Press Release
Dark Horse Comics, the largest independent entertainment company, is very pleased to announce the promotion of eight key Editorial department staff members, plus the addition of a new assistant:
Dave Marshall, Senior Editor
Philip Simon, Senior Editor
Daniel Chabon, Editor
Jim Gibbons, Editor
Brendan Wright, Editor
Patrick Thorpe, Editor
Shantel LaRocque, Associate Editor
Aaron Walker, Associate Editor
Katii O’Brien, Assistant Editor
“It’s with great pleasure that we recognize the strong leadership and knowledge of our new senior editors, Dave Marshall and Philip Simon,” remarked president and publisher Mike Richardson. “They bring an in-depth comprehension of the comics market, and we couldn’t be happier with their performance. We’d also like to recognize our newest editors, Daniel, Jim, Brendan, and Patrick, who have done an incredible job at shepherding new and relevant projects into the stable. And lastly our associate editors and our new assistant editor, Shantel, Aaron, and Katii, from whom we expect big things. Dark Horse is only as strong as our staff, and we have one of the best starting lineups in the sequential-art business.”
For more information on the current state of Dark Horse publishing, check out Publisher’s Weekly for an exclusive interview with Mike Richardson.
The new roles are effective immediately, and Dark Horse’s Editorial team will be scouting the newest talent at Comic-Con International in San Diego, July 8–12.
Please join us in congratulating our editors in their past accomplishments and wishing them luck in their new roles in the company. Full biographies and contact info can be found below.
Dave Marshall, Senior Editor
Dave Marshall began his career in comics as an intern at Wizard magazine, where he learned it’s best to call creators after lunchtime. From there, he parlayed his photocopying skills into an internship at Dark Horse Comics. Upon realizing it would be easier to pay him than get him to leave, Dark Horse added him to the Editorial team in 2005.
Dave has held the number-one spot on the New York Times bestseller list nine times with Avatar: The Last Airbender. He’s shepherded original series, like Kill All Monsters!, Mister X, This Damned Band, and The Tomorrows, as well as comics and art books for many of his favorite movies and TV shows. Dave’s work has made Dark Horse the premier video game publisher, with titles like Dragon Age, EVE, Mass Effect, and Tomb Raider.
On Twitter: @DaveAMarshall
Philip Simon, Senior Editor
Philip Simon has worked in the Editorial department at Dark Horse Comics for over fifteen years. Having a diverse workload has been key to Philip’s growth as a senior editor. He has edited the long-running Blade of the Immortal manga series, helped launch the Korean comics manhwa line, and expanded the Robert E. Howard fantasy line and the archival pre-Code hardcover line. He’s been working closely with PopCap Games to develop a line of Plants vs. Zombies all-ages comics—and with Kitchen Sink Books to expand Dark Horse’s KSB line of deluxe hardcover and limited edition projects.
Philip’s books have won several awards, including the Eisner Award for The Fifth Beatle (Best Reality-Based Work), multiple Harvey Awards (for The Fifth Beatle and The Best of Comix Book, a collaboration with Kitchen Sink), and multiple British Eagle Awards (for Blade of the Immortal monthlies and trade paperbacks).
On Twitter: @Philip_Simon
Daniel Chabon, Editor
Daniel Chabon holds a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s degree in writing, and now a law degree from Lewis & Clark. He spent the last four years taking night classes at Lewis & Clark Law School while working full time at Dark Horse.
Daniel currently edits works by Neil Gaiman, Geof Darrow, Dave McKean, Evan Dorkin, P. Craig Russell, Cullen Bunn, Tim Seeley, Tyler Crook, and many more creatives. Recently, he edited The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which has received critical acclaim. He also edits all the Witcher titles and The EC Archives.
On Twitter: @Chabonanza
Jim Gibbons, Editor
Jim Gibbons holds bachelor of journalism and bachelor of arts degrees from the University of Missouri–Columbia. He edits such titles as Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s The Strain, Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel & Faith and Serenity, as well as Nanjing: The Burning City, Zodiac Starforce, ApocalyptiGirl, Polar, and Captain Midnight.
He also works alongside Dark Horse president and publisher Mike Richardson on Dark Horse Presents, which won the Eisner, Harvey, and Diamond Gem Awards for Best Anthology in 2012, 2013, and 2014, as well as the Stumptown Comics Art Award in 2014.
On Twitter: @EnemyOfPeanuts
Brendan Wright, Editor
Brendan Wright is in his sixth year with Dark Horse. Wright holds a degree from USC School of Cinema-Television.
Well known for his work on Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo, Wright has also edited Matt Kindt’s MIND MGMT, Pistolwhip, 2 Sisters, and Past Aways. Brendan is also responsible for building a solid catalog with author Alex de Campi (Smoke/Ashes, Grindhouse, Archie vs. Predator) and acquiring Jeff Lemire’s Black Hammer.
Brendan discovered Damon Gentry and Aaron Conley’s Sabertooth Swordsman, which won the Russ Manning Award for Promising Newcomer. Wright also acquired Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover’s Eisner Award–winning digital comic Bandette.
On Twitter: @BrendanWasright
Patrick Thorpe, Editor
Patrick Thorpe is approaching his eighth year with Dark Horse Comics. He holds a bachelor’s in English from the University of Oregon and a master’s in literature from Arizona State University.
Thorpe ushered in and edited the number-one best-selling video game art book The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia—which has well over 500,000 copies in print. He also serves as the editor for Gail Simone and Jim Calafiore’s Leaving Megalopolis, Mike Norton’s Battlepug, and Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragonés’s Groo.
When not hard at work, Patrick can be found on any one of the mountains surrounding the Portland metro area with his dog, Dizzy.
On Twitter: @Patrick_Thorpe
Shantel LaRocque, Associate Editor
A graduate of Western Washington University, Shantel LaRocque has been a reader of comics and genre fiction her entire life. In her time at Dark Horse she has helped to bring to life such titles as Hellboy, B.P.R.D., Fight Club 2, Rexodus, and David Mack’s Kabuki.
She lives in sunny Milwaukie with her boyfriend, his dog, and the light of her life, a little black kitty-cat named Jack. She is an avid swimmer, runner, dancer, and cheese enthusiast who thinks high-end Scotch tastes like old Band-Aids. She enjoys camping and hiking around the Pacific Northwest and has exceptional penmanship.
Aaron Walker, Associate Editor
Aaron Walker holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. Prior to becoming an assistant editor at Dark Horse, Walker was a writer and a letterer, notably working on Michael Avon Oeming’s The Victories.
Since joining the Editorial team, Aaron has worked on such notable titles as Eisner nominee Blacksad, Frank Miller’s number-one New York Times bestseller Big Damn Sin City, Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo, Gilbert Hernandez’s Loverboys, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and The Manara Library, and has overseen the entirety of Halo: Escalation.
Katii O’Brien, Assistant Editor
The most recent addition to the Dark Horse Editorial team, Katii O’Brien is the assistant editor for all of Mike Mignola’s titles, including but not limited to Hellboy, B.P.R.D., and Abe Sapien, and Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club 2.
A graduate of Seton Hall University, Katii holds a bachelor’s degree in English. Prior to working for Dark Horse, Katii was a marketing intern for independent children’s book publisher Candlewick Press and an editorial intern for Marvel Comics, where she worked on such series as Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
