 | This articlecontainspromotional content. Please helpimprove it by removingpromotional language and inappropriateexternal links, and by adding encyclopedic text written from aneutral point of view.(January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 Official logo used since 2025. | |
| Parent company | Idea and Design Works, LLC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999; 26 years ago (1999) |
| Founder |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | San Diego,California |
| Distribution |
|
| Publication types | Comics |
| Fiction genres | |
| Imprints |
|
| Owners | IDW Media Holdings, Inc. |
| Official website | www |
IDW Publishing is an American publisher ofcomic books,graphic novels,art books, andcomic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division ofIdea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largestcomic book publisher in theUnited States, behindMarvel,DC,Dark Horse, andImage Comics, ahead of other comic book publishers such asArchie,Boom!,Dynamite,Valiant, andOni Press.[2] The company is known for its licensed comic book adaptations of films, television shows, video games, andcartoons.
Idea and Design Works (IDW) was formed in 1999 by a group of comic book managers and artists (Ted Adams, Robbie Robbins, Alex Garner, andKris Oprisko) that first met while working atWildstorm Productions.[3] Each of the four was equal partners, owning 25%.[citation needed] When Jim Lee sold Wildstorm toDC Comics in 1999, Lee turned that company's creative service department, previously run by Adams, over to IDW, allowing IDW to be profitable in its first year. With these profits, the firm decided to fund a new venture every year.[3]
In 2000, IDW developed a TV show concept, getting as far as a pilot episode. For the 2001's project, Adams's Ashley Wood talked to them about publishing an art book, thus starting up IDW Publishing.Una Fanta was published in March 2002. Woods hadSteve Niles send Adams some of his rejected screenplays. Adams selected one,30 Days of Night, and paired him with artist Ben Templesmith for a comic adaptation as a three-issue series, beginning in August 2002. With low pre-orders, Adams personally pushed the comic with the distributor and major comic book stores. Soon the title's back issues were hot and were followed up with Wood'sPopbot.[4]
In 2007,IDT Corporation purchased a 53% majority interest in IDW from the company's founders, removing Garner & Oprisko, while reducing Adams & Robbins to minority owners collectively at 47%. Then, in 2009, IDT proceeded to increase its interest to the current 76%, reducing Adams & Robbins's interest once again to the current 24%. Then, shortly afterwards, IDT created CTM Media Holdings via a tax-free spin-off. This new company consisted of the majority interest in IDW and CTM Media Group.[5] Eight years later, on April 3, 2015, CTM Media Holdings announced it would continue operations under a new name, becoming IDW Media Holdings, which would continue to consist of the majority interest in IDW and CTM Media Group.[6]
The company's first traditional comic series,30 Days of Night, created bySteve Niles andBen Templesmith started a seven-figure bidding war betweenDreamWorks,MGM, andSenator International, with Senator winning andSam Raimi attached to produce.[7][8]
IDW Publishing's second title,Popbot, won two GoldSpectrum Awards.[9]
IDW Publishing also publishes comics based on the TV franchisesStar Trek andCSI. The company's other licensed comics includeTopps'Mars Attacks,Sony'sUnderworld,FX'sThe Shield,Fox's24[10] andAngel;Universal’sLand of the Dead andShaun of the Dead; andKonami’sSilent Hill,[11]Castlevania,Metal Gear Solid, andSpeed Racer. The company has also had success with comic license from toy companyHasbro brands:The Transformers (withTakara),G.I. Joe,My Little Pony, andJem. Transformers has had as many as five different titles running concurrently.
Beginning in 2008, the company licensed theDoctor Who series from the BBC, launching two concurrent titles:Doctor Who Classics, which reprints colorizedcomic strips featuring the past Doctors such as theFourth Doctor andFifth Doctor originally published in the late 1970s-early 1980s byDoctor Who Magazine, andDoctor Who: Agent Provocateur, an original six-partlimited series featuring theTenth Doctor and overseen and written byTV series script editorGary Russell. An additional six-part limited series titledDoctor Who: The Forgotten started in mid-2008 byTony Lee andPia Guerra,[12][13] as well as a series of monthlyone-shot, self-contained stories. July 2009 saw the beginning ofDoctor Who, an ongoing series featuring theTenth Doctor, written byTony Lee and illustrated by a rotating art team.[14]
IDW Publishing acquired theG.I. Joe comics license in May 2008 (previously held byDevil's Due Publishing) and released three new series under editorAndy Schmidt,[15] from writers such asChuck Dixon,Larry Hama, andChristos Gage. Other comics were released in time to tie-in with thesummer 2009G.I. Joe film.[16][17]
In March 2009, IDW Publishing forged an agreement with Mike Gold'sComicmix.com to publish print versions of Comicmix's online comic books. The agreement stipulates Comicmix must provide two comic books a month to IDW Publishing to publish, as well as graphic novels and trade paperbacks as demanded by the market. The books are published with both the IDW Publishing and Comicmix.com logos on the covers. As of the end of 2009, the agreement has produced print versions of theGrimjack seriesThe Manx Cat; theJon Sable seriesAshes of Eden;Mark Wheatley andRobert Tinnell's pulp hero seriesLone Justice; the graphic novelDemons of Sherwood by Tinnell andBo Hampton; and a graphic novel collectingTrevor Von Eeden'sThe Original Johnson. A collection ofMunden's Bar stories original to Comicmix's website is also forthcoming.[18]
In 2004, 2005, and 2006 IDW Publishing was named Publisher of the Year byDiamond Comic Distributors.[19]
In 2010, IDW Publishing released the sequel to Michael San Giacomo's "Phantom Jack" Image Comics series with "Phantom Jack: The Nowhere Man Agenda." The graphic novel is notable because it features the death of the main character, a reporter who can turn invisible.[citation needed]
