Dark Horse Fires Small Group Of Employees; Industry Shivers

Word slipped out in the usual comics industry fashion -- people with information contacting various news sites and blog; no word at all from the company in an official capacity -- that Dark Horse has laid off a group of employees including well-regarded editors Dave Land and Shawna Gore. Max Sato is also believed to have been let go. Land has long been associated with Dark Horse's licensed titles, while Gore -- who had been at Dark Horse in some capacity for almost 15 years -- had carved out a niche in the collections department that the Portland-based company has been putting out for several years now, including the Herbie, Casper and Creepy offerings. Land had worked there I think a year longer than Gore, starting out under Bob Cooper on one of the company's Star Wars books as an editorial assistant. I am certain that by the time this post rolls out other names will have been confirmed.

A seemingly stalwart ship like Dark Horse letting people go in advance of the summer comics season will never fail to send up a chill up the spine of the wider comics community, at least among those members that track such things. What I've read e-mail wise thus far seems to be a mix of general worry about sales trends for the immediate future and some curiosity about the perceived manpower needs of classic comic book houses (as opposed to lean-by-definition boutique publishers). I'm not sure that anyone knows about specific troubles facing the publishers, although ex-employee Aaron Colter offers up a model in this Comics Alliance piece that suggests that too much money and time is being spent on high-profile projects that fail to energize the market to the extent the money invested might suggest, and that Dark Horse is slightly behind on its digital plans. Whatever the exact causes of this latest move, and no matter what it exactly represents, the industry is likely moving into an intriguing next 12 to 24 months.
 
posted 8:00 am PST | Permalink
 

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