Friday, May 18, 2001

DARK HORSE FOR AUGUST

Following are Dark Horse Comics' solicitations for August, with information coming from the company.

DIRTY PAIR: SIM HELL REMASTERED #4

By Adam Warren

This four-issue miniseries now in state-of-the-art full-color, reaches its grand finale, as Kei and Yuri struggle with the villainous Kevin Sleet through a nightmarish cyberspace battleground, with the very fate of civilization hanging in the balance. Thrill to gun fetishism, savage beatings, rogue nanotechnology, and even a brief visit to Hell itself.

32 pages, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 1.

JOSS WHEDON'S FRAY #3

By Joss Whedon, Karl Moline and Andy Owens; cover by Moline and Owens.

As a professional thief, Melaka Fray has seen her share of danger and excitement. But is she ready for the challenges facing a Slayer? This issue, Melaka learns some of the history of the Slayers and comes to understand a little about what it means to her.

32 pages, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 1.

THE COMPLETE MADMAN COMICS VOL. 4 TPB

By Mike Allred; cover by Allred.

Frank Einstein has never led a normal life -- as far as he knows -- but lately his topsy-turvy times have been undeniably loony. In this fourth collection chronicling the life of comics' coolest undead guy, Frank goes from holiday giddiness to super-secret paranoia, friends become enemies, and sworn enemies become ... saviors? In this tome of 136 colorful pages, Frank makes amends with a beatnik ghoul, meets Santa Claus, gets his house fixed up, and goes on an unexpected adventure. It turns out fellow undead foes, Mattress and Crept, have gotten themselves in a snag, and it's up to Frank to find out what's up. Mysteries are explained, but there's plenty of confusion to take its place.

136 pages, $17.95, arrives in stores on Aug. 1.

OH MY GODDESS!: PART XI #1

By Kosuke Fujishima; cover by Fujishima.

Banpei in Love (Part 1 of 2). Banpei the robot is Skuld's best friend in the world. After all, she made him! But when Banpei suddenly starts misbehaving, Skuld discovers there's one programming bug no one can fix -- Banpei's in love -- with a sassy advertising doll. And the only thing Skuld can fix now is herself.

40 pages, black and white, $3.50, arrives in stores on Aug. 1.

PLANET OF THE APES: THE HUMAN WAR #3

By Ian Edginton, Paco Medina and Juan Vlasco; cover by J. Scott Campbell.

The fate of humankind is decided in this gripping finale! Shiva's ape army seeks to deliver a killing blow to the integrated human and ape rebellion by utilizing the most terrible weapon on their planet -- nuclear power. As both sides race to find the wreckage of the spaceship Oberon, Attar, the wise, semi-retired gorilla general, wonders if Shiva's fanaticism and hatred for humans will spill over to ape kind. If so, it would lead to her tyranny over the entire Planet of the Apes.

32 pages, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 1.

STAR WARS: INFINITIES - A NEW HOPE #4

By Chris Warner, Drew Johnson and Ray Snyder; cover by Tony Harris.

In this altered Star Wars timeline, Luke Skywalker fails to destroy the Death Star, and the Rebellion is seemingly crushed. Overcoming his raging emotions, Luke escapes to become a Jedi Master after finding Yoda and completing his training. Imperial forces thrive throughout the galaxy, and Leia Organa undergoes a dark transformation while Luke plunges headlong into the heart of the Empire in a final attempt to rekindle the Rebellion. Brother battles sister, and a dying Jedi Master squares off against an entire world in this final issue.

32 pages, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 1.

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #59

By Hiroaki Samura; translated by Studio Proteus.

Secrets (Part 2 of 4). Anotsu Kagehisa came to Kaga to bring another sword school under his wing. But now the shoe is on the other foot -- instead of finding a welcome, he's found a dojo full of angry young men who don't want to take orders from an upstart, unless he can prove he's tougher than the best of them. Anotsu's long road to Kaga ends in an unexpected battle to the death, with a furious swordfighter who moves as fast as lightning.

32 pages, black and white, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 8.

HELLBOY: CONQUEROR WORM #4

By Mike Mignola.

The "Angel of Death" reveals the future history of man while Roger and Hellboy hatch a desperate plan to destroy the conqueror worm.

32 pages, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 8.

THE RING OF THE NIBELUNG: GOTTERDAMMERUNG #3

By P. Craig Russell; cover by Russell.

