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Interview: Mike Richardson

Mike Richardson founded Dark Horse Comics in 1986 as an offshoot of his Oregon comic-book retail chain, Things From Another World. Richardson pursued the idea of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals, and 25 years later the company has grown to become the third-largest comics publisher in the United States.

In 1980, Mike Richardson used a credit card with a $2,000 credit limit to open a comic-book store, Pegasus Books, in the small resort town of Bend, Oregon. Richardson soon became frustrated by the lack of quality in the products he was selling, and so, using funds from his retail operation, he began his own publishing company. From the start Dark Horse Comics was a different kind of publishing house. Writers and artists were treated as partners, an unheard-of generosity in the comic-publishing field at that time. Soon the industry’s top creators were flocking to Dark Horse, where they became involved in the publishing and marketing of their creations.

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BWI: Your website tells readers that you began to publish Dark Horse Comics because of what you considered to be a lack of quality in products you were selling. What do you consider to be “quality” in the comic world?

MR: Generally, successful comics require the same elements necessary in other forms of storytelling: strong compelling characters involved in unique situations facing and solving some internal or external conflict. For many years comics were simply cranked out as product and it isn’t clear that the publishers who offered them cared or even considered “quality” when producing them. Because comics are a combination of words and pictures, the balance has not always been even. Often books containing great art feature less than compelling story and vice-versa. When I began Dark Horse, I wanted to publish comics that avoided the clichés inherent in the marketplace at the time, comics featuring the best artists in the world illustrating the most compelling stories possible while presenting a wide variety of content for a wide variety of tastes. In other words, “quality” comics.

BWI: How would you characterize the types of books you publish?

MR: Dark Horse publishes a much wider variety of content then most comics publishers. We’ve also probably published in more formats than any other publisher. Each individual title is designed and packaged in a way that presents the material in the best possible fashion. We do our best to make sure that every book feels “special.”

BWI: What makes them stand out from the rest?

MR: I believe that our readers can see the extra care we take in our books. The quality you mention is evident.

BWI: In selecting the works, did you have surprises at times about titles you expected to be far more popular than they were or sleepers, which became phenomena?

MR: Obviously we have certain books that we know are going to be extremely popular, books such as Frank Miller’s 300, Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and, of course, Star Wars. Some books do come out of nowhere, however. A good example is The Perry Bible Fellowship by Nick Gurewitch. We had initial questions about our ability to sell the book, but it became a best seller. With regard to books that don’t meet expectations, yes, unfortunately those show up also.

BWI: There have been several films based on Dark Horse books and characters. What is it like seeing your characters jump from the page to the screen?

MR: It’s very satisfying to see one of our comic characters make the transition to the big screen. It is even more satisfying when the film actually turns out to be good. This isn’t always the case. Our sister company, Dark Horse Entertainment, has produced over two dozen film and television projects and we’ve had our share of hits, but there are so many elements that come into play when making one of these films that it sometimes feels like a miracle that they get made at all, much less made well.

BWI: Are there plans for more films and television series?

MR: We have quite a few projects in development around town for both film and television. Our next film starts shooting in September. It is called RIPD, stars Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds, is directed by Robert Schwenke, and is based on the graphic novel by Peter Lenkov.

BWI: What has been your favorite film adaptation to date?

MR: The Mask, TimeCop, The Mystery Men and the Hellboy films are all favorites. I also had a blast filming My Name is Bruce, a low-budget film with my buddy Bruce Campbell. We’ve also produced projects that are not based on our comics. For instance, we won several Emmys for our documentary on the life of Don Rickles.

BWI: What is your dream film adaptation?

MR: If you are referring to potential graphic novel-based films, it would have to be Paul Chadwick’s amazing Concrete series. I’ve promised him that before we die, I will get that film produced one way or another.

BWI: On the other hand, many of your series have come from preexisting television shows and films. How did Dark Horse become involved in “universes” like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Wars?

MR: In the early days of Dark Horse, we recognized the potential film franchises had as comic series. Before Dark Horse, comics based on films were not particularly good. They often featured less than stellar talent and were cranked out to cash-in on a current film release or recent hit. We decided to take a different approach and appeal directly to a film’s fan base by creating a series of sequels in comic form. Our first smash hit was Aliens, which went through five printings and sold hundreds of thousands of copies. It also brought new customers into the comic shops. We followed with another Fox property, Predator, and then mixed the two together in a massive mega hit, Alien versus Predator. Shortly after, being a devoted geek of the first three films, I went after Star Wars. Of course, after experiencing tremendous success with these film titles, we were on the lookout for films and television properties that we liked and felt had the potential to make great comics. I heard that Joss was looking to start a comics imprint and I set up a meeting with him immediately. We’ve had a great relationship ever since.

BWI: Are there any other shows or characters you would like to bring to comics?

MR: We are negotiating for several right now. You’ll understand if I don’t give you the names.

BWI: How do you seek out new series to produce?

MR: In a variety of ways: we seek out specific talent we’d like to work with, receive countless submissions from pros and newcomers alike, chase after existing properties, create ideas in-house, etc.

