Darkchylde is an American comic book character created in 1996 by Randy Queen. It was originally published by Maximum Press, and later by Image Comics, through Homage Comics, a publishing imprint of Wildstorm. Subsequent projects would be published by Darkchylde Entertainment, through Wowio. Darkchylde is the story of Ariel Chylde, a cursed teen who can become the creatures from her many nightmares, and then must save her small town from the forces of darkness she's set free. Publication history Darkchylde was launched as a comic book property to immediate success in the summer of 1996. The book shot to the #1 hottest comics spot in Wizard, where it stayed for nine months collectively in both Wizard and Combo magazines. The book outsold Spider-Man, the Hulk, Superman, and Batman in America, and quickly garnered an unusually large female following, in stark contrast to the traditionally male comic book market. The success of the books spawned a line of best-selling trading cards, action figures, skateboards, lunch-boxes, lithos, apparel, and mini-bust statues. When the book was launched overseas to foreign audiences, it quickly became Panini Publishing's best selling title, overselling all of their classic superhero titles, including both Spider-Man and the X-Men. Wizard magazine released Darkchylde #1/2, a mail order-only comic that outsold all of their previous mail order comics. Creator Randy Queen created Darkchylde Entertainment with partner Sarah Oates and launched Dreams of the Darkchylde #1. It was the best-selling independent title offered that month in Previews, the magazine for comic distribution orders. In a second interview with Nicholas Yanes from scifipulse.net Queen revealed that Darkchylde would appear in a published comic book after several years of absence. This comic book would be a one-shot crossover titled The Darkness/ Darkchylde: Kingdom Pain, released in December 2009. In addition to containing a new story feature Darkchylde, this one-shot also contained preview art for Randy Queen's next comic book title "Starfall". Manga Darkchylde In 2005 the title was relaunched at Dark Horse Comics as Manga Darkchylde, with Ariel now being a little girl. The term manga in the title is somewhat misleading, as the new series is clearly not a manga in the traditional sense and actually bears very little resemblance to Japanese manga in any way. Only using the base elements of the original Darkchylde, Randy Queen is now expanding his "Darkchylde-universe". Issues Darkchylde comic books, in order of reading: Darkchylde Diary Darkchylde