Siegfried hands Brunhilde off as a bride to another man, but the Valkyrie won't be so easily discarded. The entire clan of the Gibichung are up in arms over accusations of rape and infidelity, as different players conspire to get possession of the ring. The fate of the gods is in the hands of men, for once.

32 pages, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 8.

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL: THE GATHERING TPB

By Hiroaki Samura; translated by Studio Proteus.

The immortal samurai, Manji, and his charge, Rin have lost their best chance to avenge the death of Rin's parents at the hands of Anotsu Kagehisa's renegade sword school, the deadly Itto-ryu. Manji and Rin's alliance with the mysterious Mugai-ryu assassins has failed, and now for Rin to pursue her parents' killer, she must pass through the Shogun's checkpoints that control the roads out of Edo, a task she must perform without Manji, who is one of the most wanted men in all Japan and she is sure to be detected. When Manji discovers Rin has gone, he faces the impossible choice of storming the checkpoint by force or leaving Rin to face Anotsu and his trained killers alone. And when Rin is falsely named as an accomplice in a savage murder, the stakes are raised ever higher as she faces even greater odds to fulfill her blood oath. Collecting issues #1-8 of The Gathering series.

208 pages, black and white, $17.95, arrives in stores on Aug. 15.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: OZ #2

By Christopher Golden and Logan Lubera; cover by John Totleben.

With the help of a wizened Tibetan Monk and the beautiful, young demon-girl, Oz hopes to gain control over the wolf half of his nature. As the weeks draw closer to the next full moon, Oz prepares to meet his worst enemy: himself. Dark forces are on the move. Will Oz defeat the twisted minions or will he become the latest addition to the demons' nightmare menagerie?

32 pages, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 15.

GUNSMITH CATS: MISTER V #11

By Kenichi Sonoda; translated by Studio Proteus.

It takes more than an out-of-control 18-wheeler to stop Bean Bandit and Rally from getting their man! But now that they've got the counterfeiter Jim Macks, what next? Macks is Bean's client, but he's Rally's bounty target! And they've still got their friend Misty's kidnappers on their tail! It's the endless runaround of a bounty hunter's life, and as Rally's 23rd birthday approaches, Chicago's fastest draw is looking for a reward that isn't counterfeit. It's the final regular episode of Kenichi Sonoda's long-running hit, Gunsmith Cats.

40 pages, black and white, $3.50, arrives in stores on Aug. 15.

THE HORROR OF COLLIER COUNTY TPB

By Rich Tommaso; cover by Tommaso.

Everyone knows that the state of Florida can be a pretty scary place -- swamps, alligators, bugs the size of small cars, zombies ... zombies? Escaping the stresses of city life, a young single mom visits her own mother in the hurricane state, only to find more tension -- and of a seriously freakish nature. Writer/artist Rich Tommaso has an inviting, clear-line style and a knack for blending the creepiness of everyday existence with the surreal feel of a '50s creature feature. With a weed-whacker for a weapon and the world against her, this punk-rock mommy will take down every zombie in the state of Florida, if need be. Is Florida really haunted by the undead?

144 pages, black and white, $12.95, arrives in stores on Aug. 15.

STAR WARS: JEDI VS. SITH #5

By Darco Macan, Ramon F. Bachs and Raul Fernandez; cover by Andrew Robinson.

The devastated planet of Ruusan has endured much during the war between the Jedi Army of Light and the Sith Brotherhood of Darkness. Its forests have been decimated and its inhabitants mercilessly slaughtered. The war is not over yet and many more will suffer before it ends. Of three young cousins sent to Ruusan, one will willfully join with the dark, one will seek out the light, and one will fulfill a destiny that none could have possibly foreseen.

32 pages, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 15.

ANGEL: HUNTING GROUND TPB

By Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski, Eric Powell, Brian Horton and Paul Lee.

There's a killer tossing dead bodies out of L.A. sewers like hot potatoes, and all the evidence points Detective Kate Lockley towards one man: a certain vampire named Angel. But Angel knows there are a lot more monsters in L.A -- he just doesn't know which one's trying to set him up. In "Lovely, Dark, and Deep" (from Dark Horse Presents, colored by Matt Hollingsworth) Cordelia lands the starring role in a Blair Witch rip-off about three filmmakers searching for the legendary Helm of Haraxis. But what she doesn't know is that the film is a sham and the Helm's the real thing. Angel, who smelled a rat from the beginning, has to rescue Cordelia and her fellow filmmakers from a cabal of Hollywood demons and angry forest spirits, who all want to keep the Helm of Haraxis and the power it gives them.

