DARK HORSE COMICS FOR JULY

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

3 X 3 EYES: THE SHADOW OF THE KUNLUN

By Yuzo Takada.

Pai, the beautiful 300-year-old amnesiac mystic, and her companion-cum-immortal slave, Tokyo student Yakumo Fujii, may have found the clues they seek to help them discover the secrets of the Sacred Land. Joined by the dashing relic-hunter, Jake MacDonald, Yakumo and Pai discover an ancient temple that may hold the key to returning Pai and Yakumo to their human forms. However their journey of exploration becomes a fight for survival as the pair are once again pitted against the evil forces of Kaiyan Wang.

224 pages, black and white, $17.95, in stores on Aug. 13.

AMERICAN SPLENDOR: UNSUNG HERO TPB

By Harvey Pekar and David Collier.

Few authors are able to capture an honest snapshot of everyday life the way Harvey Pekar can. From ruminations on jazz musicians to back problems and traffic tickets, Pekar writes in a clear, unsentimental voice that not only explores the mundane, but celebrates it as well. This time out, Pekar focuses his sharp literary eye on Robert McNeill, an ordinary man who's lived an extraordinary life. McNeill recounts his time spent as a G.I. in Vietnam, on a tour through that surreal and horrific landscape that even now, thirty years later, we're struggling to define. Unsung Hero is a tale of cynicism and endurance, tempered by McNeill's distinct sense of humor and Pekar's touching wit.

80 pages, black and white, $11.95, in stores on Aug. 20.

ASTRO BOY VOLUME 18 TPB

By Osamu Tezuka.

As Japanese popular culture and entertainment continue to explode in popularity around the globe, the single inspiration of the late Osamu Tezuka - master cartoonist, animator, and storyteller - cannot be underestimated, and Astro Boy is perhaps the most influential work of graphic fiction of the last fifty years. Each volume of his collected adventures is an all-ages treasure trove of action, comedy, and humanity...not to mention monsters, aliens, and giant robots.

216 pages, black and white, $9.95, in stores on Aug. 27.

THE BLACKBURNE COVENANT #4

Written by Fabian Nicieza and Stefana Raffaele.

The bizarre conclusion to the supernatural conspiracy finds author-turned-messiah Richard Kaine out for vengeance-but how will he find the solution when he's part of the problem? How can he change civilization without destroying our way of life? And since when can firepower be overcome by flower power?

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 9.

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #80

By Hiroaki Samura.

Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal has gained worldwide recognition for its rough yet graceful art, its modern attitude coupled with a detailed, archaic setting, and uncertain innocence mixed with brutal bloodletting. This issue brings the reader into the midst of something out of the ordinary for Blade of the Immortal-a highly detailed traditional Japanese ceremony. These hidden politics, this tentative romance, age-old traditions, surprises, heartbreak, anger, fear-so much emotion packed into a single issue. And not a single sword is drawn. But that doesn't mean the tension and action are not present; rather they are hidden, gestating behind thin veils and quiet patience. This issue, as well as #79, are the crux of a long, mysterious story-a winding path that will soon begin its descent into the complex chaos you've come to expect from Blade of the Immortal.

32 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on July 9.

B.P.R.D.: DARK WATERS

By Brian Augustyn and Guy Davis.

Abe Sapien and Roger the Homunculus find a small town in Massachusetts where the perfectly preserved bodies of three puritan witches have been uncovered in a drained pond. When the waters rise again, it spells doom for the town, and a colossal battle ensues between the mystical forces in the town, the local churches, and the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 16.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #59

By Scott Lobdell, Fabian Nicieza and Cliff Richards, cover by Paul Lee and Brian Horton.

"Slayer Interrupted," part 4 of 4. The final chapter of the four-issue story arc, "Slayer Interrupted." Buffy discovers the horrible secret being kept deep in the bowels of one of Los Angeles's premier mental institutions. Committed by her parents, Buffy finds herself not knowing whom to trust. Now it's up to her to save a group of young girls from the demon that feeds off the sick teenagers hospitalized within. The second book of the Buffy: Year One trilogy wraps up, leading into her parents' divorce, and her arrival in Sunnydale.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 23.

CANNON GOD EXAXXION #15

By Kenichi Sonoda.

Entering the third volume of giant robot action and teen angst confusion, our young hero moves in on Tokyo City after assisting in the escape of his mom and his high school crush, Akane. But the two haven't escaped the clutches of the technologically superior aliens, who may prove to be more clever and conniving than hero Hoichi's rake of a grandfather ever imagined. Better buckle up, because the action, intrigue, and sexy drama is just getting started.

40 pages, black and white, $2.50, in stores on July 2.

CANNON GOD EXAXXION: STAGE 2

By Kenichi Sonoda.

It ain't easy being the savior of Mankind when you're still in high school, but Hoichi Kano will have to make due. Luckily, he has a super-cool integrated gunsuit at his disposal, just the ticket to take on the monstrous mechanical horrors of a pesky group of all-powerful alien invaders. But eventually, fire must be fought with fire, and luckily Earth may have the biggest beat-stick in the playground, the massive, anti-matter-powered robot, Exaxxion. And of course, all it needs is someone crazy enough to pilot it. Oh, Hoichi.

