Shawna Ervin-Gore: Judging from the Dark Horse section in Diamond Previews, it seems that Dark Horse has really kicked up its production of merchandise over the last couple of years. What has been the catalyst for this?
Chris Beeson: We've learned a lot in the last two years. We've made friends in the world of statues, lunchboxes, action figures and lots of other areas. We've learned from A to Z about producing a wider range of collectibles and other fun stuff, and the experience is paying off. Now we know the basics and can move forward with much more confidence.
SE-G: Dark Horse's line of merchandise has been all over the map so far--in a good way! You've featured everything from an under-five-dollars Hellboy patch to $3000 bronze Star Wars statues . . . do either ofthese examples represent the spirit of Dark Horse more than the other?
CB: We're just trying to make people happy--honest! Not everybody can afford a bronze statue of Darth Vader, but they might bereally interested in a patch, or a Zippo, or a shot glass. It's cool to see this art out in the world and to own a piece of it. We keep coming up with items that are all over the map because our fans are a diverse bunch. The spirit is to try and keep things affordable, high quality, and fun for everybody.
SE-G: Are you looking to hone the Dark Horse product line at all, or do you envision more experimentation and diversity of product in the future?
CB: Both! The more we get into making things like cold-cast statues and bronzes, the better we get at it. If you look at the history of all our products, you'll see an evolution of the level of design and packaging in everything. We're honing our skills on items like statues by being more ambitious and more selective about where we put our energy, and we're constantly raising the bar for ourselves. Wait till you see what we have coming up in 2000 based on Masamune Shirow's Intron Depot 2: Blades images --you've never seen a statue like this!
At the same time, we're also trying to push out in new directions. This year we took a big step and developed our first line of metal lunchboxes, which have really taken off. We weren't satisfied with the boxes we'd seen around, so we developed our own boxes based on the exact size and look of the classic lunchboxes from years ago--complete with embossing. It was really exciting to do something new, and faithfully recreate the old-school look. More to come!
SE-G: The lunchboxes are obviously a hit--I use the Hellboybox as a purse and get compliments from people all the time--what plans are you making for additions to the line?
CB: We love the lunchboxes, but we're not spilling the beans just yet on future designs. Some of the new lunchboxes are based on a huge survey we made of the most popular titles, and some are house favorites. The second wave is coming in summer 2000, but in the mean time, those original five--Hellboy, Bettie Page, Sin City, Evan Dorkin's Milk and Cheese and Groo--should keep most folks happy.
SE-G: What products of the last year have you been most proud of, either in overall quality, impact, or sales performance?
CB: As I've said, we're really proud of certain items like the Star Wars bronzes, the Magic: The Gathering statues, and the lunchboxes. These have all been really big achievements for us, both in sales and quality. Our line of Zippo lighters has also grown significantly--we have over 20 designs now-- and they sell as fast as we can make them. In 2000 we're going to make waves with a really attractive Buffy the Vampire Slayer Supernatural Defense Kit, and a brand-new line of collectible statues, among other things. The Buffy Kit is already selling like hotcakes. The collectible statue line features characters like Krazy Kat, Popeye, Dick Tracy, and Prince Valiant among others. These little guys come in a printed tin box and are very limited editions. Not only is the line a step up for us in terms of overall quality, but we've sold out the first couple as soon as they were advertised!
SE-G: That's great, but it's not really surprising--especially considering the characters you're working with. What's the history of these statues, and how many are you looking at producing?
CB: The Comics Classics line--as we're calling these--are creating a huge buzz in our direct market and in places like on-line auctions--even before anyone has seen them! It's an interesting phenomenon. We're creating a series of collectible statues based on a somewhat obscure but highly collectible series from the 1940s. These original statues were called Syrocos, based on the wood-resin compound they were made from. The deal was this--you'd have your Farina cereal, cut off the boxtop, send a quarter with it, and you'd get a really cool Syroco statue of a popular comic strip character in the mail after a few weeks. What we're doing is really taking a cue from them and continuing the series. Our statues have the same classic, hand-made look as the originals. We're featuring the same types of characters from newspaper comic strips--classic characters like Krazy Kat and Ignatz, Popeye and Olive Oyl, Mandrake, Prince Valiant, Dick Tracy, and so forth. We're putting them in high-quality, collectible, color-printed tin boxes featuring that particular character. Each month we're doing a new character, so this series could go on indefinitely! There are so many classic comic strips to choose from! This is a program that makes us really happy to be doing what wedo--we love comics, and we love making really nice, collectible, high-quality stuff. This is what it's really about. Oh, and each of these statues is in an extremely limited edition, so collecting all of them should be just as much fun as making them.
SE-G: A few minutes ago you touched on the new Masamune Shirow statue, and I'd like to discuss that a little more. Where did the concept come from and how did it develop?
CB: We went through a really interesting process with Mr. Shirow in developing this statue, and we are in that same process right now with the next one. Beginning from his illustration in the Blades book, we had a very accomplished sculptor by the name of Sam Greenwell do a preliminary pose in clay. This was approved by Mr. Shirow, and then Sam worked up some of the details. We kept sending images to Mr. Shirow, andwhen we felt it was ready, we sent an unpainted statue for him to see. There continued to be a dialogue between us, Sam, and Mr. Shirow about minor revisions to the statue to get it just right. Once the sculpt was approved, we went through the same processwith the paint job, and then the packaging. So what you see, in the end, isreally the result of a collaborative process between illustrator, sculptor, and producer. Our shared goal was to capture that particular feeling that comes through in Mr. Shirow'sunique illustrations. I think we succeeded, with the help of some incredible talent.
SE-G: The image is really something else, and to be honest, I'm surprised you were able to find a sculptor who could do it justice.
CB: I'd agree with you, except we've gotten used to working with remarkably talented people these last couple of years, so in many ways, I think almost anything is possible.
SE-G: I see your point! Let's talk about toys now. Dark Horseproduced two great action figures in the last year and half--Ghost and Martha Washington. What was it like developing such popular characters to toy form, and did you learn anything vital in the process ofeither producing or marketing them?
CB: The whole process is really interesting--there's a lot involved in making an action figure! We have two additions to the line--Flaming Carro tand Bettie Page--and each time we start a new figure it's a whole new adventure. Check out Bettie! She has a cool jungle diorama to stand in, a leopard pal, and a couple other little surprises. It's pretty ambitious--and just plain pretty. And rest assured--Flaming Carrot will be in stores well before Christmas.
All in all, developing action figures is a lot longer process than people may realize. And then, when it's finally done, you have to carefully release it into the world--there's all that competition! You have zillions of action figures out in the market at big retail chain stores, and then you have folks like Dark Horse trying to do the same thing at a much, much smaller scale. We learn a lot by following the big boys, but we are also allowed to take a few more chances than larger companies. I think that's the real difference. We're looking forward to seeing where this will take us, and we're certainly proud of what we've done so far.
Stay tuned to the Dark Horse section of Diamond Previews and Diamond Dialogue for up-to-date information on great new products from Dark Horse Comics.