Dark Horse Founder Mike Richardson on Taking the Big Risks ('Hellboy' / 'The Umbrella Academy' / 'The Mask')

Today I'm joined by MIKE RICHARDSON, founder and CEO of Dark Horse Comics (Sin City, The Umbrella Academy, Hellboy), founder of the Things from Another World store chain, film/TV producer, and prolific comic book writer. He’s a legend in the comic book industry, not just for the iconic titles he’s published – but for how he revolutionized creators’ rights in a game previously rigged to only enrich publishers in success. Let’s find out how he did it!A BONUS EPISODE is also available. Mike returns to discuss seminal piece of art from his life…albeit with a twist. He’s going to dive into THE ART OF FRANK FRAZETTA as well as his friendship with the artist — who is sometimes called “the godfather of fantasy art”.Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-mike-richardson-talks-the-art-of-frank-frazetta/id1807437928?i=1000717109035Substack: https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/bonus-episode-mike-richardson-talks?utm_source=publication-searchSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6gmws78V1qeIkGwiEs57qQ?si=ba176ecd455d4590Mike and I discuss the following and much more:How Mike fell in love with comic books and fantasy, a nostalgic trip into the beginnings of – you might say – modern “geekdom”His unique work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit, which first led to Dark Horse Graphics and then launching Pegasus Fantasy BooksThe secret origin of Dark Horse Comics, which launched in 1986 and went on to change the comic book industry foreverThe challenges faced by Dark Horse in a competitive market and how it overcame them by prioritizing creator rights and other partnerships with artistsDark Horse’s innovative strategy of creating sequels and expanding upon existing IPs from Hollywood, such as Alien and Star WarsHow Dark Horse effectively transitioned its properties into HollywoodLINKS:Buy Dark Horse comic books: https://www.darkhorse.com/Buy The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde, my first comic book series with Dark Horse: https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/18-076/The-Strange-Case-of-Mr-Hyde-TPB#:~:text=Sometimes%20good%20police%20work%20just,to%20commit%20his%20bloody%20murders.Listen to “What I Learned From My First Hollywood Script Sale” here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3BuJezPyRGXgc9FevvPY9z?si=d834afc898864207Read about my frustrations with Disney/Lucasfilm mining Star Wars comic books, novels, and more without appropriately crediting writers and creators here: https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/the-og-heir-to-star-wars-empire-say?utm_source=publication-searchSUBSCRIBE TO THE '5AM STORYTALK NEWSLETTER'⁠⁠https://colehaddon.substack.com/⁠⁠You'll gain access to both the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter and all episodes of this podcast – including exclusive bonus episodes in which my guests discuss seminal pieces of art from their lives. Ask questions in the comments section there, too!SUBSCRIBE TO THE '5AM STORYTALK PODCAST' AT APPLE⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/5am-storytalk/id1807437928⁠⁠A paid subscription at Apple will get you access to all of my bonus episodes in which my guests return to break down a seminal artwork from their lives.TIP JARNot up for a paid subscription but appreciate the work that’s gone into making this podcast happen? You can “buy me a coffee” ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/colehaddon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SOCIAL MEDIAFollow Cole/5AM StoryTalk at…⁠⁠5AM StoryTalk @ Instagram⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/5amstorytalkpodcast/⁠⁠⁠Cole Haddon @ Instagram⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/colehaddonwashere/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/colehaddon.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.com/Colehaddonwashere⁠⁠⁠EMAIL⁠[email protected] StoryTalk would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, the Djarra people of the Kulin Nation and pay respects to Elders past and present.This podcast's music is by ⁠⁠Cary Brothers⁠⁠. ⁠⁠https://www.carybrothers.com/⁠