Are Image and Dark Horse Independent Publishers?

I've heard it said for years that people debate if Image and Dark Horse can be considered independent (oddly enough, no one ever mentions Archie, whom I think actually rakes in more dough than Marvel every year, though that's going off of memory). So, I ask you, are they still indie? And what makes a comic company an independent publisher?

The problem is in the industry there's the Big Two and the rest. The rest are considered independent even if sales wise and/or material wise they're more like Marvel and DC than Fantagraphics.

Spidey_82 wrote:The problem is in the industry there's the Big Two and the rest. The rest are considered independent even if sales wise and/or material wise they're more like Marvel and DC than Fantagraphics.

IDK. Back in the day, Indie sort of meant either self published or limited run type of stuff, like sold in the back of a record store. If we go that route, then pretty much none of the stuff we refer to as indie today is indie. I think the best bet is those that are not Marvel or DC, who generally take more than 90% of the market if memory serves. That means "big names" like Image and Dark Horse get like 3% a piece, often times if that. I don't think it makes much sense to exclude Image and DH because they take like 5% of the market.

I find it strange that Dark Horse is still considered indie when they've had licensed properties like Aliens, Predator, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars for years. Plus, they do a Buffy comic nowadays.

Image and Dark Horse are kind of like what Fox Searchlight and Miramax are to movie studios...not completely mainstream, but not exactly low-profile either.

Manga aside, I think Dynamite has more licensed properties than Dark Horse. IDW has a bit, as well.

I don't think I could consider any of those truly independent. I'd say publishers like Oni or Antarctic Press are indie.

Cause many comic fans don't even know who they are?

I doubt that.

Indie publishers will always be any company that's not Marvel or DC. It's the way it is and the way it will be. It just is.