The holding companies that operate graphic novel publisher Humanoids in the U.S. have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Delaware federal bankruptcy court and are headed for liquidation. The filing, dated October 13, lists assets of $50,000 or less, and liabilities of $10-$50 million.
The filing was incomplete, with multiple schedules now ordered by the court to be submitted by October.
The holding companies that operated Humanoids were owned 79.5% by Humanoids Holding Sarl, the French parent, and 20.5% by Primer Entertainment, LLC, which acquired its stake in 2019 and, along with Humanoids, was producing a feature based on Humanoids’ The Incal in development with Taika Waititi attached (see “Taika Waititi on ‘The Incal’“).
Humanoids, set up in the U.S. in 1999, was releasing a steady stream of graphic novels from Europe in the U.S. by 2001 (see “Humanoids Brings European GNs to U.S.“). More recently, the company had launched a massive new version of its original French magazine from the 1970s, Metal Hurlant, raising $759,000 for the project in late 2024 (see “Humanoids to Bring Back ‘Metal Hurlant’“). Two issues of the 272-page quarterly were shipped to backers and are available to the trade through Simon & Schuster.
In September, the company made an effort to remind comic stores of the availability of the first two issues through S&S, noting that orders placed through Diamond were never shipped.
Humanoids was a consignment vendor of bankrupt Diamond Comic Distributors, and filed an objection in July to Diamond’s plans to seize and sell Humanoids inventory in its warehouse (see “Objections to Hostage Inventory“).
The multiple negative impacts of the Diamond bankruptcy undoubtedly played a role in the Humanoids bankruptcy.
In July, the company announced plans to launch four new Kickstarter campaigns, which have pages on the crowdfunding platform but have not been launched.
Source: ICv2