184 pages, black and white, $14.95, in stores on Aug. 13.

CLUB 9 VOLUME 2

By Makoto Kobayashi.

When country girl Haruo Hattori left the farm and her nutty family for college in the big city-and we're talking Tokyo big, folks-she promised to remain true to her high school sweetheart, but that was before she began work at Club 9, one of the hottest hostess bars in the Ginza, where temptation rears its ugly head on a nightly basis.

192 pages, black and white, $15.95, in stores on Aug. 20.

CRIMINAL MACABRE: A CAL MCDONALD MYSTERY #3

By Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith.

The plot and the darkness thicken as detective Cal McDonald and his ghoul-in-the-know partner, Mo'Lock, delve further into the deadly horror unraveling around them. Strange experiments are being conducted by a mysterious and unknown madman, and it's up to Cal to track him down before an unholy and, frankly, quite annoying Hell is unleashed on Los Angeles. McDonald will be forced to rethink everything he has ever known about monsters . or die trying.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 9.

THE DARK HORSE BOOK OF HAUNTINGS HC

By Mike Mignola, P. Craig Russell, Paul Chadwick, Evan Dorkin, Jill Thompson and others, cover by Gary Gianni.

Dark Horse's horror line launches its new prestige format with this hardcover book filled with original short stories by some of the most respected names in comics. The longest story in The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings is also Mike Mignola's only new Hellboy adventure in 2003. Come along as Hellboy investigates a haunted house and discovers his own unexpected connection to the spirits within. P. Craig Russell adapts Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson's story about a child who leads friends and family into an abandoned house, and Paul Chadwick and his longtime Concrete editor Randy Stradley team up for a creepy short about a haunted suit. In the strangest entry in the book, Jill Thompson and Evan Dorkin recount the legend of a haunted doghouse. With a Victorian ghost story illustrated by Gary Gianni, and an interview with real-life séance medium L.L. Dreller, plus a new Devil's Footprints story and contributions from international artists Uli Oesterle (Germany) and Lucas Maragnon (Mexico), this is the ultimate book for horror-comics enthusiasts and fans of fantastic artwork.

96 pages, $14.95, in stores on Aug. 20.

GO BOY 7: HUMAN ACTION MACHINE #1

By Tom Peyer, Jon Sommariva, Pierre-Andre Dery, cover by Francisco Ruiz Velasco.

While on a trip to visit his uncle at a top secret facility known as the Go Base, Jonny Zero is critically injured and his parents killed when their plane is shot out of the sky by a mysterious attacker. Now the only thing that can save Jonny's life will leave him changed forever. Don't miss out on this first issue in what is sure to be one of the runaway hits from Rocket Comics-Go Boy 7.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 2.

GRENDEL: GOD AND THE DEVIL #6

By Matt Wagner, Jay Gelhof, John K. Snyder III, with remastered color by Jeromy Cox.

As the Devil descends into a hallucinogenic search for greater truth, Pellon Cross-newly appointed footsoldier of God-embarks on a long, strange trip of his own. Sent by the increasingly power-crazy Pope Innocent XLII to the Sahara Desert, Cross is charged with raiding a nuclear depot and retrieving its hidden cache for the Church's use. Meanwhile, under the sickening streets of Vatican Ouest, the Rat gets his revenge. Matt Wagner's hell-bent romp through the 26th century hits full-throttle with this sixth issue, and it only gets wilder from here. Re-presenting the original Grendel #29, with new color and new cover art.

32 pages, $3.50, in stores on July 9.

HELL #1

By Brian Augustyn, Todd Demong, Time Kane, cover by Carlos Meglia.

Corey Rolllins has tried his best to take care of himself and his mother since his father disappeared ten years ago. The military claimed that Corey's father went AWOL and vanished, but Corey and his family have never believed the official story. After being visited by a mysterious stranger who tells him his father is still alive, Corey sets out on an adventure that will take him to the island known only as Hell. And once he's there, he may never be able to leave.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 16.

THE INVINCIBLE ED: LANCE LUNDGRIN UNLEASHES #3

Written by Ryan Woodward.

This issue gets serious. Down in the dumps, Ed the geek, takes the blame for the accident with Robin on the football field. Will Ed give up on his training and superhero destiny? Just when Ed is about to walk away from it all, High School football star, Lance Lungrin shows up and threatens Nod, the alien, with his demands for power. The forests of Chesterton have never seen such power displayed as they will when Nod and Lance battle it out.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 9.

KISS #11

By Mike Baron and Mel Rubi.

The Demon, Starchild, Beast King, and the Celestial probe the genetic mysteries behind the bizarre transformations of the young woman named Christine 16; meanwhile all Hell breaks loose across Manhattan as a storm of hideous monsters rains down on a terrified city. This monstrous maelstrom might be a bit much for even KISS to handle, but when has that ever stopped them from putting up a fight? Ever closer to unraveling the dark secrets of the Unholy-and restoring the lost humanity of the people he's victimized -The Four Who Are One embark on a mission of terrifying and apocalyptic proportions.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 16.

