Former Dark Horse employee here. Last time was fun, so let's do it again. What do you want to know about working in comics?
Only rule: no personal details.
Were they working on the Moebius estate deal when you still worked there?
Hey, loved the last thread you did!
Got any stuff on all that sexual harassment biz that blew up not too long ago?
Which genre does the company push more?
>>77688115
I don't think so. If they were it was hush hush.
did scott allie fumble your bum
>>77688126
Not really. The thing to remember is that this shit is common in the industry. It's like steroids in sports. Everyone knows it happens, you only get in trouble when you get caught.
>>77688136
Eh, hard to say these days. The company wants to compete with Marvel and DC and have their own universe, but at the same time do creative indie stuff like IDW and Oni. They're all over the map these days.
Does Dark Horse prefer to contact writers themselves or is it the other way around?
>>77688161
He did not. Personally, I've never had a problem with Scott.
>>77688420
Like for potential projects?
>>77688425
do you think he'll ever be off abe sapien, I want the title to be good again
>>77688455
Maybe if Mignola asks for another editor.
What would you do if you found out one of your artist likes to draw furry porn on the side?
>>77688136
Horror obviously
>>77688093
When did you work for them?
>>77688522
I would be 100% not surprised.
>>77688093
Hey I remember you, last time you said your former president wanted to be like Stan Lee.
Anyway, Did you work with Eric Powell, the creator of the goon ?
How would you describe him if yes ?
>>77688591
Yeah. Powell is a great guy. Really funny and pretty humble. I like him a lot. Had drinks with him and the guys from Reno 911 at SDCC a few years back.
how easy was it to get a job there?
>>77688730
Depends. When I was hired it was pretty competitive. But there have been so many people quitting recently that you could probably just send in a resume. It's a pretty shitty place to work by the way.
So did the sezual harrsment storm ever blow over.
Did your boss ever try to bite you?
Tell us more stories about thr sex andrug fueled perversions of the comic industry.
>>77688435
Yeah. What I mean is, does editorial themselves show any interest in approaching writers for any projects or do writers have to introduce themselves and make their interest in working with Dark Horse known?
>>77688780
>It's a pretty shitty place to work by the way.
Go on...
>>77688780
Would a resume with only two short plays and the occasional article be good enough?
>>77688780
why is it shitty? nothing you've said so far really indicates that.
When Viacom bought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles licence in 2009 and seek for a new publisher, is it true that Dark Horse was interested before IDW was chosen?
>>77688093
How profitable were the manga aspect of the publisher?
>>77688910
that was confirmed ages ago, art got out
Sorry, had to take a call.
>>77688880
Some one might approach you if they're familiar with your stuff. Otherwise, you'll have to send in a submission and hope for the best like everyone else.
>>77688882
Really poorly managed. And you'll never make any money. I think the average salary is still low 30's. Plus, the industry is full of people who think they're rock stars. Lots of ego.
>>77688885
Doubtful. Unless you've already had stuff published.
>>77688908
See above.
>>77688910
Yes.
>>77689000
These days, not so much.
>>77689079
what is good entry level comic job for writer?
>>77689000
there are detailed sale figures of this, I think it dropped a lot the last 5 years
>>77689079
>Yes.
Ok thanks I thought it was a rumor. TMNT by DH? Really makes me curious...maybe a crossover with Usagi Yojimbo one day lol
>>77689035
>art got out
Never seen.
>>77689124
Assistant editor. You'll do a lot of grunt work and only make a hair over minimum wage, but you'll learn alot about the industry.
I have no idea what to ask, I guess any interesting stories of the top of your head?
>>77689187
As I recall, the editor who was supposed to go after TMNT just totally dropped the ball and never followed up. Typical DH.
>>77689192
Eh, most of my stories involve getting drunk at cons.
How many women writers sleep with their editors?
>>77689187
Already happened.
>>77689470
None that I can think of. Not that it hasn't happened. More women editors sleeping with creators and other industry people. That's more common.
How many male writers sleep with their editors?
>>77689188
is that position attainable right out of college with a bachelors?