80 pages, $9.95, arrives in stores on Aug. 22.

OUTLAW 7 #1

By Logan Lubera, Kris Feric and Craig Yeung; cover by Lubera.

Sheriff Ricco Rossovich is a no-nonsense guy in a weird world of injustice. After he's forced to investigate the third in a series of grisly murders, Ricco must follow a strange trail of clues. Surprisingly, the trail leads to members of his old battle unit, who now seem to be marked for death. Meanwhile, a rogue group of heroes -- using the outlawed magical power known as Mana -- arrive in the town of Ash with their own brand of trouble in tow. How many of Ricco's friends will die before he can solve this deadly mystery? What part will the Mana Rogues play in solving the case? Why is everyone on the trail of a simple, young farmer named Bayman Ford? Could he be Ash's greatest savior -- or its greatest nightmares made whole?

32 pages, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 22.

STAR WARS #33

By John Ostrander, Jan Duursema and Ray Kryssing; cover by Jon Foster.

Darkness (Part 2 of 4). Bad things are happening on the prison planet of Kiffex. A Guardian outpost on the planet has been overrun by the vampiric Anzati and weapons from the outpost have spread to the inmates. When Jedi Quinlan Vos, a direct descendant of the Guardians, is summoned to help investigate the disaster, he cannot refuse. But the Jedi, who is struggling with the draw of the dark side, may be in for more than he bargained. Fortunately, Quin has the help of his scheming Devaronian pal Villie, his former Master, Tholme, and unexpected support in the shape of a small blind cook. Quin will need all the help he can get to survive this mission and avoid falling into the darkness.

32 pages, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 22.

USAGI YOJIMBO #51

By Stan Sakai.

Has Usagi gone to the netherworld? The previously un-bested bunny might be "dead," but his gruff hippo counterpart still has his life and will stop at nothing to save the thief Kitsune from certain death. Fortunately, Gen might get a little help from the "ghost" of his old friend. Sound confusing? Well, these mysteries will be resolved, and we might find out a little something more, such as the identity of Kitsune's patron. The second chapter of "The Shrouded Moon."

24 pages, black and white, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 22.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #36

By Tom Fassbender, Jim Pascoe, Cliff Richards and Joe Pimentel; cover by Richards.

False Memories (Part 2 of 4). Dawn has vanished without a trace and the Scooby gang has no clue where to find her. As they try to deduce her whereabouts, Buffy turns Sunnydale (and a whole lot of vampires) upside-down in her search. Spike suspects that Dawn's disappearance has something to do with a former Slayer turned vampire, the deadly Yuki Makumura. It looks like this Vampire Slayer must go up against a Slayer Vampire.

32 pages, $2.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 29.

LONE WOLF AND CUB VOL. 12: SHATTERED STONES TPB

By Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima; cover by Frank Miller.

A woman driven to insanity by the murder of her child, and the horribly burned husband seeking revenge; unseen samurai under the thumb of a power-hungry woman; a beggar ronin seeking the downfall of his greedily ambitious wife; a good-for-nothing beggar willing to use a child to make easy money; a lady magician threatened by swindling gangsters: all of these people have something in common -- the need to regain their honor, and this quest almost always means death. Ogami Itto, a wandering ronin on a road to vengeance, has been paid to put these folks back on that path, at any cost. For this grim samurai and his infant son, there is nothing left in this world except honor, vengeance, death, and blood. Fortunately, there's plenty of each to go around.

304 pages, black and white, $9.95, arrives in stores on Aug. 29.

SUPER MANGA BLAST! #15

By Mohiro Kitoh, Makoto Kobayashi, Yuzo Takada, Hiroyuki Utatane and Yo Morimoto; translated by Studio Proteus.

Shadow Star gets the spotlight this month, with 50 pages of story. Shiina's father may start believing in angels, 'cause there's one flying outside his fighter plane -- and it's got a rapid-fire Vulcan cannon. In Club 9, Haruo discovers the ghost of a dead student in her dorm room -- and it's got the hots for her. Maybe it's time to move in with her sexy friend Aki. Seraphic Feather continues as Kei apparently returns from the dead (again!) and secrets are uncovered about the mysterious explosion on the moon. Plus more 3x3 Eyes and What's Michael?

128 pages, black and white, $4.99, arrives in stores on Aug. 29.