Dark Empire was a series of comic books written by Tom Veitch and illustrated by Cam Kennedy. They were originally released by Dark Horse Comics between December 1991 and October 1992 as a 6-issue bi-monthly series, which were later compiled and sold as trade paperbacks and hardcovers. The name generally applies to both the original Dark Empire, as well as its two sequels Dark Empire II and Empire’s End. All three comic series detailed the resurrection of Emperor Palpatine in clone bodies.