r/darkhorsecomics • u/Jmoneybass • 28d ago

What If Marvel Comics bought Dark Horse Comics back in 1988

/r/AlternateMediaHistory/comments/1wjzokm/what_if_marvel_comics_bought_dark_horse_comics/
11 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

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7

u/KonamiIsBestJoshi 28d ago

We probably wouldn't have a lot of Dark Horse's flagship titles anymore.

3

u/TheRealHanzo 28d ago

Image Comics would be even stronger and more relevant. What we probably would not have: nice library editions, Usagi Yojimbo thick saga books, comparatively affordable Art of books.

This question made me realize what a strange customer I am. I really like Marvel characters, but Marvel's product formats are not attractive at all. So I don't buy them. Dark Horse has very few characters or books I follow. But even just looking at books I am not interested in, tempts me to buy them because their products have such high production values for a really affordable price. Case in question: Hellboy. I am one of the few people who likes almost any guest artist on Hellboy more than Mike Mignola. Yet I bought all of the library editions because to me they are peak book making. I feel elevated just holding the books. Lol.

No way we would have that with Marvel as owners of Dark Horse. Marvel doesn't even have a proper oversized hardcover format beyond Omni's anymore.

2

u/elwyn5150 28d ago

Enshitification ensues

2

u/suddenvole 28d ago

Hellboy would be immediately ruined.

2

u/scruffye 28d ago

I don't know, they'd probably shunt Hellboy into the Dr Strange comics or Thor and not know what to really do with him. Maybe some event comics with Illyana in Hell?

1

u/Jmoneybass 28d ago

I understand that and I imagine after Marvel Comics bought Dark Horse Comics back in 1988 in this timeline I imagine Marvel Comics would then add the Dark Horse Comics Superheroes that Dark Horse Comics owns to the Marvel Universe after Marvel Comics brought Dark Horse Comics back in 1988 in this timeline

1

u/Throckmorton1975 27d ago

They probably would have crossed Wolverine and SpiderMan over into Boris the Bear and Concrete, my two favorite DH titles at the time.

1

u/Ok-Amphibian9104 27d ago

I’m not a Marvel apologist and I think they would’ve done a decent Hellboy. It wouldn’t have been as good as Ron Pearlman’s but infinitely better than David Harbour’s

1

u/mighty3mperor 27d ago

They'd probably be announcing an upcoming series where Hellboy and Miracleman fight then team up together that no-one wanted to see.

1

u/RDFozz 26d ago

Gut reaction, without justification: Why are you bringing up hell on earth?