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Post by G on Mar 26, 2010 15:12:58 GMT -5
I got to thinking today about Dark Horse a little bit more than usual. I just happened to pick up a stack of comic books this morning and in it I had a Ghost #1 with Adam Hughes art and I ended up reading it. And I got to think Dark Horse always had potential and always seemed to be lurking in the shadows, but they never really seemed to break out and come forefront to being major. A few times they seemed close, but they never really seemed hot.
So with the anticipation of the Valiant books coming out this summer, I got to wondering what has been some of their brighter moments so far? I'm talking all the way back to the beginning (which by the way, does anyone know what the 1st Dark Horse comic ever published was?). But since the beginning, what has been some of the standouts or more memorable moments they've had?
Me personally, I always remember them trying a time or two to have hero like books but never seeming to get very far. They always seemed like alternative heroes. When they were doing Comics Greatest World I was a bit into Ghost by Adam Hughes and X which I thought was kind of cool looking but never took off.
I would imagine some would say Hellboy is a big achievement for them.
Their Star Wars related books always seemed well received but I was never into that very much although I did have a few.
Although it wasn't very sharp in the art department, I kinda dug Next Men by Byrne for a bit.
Does anybody have any moments they can recall from their entire history where they really kind of stood out? Other than having a few moments where they could pat themselves on the back for a job well done, I'm not quite sure they ever really stood out as the most buzz worthy company.
So I'm looking for thoughts by others who may think they had some moments and I'd be happy to see what you thought were better Dark Horse moments.
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Post by defiant1 on Mar 26, 2010 18:57:49 GMT -5
I got to thinking today about Dark Horse a little bit more than usual. I just happened to pick up a stack of comic books this morning and in it I had a Ghost #1 with Adam Hughes art and I ended up reading it. And I got to think Dark Horse always had potential and always seemed to be lurking in the shadows, but they never really seemed to break out and come forefront to being major. A few times they seemed close, but they never really seemed hot. So with the anticipation of the Valiant books coming out this summer, I got to wondering what has been some of their brighter moments so far? I'm talking all the way back to the beginning (which by the way, does anyone know what the 1st Dark Horse comic ever published was?). But since the beginning, what has been some of the standouts or more memorable moments they've had? Me personally, I always remember them trying a time or two to have hero like books but never seeming to get very far. They always seemed like alternative heroes. When they were doing Comics Greatest World I was a bit into Ghost by Adam Hughes and X which I thought was kind of cool looking but never took off. I would imagine some would say Hellboy is a big achievement for them. Their Star Wars related books always seemed well received but I was never into that very much although I did have a few. Although it wasn't very sharp in the art department, I kinda dug Next Men by Byrne for a bit. Does anybody have any moments they can recall from their entire history where they really kind of stood out? Other than having a few moments where they could pat themselves on the back for a job well done, I'm not quite sure they ever really stood out as the most buzz worthy company. So I'm looking for thoughts by others who may think they had some moments and I'd be happy to see what you thought were better Dark Horse moments. Most would probably say Sin City which never meant anything to me. I thought some odd stuff like Tongue Lash was interesting. I bought their Species series, but that may be because I think Natascha Henstridge had an incredible body. Overall they seemed to be doing their own thing and I never really cared for what they published. df1 |
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Post by G on Mar 26, 2010 19:06:45 GMT -5
I had forgotten about Sin City. It's most likely because I never owned a single comic of Sin City nor did I ever see the movie although I wouldn't have minded either, I just never made the moment happen. That was a good pick for respectable memorable moments by Dark Horse.
As for your comment about them as a publisher, I would mostly agree. I have always known they were out there and doing their own thing, but they never really excited me enough to want to buy from them month in and month out. Part of me thinks if I looked around now, I might find a few things I'd enjoy. But another part of me thinks I would most likely be wasting my time. I kinda wonder why they never pushed the envelop more or had their finger on the market more. Sure you can point to a lot of moderate successes for them and say they did just fine. But I have to wonder why they never did better than they did. What stopped them from reaching higher grounds? They always seemed to publish like they was content where they were.
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Post by defiant1 on Mar 27, 2010 7:08:11 GMT -5
I had forgotten about Sin City. It's most likely because I never owned a single comic of Sin City nor did I ever see the movie although I wouldn't have minded either, I just never made the moment happen. That was a good pick for respectable memorable moments by Dark Horse. As for your comment about them as a publisher, I would mostly agree. I have always known they were out there and doing their own thing, but they never really excited me enough to want to buy from them month in and month out. Part of me thinks if I looked around now, I might find a few things I'd enjoy. But another part of me thinks I would most likely be wasting my time. I kinda wonder why they never pushed the envelop more or had their finger on the market more. Sure you can point to a lot of moderate successes for them and say they did just fine. But I have to wonder why they never did better than they did. What stopped them from reaching higher grounds? They always seemed to publish like they was content where they were. I've always felt their problem was that they don't have anything to license. They don't own Sin City or Next Men. They don't own Aliens, Species, Robocop or Terminator. It's like being in the pet breeding business and only buying dogs with no balls. Then again, after seeing Their current marketing for this Magnus/Solar project, I'm not shocked. Articles start rolling out AFTER the book has already been ordered by retailers, yet little or nothing before. defiant1 |
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Post by bigw1966 on Mar 27, 2010 10:12:21 GMT -5
Dark Horse is one of the 5 premium Publishers in the US.
Primarily known for long running licenced books that have influenced the original Licenses themselves.
