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Dark Horse Number Ones
Dark Horse brings you eight complete first issues of series by top industry talents to introduce you to your next favorite read. Fantasy, mystery, sci-fi, adventure, and horror tales open the door to new storytelling worlds. Including Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba's Umbrella Academy #1, Mike Mignola's Hellboy in Hell #1, Joelle Jones and Jamie S. Rich's Lady Killer #1, Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston's Black Hammer #1, Matt Kindt and Sharlene Kindt's Dept. H #1, Brian Wood and Mark Chater's Briggs Land #1, Kurtis Wiebe and Mindy Lee's Bounty #1, and Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook's Harrow County #1.
- GenresComicsGraphic Novels
208 pages, Paperback
Published April 11, 2017
4 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Mike Richardson
341 books19 followersMike Richardson is an American publisher, writer, and Emmy-winning producer. In 1986, he founded Dark Horse Comics, an award-winning international publishing house located in Milwaukie, Oregon. Richardson is also the founder and President of the Things From Another World retail chain and president of Dark Horse Entertainment, which has developed and produced numerous projects for film and television based on Dark Horse properties or licensed properties.
In addition, he has written numerous graphic novels and comics series, including The Secret, Living with the Dead, and Cut as well as co-authoring two non-fiction books: Comics Between the Panels and Blast Off!.
In addition, he has written numerous graphic novels and comics series, including The Secret, Living with the Dead, and Cut as well as co-authoring two non-fiction books: Comics Between the Panels and Blast Off!.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 7, 2020
As others have mentioned, this volume has some good comics and some not quite as good. It's so interesting to see which ones different people prefer! So I'll just write my thoughts on each piece (without spoilers).
Umbrella Academy #1: The art is a bit quirkier than I expected, and this issue reveals very little except the premise for the series, but it's fun and I can already see differences from the TV series.
Lady Killer #1: Eh, something rubbed me the wrong way. I think it was the main character's relationship with her handler? Shame, because I really enjoyed the first 90% of this issue, but I probably won't continue it.
Black Hammer #1: I had two issues (pet peeves) with this. It might seem too minute to mention, but they messed with my suspension of disbelief for this one. Issue #1 was the use of the word "tits." None of the women in their 20s and 30s that I'm around use the word "tits." In fact, it's a word I've only ever heard used by men. I know word choice is something people pay more attention to in novels, but it ruined the voice of that female character for me. Issue #2 was the eye illustration on the human characters. The men all had these itty bitty eyes like they were squinting all the time, and the women all had giant bags under their eyes. I don't know--I liked the premise of this one, but these are problems that probably continue in the series.
Dept. H #1: This title got a lot of flak in other reviews for being boring and uneventful with low-key illustrations, but I really dig it. The storyline is a mystery, not an action flick. It's reminds me a little of old-school mysteries like Agatha Christie, not because of the writing but the set-up: you meet a cast of characters, all suspects, and are placed in a contained space with them--in this case the ocean rather than the countryside--and suspicion abounds! Anyway, I'm fascinated enough to read more.
Briggs Land #1: This was really interesting, because I thought I would hate this one, and it's actually very good. But the characters also feel very real right now, so I may continue this series when the dumpster fire that is 2020 is over. We'll see.
Bounty #1: Female twin super-criminals turned low-profile bounty hunters? I am here for this! For just one issue, there was some good character development here. The artistic style was sharp and heavy on the outlines, so a little different but still enjoyable. I'm excited to see where this series goes!
Harrow County #1: If I read horror comics, I would be so into this series. The illustrations are amazing, and I'm digging the whole murdered witch and beast descendency vibe. If you like horror comics, read this one and tell me what I'm missing!
Hellboy in Hell #1: I found this one pretty boring. Do you ever read something and then kind of wonder what the point was? The point of the comic or the point of that time I wasted...I don't really know either answer. So, probably not reading more Hellboy after this.
Umbrella Academy #1: The art is a bit quirkier than I expected, and this issue reveals very little except the premise for the series, but it's fun and I can already see differences from the TV series.
Lady Killer #1: Eh, something rubbed me the wrong way. I think it was the main character's relationship with her handler? Shame, because I really enjoyed the first 90% of this issue, but I probably won't continue it.
Black Hammer #1: I had two issues (pet peeves) with this. It might seem too minute to mention, but they messed with my suspension of disbelief for this one. Issue #1 was the use of the word "tits." None of the women in their 20s and 30s that I'm around use the word "tits." In fact, it's a word I've only ever heard used by men. I know word choice is something people pay more attention to in novels, but it ruined the voice of that female character for me. Issue #2 was the eye illustration on the human characters. The men all had these itty bitty eyes like they were squinting all the time, and the women all had giant bags under their eyes. I don't know--I liked the premise of this one, but these are problems that probably continue in the series.
