By Jeremy Fuscaldo
BOOM! Studios celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. At a special panel to commemmorate the occasion at New York Comic Con on Saturday, the publisher announced a major event: a crossover between its best-selling Slaughterverse series and DC’s Swamp Thing in the upcoming Swamp Thing Is Killing the Children.
The panel featured publisher Michael Kelly and creators Tini Howard, Tim Finn, Jenny Frison, Werther Dell’Edera, Marjorie Liu, Bryce Carlson, and James Tyrion IV.
Things kicked off with Tynion, who revealed that Something Is Killing the Children can continue for as long as the creative team wants. It will soon be available to even more audiences thanks to a previously-announced partnership between BOOM! and Webtoon, which will release some of the publisher’s most beloved series in vertical scrolling format.
Tynion also announced the upcoming The Fall of the House of Slaughter, which will return protagonist Erika Slaughter to the present.
Of course, the biggest Slaughterverse news is the Swamp Thing crossover, though details are scant. Tynion revealed that he has wanted to make this comic for a long time but couldn’t say anything official for over a year and a half.
Following that, Howard and Liu talked about their upcoming comics, Marian Heretic and Brzrkr: The Bleeding Tide, respectively.
Howard said she has wanted to make Marian Heretic for a long time. She talked about the character of Marian and her internal struggles and what sets her on her own path. She is a witch hunter and a Mother Superior who is almost like a double agent. Marian has to decide what side she is on or if she wants to forge her own path.
In a way, Howard said, Marian Heretic is about a crisis of faith and religious trauma. It’s also about her goal of trying to save her sisters.
Liu said she got involved in Brzrkr when she learned that Keanu Reeves was involved in the creation of this series. She jumped at the chance because she loved writing about immortals.
Tim Finn took Larry Hama’s place on the panel to talk about their comic, Center Folds. It’s comics vet Hama’s first project for BOOM! Studios. Finn said Hama wrote the whole book based upon an unfinished concept by Mark Bright and that Josh Burcham and Janice Chiang (who was in attendance at the panel and pointed out by Finn) were both involved in the project.
Sadly, Bright passed away before the book could be released, so BOOM! will be donating 5 percent of all profits to the Hero Initiative to help Bright’s family and his estate. The book is scheduled for released in February 2026.
In regards to upcoming licensing deals at BOOM!, Kelly discussed the acquisition of My Little Pony and Jem and the Holograms. He said getting Jem was such an exciting moment for the team because they loved the show and the previous comic incarnation that came out a decade ago. Similar to when the books were at IDW Publishing, Hasbro will be involved with both titles since it owns the licenses.
The panel concluded with an audience Q&A, during which Kelly noted that Saturday conclude Banned Books Week 2025. Kelly noted that more than 4 thousand books have been banned or challenged in the U.S. in the last year alone and encouraged audiences to find a banned book, read it, and support the freedom to read.
Stay tuned to The Beat for more coverage from NYCC ’25.