TERMINATOR, STAR WARS, ALIENS, PREDATOR They were the first to pair the Aliens and Predator characters which has lead to two movies. They also created with Lucas's permission, the entire back history of the Star Wars universe which has lead to two RPG games titled Knights of the Old Republic and they also created many characters that have become part of the Star Wars lore.
they have also had original creations turned into other media. The MASK, TIMECOP, Dr. GIGGLES among others.
They were an original (pre-Image) haven for creator owned books, most notably- SIN CITY, HELLBOY(and all related titles) NEXT MEN, MARTHA WASHINGTON series.
Additionally Dark Horse is involved in the Production of a variety of movies based on these products.
Hope that helps.
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Post by G on Mar 27, 2010 18:41:03 GMT -5
While I appreciate your bringing clarity for me on this subject, I want to stress that the intention is to bring clarity to everyone out there who may read this. I think Dark Horse is easy to overlook and easy to forget about. It's also hard to realize that they've had quite a lot of accomplishments for a comic company that doesn't exactly make a habit of standing out. This thread is here to see who can bring to the forefront just what those accomplishments were that many didn't often see when they seen the Dark Horse logo. This is not just a reminder to me, as much as it is to everyone. |
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Post by defiant1 on Mar 27, 2010 21:44:38 GMT -5
Dark Horse is one of the 5 premium Publishers in the US. Primarily known for long running licenced books that have influenced the original Licenses themselves. TERMINATOR, STAR WARS, ALIENS, PREDATOR They were the first to pair the Aliens and Predator characters which has lead to two movies. They also created with Lucas's permission, the entire back history of the Star Wars universe which has lead to two RPG games titled Knights of the Old Republic and they also created many characters that have become part of the Star Wars lore. they have also had original creations turned into other media. The MASK, TIMECOP, Dr. GIGGLES among others. They were an original (pre-Image) haven for creator owned books, most notably- SIN CITY, HELLBOY(and all related titles) NEXT MEN, MARTHA WASHINGTON series. Additionally Dark Horse is involved in the Production of a variety of movies based on these products. Hope that helps. I think they've done an impressive job licensing properties others have created. Dell/Gold Key, Charlton, Now, and a lot of others have used that formula. IDW and a lot of other Indy companies have learned it's a way to guarantee people pay attention. Licensing a property someone else created doesn't make it good. Bringing Aliens & Predator together is a no brainer after you've already taken the effort to license them both. The fact they are still around is VERY impressive. The fact they have been a creator haven became more of a necessity. If you don't own the rights to what you publish, you have to have a steady flow of big name talent willing to work for you. It is also very impressive that Dark Horse has had the degree of success they have in Hollywood. Honestly though, I feel many of their movies are forgettable. Tank Girl, Dr. Giggles... quite a few they've made don't really excite me. Sin City never really excited me either. I went to see it because Jessica Alba looked hot in it. I think Dark Horse would have had a lot bigger role in the industry if they took the effort to own something and had something to license for additional revenue. IDW is using the Dark Horse business template and just jumped to #3. Being #5 these days means you better have something else going on. In their case, the movies are it. Are they a comic book company or a movie production studio? A little of both. They deserve more credit for being the movie production studio. df1 |
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Post by cyberstrike on Apr 3, 2010 9:31:17 GMT -5
I think DH gets over looked mostly because their license properties (other than Mass Effect and Star Wars) are not doing anything in other medias like movies, TV, video games, and the rest. Outside of Star Wars and Mass Effect which are still hot properties, the rest even when something is done seems only lukewarm.
The whole Aliens/Predator/AvP franchise hasn't had what I would I call a GREAT movie in decades and the rest are reasonable hits, but not a super-hit. The new videogame seems to be doing OK, but is being overshadowed by other games.
The Terminator since the fourth movie bombed at the box office, and The Sarah Connor Chronicles got canned and the company that had the rights went bankrupt and even the comics seemed to split between DH and IDW.
While Fox have announced a re-imagined Buffy, the Vampire Slayer movie without Joss Whedon's involvement (no Whedon= no money from me). There is no new TV movie, cartoon show, video game on the horizon to feature Whedon's vision of his characters.
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Post by G on Apr 3, 2010 12:04:22 GMT -5
I often wonder if Dark Horse would still be around if they didn't do other's properties? It seems to be their bread and butter but it also seems to be what keeps them from being a really cool company. I think it hurts their identity. When I think of Dark Horse, I don't have characters run through my mind like I would with say DC or Marvel or even others. While you can easily understand why they have been mainly commercial properties to stay afloat, I really wonder if Dark Horse would be still standing without them. It never seems like they do much with their own stuff and over the long run, it has seemed to have made them one dimensional. I hope Dark Horse works more at developing their own characters down the road.
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Post by defiant1 on Apr 3, 2010 14:04:28 GMT -5
I think DH gets over looked mostly because their license properties (other than Mass Effect and Star Wars) are not doing anything in other medias like movies, TV, video games, and the rest. Outside of Star Wars and Mass Effect which are still hot properties, the rest even when something is done seems only lukewarm. The whole Aliens/Predator/AvP franchise hasn't had what I would I call a GREAT movie in decades and the rest are reasonable hits, but not a super-hit. The new videogame seems to be doing OK, but is being overshadowed by other games. The Terminator since the fourth movie bombed at the box office, and The Sarah Connor Chronicles got canned and the company that had the rights went bankrupt and even the comics seemed to split between DH and IDW. While Fox have announced a re-imagined Buffy, the Vampire Slayer movie without Joss Whedon's involvement (no Whedon= no money from me). There is no new TV movie, cartoon show, video game on the horizon to feature Whedon's vision of his characters. As a side note... I'm supposed to interview Buffy artist Georges Jeanty. If you have any questions you'd like to see asked, send me a PM. He wrote me last week and we discussed it. df1 |
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