Boom! Studios has emerged as a dominant force in the indie comics scene, combining creator-owned stories with masterful treatment of licensed franchises. Everything from treasured Saturday-morning cartoon characters to cult horror characters have found a home at the company. Fans of some of these franchises have been fortunate enough to see their original creators pen continuations of their stories, offering up semi-official sequels or prequels to iconic movies and TV shows.
Boom! Studios is one of the biggest indie publishers thanks to the reputation the company has cultivated among readers, who can count on them to deliver compelling expansions to great franchises. As incredible as their creator-owned works, like Something Is Killing the Children, are, it’s the treatment of licensed franchises that helped build the company up. From horror movies to action shows, the company is a great home for even better stories.
10 Hellraiser
One of the more under-appreciated of Boom! Studios’ runs was Clive Barker’s iconic cult horror franchise Hellraiser. As Hollywood was trying to revive the franchise for the big screen, Boom! acquired the license to publish Hellraiser comics and turned in some of the best stories since the iconic second movie.
With Clive Barker himself attached to the books, readers were able to see a truer vision of the story of Pinhead, Kirsty, and Cenobites than the tacky movie sequels had allowed. The series was important not just in adding lore to the brilliant franchise but in returning a story to its original creator, who had been pushed out by movie studios in the years before.
9 King Kong
Since the 1930s, King Kong has been the poster boy of giant creature feature epics, with his original movie showcasing his rampage through Manhattan. The character has bounced around comic book publishers since, such as Dark Horse, DC, and Legendary Comics. However, he’s had his best stories under Boom! Studios.
Boom! Studios’ King Kong work began right as the Warner Bros. MonsterVerse was ramping up, with the first series releasing ahead of 2017’s Kong: Skull Island. Replete with a brilliant crossover with Planet of the Apes, it showcased everything great about Kong’s story and delivered some fantasy adventure on Skull Island.
8 RoboCop
RoboCop is one of the greatest action franchises of all time, as well as a brilliant example of satire, following the hero cop’s role in a dystopian future. The story of Alex Murphy was continued on under Boom! Studios with both a great ongoing title and a brilliant limited series by comics legend Frank Miller himself.
RoboCop: Last Stand adapted the Frank Miller screenplay for the finale of the hero, basically giving fans the sequel they never thought they’d see. Miller was the screenwriter for some of the original movies, so having him attached to the hero lent credence to Boom!’s finale for the hero and showed how the company goes the extra mile for fans.
7 Escape From New York
John Carpenter’s Escape From New York, as well as its hero, Snake Plissken, are among the greatest creations of the action genre and of Carpenter himself. In 2014, Snake got a fantastic sequel to the original movie under Christopher Sebela, which followed the fallout of him humiliating the President of the United States.
Boom! Studios’ Escape From New York 2014 series is, without a doubt, one of its greatest stories and a far better continuation of Snake’s story than its cinematic sequel, Escape From LA. When he crossed over with fellow Kurt Russell character Jack Burton, Snake’s adventures went to a great new level.
6 Big Trouble In Little China
Big Trouble In Little China is a great fantasy-action movie that follows the trucker hero Jack Burton as he gets roped into an ancient plot involving a sorcerer and demons. One of John Carpenter’s most treasured movies, it was acquired by Boom! Studios in 2014, with Carpenter himself coming on board.
Read Related Also: JUST IN: Another GOP Presidential Candidate Drops Out, Gives Endorsement
Big Trouble In Little China has been given the full comic book treatment, from team-up stories and an ongoing to an Old Man Jack series. With John Carpenter himself involved in crafting and writing the stories, the run was momentous for his fans, especially those who wanted an official continuation of Jack Burton’s story.
5 Firefly
Firefly has steadily gained momentum as a cult sci-fi franchise since the original TV series was canceled. The story of the Serenity crew has been continued on through Dark Horse, but it was Boom! Studios that created an entire comic book universe from it, capitalizing on the fandom’s nostalgia.
The Boom! Firefly series has expanded on the world of Joss Whedon’s series through both sequels and prequels, with hit writer Greg Pak attached to the stories. The company has breathed new life into the franchise and made a cinematic or TV continuation more viable than ever.
4 Dune
Dune was acquired by Boom! Studios ahead of the release of the 2021 movie, with its first stories releasing in 2020, such as the House Atreides series. Rather than being cinematic tie-ins, these comics are more directly based on Frank Herbert’s original novel, serving as a prequel to the main story’s events.
Boom! Studios’ Dune series are important not just in expanding the lore and world-building of the original story but also because they’re co-written by Herbert’s own son, Brian Herbert. The company’s acquisition of the license to Dune was perfectly timed, offering fans of Denis Villeneuve’s movies an entry point to the story in print.
3 Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Angel
Buffy the Vampire Slayer became a massive pop culture phenomenon when it was released in the 1990s, following the teenage monster hunter who balances high school with saving the world. After a continuation under Dark Horse, Boom! Studios acquired the franchise for a modern reimagining.
Boom! Studios’ Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a modern reboot for the franchise that perfectly honors the original series while expanding the slayer lore. Characters like Faith and Angel have had their stories revisited, and the publisher reminded readers how timeless the tale of Buffy Summers is.
2 Planet Of The Apes
Planet of the Apes has been a fixture of science fiction since the original 1968 movie was released, following the astronaut Taylor’s clash with the ape civilization on what he later learned was a future Earth. The company acquired the license around the release of the 2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Planet of the Apes has been one of the biggest Boom! Studios titles, ranging from movie tie-ins and prequels to crossovers, with franchises like Green Lantern and King Kong. The main 2011 ongoing series is one of the company’s best titles, especially for fans who want to see some world-building for the world.
1 Power Rangers
The Power Rangers has been a treasured franchise since the 1990s, following the martial arts-themed adventures of the colorful heroes against their powerful enemies. For fans who want to see plot threads from the original series wrapped up and the characters’ stories continued, the 2016 ongoing title is perfect.
Boom! Studios’ Mighty Morphin Power Rangers has enjoyed both hugely successful solo ongoing comics and some entertaining crossover stories. In fact, of the company’s licensed series, the Power Rangers has been their most successful property, with some excellent crossovers thrown in.