Dept. H #1: This title got a lot of flak in other reviews for being boring and uneventful with low-key illustrations, but I really dig it. The storyline is a mystery, not an action flick. It's reminds me a little of old-school mysteries like Agatha Christie, not because of the writing but the set-up: you meet a cast of characters, all suspects, and are placed in a contained space with them--in this case the ocean rather than the countryside--and suspicion abounds! Anyway, I'm fascinated enough to read more.
Briggs Land #1: This was really interesting, because I thought I would hate this one, and it's actually very good. But the characters also feel very real right now, so I may continue this series when the dumpster fire that is 2020 is over. We'll see.
Bounty #1: Female twin super-criminals turned low-profile bounty hunters? I am here for this! For just one issue, there was some good character development here. The artistic style was sharp and heavy on the outlines, so a little different but still enjoyable. I'm excited to see where this series goes!
Harrow County #1: If I read horror comics, I would be so into this series. The illustrations are amazing, and I'm digging the whole murdered witch and beast descendency vibe. If you like horror comics, read this one and tell me what I'm missing!
Hellboy in Hell #1: I found this one pretty boring. Do you ever read something and then kind of wonder what the point was? The point of the comic or the point of that time I wasted...I don't really know either answer. So, probably not reading more Hellboy after this.
December 11, 2017
I'd probably give this a half star more, but as with all anthologies you have really good stuff and some that just doesn't do it for you. In this case more hits than misses, but I've been a big fan of Dark Horse for years. They and Image put out some of my favorite books, with DH taking the lead at the moment.
Of course, you can't go wrong with Hellboy or any title in the Mignola-verse. "Hellboy in Hell" is another outstanding entry in that series. I actually read the story by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba featuring their Umbrella Academy before, but it was still fun and I recommend the series about a group of children with powers abandoned by their parents and raised by a wealthy benefactor. The tales often go from when they were children to their current adult adventures.
Dean Ormston's Black Hammer is about a group of super-heroes who disappeared and now cannot return to their own era. They are also trying to keep their secrets from the citizens of the area, but events might not allow that for much longer. An interesting series that I plan on following. Harrow County by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook is a nice horror tale of witchcraft and curses from the past. Dept. H is a murder mystery in the future that takes place in an undersea research station. This is by Matt Kindt and Sharlene Kindt and I've already been buying this series. If you might be interested in a straight story of militias and survivalists, with family dynamics complicating an already tense situation than Brigg's Land by Brian Wood and Mark Chater might be something you like. No costumes or curses, except the four-letter ones, in sight.
As I said, there are always stories in an anthology that don't click for you, but your opinion might be different from mine.
I didn't care for Lady Killer by Joelle Jones and Jamie S. Rich. A housewife, who is secretly an assassin has a dark comedy feel, but I didn't like it much. I think the fact that there is some more than flirtatious chemistry going on between the main character I find distasteful. Guess I'm old fashion. It does seem to have a following. Kurtis Wiebe and Mindy Lee's Bounty is about a pair of female bounty hunters in outer space. Aliens, robots and folks with strange powers. Fun and nothing original enough in this sample issue to get me to pick it up.
The best thing about this TPB is that it's only six bucks for eight #1 issues from a wide-range of creators in a number of different genres. I just with I could have given it that extra star.
Of course, you can't go wrong with Hellboy or any title in the Mignola-verse. "Hellboy in Hell" is another outstanding entry in that series. I actually read the story by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba featuring their Umbrella Academy before, but it was still fun and I recommend the series about a group of children with powers abandoned by their parents and raised by a wealthy benefactor. The tales often go from when they were children to their current adult adventures.
Dean Ormston's Black Hammer is about a group of super-heroes who disappeared and now cannot return to their own era. They are also trying to keep their secrets from the citizens of the area, but events might not allow that for much longer. An interesting series that I plan on following. Harrow County by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook is a nice horror tale of witchcraft and curses from the past. Dept. H is a murder mystery in the future that takes place in an undersea research station. This is by Matt Kindt and Sharlene Kindt and I've already been buying this series. If you might be interested in a straight story of militias and survivalists, with family dynamics complicating an already tense situation than Brigg's Land by Brian Wood and Mark Chater might be something you like. No costumes or curses, except the four-letter ones, in sight.
As I said, there are always stories in an anthology that don't click for you, but your opinion might be different from mine.
