Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Retro Dark Horse

Dark Horse Classics - Star Wars: Dark Empire

In 1996, Dark Horse Comics celebrated it's 10th anniversary.  That same year in March, they released a one-shot titled Dark Horse Classics which reprinted Predator: Jungle Tales #1, a reprint itself that collected Predator stories from the Dark Horse Comics anthology title.  This title kicked off the Dark Horse Classics line of comics which reprints previously published Dark Horse titles.  In 1997, Dark Horse Classics: Aliens Versus Predator and Dark Horse Classics - Star Wars: Dark Empire were published.  The following year, Dark Horse would print 3 more Dark Horse Classics titles, all featuring Godzilla, but the sales proved to be too low and this attempt at a reprint line ended in January 1999.  The final title in the line, Dark Horse Classics: Terror of Godzilla has estimated sales of just 2500 copies for its 6th and final issue.

Dark Horse Classics - Star Wars: Dark Empire reprints the Star Wars: Dark Empire mini-series that inaugurated Dark Horse's Star Wars line of comics including the covers.  Due to the same cover art used on this series, many sellers on eBay erroneously list issues in this title as just Star Wars: Dark Empire and neglect to mention this is a reprint of that title.

Dark Horse Classics - Star Wars: Dark Empire #1a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (March 1997)
reprints Star Wars: Dark Empire #1
Dark Horse Classics - Star Wars: Dark Empire #2a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (April 1997)
reprints Star Wars: Dark Empire #2
Dark Horse Classics - Star Wars: Dark Empire #3a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (May 1997)
reprints Star Wars: Dark Empire #3
Dark Horse Classics - Star Wars: Dark Empire #4a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (June 1997)
reprints Star Wars: Dark Empire #4
Dark Horse Classics - Star Wars: Dark Empire #5a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (July 1997)
reprints Star Wars: Dark Empire #5
Dark Horse Classics - Star Wars: Dark Empire #6a - Dark Horse Comics, U.S. (August 1997)
reprints Star Wars: Dark Empire #6
Dark Horse Classics - Star Wars: Dark Empire was one of the lowest selling Star Wars titles that Dark Horse published at the time.  In an era that saw many Dark Horse Star Wars titles in the top 100 any given month, this reprint title sold an estimated 10,000 to 13,000 copies per issue or less than half of the next lowest selling Star Wars title.

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