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.
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!
“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.”
Stay tuned for more news on upcoming DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and MAGIC: THE GATHERING projects in the near future!
Be sure to follow DarkHorseComics on social media and check our website, www.darkhorse.com for more news, announcements, and updates.
About Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson with the goal of creating a welcoming environment for comics professionals. The company strives to be an example of how integrity and innovation can broaden a unique storytelling medium and transform a company with humble beginnings into an industry giant. Dark Horse has published modern masters such as Yoshitaka Amano, Margaret Atwood, Brian Michael Bendis, Paul Chadwick, Geof Darrow, Colleen Doran, Janet Evanovich, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons, Faith Erin Hicks, Kazuo Koike, Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, Kentaro Miura, Moebius, Chuck Palahniuk, Eric Powell, Stan Sakai, and Gerard Way, as well as Hall of Fame legends Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Richard Corben. The company also set the industry standard for quality licensed comics, graphic novels, collectibles, and art books, based on properties such as Star Wars, Stranger Things, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Age, James Cameron’s Avatar, Game of Thrones, Mass Effect, The Witcher, and Halo. Dark Horse established an entertainment division in 1989, finding success with company-owned projects The Mask and TimeCop. Current hits from Dark Horse Entertainment include The Umbrella Academy on Netflix and Resident Alien on SyFy. Additionally, Dark Horse has a long tradition of establishing new creative talent throughout all of its divisions.
In 2022, Dark Horse Media, LLC was established as the parent company of all three divisions, and became part of Embracer Group AB, strengthening the company’s transmedia capabilities.
About Hasbro
Hasbro is a leading toy and game company whose mission is to entertain and connect generations of fans through the wonder of storytelling and exhilaration of play. Hasbro delivers play experiences for fans of all ages around the world, through toys, games, licensed consumer products, digital games and services, location-based entertainment, film, TV, and more. With a portfolio of over 1,800 iconic brands including MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Hasbro Gaming, NERF, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH and PEPPA PIG, as well as premier partner brands, Hasbro brings fans together wherever they are, from tabletop to screen.
Hasbro is guided by our Purpose to create joy and community for all people around the world, one game, one toy, one story at a time. For more than a decade, Hasbro has been consistently recognized for its corporate citizenship, including being named one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by 3BL Media, one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute and one of the 50 Most Community-Minded Companies in the U.S. by the Civic 50. For more information, visit https://corporate.hasbro.com or @Hasbro on LinkedIn.
About Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS), develops legendary games that inspire creativity, spark passions, forge friendships and foster communities around a lifetime love of games. Wizards delivers compelling experiences for gamers across tabletop and digital gaming through its best-known franchises MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, along with Hasbro’s unparalleled portfolio of over 1,800 iconic brands.
With headquarters in Renton, Washington and studios in Austin, Montreal and Raleigh, Wizards is dedicated to fostering world-class talent to create unforgettable play experiences on all platforms. To learn more about Wizards, please visit https://company.wizards.com or Wizards of the Coast on LinkedIn.
