However, the company picked up NBCUniversal 1980s properties Airwolf, Knight Rider, Miami Vice, Punky Brewster, and Saved by the Bell.
[11] It expanded its print line in the Fall of 2016 with the CubHouse imprint for grades pre-K through 12, splitting that age group off from Roar Comics.
[13] On Free Comic Book Day 2016, May 6, Lion Forge launched its superhero universe line, Catalyst Prime, under senior editor Joe Illidge with a single issue.
[16] In early 2018, the company was showcased in a discussion on racial representation in comics at Trinity University in anticipation of the release of the film Black Panther.
[17] Steward II founded the media company Polarity the same year "to help develop Lion Forge characters outside comics".
[18] OPB reported that Lion Forge "quietly rolled out" Polarity "as a holding company and investment platform for animation and other pop culture content products".
[21] Lion Forge announced in June 2018 the Quillion imprint for tabletop gaming inspired stories to debut in September 2018.
[22] In November 2018, after a year of rapid expansion in staff and focus, the company laid off twelve out of approximately sixty employees primarily in editorial, in a restructuring move.
In the current social climate, the optics are not the best, but then again, Lion Forge boasts a higher percentage of women, minorities, and LGBTQ artists, staff, and even characters compared to other profitable indie comics publishers in the industry".
[25] On June 29, 2022, it was revealed that Jones and Charlie Chu, vice president of creative & business development,[34][35] were fired by Polarity.
[36][37] On July 14, The Beat reported that a staff purge continued with the company laying off "some of the most prominent members of its staff, including senior VP of sales and marketing Alex Segura, sales manager Henry Barajas, and senior editor Amanda Meadows" and editor Jasmine Amiri.
[9] The imprint was founded in 2014 with six titles, Care Bears, Punky Brewster, Saved by the Bell and original comics such as Roboy, Crystal Cadets and MER.
[22] Joe Illidge, who began his career at the minority-focused comic publisher Milestone Media in 1993, was hired as Senior Editor to oversee the superhero imprint Catalyst Prime in June 2016.
[39] In a listicle of the best Black comics for the Stillwater News-Press, Lawrence Ware praised this line for "its dedication to authentic, three-dimensional portrayals of the lead characters".
[42] Some of these titles are A Glance Backward, Doomboy, the Love trilogy, Warship Jolly Roger and Wasted Lands Omnibus.