If you love the feel and read of a comic book, you are undoubtedly familiar with Dark Horse Comics. This shop is behind evocative pop-culture notables, such as Resident Alien, The Umbrella Academy, The Mask, Hellboy, and the underrated Star Wars labels.
Unfortunately, Dark Horse has confirmed they are RIF-ing, meaning "reduction in force," this week. Their official statement shows the reason could be the opposite of a lack of money and growth. In corporate America, it's called "streamlining."
"On Feb. 3, Dark Horse made the difficult but necessary decision to reduce staff. After experiencing a period of significant growth, we find ourselves needing to take steps in response to increasing overhead, changing market conditions, and external economic factors. We have begun to streamline all areas of the company in order to continue producing the quality content and products that have been our trademark since day one," Dark Horse Comics said in a statement confirming the layoffs.
Current metrics show that Embracer Group is cutting close to 33% of the talented people who work at Dark Horse Comics. In April 2024, a report emerged about their financial woes and how Embracer planned to restructure its properties into public entities: AAA Games, Coffee Stain & Friends (mobile gaming), and Middle-Earth Enterprises, which will own Dark Horse Comics.
One of the immensely talented people sent packing is Konner Knudsen, an associate editor who worked on the Aliens, Black Hammer, and Dragon Age franchises. He shared the bad news on social media.
Today I was laid off from Dark Horse Comics. While devastating news, I'm proud of what I helped make there and am grateful to have worked alongside such amazing coworkers and creators.
— Konner Knudsen 🏳️🌈 (@PenBerzerker) February 4, 2025
Not quitting comics, so if you or someone you know needs a savvy editor, please reach out.
Comics: The times they are a'changing
There is little doubt the Internet has pummeled sales of anything in print--newspapers, books, and comics. However, comics are not dying.
"The diversity of material new and old that is readily available today is astounding and shows no genuine sign of abating. What is likely happening is that the market is changing," Marvel Comics seasoned editor Tom Breevort asserted in Comics: Dying Since 1935.
People are adjusting their nerd intake. Many only use the Internet, so revered blogs like ours exist. We appreciate the patronage more than you know, but comics are still worth the dedication of reading--even if it is online.
As Breevort shared, people have been writing about the obliteration of comic books since the 1950s. Think about that: It was the Silver Age of Comics. In other words, the resurgence of superheroes was churning and financial pundits were declaring the death of comic books. Then came Anime and Manga. Seriously? The medium was just beginning to flourish.
Comic books are resilient. Despite the buying and using habits of consumers, comics continue to entertain and thrive off what's happening in the world. They are a depiction of life or an escape from it.
NEWS FLASH: They're not only in Marvel or DC Comics. There is a world of strong labels out there, such as Dark Horse, Image, BOOM, IDW, FantaGraphics, Oni Press, Vault, Iron Circus, Valiant, and even Archie Comics, still around from the 1940s.
Consider this: We have amazing movies to geek out over watching because of books--hardcover, graphic, and comic. There are some original nerd flicks in fantasy, sci-fi, and CBM, but many of the dimes we have on our shelves are because some writer, illustrator, penciler, and publisher put their heads together and wrote a book.
On behalf of everyone here at Bam Smack Pow, we hope for the best for those at Dark Horse. And, for the industry, buy a comic at a local store and keep nerd hope alive.