This year is the 30th anniversary of Dark Horse Comics which launched with their first title, Dark Horse Presents. In that time Dark Horse Presents has won multiple Eisner and Harvey Awards and launched some of the greatest comics’ heroes.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary, Dark Horse is launching a variant program this week that will see one of their comics each month pay homage to a specific issue of Dark Horse Present. The specific issues chosen will also be perfect jumping-on points for new readers.
The first book to get the variant cover treatment was this week’s Hellboy Winter Special by Mike Mignola which featured cover artwork that is a throwback to the very first issue of Dark Horse Presents back in 1986.
Other books that will get the variant cover treatment will be Dark Horse and Eisner Award-winning writer Mariko Tamaki’s new Lara Croft series which continues the story of the Rise of the Tomb Raider game. The cover by Joëlle Jones is a tribute to Dark Horse Presents #9 and will be available in February.
In March, Dan Abnett launches Predator: Life and Death involving Predators, Aliens, and the mysterious Engineers from Prometheus. Dark Horse senior editor Chris Warner will provide the variant cover as a tribute to his original cover from Dark Horse Presents #35.
Finally, Brian Wood and Tristan Jones will debut Aliens: Defiance in April. The book will get a variant cover from the original Aliens artist Mark A. Nelson channeling the cover from Dark Horse Presents #40.
Dark Horse does plan on unveiling more variant covers in the future. In the meantime check out the ones they have announced!
