The Dark Horse Of The Comic World

September 4, 2012 by 1 Comment
Portland may well be the hippest comic book town in America. This may sound like a paradox to some, but in fact it is easy to underestimate the significance of comic books and strips in American culture, this is a creative medium that may have had legs from European origins, but during the twentieth century, in America, it really grew wings. Almost literally.
Yet it has mostly been associated with nerd culture. The escapist fantasies of lonely boys and obsessive males etc. A fantastical escape from a less than fantastical life. Yet the superhero may well be one of Americas great inventions, a flight of imagination, opening up a whole new world of fiction, while capturing certain shades of the American dream in the process.
Yet the comic seems to have been isolated in popular consciousness to this particular fate, stories of super heroes, a pulpy genre for children and overgrown children.
Yet there is an aspect that has always remained defiantly individual, using the medium not only to defy the laws of gravity, but also to break from convention and perpetuation of standard narratives.
One of the great towns for comic book innovation is Portland, home to many of the industrys most creative individuals.
The town is home to one of the indie publisher Dark Horse, which has consistently published some of the most off kilter comic books of the past decade, with a strange ensemble of super heroes, all with a good dose of humanity. Usagi Yojimbo is a rabbit samurai, though much more recognizably human than most human characters portrayed in modern fictions.
The writer and creator Mike Mignola used to reside in Portland and created what is now one of Dark Horses most popular characters and best selling franchises, the acclaimed and accolade Hellboy. Hellboy is a unique and enduring semblance of pulp reference, using propaganda, folklore, and some horror to create something rather distinct and altogether perseverant.
Now Portland has also become home to one of the pioneers and most heralded writers in the burgeoning world of the web comic. Chris Onstad, the writer of the online sensation Achewood, moved to the town two years ago and since then has particularly made it his home, appearing for signings and setting up book deals with Dark Horse.
Every year the town is host to one of the best comic conventions in the country, bringing in some of the biggest and hippest names.
Next years guest announcements are already under way, with Kurt Busiek so far as the most prominent, a man who has consistently been reshaping the Superman franchise.
The comic book festival often attracts a diverse range of creators, representing the mainstream, the indie heroes and the alternate faction. Hometown her Mignola often makes an appearance as new Hellboy storylines are tentatively discussed.
Then there is the conventions indie island which attracts names like Kate Beaton and John Allison, names that dont mean a great deal to a lot of folk, but a good deal to a few.
The comic book scene here is consistently bringing in fans to Portland, staying in hotels and Oregon rentals.
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Idea Publishing: Ideas and Designs that Work

July 27, 2012 by 1 Comment

Idea Publishing (IDW) is a child of &#8216The Idea and Design Works LLC&#8217, and was formed in 2001, joining comic book industry with “30 Days of Night”. Since its formation, IDW has published several titles that until now has taken a good share of the comic book market, and has also gained the license to publish comic book versions of many TV and movie series.

One of its most famous and in-demand titles is the ‘Transformers’ comic book. Idea Publishing has owned the license to this comic book since the previous licensee, Dreamwave Productions, ceased operations due of financial problems at the end of 2004.

IDW succeeded in maintaining a flagship storyline by using the Transformers library of stories. The writers call it a &#8220rebooted Generation 1 continuity&#8221, being penned by the veteran Transformers crewman, Simon Furman. The idea was tested and found potentially successful prior to being produced as a monthly comic book in 2009.

Idea Publishing also received permission to release some of Dreamwave Productions works, such as the War and Peace, The War Within, and War Within: The Dark Ages. The firm expanded its range of products in May, 2008, when it secure the license for Hasbro&#8217s G.I. Joe comic book, which shortly became one of the firms most lucrative an popular publications.

Freedom of Expression

IDW introduced a system of working whereby its writers had the freedom to use their own styles of writing, unlike the general convention of the day when writers were restricted by the standards set by the publishing company. Other publishers, such as Marvel Comics and DC, tended to issue instructions to their writers regarding content of stories, an often even of what characters to create. Not so Idea Publishing, who offered its writers freedom of expression to use their own ideas in this respect.

