Tag Archives: aftershock media

Update: AfterShock Comics files for Chapter 11 Protection

Posted on by
AfterShock

It seems a quiet year is ending with quite a bit of news. AfterShock Comics has filed for chapter 11 protection in the District of Central California. The comic publisher/media company has listed assets of between $10 million and $50 million and liabilities of $10 million and $50 million. It has an estimated 200 to 999 creditors according to documents.

Also mentioned in the filing is bankruptcy case for Rive Gauche Television which is listed as an “affiliate”. In 2020, AfterShock and Rive Gauche merged launching AfterShock Media.

The largest claim is to AS Comics LTD for a “distribution agreement” for $514,326. Also included is Imprimerie L’Empreinte who is one of the company’s printing services for $398,887 and Tri Vision Int’l Inc which has to do with importing for $118,399. Also of note, beyond the creators listed, is San Diego Comic Convention which is owed $17,000.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy doesn’t mean the company is going out of business. Instead, it’s a “reorganization” that allows the business to pay creditors over time. Of note is the letter included at the end of the filing from CEO Jon Kramer that’s dated September 12, 2022. This would indicate this has been in the works for at least three months.

In recent weeks there’s been a lot of chatter of creators and others not being paid or being paid late by publishers, AfterShock being one named. With this Chapter 11filing in the works for some time, it makes AfterShock’s recent statement about the situation a bit more muddied:

The truth of the matter is that the company is addressing late payments as outstanding funds owed to the company come in. There are no non-payments. Everyone who is owed money will be paid. We recognize our obligations and consider creator compensation our number one priority. We apologize for this situation and are making our best efforts to rectify it as quickly as possible.

Levene, Neale, Bender, Yoo & Golubchik L.L.P. have been retained as representation as bankruptcy counsel by AfterShock.

Here is some of the filing. We’ve removed the listing of debts as it includes the addresses of creators.

Update: AfterShock has released a statement.

After much deliberation, AfterShock Comics LLC has voluntarily filed a petition for protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code to enable the Company to restructure its senior secured facility as well as being in a position to secure additional financing to continue to operate its business.

The intent of this decisive action, among other considerations, is to allow the Company to maintain operations in the ordinary course including, but not limited to, paying employees and continuing existing benefits programs,, upholding and following through on commitments to contracted creators, as well as vendors who supply goods and services related to marketing, merchandising and advertising. AfterShock will continue to operate, publish and market comic books and graphic novels to supply to direct market retailers and mass accounts through its distributors in accordance with all federal, state and local guidelines.

We regret the inconvenience this has caused to those we work with and may cause in the near future. However, we believe that going forward this will allow us to best position the Company for long-term success.

AfterShock Media partners with Legendary for Party & Prey

Posted on by

Legendary Entertainment and AfterShock Media have closed a deal for a feature adaptation of the graphic novel Party & Prey by creators Steve Orlando and Steve Foxe. Patrick Brice will direct from a script written by Rob Forman.

The project will be produced by AfterShock Media and Legendary, as well as by Lee Kramer, David Sigurani, and Jon Kramer. Orlando and Foxe are executive producing and Max Zupanovic is co-producing. AfterShock Media is represented by Neil Sacker from Sacker Entertainment Law.

A social horror/thriller, Party & Prey is a character driven thriller with a bold genre twist that tells the story of Alan, a wealthy older gay man, who meets a confident and attractive young man named Scott at a nightclub. Their chemistry leads them to end up at Alan’s house, where the men’s dark secrets are laid bare and they have a night together neither of them expected.

Party & Prey

AfterShock Media Announces an International Deal for Adam Glass’ The Normals

Posted on by

AfterShock Comics and AfterShock Media have announced that The Normals from writer Adam Glass has  been optioned by Werner Films for Australia’s SBS. The series will be executive produced by Werner Films’ Joanna Werner and Stuart Menzies alongside Glass and AfterShock’s Jon Kramer, Carrie Stein, and Lee Kramer. Louise Fox will showrun the series and Rive Gauche Television, an AfterShock Media company, will distribute it worldwide. 

