SDCC: Panick Entertainment Launches At San Diego

Time To Get Panicked

It was a very packed San Diego Comic Con this year with Scott Dunbier’s Act 4 officially launching and Mad Cave’s new imprint with Joe Quesada and Dupuis, Amazing Comics, also unveiled. Panick Entertainment is a new venture headed up by former DC and Heavy Metal executive Kris Longo with a few other notable figures from the comics world…

Kris Longo, former publisher of Heavy Metal Magazine and Sales Manager at DC Comics is the new CEO of Panick Entertainment.Adam Schlagman, former DC film exec is head of studio. Executive producer of CW series The Outpost,Doug Pasko, is COO, and Mark McCann, writer for Opus and Heavy Metal, is a chief creative officer. Former DC Comics manager of finance Charles Christopher Chiang, is the new company’s CFO, and Chris Ryall, the former publisher and editor of IDW, is chief advisor on slate development, branding, and world-building.

Here was their SDCC panel description as well:

PANICK Entertainment is a new comic publisher dedicated to modernizing horror and sci-fi comics for readers and rattling the status quo of genre comic storytelling. Join industry veterans and co-founders Kris Longo (Heavy Metal, DC Comics), Adam Schlagman (DC Comics; executive producer, Shazam!), Mark McCann (writer, Never Never), Doug Pasko (executive producer, The Outpost, Mythica 5), and others for the first-ever convention appearance of PANICK Entertainment. Get a first look at their slate of books for late 2024 and 2025, and expect a surprise guest or two to drop in.

The company aims to focus on genre storytelling, beginning with comics, including actor and comic book writer David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad), who is co-writing with Leah Kilpatrick, Panick Entertainment’s first comic, a five-issue horror series. Bart Sears, Michelle Sears, Shannon Eric Denton, Dirk Blackman, Brendan Columbus and Tehani Farrare also creating comics for the new publisher, which they plan to use as a springboard to expand into other media.

People can sign up for their zoop pre launch campaign here

With the direct market struggling to support its existing publishers and a number of publishers up for sale like AWA, Vault and Boom! just sold, it will be interesting to see how Panick does. But Tripwire wishes any new venture in our field well.