EXCLUSIVE: Gungnir launched earlier this year as the self-styled subversive graphic novel publisher and immediately pushed into books-to-screen adaptation agreements.
Now, the indie L.A. creative house has struck a global distribution deal with Macmillan Publishers, which will add Gungnir to the UK-based book giant’s cadre of indie publishers. Initial titles published through the pact include Last Breeds, AEON, The Dangerous History Saga, Existence Equation and Never a Never Boy.
Ex-Iconic Arts Chief Creative Officer Matthew Medney launched Gungnir in April with a Steve Aoki graphic novel titled HiROQUEST among its slate. Soon after, it struck a deal with Storyteller Media to adapt its comics and graphic novels for TV and film.
Medney, the former CEO of Heavy Metal Magazine and co-founder of Hero Projects, runs the operation with Editor-in-Chief Jim Krueger and Executive Editor Steve Orlando, and its roster includes the likes of Mohamed Samah, Simone Ragazzoni, Marco Lucchina, Giuseppe D’Elia, Alvaro Sarraseca, and Vincenzo Riccardi.
“Macmillan is the ideal partner to help realize our vision and bring bold, original storytelling to the global stage,” said Medney, founder and publisher of Gungnir. “Our books are forged in myth and fired in rebellion. It’s sci-fi and fantasy that dares the gods themselves. They’re bold, cinematic, and deeply human – and now, with Macmillan behind us, our authors’ voices will echo louder and reach farther than ever before.
“Two titles embody this mandate perfectly: Steve Orlando’s Dangerous History, an epic chronicle of the rise, reign, and fall of an empire, told through the eyes of those bold enough to defy fate, and Jim Krueger’s Never A Never Boy, a reimagining of the Peter Pan mythology that dares to ask what happened next. It is so important at Gungnir that our creative team is comprised of creatives and we champion the hell out of that.”
As well as the core Gungnir label, the deal will see Gungnir partners Storyteller, Asgard Books and Rogue Matter coming under the Macmillan umbrella.
Storyteller’s titles include include Don’t Fear Your Roar by Simba Darian Sanders and Daughter of Africa by Kenyan storyteller Gina Din, with its co-founder Charles ‘Professor Xavier’ Allen saying: “Gungnir creative firepower and Macmillan’s industry leadership make them the ideal partners for Storyteller’s mission.
Asgard, which is partnership with Animation Avenue, exec producer of Hello Neighbor: The Animated Series and writers of Ben 10 and Sonic Prime, will announce its first titles later this summer. It’s co-led by Medney and Animation Avenues founder Omar Spahi and Eric Rotelli.
Rogue Matter, meanwhile, has positioned itself as a “rebel studio” run by branded storytellers Roger Mincheff and Trent Olsen with a focus on diverse and boundary-breaking storytellers. Its creator slate will be revealed later this year.
Michael Friedman, former Publisher of Barnes & Noble and longtime publishing entrepreneur who helped forge the partnership, said: “There’s a rare kind of lightning that strikes when vision, courage, and creativity collide – and GUNGNIR is the storm. With a founder as bold as Matt at the helm, I have no doubt he’ll break molds, build new worlds, and bring us stories we’ve never imagined. I can’t wait to see what comes next.”
“Matthew and the entire Gungnir team have a rare and powerful combination of creativity, innovation, and marketing prowess which will undoubtedly enable them to create new characters and worlds that will captivate, inspire, challenge, and entertain readers,” added Jon Yaged, CEO of Macmillan Publishers. “We couldn’t be more excited to help them bring their creations to the world.”