Genius Brands International Inc (NASDAQ:GNUS) will announce on Wednesday that the company is partnering with Archie Comics to publish new comic books and graphic novels based on the Stan Lee Universe.
Genius also announced Michael Uslan will be joining the company to help with movie and TV content development based on Stan Lee Universe's intellectual property.
Genius Brands CEO Andy Heyward told the media the partnership with Archie Comics is the company’s latest step in its long-term plan to build and monetize the Stan Lee Universe.
"I don’t want to say we’re building the next Marvel here, but we’re kind of building the next Marvel," he said.
"We have the man who created Marvel 1.0, we’ve got all his subsequent IP, and we’ve got what I think is the best comic book publisher out there today, most certainly with the widest distribution, in Archie Comics. And then we’ve got one of the great icons in the comic book world today himself, Michael Uslan, who’s going to run the whole thing."
Uslan is best known as the originator and executive producer of Batman movies, including Tim Burton’s 1989 film, Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight Trilogy,” Todd Phillips’ “Joker” and 2021’s “The Batman.”
Heyward told the media fans and investors won’t be waiting long for the first Stan Lee Universe comic.
GNUS shares gained eight cents, or 3.5%, to open Wednesday at $2.38.
