Mike Richardson (publisher)

"Things from Another World" redirects here. For the unrelated Italian film, see Things from Another World (film).

Mike Richardson
Richardson smiling Richardson at the New York Comic Con in 2013
Born	(1950-06-29) June 29, 1950 Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Nationality	American
Area	Writer, Publisher
Notable works	Dark Horse Comics The Mask Timecop The Legend of Tarzan
Awards	Emmy Award Eisner Awards Hugo Awards Inkpot Award Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Hall of Fame
www.darkhorse.com

Mike Richardson (born June 29, 1950) is an American publisher, writer, and producer. In 1986, he founded Dark Horse Comics, an international publishing house located in Milwaukie, Oregon. 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. His family moved to Milwaukie, a suburb of Portland, in 1955. He is a graduate of Portland State University, 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, 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 #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, Akira, and Ghost in the Shell, later adding Blade of the Immortal and Oh My Goddess!.

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

Dark Horse Entertainment

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 (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 and James Ellroy as his favorite writers, and The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 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
• 1999 Eisner Awards Nominated Best Comics-Related Book – Comics Between the Panels – (author with Steve Duin)
• 2007 Emmy Nomination for Hellboy: Sword of Storms
• 2008 Emmy Award 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 Eisner Awards: Won for Best Anthology – Dark Horse Presents (editor)
• 2012 Harvey Awards: Won for Best Anthology – Dark Horse Presents (editor)
• 2013 Eisner Awards: Won for Best Anthology – Dark Horse Presents (editor)
• 2013 Harvey Awards: Won for Best Anthology – Dark Horse Presents (editor)
• 2014 Eisner Awards: Won for Best Anthology – Dark Horse Presents (editor)
• 2012 Harvey Awards: Won for Best Anthology – Dark Horse Presents (editor)
• 2014 Eisner Awards: Nominated for Best Limited Series – 47 Ronin (writer)
• 2015 American Library Association 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)
• Dark Horse Presents (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 (#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 (#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

Year	Film	Writer	Producer	Executive Producer	Director	Notes
1992	Dr. Giggles		☒N		Manny Coto	Co-producer
1994	The Mask			☒N	Chuck Russell
	Timecop	☒N		☒N	Peter Hyams
1995	Enemy			☒N	Michael Katleman	Television film
1996	Barb Wire		☒N		David Hogan	Nominated — Razzie Award for Worst Picture
1999	Virus			☒N	John Bruno
	Mystery Men		☒N		Kinka Usher
2003	Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision	☒N			Steve Boyum	Direct-to-DVD
2004	Hellboy		☒N		Guillermo del Toro
	Alien vs. Predator			☒N	Paul W. S. Anderson
2005	Monarch Of The Moon			☒N	Richard Lowry
	Splinter			☒N	Michael Olmos
	Son of the Mask			☒N	Lawrence Guterman
2006	Hellboy: Sword of Storms			☒N	Tad Stones Phil Weinstein	Television film Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program
	Driftwood		☒N		Tim Sullivan
2007	Hellboy: Blood and Iron			☒N	Tad Stones Phil Weinstein	Television film
	My Name Is Bruce			☒N	Bruce Campbell
	30 Days of Night			☒N	David Slade
	Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project		☒N		John Landis	Emmy Award winner
2008	Hellboy II: The Golden Army		☒N		Guillermo del Toro
2013	R.I.P.D.		☒N		Robert Schwentke
2016	The Legend of Tarzan			☒N	David Yates
2019	Polar			☒N	Jonas Åkerlund
	Hellboy		☒N		Neil Marshall
2024	Hellboy: The Crooked Man		☒N		Brian Taylor

Television

Year	Series	Executive Producer	Notes
1995–1997	The Mask: Animated Series	☒N
1997–1998	Timecop	☒N
1999–2001	Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot	☒N
2012	Dark Horse Motion Comics	☒N	Internet series
2015–2017	Dark Matter	☒N
2019–present	The Umbrella Academy	☒N
2021	Coyote	☒N
2021–present	Resident Alien	☒N
2022	Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles	☒N

External links

• Mike Richardson at IMDb
• Mike Richardson at the Grand Comics Database
• Mike Richardson at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)