Michael W. Conrad + John J. Pearson cultivate ‘In Bloom’ at BOOM! Studios

The science fiction series about blooming organisms in the human body kicks off in December.

BOOM! Studios has announced the body invasion sci-fi comic In Bloom by Tremor Dose writer Michael W. Conrad and The Infernals artist John J. Pearson.

The comic is not, as I first assumed, about Nirvana or their 1991 hit song. It’s actually based in the science that “43% of the cells within a healthy human body belong to something other than the human host,” which is bit frightening to think about.

“Years ago I came across an article about the human microbiome and it has haunted me ever since,” Conrad said. “Like most people, I want to understand who I am, and the knowledge that much of who we are is not native to our body has been a real mindbender for me. In Bloom is an exploration of that fear, and imagines a world wherein we can no longer ignore that we are a host to a variety of organisms. The things within us awakened, The Bloom is upon us.”

Continue reading “Michael W. Conrad + John J. Pearson cultivate ‘In Bloom’ at BOOM! Studios”

Aabria Iyengar + Mari Costa team up for the magical coming-of-age story ‘The Fade’

The new miniseries from BOOM! Studios begins in November.

Professional TTRPG gamemaster and podcaster Aabria Iyengar is teaming with Belle of the Ball artist Mari Costa for a new miniseries coming from BOOM! Studios’ BOOM! Box imprint. The Fade is about a college freshman in a world where people can pass over into a fantasy realm called The Fade while they sleep.

The Fade is my love letter to everyone that dreams of who they might be in a wilder, more fantastical world as a way of figuring out who they want to be in this one,” said Iyengar. “The dream is the first step. Keep going!”

Iyengar has made a name as not only a professional gamemaster for tabletop role-playing games, but overall as a great storyteller and improv talent. She is the gamemaster for the webseries Dimension 20: Misfits & Magic, which returns for a second season later this month. Costa is the artist of graphic novels like Belle of the Ball from First Second and the Demon of Beausoleil, and also the author of the forthcoming novel Shoestring Theory.

Continue reading “Aabria Iyengar + Mari Costa team up for the magical coming-of-age story ‘The Fade’”

BOOM! Studios will launch a new Power Rangers title this fall

‘Power Rangers Prime’ by Melissa Flores and Michael Yg will debut in November.

BOOM! Studios’ Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series ended in July, but it won’t be gone for long — Power Rangers Prime by Power Rangers TV producer Melissa Flores and Iron Fist artist Michael Yg will debut in November.

The new title is a reboot of the property, according to Flores, who wrote the end to the previous incarnation of the team. The new book will feature designs by Absolute Power artist Dan Mora.

“With Power Rangers Prime, we’re bringing the comics into a reimagined world,” Flores said. “Familiar characters and settings will pop up in unexpected ways, but this is an all-new adventure – a crazy journey I can’t wait to share with you that beats with the heart of what it means to be a Power Ranger.”

Continue reading “BOOM! Studios will launch a new Power Rangers title this fall”

SDCC | BOOM! recruits actual Power Rangers to work on a Power Rangers anthology

David Yost, Walter Jones, Steve Cardenas and more will contribute stories about the Power Rangers they’ve played on screen.

BOOM! Studios will release an anthology of Power Rangers stories written by former Power Rangers in October.

Power Rangers: Across the Morphin Grid will feature stories written by David Yost, Walter Jones, Steve Cardenas, Mat Groom, Nakia Burrise, JD Sutphin and Meghan Camerana, with art by Paulina Ganucheau, Tango, Patrick Mulholland, Domo Stanton, Anand Ramcheron and more.

“I’m so excited that BOOM! Studios is expanding the Morphin Grid Anthology, and it looks like I’m next on the list! I’ve had the great privilege in the past to briefly work with BOOM! about Rocky and his background. But now to have the opportunity to create and collab and tell my own story is just a dream come true for me,” said Cardenas, who played Rocky DeSantos, the second Red Ranger on Mighty Moprhin Power Rangers. “I hope you enjoy what Mat and I came up with as a part of this new chapter!”