I didn't care for Lady Killer by Joelle Jones and Jamie S. Rich. A housewife, who is secretly an assassin has a dark comedy feel, but I didn't like it much. I think the fact that there is some more than flirtatious chemistry going on between the main character I find distasteful. Guess I'm old fashion. It does seem to have a following. Kurtis Wiebe and Mindy Lee's Bounty is about a pair of female bounty hunters in outer space. Aliens, robots and folks with strange powers. Fun and nothing original enough in this sample issue to get me to pick it up.
The best thing about this TPB is that it's only six bucks for eight #1 issues from a wide-range of creators in a number of different genres. I just with I could have given it that extra star.
May 23, 2017
Though it doesn't get the same attention as the Big Three of comics (Marvel, DC, and Image), Dark Horse Comics has been putting out some great and unique books for a long time. This sort-of-anthology collects the first issues of eight new(ish) comics from the likes of Jeff Lemire ("Essex County"), Brian Wood ("DEMO"), Mike Mignola (the Hellboy series), and Gerard Way (of My Chemical Romance), to name a few. The best part? The whole thing is only $6.00! That's a damn good deal. Like any sampler, it has its highs and lows but it definitely piqued my interest to seek out a few of the titles and read more. Lots of good stuff in here.
FAVORITES:
"Lady Killer" by Joelle Jones & Jamie S. Rich - A 1950s housewife lives a double life as a ruthlessly efficient assassin.
"Briggs Land" by Brian Wood & Mack Chater - The matriarch of a clan of survivalists plots to take over the family business from her incarcerated husband.
"Harrow County" by Cullen Bunn & Tyler Crook - A small town is terrorized by the emergence of a witch's curse.
FAVORITES:
"Lady Killer" by Joelle Jones & Jamie S. Rich - A 1950s housewife lives a double life as a ruthlessly efficient assassin.
"Briggs Land" by Brian Wood & Mack Chater - The matriarch of a clan of survivalists plots to take over the family business from her incarcerated husband.
"Harrow County" by Cullen Bunn & Tyler Crook - A small town is terrorized by the emergence of a witch's curse.
October 18, 2017
Eight comics for $6, impossible to turn down. Some good, some less so. Although the art was quite varied across these eight stories, none of it was bad. Nice, clear storytelling that was easy to follow.
Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba's Umbrella Academy -- ★★★☆☆ This is a weird pseudo-superhero story in the vein of J. Michael Straczynski's Rising Stars or the Wild Cards series by George R.R. Martin et al, where a mysterious event imbues some kids with amazing abilities, then they have adventures protecting the world. Except wackier. One kid has his head transplanted onto a gorilla, for instance.
Joelle Jones and Jamie S. Rich's Lady Killer -- ★★★☆☆ This was a decent version of "housewife assassin", which is practically a genre unto itself. Keeping secrets and brutally killing people, always a fun time. Well, maybe not "fun" exactly. It shows promise, but not exactly my cup of tea. No hint of anything SFF here, unless they introduce some James Bond gadgets later on in this otherwise late-50s/early-60s setting.
Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston's Black Hammer -- ★★★★☆ I really liked this one. It's dark and initially seems to be about five space aliens (and/or supernatural creatures) living on an isolated farm outside of a small town somewhere in the Midwest of Great Plains. Some of them are trying to make the best of their situation while others desperately want to leave. Spoiler for the last couple pages: Either way, they're fish out of water with a decidedly dark bent.
Matt Kindt and Sharlene Kindt's Dept. H -- ★★☆☆☆ A sci-fi mystery set in the future, it's a story about a woman investigating her father's murder in the underwater base he co-founded. (The title design for "Dept. H" makes it read like "DEPTH". Font pun!) It kind of feels like that video game from a few years ago, , with a fairly standard locked-room murder mystery plot and the usual motley crew of characters. I really hated the typeface they chose for this because it was incredibly difficult to read.
Brian Wood and Mark Chater's Briggs Land -- ★★★★★ This one was both very well done and timely. Nothing here was of the SFF genres, just a straightforward story about a family that is engaged in the separatist militia movement, involved in money laundering, murder, and other anti-social behavior. There are strong hints of cult-like fervor with the casual misogyny one finds in various Men's Rights Movements, these self-described Patriots who are rabidly anti-American. This was really good, probably my favorite of all of these. I'm going to follow this one, because it might very well be the next 100 Bullets: The Deluxe Edition Book I. Definitely the meatiest meal here.
