Dark Horse Comics And Wizards Announce New Publishing Line
On Thursday, July 25th, Wizards of the Coast announced their newest collaboration. They'll collaborate with Dark Horse Comics to publish a new line of comics and graphic novels. These stories will surround some of Wizards' most beloved properties: Dungeons & Dragons, and Magic: The Gathering. These publications will begin to roll out in the Summer of 2025, just in time for the 50th anniversary of D&D.
According to a press release sent out by Wizards of the Coast on the day of this announcement:
MILWAUKIE, OR. (July 25, 2024)--Dark Horse Comics and Hasbro's Wizards of the Coast announce an exciting new publishing line beginning in 2025, with comics and graphic novels expanding the worlds of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and MAGIC: THE GATHERING! The officially licensed publishing program will feature original stories based on the popular fantasy roleplaying and trading card games. The first of these series will debut in summer 2025.
According to the press release, this is not the first time Wizards has collaborated with Dark Horse on a line of Magic comics. Between March and June of 1998, Dark Horse released four Magic comics covering the story of hero Gerrard Capashen. Titled Gerrard's Quest, it ran for four issues and detailed Gerrard's fight against Volrath, the Shapestealer.
Dark Horse Comics first collaborated with Wizards of the Coast for MAGIC: THE GATHERING tie-in comics in the late '90s with MAGIC: THE GATHERING: Gerrard's Quest and has more recently collaborated for the Stranger Things and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS miniseries. In this new era of MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, fans can expect comic series, graphic novels, art books and more. Stay tuned for more news and announcements to follow!
Dark Horse Comics' Influence On Wizards (And Vice-Versa)
In addition to this news announcement, Wizards and Dark Horse also provided a few quotes from editors and executives alike:
"If you'd told my 12-year-old self I'd get to work with incredible writers and artists to craft comics for DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and MAGIC: THE GATHERING, alongside such thoughtful and creative stewards of these licenses, I wouldn't have believed you," said senior editor Spencer Cushing. "The opportunity to work with Wizards of the Coast is a dream come true."
"Having the opportunity to work with the Wizards of the Coast team on both DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and MAGIC: THE GATHERING is one of the most exciting opportunities I've had professionally," added editor Brett Israel. "As an avid player and fan of the various stories and planes of these two iconic games, I cannot wait to work with many highly-skilled creators on growing these universes."
"DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and MAGIC: THE GATHERING are two legendary games with incredibly strong fandoms and world-building gameplay," said Marianne James, Senior Vice President, Licensed Consumer Products at Hasbro. "We are dedicated to expanding these universes through unique brand-offerings and world-class partnerships, ultimately bringing players and fans alike new, exciting ways to engage with these iconic franchise brands. From this licensed publishing program with Dark Horse Comics, we anticipate a lot of excitement to come with new artwork and creative storytelling."
"We're so excited to be teaming up with the incredible creatives at Dark Horse to invite fans and newcomers alike into the iconic fantasy world that has defined Magic: The Gathering for the past 30 years, told through a fresh new lens," said Jackie Jones, Vice President of Creative, Magic: The Gathering. "Each series will feature epic, high-stakes stories across Magic's visually stunning, diverse multiverse, told through the eyes of our most iconic, complex, and compelling heroes and anti-heroes - giving readers the opportunity to experience what makes Magic so unique and awesome."
"This collaboration is akin to forging a legendary magical item! Dark Horse is just so awesome at bringing fantastical worlds to life on the page," said Jess Lanzillo, vice president of franchise and product for Dungeons & Dragons. "With D&D's vast, imaginative realms and 50 years of thrilling adventure as their canvas, I'm excited to see what will unfold. This collaboration feels like the start of something truly special."
Beyond Wizards of the Coast, Dark Horse has worked with multiple prolific names in the world of visual literature. To name a few names, they've worked with people like Neil Gaiman, Gerrard Way, Yoshitaka Amano, Margaret Atwood, and even Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. The brand has published comics, graphic novels, art books for various properties, and much more. Additionally, their sister branch Dark Horse Entertainment has their credits in Netflix's The Umbrella Academy and SyFy's Resident Alien. Truly, Dark Horse Media, LLC, is a standout company for Wizards to collaborate with.
Are you excited about this new prospect for Wizards of the Coast? Do you have any praise or any reservations about this Dark Horse collab? Sound off below!