Celebrating 35 years in the comic book business, Dark Horse Comics proudly presents an exclusive trailer highlighting the many highs throughout its storied publication history. The publishing house behind such fan favorites as Frank Miller’s Sin City, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy and Gerard Way’s The Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics has long been the little comics company that could, and celebrates 35 years since its founding this year, hopefully to kick off another 35 more.
Founded by Mike Richardson in 1986 from his comic book shop in the sleepy hamlet of Bend, Oregon (a small city with a population of around 100,000), Dark Horse Comics made a name for itself by attracting big name talent with the promise of editorial freedom. It managed to lure none other than Frank Miller, who at the time was one of DC and Marvel’s most reputable writers and artists. Over time, Dark Horse would become known for being a versatile and fearless publishing house, showcasing everything from television and film adaptations like Avatar: The Last Airbender, to English-translated manga (including the famously grisly Berserk by Kentaro Miura) while continuing to spotlight emerging talent and innovative storytelling.
Now, released exclusively through Screen Rant, a new Dark Horse Comics trailer is commemorating 35 years in the business with a compelling retrospective of its past successes and a preview of works to come. The trailer also exhibits the publisher's fantastic talent pool and spectacular art. Included in the trailer are scenes from the Dark Horse booth at Comic-Con, clips from its self-moderated panels with the voice cast of Legend of Korra, and vignettes honoring its past successes showcasing creators such as Paul Chadwick (Concrete), G. Willow Wilson (Invisible Kingdom) and Richardson himself with actor Jim Carrey portraying The Mask. Watch the exclusive trailer below:
Though Dark Horse may not be one of the Big Two comics publishers, it is still the largest independent publisher of comics, which has long garnered it a reputation for hard-hitting, artistically advanced storytelling. In recent years this has bloomed into a growing number of adaptations of its intellectual properties, most notably the television series The Umbrella Academy which is now a runaway Netflix hit. Dark Horse's philosophy of allowing creative and philosophical freedom to guide its creators has enabled it to weather the many storms of the industry while continuing to produce influential and effective stories and attracting top talent.
There is a lot on the horizon for Dark Horse this year and beyond. The publisher has announced deals with prominent creators like Brian Michael Bendis and Scott Snyder, as well as new comics set in the worlds of Hellboy and Black Hammer. It has also expanded into gaming and digital entertainment with Dark Horse Games. While only time will tell what else the future holds for Dark Horse Comics, it will no doubt be as full of twists, turns and triumphs as the comics it has published.