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Tze has said that part of the business model is translating the IP into other media. Did that play a role in deciding what projects to take on?

Things have become more and more easily conceivable as other media. It doesn’t feel like there’s much of a barrier to media development anymore when you look at what’s being developed. Because of the thirst for content producers are actually open to some pretty wild things.

Media development is definitely something we want to put that on the table. It’s something that a lot of creators are interested in pursuing and as such it has to be part of the discussion. But first and foremost, we’re always adamant that our books have to stand as comics.

The move, the companies say, will strengthen their library of original comics and graphic novels and help them to leverage their characters on other media platforms, including animation and film.Other publishers are introducing direct-to-consumer sales, binge-able stories and magazine-style formats. Some are also offering greater financial stakes for creators.

These adaptations have fueled growth in the comic book industry: Sales in 2018 rose $80 million from the previous year.

The consolidated publishing effort will be run out of Portland, Ore., where Oni is based. James Lucas Jones, publisher of Oni, will be president and publisher of the new enterprise. The merger was negotiated by Edward Hamati, the president of Polarity, a media company Mr. Steward founded last year to help develop Lion Forge characters outside comics.