PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC have partnered with iconic, local comic book publisher Dark Horse Comics to create player-specific superheroes in recognition of National Superhero Day, it was announced today.

Timbers midfielders Diego Chara and Diego Valeri and Thorns FC midfielder Tobin Heath and forward Christine Sinclair will each be transformed into superheroes and have alter-egos created by local cartoonist Ron Chan. The collaboration will be launched on Saturday, April 28, on National Superhero Day.

“We are elated to partner with an industry leader like Dark Horse on this collaboration,” said Cory Dolich, Timbers senior vice president of business operations and marketing. “They are a dynamic, local company, and working with their team to highlight our brand and players in such a unique way is exciting to see.”

As part of the project, comic book writer Arvid Nelson also created unique origin stories for each player, detailing the genesis of their individual “super-powers.” Valeri’s superhero will be ‘El Maestro’ giving him the power of clairvoyance and magic. Chara’s superhero will be ‘La Sonrisa’ and he will have the power of duplication and super speed. Heath’s superhero will be named simply ‘Tobin’ and her powers will include illusions and energy manipulation. Sinclair’s superhero will be ‘Captain Sinc’ and she will have powers of super strength and flight.

“We’ve had a great time working with the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC to create these ‘super’ origin stories for some of the best players in the world,” said Mike Richardson, Dark Horse president and founder. “We’re excited to combine the creative talent of our staff and talented creators here at Dark Horse with the well-known athletic prowess of the Timbers and Thorns players.”

The special creative will be featured on a variety of merchandise including four individual t-shirts featuring each player, four individual pair of socks featuring each player’s superhero image and a commemorative scarf that features all four players. Each product will be available in-person at the Timbers and Thorns FC Team Stores during regular business hours, and online at www.shopthornsfc.com and www.shoptimbers.com, starting on Saturday, April 28, at 12 noon.

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About Dark Horse Comics

For more than thirty years, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, the company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X, and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga, and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Tomb Raider, The Legend of Zelda, Halo, The Witcher, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.