Mike Richardson (born June 29, 1950) is an American

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

, writer, and producer. In 1986, he founded

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

, an international publishing house located in

Milwaukie, Oregon Milwaukie is a city mostly in Clackamas County, Oregon, Clackamas County, Oregon, United States; a very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County, Oregon, Multnomah County. The population was 21,119 at the 2020 United States Census, ...

. Richardson is also the founder and President of the Things From Another World retail chain and president of Dark Horse Entertainment, which has developed and produced numerous projects for film and television based on Dark Horse properties or licensed properties. In addition, he has written graphic novels and comics series, including: '' The Secret'', ''Living with the Dead'', and ''Cut'' as well as co-authoring two non-fiction books, ''Comics Between the Panels'' and ''Blast Off!''.

Early life

Richardson was born on June 29, 1950, in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. His family moved to Milwaukie, a suburb of Portland, in 1955. He is a graduate of

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

, where he majored in art and played for the university basketball team.

Career

While in college, Richardson built a freelance art client base and planned to start Dark Horse Graphics. In 1980, he left his job in Portland and moved to

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in central Oregon and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is located to the east of the Cascade Range, on the Deschutes River. The site became known by pioneers as a ford (cros ...

, with his wife and newborn daughter. Using a $2,500 credit card, he opened Pegasus Fantasy Books on January 1, 1980. Renamed Things From Another World in 1993, the store expanded into an 11-location chain across three states, including spots at Universal CityWalk and Sony's Metreon.

Dark Horse Comics

Richardson hosted signings at his stores, where creators voiced concerns over lacking control of their work. This inspired him to launch Dark Horse Comics, offering creators intellectual property rights. With Randy Stradley, Dark Horse debuted

Dark Horse Presents ''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1986 in comics, 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 in comics, 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was publishe ...

#1 in July 1986, paying creators 100% of profits. Expecting 10,000 sales, it exceeded 50,000. Early successes included Concrete, Sin City, Hellboy, and The Goon. Richardson also published manga including

Lone Wolf and Cub is a Japanese manga series created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. It was serialized in Futabasha's manga magazine '' Weekly Manga Action'' from September 1970 to April 1976, with its chapters collected in 28 ' volumes. ...

, Akira, and

Ghost in the Shell ''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized between 1989 and 1991, is set in mid-21st century Japan and tel ...

, later adding

Blade of the Immortal is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroaki Samura. It was serialized in Kodansha's Seinen manga, manga magazine ''Monthly Afternoon'' from June 1993 to December 2012, with its chapters collected in 30 volumes. The ...

and

Oh My Goddess! , or ''Ah! My Goddess!'' in some releases, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kōsuke Fujishima. It was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine ''Monthly Afternoon'' from September 1988 to April 2014, with its ...

. In 1988, Dark Horse pioneered direct-sequel comics with Aliens, later applying this approach to Terminator,

Predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

, and

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

Dark Horse Entertainment

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

took interest in Dark Horse Comics, prompting Richardson to ensure creator involvement in adaptations. To achieve this, he founded Dark Horse Productions (later Dark Horse Entertainment) in 1989. His first co-producer credit came with Dr. Giggles. His creations The Mask and

Timecop ''Timecop'' is a 1994 American science fiction action film directed by Peter Hyams and co-written by Mike Richardson (publisher), Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Richardson also served as executive producer. The film is based on ''Timecop ( ...

(1994) became box office hits. In 2008, he won an Emmy for producing Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project. Since 1992, Richardson and Dark Horse Entertainment have produced over 30 film and TV projects.

Personal life

Richardson is married with children. He names

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

and James Ellroy as his favorite writers, and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (often referred to simply as ''Sgt. Pepper'') is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept ...

'' as his favorite album. He is also fond of basketball, guitars, and fine wine. He resides in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Nominations and awards

*1997 Razzie Nomination for ''

Barb Wire file:Barbed Wire Roll.jpg, Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire or bob wire (in the Southern United States, Southern and Southwestern United States), is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp ...

'' *1999

Eisner Awards The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

Nominated Best Comics-Related Book – Comics Between the Panels – (author with Steve Duin) *2007

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

Nomination for '' Hellboy: Sword of Storms'' *2008

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

Won for Best Variety, Music, or Comedy Special – Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (producer) *2010 Overstreet Hall of Fame For contributions to comic book art. *2010 Governors' Gold Award – State of Oregon for Contribution to the Arts *2012

: Won for Best Anthology –

(editor) *2012 Harvey Awards: Won for Best Anthology –

(editor) *2013

: Won for Best Anthology –

(editor) *2013 Harvey Awards: Won for Best Anthology –

(editor) *2014

: Won for Best Anthology –

(editor) *2012 Harvey Awards: Won for Best Anthology –

(editor) *2014

: Nominated for Best Limited Series – 47 Ronin (writer) *2015

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

named Richardson's 47 Ronin to its Great Graphic Novels for Teens list

Bibliography

Comics

Editor

*'' Cheval Noir'' (#1–23 1989) *'' Aqua Blue: The Blue Planet (1990)'' *'' The Adventures of Luther'' (#1–9, 1990, ) *'' Indiana Jones & The Fate'' (#1–4, 1991) *'' Andrew Vachss’ Hard Looks'' (#1–10, 1992, 1-56971-209-2) *''Andrew Vachss' Hard Looks'' (1996) *''

'' (volume 2, #1–30, 2011) *''Dark Horse Presents'' (volume 3, #1–15, 2014)

Writer

*'' Boris the Bear'' (#1–12, 1986) *'' Wacky Squirrel'' (#1–4, 1987) *''Wacky Squirrel Halloween Special'' (1987) *''Wacky Squirrel Summer Fun Special'' (#1, 1987) *'' The Mark'' (1987) *''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

'' (#1–6, 1988) *''Insane'' (#1–2, 1988) *'' Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis'' (#4, 1991, ) *'' Aliens: Countdown'' (1991) *'' Predator: The Bloody Sands'' (story, 1992) *'' Aliens: Newt's Tale'' (1992) *'' Comics Greatest World'' (#1–4, 1993) *''

Will to Power The will to power () is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. The will to power describes what Nietzsche may have believed to be the main driving force in humans. However, the concept was never systematically defined in Nietzsche's ...

'' (#1–12, 1994, ) *'' The Mask: The Official Movie Adaptation'' (1994) *'' Star Wars: Crimson Empire'' (1998, ) *'' Terror of Godzilla'' (1999) *'' Star Wars: Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood'' *'' Star Wars: Crimson Empire: Council'' (1999, ) *'' Aliens: Genocide'' (story, 2000) *'' The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings: Gone'' (2003) *'' Adventures of the Yellow Jacket'' ('' Monarch of the Moon'' DVD insert comic) *'' Cravan: Mystery Man of the 20th Century'' (2005, )'' *'' Living With The Dead'' (2007, ) *'' The Secret'' (#1–4, 2007, ) *''Cut'' (2008, ) *'' Return of the Gremlins'' (2008, ) *'' The Occultist'' (2012, ) *'' Star Wars: Crimson Empire'' (2012, ) *'' 47 Ronin'' (2013, ) *'' The Atomic Legion'' (2014, ) *''Father's Day'' (2014, ) *''Underground'' (2014, ) *'' Deep Gravity'' (2015, ) *''Echoes'' (2016) *'' 51 Deep'' (2016)

Books

*'' Comics: Between the Panels'' () *'' Blast Off: Rockets, Rayguns, Robots and Rarities'' ()

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Mike Dark Horse Comics People from Milwaukie, Oregon 1950 births Living people American publishers (people) Film producers from Oregon Inkpot Award winners