Kurtis Wiebe and Mindy Lee's Bounty -- ★★★☆☆ Sci-fi bounty hunters. Feels a bit like a cyberpunk version of Cowboy Bebop. Kinetic and brightly-colored, it seems like it has all the elements it needs to run for quite some time, but it was hard to tell how strong the story is.
Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook's Harrow County -- ★★★☆☆ Witches and ancient evil haunting a farm in what appears to be a turn of the century setting. No, not the 21st century, the one before that. It's fine as a set-up and very well-written, but I'd need to see a few more issues enforce making a go/no-go on this story.
Mike Mignola's Hellboy in Hell -- ★☆☆☆☆ I didn't like this at all. It just feels like filler, sans personality. It's the kind of story that most comics would dispense with in just a page or two. If someone hadn't read any Hellboy before, this wouldn't entice them to do so.
Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba's Umbrella Academy -- ★★★☆☆ This is a weird pseudo-superhero story in the vein of J. Michael Straczynski's Rising Stars or the Wild Cards series by George R.R. Martin et al, where a mysterious event imbues some kids with amazing abilities, then they have adventures protecting the world. Except wackier. One kid has his head transplanted onto a gorilla, for instance.
Joelle Jones and Jamie S. Rich's Lady Killer -- ★★★☆☆ This was a decent version of "housewife assassin", which is practically a genre unto itself. Keeping secrets and brutally killing people, always a fun time. Well, maybe not "fun" exactly. It shows promise, but not exactly my cup of tea. No hint of anything SFF here, unless they introduce some James Bond gadgets later on in this otherwise late-50s/early-60s setting.
Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston's Black Hammer -- ★★★★☆ I really liked this one. It's dark and initially seems to be about five space aliens (and/or supernatural creatures) living on an isolated farm outside of a small town somewhere in the Midwest of Great Plains. Some of them are trying to make the best of their situation while others desperately want to leave. Spoiler for the last couple pages: Either way, they're fish out of water with a decidedly dark bent.
Matt Kindt and Sharlene Kindt's Dept. H -- ★★☆☆☆ A sci-fi mystery set in the future, it's a story about a woman investigating her father's murder in the underwater base he co-founded. (The title design for "Dept. H" makes it read like "DEPTH". Font pun!) It kind of feels like that video game from a few years ago, , with a fairly standard locked-room murder mystery plot and the usual motley crew of characters. I really hated the typeface they chose for this because it was incredibly difficult to read.
Brian Wood and Mark Chater's Briggs Land -- ★★★★★ This one was both very well done and timely. Nothing here was of the SFF genres, just a straightforward story about a family that is engaged in the separatist militia movement, involved in money laundering, murder, and other anti-social behavior. There are strong hints of cult-like fervor with the casual misogyny one finds in various Men's Rights Movements, these self-described Patriots who are rabidly anti-American. This was really good, probably my favorite of all of these. I'm going to follow this one, because it might very well be the next 100 Bullets: The Deluxe Edition Book I. Definitely the meatiest meal here.
Kurtis Wiebe and Mindy Lee's Bounty -- ★★★☆☆ Sci-fi bounty hunters. Feels a bit like a cyberpunk version of Cowboy Bebop. Kinetic and brightly-colored, it seems like it has all the elements it needs to run for quite some time, but it was hard to tell how strong the story is.
Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook's Harrow County -- ★★★☆☆ Witches and ancient evil haunting a farm in what appears to be a turn of the century setting. No, not the 21st century, the one before that. It's fine as a set-up and very well-written, but I'd need to see a few more issues enforce making a go/no-go on this story.
Mike Mignola's Hellboy in Hell -- ★☆☆☆☆ I didn't like this at all. It just feels like filler, sans personality. It's the kind of story that most comics would dispense with in just a page or two. If someone hadn't read any Hellboy before, this wouldn't entice them to do so.
September 30, 2023
I am a sucker for these value priced sampler trades. While I am admittedly old-fashioned in terms of my comic book tastes, I also like to see what's shaking from time to time. This book features eight first issues for six bucks. Even the tightest tightwad cannot resist such an entertainment bargain.
Gerard Way's The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1 is far too self important and self aware to be taken seriously. It is so slavish to the writing styles of Alan Moore and Grant Morrison that it's like a parody. Dry, dull, and sterile, it's as brickwalled and overproduced as you'd expect from the My Chemical Romance guy.
Lady Killer is a breath of fresh air, big on gore and big on style. It's a lot of fun because it's over the top without taking itself too seriously. Joelle Jones and Laura Allred are a formidable art team. I'm inclined to pick this series up.