>>77689479
Yes I know, I'm a TMNT fan but at the time UY was published by Mirage. A new crossover would have been possible if DH got TMNT...
>>77689548
Again, none that I can think of. In general, it's a bad idea to screw someone you work with directly, especially someone who has to edit your work.
>>77689552
Yup. They like hiring recent college grads because they're willing to work for Jack shit.
How much did you make? If that's too personal, How is Dark Horse doing as a company? Any big projects coming up that are prolly gonna flop.
>>77688093
What does Dark Horse's staff think about the way things are going around on Image, Marvel and DC?
Not looking for anything specific, just knowing what a publisher thinks about the current outlook of the industry.
>>77689780
Right around 30k and that's after working there for years.
My prediction is that DH will continue on their current trend: a few successes here and there but will continue to lose market share until Richardson decides to retire and then tries to sell off the company for one final pay out. DH will never really be relevant again. This much I'm certain.
>>77689634
yay
What do you think of Dark Horse Entertainment and the movie/TV wing?
Can they ever live Son of Mask down?
>>77689634
will a degree in electrical engineering help with that.
andwhat does assistant editor do?
>>77689844
DH staff thinks they should be competitive with smaller publishers like IDW and Oni, DH management is still trying to compete with Marvel and DC.
>>77689305
tll them all, especial ly if there was anal
>>77689864
Wow that's brutal. Do you know if other smaller publishers are facing similar crises?
How much is piracy damaging non big 2 publishers from 1 to 10?
If I was an intern and worked the booth for SDCC lots of times, would it be hard for me to figure out who you are?
What is going on with DH Avatar?
>>77689908
I doubt they'll ever make a wide release or even profitable movie again.
>>77689933
Assistant editors make copies, handle emails, occasionally do minor corrections. It's a small step up from being someone's secretary. You'll make way, way, waaaaaaaaay more money by putting your degree to use.
>>77690019
and if i'm a dumbass with a english/history degree?
>>77689972
With few exceptions, you'll never make a lot of money in comics. Most just make enough to get by. And almost everyone either lives with multiple roommates or has a spouse or parent with money.
Any movie deal offers?
>>77689980
Possibly, depending on which years you worked.
>>77690049
English degree will probably help you out more.
Did you ever hear anyone interested in rebooting Comic's Finest World? I always thought that line was awesome.
>>77689985
No idea. The editorial team had a rough year. Multiple people quit or were fired plus the whole Scott Allie thing. I think a lot of titles are in limbo.
So what do you do once you leave DH? Like stay in the industry someway or move on?
>>77690130
it's a double major
>>77690148
I'd be surprised if they wanted to go back to that after Catalyst Comix.
Have you worked with Mignola? Is it true he's difficult to work with and kinda antisocial?
>>77690148
They've sort of did that in the last few years. X got a comic again, Ghost got a comic again, King Tiger got a comic this year I think. And then there was also Catalyst Comix as >>77690197 said.
>>77690148
Haven't heard. Sorry.
>>77690184
I'm out of the industry entirely, but others quit but still work freelance. If you can make it work you can get paid more and not have to deal with all the bullshit.
>>77690197
What happened?
>>77690219
He's not hard to work with but he is kind of a grump. His wife handles all of the business stuff and is a real sweetheart. They both know that DH owes them big time, so they tend to get preferential treatment.
>>77690245
It was a big flop. Granted, Kelly went for an alt comix approach so it never would've been successful, but still.
>>77690262
Casey I meant
>>77690249
Is Stan Sakai was sweet and nice as he looks in every photo?
Is Eric Powell a total bro?
do you know who will replace arcudi on b.p.r.d.
>>77690298
Yes. Stan is one of my favorite creators. Possibly the nicest creator I've ever worked with. Powells great too. Really funny guy.
>>77690299
No idea.
>>77688093
Let's say i can write. Let's say i find an illustrator. Let's suppose we make something happen.
What are my next step in finding a publisher? How does the process work?
>>77690401
Send in submissions or hit up a portfolio review at a con. Personally, I think your best bet is to put it out online and build a fan base so you have something to point to when you approach a publisher. So you can say "See? Look at all the people who like my stuff." And it'll work to your advantage if someone from the company had already heard of you.
>>77690275
I generally like Casey's creative approach to writing his non-Big Two comics. Even when he fails (which is about half of the time), the results are generally interesting or instructive in some way.
The writing on Catalyst Comix was just a total misfire, though. It was like a concentrated version of everything that was bad about late 1970s cosmic superhero comics writing (stilted dialogue, impenetrable narration that gets in the way of the art, "heavy" themes that were really just entry-level philosophy nonsense).
It was too bad, because the art on the title was really something.
>>77688093
What went wrong with Dark Horse Manga? It had some of the greatest licenses back in the late 1990s and early 2000s and it still has a strong back-catalogue of titles (Blade of the Immortal, Gunsmith Cats, Appleseed, etc.) but it seems like it hasn't put out a relevant new title in years.
VIZ, Yen Press, Kodansha, and Vertical are all riding what seems like a minor resurgence in the manga market (no doubt helped by the growing popularity of manga-based anime on Netflix) but Dark Horse Manga seems like it's on the outside looking in as far as this trend is concerned. Any insights from your time working at Dark Horse?
>>77690681
>Appleseed
Jesus Christ DH just reprint volume 1
>>77690681
Can't speak to the success of other companies, but the Manga boom came and went. It's a shame too since Manga fans are usually very nice. Not like comic fans who are typically bitter assholes. You know it's true /co/!
>>77688093
Recommend me some badass , manly comics from Dark Horse .
>>77690809
Blade of the Immortal is fucking rad. Conan is always fun. And I've always enjoyed Hellboy.
>>77690854
So what happened to the indy scene? Is it just bad management and people wanting to compete with Marvel and DC?
I'm actually curious about that piracy thing, too, since I imagine it could actually seriously hurt small publishers.
How often do submissions get commissioned?
>>77688202
And what universe would that be? The Hellboy universe or that shitty superhero line they used to have?
>>77691026
Kind of goes back to what I was saying earlier. Small companies like Oni or Fanta can squeak buy selling only indie titles, but DH has almost as many employees as Marvel or DC and needs to make money. Super-niche indie titles, with a few exceptions, don't make much money. At the same time, DH had lost one of biggest franchises to Marvel and has little else to compete. They're in a weird place. Too big to do what the little guys can do, but not big enough to compete with the Top 2.
>>77691157
Shitty superheroes.
>>77691177
It's still nice to see when DH can put only something indie like Two Brothers by Moon and Ba or Sabertooth Swordsman. I think their hardcovers look great
>>77691085
Almost never.
>>77691199
Now that's too bad. They really should concentrate on what makes them unique. Or at least get someone Migonla/Powell-caliber on the superhero line.
>>77691220
Figures. Any examples of published submissions?
How many people actually liked Scott? I remember reading some interviews of Mignola saying some things that can be read as some fuck yous to Scott.
Why do you think some creators keep coming back to Dark Horse even though there's plenty of folks that have negative experiences there?
>>77690249
>He's not hard to work with but he is kind of a grump
Could you please elaborate?
How did the staff took losing the Star Was license?
And what do they think about Marvel's recent take on it?
Any thing to say about age of reptiles and the creepy archives line
Sorry, went to lunch.
>>77691269
Honestly? Can't think of a single one.
>>77691714
He's not well liked. I hope recent events have humbled him some.
I think DH has coasted on much of their past successes. Creators work with them because Star Wars and Buffy and Aliens and Predator and etc etc etc. And many creators are fine with DHs bullshit because they're just thankful to work in the industry.
>>77691771
He's just a grumpy dude. He'sbeen doing HB for years and just wants to keep doing his thing and not be bothered. I like him because he's a no BS kind of guy.
>>77688093
You know anything about what goes into landing an old property like Turok?
>>77691960
It was a BIG hit to morale. SW as a license was super expensive, so while it wasn't a huge financial loss, it's yet another chunk of market share that DH doesn't have.
>>77692040
Nope. Don't know much about either title.
