Munchkin Brings Mayhem to Comics

Boots of Butt-Kicking? Check. Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment? Check. A card game masquerading as a comic? Check. While it's certainly not the first to make that transition, Munchkin is definitely one that will likely have a lot of fans. And BOOM! Studios is partnering with Steve Jackson Games on the adaptation.

“There’s a big contingent of fantasy RPG fans here at BOOM! HQ and Munchkin’s irreverent, wry approach to the tropes of the genre is right in our wheelhouse,” said BOOM! Studios Vice President of Publishing and Marketing Filip Sablik. “It’s weird and wacky, and we can’t wait to explore a side of the game that hasn’t been seen before.”

With millions of Munchkin games and accessories sold and tens of millions of monsters slain, Munchkin captures the essence of the dungeon experience...with none of that stupid roleplaying stuff. You and your friends compete to kill monsters and grab magic items. And what magic items! Don the Horny Helmet and the Boots of Butt-Kicking. Wield the Staff of Napalm...or maybe the Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment. Start by slaughtering the Potted Plant and the Drooling Slime, and work your way up to the Plutonium Dragon…

“The best part of the comic books—besides seeing what sort of wacky stories the creative teams craft around Spyke, Flower, and all of the Munchkin characters—is that Munchkin fans will get to watch as the world of the game expands well outside of its gameland incarnation,” said Philip Reed, Chief Operating Officer of Steve Jackson Games.

Munchkin #1 will arrive in comic shops this fall. Full press release below.

HIT CARD GAME 'MUNCHKIN' 

COMES TO COMICS WITH A BOOM!

MUNCHKIN Box Art

June 16,  2014 - Los Angeles, CA - Pull on your Boots of Butt-Kicking and rev up that Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment because award-winning publisher BOOM! Studios and Steve Jackson Games are delighted to announce an ongoing MUNCHKIN comic book series coming this Fall. The MUNCHKIN series will be based on the worldwide best-selling card game where players travel through the dungeon and kill everything in sight in order to gain the best (and weirdest) weapons and highest levels. It’s a hilarious, fantasy role-playing game-inspired spoof that brings friends together...until you backstab them for their treasure. The partnership between BOOM! Studios and Steve Jackson Games was initiated and brokered by Surge Licensing.

“There’s a big contingent of fantasy RPG fans here at BOOM! HQ and Munchkin’sirreverent, wry approach to the tropes of the genre is right in our wheelhouse,” said BOOM! Studios Vice President of Publishing and Marketing Filip Sablik. “It’s weird and wacky, and we can’t wait to explore a side of the game that hasn’t been seen before.”

“The best part of the comic books—besides seeing what sort of wacky stories the creative teams craft around Spyke, Flower, and all of the Munchkin characters—is thatMunchkin fans will get to watch as the world of the game expands well outside of its gameland incarnation,”  said Philip Reed, Chief Operating Officer of Steve Jackson Games.

With millions of Munchkin games and accessories sold and tens of millions of monsters slain, Munchkin captures the essence of the dungeon experience...with none of that stupid roleplaying stuff. You and your friends compete to kill monsters and grab magic items. And what magic items! Don the Horny Helmet and the Boots of Butt-Kicking. Wield the Staff of Napalm...or maybe the Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment. Start by slaughtering the Potted Plant and the Drooling Slime, and work your way up to the Plutonium Dragon…

Fast and silly, Munchkin can reduce any roleplaying group to hysteria. And, while they're laughing, you can steal their stuff. The Munchkin card game debuted in 2001 and has since become a worldwide phenomenon. There are now 15 different stand-aloneMunchkin card games (all of which can be combined) along with over 20 expansions, plus miniatures, shirts, and much more.

MUNCHKIN #1 will arrive in comic shops this Fall. Further details will follow.

About BOOM! Studios

Founded by Ross Richie in 2005, Diamond Gem Award-winning “Best Publisher” BOOM! Studios (boom-studios.com) generates a constellation of best-selling Eisner and Harvey Award-winning original and licensed comic books and graphic novels with the industry’s top talent. BOOM! Studios is the home of Mike Carey’s SUICIDE RISK, Clive Barker’s NEXT TESTAMENT and HELLRAISER, Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos’ FAIRY QUEST, PLANET OF THE APES, Max Bemis’ POLARITY and Mark Waid’s IRREDEEMABLE. Steven Grant’s graphic novel 2 GUNS was recently released as a feature film from Universal Pictures, starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. BOOM!’s all-ages imprint KaBOOM! publishes Charles Schulz’ PEANUTS, Jim Davis’ GARFIELD, Cartoon Network’s ADVENTURE TIME and REGULAR SHOW, Mike Kunkel’s HEROBEAR AND THE KID, and Roger Langridge’s Eisner Award-winning SNARKED. In June 2013, BOOM! acquired Archaia Entertainment (archaia.com). Archaia is the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning graphic novel publisher of MOUSE GUARD, COW BOY, GUNNERKRIGG COURT, RUST, SPERA, JIM HENSON’S TALE OF SAND, and many other great titles. In October 2013, BOOM! Studios entered into a unique first-look relationship with 20th Century Fox, giving the studio access to its library of titles and giving the publisher access to Fox's vast catalog of films.

About Steve Jackson Games

Steve Jackson Games, based in Austin, Texas, has been publishing games, game books, and magazines since 1980. Its best-selling game is Munchkin, with over five million copies of the games and supplements in print worldwide. Other top sellers are GURPS (the Generic Universal Role-Playing System), Zombie Dice, and Illuminati. Past hits have included Car Wars and Toon. Steve's very first game, Ogre – originally published in 1977 – drew almost a million dollars' worth of Kickstarter support in 2012 for a super-deluxe edition and was released in the Fall of 2013.

The company news page, the Daily Illuminator, is the oldest continuously running blog on the Internet.

For more about Steve Jackson Games, visit us at www.sjgames.com.

About Surge Licensing, Inc.

Surge is an IP incubator, which identifies IP and grows brands into multi-platformed entertainment and product licensing programs. Through simultaneous merchandise licensing and entertainment development, Surge nurtures brands while maintaining their core value and enhancement of the fan experience.

Est. 1986, Surge is a pioneer in developing multi-media strategies to merchandising/licensing, through the targeted marketing of unique/compelling entertainment. Historically Surge has challenged conventional practices by venturing into non-traditional areas, developing a number of pop culture’s great iconic properties, namely Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles®.