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Dark Horse Ends Ties With Former Editor-in-Chief Scott Allie

Publisher Dark Horse Comics announced on Twitter on June 24 that the company will no longer work with Scott Allie. Former Dark Horse editor Shawna Gore accused the former Editor-in-Chief of the company of sexual assault prior to Dark Horse Comics' decision.

Dark Horse Comics stated on Twitter:

We believe Shawna Gore. Effective immediately, Dark Horse Comics will not be working with Scott Allie now or in the future. We apologize to fans, creators and employees for all the damage and hurt Scott has caused. His removal from every Dark Horse project will be followed by sincere and active change. It is critical that employees feel safe, secure and supported in the workplace. They should feel safe in making these inexcusable actions known without fear or reprisal. Dark Horse Comics will dedicate itself to ensuring that this will not ever happen again in our company.

We can and will do better.

Dark Horse also posted a statement from its founder Mike Richardson on Thursday:

In the statement, Richardson outlines new policy changes for the company, including a no tolerance policy, required classes for all staff, and staff meetings on a recurring basis to "evaluate how successfully we have achieved our goal of maintaining a safe and harassment-free workplace."

Mike Mignola, creator of the Hellboy franchise, stated on Twitter on Wednesday that he is "discontinuing working with Scott Allie."

Gore made the accusations on Twitter on Wednesday, which included an incident in which Gore says Allie sexually assaulted her in a van in 1999.

In 2015, Allie was previously accused of drunkenly groping comics writer Joe Harris during San Diego Comic Con, along with other anonymous allegations. Allie apologized in a statement to the Comic Book Resources website after the accusations surfaced, and Richardson stated at the time, "In cases such as these, we have been proactive in our response, with a variety of professional services involved, all with the goal of changing behavior. Additionally, a number of internal responses are acted upon, including termination if such behavior continues." He added, "We at Dark Horse will renew our efforts to make sure that our company is never again mentioned with regard to this type of occurrence."

Allie had served as the editor for works such as Hellboy and The Umbrella Academy during his time at Dark Horse Comics. Allie was the Editor-in-Chief of the company from 1994 to 2015. He was the Executive Senior Editor from 2015 to 2017. Afterward he went on to work as a freelancer with the company.

Sources: Dark Horse Comics' Twitter account, ICv2 (Milton Griepp)