Dark Horse Comics has issued a statement saying they will no longer work with Scott Allie, a freelance writer and editor who used to serve as the company’s editor-in-chief. The statement follows allegations by former Dark Horse employee Shawna Gore that Allie sexually assaulted her in 1999.
According to Gore, “I was assaulted, harassed, and retaliated against by Scott Allie during our tenure at Dark Horse,” she said on Twitter.
She posted her account of what happened at the Chicago Comic-Con in 1999. I should warn you: it’s graphic and hard to read, and Gore is brave for sharing it:
Mike Mignola, who has continued to work with Allie on the Hellboy titles even after Allie left Dark Horse, responded:
Dark Horse followed it with a brief statement about supporting Mike Mignola’s decision:
but then issued a longer one:
Some of you may be asking, “Didn’t Dark Horse already fire Allie over sexual misconduct?” Here’s a quick refresher on what happened back in 2015 and 2017:
- Inappropriate conduct allegations against Allie first surfaced in 2015 in a story that was published by Graphic Policy and written by former DC employee Janelle Asselin. During an after-hours party at the San Diego Comic Con that year, writer Joe Harris told Asselin that Allie grabbed his crotch and bit his ear.
- Allie issued an apology, which was followed by a statement from Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson. Note that Allie was still employed at Dark Horse at this time, although he was no longer editor-in-chief when Graphic Policy’s story was published.
- Two years later, Dark Horse announced that Allie was leaving the company, but would still continue to work on Dark Horse projects on a freelance basis. He still continued to work on the Hellboy titles and Fight Club 3, for instance, until today.
Allie isn’t the only former Dark Horse editor who has been in the news this week for sexual misconduct. Former editor Brendon Wright, who now works as a freelance editor, has lost work as a result of accusations against him.
Other creators, former DH staff and members of the comics industry have responded on Twitter as well:
Update, June 25: John Arcudi, who has worked with Mignola and Allie in the past on various Hellboy-related titles, shares his statement:
Also, Mike Mignola has posted a longer statement on his website.
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