Neither writers nor editors were instructed to create storylines based upon events that occurred in previous issues. Readers might occasionally find storylines that are contradictory to previous issues, while there were also many that made no connection to any of the preceding issues.

The Transformers and More

Aside from the Transformers and G.I. Joe, IDW is either holding or has held licenses to write and publish stories based upon Star Trek, True Blood, Dr. Who (from the BBC), CSI, and Angel among many others. The house also has its own group of books apart from the original 30 Days of Night – Popbot (with 2 Spectrum Gold Awards), Wormwood, Gentleman Corpse, and others.

The Transformers publications under IDW dates back as early as 2005 with seven issues of &#8216The Transformers: Infiltration.’ The tales focus on the Transformers and their presence on modern-day Earth. Here they are depicted as the robots in disguise, and this takes the central theme of continuity into the present day.

‘The Transformers: Spotlight&#8217 was introduced in 2006 which uses a different approach. Each issue focuses on only one Transformers character, and each is an individual story without continuity in the next issue: hence the title ‘Spotlight.’ Not just that, but the format is flexible, the writers being given a free rein on what they could write.

In 2006, The Transformers: Stormbringer was issued in four parts. This focuses on Cybertron with a connection to the former Infiltration series in the re-boot. This was followed by another sequel to Infiltration, The Transformers: Escalation which ran from 2006-2007. This comprised six issues which revolved around the stories of conflict with the Decepticons and some others about Sunstreaker and Hunter O‘Nion.

The 2007 Collaboration: Transformers and New Avengers

In 2007, collaboration between IDW and Marvel Comics paved the way to the publication of New Avengers/Transformers. This was the first ever crossover between the New Avengers and The Transformers.

The year 2007 was a very productive one for Idea Publishing and The Transformers, since not only was the above collaboration formed, but many fans’ questions were answered. An explanation was provided for Megatron’s rise to power in the same year, also how the Decepticon faction was founded. These critical pieces of information for Transformers fans were detailed in the four-issue story – The Transformers: Megatron Origin.

A sequel to Escalation (mentioned above) followed in another six-story issue entitled The Transformers: Devastation. It was a prelude to the soon-to-come Dead Universe arc. Here, the story was crafted around Sunstreaker and what happened to him, and also the battle between the Decepticons and the Reapers. The Revelation published in 2008 was a sequel to Devastation. The four Spotlights focused on Cylonus, Hardhead, Doubledealer, and Sideswipe.

In 2008, Idea Publishing introduced All Hail Megatron, a series that ran for 12 maxi-series issues. After the defeat of the Autobots, All Hail Megatron tells in detail how the Decepticons conquered the Earth. In addition, there were four coda series called All Hail Megatron Coda. These were written to clarify issues of consistency between the originals of Simon Furman and the new issues by Shane McCarthey.

Idea Publishing Freedom of Expression

The unconventional editorial policies of IDW (mentioned earlier) have given freedom for their writers to be more “creative”, without constrictive rules on subject matter or approach. Artist Guido Guidi related in one of IDW forums how he literally drew his Transformer characters from scratch. At one time, he was instructed to ignore the designs used by former writers and create his own if he so wished. Naturally, he did ‘so wish!’

Following the edict by IDW that writers and artists had a free rein to use their own imagination, several other instances arose where the appearance of specific comic characters appeared different according to the artist. Some artists presented characters in modernized robot designs while others as enhancements of previous ones. This may have confused readers for a while, but made for good ingenious designs and readers soon got used to it.

Other later Transformers publications include Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime in 2011, The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye in 2012, The Transformers: Autocracy also in 2012, and The Transformers: Robots in Disguise still in 2012.

When Idea and Design Works secured the Star Trek license in 2006, the field was open for the firm&#8217s writers to come up with new stories and characters. The first was issued in 2007, although initially the tales were based on well-known Star Trek characters and stories such as the original TV series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and the Star Trek movie released in 2009.