Black Hammer is an interesting concept, ditto Dept. H. I would borrow the latter from the library for sure. Briggs Land smacks of “IP”. It seems to be a comic only so that the creators can sell off movie or television rights. Bounty is godawful in every way, shape, and form. The best thing that you could do with that comic is recycle it. I've read Harrow County #1 before, and it is entertaining. There is a lot of positive buzz around this series, and it's not unwarranted.
Hellboy In Hell...I've never gotten Hellboy, and the only work by Mike Mignola that I've enjoyed were his 1980s runs on Rocket Raccoon and Alpha Flight. Hellboy and Deadpool are two enduring popular characters that I have never gotten, and I am okay with that.
All in all, this is a real mixed bag read, and that's a good thing. Not everything has to be for everyone, and just because I dislike something doesn't mean that you will too. If anything, there's no reason for you not to grab this bargain priced book and see what's shaking for yourself.
Gerard Way's The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1 is far too self important and self aware to be taken seriously. It is so slavish to the writing styles of Alan Moore and Grant Morrison that it's like a parody. Dry, dull, and sterile, it's as brickwalled and overproduced as you'd expect from the My Chemical Romance guy.
Lady Killer is a breath of fresh air, big on gore and big on style. It's a lot of fun because it's over the top without taking itself too seriously. Joelle Jones and Laura Allred are a formidable art team. I'm inclined to pick this series up.
Black Hammer is an interesting concept, ditto Dept. H. I would borrow the latter from the library for sure. Briggs Land smacks of “IP”. It seems to be a comic only so that the creators can sell off movie or television rights. Bounty is godawful in every way, shape, and form. The best thing that you could do with that comic is recycle it. I've read Harrow County #1 before, and it is entertaining. There is a lot of positive buzz around this series, and it's not unwarranted.
Hellboy In Hell...I've never gotten Hellboy, and the only work by Mike Mignola that I've enjoyed were his 1980s runs on Rocket Raccoon and Alpha Flight. Hellboy and Deadpool are two enduring popular characters that I have never gotten, and I am okay with that.
All in all, this is a real mixed bag read, and that's a good thing. Not everything has to be for everyone, and just because I dislike something doesn't mean that you will too. If anything, there's no reason for you not to grab this bargain priced book and see what's shaking for yourself.
August 16, 2022
Está bueno para conocer el tono de Dark Horse.
Son el primer numero de 8 de los comics más importantes de Dark Horse en los ultimos años. Al menos la mitad tienen serie o película.
Mis favoritos fueron sin duda Lady Killer y Black Hammer, y mención honorífica para Briggs Land, Umbrella Academy y Harrow County.
Los famosos son Hellboy y Umbrella Academy pero me quedaron a deber, principalmente Hellboy. Su numero 1 me pareció que te dice poco o nada de la premisa/historia y el estilo viaul, aunque original, está medio raro.
Son el primer numero de 8 de los comics más importantes de Dark Horse en los ultimos años. Al menos la mitad tienen serie o película.
Mis favoritos fueron sin duda Lady Killer y Black Hammer, y mención honorífica para Briggs Land, Umbrella Academy y Harrow County.
Los famosos son Hellboy y Umbrella Academy pero me quedaron a deber, principalmente Hellboy. Su numero 1 me pareció que te dice poco o nada de la premisa/historia y el estilo viaul, aunque original, está medio raro.
July 16, 2017
Some really good first issues in this collection! The two that stood out to me the most were Black Hammer and Dept. H, because they had stories that felt unique and intriguing. Lady Killer, Bounty, and Harrow County did not pull me in as much, but I definitely want to read more from them.
April 28, 2019
Eight issues in one -- including an introduction to The Umbrella Academy and a reminder of how textural and eerie Hell-Boy can be. Most of the others I've never heard of, but they rise to the DHP standards for art and writing.
October 4, 2020
Cool concept. Contains the first issue of eight different comics. Some better than others, there are a couple here (Harrow County, Dept. H, and Briggs Land, maybe others) which I'd be willing to pick up the first bound volume of to see more. Fun read and a good five dollar find at GalaxyCon 2019.
January 3, 2018
Fantastic grouping of different 'Issue 1s' As a dark horse comic lover already this was a great gift to a friend. Very reasonable for the price it is and a good mixture of what they have to offer.
April 18, 2017
This is a neat book of first issues for new and somewhat-new comic series from Darkhorse. I'd say I'd now like to read all the series, except the final two (Harrow County and Hellboy in Hell -- I've never liked Hellboy that much).
Fun way to pass some minutes.
3.7 Stars
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews