Following the recently announced “Stan Lee Universe,” Genius Brands International has entered into a comic book publishing agreement with Archie Comics to publish comic books/graphic novels based on the never-before-exploited IP of Stan Lee Universe. The initial property slated for publication as a comic book in partnership with Archie will be “Superhero Kindergarten”.
“It is only fitting that the comic book roots of Stan Lee, which began with Marvel, give birth to the next generation of great Stan Lee properties. I have long felt that the greatest Stan Lee characters and stories have yet to be told, and the next Marvel has yet to be built. That is Stan Lee Universe,” said Andy Heyward, CEO and Chairman at Genius Brands. “There is no better publishing partner than Archie to bring Stan Lee Universe comics to market,” he added.
“I had the great pleasure of knowing Stan Lee and understanding his genius. Getting the chance to partner with Andy and Genius Brands to introduce an entire universe of Stan Lee ideas to the comic book and graphic novel marketplace is an opportunity we can’t pass up,” commented Jon Goldwater, CEO/Publisher at Archie Comics.
Concurrent with the announcement of the Archie Comics publishing deal, Genius Brands also announced that Michael E. Uslan will bring his decades of experience and expertise to advise and help mine the great IP in the Stan Lee Universe to build ongoing global branded franchises. The Marvel Stan Lee IP will be guided by Uslan, whose input will cover all film and TV development and production under the banner.
“In my world, there is no bigger honor than to be entrusted to carry the mantle of Stan Lee forward. This is taking the Olympic torch on the final leg up Mt. Olympus. We look forward to bringing the most talented writers and artists in our field to the next generation of Stan Lee creations,” Michael Uslan stated.