CBR: BOOM! Responds To Marvel's Pixar Pickup

[CBR News]

The time for comics based on Disney/Pixar films is over for BOOM! Studios, but other popular properties from the Disney catalog from Darkwing Duck to Mickey Mouse will stay put for now as Publisher Ross Richie explains.


Full article here.

[CMBMOOL]

Well this DW fan is happy to see that the current series is to stay at Boom Studios.

[Hypestyle]

Hopefully the Muppets will land at Marvel and they can get some good comedic writers and artists to be involved with it.. I'd like to take a crack at it myself..

[CMBMOOL]

Hopefully the Muppets will land at Marvel and they can get some good comedic writers and artists to be involved with it.. I'd like to take a crack at it myself..

IF Marvel can get Roger Landridge back with the Muppets again, then I'm sold.

[TheGreen1]

I concur with CMBMOOL, Darkwing Duck needs to stay. I mean, let's be honest, it's a huge breakout hit, and well written. Though, I wouldn't mind it going to Marvel if Marvel hired the DW guys.

[kozmo]

Boom! still has to work with Disney on their current licenses - they're not going to say anything too negative or controversial. The fact that only the Pixar were pulled would seem to indicate that somebody at Pixar was unhappy or felt that the newsstand magazine was the best way to promote those licenses. Disney's last big newsstand magazine was Disney Adventures, which had a good run, but did finally shut down because of the costs of a returnable product. There's no way Boom! was going to be able to support the additional costs of having a returnable product like a newsstand magazine.

but this is what happens when you build a business on licenses - you are always at the mercy of the actual owner. Do you think DC or Marvel is happy to see Dark Horse reprinting their John Carter books? or that Marvel is happy to see DC announce the Showcase reprint of their Doc Savage magazine material (which is really good, by the way)? Slave Labor did a very nice job with the Disney licenses that they had, but it didn't mean that they got to keep them.

Boom! is in a good position with their regular line - the licensed books are "extra" for them. But I wouldn't be surprised to see them trying to develop some of their own kid's oriented books just in case Disney decides to pull the other licenses.

[Robert318]

Incredibles and Muppet Show was soooooooo good though! Of course we knew for the last few months when the comics stopped coming that they were on the way out, but I am really disappointed about this. The fact that they were produced by a smaller publisher like BOOM! made me feel like there was a more personal touch and I was actually making a difference by supporting their books. I'm not into the Disney Afternoon stuff so much and I don't trust they will get the same love at Marvel. Hopefully I'm wrong. I'd love to support BOOM! more and the Disney/Pixar stuff was an easy way to do that. Yeah...this makes me pretty sad.

[gamegeek1981]

I'm sure this "Boom Kids 2.0" they keep touting either has to do with them doing original kids books developed in house, or them bringing on new, non-Disney licenses as those contracts end and the books go back to Marvel.

Boom just seems to be suffering it's share of setbacks lately. First Mark Waid leaves to go back to freelancing, now this. Comics is a tough market, kids...not for the faint of heart.

Kozmo is right though...as Boom still has a contract in place on the main Disney characters, you're not going to see anyone come out of the company bad-mouthing Disney. Even if they didn't have a license left to their name, it's not good business. They basically had to come out and say positive things, because silence would have made them look like everything was falling apart. So I don't put much faith in this puff piece.

BTW, did anyone notice Boom announced an ongoing DuckTales book today, then quickly retracted it when this news hit? What's up with that?

[dupersuper]

Here's hoping they'll finish The Incredibles arc.

[steet]

As long as BOOM! keeps the Disney Afternoon comics running, I'll be happy. (Ducktales? Aww...I was so hoping for TaleSpin next.)

[Robert318]

I'm sure this "Boom Kids 2.0" they keep touting either has to do with them doing original kids books developed in house, or them bringing on new, non-Disney licenses as those contracts end and the books go back to Marvel.

Boom just seems to be suffering it's share of setbacks lately. First Mark Waid leaves to go back to freelancing, now this. Comics is a tough market, kids...not for the faint of heart.

Kozmo is right though...as Boom still has a contract in place on the main Disney characters, you're not going to see anyone come out of the company bad-mouthing Disney. Even if they didn't have a license left to their name, it's not good business. They basically had to come out and say positive things, because silence would have made them look like everything was falling apart. So I don't put much faith in this puff piece.

BTW, did anyone notice Boom announced an ongoing DuckTales book today, then quickly retracted it when this news hit? What's up with that?

Gamegeek, BOOM! seems to have done really well for itself in the relatively short time they have been in existence and are working hard on building their brand and catalog. I'm sorry, but it doesn't feel to me like they are reeling from the couple of recent changes with Pixar going to Marvel and Waid stepping down. These are normal changes in the course of this "not for the faint of heart" comics world and business seems to have continued as normal. Disney has owned Marvel for over a year now, so it seems reasonable to assume for me that BOOM! was well prepared for the loss of some of these licenses and were making plans to compensate for that. Because the quality of what they produce is so high, I am looking forward to it. Boom! Kids version 1 was awesome, so I have every reason to believe that 2.0 will be at least as good.

As for not bad-mouthing Disney, again given the quality of everything they produced (and not having inside information), I am going to assume that the relationship was a pretty smooth one. I'm sure BOOM! was disappointed to learn that Disney was acquiring Marvel because of the ramifications it would cause to their own line, but that is just business. BOOM! has a really strong base and I am certain they will soldier on and create new and more exciting comics with diverse array of their own and licensed material.

As for a DuckTales announcement, no, I missed that. The only thing I've heard regarding any new Kids books recently is that things would be announced soon when they provide more details on BOOM! Kids 2.0, so I would think they would wait until then.

[Paul Nolan]

Boom just seems to be suffering it's share of setbacks lately. First Mark Waid leaves to go back to freelancing, now this. Comics is a tough market, kids...not for the faint of heart.

I can only assume you never read any pre Waid Boom! books. They were awesome before he arrived.

BTW, did anyone notice Boom announced an ongoing DuckTales book today, then quickly retracted it when this news hit? What's up with that?

anybody would think you were starting to pick holes for picking holes sake.

The Duck Tales news was ALWAYS embargoed until today. Sadly the embargo was broken.

[Leocomix]

Boom! still has to work with Disney on their current licenses - they're not going to say anything too negative or controversial. The fact that only the Pixar were pulled would seem to indicate that somebody at Pixar was unhappy or felt that the newsstand magazine was the best way to promote those licenses. Disney's last big newsstand magazine was Disney Adventures, which had a good run, but did finally shut down because of the costs of a returnable product. There's no way Boom! was going to be able to support the additional costs of having a returnable product like a newsstand magazine.

but this is what happens when you build a business on licenses - you are always at the mercy of the actual owner. Do you think DC or Marvel is happy to see Dark Horse reprinting their John Carter books? or that Marvel is happy to see DC announce the Showcase reprint of their Doc Savage magazine material (which is really good, by the way)? Slave Labor did a very nice job with the Disney licenses that they had, but it didn't mean that they got to keep them.

Boom! is in a good position with their regular line - the licensed books are "extra" for them. But I wouldn't be surprised to see them trying to develop some of their own kid's oriented books just in case Disney decides to pull the other licenses.

Maybe that's why Marvel doesn't want to do licensed characters (though they do license novel adaptations). A company has to develop a back catalog. Some huge comics companies have disappeared because they never developed their own franchises. Dark Horse has Hellboy, B.P.R.D (actually it's creator owned) but if they lost Star Wars and Conan...