Interview Time: BOOM! Studios CEO and Founder Ross Richie
This interview was conducted by Chris Doucher, Editor-in-Chief, Writer and Comic Panel Moderator for GeekNerdNet. (Image credits to: BOOM! Studios)
Ross Richie, CEO & Founder of BOOM! Studios (Photo credit: BOOM! Studios)
Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down—via Zoom—to speak with the CEO and Founder of BOOM! Studios, Ross Richie. We wasted no time getting right into how BOOM! Studios weathered the tide when the pandemic hit, and Richie notes two great statistics from the year that was 2020 for the company: Sales in comic shops went up 22%, and their on-time shipping record went from 97% up to 98%. “It was a great year,” Richie says. “…And we got there because of the fans, and we got there because of the retailers.”
One thing a lot of people don’t know, Richie started out in L.A. in the movie business. From odd jobs as a production assistant to driving movie stars and directors around. However, the instability of that type of work wore on him a bit. That brought him to his first job in comics — through a comic convention where he met the team at Malibu Comics. They offered him a job. Richie worked with comic book hall of famers Gill Kane, Jim Starlin, and more. Fast forward to Marvel buying out Malibu, and in turn, it led Richie back to the entertainment business where he became a script reader for Arnold Schwarzenegger. From there, Keith Giffen called him (writer/artist, co-creator of LOBO) to have Richie write a comic, something he had never done. Eventually, he worked with publisher Atomeka, and writing his own books. That would lead him to start BOOM! Studios in 2005, on the suggestion from his long-time friend, Giffen.
I speak with Richie about the numerous hits over the years at BOOM! Studios. From the consistent popularity of Power Rangers books to more recent work including Once & Future, Something Is Killing The Children, Wynd, We Only Find Them When They’re Dead, The Last Witch, Seven Secrets, and of course the much talked about BRZRKR (by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, Ron Garney, and Bill Crabtree). BRZRKR note, which had pre-sold 615,000-plus issues leading up to its March 3 release date. Richie almost couldn’t believe the staggering number of books: “The printer couldn’t handle it. We have an excellent printer. They’re brilliant, they’re amazing,” he explains. “…But it’s 615,000 copies of the book. And literally, that is the best-selling original, creator-owned book since the launch of IMAGE.”
Once again, a huge thanks to Ross Richie for taking time to catch up with GeekNerdNet.
Now go ahead and watch the full, engaging and insightful interview with CEO & Founder of BOOM! Studios, Ross Richie.