Free Comic Book Day is always an event that brings new readers into comic book shops across the country and encourages long-time fans to try out publishers and titles they have yet to experience fully. As a comic book reader who’s always gravitated to horror and science fiction over superheroes, Dark Horse Comics quickly became my publisher of choice when I was a teenager and has continued to hold that spot in my geeky heart until this day.
Dark Horse Comics is a publisher known for their large number of original comic book characters and concepts (Hellboy, Sin City, Ghost, The Flaming Carrot, just to name a few), as well as serving as the benchmark when it comes to high-quality comics and graphic novels based on licensed properties (including Aliens, Predator, Terminator, HALO, Stranger Things, and many more). Having published stories from a diverse number of talented creators across nearly every genre, Dark Horse is truly a publisher that has a story for everyone, and if you see their trademark “chess piece” logo on the cover, you’re most likely guaranteed to enjoy what’s on the page.
Below are a few examples of the many titles published under Dark Horse’s banner that might interest comic readers, new and old, as well as some information on the publisher’s Free Comic Book Day offerings for 2019:
ALIENS: DEFIANCE
Set between the first and second films, Aliens: Defiance introduces readers to Colonial Marine Private First Class Zula Hendricks, a soldier who must confront her self-doubt, insecurities, and loyalties when she crosses paths with the xenomorph species and discovers its unsettling connection to the Weyland-Yutani corporation. Eventually teaming up with a rogue synthetic who goes by Davis One, the A.W.O.L. marine and rebel android do everything in their power to prevent The Company from acquiring the deadly lifeforms.
The series current continues in Aliens: Resistance which sees Zula and Davis teaming up with Ripley’s daughter Amanda of the popular Alien: Isolation video game.
Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: Tristan Jones
BEASTS OF BURDEN: THE PRESENCE OF OTHERS, PART ONE
Easily described as The X-Files meets Homeward Bound, Beasts of Burden is a comic book series centered around a group of paranormal investigators in the neighborhood of Burden Hill… except these investigators all happen to be highly intelligent animals! In their latest adventure, Beasts of Burden: The Presence of Others, Part One, the actions of others have serious consequences for our four-legged heroes when the graveyard where the ”Master” lies is disturbed by outsiders.
Writer: Evan Dorkin
Artist: Jill Thompson
AVATAR: TSU’TEY’S PATH
Described as revealing “events only hinted at in James Cameron’s Avatar,” this comic tells the story of the Tsu’tey of the Omatikaya clan. Originally betrothed to Neytiri, Tsu’tey is seen as both an adversary and eventually ally to Jake Sully, the hero of Cameron’s film. Taking place during the events of the film, Avatar: Tsu’tey’s Path reveals the Na’vi warrior’s turmoil regarding the arrival of humans on Pandora and his struggle to accept Sully.
Writer: Sherri L. Smith
Artist: Jan Duursema (pencils), Dan Parson (inks)
HELLBOY: THE FURY
Long before he hit the silver screen, Hellboy was kicking demon butt and chomping on cigars in the pages of creator Mike Mignola’s comics from Dark Horse. The latest, Hellboy: The Fury, is the conclusion of several previous storylines for the heroic half-demon and is described as follows:
“Hellboy’s learned that he’s the heir of King Arthur, he’s pulled Excalibur from the stone and faced his real role as the Beast of the Apocalypse—now England rattles under the hoofbeats of terrible armies, with the earth-shaking events of B.P.R.D. coming in line with Hellboy in ways we haven’t seen since Hellboy resigned at the end of Conqueror Worm. You thought it was bad when Hellboy sacrificed his left eye to the Baba Yaga in The Storm? The three issues of The Fury change everything.”
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Duncan Fegredo
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
For FCBD 2019, Dark Horse is currently promoting two free comics that readers may be interested in picking up this weekend. The “Gold” comic will feature stories from Stranger Things and Black Hammer, while the “Silver” (all-ages) comic will allow you to enter the worlds of Minecraft and Incredibles 2!
More details from the publisher are below:
Free Comic Book Day 2019 (All Ages) Minecraft/Incredibles 2
Presenting two stories that are fun for all ages. Are you ready? First, in the world of Minecraft, a heartless Griefer runs rampant, but she discovers her actions end up having real-world consequences. Then, in Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl are ready for date night, but when someone is up to no good, Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack are determined that this villain will not ruin their parents’ night off!
Writer: Cavan Scott, Hope Larson
Artist: Kawaii Creative Studio, Meredith Gran
Free Comic Book Day 2019 (General) Stranger Things/Black Hammer
Tales from two diverse worlds! In Stranger Things, Eleven and the Demogorgon have disappeared from Hawkins, IN. Steve and Nancy try to cheer Mike up, encouraging him to get the adventuring party back together again. Then, in the world of the Eisner Award-winning Black Hammer series, Madame Dragonfly takes the reader on an EC-style tour through her mysterious Cabin of Horrors to witness two groups of brand new Black Hammer heroes from the past!
Writer: Jeff Lemire, Ray Fawkes, Jody Houser
Artist: David Rubin, Ibrahim Moustafa