IDW: Innovative and Ambitious

However, ultimately, IDW was able to make changes in the way the comic book is served to its readers such as publishing stories not connected to the TV series. There were other innovations that IDW made, including changes to the layout of the comic book’s pages. Generally, of the IDW-published comic books normal 32 pages, 22 pages are usually reserved for the actual story. The remaining ten pages consist of advertisements, interviews, previews and others. This was change to suit the stories – and the adverts that helped finance the project! There is a fine line. . .

Ted Adams and Robbie Robins currently share the presidency of IDW as a comic book company. Chris Ryall serves as the company’s editor-in-chief and publisher. According to Diamond, Idea Publishing shares 1.49% of the comic book market. Since its inception, IDW publishing has provided a unique comic book outlet for many popular TV and movie series where writers and artists are unrestricted in the scope of their work. It is an ambitious comic book company winning way above its weight.

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The Marvelous Marvel Comics Story

June 25, 2012 by 2 Comments

The beginnings of Marvel Comics date back to 1939 where it started under the name of Timely Publications. The firm was founded by a pulp magazine publisher, Martin Goodman, who initially held the vital positions of editor, managing editor and business manager. In the 1950s, the company was generally known as Atlas Comics, and today, this Marvel Comics is widely known the world over.

The first issue of Timely Publications appeared in October, 1939, and included the Human Torch, an android superhero. This character, created by Carl Burgos, proved to be an outstanding success and an excellent choice for the first issue. Around 900,000 copies were sold in just two printings within two consecutive months. Because of this great result, the company took steps to hire its own staff.

One of the very successful results of this was Captain America, created by writer-artist Joe Simon in collaboration with Jack Kirby. Simon was Marvel’s first true editor after Goodman decided that a professional editor was a necessity, and the team of Kirby and Simon resulted in the production of &#8220Captain America Comics #1&#8243 in March 1941. This achieved almost 1 million sales, and the character of Captain America eventually developed to be one of Marvel’s top-grossing superheroes &#8211 not only in terms of sales, but also in popularity and following.

In 1939, Stanley Lieber (who was cousin to Goodman’s wife) was hired as general office assistant. Then in 1941, after Joe Simon had left the business as writer-artist, he became writer under the pseudonym Stan Lee. He also worked as interior editor of Marvel Comics for several decades under the same name. Lee was responsible for many significant contributions to Timely including a large number of titles.

Emergence Into the Modern Era

After a period of relative success, Marvel Comics moved more into the modern comic books style of publishing. In June 1961, a science fiction anthology known as &#8220Journey Into Mystery&#8221 was published. In the same month a more humorous title, &#8220Patsy Walker&#8221, was published. Each of these titles has the famous ‘MC’ box on their cover. Prior to the end of 1961, Marvel Comics introduced its first superhero team, The Fantastic Four.

This move was triggered by the very successful decision of DC Comics to revive its superheroes in a new form, and it was certainly worth Marvel giving it a try – and it worked for Marvel just as it did for DC! This was the start of Marvel becoming a significant player in the field of comic book publishing.

Stan Lee was the man behind the majority of Marvel’s superhero stories. From time to time he, and Marvel, got a breather when world issues and influences such as war, Western stories, humor and romance generally became popular, and the firm found it easy to follow suit without having to invent any new characters.

The effort that Marvel Comics put into developing the business resulted in a number of new superheroes, such as Spiderman, the Hulk, The Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, Ant Man, the X-Men and Daredevil. To give contrast to these “good guys” were those antagonists, or ‘baddies’, that included Magneto, Galactus, Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, The Green Goblin, and others.

The Marvel Revolution

Marvel Comics is known for its deep characterizations of its superhero “creations”, such as Spiderman, who is always portrayed as a hero suffering from self-doubt and other problems with which teenagers can identify. Contrary to the usually imagined perfect heroes, Marvel’s heroes had flaws; others were freaks, even misfits. This move started a revolution in the comics industry where some superheroes were presented as ugly and plain-looking, and increasing numbers began to develop personal character traits that could be used to develop the plots, and they were also given histories to explain these personal problems.

