Dynamite Entertainment is an

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at

Mount Laurel, New Jersey Mount Laurel is a township in Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia and part of the South Jersey region. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 41,864, reflecting an increase of 1 ...

. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptations of franchises from other media. These include licensed adaptations of film properties such as ''

Army of Darkness ''Army of Darkness'' is a 1992 American comedy horror film directed, co-written and co-edited by Sam Raimi, co-produced by Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell and co-written by Ivan Raimi. Starring Campbell and Embeth Davidtz, it is the third in ...

'', '' Terminator,'' and ''

RoboCop ''RoboCop'' is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, and Miguel Fer ...

'', and licensed or

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired ...

literary properties such as Zorro,

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taki ...

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

, ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

'',

Red Sonja Red Sonja is a fictional sword and sorcery comic-book superheroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino. Marvel Comics p ...

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

(as ''Lord of the Jungle'') and John Carter of Mars (as ''Warlord of Mars''). It also publishes

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

books such as ''

Project Superpowers ''Project Superpowers'' is a comic book limited series published by Dynamite Entertainment beginning January 2008. It was co-plotted by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross, with scripts by Jim Krueger, covers by Alex Ross, and interior art by Doug Klauba an ...

''. Creators who have produced Dynamite's books include

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wit ...

, John Cassaday, Matt Wagner, Garth Ennis, Howard Chaykin and Frank Miller. Dynamic Forces, a distribution of Dynamite's comics and books, announced a partnership with Diamond Distribution in 2008, when Diamond had the rights to publishing the international versions of books made by Dynamite Entertainment. In February 2007, Dynamite Entertainment bought the brand and rights of following editions of ''The Boys'' after an abrupt cancellation of the

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

WildStorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wild ...

imprint. In July 2019, Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios launched an adapted television series of ''The Boys'' for

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

after a brand licensing agreement was granted by Dynamite.

History

Dynamite Entertainment was founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004, first producing two ''

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

published through Devil's Due Publishing until self-publishing its titles later that year. After devoting itself to publishing only ''Army of Darkness'', a year later Dynamite published ''Red Sonja'', starting with a 25-cent issue #0. It sold 240,000 copies. Issue #1 of ''

'', the first to sell at the full cover price of $2.99, sold 100,000 in initial orders, securing a stable position in the American comic book industry. By 2009, Dynamite was publishing 14–20 comic books and 2–10 collections per month.

Dynamite Publishing

Dynamite Entertainment focuses primarily on comic book adaptations of existing properties, with most of its original properties being new interpretations of the classic monsters

, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde,

Frankenstein's Monster Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compar ...

and the Wolfman. The company holds or has held the rights to publish titles based on

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

s (''

'', ''

Darkman ''Darkman'' is a 1990 American superhero film directed and co-written by Sam Raimi. Based on a short story Raimi wrote that paid homage to Universal's horror films of the 1930s, the film stars Liam Neeson as scientist Peyton Westlake, who i ...

'', ''

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' ( it, Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, literally "The good, the ugly, the bad") is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Clee ...

'', ''

'', and ''

Highlander Highlander may refer to: Regional cultures * Gorals (lit. ''Highlanders''), a culture in southern Poland and northern Slovakia * Hill people, who live in hills and mountains * Merina people, an ethnic group from the central plateau of Madagasca ...

''),

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

('' Xena: Warrior Princess'') and literature (''

'', ''

'' and '' Zorro''). It also has a license based on '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'', '' Terminator: Infinity'' and the sequel ''Terminator: Revolution'' produced by the writer Simon Furman. Other properties include Buck Rogers. Two additional crossovers have been released through other companies. One, titled ''Monster War'' released through

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-o ...

in 2005, pitted its monsters against Top Cow published characters Witchblade, the Darkness, Magdalena and ''

Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', also known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, ...

''. The other was a 2006 crossover between DC Comics'

Claw the Unconquered Claw is a sword and sorcery superhero in comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Claw the Unconquered'' #1 (June 1975), in which he was created by writer David Michelinie and designed by artist Ernie Chan. Similar in many ways ...

and

via WildStorm Productions. In 2007, Dynamite took over the publication of Garth Ennis' '' The Boys'' after it was dropped by WildStorm. In 2009 Dynamite announced it would publish new comics featuring Lee Falk's '' The Phantom''. In 2010, Dynamite began publishing comic books based on

The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of med ...

, beginning with a miniseries written by Kevin Smith and followed by ''Green Hornet: Year One'', which was written by Matt Wagner, and another written by Brett Matthews.Brady, Matt
"Dynamite Lands 'Green Hornet' Comic Book License"
Newsarama. March 31, 2009 In May 2010, Dynamite Entertainment acquired Chaos! Comics' library and all associated assets (with the exception of

Lady Death Lady Death is a fictional goddess appearing in American comic books published by Coffin Comics. Created by Brian Pulido, Lady Death first appeared in ''Evil Ernie'' #1 in December 1991. Lady Death then reappeared in the ''Evil Ernie: The Resur ...

). These include the publishing labels Black Label Graphics, Infinity Comics and the properties Evil Ernie, Smiley The Psychotic Button,

Chastity Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains either from sexual activity considered immoral or any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for example when ma ...

, Purgatori, Jade, Omen, Bad Kitty, Cremator,

Lady Demon Lady Demon is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Chaos! Comics. Her first appearance was in ''Lady Death: Between Heaven and Hell'' #3. Lady Demon is Lady Death's much darker and evolved form. Fictional character biog ...

and many more. In October 2013, Dynamite announced it would relaunch several titles originally published by Gold Key Comics and that '' Magnus: Robot Fighter'', '' The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor'', '' Solar: Man of the Atom'' and '' Turok'' would be the first titles of the new line. In July 2016, prior to

Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' ran a story about Dynamite Entertainment. In it, author Andy Mangels was revealed to be writing a prestigious new intercompany crossover mini-series for the company, in conjunction with DC Comics: ''Wonder Woman '77 Meets the Bionic Woman'', bringing together the

Lynda Carter Lynda Jean Cordova Carter (born July 24, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss World USA 1972 and finished in the top 15 at the Miss World 1972 pageant. Carter is best known as the star of t ...

television character with Lindsay Wagner's fellow 1970s television super-heroine. The series was released in the fall of 2016.

Titles

Dynamite Entertainment has published a wide range of comic book titles, including multiple series based on ''

'', Bettie Page,

Doc Savage Doc Savage is a fictional character of the competent man hero type, who first appeared in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. Real name Clark Savage Jr., he is a doctor, scientist, adventurer, detective, and polymath who "rights w ...

, ''Elvira'',

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established '' Buck Rogers'' adv ...

Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of medi ...

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...

, and Vampirella, among others.

Notes

References

External links

* * *Manning, Shau
"Dynamite Celebrates Five Years"

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

. April 16, 2009 {{Authority control 2005 establishments in New Jersey American companies established in 2005 Publishing companies established in 2005 Comic book publishing companies of the United States Publishers of adult comics Book publishing companies based in New Jersey Mount Laurel, New Jersey Companies based in Burlington County, New Jersey