Welcome, one and all, to another poll! This time around, we’re diving into the world of comics. Now, any poll about the best series, or the best character or the best publisher, you’re going to see a lot of winners from the big two, Marvel and DC. So, I wanted to avoid that natural battle, and am instead asking you to vote for… The Best Non-DC/Marvel Comic Publisher!
So, these are your choices:
Dark Horse
Founded in 1986, Dark Horse have grown to become one of the biggest comic publishers in the world. Generally known for having some pretty dark Western releases (including Blacksad, Hellboy, and Sin City), the brand has branched out into some other styles too. This has not only included titles based the likes of Legend of Zelda and Minecraft, but also some translated manga releases, including Ghost in the Shell and Berserk.
Image Comics
Realistically, Image are the biggest competitors for Marvel and DC. Not bad for a company that only began in 1995. You need only look to some of their better known titles to understand why. Not only do they old the rights for both Spawn and Witchblade, but they also release The Walking Dead, which went o not be adapted into the critically acclaimed TV series. Throw in the likes of the award-winning Saga, and you’ve got a real powerhouse here.
IDW Publishing
Formed in 1999, IDW is the second youngest companies on this list. While they do have the likes of Locke & Key among their releases, they are mostly known for one thing: modern stories for licensed franchises. From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sonic the Hedgehog, Transformers and My Little Pony to Star Trek, Ghostbusters, and The X-Files, they have a little something for everyone.
Boom Studios
Beginning life in 2005, Boom Studios recently signed a deal with Netflix, so we can expect to see plenty of their releases getting adaptions. They also secured the rights for BRZRKR, written by Keanu Reeves. If license are more your thing though, their current best known series is Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.
So, which of these titans of illustrated stories is your pick? Cast a vote and let me know in the comments below.
Matt Doyle Media 
I’m a big fan of Image. They’ve had some amazing titles and were the home of my favourite artist – Michael Turner and his series Fathom.
Plus they had the Walking Dead which I started reading back in 2004.
Admittedly, I tend to choose based on the art and the story so I wouldn’t necessarily pick an Image title just because of who published it.
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I didn’t actually know Walking Dead was a coming first until I was researching for this. That being said, I never freaky got into the TV series so I never really thought to look it up.
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I’m quite the zombie fan and would jump on anything I could find. I loved it was reading it as it released for a while, but then the Neagan arc started and it felt like it crossed a line and was more about gratuitous violence than the survival aspect.
I loved the show up until the same point too.
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Wheras, for me, I’m not a massive zombie fan, so it was a bit of a hard sell to begin with. Gratuitous violence for the sake of it doesn’t sit as well with me, I find. Media can be brutal, but it doesn’t need to be just that, there should be more than jsut the bloodshed to draw you in.
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I loved the series right up until issue 100 which was when Negan was introduced and that issue left me feeling sick. Took a while to get over it and I don’t think I enjoyed it as much after that.
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I’m another Image Comics voter. IDW and Dark Horse both have always relied too much on licensed titles. Boom! has always been hit and miss and seems to be on an upswing recently. But Image’s business set-up, history, and collection of titles make it an easy pick for me.
But IDW deserves all the praise in the world for the Artist’s Edition format. =)
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Image definitely feel like the biggest of the others, I think. I’m an IDW fan myself, but that is mostly because I like their licenses. If they were focused on licenses I had no love for, I suspect I’d be less interested in them as a publisher.
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Can I pick one that’s not on your list? I personally prefer Valiant Comics over any of the four you mentioned. Between Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, and Shadowman, they put out some good stuff.
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That’s a fair shout. So, of course! Plenty of space for other options too if someone prefers a different publisher.
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