Dark Horse Comics

**Dark Horse Comics** is an American comic book and manga publishing company based in Milwaukie, Oregon. Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, it started out as a small comic book store in Bend, Oregon, and has since grown to become the third-largest comics publisher in the United States. Dark Horse Comics is the publisher of *Critical Role*'s comic books and comic collections, starting in 2017 with *Vox Machina Origins Series I*.

## **History**

### **Overview**

Dark Horse Comics was started by Mike Richardson in 1980 as a comic book store called Pegasus Books in Bend, Oregon. From there, he was able to use his funds to begin his own publishing company, and in 1986, Dark Horse Comics launched with two launch titles: *Dark Horse Presents* and *Boris the Bear*. Within its first year, the company added nine new titles to its roster, including *Hellboy* and *The Mask*. By 2006, Dark Horse had become the third-largest comics publisher in the United States.

Dark Horse has the rights to make comic book adaptations of many popular films and series, including *Alien*, *Buffy the Vampire Slayer*, *Conan*, and *Star Wars*.

### **Partnership with *Critical Role***

On July 17, 2017, at San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that a comic based on *Critical Role* would be released later that year. Two months later, on September 6, 2017, Geek & Sundry announced that they had partnered with Dark Horse Comics to publish the series of pre-stream comics, whose title was revealed to be *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins*, and that digital issues of the comics would be available on Dark Horse Digital, Dark Horse's online digital comics store, among other retailers. The first issue was released later that month. The six-issue series was later published into a collection, released in two hardcover editions on May 31, 2018 and as a trade paperback on October 15, 2019.

After the success of the first series, on March 11, 2019, it was announced that a second series spanning another six issues would be released, published by Dark Horse and continuing the *Vox Machina Origins* story. The first issue was released on July 10, 2019. Similar to the first series, the six issues were also collected and released in a limited edition hardcover and a trade paperback in August 2020. An omnibus hardcover edition collecting the first two volumes was announced in June 2020 and released that November. A special issue for Free Comic Book Day was released on January 1, 2020. A third series was promised in a textbox in the finale of the second series and officially revealed on in September 2020, the first issue of which was originally scheduled to be released on December 9, 2020 before being delayed until February 21, 2021. The six issues were also published as a collection, with a limited edition hardcover and trade paperback releasing in November 2022.

A second series of "origins" comics based on the Mighty Nein, titled *Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins*, was announced on November 10, 2020. The first volume, *Jester Lavorre*, was published in November 2021. Three volumes released in 2022 (*Caleb Widogast*, *Yasha Nydoorin* and *Fjord Stone*), followed by two more in 2023 (*Nott the Brave* and *Mollymauk Tealeaf*). The final two installments, *Beauregard Lionett* and *Caduceus Clay*, are set to be released in 2024. In addition, two library editions have been announced, each collecting four volumes into an oversized book including new cover art and added sections. The first edition, featuring the stories of Jester, Caleb, Yasha, and Nott, is set to release on October 11, 2023.

On December 15, 2020, another series of comics, *Critical Role: The Tales of Exandria*, was announced, based on "complex NPCs and locations of Exandria". The first series, *The Bright Queen*, consisted of four issues released between October 2021 and March 2022. A trade paperback edition collecting all four issues was later published on November 23, 2022. The second series, *Artagan*, was announced in September 2023; its first issue is expected to release on January 3, 2024.

## **Published works**

* *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins* (2017–)
	+ *Vox Machina Origins Series I* (2017–18)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins #1* (2017)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins #2* (2017)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins #3* (2017)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins #4* (2018)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins #5* (2018)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins #6* (2018)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Volume 1* (2018/2019)
	+ *Vox Machina Origins Series II* (2019–20)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins II #1* (2019)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins II #2* (2019)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins II #3* (2019)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins II #4* (2019)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins II #5* (2020)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins II #6* (2020)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Volume 2* (2020)
	+ *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins: Series I & II Collection* (2020)
	+ *Vox Machina Origins Series III* (2021–)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins III #1* (2021)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins III #2* (2021)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins III #3* (2021)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins III #4* (2021)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins III #5* (2022)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins III #6* (2022)
		- *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Volume 3* (2022)
* *Critical Role: The Tales of Exandria* (2021–)
	+ *Critical Role: The Tales of Exandria: The Bright Queen* (2021)
* *Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins* (2021–)
	+ *Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Jester Lavorre* (2021)
	+ *Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Caleb Widogast* (2022)
	+ *Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Yasha Nydoorin* (2022)
	+ *Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Fjord Stone* (2022)
	+ *Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Nott the Brave* (2023)
	+ *Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Mollymauk Tealeaf* (2023)

## **References**

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3  Company History on Dark Horse Comics' official website  (backup link)
2. ↑  Contact Us on Dark Horse Comics' official website  (backup link)
3. ↑  Geek & Sundry (@GeekandSundry) on Twitter: "Just announced! An official #CriticalRole comic book written by @mattcolville is coming later this year! #TalksMachina #SDCC" (2017-07-22). (backup link)
4. ↑  Cover Reveal & Release Date: *Critical Role* from Dark Horse Comics on Geek & Sundry's official website  (backup link)
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1  HYPE: Dark Horse Comic Series Updates & The Mighty Nein Art Book on CritRole.com  (backup link)
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2  Your Guide to *Critical Role* and Dark Horse's Comic and Art Books on CritRole.com  (backup link)
7. ↑ Graeme McMillan (June 15, 2020). Dark Horse to Release '*Critical Role*' Hardcover Omnibus. *The Hollywood Reporter*. Retrieved on January 9, 2021. (backup link)
8. ↑  HYPE! *Vox Machina Origins Series III* Issue #1 is coming soon! on CritRole.com  (backup link)
9. ↑  Introducing Two Limited-Edition Critical Role Comics Exclusives on CritRole.com  (backup link)
10. ↑  HYPE: Introducing *The Mighty Nein Origins*, Our New Graphic Novel Series with Dark Horse Comics! on CritRole.com  (backup link)
11. ↑  *Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins: Jester Lavorre* on Dark Horse Comics' official website  (backup link)
12. ↑  *Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins Library Edition Volume 1* on Dark Horse Comics' official website  (backup link)
13. ↑  HYPE: Introducing *The Tales of Exandria*, Our New Mini-Series with Dark Horse Comics! on CritRole.com  (backup link)
14. ↑  *Critical Role: The Tales of Exandria: The Bright Queen* on Dark Horse Comics' official website  (backup link)
15. ↑  *Critical Role: The Tales of Exandria——The Bright Queen* (Series I) #4 on Dark Horse Comics' official website
16. ↑ See *Critical Role: The Tales of Exandria Volume I--The Bright Queen* on the Dark Horse website.
17. ↑ See *A New Adventure Begins with "Critical Role: The Tales of Exandria—Artagan"* published September 20, 2023 on the Dark Horse website.
18. ↑ See *Critical Role is Making The Traveler The Star of His Own New Series (Exclusive)* by Justin Epps, published September 20, 2023 on ScreenRant.

## **External links**

* Dark Horse Comics (official website)
* Dark Horse Comics on Wikipedia