Tagged: DDP

Over the last few days, there have been reports that Archaia Studios Press was being acquired by Devil’s Due Publishing. Not so, according to an official statement from Mark Smylie, Archaia’s founder. The company will be acquired by Kunoichi, Inc., instead.

Says Smylie, "We’re in the process of being acquired by Kunoichi, Inc., a creative services company based in Chicago that was co-founded and co-run by [DDP President] Josh Blaylock until he exited the company to focus solely on Devil’s Due."

This would explain some of the confusion, as Kunoichi maintains a close relationship with Devil’s Due. Kunoichi has been referred to as DDP’s "sister company." Further, Devil’s Due CEO P.J. Bickett owns Kunoichi as well.

Kunoichi exists to creating new materials for existing properties under contract to companies such as Marvel, Hasbro, and Rockstar Games. They have not, until now, been a publishing concern.

Bickett felt compelled to clarify matters by releasing a statement of his own: “Normally, Devil’s Due Publishing would not comment on unattributed rumors. But, due to the amount of queries we have received about this, we want to set the record straight.

“While DDP and Archaia Studios Press had some initial exploratory conversations, DDP is not acquiring ASP. We are continuing to have conversations with Archaia about the possibilities of working together in some capacity, as we are with many other publishers both big and small.”

Smylie’s statement goes on to say: “While we had some initial conversations with DDP directly, it will actually be Kunoichi that is acquiring us. Further cause for confusion may stem from the fact that we are still in separate talks with DDP about working together on a few opportunities once the Kunoichi acquisition is completed, including a potential publishing partnership of which we are one of several players in the fold. There’ll be more on all of that soon, I hope.
 

(more…)

Well, here’s one that has me excited.

Toys based on Jeffrey Brown’s popular Top Shelf comic, The Incredible Change-Bots, as well as Devil’s Due Publishing’s Xombie: Reanimated, were among several products highlighted in a recent announcement of DDP’s new line of pop culture toys, Devil’s Due Pop.

From the official press release:

This March, comic book icons bounce out of the pages of Devil’s Due and into a new line of action packed life accessories called DEVIL’S DUE POP. Beginning with a package of classically retro Golden Age Sheena: Queen of the Jungle stickers, DEVIL’S DUE POP will include an array vinyl toys, personal journals, and usable artwork based on the properties that have made Devil’s Due Publishing one of the ten largest comic book publishers in the U.S.

The Sheena stickers will be followed by products themed around DDP’s licensed horror series, Halloween: Nightdance, and an original "Shawnimals" plush.

The publisher is saving the best for last, though, with the June release of an original vinyl figure based on the main character of one of my favorite under-the-radar titles, Xombie: Reanimated. The print series is a continuation of the animated online series Xombie, created by James Farr, who also writes the DDP title.

DDP also provided a look at the first in a potential line of toys based on Jeffrey Brown’s Incredible Change-Bots, a comic he created for the publisher Top Shelf. The series is a parody of the various transforming robot cartoons, comics and toys many comic readers are familiar with. The first character to get the toy treatment will be Balls, a robot who transforms into a golf cart.

Images from the upcoming line are posted after the jump.

(more…)