Lee maintained his reputation for many years, working relentlessly with Marvel to maintain high standards of writing. He was able to immerse himself into his stories and writings. He was well-loved by his co-workers who describes him of having a charming personality, and was also noticed by the US government because the 1970s came with a new brand of storyline for Stan Lee, who at this time also held the post of Editor-in-Chief.

The United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare approached him in 1971 and asked him to develop a comic book story dealing with the problem of drug abuse. However, once Lee had completed the three-part Spiderman story depicting the devastating effects of drug use, the Comics Code Authority or CCA refused to approve it. Lee and Goodman decided to publish the story without the CCA seal, and they were issued as “The Amazing Spiderman” issues 96, 97, and 98, and published from May to July 1971. The CCA revised its decision that same year after noting the very positive response they got from the general public and also from youngsters in particular.

After this were several changes in the company’s big names. Goodman retired in 1972 and his son Chip became the publisher. Then Lee became publisher and president at the same time. Jim Shooter was named Marvel’s editor-in-chief in 1978, and during his term, improvements were seen especially those of a more procedural nature.

Crossovers and Trading Cards

In the 1980’s, Marvel became more involved in direct marketing and gave royalties to the character creators. Attempts to introduce the so-called character ‘crossover’ story arcs were made, but these were not successful. Marvel lost its way around this time, and the latter half of the 1980s saw the company lagging behind DC in terms of sales.

There was a boom in the comics industry in the early 1990s that was very favorable to Marvel. The firm spotted the emergence of a lucrative trading cards market, and introduced its own version known as the Marvel Universe Cards. These were hot items because they were classified as collectibles, featuring characters and events over the history of Marvel Comics. This decade also made way for the company-wide crossovers stories that had failed in the 1980s.

Marvel Comics and the New Millennium

Marvel Comics’ performance improved as the new millennium started. Having suffered some big blows in the latter part of 1990s, the company again began to diversify its products. It established the Marvel Rating System for comics and withdrew from the Comics Code Authority. The ‘Ultimate Marvel&#8217 was successful in revitalizing its major titles, especially those characters that enjoyed huge popularity in the past.

The year 2007 marked Marvel’s entry into the digital edition of comic books with Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited. This offered an archive of more than 2,500 issues that could be viewed after paying a monthly or annual subscription fee. Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Comics’ parent company, was acquired by The Walt Disney Company on August 31, 2009 for $4.24 billion. The first joint publishing work of Marvel and Disney Publishing is the Disney/Pixar Presents magazine that started in May 2011.

Marvel Comics spent many years in the shadow of DC Comics, but can proudly state that it now stands beside DC as one of the two top comic book businesses in the world. Both have successfully negotiated the various technology changes since the earlier half on the 20th century, and have come into the 21st century as we would expect: achieving what is needed by modern technology to meet the needs of their readers.

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Image Comics and it’s Partnership Philosophy

June 25, 2012 by 4 Comments

Image Comics is a comic book publisher that was founded in 1992 by some famous United States illustrators. This group of high-profile personalities in the comic book industry pooled their talents together in order to retain copyright of their materials. The creators retained ownership of their published works, a clear contrast to the usual scenario when it comes to publication rights.

While the company was trying to establish its name, its products were mostly those of the original team members. Then, other independent illustrators found their way in as the firm established its niche in the world of comic books. Among the most remarkable works by these artists include Spawn, Savage Dragon, Witchblade, The Darkness, Invincible, and The Walking Dead.

The beginnings of Image Comics could be traced to as far back as the early 90s. Several freelance illustrators were unhappy at having to pass over ownership of their works, some working with Marvel Comics. They were not happy with some of the company’s standing policies and practices, and the way their creative genius was owned by their employer. They believed that they were not getting a fair share of the company’s revenues that were generated out of their artwork. They complained that the royalties given to them were only a meager portion of the total bulk of the company’s earnings.

Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld were believed to have led a group of illustrators who brought their complaints to Marvel Comics’ then president Terry Stewart in December 1991. They raised two points which, if granted, would possibly be enough to persuade them to remain with Marvel.

First, they requested that they be given ownership of their own work, and second, that they should be allowed to retain creative control over these intellectual properties. Stewart refused to accede to these requests, and the pair subsequently resigned from Marvel Comics.

Image Comics was founded by eight creators who were later given the nickname “X-odus”, because many of them were involved in the popular X-men franchise. They were Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, and Whilce Portacio, and also Erik Larsen of The Amazing Spiderman, Jim Valentino of Guardians of the Galaxy and the aforementioned Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld.

Two key provisions were emphasized in Image&#8217s charter. First, creators would retain ownership of their own works: Image would not own any of those, and secondly, each Image partner would remain independent with respect to their creativity and finances. The company would own no intellectual property other than its name and logo.

Although it was also agreed that each partner would found his own studio, only six studios were originally founded. Claremont and Portacio were not able to become part of Image’s first individual studios.

Malibu Comics, having established its name despite its small size, became the producer of Image’s first titles. Malibu became interested in the company’s policy on creator ownership, and offered practically almost all that Image required in order to launch its initial titles.

The first wave of Image’s books did well in the market, which was surprising to the company. The initial publications consisted of the titles ‘Youngblood’ by Liefeld, ‘The Savage Dragon&#8217 by Larsen, ‘Spawn’ by McFarlane, and ‘WildC.A.T.s’ by Lee. The sales were so big that they exceeded those of even more established and larger titles. This marked Image’s first taste of success and Malibu’s domination of market share at the time. With the confidence that it already had the needed impetus to take off alone, Image left Malibu and began to publish its own titles. However, Three titles lagged behind the other in terms of sales: ‘Cyberforce’ of Silvestri, ‘Shadowhawk’ of Valentino, and ‘Wetworks’ of Portacio.

As each studio tried to find its own direction, some partners veered away from the two key provisions that were set during Image’s formative period. This invited criticism from external observers, particularly when freelancers were brought in by some partners to write and illustrate specific series. They were reminded by critics of their original ethos, and that they were slipping into the practices that forced them to leave their previous companies. Only two, Larsen and Valentino, were able to keep in line with the original plan.

This event served as a lesson to them all, and the partners became more conscious and cautious about their dealings with other creators. Henceforth, creators retained ownership of their works, giving the company a better reputation than its competitors. Sam Kieth, previously with Dark Horse, Dale Keown, Jae Lee, Kurt Burseik, Brent Anderson, and Alex Ross were among those who joined Image.

The good position that Image held was adversely affected by the insufficient business and management experience of the partners. Several schedules were missed, resulting in loss on interest by fans. The situation deteriorated, particularly when retailers could no longer achieve the same levels of sales. Before long, retailers cut their orders and each of the studios felt the hurt individually because of the independent nature of their business.

Schedules were made more realistic and more easily achievable through reforms and management intervention. Because creators were able to deliver their works on time, retailers became more confident with Image Comics, and the situation improved.

Two Image series became successful by the mid-90s – &#8216Spawn&#8217 and &#8216The Savage Dragon’, with ‘WitchBlade’ and &#8216The Darkness’ not far behind. Image reached third position in comic book sales in North America, not far behind Marvel and DC Comics,

However, during the 1990s, problems began to arise in connection with violations of the philosophy of Image Comics. Many partners took exception to the way Liefeld abused his position as CEO. Ultimately, Silvestri withdrew ‘Top Cow&#8217 from Image and Liefeld subsequently resigned his position. Silvestri then returned Top Cow to the partnership.

As partners, the eight founders became famous for a style of art that was considered different to that usually associated with comic books. Although each published different works, readers can still identify Image’s signature or style in each of those.