The Normals is a rush-of-blood-to-the-head series centered around one man who finds out his perfect life and family may all be an illusion, setting him on a crusade to save what he believes is real and loves with all his being, while having to save the world in the process as forces seek to destroy him. 

The comic series was originally released in 2017 and featured art by Dennis Calero. It ran for six issues.

The Normals

AfterShock and Hulu to adapt A Calculated Man

Posted on by

AfterShock Media has announced a deal with Hulu to adapt its soon-to-debut title A Calculated Man after outbidding multiple parties to acquire the project.

From writer Paul Tobin and artist Alberto Albuquerque, the recently announced AfterShock Comics math-inspired crime series follows Jack Beans, an accountant living in witness protection after betraying his former employers, the Pinafore crime family. After three years, Jack decides to reclaim his old life. What follows is a journey full of murder, mayhem, and mathematics.

A verifiable math genius, Jack Beans used to run the numbers for the Pinafore crime family, until one day he ran them too well and concluded that the only way out of this life was in a casket or Witness Protection. So, he turned state’s evidence and ran.

Now, the Pinafores are out to end their favorite accountant. Little do they know that Jack’s skills with math and his perfect memory have made him a better killer than they ever could have realized. What follows is a journey full of murder, mayhem and mathematics.

Peter Calloway, producer of several noteworthy TV series including Cloak & Dagger, Under the Dome, and Legion, is set to show run the project. Calloway and AfterShock Comics have worked together previously, with Calloway writing the much publicized AfterShock title Shadow Doctor, set in Prohibition-era Chicago and drawn from the real world experiences of Calloway’s grandfather.

Lee and Jon Kramer will serve as Executive Producers for AfterShock Media.

A Calculated Man comes to comic shops on June 15 and features colors by Mark Englert and lettering by Taylor Esposito.

Netflix Picks up God Country

Posted on by
God Country

Netflix has picked up another comic property, God Country the comic series created by Donny Cates with art by Geoff Shaw, color by Jason Wordie, and lettering by John J. Hill. Legendary and AfterShock Media are producing the film with Jim Mickle directing. Mickle was announced as the director in June and adapted the screenplay along with Cates. Mary Parent, Ali Mendes, Lee Kramer, Jon Kramer, Jim Mickle and Linda Moran will produce the film.

God Country was originally published in 2017 by Image Comics to critical acclaim. The first issue immediately sold out and had to be reprinted four times before being collected in trade paperback.

In God Country, Emmett Quinlan is an elderly widower rattled by dementia. Emmett isn’t just a problem for his children–his violent outbursts are more than the local cops can handle. When a tornado levels his home–as well as the surrounding West Texas town–a restored Quinlan rises from the wreckage. An enchanted sword at the eye of the storm gives him not just a sound mind and body, but phenomenal power. He’s now the only man who can face the otherworldly creatures the sword has drawn down to the Lone Star State in a film that will bring a Western aesthetic to the superhero genre.

Aftershock Media’s Rive Gauche Adds Two to the Team

Posted on by

AfterShock Media’s Rive Gauche has tapped David Siguarani as EVP of film and tv. David’s current tv credits as EP include Netflix’s “BONDING,” AMC Network’s “THE BOULET BROTHERS’ DRAGULA, and Channel 4’s “DON’T HUG ME I’M SCARED.” Previously David was SVP at Blackpills out of Europe, and VP of Development overseeing Turner’s Deluxe Studio.

