Short answers, pulled from the story.
IDW Publishing was founded in 1999 by Ted Adams, Robbie Robbins, Alex Garner, and Kris Oprisko. These four comic book professionals met while working at Wildstorm Productions and each held an equal 25% stake in the new venture called Idea and Design Works, LLC.
The first true comic book series published by IDW Publishing was 30 Days of Night, which debuted in August 2002. Steve Niles and artist Ben Templesmith created the three-issue series after Adams selected a rejected screenplay from Niles.
IDW Publishing secured licenses for major franchises including Star Trek, CSI, The Transformers, G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, and Jem. The company also acquired the Doctor Who series license from the BBC in 2008 and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license in 2011.
IDW Publishing faced severe financial difficulties in 2019 and sought help from JPMorgan Chase to evaluate strategies for profitability. The situation worsened in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to furlough and then lay off several key employees, culminating in a staff cut of 39% on the 27th of April 2023.
On the 16th of October 2024, IDW Publishing announced a rebranding with a new logo to signal a fresh start. By March 2025, the company had announced a partnership with Alien Books, and in June 2025, they stated that operations would continue for at least one more year.