A large percentage of the top-performing entertainment/character properties in recent years come from the comic universe, most prominently from the two industry titans, Disney-owned Marvel and Warner Bros.-owned DC Comics.
Other comic book publishers also are involved in outbound licensing. Their activity, which has long been a fact of life but seems to be on the rise of late, takes several forms:
- Making their own IP available for licensing. Zenescope Entertainment licensed Phicen for a line of collectible figures of characters from its series including Van Helsing and Wonderland, while IDW granted Trau & Loevner the rights for Zombies vs. Robot apparel and Fright Rags the rights for 30 Days of Night apparel. Archie Comics has done collaborations with the likes of MAC Cosmetics and Mark Ecko.
- Providing third-party licensing representation. VIZ Media recently became the master merchandise licensee for the manga/anime properties Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and Terra Formars in North America, along with securing publishing and anime distribution rights. It plans to sign external licensees for many categories.
- Expanding internal merchandise production and marketing capabilities for properties they own and license in. Dynamite Entertainment is expanding its roster of toys and games, including a line of statues under The Woman of Dynamite brand, including females from the Vampirella, Chaos!, Red Sonja and other franchises.
- Bringing their properties into the world of entertainment. IDW recently announced that it is working with USA Network and SyFy for adaptations of Brooklyn Animal Control and Wynonna Earp, respectively.
- Offering comic art for licensed products from fellow licensees. BOOM! Studios has lent some of the imagery from its Cartoon Network-licensed Adventure Time comics to posters from licensee Mondo Tees, some of which were subsequently reproduced in a book from Abrams.
Meanwhile, the big players are occasionally turning to their publishing roots for merchandising possibilities not tied to tentpole films. Earlier this year, Disney and Marvel introduced a licensing program, with manufacturers including Mad Engine, Bioworld, and Funko, tied to Marvel’s Secret Wars publishing arc, which reimagines the Marvel Universe. And back in 2013 Warner Bros., DC, and Target experimented with a line of exclusive merchandise based on a contemporary relaunch of the Justice League comic franchise.
Publishing-inspired ventures such as these do not rival the size of the big comic-based movie programs; some do not find success at all. But they have the potential to offer something new to the publishers’ most avid fans, and possibly pique the interest of the general public as well.
Comments are closed.