The company has also added Max Zupanovic as Director of Development for domestic film and tv. Max has previously held various development roles at ICM Partners, Paramount Pictures, and EOne working on such IP’s as “SNAKE EYES: G.I. JOE ORIGINS,” “TRANSFORMERS (REBOOT),” “DUNGEONS & DRAGONS,” “POWER RANGERS (REBOOT),” “CLUE (REMAKE),” “MICRONAUTS,” and “OUIJA (REBOOT)”

Jim Mickle will Direct Donny Cates’ God Country

Posted on by
God Country

AfterShock Media has announced that Jim Mickle will direct the film adaptation of Donny Cates‘ comic series God Country. Cates adapted the screenplay for the film. Lee Kramer and Jon Kramer from AfterShock Media will produce along with Jim Mickle and Linda Moran.

God Country was originally published in 2017 by Image Comics to critical acclaim. The first issue immediately sold out and had to be reprinted four times before being collected in trade paperback.

In God Country, Emmett Quinlan is an elderly widower rattled by dementia. Emmett isn’t just a problem for his children–his violent outbursts are more than the local cops can handle. When a tornado levels his home–as well as the surrounding West Texas town–a restored Quinlan rises from the wreckage. An enchanted sword at the eye of the storm gives him not just a sound mind and body, but phenomenal power. He’s now the only man who can face the otherworldly creatures the sword has drawn down to the Lone Star State in a film that will bring a Western aesthetic to the superhero genre.

AfterShock Media Announces a Partnership with Alibi

Posted on by
AfterShock Media

AfterShock Media – the newly-formed company comprised of top independent comic publisher AfterShock Comics and leading distribution company Rive Gauche – and literary management company Alibi have announced a strategic alliance, uniting Alibi’s roster of writing talent with AfterShock Comics’ diverse and expansive IP library. The joint venture will also focus on nurturing new, AfterShock Comic talent who will have the opportunity to be represented by Alibi. As part of this strategic alliance, Alibi Entertainment, founded and headed by top literary talent manager Jake Wagner, will provide AfterShock with a wide roster of top-caliber writers for its current and future properties.

Among the many benefits of this alliance is the ability to quickly match IP to suitably talented writers – a key advantage that buyers in the market are seeking. Similarly, a comics creator coming to AfterShock Comics with a project in mind will have access to a wealth of writers to swiftly bring their project to life in TV and film. As a publisher with a demonstrated commitment to discovering new voices in the comics space, AfterShock will also work with Alibi to identify up and coming talent to mentor and manage.

Alibi

AfterShock and Rive Gauche Merge and launch AfterShock Media

Posted on by

Rive Gauche, the distribution company behind globally-successful TV series Homicide Hunter, Something’s Killing Me, Very Scary People, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, Ice Cold Killer, My Strange Addiction, My Crazy Obsession, and many more, announced a merger today with AfterShock Comics, the independent publishing company behind acclaimed series such as Animosity, Dark Red, Babyteeth, and A Walk Through Hell.

The new entity, AfterShock Media, will combine AfterShock Comics’ expansive library featuring comics from the industry’s most celebrated creators, including highly anticipated new releases We Live created by the Miranda Brothers, Miles to Go written by B. Clay Moore, and The Kaiju Score from James Patrick respectively. Rive Gauche’s global distribution power will propel the publisher’s IP into new formats – from TV and film to gaming and podcasts.  Rive Gauche CEO Jon Kramer, also the CEO of AfterShock Comics, will now assume the role of CEO at AfterShock Media overseeing both companies. Just earlier this month, Rive Gauche negotiated major film and TV deals having announced bringing The Kaiju Score to the big screen, and Undone By Blood to the small screen.

It was also announced that longtime Rive Gauche executive Marine Ksadzhikyan has been promoted to COO and EVP of Sales for Rive Gauche, expanding acquisitions and sales initiatives worldwide while overseeing the company’s operations. Marine has also been named Head of Business Development and Strategy at AfterShock Media, looking for and developing new business opportunities.

Lee Kramer will head up the AfterShock Film & TV division as President of Film & TV for Rive Gauche. AfterShock Comics will continue to be led by Editor-in-Chief Mike Marts, CCO/Publisher Joe Pruett, and President Lee Kramer.