Dark Horse Comics isn’t the most well-known indie publisher in comics, but that doesn’t change how important it has been to the history of the comic industry. Starting in the late ’80s, many of the greatest creators went to Dark Horse to publish their own creator owned books, giving readers a larger selection of genres than just superheroes. On top of that, the publisher also was the comic home of some of the most popular movie properties, like Star Wars, Predator, Alien, and many more. The company is known for creating some of the best independent comics of all time, and in a lot of ways paved the way for the success of companies like Image Comics and BOOM! Studios.
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Looking at the company’s history, there are some certified best of all time comics from Dark Horse. Some of them aren’t as well-known now as they once were, and there are some great books from the publisher’s modern output. These Dark Horse books are some of the greatest of all time, and belong on the shelves of every comic fan out there.
10) Harrow County
Harrow County is one of the scariest horror comics ever, and it’s become a favorite of fans. The comic, by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook, ran from 2015 to 2018 and followed Emma Crawford on a journey of horrific discovery. When Emma turned 18 and learnt that she’s a witch, the reincarnation of witch Hester Beck, her world is changed forever. Gifted with godlike reality power, she learns to deal not only with this new power but also with the supernatural shenanigans of her hometown in Harrow County. This book is sensational, a wonderfully written coming of age comic with gorgeous art. It’s a book that can stand with the greatest indie comics of the 21st century, and if you haven’t read it yet, you’re missing out.
9) Grendel Ominbus: Hunter Rose
Dark Horse has presented readers with amazing characters, and a favorite of many have been the stars of the Grendel books, like Hunter Rose and Grendel Prime. Writer/artist Matt Wagner started doing Grendel comics at Comico, with the stories acting as a back-up in Comico Primer #2. The back-up was popular enough to get a three-issue series, and more stories became back ups in Wagner’s Mage series. Eventually, the creator brought his books to Dark Horse, and multiple series were published, creating a universe that stretched into the far future. Grendel Omnibus: Hunter Rose collects Grendel: Devil by the Deed, Grendel: Black, White, & Red, Grendel: Red, White, & Black, Grendel: Behold the Devil and stories from Comico Collection, Decade: A Dark Horse Short Story Collection, Dark Horse Extra #49-50, Dark Horse Maverick 2001, and Liberty Annual 2011, dropping readers into a world of violence and revenge. These stories are the groundwork of the Grendel mythos, and will hook anyone who reads them.
8) Martha Washington: Give Me Liberty
Frank Miller moved to Dark Horse after leaving Marvel and put out numerous amazing series at the publisher, creating some of the best characters in his career. He got to work with the best artists in the industry, and teamed up with Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons for Martha Washington: Give Me Liberty, introducing readers to the titular character. Taking place in a dystopian future, she joins the PAX Peace Forces, fighting to make the world a better, safer place. This put her in the way Colonel Moretti, a megalomaniac who wants to bring the future US to the brink of destruction. Miller and Gibbons are perfect together, and Washington is one of the coolest forgotten heroes out there. Once you read this one, you’ll want to hunt down the rest of her stories.
7) The Mask Omnibus Volume One
The Mask is a beloved comic movie, with Jim Carrey putting on a mask imbued with the spirit of Loki, which exactly the kind of hijinks you’d expect ensuing. It’s a funny movie, and it made fans want to read the comic, where they found a comedy horror comic that went crazy on the gore. Creators John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke’s comic is one of the gems of early Dark Horse, and The Mask Omnibus Volume One collects the first series from the character: The Mask #0-4, The Mask Returns #1-4, and The Mask Strikes Back #1-5. This original trilogy of Mask comics is wild, taking readers places that the movie never went and introducing them to insanity on another level. Full of great jokes and gory action, this omnibus is the perfect way to make someone a fan of the Mask.
6) Concrete: Volume One — Depths
Concrete was one of the first Dark Horse series and it’s still one of the best. The book, by writer/artist Paul Chadwick, follows a normal man whose brain is transplanted into a large stone body by aliens, and how he deals with that. Other than the outlandish premise, the stories revolve around realism, as Concrete tries to learn to live a life in a body that is completely unlike anything on Earth. It’s a touching, often heartbreaking, comic and it’s one of those books that has been mostly forgotten over the decades. Concrete: Volume One — Depths collects Concrete #1-5 and stories from Collected Stories 1986-1989, Dark Horse Presents Annual 1999, and Dark Horse Presents #150. These are some beautiful stories and will give you a new favorite comic.
5) Sin City: That Yellow Bastard
Sin City is a legendary comic, and it inspired one of the best comic movies ever. The 2005 film adapted three different stories from the comic, with the ending of the movie based on Sin City: That Yellow Bastard, by writer/artist Frank Miller. This story follows John Hartigan, a police officer who is called to deal with Roark Junior, the son of the man who runs the city and likes to attack young girls, saving a girl named Nancy and gravely injuring the monstrous young man. Hartigan ends up watching Nancy from afar for years after his retirement from the force, and when she’s kidnapped by Roark, transformed into a grotesque monster, he goes to finish the job he started years before. That Yellow Bastard is Sin City perfection, a story that shows that even in a city as terrible as Basin City, there are still heroes.
4) Robocop vs. Terminator
Dark Horse Comics made comics of some of the biggest sci-fi/horrors films of the ’80s. The publisher did numerous crossovers that fans always wanted to see and the best of those crossovers is Robocop vs. Terminator, by Frank Miller and Walt Simonson. Miller and Simonson are two of the best creators in the comic medium, and take readers on a wild ride. The human rebels send a soldier back in time to destroy Robocop while SkyNet sends a Terminator back in time to protect the cyborg. The story then takes an amazing twist and becomes a sci-fi action extravaganza of the highest order, with Simonson’s awesome art bringing Miller’s script to life wonderfully. This is a wild comic, and everything you could want from a crossover between the Terminator and Robocop.
3) Black Hammer: Secret Origins
Black Hammer, by Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston, introduced readers to an all-new superhero universe. When a group of heroes wins their battle against the latest universe-ending threat, they are transported to a small town. They soon discover that they can’t leave the environs of the town, and set out to build a new live for themselves, all while figuring out what exactly has happened to them. Black Hammer: Secret Origins is the compelling beginning of a story that will engross you. The cast of characters is amazing; each of them based on a different kind of superhero and inspired by the greats of the medium. Once you read the first volume, you will go out of your way to get the rest.
2) Hellboy: Seed of Destruction
Hellboy’s comics are among the best indie comics ever made, and they earned that nod right away. Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, by writer/artist Mike Mignola, introduced readers to Hellboy, the Beast of the Apocalypse summoned by Rasputin during the tail-end of WWII. The BPRD is able to stop Rasputin’s terrible plans, and take in the young demon, teaching him to become the world’s greatest defender against monsters and devils. When Rasputin returns to finish the ritual, Hellboy has to battle the wizard and his monstrous servants, all while working with his friends in the BPRD. This story was adapted for the 2004 Hellboy movie, and has everything you could want from a horror/superhero comics. It made Hellboy into a star and you’ll love it.
1) Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Miller’s Sin City started out ridiculously strong with Sin City: The Hard Goodbye. This story introduced readers to Marv, one of the city’s most dangerous street toughs. He meets the beautiful Goldie, falls in love with her immediately, and then wakes up to find her dead. The bruiser is approached by her twin sister and the two of them set out for revenge, which will take them to the highest levels of power in Basin City. This is perfect crime noir, and was adapted as the opening story of the 2005 film. The Hard Goodbye set the tone for the rest of the series, and jumped right to the top of the crime comics heap.
What’s your favorite Dark Horse book? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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