BWI: Do any unknown artists successfully submit work?

MR: Yes.

BWI: Do you approach established artists?

MR: Yes, of course.

BWI: Do you do works in other languages or works in translation?

MR: Dark Horse’s comics are published in about 50 countries around the world.

We also publish comics from around the world. We are the oldest American company to continuously publish manga (Japanese comics) and have the longest running Japanese series (Oh My Goddess, Blade of the Immortal). We have published Ottomo, Koike, Shirow, Tardi, Druillet, Moebius, Schuiten and many others.

BWI: How do you decide which graphic novels to do in color versus black and white? What are the differences in production?

MR: Most of our comics and graphic novels are produced in color. Black and white comics are an exception and there would need to be a specific reason for us to publish without color. The biggest difference is that it adds one more step to the process.

BWI: How do you decide which comics should become bound books, and is there a general percentage that do?

MR: Virtually all of our comic series (the pamphlets) end up bound as trade paperbacks. With regard to original graphic novels, it is a decision made on a project-by-project basis.

BWI: And now that we’ve used the term graphic novels, do you define a difference between graphic novels and comics or think the general public sees them as the same or different?

MR: Graphic novels are usually composed of a complete story, while comic books are generally chapters in a larger story. There are a number of terms being bandied about these days when discussing comics, often from people looking to legitimize the form. For me “comic books” works fine.

BWI: Do you think there is a difference between the reader and the collector?

MR: There is a definite difference. I’m generalizing, but: One buys new comics to read and may collect them. The other buys comics for their possible future value, and may read them. While both groups love comics, one hunts down back-issues missing from their collection, while the other focuses on new comics and probably picks up one of the many archives currently offered. One embraces the reprint books featuring classic material that might otherwise cost a small fortune, while the other does not appreciate the reprints fearing it will reduce the value of hard-to-get issues.

BWI: Do you think libraries have had an effect on the increase of popularity of comics/graphic novels?

MR: Absolutely. The fact that many libraries have embraced the graphic novel offers increased visibility, exposure, and to some, respectability.

BWI: How long have you been in the digital arena?

MR: Dark Horse launched its own digital site earlier this year. Our publications have been available in the iTunes store for several years.

BWI: Where do you see the digital format taking Dark Horse and other comic publishers?

MR: Clearly, digital distribution is a big piece of any publisher’s future. We’ve seen an accelerating increase in the number of digital comics purchased, while the sales of physical books have continued to decline. The reading public has accepted the assorted tablets and e-readers and they are going to be ordering reading material for their devices. Last Christmas saw the iPad and its relatives sell huge numbers, there’s no reason that won’t happen again this year.

Digital publishing offers a tantalizing future, a future in which the traditional distribution problems that plague publishers are eliminated. Problems including the inability to meet demand on some books while over printing on others, maintaining proper inventory levels, proper retail shelf exposure, and on and on. A future that includes a strong digital component may mean that every Dark Horse book could be available worldwide, 24/7, in multiple languages. Wow!

BWI: Do you think that there is something bigger and better beyond digital format to get comics to their fans?

MR: Well, the technology continues to move faster and faster. It’s just as Marshall McLuhan once said “… we’re driving faster and faster down the road and trying to steer by looking into the rearview mirror.” As a publisher, we have to do our best to look out the front window and keep up with the trends as well as the new technology. Change is inevitable.

BWI: Some of your properties, like Axe Cop and The Guild, started on the web. Do you think we’ll see more crossover between online content and comics in the future?

MR: Absolutely. We’ve found the web to be a great source for new creators and projects. Megatokyo, The Perry Bible Fellowship, Penny Arcade and many more.

BWI: As Dark Horse Comics reaches the quarter-century mark this year, you may be looking at memories from the early years of both the company and yourself. Where did the Dark Horse name come from?

MR: It seemed appropriate. We weren’t on the east coast, where the existing comic companies were located. We weren’t planning to compete with traditional superheroes. We didn’t have great distribution at the time; we were a dark horse in the strictest sense of the term. I used a black paladin chess piece as the “dark horse” in our original logo, since I thought we were making some very good moves.

BWI: What were some of your boyhood favorite books?

MR: Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, H.G. Welles, Edgar Allen Poe, and any science fiction I could get my hands on. If you are speaking of comics, I loved anything by Jack Kirby. Batman. The early Marvel comics. And I loved the newspaper strips, particularly Hal Foster’s masterpiece, Prince Valiant.

BWI: Which ones influenced your work the most?

MR: Early on? Kirby’s Marvel work. Kirby’s Fourth World books. Foster’s Prince Valiant. Barry Smith’s Conan, anything Frazetta. Numerous others.

BWI: Whatever happened to the children’s book you started to write at Pegasus Books?

MR: It’s still sitting in the back of my head. One of these days.

BWI: How will you celebrate this milestone anniversary?

MR: We have a number of exciting promotions planned that are being unveiled as the year moves along. As for myself, I’ll probably go to a movie tonight and go to work in the morning.

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