Wednesday, April 17, 2001

IMAGE COMICS FOR JULY

Following are Image Comics' solicitations for July, with information coming from the company.

THE 10TH MUSE #5

Written by Marv Wolfman, art by Ken Lashley, inked by Diginks, covers by Lashley, left, and Erik Larsen.

The Muse is taking her first trip to the Savage World. There she will team up with the Savage Dragon to track down the Mighty Minotaur. There is no telling what can happen when these two heads collide. This is the start of a new story arc.

A DISTANT SOIL #33

Written and art by Colleen Doran.

As the rebellion makes its final stand against the Hierarchy, rival factions threaten to tear the liberation movement apart. The Irishai want the young Avatar Liana for the Warrior caste, while the Resistance want her destroyed once and for all. And Liana is still the prisoner of the Hierarchy.

Also in this issue, come celebrate A Distant Soil's birthday. In June 1991, Colleen Doran began self-publishing her epic story, and was later adopted by Image. "Empty Love" writer Steve Darnall skewers A Distant Soil in his trademark witty, urbane manner in a happy birthday salute.

48 pages, black and white, $3.95.

AGE OF BRONZE #11

Written and art by Eric Shanower.

Paris and Helen finally enter Troy only to meet frenzied outrage from Kassandra, the prophet doomed never to be believed. Despite Kassandra's screams of protest and desperate appeals to her twin brother, the Trojan King has her dragged away to confinement. The celebration of Paris and Helena's marriage continues with a little blood -- and a little sex.

24 pages, black and white, $3.50.

THE AGENCY #1

Written by Paul Jenkins, art by Kyle Hotz, covers by Hotz, Michael Turner and Marc Silvestri.

A futuristic tale of special operatives, designed, built and trained to handle the cases which the police cannot, only they do it on their terms and at their cost or they don't do it at all.

32 pages, $2.50.

ARIA: THE SOUL MARKET #4

Written by Brian Haberlin, art by David Yardin, cover by Jay Anacleto.

The Soul Market is now open for business. In a remote country estate in upstate New York, a unique emporium has set up business: The Soul Market. On display, the imprisoned souls of mortals held inside portraits, sculptures, and photographs -- all to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The mastermind behind this bizarre enterprise is the notorious Faerie called Goodfellow. But what does he hope to gain from this auction of souls? Lady Kildare intends to find out.

32 pages, $2.95.

CLERKS: THE COMIC BOOKS TPB

Written by Kevin Smith, art by Jim Mahfood, Phil Hester and Ande Parks.

Get the whole Clerks story in this new edition of laughs and profane liberties. Writer/Director Kevin provides three all-new adventures of Dante, Randal, Jay & Silent Bob, and the Quick Stop Mini Mart customers who first appeared in Clerks, his surprise critical and commercial debut film. These tales follow the exploits of America's favorite slacker icons as they seek out the rarest of Star Wars toys, become employees of Kris Kringle, and get the scare of their lives in a crucial, much-talked-about, lost sequence that did not make the original film's final cut.

96 pages, black and white, $10.95.

THE CREECH: OUT FOR BLOOD #1

Written and art by Greg Capullo, colored by Tyson Wengler.

"Out for Blood - Book 1." The biggest and baddest is back and ready to go ballistic. Greg Capullo returns to his original creator-owned project with a vengeance.

48 pages, $4.95.

THE DARKNESS #40

Written by Paul Jenkins, artist to be announced, covers by Dale Keown and Marc Silvestri.

Darkness falls? The 40th issue of the Darkness is guaranteed to be a shocker as Jackie Estacado finally acknowledges his love for his childhood friend Jenny. Will he make the ultimate sacrifice for the one he loves?

32 pages, $2.50

DOUBLE IMAGE #5

Codeflesh: Written by Joe Casey, art by Charlie Adlard; Trust in Me: Written by Larry Young, art by Aman Chaudhary.

Codeflesh: Pyromania in sunny L.A. On second thought, make that seedy L.A. Cameron Daltrey has sacrificed his relationship to indulge his passion for busting heads. Is it all worth it? And follow a typical super-powered lowlife named Rotor as he reaches for dignity one last time.

Trust in Me: This self-contained, fully painted thriller by the writer of Astronauts in Trouble and the artist of Frightening Curves takes readers through the fragile psyche of a lonely widower and pokes unceremoniously into the corners of his tastefully appointed farmhouse.

32 pages, $2.95.

FATHOM: KILLAN'S TIDE #4

Written by Michael Turner and Bill O'Neil, penciled by Talent Caldwell, inked by Jason Gorder, colored by Peter Steigerwald.

