Monday, March 18, 2002

CROSSGEN COMICS FOR JULY

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

RUSE TRADE PAPERBACK #1: ENTER THE DETECTIVE

Written by Mark Waid, penciled by Butch Guice and Jeff Johnson, inked by Mike Perkins and Paul Neary, colored by Laura DePuy and Jason Lambert, new cover by Guice and Laura.

Collecting the first six issues of CrossGen's newest breakout hit, Ruse. As the world's greatest detective, Simon Archard has long ago lost interest in crimes that present him absolutely no challenge -- but when a sudden spate of extraordinary homicides and impossible events threatens the gaslit streets of Partington, only Archard and his partner Emma Bishop can separate the guilty from the innocent. Sherlock Holmes meets the X-Files -- Ruse mingles the Victorian detective genre with equal helpings of suspense and comedy. The CrossGen Universe has long had a sense of mystery. Now, at last, it has a detective.

160 pages, $15.95, in stores on July 3.

THE FIRST #21

Written by Barbara Kesel, penciled by Andy Smith, inked by Brad Vancata, colored by Jason Lambert.

Long ago, Trenin used the right bait to bring Tulity out of hiding-It's all a matter of knowing what your adversary wants. Persha's doing some baiting of her own, although her target is more elusive than Seahn.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on July 10.

FORGE #4

By various.

This month includes a double-dose of Crux (chapters 9 and 10), the futuristic sci-fi thriller that asks, "Whatever happened to the human race?" Capricia's team has finally learned the truth: millennia ago, humanity leapt forth to a new plane of existence, leaving behind those deemed "unworthy" - a band of humans the Crux team has at last found. But that discovery has created more questions than answers, and complicating matters is the mysterious threat of the Negation. What will happen when Obo-san is forced to choose between blind loyalty and bitter defiance as his Emperor commands him to take his own life? That's life on The Path, the supernatural samurai thriller from Ron Marz and Bart Sears, featured this month with a double-shot of its own (chapters 2 and 3). The two-fers keep coming with Negation (chapters 4 and 5), in which the riddle of "bohica" is finally solved - in a grand mal of violence that only leads to more questions: Who are the Lawbringers? Will Evinlea ever shut up and accept Kaine's leadership? And why is the lizard lady eating that walrus guy? Meanwhile, this month's installment of Meridian (chapters 21 and 22) begs another question - what's got into Sephie? One minute she's a sweet young girl caught in a web of intrigue. The next, she's serving up giant-sized portions of whup-ass! See the cutest Sigil-Bearer of all confront the mind-bending powers of Rho in Sephie's biggest battle yet. All that, plus the next installment of Sojourn (chapter 7), wherein Mordath comes face to face with the mystery of Neven, and Gareth comes close to losing his other eye by poking his nose into another mystery altogether. And to top things off, the second and last installment of Saurians: Unnatural Selection.

256 pages, $11.95, in stores on July 10.

MYSTIC #26

Written by Tony Bedard, penciled by Fabrizio Fiorentino, inked by Matt Ryan, colored by Andrew Crossley.

Giselle travels to the Shaman Lands and seeks the counsel of the Shaman Guild Master, only to find him busy dealing with a mystical beast that stalks his people. But this spirit animal has the ability to become any person's darkest fear, and in facing it, Giselle must battle a part of herself she has long denied. Will this be her greatest life-lesson? Or is her quest to win over the Guild Masters finished before it's barely begun

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on July 17.

WAY OF THE RAT #3

Written by Chuck Dixon, penciled by Jeff Johnson, inked by Tom Ryder, colored by Chris Garcia.

Recovering from a hangover after a drinking binge, Po Po the monkey answers some of Boon's questions about the Ring of Staves and the Book of the Hell of the Hungry Dragons and none of it is good news. Also, the Silken Ghost gives Boon twelve hours to come up with the Phoenix Heart or suffer her wrath. All that becomes irrelevant when Bhuto Khan begins his siege of the city using the biggest cannon in the world; The Mouth of God.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on July 17.

MERIDIAN TRADE PAPERBACK #3: TAKING THE SKIES

Written by Barbara Kesel, penciled by Steve McNiven and Derec Aucoin, inked by Tom Simmons and Aucoin, colored by Morry Hollowell and Jason Lambert, new cover by McNiven and Laura DePuy.

Collecting issues #15-#20 of Meridian. Sephie is out to wrest control of her world from her cruel Uncle Ilahn, another Sigil-Bearer. In this volume, she takes to piracy to disrupt the trade routes Ilahn controls, with tragic results for one of the floating sky islands on the fantasy world of Demetria. Meridian offers a young adventure hero for girls without leaving out the boys. All the alien wonder of a sci-fi fantasy world and the familiar trials of being sixteen years old are brought to life.

160 pages, $15.95, in stores on July 17.

