Walt Disney Studios is branching out even further, creating “Kingdom Comics,” a new venture that will develop graphic novels and create new film projects for the studio, as well as re-imagine and rejuvenate motion pictures from the Disney live-action vault.

You wouldn’t think Disney would be able to give companies like Stan Lee’s Marvel a run for its money, but Disney Publishing Worldwide is actually the largest distributor of comic books in the world, and the new Kingdom Comics claims it will soon announce projects featuring some of the top graphic novelists and artists in the genre.
 
“Our vision for Kingdom Comics is to bring a fresh, contemporary approach to Disney properties that already have a strong connection with moviegoers and readers all over the world, and to add to that storytelling legacy," said Oren Aviv, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Production.

One of the execs hired to run Kingdom Comics is Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa, the third of four children born to the late rock musician/composer Frank Zappa. He started out as an actor on such shows as Roseanne and Growing Pains. This led to feature film work and a run as a host on many reality shows. In 2006, he sold the rights to his first novel, The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, to Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films. He is currently writing the second installment in that series and executive producing Fraggle Rock with The Jim Henson Company.

Said Zappa, "The ability to create new publications based on properties from the Disney vaults, and to develop original ideas for graphic novels and possibly future Disney films, is a dream job filled with enormous fun and potential. Being a storyteller myself, I can't wait to work with some of today's top writers and artists in bringing a fresh approach to graphic novels and the movies."