Posted in: Comics, Dark Horse Comics | Tagged: Daniel Chabon, Kevin Callahan, Mark Bernardi, Melissa Teeman, Samantha Garcia, Tim Wiesch, Vanessa Todd-Holmes
Official: Dark Horse Comics Now Has Three Heads
Official: Dark Horse Comics now has three heads, and Rich Johnston designs them a new logo to reflect this staff change
Published Tue, 07 Jul 2026 11:30:12 -0500
by Rich Johnston
|
Article Summary
- Dark Horse Comics unveils a new three-pillar leadership structure after layoffs, union recognition, and Mike Richardson’s exit.
- Tim Wiesch, Vanessa Todd-Holmes, and Melissa Teeman now lead Dark Horse Comics across publishing, operations, and finance.
- Dark Horse Comics also names Kevin Callahan VP of Marketing and highlights key promotions for sales, editorial, and marketing.
- Jay Komas remains interim CEO as Dark Horse Comics marks 40 years and looks to grow publishing, licensing, and fan reach.
At Dark Horse Comics, after a wide swathe of layoffs, the firing of founder, CEO and former ownerMike Richardson (though he still owns the building and has his museum on the ground floor) and the setting up of a staff union, the comics publisher, celebrating its 40th birthday, has announced a “new three-pillar leadership structure” to Publisher’s Weekly. This means that Dark Horse Comics will now have three heads, which won’t look weird at all
- Tim Wiesch, head of publishing and business development, in charge of editorial, licensing, entertainment, games, and product and DTC operations. He started out at Dark Horse in sales and international licensing and was director of international licensing for five years before leaving in 2014 for a position as VP of business development at Oni Press. He also spent time in licensing at Mondo and Alamo Drafthouse before returning to Dark Horse in 2021; he has been VP of business development there since 2023.
- Vanessa Todd-Holmes, head of publishing operations, will oversee Dark Horse’s design, production, sales, and marketing teams. Like Weisch, Todd-Holmes started working at Dark Horse, left, and then came back; she originally joined in 2008 as assistant print buyer, worked at Phaidon Press for four years, and returned to Dark Horse in 2015 as director of print purchasing; she was promoted to VP of production in 2019.
- Melissa Teeman, head of finance and administration, a lead role with Dark Horse’s financial strategy and be responsible for accounting, budgeting, forecasting, and administrative operations. She has been with Dark Horse for almost five years, starting as controller in 2021 and moving up to VP of finance in January 2025. Prior to that, she spent 10 years at Advantis Credit Union.
- Kevin Callahan has been hired as the new VP of marketing. Previously senior director of marketing and publicity at Insight Editions, and before that he was associate publisher of Dey Street Books and held marketing roles at Penguin Random House, Other Press, and Abrams.
- Mark Bernardi was promoted to Vice President of Publishing Sales in January. At Dark Horse since 1996, before this, he was Vice President Of Book Trade & Digital Sales
- Daniel Chabon was promoted to Executive Editor last August, and has been at Dark Horse in editorial since 2010.
- Samantha Garcia was promoted to Director Of Marketing last month from
Social Media and Digital Advertising Manager, and has been at Dark Horse for two-and-a-half years, previously working at Nerdist and Activision.
Jay Komasis still listed as interim CEO. “Joining Dark Horse during its 40th anniversary year is a tremendous opportunity, and I look forward to working with the team to expand audiences, strengthen fan engagement, and create new opportunities for readers and fandoms to connect with the stories, characters, and worlds they love,” Kevin Callahan said. Dark Horse Comics was founded by Mike Richardson in 1986, spinning out of his comic book stores, such as Things From Another World. They are best known for publishing titles such as Hellboy, Umbrella Academy, Sin City, Concrete, and the creator-owned librariesof Brian Bendis and Mark Millar. They have also published licensed titles such as Stranger Things, Aliens, Buffy, and Star Wars, positioning them against Marvel and DC in the comic book marketplace, as well as an early move into manga, which continues today with titles like Berserk and Trigun. Dark Horse was purchased by Vanguard Visionary Group in 2018 and then by Embracer Group in 2022.
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!
