Dark Horse Comics is an American publisher of comic books and manga that was founded in 1986. Dark Horse publishes a number of creator-owned titles such as Sin City, Hellboy, 300, Umbrella Academy, and The Escapist. Dark Horse has also produced licensed comics based on existing media, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, The Thing, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Planet of the Apes, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and many more. In 1992, Dark Horse Entertainment was formed as the production studio for Dark Horse Comics.

Sergio Aragonés is the most honored cartoonist alive, having won every major award in the field, including the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award and the Will Eisner Hall of Fame Award. Sergio's first contribution—"A Mad Look at the U.S. Space Effort"—appeared in MAD #76, cover-dated January of 1963. For that same issue, he also contributed the cover gag (the first of many) and his first Marginal Thinking cartoons to be printed in the magazine's margins. He has since appeared in every issue of MAD except for one and has done thousands of his unique pantomime cartoons. He also produced 16 bestselling original MAD paperback books. Sergio teamed with wordsmith Mark Evanier to bring forth the adventures of Groo the Wanderer. Groo quickly became one of the longest-running "creator-owned" comic book properties, outlasting many of the companies that published it. Sergio and Mark have also produced other comics, including Fanboy, Boogeyman, The Mighty Magnor, Blair Which?, and an acclaimed series in which, together, they trash famous characters: Sergio Aragonés Massacres Marvel, Sergio Aragonés Destroys DC, and Sergio Aragonés Stomps Star Wars. For their comic book work, they have received multiple Eisner awards.