>>77692842
Is there anything to say about the future of hellboy
>>77692767
A little. DH and whoever holds the property hash out financial stuff, legal documents are drafted up, that kind of thing. Pretty dry. I was never involved in stuff like that.
>>77692968
Nope. Even when I worked there Mignolaverse details are kept pretty close to the chest.
>>77692717
I asked that question more in the favor of creator owned works and that sounds like a fucking bummer. Did you ever work on DHP? Were the creators treated okay at least?
Also how do you feel about kickstarter being used for publishing and the future of it? The site has a lot of backlash for people who run things like video games and whatnot but it seems to be a really good platform for comics.
>>77693001
Neat, thanks.
What kinds of scripts does dark horse look out for?
What's Mike Richardson like?
I've never read a Dark Horse comic but did pick up every single release of the CLAMP manga omnibus editions. They are very nice and I am very grateful they were released after the fall of Tokyopop.
The one thing that pissed me off though was that hardly any of the spines are consistant from one issue to the next. Very annoying.
What's the musical preference of the staff there? Do any of the creators ever purposely leak false info on stories just to mess with fans?
>>77693103
Huge man with a huge ego. Can't see that his company has started to slowly circle the drain.
>>77693210
Mostly rock, punk, some hip hop fans. Couple of the marketing guys used to play in a band.
Never heard of anyone intentionally leaking false info.
>>77693074
These days ones that will make them money, so anything by someone with a proven track record.
>>77693034
I've seen creators treated well and I've seen them treated like trash. All depends how the company is doing financially. There have been times where a creator had to beg to get paid and once a creator refused to leave the office until the company cut him a check. When it's bad, it's BAD.
>>77693034
Oh, and to your question about kickstarter. I think it's a useful tool for creators but it's a shame that many of them abuse it and try to rip fans off.
>>77690173
so it's ripe to apply for? Editor assistance like u said?
>>77693424
why hasn't it gone full Dreamwave
What's DH like demographic wise? Like is it a bunch of white guys? Some Asians? Would I be the one black guy there and would it be weird?
>>77694126
Not sure if they're staffed up, but doesn't hurt to check the job page.
>>77694273
Mostly white, but that's just Oregon for you.
>>77694246
that's just how publishing is in general
you know all that Peter Parker/JJJ shit with him begging to get paid and JJ bullshitting him out of the office?
that's publishing
always was, always will be
>>77694433
That's pretty accurate, except instead of funny it's just depressing.
>>77694782
yeah
hang in there, monday cat
While it's clear that there are a lot of contributing factors that have gotten Darkhorse into the state they are in right now, in your opinion, what is the single biggest issue which, if you still worked there and had the power to, needs to be addressed/ changed to turn Darkhorse around?
With Dark horse in such shit, wouldn't that make them desperate and more experimental. The guy ob top does nt need to do anything different, but if you are getting fucked you need to switch it up
How is this any different from the last Dark Horse thread? Nothing here is new, especially since you don't work there anymore, there's nothing new to gleam here.
Why are you doing this senpai? LEAVE DARK HORSE ALONE.
This is all interesting to know. Have a close friend who's close to signing a deal with Dark Horse for a creator-owned title. I still think it's a better deal than what they're currently getting from another publisher but it pays to stay informed.
>>77695336
Poor management. From the top down its just a terribly run company. So many employees get sick of putting up with all the bullshit while making less money than a bartender and just up and quit.
Dr. McNinja Omnibus Vol. 2 and Appleseed reprint when?
>>77695397
I think the issue is that they need to bring in revenue and are cagey about taking a gamble on anything that won't be a success. So instead they play it safe and focus on the properties they know will sell.
>>77695654
Hell if I know. That's all decided by a costing committee. Might be next month, might be three years from now. All depends on what reprints are in the highest demand.
>>77695696
Sorry haven't really read the thread too much, but any Goon news?
how bad was the loss of star wars?
>>77697781
Not really. Powells wrapping things up. Movie is unlikely to ever happen.
>>77698330
See above. Basically it was less of a hit to DH financially and more of a hit to their relevancy in the industry.
Did somebody once leaked something in purpose?
