SupermanHawaii.com

by Napua Ahina

This month celebrates the 20th anniversary of Dark Horse Comics. True to their namesake, they started out as an unlikely contender against publishing giants Marvel and DC. Dark Horse has taken the lead and solidified its position as the third largest comicbook publisher in the US. Since 1986, Dark Horse has earned many accolades... They are now the quintessential leader of licensed comics material. A few of these licensed titles include Conan, Aliens, Godzilla, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a variety of other TV and movie related titles. Dark Horse also facilitates creator-owned and award-winning properties like Grendel, Hellboy, Usagi Yojimbo and Shi.

Dark Horse quickly became a trendsetter by publishing manga long before it became the popular thing to do. Their first manga title was Oh My Goddess (America's longest-running manga series). They've also reprinted iconic titles like Lone Wolf and Cub, Astro Boy, Hellsing and Akira. They even published a manga Star Wars mini-series in 1998. In addition to manga legends Kosuke Fujishima, Osamu Tezuka, the Dark Horse roster also includes Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman and Eric Powell. Among other independent publishers, Dark Horse has established an unsurpassed stable of top talent.

This month Dark Horse is publishing a special 25 cent issue celebrating their anniversary. Dark Horse: Twenty Years will feature a collection of original art by a distinguished list of Dark Horse creators, past and present (Joss Whedon, Sergio Aragones, Paul Chadwick, Matt Wagner and more). Each artist has traded characters offering an unexpected take on one of the icons of Dark Horse's history. This pin-up comic consolidates twenty years worth of new takes on timeless characters. Be sure to pick-up this commemorative issue as we look forward to another twenty years!

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