BOOM! Studios Road to SDCC Announcements #1-5

Cornelia Tzana ‘17 / Emertainment Monthly Assistant Comic Books Editor

Award-winning publisher BOOM! Studios has reached its 10th birthday and will be unveiling 10 announcements in the days leading up to Comic-Con International in San Diego, California. “Comic-Con is always one of the highlights of our convention schedule, and every year we look forward to sharing some cool news about upcoming titles with our fans,” said BOOM! Studios Marketing Manager Mel Caylo. “Last year, we couldn’t hold out until Comic-Con with announcements that included new projects with J.G. Jones and Mark Waid, Justin Jordan, Grant Morrison, and others. This year, we couldn’t contain ourselves again!”

Emertainment Monthly has brought you the first five announcements from BOOM! Studios.

#1 Michael Keaton to Star in and Produce ‘Imagine Agents’ at Fox

Michael Keaton (Birdman, Batman) will be starring in and producing a film adaptation at 20th Century Fox of the comic series Imagine Agents, created by Brian Joines. Imagine Agents follows the story of two agents who work for  I.M.A.G.I.N.E. an organization to keep kids’ imaginary friends under control. Little do they know that an abandoned “friend” from long ago is about to disrupt the status quo and turn everything upside down. The series is written by Joines (Krampus) and illustrated by Bachan (Rocket Salvage) and was published from October 2013 to January 2014, with a collected edition released in December 2014.

“Imagine Agents has been the most rewarding project I’ve worked on and the fact it’s going to be a movie with Michael Keaton, whose work had a huge impact on my teenaged years and indirectly played a role in my decision to become a writer, is just a mind-blowing continuation of that reward,” said Joines.

BOOM! Studios Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ross Richie will produce the film with Keaton and Anonymous Content’s Michael Sugar. President of Development Stephen Christy will executive produce with Anonymous Content’s Eli Selden. Senior Vice President of Film Adam Yoelin will co-produce in cooperation with Anonymous Content’s Ashley Zalta.

Take a look at the full press release here.

#2 SIERRA HAHN JOINS BOOM! STUDIOS AS NEW SENIOR EDITOR

Sierra Hahn will be joining BOOM! Studios as Senior Editor, starting in July. Hahn will oversee and develop several of the company’s upcoming original series, licensed comics, and original graphic novels and will also assist in seeking out new projects to develop into comics.

Hahn had worked for eight years as an Editor at Dark Horse Comics with projects like Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Joss Whedon, the Eisner Award-winning Green River Killer: A True Detective Story by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case, and the forthcoming Two Brothers by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá under her belt. Ashe has also worked with an impressive list of creators in comics including Neil Gaiman, Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Guillermo del Toro, Gerard Way, and Brian Wood.

“Sierra not only brings with her years of expertise as an editor, but also the respect and admiration of some of the industry’s greatest creators,” said Gagnon. “Sierra is a phenomenal addition to our team who will make an impact on day one. […] One of our core missions at BOOM! is to help build a better, healthier industry for everybody who loves comics; Sierra not only shares that sensibility, she’s an important part of helping all of us move closer to our goals.”

“With titles like Lumberjanes, Bee and Puppycat, Giant Days, The Fiction, and the upcoming Strange Fruit, BOOM! Studios consistently delivers fun, edgy, and unexpected books,” said Hahn. “Their growing backlist brings a wide range of exceptional talent to readers of all ages and tastes, but their monthly titles for kids and young adult readers are especially compelling for me. I’m honored to be part of this innovative, tight-knit publishing house.

Take a look at the full press release here.

#3 James Tynion IV and Eryk Donovan Reunite and Reimagine the End of the World in ‘Cognetic’

As part of its road towards San Diego Comic-Con, BOOM! Studios announced that James Tynion IV (The Woods, Batman Eternal) and Eryk Donovan (The House in the Wall), the creators behind the award-nominated Memetic, will be uniting their forces once again for a new apocalyptic tale in the three-issue event Cognetic.

In Cognetic, Tynion and Donovan explore the fundamental human desire for control and how absolute power can topple civilization. Every human believes they are a self-reliant, self-determined individual, each set on their own course. They’ve built civilizations, they’ve built culture, they’ve built lives…but what if that isn’t the right track? What if there is a singular mind ready to take back control and finally right the destiny of mankind and build a better tomorrow?

Cognetic is the story of a powerful psychic being that once controlled one-third of the world’s population as a part of its hivemind, and his return to humanity in modern-day New York City. It’s a psychic action thriller, precariously positioned on the edge of outright apocalypse. It’s also the story of a young woman, the assistant to the director of the FBI, who might be the only one who can save humanity, but at a terrible, terrible cost.

Make sure to check out James Tynion’s interview with Newsarama.

Cognetic #1 (of 3) contains an oversized 48 pages of story and will hit the shelves this October.

#4 Believe in Steven with First Original Graphic Novel ‘Steven Universe: Too Cool for School’

KaBOOM!, an award-winning imprint of BOOM! Studios, and Cartoon Network Enterprises, the licensing and merchandising arm of the network, have announced the first Steven Universe original graphic novel Steven Universe: Too Cool for School.

The creative team of Steven Universe animated series Supervising Director Ian Jones-Quarterly, writer Jeremy Sorese and artist Coleman Engle explore what happens when Steven joins Connie at school.

Steven Universe: Too Cool for School original graphic novel has a cover by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell and will arrive in comic shops this December. Further details will be available closer to the release date.

#5 BOOM!’s Grant Morrison Project Revealed: ‘Klaus’

Grant Morrison (The Multiversity, Joe the Barbarian, We3, Action Comics, too many to name!) and BOOM! Studios are collaborating on a new project, an announcement that was made a year ago. Now, as part of the ramp-up to San Diego Comic-Con, the publisher has finally released more details about that project!

Klaus is an all-ages fantasy epic starring one of the most well-known figures in the world, that has been re-created for an audience raised on superheroes like Batman, Thor, and Iron Man. This is the story of how Santa Claus really began, drawing on his wilder roots in Viking lore and Siberian shamanism: What was he like when he was young? Why does he do what he does? And what happens when he faces his greatest challenge?
Klaus will feature interior art and main covers by Dan Mora (Hexed) and is set to debut in November.

Look out for announcements # 6-10 in the following week on Emertainment Monthly!