Netflix announced its first-ever acquisition on Monday. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

In its 20-year history, Netflix has shown astounding growth by going it alone. Unlike tech peers Facebook , Amazon, Google , and Apple , the company had yet to make an acquisition -- until now.

Netflix announced its first ever deal on Monday, and it’s not exactly a game-changer. The company will acquire comic book publisher Millarworld for undisclosed terms. Millarworld’s portfolio includes Kingsman, Kick-Ass, and Reborn, though the first two properties aren’t included in the deal as they’ve already been made into movies. Netflix will also own future content developed by Millarworld.

In a blog post, Millarworld founder Mark Millar wrote: “Warner Bros bought DC Comics in 1968. Disney bought Marvel in 2009. Today Netflix purchased Millarworld and I’m still blinking. This is only the third time in history a comic-book company purchase on this scale has ever happened.”

The full scale is hard to know, since the company didn’t disclose terms of the transaction.

Netflix’s long-time reluctance for deals is particularly noteworthy when you consider the histories of other big Internet companies. Amazon.com , of course, is in the process of buying Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. Facebook has bought Instagram and WhatsApp for a combined $20 billion. Google’s deals have included YouTube and smart-home firm Nest Labs.

To be sure, the acquisition will open up many content possibilities for Netflix, with the management citing the potential for films, TV shows, and kids’ series. Netflix’s comic-book-themed shows based on Marvel franchises, including Daredevil, have been popular with fans, suggesting that there’s interest in this kind of programming.

The deal is more interesting, though, for what it says about Netflix’s strategy, rather than for what Netflix is getting in this particular instance. Disney -- part partner, part competition -- owns Marvel, and Netflix licenses the rights to its characters. The Millarworld acquisition shows that Netflix is trying to own intellectual property outright.

Netflix has increasingly been following a DIY strategy, opting to produce more content in-house so that it will own the global rights to more of its popular shows. Owning intellectual property takes that a step further. Time will tell if this fixed-cost strategy pays off.

Big Picture: Netflix acquired a comic-book publisher, perhaps a sign that it’s interested in owning more intellectual property.
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