A House Divided: The Inside Story of the Dark Horse Workers United Union Drive

The 40th anniversary of Dark Horse Comics was supposed to be a celebration of four decades of independent excellence—a milestone for the publisher that brought Hellboy, The Mask, and Sin City to the world. Instead, the Milwaukie, Oregon-based institution has found itself at the center of a corporate and labor whirlwind.

On May 27, 2026, a supermajority of Dark Horse employees announced their intention to form a union, dubbed Dark Horse Workers United (DHWU). Represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7901, the move marks a watershed moment for the comics industry, signaling a shift in how creative professionals view their labor within increasingly large corporate structures. This announcement follows a series of seismic shifts at the company, including the abrupt dismissal of its founder, the closure of its retail wing, and a massive corporate restructuring by its parent company, the Swedish gaming giant Embracer Group.

Chronology of a Crisis: From Founder’s Exit to Labor Action

To understand the sudden emergence of DHWU, one must look at the rapid-fire sequence of events that transformed Dark Horse in early 2026.

The year began with a shock to the industry’s system. On March 4, 2026—just one month after the company’s official 40-year anniversary—founder and longtime CEO Mike Richardson was removed from his position. News reports at the time characterized his exit as a "dismissal" by Embracer Media, the conglomerate that had acquired Dark Horse in late 2021. Richardson, a towering figure in the "independent" comics movement, had been the face of the company since its inception in 1986.

The upheaval continued into May. On May 20, Embracer Group announced a radical plan to spin off its vast holdings into two separate entities. Dark Horse, along with several sister brands, was slated to join a "new IP & Licensing business unit." Within two weeks of that announcement, Dark Horse management revealed it would shutter all retail locations of Things From Another World (TFAW), the comic shop chain that actually predated the publishing house itself.

Against this backdrop of instability, the workers took their stand. On May 27, 59 employees signed a letter sent to interim CEO Jay Komas, declaring their intent to unionize. The letter cited the need for "democracy, diversity, equity, solidarity, and transparency," and gave management until June 3 to voluntarily recognize the union.

However, the seeds of this movement were sown long before the 2026 crisis. Organizing efforts began as early as 2021, prior to the Embracer acquisition. The effort started small—a core group of three to five production staffers—and grew slowly through "creative" networking. Because Dark Horse’s Milwaukie campus was physically siloed across five different buildings, organizers had to coordinate secret lunches, walks with accounting staff, and after-hours movie nights to build a cross-departmental coalition.

Supporting Data: The "Passion Tax" and the Economic Reality

The driving force behind the unionization effort is a phenomenon DHWU spokesperson Riley VanDyke calls the "passion tax." In creative industries like comics, workers are often expected to accept lower wages in exchange for the prestige of working on high-profile intellectual properties or "cool" projects.

The Wage Gap

According to DHWU, Dark Horse employees are chronically underpaid relative to the cost of living in the Portland metropolitan area. While specific internal pay scales were not publicly disclosed, the union contends that wages have not kept pace with inflation or the specialized skills required for modern comic production. "We’re told a lot of the times, ‘There is no money in publishing,’" VanDyke noted, "but the truth is it’s just not equivalently divvied out."

Corporate Financials vs. Departmental Reality

The financial health of Dark Horse is a study in corporate complexity. As part of Embracer Group’s "Entertainment & Services" segment, Dark Horse’s revenue is bundled with gaming and film brands. In FY 2024-25, that segment reported a net loss of approximately $118 million USD.

However, labor organizers point out that these losses were largely "goodwill impairments"—accounting write-offs related to the cost of acquisitions—rather than operational failures. In fact, Embracer’s own reports noted that Dark Horse "delivered net sales growth YoY and profitability compared to the previous year." Despite this profitability, workers have been subjected to a "wage and hiring freeze," and a wave of layoffs struck the company in February 2025 following the collapse of a $2 billion investment deal between Embracer and the Saudi-based Savvy Group.

The Transparency Deficit

A central pillar of the DHWU platform is the demand for "a seat at the table." Employees reported being blindsided by major company decisions, such as the closure of the TFAW retail chain. "We found out from someone that worked at TFAW that it was happening," VanDyke said. The union is seeking a formalized process where staff have a voice in the company’s strategic direction, rather than being treated as collateral in corporate maneuvering.

Official Responses and Industry Reaction

As the June 3 deadline for voluntary recognition approached, the response from Dark Horse management remained largely silent. Interim CEO Jay Komas and other executives did not respond to requests for comment regarding the union drive.

However, voices from within the editorial and creative ranks have provided a glimpse into the internal climate. Daniel Chabon, a veteran editor at Dark Horse, spoke to the climate of the company following Richardson’s exit but prior to the public union announcement. Chabon characterized the relationship with Embracer as "great to work for" but acknowledged that the company was in a period of "refocusing." He emphasized that the publishing line—particularly the focus on creator-owned books—remained the company’s core mission.

The creative community has been more vocal in its support. High-profile creators with long histories at Dark Horse have stepped forward to back the staff.

• Michael Oeming (Powers artist): "For freelancers like me, comics can feel like the Wild West. But when a company is owned by a much larger corporation, protecting editors, designers, and staff should be a no-brainer."
• Brian Michael Bendis (Powers writer): "I am a union member… it has saved my ass a couple of times. I completely support the excellent team at Dark Horse. They deserve all the protections that a union would offer them."

The support from these industry heavyweights underscores the reality that a comic book is not just the product of a writer and artist, but of a vast invisible network of designers, prepress technicians, and editors who ensure the final product reaches the shelves.

Implications: A New Era for Comic Labor

The formation of Dark Horse Workers United is not an isolated event; it is part of a growing trend of labor organization in the Pacific Northwest comics hub. CWA Local 7901 has already successfully organized workers at Image Comics and Seven Seas Entertainment. However, the Dark Horse effort is unique due to the company’s size and its status as a subsidiary of a multinational corporation.

The Legal and Political Landscape

If Dark Horse management refuses voluntary recognition, the DHWU will petition the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a formal election. This path is fraught with new challenges. Changes in federal labor policy have extended the period between a petition and an election to 4-6 weeks. Organizers fear this window provides management with ample time for "union-busting" tactics or "retaliation" disguised as restructuring.

The Future of Diversity in Content

Beyond wages, the union has signaled a desire to protect the diversity of the Dark Horse catalog. Organizers pointed to queer-themed projects that were allegedly halted in the previous year as a point of concern. While the union is not seeking quotas, they are demanding a workplace culture where diverse voices are protected and where editorial decisions aren’t solely dictated by the risk-aversion of a distant corporate parent.

The "Fellowship Entertainment" Era

As Dark Horse transitions into the "Fellowship Entertainment" spin-off, the presence of a union could fundamentally change how the company operates. If recognized, the union would have the legal right to "open the books," providing employees with unprecedented insight into the financial mechanics of the publisher.

For the broader industry, the Dark Horse union drive serves as a referendum on the "passion tax." If one of the industry’s oldest and most successful publishers can be successfully unionized, it may pave the way for similar movements at Marvel, DC, or IDW.

As Riley VanDyke put it, the movement is about more than just a paycheck; it is about "class consciousness" in an industry that has long relied on the silence of its workers. "I worry that we’re going down a really dark path," VanDyke said, "and I’m hoping that this movement and other ones like it can help see us through that to a better state."

The deadline of June 3 looms. Whether through a handshake or a hard-fought election, the face of Dark Horse Comics has changed forever. The company that spent 40 years championing "independent" voices is now facing an independent voice from within its own walls.