Gone are the days when most licensed tie-in comics were churned out cheaply by anonymous house artists. Modern fans take their fandoms seriously, and publishers are turning to cutting-edge writers and artists to match that passion. Provocative pairings—such as tapping Eisner winner Tillie Walden to write and draw a Walking Dead spin-off—have resulted in media tie-ins that elevate source material and bring in diverse new fans to already lucrative IPs.

One of the trailblazers in this trend was Boom! Studios’ 2012–2018 Adventure Time comic, based on the eponymous animated TV series, which showcased up-and-coming talent such as Michael Dialynas, Michael DeForge, Lucy Knisley, Ryan North, and Jim Rugg exploring the show’s postapocalyptic Land of Ooo. This year, Oni Press has taken over and revived the Adventure Time tie-in with a multipronged push that includes a series relaunch, miniseries, and specials by rising star creators.

Adventure Time: The Bubbline College Special #1, written and drawn by Eisner-winning indie darling Caroline Cash (PeePee PooPoo), dropped in August, and a second printing has already been announced. This year, Oni reports it has sold more than 100,000 units of Adventure Time periodical comics.

Sierra Hahn, editor-in-chief of Oni, plans to continue the Adventure Time tradition of courting eclectic talent. “I can meet an eight-year-old; a 12-year-old; a super-cool, aloof 17-year-old; and a 40-year-old who all have an affinity for the material,” she says. “And that’s given us the opportunity to bring in unique voices who are jumping at the opportunity to play in this sandbox.”

“I’ve been a fan since middle school,” says Nick Winn, lead writer and artist on the new series and creator of the graphic novel Bloody Mary. “Adventure Time has always been a big part of my life—so it was like a chance to give back as much as it’s given me.”

As with the 2010s series, each issue includes a backup story by a creative team made up of guest artists and writers. The first trade volume, Best of Buds (Adventure Time #1), published this month, featuring returning fave Derek Ballard (Cartoonshow) with a backup story.

The Coolest Takes

Oni isn’t the only publisher landing hot talent for licensed books. IDW reenergized the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise with an infusion of offbeat creators, including Sophie Campbell (Wet Moon), who scripted a well-received run. Now the publisher is banking on Campbell bringing her quirky energy to its Godzilla license with Mothra: Queen of the Monsters (Jan. 2026). It turned out, says Bobby Curnow, editor-in-chief at IDW, that Campbell was a kaiju fan, too.

Skybound’s Lego tie-in, Lego Ninjago: Strike of the Serpentine (Mar. 2026), offers another example of publishers seeking out unexpected voices and art styles to expand on a brand. The graphic novel is written by Cameron Chittock, scripter of the Mapmakers series from Random House Graphic, and drawn by Will Morris, whose indie fantasy series Gospel is published by Image. “It was a bit of a leap to think that Will would be able to translate his art to a Lego world in which all of the characters are minifigures,” says Sean Mackiewicz, SVP and publisher at Skybound. “But he had the scope we wanted for scenes with hundreds of characters.”

And while there’s no shortage of creators, especially artists, looking for work, Elizabeth Brei, editor of Jim Henson Presents at Boom (published under the Archaia imprint), says, “The coolest takes are from creators who are familiar with the property and have thought about what they would do with it in their style.” She’s recruited distinctive writers from prose science fiction and fantasy, such as Darcie Little Badger and Seanan McGuire. “My dream for these comics,” Brei adds, “is that you can read them and know exactly who wrote them without looking at the credits.”

Anthology comics such as Adventure Time and Jim Henson Presents can also act as creative incubators. “Because licenses sell well on their own, you can have a nice mix of up-and-coming and established talent,” says Chas! Pangburn, editor at Papercutz.

Curnow agrees. “I love to have a mix of the old steady hands who have been around the block and have a big fandom and intersperse that with newer voices,” he says.

When looking for talent for a tie-in, Brei advises publishers against assuming that indie creators won’t be tuned into licensed work. “I’m always pleasantly surprised by how often I reach out to somebody who seems like they’d be a no, or that you’d never hear back from them at all,” she says, “and they’re really enthusiastic.”

When Papercutz announced an open call to pitch a graphic novel based on Disney’s The Sword and the Stone, it was deluged in submissions. Artist Lorenzo Colangeli was hired after drawing pages on spec to prove he already had a handle on the movie’s art style. Gabriel Valentin and Michael J. Snow, the writers for the project, fought hard for their script. “I begged, borrowed, stole, and beat that drum,” Valentin says. “I even sent the chief editor a picture of an original 1963 Sword in the Stone comic I’ve had since I was four years old.”

In addition to being a fan of the film, Snow says licensed work enhances his professional portfolio. “You can have a foundation to work with and bring in your creativity,” he says.

Ryan North, once lead writer on the original Adventure Time comics, currently scripts the Star Trek: Lower Decks comics tie-ins for IDW. “I’m not a very corporate guy,” he says, “but Star Trek and Nintendo got me when I was young, and I have an uncritical love for them.”

North’s graphic novel Star Trek: Lower Decks—Warp Your Own Way, drawn by Chris Fenoglio, is structured as a choose-the-outcome story. “It’s not the kind of thing an MBA would look at and say, This is what the market needs,” North says. But Warp Your Own Way won the 2025 Hugo Award for best comic. North’s next Star Trek graphic novel, Shax’s Best (and Worst) Day, drawn by Derek Charm, drops in January.

One of the challenges of publishing licensed comics, especially from a creator’s standpoint, is dealing with the restrictions imposed by the licensor. Building trust with the licensor is crucial to creating an environment where artists and writers can thrive. “You have the toys, you’re allowed to play with them, but you have to put them back where you found them,” Pangburn explains.

Some licensors may allow more leeway, especially with older or less high-profile properties. The Sword in the Stone team got more freedom from Disney than expected, including the opportunity to introduce new characters such as young witch Brea Bogwater. “We were bracing ourselves for pushback,” Valentin says. “Originally, we had Brea Bogwater exit earlier in the story, and one of the notes from Disney was, ‘We really like that character. Can you keep her in there longer?’ Their notes were ‘Yes, and...’ ”

Winn’s experience was similar. “The only big note that I got was that I couldn’t put the Adventure Time theme song in the comic,” he says. “There’s so much lore attached to the Land of Ooo, so I had a lot to play with.”

And for North, support from his editors has been essential. “It doesn’t feel like there’s layers of corporate and we’re making Star Trek content, which is a word I hate,” he says. “It’s more like, let’s do a cool thing and see what happens.”

A Foot in the Door

If a licensed project goes well, the relationship between publisher and creator doesn’t have to end there. “For both creators who have established fan bases and for those who are just starting out,” Brei says, “licensed comics are a great way to explore what it’s like working at Boom.”

“I like to think of it as job creation,” Mackiewicz says. “We love to create new jobs for talent we like. We want to be a place where people can make a home.”

Licensed work also provides publishers with a foot in the door at retailers, Pangburn notes. “Once they see the quality of those books, they’re open to our other titles.”

Ideally, everyone benefits from the infusion of fresh blood. “Bringing in folks from different aspects of comics, animation, and storytelling broadens our horizons,” Hahn says, “and our audience.”

Shaenon K. Garrity is a frequent PW comics contributor. Her forthcoming graphic novel is Steam (S&S/McElderry, Feb. 2026).

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