Image Comics was able to maintain its &#8216new model’ among comic books publishers, with creators who publishing their work with the company retaining total ownership over it. Image took only a fixed sum after publication, defining it administration costs. Image Central is separate business unit created to formalize this policy and oversee each partner studio.

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DC Comics are Cool!

June 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

DC Comics was founded in 1934, and is known worldwide as America’s top comic book. It was originally known as National Allied publications, a publishing component of DC Entertainment. This company is popular for its Detective Comics series, and the initials DC actually came from this. From here came the well-known and loved characters such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, The Flash, and The Martian Manhunter.

It has also introduced some very popular superhero teams, including Justice Society, the Justice League, and the Teen Titans. Alongside these so-called superheroes are the popular antagonists or villains, such as Lex Luthor, the Riddler, the Joker, Catwoman, Sinestro, the Penguin, and several others.

The Beginnings of DC Comics

In its earlier days, DC Comics was use as a colloquial name before the official adoption of National Comics and National Periodical Publications in 1977. It should be noted that National Allied Publications merged with Detective Comics, Inc. to form National Comics. Also, the company used the logo “Superman-DC” on its covers and advertisements as early as 1940.

It was the entrepreneur Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson who, in February 1935, published the first title “New-Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1&#8243. A second title “New Comics # 1″ appeared in December 1935, the dimensions of which were eventually adopted as the standard for comic books during this period. This second title later changed to &#8220Adventure Comics&#8221 which became one of the longest-running comic book series.

The third title came out a year later, in December 1936, and it was named &#8220Detective Comics.” This series introduced Batman in May 1939 and the &#8216Caped Crusader’ became an instant sensation. However, Wheeler-Nicholson was experiencing severe financial difficulties around this time, and he eventually left the company. Before he left, Wheeler-Nicholson, repaid a debt due to Harry Donenfeld by taking him as a partner for Detective Comics #1. Donenfeld was a magazine distributor and owner of a printing plant at this time, with Wheeler-Nicholson and Donenfeld’s accountant Jack Liebowitz also listed as owners.

Early Copyright Violations

There was a time when violation of copyright became so rampant that the company decided to do something about it. Imitation of characters in DC’s line was taking its toll on its reputation. One of the imitation characters was Fox Comics’ ‘Wonder Man&#8217, a copy of Superman. Another was Fawcett Comics’ ‘Captain Marvel’ which was ruled out by the court also as a copy of Superman. After some twists and turns, DC was able to secure the publication rights to Captain Marvel, although he was published in a new title, “Shazam!”

A decline in the popularity of superhero characters occurred in the late 1940s. During this time, DC had been publishing stories more along the lines of science fiction, humor, Western, and romance. They also tried to join those other companies that were involved in the crime and horror genres, and tended to avoid the criticism extended to crime and horror in the mid-1950s by taming down the stories to be more suitable to kids.

Ringing the Changes: DC Comics Silver Age

The so-called silver age for DC Comics came in the mid-1950s, and several changes were undertaken both in marketing strategies and in the presentation of the product. Irwin Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz wanted something new, and believed Julius Schwartz to be the ideal person to achieve this. With Schwartz’ background in the science fiction book market, the two directed him to present ‘Flash’ in a new story title ‘Showcase.’

Schwartz was so optimistic about his project that he decided not to revive the old character but to create a new Flash. With the help of Robert Kanigher and John Broome as writers, Carmine Infantino as penciler, and Joe Kubert as inker, he was able to come up with an entirely new Flash character.

This time, the superhero comes with an updated and modernized costume, and a new civilian identity and origin. Schwartz incorporated his expertise as a science-fiction writer in his regenerated Flash. His efforts proved to be very fruitful because his new character achieved instant popularity in ‘Showcase’. His success in revamping an established superhero led to other similar character updates.

The Green Lantern was given a fresh twist, followed quickly by the introduction of the Justice League of America or JLA as a modern all-star team. This radical move by DC in reimagining characters and successfully launching those to new heights of popularity caught the attention of other companies. Marvel Comics did the same with The Fantastic Four through writer-editor Stan Lee and creator Jack Kirby.

