Dark Horse is a comic brand that was established in Milwaukie, Oregon, in 1986 and quickly reached the height of competing with larger comic brands DC and Marvel Comics. Seeing as this is a relatively large business, it would appear to be organized as more of a hierarchy. With this in mind, however, the work place itself appears to be more laid back. Though still in cubicles, employees are allowed to do what they will with them to decorate their workspaces, and I don’t imagine they would have a particularly strict dress code.
This company is comprised of multiple buildings all on the same street, which is in Milwaukie, Oregon. The work seems to be team oriented, though that apparently is a bit of a struggle for those working between buildings, though at the same time employees may work on things alone, so long as they can make their deadlines. As far as the location of Dark Horse, Milwaukie is actually where I grew up, and is a very mellow area. The cost of living is reasonable, though I’m sure that will change seeing that this is in the Portland Metro area, which also means theres probably quite a bit of traffic. Crime is minimal, though Milwaukie, like any other place will have its fair share of it, though there has been talk about potential increases in crime because of the MAX train line that recently got put in linking Milwaukie to Portland.
Upon researching the conduct of Dark Horse Comics, it seems that this business attracts little attention as far as scandals or philanthropy goes. Mostly what their niche in comics and what they are known for is acquiring licenses to pre-existing intellectual property, and creating well crafted comics about them, some examples being Star Wars comics, Mass Effect comics and figures, and the release of the Legend of Zelda Hyrule Historia. The company has no mission statement on their website other than expressing their desire to continue creating quality content both of their own creations and expanding upon others.
The company originated as a retail comic store known as Pegasus Books in 1980, the CEO Mike Richardson decided to create his own publishing company known as Dark Horse Comics, in 1986. When it was founded, it had two titles being produced for it, and added nine more before that year ended. In 1988 it started its first trend of acquiring licenses to pre-existing titles with Aliens, and Predator, and in 1990 Dark Horse started the cross-over trend by starting Aliens vs Predator. They also began doing the opposite of taking movies and making comics out of them, by turning their comics into movies, with the release of Hellboy II directed by Guillermo Del Torro. The company also has many acclaimed story writers such as, Brian Woods of Star Wars, and lead writer for the Mass Effect series, Mac Walters.
To be employed at Dark Horse, one would need extensive knowledge in their field they are applying for, wether that be an artist or writer of some kind, or a licensing coordinator. Also having a creative sense, or having some comic knowledge would be a great help.
