

We have Free Comic Book Day. We have C-Day. We have Doctor Who Day. And now we have Dark Horse Day.

Announcing at ComicsPRO today, for the 30th Anniversary of Dark Horse Comics, Dark Horse will be making promotional materials, retailer discounts on Dark Horse backstock and a 40 page 30th Anniversary Dark Horse Day Sampler, intended to be given out by retailers for free.

It will feature classic stories including Aliens vs. Predator: Blood Time (1994), by Randy Stradley and Phill Norwood, Sin City: Daddy's Little Girl (1996), by Frank Miller, and The Umbrella Academy: Anywhere but Here (2008), by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá and a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer tale by Netflix Daredevil writer Christos Gage and a cover by Steve Morris.

Dark Horse vice president of publishing Randy Stradley said "It's hard to believe it has been thirty years—mainly because the memories of seeing our first comics on the stands and going to conventions and meeting fans for the first time are still so clear. If you're a Dark Horse fan, or if you've ever been a Dark Horse fan, I hope you join us for this milestone celebration."

More to come from ComicsPRO and from Dark Horse's 30th Anniversary right here

UPDATE: Here are the specifics….

Retailers will be eligible to participate in Dark Horse Day by purchasing key backlist titles. Over forty titles will be available for retailers to choose from in the April cover-dated issue of Previews!

While all qualifying accounts will receive promotional items, quantities will be based on participation levels. Retailers will qualify by placing orders for select backlist items, as long as the end net order meets or exceeds the tier level. Qualifying orders and additional sale discounts must be entered using the APR15 Previews order form.

Discounts and promotional materials will be provided as follows:

• Order 5 TPs: receive 5% off and one promo package.

• Order 10 TPs: receive 10% off and two promo packages.

• Order 15 TPs: receive 15% off and three promo packages.

• Order 20 TPs: receive 20% off and four promo packages.

What's included in the promo packages? Each promo package will contain a Dark Horse patch, five double-sided posters, five postcards, five window clings, and five Dark Horse Day Sampler comics featuring some of the most notable properties we've published over the years.

What's featured in the Dark Horse Day Sampler comic? As Dark Horse Comics turns thirty, we present a look back at some of our top titles from past decades, including Aliens vs. Predator: Blood Time (1994), by Randy Stradley and Phill Norwood, Sin City: Daddy's Little Girl (1996), by Frank Miller, and The Umbrella Academy: Anywhere but Here (2008), by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá! Plus: a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer tale by Christos Gage! Also features a new cover by Steve Morris. The forty-page Dark Horse Day Sampler will be included in all promo packages.

Should retailers want to order the Dark Horse Day Sampler comic only, it will be offered in shrink-wrapped bundles of twenty-five copies for just ten dollars!

Additionally, all retailers who participate in this promotion will automatically be entered into a contest to have a pizza party for their store. Twenty stores total will be selected at random.

One additional grand prize winner will be selected to receive a pizza party plus a $1,000 credit through Diamond Distributors, where retailers can select their favorite Dark Horse comics, trades, and products. Items will arrive at the winning store prior to Dark Horse Day.

Retailers: Look for the April cover-dated issue of Previews for more details on participation levels, along with promotional support offered by Dark Horse for the event