The mini-series reaches its finale as the rift within the Dissidents hits the breaking point. Now, as they tackle their most ambitious anti-human mission yet, each opposing faction seeks to destroy the other. Ripples from this power struggle threaten to tear apart the Council while Killian's relationship with his brother -- and everyone else -- will never be the same again.

32 pages, $2.95.

ELECTROPOLIS #2

Written and art by Dean Motter, colored by Chris Chuckry.

"The Infernal Machine," Episode 2. Things are heating up in the city where "Every Day is the Day After Tomorrow" as Anesta Robbins and robot Menlo Park suddenly find themselves investigating the decades-old murder of their late boss, private eye Jacob Ladder. Police inspector Johnny Picasso also seems interested in re-opening the case, with no shortage of suspects.

During a visit to the Color Bar nightclub for the Steppe Sisters Soviet Swing Show, fetishist femme fatale Tess LaCoyle flirts with Menlo, until she is kidnapped from right under his metal nose. There also seems to be some trouble brewing downtown between Mayo Gernsback, the Electricians Union and the power company. All this spell trouble for the citizens of Electropolis.

32 pages, $2.95.

HELLSPAWN #12

Written by Steve Niles, art by Ashley Wood.

"Monsters and Miracles." An evil will be born from the belly of a young mother possessed. From this birth will be spat the Hellspawn's torment and rage, and the greatest challenge of Spawn's existence. The Powers are surfacing, crawling from the cuts and wounds of the dying, eager to claim the throne vacated by Malebolgia's demise. But there is another presence on the scene, standing between Spawn and his destiny. A hero lost in the fabric of time and the imagination whose time to re-emerge has come.

32 pages, $2.50.

KABUKI AGENTS: SCARAB #8

Written by David Mack, art by Mack and Rick Mays.

The long awaited answer to the question posed at the end of Kabuki Metamorphosis (Issues1-9): "Which Noh Agent died in Kabuki #9?"

Featuring guest appearances by every one of the Noh Agents, in this issue readers see what was never shown in any previous Kabuki book. One of them dies in this issue. No joke. No Dream. No gimmick. One of the Noh Agents is gone forever. This issue includes special Kabuki scenes illustrated by Mack for a segment that intricately weaves this issue into Metamorphosis.

Plus: The revelation of last issue's mystery guest. A ghost from Scarab's past in Japan's criminal subculture collides with her present assignment as a government operative in this pivotal concluding issue to the Scarab story line.

32 pages, black and white, $2.95.

LITTLE RED HOT: BOUND #1

Written and art by Dawn Brown.

Chane races through the foggy streets of London, desperate to escape a persistent bounty hunter. She is in quite a different place than when we last left her. She lives her life restrained, afraid, bound. There is a hefty price on her head, and rookie hunters Vincent and Bea Price are cunning enough to capture and contain Chane. They ask for her help to recover a runaway child in exchange for keeping her safe from the authorities and other bounty hunters. Chane's history is the key to identifying and locating this child.

32 pages, $2.95.

MAGDALENA: BLOOD DIVINE TPB

Written by Marcia Chen, penciled by Joe Benitez and Brian Ching, inked by Joe Weems, Jason Gorder and Danny Miki, colored by Tyson Wengler, Jonathan D. Smith and Matt Nelson, new cover by Benitez.

One of Top Cow's most controversial mini-series ever is collected together for the first time in this trade paperback. Follow the Magdalena as she investigates a mysterious murder which leads her into a confrontation with a group of age old evil, the vampire. Can she survive a foe that is already dead? Plus, the Magdalena takes on the Angelus in a story taken from the hard-to-find half issue.

112 pages, $9.95.

MECH DESTROYER #3

Written by Robert Chong, art by Jae Kim, inked by JK Studios.

Reese Taylor is on a mission to prove himself to anyone who may have doubts about him. He infiltrates the enemy base to find the "Furies" who have been captured by the Jadak Overlords. Now, Reese must put his life on the line to rescue the mysterious captives. But unbeknownst to him, the Jadaks have devised a special plan to spoil any rescue attempts. Will Reese once again outwit the Jadaks, or will his luck finally run out.

32 pages, $2.95.

MIDNIGHT NATION #9

Written by J. Michael Straczynski, penciled by Gary Frank, inked by Jason Gorder, colored by Dan Kemp.

David and Laurel finally reach their destination: the Big Apple, New York, where the man who stole his soul offers something far darker in exchange. And David begins to fall prey to the call for chaos, becoming something dangerous to everyone, especially Laurel.

32 pages, $2.50.

POWERS #14

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Mike Avon Oeming, colored by Pat Garrahy.

"Groupies," part three. This murder solved? The conclusion to Powers' most baudy story line. As a super-hero who often hooked up with super-hero groupies, has been found dead. Walker and Pilgrim solve the case ... but wait till you see what they discover. As surprising a chapter in the Powers series as you are going to find. Nominated for two Harvey awards for comic excellence-best new series and best new talent.