It was DC Comics that established a new trend in presenting several superhero characters working together. This began in the 1940s, with Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, and other heroes appearing in just one story. This was so well received by readers that the so-called DC Universe joined the world of comic books decades later.

The 1960s and Marvel&#8217s Threat

Many significant things happened in DC Comics, particularly relating to Batman and Superman. The 1960s were Batman’s years with the character becoming much more active. The latter half of the 1960s was crucial to Marvel Comics because it was during this period that the firm was trying to establish itself as a serious contender for the D C throne.

That was threatening to DC so the company looked around for improved talent to offer freshness and ingenuity to the characters. New talent was employed and some existing people were replaced. This helped DC Comics to retain position at #1 in the comic superhero popularity list.

The themes of the comic book stories shifted from science-fiction and fantasy to themes that were new to this type of publication. For example, illegal drugs, that had been anathema to any comic story, finally raised their head around this time. The Comics Code Authority was updated to accommodate the use of drug-fueled themes in comics.

Growth and Ingenious Development

In the late 1980s, DC experienced success with ‘The New Teen Titans’ and subsequent similar lines in the DC Universe. The 1990s was favorable to the growth of the industry due to the emergence of readers who purchased comic books as collections. It also initiated the publication of ‘bookstore-friendly’ formats, including paperback editions that offered collections of several serial comics and graphic novels.

After further revamps and changes, by the 21st century DC Comics had acquired additional rights and assets. More lines were launched and more characters were created, re-imagined and recreated. Just last year in May, 2011, DC announced its newest contribution to the comic book industry: the release of digital versions of their comics which would make it the first comic book publisher to come into the digital age in this way. The first in the list of such material is &#8220Justice League” from writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee.

DC Comics had one again shown the world that it is top in both imagination and marketing ingenuity, and rightly continues to hold the top spot that it has enjoyed for so long.

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Light Shines on the Dark Horse

June 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book publisher. It was founded Mike Richardson in 1986 in Milwaukee, Oregon, with the idea of putting up something that would provide an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. From Richardson’s comic-book retail chain known as &#8216Things From Another World&#8217, Dark Horse became the third-largest U.S. comic book publisher after twenty five years.

In 1980, Mike Richardson opened a comic-book store in Bend, Oregon, known as Pegasus Books. He used a credit card with a $2,000 credit limit to open the store, and pursued his plan of personally writing and illustrating a children’s book. That took time, however, and he had to combine that work with the day-to-day running of the book store. Nevertheless, things went well, and he was able to open new retail locations in two states.

Dark Horse Comics Begins

He eventually became discontented with the quality of the products that he sold in his stores, so decided to start up his own publishing company. He used the money from his retail stores as capital to set up Dark Horse Comics as his own publishing house, with its writers and artists treated as partners. This differentiated the business from existing comic book companies that were used to claiming ownership over the works of their writers and artists.

Naturally, this was looked on as refreshing novelty, and atmosphere of participation offered by the company attracted the attention of the industry’s top creators. They soon flocked to Dark Horse where they themselves could put their hands on the publishing and marketing aspects of their creations.

The initial titles, &#8216Dark Horse Presents’ and ‘Boris the Bear’, were launched in 1986. The runaway hit ‘Concrete’, created by Paul Chadwick, is a story about a congressional speechwriter who transforms into a two-thousand-pound cement creature. This opened the path to more successes, and in a relatively short period of time new titles were added, including The American, Trekker, The Mask, and Black Cross.

Dark Horse and the Movies

Two years after, in 1988, Dark Horse developed an effective way of launching comic book publications, basing them on movie releases. It released such hits as the ‘Aliens’ series that was based on the popular film by the same title, which was immediately followed by ‘Predator’. There was no question about the success of this revolutionizing strategy, because succeeding movie-based series were all big hits.

