We knew that Sumerian Records had branched out beyond just putting out heavy albums — the company’s own Ash Avildsen directed the Andy Biersack-directed American Satan, after all. But now, they’ve apparently branched out into comics and games, as it’s been revealed that Sumerian Records & Films has acquired comics publisher and gaming company Behemoth Entertainment.
According to Deadline, Behemoth sold more than 500,000 books and is currently eighth in total market share among English-language comic book publishers in revenue generated. Their title You Promised Me Darkness #1 is the best-selling black and white debut issue since 2013’s Batman: Black and White #1.
Says Avildsen:
“Nathan and Ryan have built Behemoth so quickly and independently with such a great original IP selection of characters, worlds and story. It was an easy decision to team up with these very talented young mavericks when the opportunity arose. They have good taste! Having a diligent, proven team in comics, graphic novels and gaming is paramount to Sumerian as we continue our passion for story-telling across all audio and visual spectrums. We will always be discovering, creating or developing IP into books, episodic series, feature films, animation and beyond.”
Added Behemoth co-founder Nathan Yocum:
“After 15+ years of pushing the boundaries of what an independent record label can achieve, it’s a an incredible reward for us to be joining the Sumerian family today. While we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last few years, Ryan and myself couldn’t pass on the opportunity to align visions with Ash and enter this incredible next chapter of endless possibilities and growth as Sumerian Comics & Games. The power and weight that the Sumerian name carries is real and the future of Sumerian has never looked so positive.”
There you go. Good luck to Sumerian and Behemoth in the future — we’re interested to see what they do.
Thanks to The Artist Formerly Known As Axl Rosenberg for the heads up.