Dark Horse Comics faces union pushback after announcing layoffs, sparking a dispute over worker rights.
Dark Horse Comics' newly recognized union faced its first major test almost immediately, as the publisher moved to lay off staff just days after agreeing to recognize the organizing effort. On June 3, 2026, Dark Horse voluntarily recognized Dark Horse Workers United, organized with Communications Workers of America Local 7901, ending a public push that had begun with a May 27 announcement and a letter signed by 59 employees. Within roughly a week, however, the relationship between management and the union grew tense, setting up a confrontation over whether the company was bargaining in good faith.
On June 11, Dark Horse Workers United and the CWA sent a cease-and-desist letter to management, alleging sudden actions against the workforce that the union said violated the status quo of operations that federal regulations require to remain in place during initial bargaining. According to Dark Horse employees, the letter responded to management's decision to terminate nine staff members across the IT and operations departments. Three employees in IT were confirmed as among those laid off, given a termination date of June 30 and told they would not receive severance, while six employees in operations, which includes warehouse staff, were given notice of terminations effective in about 90 days.
The cuts were communicated in a June 10 email from interim CEO Jay Komas under the subject line Changes to Warehouse and IT. Komas wrote that after an extensive review of warehouse and fulfillment operations, the company had decided to move those operations to a third-party logistics provider, a shift he framed as modernizing fulfillment infrastructure and creating operational efficiencies. He added that Dark Horse's IT needs would be better served through greater collaboration with a central technology team and increased reliance on off-the-shelf solutions, resulting in a reduction of the IT team by three. He said the changes would better position the company for the future.
The rollout of separation paperwork became a flashpoint of its own. Affected employees were initially told that details on separation agreements and any severance would be forthcoming in writing, but the documents were repeatedly delayed. Dark Horse's human resources director sent emails explaining that the company was still awaiting final documents and, later, that it was sharing drafts with CWA Local 7901 before distributing them to affected employees as part of ongoing communication with the union. To workers already facing termination without confirmed severance, the delays added uncertainty to an already destabilizing process.
Management argued the decisions predated the union. In the June 10 email, Komas wrote that the changes had been made prior to the company receiving the union notice on May 26 and that Dark Horse Workers United had therefore been informed of the changes before entering the Voluntary Recognition Agreement. The union disputed that characterization. Spokesperson Riley VanDyke said the reorganization had been presented to the union only in general terms that did not imply forthcoming layoffs, and organizers alleged that management made threats of retaliation during a roughly three-hour arbitration process.
The layoffs landed against a backdrop of broader upheaval at the company and its corporate parent. Dark Horse downsized in February 2025 amid turbulence in the comics industry, including the bankruptcy of longtime distributor Diamond Comic Distributors, and within Embracer Group, which had absorbed a major loss after an expected multibillion-dollar investment collapsed not long after Embracer acquired Dark Horse. Founder and longtime CEO Mike Richardson exited the company in March 2026 in what was widely reported as a dismissal by its owners, and the publisher subsequently announced it would close all Things From Another World retail locations.
Embracer's plans add further uncertainty to the picture. In May 2026, Embracer announced its intention to spin off Dark Horse and several other entertainment brands into a separate publicly traded company. The union, which spent some five years organizing before going public, accused management of enjoying favorable publicity over recognition while making the bargaining process difficult behind the scenes. The CWA said it did not plan to issue a public statement until it had formally raised its complaints with management, and the union said it had not yet decided its next steps but would convene its full bargaining unit to determine how to proceed.
Reported by The Comics Journal.
