Dark Horse Loses STAR WARS License to Marvel in 2015

When Disney purchased the Lucasfilm property last year, it was presumed that eventually Marvel Comics would acquire the Star Wars family of comics from Dark Horse.  That day finally came last week as it was announced that the Star Wars license would be moved over to Marvel Comics.

Before 2013 I had never read a Star Wars comic.  Around the time I gained access to review copies of Dark Horse comic books is when Brian Wood‘s Star Wars began.  This series took place right after Episode IV: A New Hope.  This is a period of time I’m familiar with, so I gave it a chance and I’m glad I did.  The story of the Rebel Alliance searching out a new home base while threats of a traitor in their mist proved to be another winner for Dark Horse.  There are many other Star Wars comics produced by Dark Horse that span every corner of the expanded universe.

While those books will come to and end in 2014, hopefully Marvel will continue the strong tradition that Dark Horse cultivated for over 20 years.  Below is a special message from Dark Horse’s Mike Richardson:

The End of an Era

All things come to pass. So too, do all licensed deals. I am sad to report that Disney, the new owner of Lucasfilm, has notified us here at Dark Horse of their intention to move the Star Wars publishing license to another of their recent acquisitions, Marvel Comics, beginning in 2015. This will end a partnership that has lasted more than two decades.

For those who are new to the industry, Dark Horse revolutionized the treatment of comics based on films. After a history of movie properties being poorly handled with little regard for execution and continuity, Dark Horse took a new approach, carefully choosing licenses and approaching them with excitement and creative energy. Our goal was to create sequels and prequels to the films we loved, paying careful attention to quality and detail, essentially treating those films as though they were our own. Star Wars has been the crown jewel of this approach. We began chasing the title as far back as 1989, and with the launch of Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy’s Dark Empire, a new era in comics was born. I’m not ashamed to admit that we were Star Wars geeks, and we have been determined to spare neither effort nor expense in the pursuit of excellence.

It is ironic that this announcement comes at a time when Dark Horse is experiencing its most successful year ever. For obvious reasons, we have prepared for this eventuality by finding new and exciting projects to place on our schedule for 2015 and beyond. Will they take the place of Star Wars? That’s a tall order, but we will do our best to make that happen. In the meantime, 2014 may be our last year at the helm of the Star Wars comics franchise, but we plan to make it a memorable one. We know that fans of the franchise will expect no less. The Force is with us still.

Mike Richardson

#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE