Michael Kelly, the VP, Publisher of BOOM! Studios will be leaving the position in June 2026. Adam Schmidt, VP, Editor-in-Chief of BOOM! will take over and report to Keith Clayton, the SVP Publisher of Random House Worlds Group, the division BOOM! is a part of. Kelly is leaving to pursue other opportunities.

Kelly joined Hasbro in 2006 and worked there for 18 years rising to the position of Vice President, Global Publishing. He joined BOOM! as its Publisher in 2024 when it was acquired by Penguin Random House. His career began in 1994 in the stock room of a Barnes & Noble.

BOOM! was purchased by Penguin Random House in 2024 and has since been more integrated into its structure as well as losing some staff. There’s been small changes on the backend that have been noticeable but maybe not obvious to comic readers.

It’s been a weird time for corporate owned and VC funded publishers, with Marvel’s longtime publisher Dan Buckley announced to leave the company in 2027 and Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson leaving the company a few months ago.