Netflix buys Millarworld, the comic-book house from Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar

Streaming giant Netflix has just announced that it is acquiring Millarworld, the independent comic book publishing house founded by Mark Millar.

Millar created the comics Kick-Ass and Kingsman, both have which have spawned successful film franchises. And while this new deal with Netflix will not include those properties due to existing licensing deals, it gives the streaming company access to popular comic titles including Jupiter's Legacy, Empress (pictured) and Wanted (which has been already adapted into a somewhat disappointing film, and is ripe for a Netflix-led reboot).

Though The financial details of the deal have yet to be revealed, it represents Netflix's first public-facing purchase.

IP pick-up

It's an interesting acquisition, as it's primarily an intellectual property landgrab from Netflix. Millar also has a production company which Netflix will surely make use of too. But it also turns Netflix into a Marvel-rivalling comic book publisher, as Millarworld will continue to put out comics, but now under the Netflix brand.

"The moment Lucy [Millar] and I walked into Netflix’s headquarters in California last Christmas we knew this was where we wanted to be," said Mark Millar on the Millarworld blog.

"It instantly felt like home and the team around that table felt like people who would help us take Millarworld’s characters and turn them into global powerhouses.

"Netflix is the future and we couldn’t be more thrilled to sell the business to them and buckle up for all the amazing movies and television shows we plan to do together. This feels like joining the Justice League and I can’t wait to start working with them."

With Netflix's growing cash coffers and industry clout, and Millarworld's talent and intellectual properties, Netflix now has every link in the chain to become a superhero studio powerhouse.