Dark Horse’s domination of this line of production was established in 1990 with the launching of the ‘Star Wars ‘series. Sales rocketed, pouring in millions of revenue which the company holds to this day. There is a long list of profitable series includes Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Mass Effect, Conan, Predator, Serenity, and Dollhouse.

The Japanese Manga Influence

Another revolutionizing success initiated by Mike Richardson arose from his keen interest in manga. He introduced his first manga series publication in 1987 with the title ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’. He was so interested in the genre that he traveled back and forth to Japan during the early 90s. There, he developed a collaboration with top creative talents, providing him with more concrete ideas on combining the Japanese manga with the American style of comic book.

Dark Horse Comics soon became heavily with the manga program, most of which were naturally Japanese-inspired. This includes ‘Lone Wolf and Club’ by Koike, &#8216Astro Boy’ by Tezuka, &#8216Akira&#8217 by Otomo, &#8216Ghost in the Shell’ by Shirow, &#8216Blade of the Immortal&#8217 by Samura, &#8216Gunsmith Cats’ by Sonoda, and ‘Trigun’ by Nightow. The longest-running manga series in America, Fujishima’s ‘Oh My Goddess&#8217, was also included.

Movie Crossovers

Dark Horse surprised the world in 1990 when it developed the idea of a crossover of the two most popular movies, &#8216Alien vs. Predator.’ It was a significant and successful undertaking that started another new trend in the comic book industry. Since then, crossover became a regular item in the list of titles launched. Even the industry giants followed suit, giving rise to runaway hits such as &#8216Batman vs. Predator&#8217, ‘Superman/Aliens’, and ‘Joker/Mask’.

Frank Miller of &#8216Batman: The Dark Knight Returns’ and Dave Gibbons of ‘Watchmen’ became part of Dark Horse when the two brought in &#8216Give Me Liberty’. In the latter part of 1990, Miller’s collaboration with artist Geoff Darrow produced and released &#8216Hard Boiled&#8217. The company’s policy for its creators plus the success of the project propelled the two artists to sign a contract with Dark Horse. Other topnotch creators became interested, including Mike Mignola, Art Adams, Walt Simonson, Chris Claremont and others, who soon brought their style of work to the firm.

Inspired by the unprecedented success of his initiative of transforming film characters into comic book stars, Mike Richardson thought of doing the reverse – transforming comic book characters into characters for film and television. In 1992, he established Dark Horse Entertainment, Inc. Working with Twentieth-Century Fox, Dark Horse Entertainment was able to do complete two successful productions, &#8216The Mask&#8217 and ‘Timecop’.

Dark Horse Deluxe Spin-Offs

In 1998, the Dark Horse Deluxe brand was launched as a new marketing arm. It was devoted to selling the company’s spin-off products, such as model kits, apparel, toys, and collectibles. This new division surpassed the company’s expectations, and the collectible items were soon in demand. Even to this date several stores located nationwide have diverse products.

Tim Burton’s &#8216Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys&#8217 and Joss Whedon’s&#8217 Serenity&#8217 are two of the most successful lines of collectibles. There are also the Domo-themed products which are made available by two Japanese companies Big Tent Entertainment and NHK Broadcasting Corporation.

Buffy and the New Millennium

The company’s presence in the industry in the new millennium was ensured by some surprise innovations for which it is well know. In 2007, &#8216Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ was another revolution in the field of licensed comics. The book was created by a pool of talents, starting with its creator Joss Whedon, plus covers by Jo Chen and interior art by Georges Jeanty.

Dark Horse marked its twenty-fifth year with the launching of its digital-comics application. Fans can now download hundreds of titles through Digital.DarkHorse.com or through iTunes stores. Today, the company still publishes comics that are owned by their creators. &#8216Sin City’ and &#8217300&#8242 are owned by Frank Miller; ‘HellBoy’ by Mike Mignola; ‘Usagi Yojimbo&#8217 by Stan Sakai&#8217 Umbrella Academy&#8217 by Gerard Way and &#8216The Escapist&#8217 by Michael Chabon. Mike Richardson’s idea has certainly come good!

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