SIGIL #26

Written by Chuck Dixon, penciled by Scot Eaton, inked by Andrew Hennessy, colored by Wil Quintana.

War! What is it good for? In this instance it's the only way to end the threat of Khyradon and his fanatics. Sam and the crew of the BitterLuck battle their way to the surface of the Saurian homeworld while, at the same time, Loser leads a bloody revolt. Once again the bitterest of enemies share the same deadly agenda. Khyradon has another terrible weapon aimed at the heart of mankind, but will the Planetary Union's retaliation prove even more destructive?

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on July 24.

SOJOURN #13

Written by Ron Marz, penciled by Greg Land, inked by Drew Geraci, colored by Caesar Rodriguez.

While Arwyn and Gareth continue their quest for the next Fragment by heading south toward the cliffs of Ankhara, Captain Bohr of Mordath's troll guard undertakes a journey of his own. Putting aside his pursuit of Arwyn, Bohr answers an urgent request from his family and turns toward his homeland of Grinbor, and nothing will stand in his way.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on July 24.

NEGATION #8

Written by Tony Bedard, penciled by Paul Pelletier, inked by Dave Meikis, colored by James Rochelle.

Kaine and the fugitives take on the dreaded Lawbringer, a terrifying being who wields power on the level of the First, and uses it in cruelly inventive ways. It's a world-shaking battle - literally - as our heroes throw everything they have against this implacable foe, only to find that it may not be enough! And a grisly death awaits at least one of the main cast.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on July 24.

SCION #26

Written by Ron Marz, penciled by Jim Cheung, inked by Don Hillsman, colored by Justin Ponsor.

The Underground's attempt at founding a free kingdom for the Lesser Races has been successful, but nothing is as simple as that. Told from the point of view of the Lesser Races, this issue delves into what it means to be a slave, as well as the courage it takes to throw off the chains of servitude and begin the long journey to freedom.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on July 31.

CRUX #16

Written by Chuck Dixon, penciled by Steve Epting, inked by Rick Magyar, colored by Frank D'Armata.

The story of Thraxis. He's big, he's hairy, he's got lots of teeth. He also has a tale to tell that reaches from the farthest star to the towers of ancient Atlantis. It's a story that will impact the future of our heroes and those who still sleep in the city of Atlantis. But to hear it Capricia must do battle with the beast man and win. Also, Galvan's dreams take a deadly turn.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on July 31.

ROUTE 666 #2

Written by Tony Bedard, penciled by Karl Moline, inked by John Dell, colored by Nick Bell.

The ghost of Cassie's Grandfather changes the course of her life, opening her eyes to the full, ghastly extent of the supernatural forces threatening Cassie and her world. Unfortunately, she also realizes that she is trapped in an asylum run by the ghouls and monsters that she believes are out to steal her soul. And so a bloody breakout ensues, and Cassie's notorious spree of terror begins as she hits the road, leaving a bloody trail behind her. But the question still remains: is she really a crusader against an unseen evil, or a murderous psycho on the loose?

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on July 31.

EDGE #4

By various.

She's sexy. She's deadly. She's Zanniati, July's Edge cover girl, and she's one part of the intrepid band of adventurers featured every month in Sigil. New writer Chuck Dixon promises to "take all that came before and blow it up!" He's off to a good start. Prepare for the destruction of all that is with a double-shot (chapters 21 and 22), hoping all the while that Zanniati somehow emerges from the rubble with not a hair out of place. But what of Ashleigh, the plucky heroine of Scion? She always manages to keep her looks, no matter what the season. In this month's installment (chapters 21 and 22), Ashleigh and Ethan visit the underwater city of Haven and come to a new understanding with the council - and each other. No such understanding exists between the Ruse team, however, even though Emma Bishop is the most beautiful and intelligent partner any World's Greatest Detective could ever want. Who can blame Emma for taking to the streets, even if it is just part of Simon Archard's grand scheme (chapters 5 and 6). Just try that with Ingra, the seething beauty of The First. This installment (chapters 15 and 16), Ingra gets one step further in her plan to take over House Dexter and reunite both Houses under her rule. Too bad for Pyrem that he's the leader of House Dexter. Ingra is bad news, and her latest schemes mean a new level of conflict for the First. But she's somehow not quite so despicable as the Demon Queen Animora, who's hell bent on destroying Giselle Villard and the whole world of Mystic. This month's episode (chapter 20) sees the final assault on the Nouveau Guild's castle, which - wouldn't you know it? - comes down to a magical slugfest between Giselle and Animora. Beautifully drawn by Brandon Peterson, who certainly knows his way around the female figure, this tour de force is Brandon's final chapter as the artist of Mystic. You don't want to miss it. There are absolutely no female leads at all in the concluding chapter of Saurians: Unnatural Selection, but we make up for that with a special preview of the new martial arts period drama Way of The Rat, a regular feature beginning next month. 256 pages, $11.95, in stores on July 31.