How to Identify a BOOM! Studios First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• Floppy issues: a first printing carries no printing statement in the indicia; later printings are explicitly stated ('Second Printing' and higher).
• Trade paperbacks and hardcovers: the copyright/indicia page states 'First Printing' with month and year (and often a print-run count); a first printing shows the earliest single date and no later-printing line.
• The 5-digit UPC supplement on floppies is meant to encode the printing in its fifth digit (1 = first printing), but it is populated inconsistently and should be treated only as a weak corroborating clue, not a primary point. Archaia (the prestige hardcover imprint) uses book-trade-style copyright pages with dated first-printing statements and sometimes a number line.

Notable points & cautions

• Founded 2005 by Ross Richie. Archaia (founded 2002 by Mark Smylie) was acquired in 2013 and became a wholly owned imprint known for premium hardcovers (Mouse Guard, Jim Henson properties); these went to multiple printings, making the dated first-printing line decisive.
• 'Lumberjanes' (BOOM! Box) and various licensed all-ages titles (KaBOOM!, rebranded from BOOM! Kids in 2011) reuse cover art across printings, so the indicia date is the point.
• Book-trade graphic novels were distributed via Simon & Schuster from 2009; BOOM! was acquired by Random House (Penguin Random House) in 2024, after which book editions follow that group's distribution and printing-statement formatting.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: BOOM! Box, KaBOOM! (all-ages), Archaia, BOOM! Studios (main). Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my BOOM! Studios book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. Floppy issues: a first printing carries no printing statement in the indicia; later printings are explicitly stated ('Second Printing' and higher). Trade paperbacks and hardcovers: the copyright/indicia page states 'First Printing' with month and year (and often a print-run count); a first printing shows the earliest single date and no later-printing line.

Does BOOM! Studios use a number line?

Trade paperbacks and hardcovers: the copyright/indicia page states 'First Printing' with month and year (and often a print-run count); a first printing shows the earliest single date and no later-printing line.

Is a book-club edition a BOOM! Studios first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Founded 2005 by Ross Richie. Archaia (founded 2002 by Mark Smylie) was acquired in 2013 and became a wholly owned imprint known for premium hardcovers (Mouse Guard, Jim Henson properties); these went to multiple printings, making the dated first-printing line decisive.

What era does this cover?

This covers BOOM! Studios (2005-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.