Continue reading “SDCC | BOOM! recruits actual Power Rangers to work on a Power Rangers anthology”

SDCC | Ryan Parrott + Eleonora Carlini bring ‘Vicarious’ to BOOM!

The new series will debut in October.

BOOM! Studios’ Road to SDCC continues with the announcement of Vicarious by Ryan Parrott and Eleonora Carlini, both of whom have worked on BOOM!’s Power Rangers titles.

Vicarious is about a 20-something who, through technological implants, allows rich old people to experience the world through his eyes.

“There are some ideas that get stuck in your head and you just keep coming back to them over and over again,” Parrott said. “What would it be like to be able to see through someone else’s eyes and feel what they feel? How would that kind of technology change the world? Who would use it, who wouldn’t and why? It was just a notion when I first pitched it to BOOM! Studios, but with their guidance and Eleonora Carlini’s amazing artwork, Vicarious has turned into a sexy, futuristic neo noir that deals with identity, duality and the value of our lives and experiences.”

Continue reading “SDCC | Ryan Parrott + Eleonora Carlini bring ‘Vicarious’ to BOOM!”

SDCC | Brian Azzarello + Vanesa Del Rey bring ‘The Creeping Below’ to BOOM!

The black metal revenge tale begins in October.

With the San Diego Comic Con on the horizon, BOOM! Studios continues to roll out announcements on their “Road to SDCC.” Yesterday brought a big one, as they announced a new revenge story by Brian Azzarello, Vanesa Del Rey and Hilary Jenkins called The Creeping Below.

BOOM! says the new series will be filled with “black metal, magic and Norse mythology,” as a woman killed at a black metal festival in Norway gets a second chance at life.

Continue reading “SDCC | Brian Azzarello + Vanesa Del Rey bring ‘The Creeping Below’ to BOOM!”

Random House Publishing Group is acquiring BOOM! Studios

The deal is expected to close this summer.

Penguin Random House has announced plans for its Random House Publishing Group divison to acquire BOOM! Studios, the publisher of BRZRKR, Something is Killing the Children, Power Rangers comics and many more titles over the course of its almost 20-year history.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but PRH expects to close the sale this summer.

BOOM! will join the Random House Worlds portfolio of imprints, which includes genre piublisher Del Rey, manga publisher Inklore and more. According to the press release, BOOM! will retain their editorial and publishing independence as they report into Scott Shannon, President of Random House Worlds.

“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.”

As to who will run things on the BOOM! side, that remains to be seen, as founder Ross Richie is leaving and Filip Sablik, their president of publishing, recently left.

Continue reading “Random House Publishing Group is acquiring BOOM! Studios”

Slugfest | BOOM! announces a second ‘I Heart Skull-Crusher!’ arc

Today’s round-up includes news on SDCC, Power Rangers, Something is Killing the Children, Groo, Venom War and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. With the San Diego Comic Con rapidly approaching, you’ll probably see more of these over the next few weeks. Hit the links for more information.

As a part of their annual “Road to SDCC” announcements, BOOM! Studios has revealed that Josie Campbell and Alessio Zonno’s I Heart Skull-Crusher! will continue in October.

The BOOM! Box series was announced late last year and began in March as a miniseries, but it looks like it has grown into something more.

“Josie Campbell and Alessio Zonno have even more action-packed, hilarious hijinks in store for us,” said BOOM! Studios Editor Elizabeth Brei. “The new arc is funny, chaotic and shockingly touching, just as you’d expect from Trini and the rest of her Screaming Pain Ball teammates! We’re so excited for readers to discover the surprises still to come!”

Continue reading “Slugfest | BOOM! announces a second ‘I Heart Skull-Crusher!’ arc”

The Power Rangers will meet Usagi Yojimbo in a one-shot this fall

Ryan Parrott, Shawn Daley and James Fenner send the Power Rangers back in time to meet Stan Sakai’s samurai rabbit.

Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo will receive some visitors from the future in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Usagi Yojimbo, a one-shot coming from BOOM! Studios and Dark Horse Comics in September.

The time-displaced tale will be told by writer Ryan Parrott, artist Shawn Daley and colorist James Fenner.

“I think one of the most exciting elements of comics is the unexpected crossover, so when BOOM! Studios asked me if I was interested in pairing the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers with Usagi Yojimbo, I didn’t hesitate,” said Parrott, a veteran of the Power Rangers franchise. “I’ve been a fan of Stan Sakai’s work and the epic story he’s been telling my whole life, so it was a true honor to get to step into that world and play with those characters. Plus, the moment I saw Shawn Daley’s artwork, I knew this had the potential to be an insanely fun, one of a kind ride that hopefully both Ranger and Samurai fans will enjoy.” 

Although it doesn’t appear that Sakai is involved with creating the comic (except for a variant cover), he did endorse it in the press release:

“I’m really excited with Usagi’s crossover with the Power Rangers,” Sakai said. “This is the first time Usagi has teamed up with real superheroes (that do not have shells)!  It’s a great story with fantastic art!”

Continue reading “The Power Rangers will meet Usagi Yojimbo in a one-shot this fall”

Jeff Lemire conjures ‘Minor Arcana’ at BOOM! Studios

The new series will be written, drawn and colored by Lemire, and it launches in September.

Jeff Lemire has revealed his new project with BOOM! Studios that was teased back in April — Minor Arcana, an ongoing series that he will write, illustrate and color.

The series is about the daughter of a small-town “psychic” who returns to town to take care of her ailing mother — only to discover that unlike mom, she may have actual psychic powers.

“If Black Hammer was my love letter to the superhero comics I grew up reading then Minor Arcana is my love letter to the classic Vertigo comics of my teenaged years, but all filtered through my own style,” Lemire said in his newsletter. “I really want to get back to doing a true ongoing series that focuses on the importance of single issues again.”

Continue reading “Jeff Lemire conjures ‘Minor Arcana’ at BOOM! Studios”

Slugfest | BOOM! celebrates 25 years of ‘Farscape’

Plus: ‘Life,’ ‘Remote Space,’ Fantagraphics’ fall schedule, Minecraft, Dog Man and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

Farscape, the Australian-American science fiction television series created by Rockne O’Bannon and the Jim Henson Company that ran on SciFi, will return to comics in August courtesy of BOOM! Studios, who published the previous Farscape series.

The 25th anniversary special one-shot will be the first Farscape comic published since 2010, and it’ll feature stories by  Keith R.A. DeCandido, who wrote many of BOOM!’s previous Farscape comics, along with Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly, Sarah Gailey, Sina Grace and more.

Continue reading “Slugfest | BOOM! celebrates 25 years of ‘Farscape’”

Stephanie Phillips + Goran Sudzuka team for the crime thriller ‘Red Before Black’

The new series from BOOM! Studios begins in August.

Stephanie Phillips and Goran Sudzuka are headed down south to Florida — where you can beat the heat if you beat the charges too — for a new series from BOOM! Studios. Red Before Black “is a violent, hyper kinetic, women-led Florida crime thriller”that begins in August.

“For me, Florida is like that relative that you make fun of but become defensive about the minute you hear someone else making fun of them. I grew up there…I’ve been chased by water moccasins, had to call someone about alligator removals, thrown more than one hurricane party, and dressed like a pirate for the annual invasion of Tampa’s bay,” Phillips said. “There is truly no better place I could think of to set Red Before Black–a weird crime story with an even weirder setting. Val and Leo might be our main characters, but Florida is ever present and Goran truly draws the s*** outta this curious place that will forever feel like home for me, no matter where I live.”

Continue reading “Stephanie Phillips + Goran Sudzuka team for the crime thriller ‘Red Before Black’”