Thursday, January 17, 2002

DARK HORSE COMICS FOR APRIL

Following are Dark Horse Comics' solicitations for April, with information provided by the company.

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #67

By Hiroaki Samura; produced by Studio Proteus.

"Beasts," part two of seven. The name of the game is vengeance, and the first rule assassin Hyakurin should've learned is never to leave an enemy alive and able to hunt you down! Captured by a pair of swordsmen, one of whom she left half-blinded and paralyzed with her poisonous arrows, this lesson looks to be Hyakurin's last. That is, unless her lovesick and inept sidekick Shinriji can pull it together enough to save her. Unfortunately, love doesn't always conquer all. Samurai action with a razor edge.

32 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on April 10.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #44

By Tom Fassbender, Jim Pascoe, Cliff Richards and Joe Pimentel; cover by Brian Horton and Paul Lee.

"Death of Buffy," part two of three. The Death of Buffy story continues as Willow, Xander, and the gang attempt to fend off an encroaching invasion of black magic lizard wizards. They've come to Sunnydale to resurrect an old friend and to tear the Slayer's pretty little guts out. Unfortunately for them, Buffy and her guts are six feet under. Unfortunately for Buffy's pals, these reptiles are willing to settle for the guts of the Slayer's friends and family.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on April 24.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: OZ TP

By Christopher Golden and Logan Lubera.

When Oz left Sunnydale to search for a way to control his werewolf nature, he found what he needed in the Far East. Now that untold story is revealed in comics, as it could never be told on the small screen! Christopher Golden, fan-fave writer of Buffy novels and comics, takes Oz across the world to a secret monastery to find inner peace. But when he gets there, he finds that many of the monks have been kidnapped by a race of demons. Now, if Oz is ever going to master the beast within, he has to rescue the monks and defeat a terrible demon. This collection includes the entire three-issue miniseries plus new pages, and a sketchbook section featuring the work of cover artist John Totleben and series artist Logan Lubera.

80 pages, $9.95, in stores on May 15.

CANNON GOD EXAXXION #6: STAGE 1

By Kenichi Sonoda, produced by Studio Proteus.

Just when things seem their bleakest, when it seems there's no way to halt the vicious Riofaldian invasion of Earth, a ray of hope rises above the hills of Japan . . . the giant robot Exaxxion. Armed to the teeth and ready to take on the deadly alien attackers, Earth's high tech defender is only missing one thing - a pilot! The ruthless alien Ambassador Jess'ka has his sights set on destroying the giant robot, and if designated pilot Hoichi can't tear himself away from the suffering and casualties that surround him before the Riofald attack wave reaches Exaxxion, we can all kiss the planet goodbye.

24 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on April 17.

OH MY GODDESS! PART XI #9: MYSTERY CHILD

By Kosuke Fujishima; produced by Studio Proteus.

Part seven of eight. The goddess Belldandy has found herself in one heck of a love triangle. The mysterious and lovesick little demon-boy has revealed his true colors, and will take out anyone or anything that stands between him and his beloved Belldandy - starting with Bell's boyfriend, Keiichi. While her sisters, Urd and Skuld, work frantically to stave off the destruction of all creation, Belldandy must fight with everything she has to protect the man she loves from a demon who loves her, too.

32 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on April 3.

THE SCORPION KING #2

By Scott Allie, Cliff Richards and Will Conrad.

Before he became the monstrous human-scorpion hybrid seen in last year's hit The Mummy 2, Mathyus (played by WWF superstar The Rock) was a hero of the Akkadian people, a tribe of warriors in pre-Egyptian times. This issue reveals how his people were wiped out - at the hands of the evil Memnon. The same month that The Scorpion King hits theaters, Dark Horse concludes the official prequel. Before you see the movie, read this comic and learn the backstory of the hero - and the secrets of the movie's villain Memnon.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on April 3.

SPYBOY/YOUNG JUSTICE #3

By Peter David, Norman Lee, Jamie Mendoza, Pop Mhan and Todd Nauck; cover by Mhan.

A villain revealed! Allies aligned! A plan set in motion to deliver ultimate chaos! Wouldn't'cha know it, a group of teenagers are the world's only hope! Not just any teens, but SpyBoy and the heroes of Young Justice. REMbrandt has revealed his true nature, and suprise, surprise, it's a villain the YJ gang has met before! If they're going to defeat him and his diminutive partner in crime, Annie Mae, they're going to need SpyBoy, Bombshell, and SpyGirl to give them an edge. Worlds collide! Mettle is tested! The final battle rages! And, even Butch and Impulse might take a break from their wise cracks to lend a hand. Nah.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on April 3.

STAR WARS #41

By John Ostrander, Davidé Fabbri, And Christian Dalla Vecchia; cover by Kilian Plunkett.

"The Devaronian Version," part two of two.

At last - the truth about how Villie wound up on the prison planet Kiffex, the truth on how he defeated a Dark Jedi and duped the Jedi for his freedom, and the truth about why he took Quinlan Vos as his apprentice. Well, sort of the truth. Well, okay, maybe not the truth at all. It's the second part of The Devaronian Version, the rogue Vilmarh Grahrk's side of the story thus far. A good place for new readers and a fun revision for long time readers. And if you believe this, Villie has a nice moon called Nar Shaddaa he would like to sell you.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on April 17.

STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES #1-2 (of 4) and TP

Adapted by Henry Gilroy from the original screenplay by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales with art by Jan Duursema and Ray Kryssing; cover by Tsuneo Sanda.

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones is a seminal tale of the Star Wars mythos, unlocking some of the history and events that laid the foundation for the Rebel Alliance's epic struggle against the Empire as chronicled in the original Star Wars film trilogy. Featuring familiar characters as never seen before and introducing new players destined to become Star Wars icons, Episode II is a must-see film, and this graphic novel is a must-read for all Star Wars enthusiasts. Adapted by Henry Gilroy from the original screenplay by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales, and illustrated by Jan Duursema and Ray Kryssing. Make sure you catch this legendary series that's sure to please Star Wars fans of all ages.

48 pages, $3.99, in stores on April 24. Trade paperback, 144 pages, $17.95, in stores on April 24.

STAR WARS: JANGO FETT - OPEN SEASONS #1

By Haden Blackman, Ramon F. Bachs and Raul Fernandez; cover by Ramon F. Bachs.

Jango Fett is the master bounty hunter of his time - a man feared and respected throughout the galaxy. But he wasn't always a bounty hunter. Once he was a simple farm boy from the Outer Rim. But when his family was murdered by the criminal mercenary band known as the Death Watch, Jango fell in with another group of soldiers, the elite Mandalore Warriors - who offer him a chance for revenge! Open Seasons offers an in-depth look at one of the most exciting new characters from Episode II.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on April 24.

STAR WARS: TALES VOLUME 2 TP

Featuring Terry Moore, Ian Edginton, Kevin Rubio, Carlos Meglia, Tony Millionaire, Dean Motter, Kilian Plunkett, Mark Schultz, John Ostrander, Craig Thompson, Jan Duursema, Francisco Ruiz Velasco, Mike Deodato Jr., Scott Morse, Andi Watson, Lucas Marangon, and more.

Collecting issues #5 through #8 of the quarterly anthology, Star Wars Tales Volume 2 includes thrilling stories featuring Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, the Jedi Council, Yoda, C-3PO, and a cast of thousands! Tales has explored every corner of the Star Wars galaxy - from the darkest depths, to the wackiest extremes - chronicled by the finest creators in comics. Collected for the first time into one volume.

224 pages, $19.95, in stores on May 1.

SERGIO ARAGONÉS ACTIONS SPEAK TP

By Sergio Aragonés.

Sergio Aragonés, forty-year veteran of MAD magazine and winner of the coveted Reuben Award and numerous Eisner and Harvey awards, serves up another helping of hilarity. This is one hundred and sixty pages of some of the wittiest comic strips from a true master of the form.

160 pages, black and white, $13.95, in stores on May 8.

SUPER MANGA BLAST!#21

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

Club 9's hapless small town girl Haruo has had her share of man trouble since moving to the city, but nothing can prepare her for the advances of TV newscaster Tokugawa! Meanwhile, the plot thickens in 3x3 Eyes as Yakumo and Pai learn the hard way that saving their own skins may require them getting closer than they ever imagined, and in What's Michael? Michael's owners try to put the crafty tabby on a diet, but will it slim him down, or will there be more of Michael to love? Over in Shadow Star, the police put a tail on Akira, while Shiina tries to get to the bottom of who Sudo really is, and in Seraphic Feather, M-Zak gets a serious case of déjà-vu as memories of her past come flooding back. But there's no time for reminiscing, as the UN assault team roars through Apep's Human Development Lab.

128 pages, black and white, $5.99, in stores on April 24.

THE TENTH: NIGHTWALKER #1

By Tony Daniel and Romano.

Esperanza finds that the DNA of her alien blood is starting to finally take hold of her body, causing her to mutate into one of Rhazes Darkk's deadliest creations. Isolated and quarantined by a covert CIA unit, Espy realizes that her survival is not on the top of her captor's list. Victor DeLeon, a.k.a. the "Tenth," is re-activated to his Special Ops unit to infiltrate a clandestine alien facility. Victor must decide between the safety of his own unit and the life of Espy! Either decision will put his own life in jeopardy, but which one will save mankind?

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on April 10.

ZACHARY HOLMES CASE 2: THE SORCERER HC

By Carlos Trillo and Juan Bobillo.

The young master detective, Zachary Holmes, is brought a case by the most unlikely of clients, the tree-bound spirit of the legendary necromancer, Merlin. Queen Victoria is in danger, targeted by a diabolical sorcerer dead two centuries, the vile Lord Moriarty, who's wasted little time since his death, perfecting his mastery of the blackest magic. Soon, the evil Lord will become able to strike from beyond the grave, but how can a corporeal crimefighter - much less one with a mouse for a sidekick - apprehend a disembodied spirit? Another imported Venture graphic album, published in a magnificent oversized hardcover edition in collaboration with Strip Art Features, and available in limited quantities for the first time in an English-language edition.

48 pages, 9 inches by 12 inches, $14.95, in stores on April 17.