Dark Horse Takes a Day on June 4

Thirty years is a long time. For Dark Horse, it's a momentous amount of time and the publisher is celebrating its birth thirty years ago on Saturday, June 4, with Dark Horse Day. The day will include events happening in comic shops around the country. The publisher is inviting retail partners to celebrate by offering exclusive promotional materials, ordering discounts on Dark Horse Comics backlist titles and a commemorative Dark Horse Day Sampler comic.

“Just over thirty years ago, I gathered a group of would-be collaborators in the restaurant I owned and told them I was going to start a comics company. I’m not sure whether their smiles were a result of excitement over the possibilities or amusement at the thought of it, but here we are all these years later making comic books,” remarked Dark Horse president and publisher Mike Richardson. “It’s been an amazing journey and we’ve witnessed extraordinary changes both in the comics market and in our pop culture over three decades. We’re excited to still be spending our lives in the career we love, and we hope that you all will help us celebrate thirty years of comics.”

As Dark Horse Comics turns thirty, the publisher will present a look back at some of our top titles from past decades in an exclusive Dark Horse Day Sampler comic featuring classic stories including Aliens vs. Predator: Blood Time (1994) by Randy Stradley and Phill Norwood, Sin City: Daddy’s Little Girl (1996) by Frank Miller and The Umbrella Academy: Anywhere but Here (2008) by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá. Plus: a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer tale by Christos Gage! The forty-page Dark Horse Day Sampler comic features a special cover by Steve Morris and will be available in comic shops everywhere on June 4.

“It’s hard to believe it has been thirty years—mainly because the memories of seeing our first comics on the stands and going to conventions and meeting fans for the first time are still so clear. If you’re a Dark Horse fan, or if you’ve ever been a Dark Horse fan, I hope you join us for this milestone celebration!” added Dark Horse vice president of publishing Randy Stradley.

Full press release below.

DARK HORSE DAY CELEBRATION TO TAKE PLACE ON JUNE 4!

Media Contact: Aub Driver aubd@darkhorse.com Dark Horse Announces Dark Horse Day Celebration To Take Place June 4! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MILWAUKIE, OR—2016 marks the thirtieth anniversary of Dark Horse Comics, and it’s time to party! To celebrate, Dark Horse is proclaiming Saturday, June 4, 2016, to be “Dark Horse Day,” with events happening in comic shops around the country! We are inviting our retail partners to celebrate with us by offering exclusive promotional materials, ordering discounts on Dark Horse Comics backlist titles, and a commemorative Dark Horse Day Sampler comic! “Just over thirty years ago, I gathered a group of would-be collaborators in the restaurant I owned and told them I was going to start a comics company. I’m not sure whether their smiles were a result of excitement over the possibilities or amusement at the thought of it, but here we are all these years later making comic books,” remarked Dark Horse president and publisher Mike Richardson. “It’s been an amazing journey and we’ve witnessed extraordinary changes both in the comics market and in our pop culture over three decades. We’re excited to still be spending our lives in the career we love, and we hope that you all will help us celebrate thirty years of comics.” As Dark Horse Comics turns thirty, we present a look back at some of our top titles from past decades in an exclusive Dark Horse Day Sampler comic featuring classic stories including Aliens vs. Predator: Blood Time (1994), by Randy Stradley and Phill Norwood, Sin City: Daddy’s Little Girl (1996), by Frank Miller, and The Umbrella Academy: Anywhere but Here (2008), by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá! Plus: a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer tale by Christos Gage! The forty-page Dark Horse Day Sampler comic features a special cover by Steve Morris and will be available in comic shops everywhere on June 4. “It’s hard to believe it has been thirty years—mainly because the memories of seeing our first comics on the stands and going to conventions and meeting fans for the first time are still so clear. If you’re a Dark Horse fan, or if you’ve ever been a Dark Horse fan, I hope you join us for this milestone celebration!” added Dark Horse vice president of publishing Randy Stradley. Fans: Make sure to tell your retailer you want your local store to participate in this awesome celebration! Retailers: Look for the April cover-dated issue of Previews for details on participation levels, along with promotional support being offered by Dark Horse for the event! ### About Dark Horse For 30 years, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, the company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.