feature art and character bios by Crumb. They were originally published by Kitchen’s Kitchen Sink Press in the 1990s.
- Matt Price
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[...] they’re cheaper” is amazingly brazen, but this isn’t the first time Boom! has tweaked Diamond, and they’re quite ambitious with their distribution [...]