IDW Publishing formed an imprint withEA Games in late 2009, called EA Comics, to focus on adaptations of the latter's video games, with initial titles includingArmy of Two andDragon Age.[20]
In January 2011, IDW Publishing announced a newDungeons & Dragons comic series, under license fromHasbro andWizards of the Coast. Set in theD&D4th Edition core setting, the new ongoing seriesDungeons & Dragons (Fell's Five) ran for 16 issues. Several mini-series were also published includingThe Legend of Drizzt: Neverwinter Tales written byR.A. Salvatore.[21] Since 2014, five five-issue mini-series have been published in the D&D5th Edition core setting.[22] A sixth five-issue mini-series,Infernal Tide, is set to be published in November 2019.[23]
In April 2011, IDW Publishing acquired the license to publish new collections of olderTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics, as well asa new ongoing series beginning in August of that year.[24] In August 2017 issue #73 of the main ongoing series was published, making it the longest running comic series in the franchise's history.[25]
September 6, 2011, for the 10th anniversary of9/11, IDW Publishing teamed up Charlie Foxtrot Entertainment and released the graphic novelCode Word: Geronimo, written by retired Marine Corps CaptainDale Dye and Julia Dye, drawn byGerry Kissell with inker Amin Amat.[26]Code Word: Geronimo reached #22 onDiamond Comics top 100 list its first month after release.[27] During that same year, the company has published its first crossover seriesInfestation.[28]
In March 2012 IDW Publishing announced it would release new comics based onJudge Dredd andThe Crow.[29] Also in 2012,Hasbro licensed the use ofMy Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic for anIDW comic book series. The company also publishedInfestation 2.[30]
In February 2013, IDW Publishing announced a partnership withCartoon Network to publish comics based on the network's television series and reprint older Cartoon Network comics.[31]
On January 6, 2015, IDW Publishing announced it had acquiredTop Shelf Productions.[32]
In February 2015, it was announced that IDW Publishing made a deal withDisney to continue the publication of the following comic books:Uncle Scrooge,Donald Duck,Mickey Mouse, andWalt Disney's Comics and Stories.[33]
In 2016, IDW launched theHasbro Reconstruction initiative to present a shared universe of Hasbro brands, which was later known as theHasbro Comic Book Universe. The first event wasRevolution, followed byFirst Strike on 2017 and concluding withTransformers: Unicron in 2018.[34]
In April 2017, IDW Publishing acquired a license fromLucasfilm to produce a range of all-ages Star Wars comics.[35]
In July 2017, Sega announced a partnership with IDW to publishcomics based onSonic the Hedgehog beginning in 2018, following the conclusion/cancellation of theprevious series byArchie Comics.[36][37] IDW has also launched new imprint called Black Crown, handling creator-owned comics.[38]
In April 2018, publishers IDW Publishing and Oni Press announced a crossover between theRick and Morty comic book andDungeons & Dragons co-written byJim Zub andPatrick Rothfuss with art byTroy Little.[39] The four issue mini-series,Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons, was first published in August 2018.[40] In May 2019, a sequel mini-series was announced:Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Chapter II: Painscape. It will be written by Jim Zub and Sarah Stern with art by Troy Little.[41][42]
In 2019, the company went under financial difficulties and got help fromJPMorgan Chase evaluating strategies to be profitable.[43]
In May 2019, IDW offered itself as an investor inClover Press, a new independent publisher founded by Ted Adams (cofounder and former CEO of IDW) and Robbie Robbins (cofounder, executive vice president, and art director at IDW).[44][45]
In July 2019, it was announced that IDW Publishing had acquired the classic Sunday strip publisherSunday Press Books.[46]
Between April and May 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, IDW was forced to furlough and then lay off several employees, including Managing Editor Denton Tipton, Associate Publisher David Hedgecock, Senior Graphic Artist Gilberto Lazcano, Senior Graphic Designer Christa Miesner, and Brand & Marketing Manager Spencer Reeve.[47] In July 2020, Chris Ryall announced that he would step down from his position of President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer to launch a new imprint named Syzygy Publishing, but he is still editor of futureLocke & Key projects.[48] Jerry Bennington was promoted to President, Nachie Marsham was promoted to Publisher, and Rebekah Cahalin was promoted to General Manager and Executive Vice President of Operations covering IDW Publishing, and Veronica Brooks was promoted to Vice President of Creative Affairs.[49]
Around 2021, IDW announced that the comic book license for Disney properties would pass toMarvel Comics, while the license for Lucasfilm'sStar Wars passed back toDark Horse Comics.[50] In September 2021, IDW announced that its partnership withDiamond Comic Distributors would switch toPenguin Random House.[51] In December 2021, The Library of American Comics announced that they would be moving to Clover Press.[52] That same month, John Barber announced that he would step away from the role of Editor-in-Chief.
In January 2022, IDW announced that they would lose the comic book licenses for Hasbro'sTransformers andG.I. Joe by the end of the year, but would continue publishing other Hasbro licenses, includingMy Little Pony and Wizards of the Coast'sDungeons & Dragons.[53]
On April 27, 2023, IDW cut 39% of their staff and became privately held by delisting from theNew York Stock Exchange; the company also restructured itsC-suite and experienced an almost 50% drop in its share price.[54]
On October 16, 2024, IDW announced a rebranding with a new logo.[55][56]
In March 2025, IDW announced a partnership withAlien Books.[57]
On June 16, 2025, according toBleeding Cool, IDW stated that it would continue its operations for at least one more year.[58]
IDW has several imprints that they have developed or acquired:
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