32 pages, $2.95.

RANDY O'DONNELL IS THE M@N #2

Written by Tom DeFalco, art by Ron Lim, inked by Robert Jones.

The Chosen!" A self-contained story. Though he still loves playing video games and reading about other super-heroes, Randy O'Donnell realizes that the people of Bollucidar may have made a slight mistake when they choose him to save their world. Sure, he has super-powers and a fancy costume, but he definitely lacks the necessary skills and experience. Unfortunately, his plan to quit the hero biz and go back to being an average American teenager suddenly gets put on hold. Tesca has been accused of trying to assassinate the young king of a nearby city-state. She's been tossed into a dungeon and will soon be executed unless Randy can find a way to save her. Accompanied by Gemel the barbarian, Randy O'Donnell sets out to discover if he really is The M@N.

32 pages, $2.95.

SAM & TWITCH #24

Written by Todd McFarlane, art by Alex Maleev, colored by Jay Fotos.

"The Jon Doe Affair" Part V. Sam narrowly escapes the killer's trap. Killer? Or killers? One of the federal agents investigating the case isn't so lucky and winds up in the morgue. Meanwhile, Sam ponders the role his new girlfriend might play in these events and wonders if perhaps he was meant to live his life alone. If the killer (or killers) has his way, Sam might not live long enough to find out.

32 pages, $2.50.

SAVAGE DRAGON #88

By Erik Larsen.

To Challenge the Gods! The Dragon vs. Thor, God of Thunder. He came to Earth to rape and pillage and the Dragon's determined to stop him. Also-- A threat to the continued existence of this Savage World. Herakles and gods galore. The Dragon caused the planet wide disaster and now he's determined to fix it as his travels lead him to the hidden city know as God Town. More pieces of the puzzle that is Dragon's life fall into place. More questions are answered.

32 pages, $2.95.

SPAWN #112

Written by Todd McFarlane and Brian Holguin, penciled by Angel Medina, inked by Danny Miki, cover by Greg Capullo.

"The Kingdom, Part Vl." The morning after. The Night of the Cleansing -- when the Children of the Kingdom rain harsh judgment down upon the city of New York -- has come and gone. Last issue, Spawn stood alone against an avenging army of 777 supernatural assassins. Now, see who is left standing and who is lost forever to the darkness.

32 pages, $2.50.

SPAWN: THE DARK AGES #29

Written by Steve Niles, penciled by Nat Jones, inked by Kevin Conrad, colored by Todd Broeker.

"Stonehaven, Part ll" The manure hits the windmill as the flesh-starved dead of Stonehaven come back for revenge. Surrounded and trapped in the last standing building, the innocent citizens turn to their only hope: the Hellspawn and his unwilling partner, Cogliostro. The odds are against them. The dead cannot be stopped, unless the key to their rage can be unearthed and the curse unlocked. In Covenant's eyes, the answer lies right at their feet.

32 pages, $2.50.

TOMB RAIDER #15

Written by Dan Jurgens, artists to be announced, colored by Jonathan D. Smith.

Lost in the abyss of personal tragedy, Lara must not only wrestle with the ominous Lucifer Text, she must also evade a mysterious new enemy who'll stop at nothing to follow her every move. "Without Limit" takes Lara on a very personal journey that may well throw the world into the grips of evil.

32 pages, $2.50.

WARLANDS: AGE OF ICE #1

Written by AdrianTsang, art by Pat Lee, inked by Rob Armstrong.

A new epic saga begins two hundred years after Malagen and his Vampire armies were defeated. Even the full might of the Dataran horde however, pales in comparison to the danger now facing the collective kingdoms of Warlands. After the Ice Dragon Eganko was defeated, it plunged into the depths of the Eastern Sea, and is now slowly freezing the world's oceans. Faced with utter ecological disaster, a band of mismatched mercenaries and would-be heroes embark on a quest to not only save their homes from destruction, but all life itself.

32 pages, $2.95.

WITCHBLADE #50

Written by Paul Jenkins, penciled by Brian Ching, inked by D-Tron, colored by Steve Firchow, covers by Brian Ching, Dale Keown, Marc Silvestri and Michael Turner.

Top Cow's flagship title reaches its 50th issue and the Witchblade will never be the same again. Sara is given a clue as to the true nature of the Witchblade as she is brought into the confidence of an ages-old Masonic group who are preparing for what they believe is Armageddon. In this special anniversary issue, readers will finally be given a clue as to the true origin and intent of the Witchblade, Plus, one of Sara's old friends makes his return.

48 pages, $4.95.
Copyright © 2001, The Comics Continuum