OH MY GODDESS! #99

By Kosuke Fujishima.

The Phantom Racer, part 4 of 4. The cover says it all. This comic is about motorcycle racing action. But not your simple, everyday racing stuff. Oh no-this is Oh My Goddess! after all, so along with the super speed and teeth-gritting turns, you get charming kids, supernatural happenings, and love, love, love, love, love. Keiichi, his sister Megumi, and Belldandy are investigating a mysterious ghost. Odd thing is, it's a ghost motorcycle, and a darn fast one at that! Megumi tried to race it, but the apparition almost blew her off the cliff! Now it's Keiichi and Bell's turn, as they challenge the racy ghost while riding master mechanic Chihiro's new love, a little tandem racer. The race is on.

32 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on July 2.

SCARLET TRACES HC

By Ian Edginton and D'Israeli.

A decade after the Martians abortive assault on the Earth and their attempt to establish an invasion bridgehead on the British Isles; the industrious Victorians have assimilated the Martian technologies into their everyday lives. Hansom cabs now scuttle along the Capital's streets on multi-limbed crab legs and the terrible monopoly of the Martian heat-ray has assured the dominance of the British Empire over two-thirds of the Earth's surface, and whose benign tyranny looks to continue to do so far into the next century. However, there is something rotten at the heart of the Empire. When the bodies of several young women are found washed up on the Thames, drained of blood, enter Captain Robert Autumn (retired soldier turned gentleman adventurer) and his former Sergeant Major now manservant Archie Currie. Together they are drawn into the mystery which leads them from the gin palaces of the East End, and the grinding poverty of North, to Whitehall's corridors of power and the very Hall of the Martian King.

88 pages, $14.95, in stores on Aug. 20.

SHREK #2

By Mark Evanier, Ramon Bachs and Raul Fernandez.

Something is stinky in the neighborhood, but it's not coming from Shrek's swamp. When Shrek and Donkey go to investigate the funky smell they find it coming from a gingerbread house that's gone rancid. The house is owned by a sweet lady who's thrilled to have their company and keeps feeding them the most delicious food they've ever tasted. What Shrek and Donkey don't know is that the woman is a witch, and she's fattening them up for her dinner.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 23.

STAR WAR: DARK EMPIRE 3RD EDITION TPB

By Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy, cover by Mark Zug.

The epic-length story that re-energized the Star Wars franchise is now available in a new edition, with a new cover by Magic the Gathering artist Mark Zug. Join Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie as they battle the Empire's latest super-weapons: the gigantic, planet-destroying World Devastators! Six years after the Battle of Endor, the Empire has been reborn, guided by a mysterious new leader. With a price on their heads, our heroes are on the run. Han and Leia struggle to protect their unborn child from the bounty hunters and Imperial troops that dog their steps. But their greatest danger may lie in the troubled heart of a hero-as Luke succumbs to the lure of the dark side.

152 pages, $16.95, in Aug. 27.

STAR WARS: EMPIRE #11

By Paul Chadwick and Tomas Giorello, cover by Kilian Plunkett.

"Yavin Base" Part 2 of 2. While establishing the Rebel base on Yavin IV, General Dodonna clashes with fellow Rebel commander Roons Sewell over plans for the future of the still fledgling Alliance. Sewell is a charismatic leader who has won the hearts and minds of the rebel rank and file, but his flair for the dramatic worries the more pragmatic Dodonna. It's age and experience versus youth and vigor. But with the Empire searching for the new base, and ready to swoop in and destroy the rebels at the first opportunity, the behind the scenes struggle between Dodonna and Sewell could have unexpected - and unwanted - results for the Alliance. The "Darklighter" story line returns with issue #12.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 2.

STAR WAR: REPUBLIC #56

By Haden Black and Brian Ching, cover by Tomas Giorello.

"The Battle of Jabiim" part 2 of 4. Obi-Wan Kenobi is MIA, presumed dead. When his master is killed in a battle with Jabiimi rebels, Anakin Skywalker finds himself assigned to a squad of similarly "orphaned" Padawans. The non-stop rain and violent storms on Jabiim suit Anakin's mood of despair punctuated with rage. Some of the other Padawans feel the same way. Whether they're aware of it or not, they all have chips on their shoulders and are looking for either revenge.or a way to follow their dead masters in death. When a routine re-supply mission turns into a life or death fight, Anakin is faced with a choice: either set his feelings aside and follow his training, or give into his anger and use the power of the dark side.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 16.

STAR WARS: JEDI-AAYLA SECURA

By John Ostrander, Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons, cover by Duursema.

A double-sized Clone Wars special. Beautiful twi'lek Jedi Aayla Secura goes undercover to ferret out a Separatist enclave. But when her cover is blown, Aayla finds herself going up against famed bounty hunter (and infamous Jedi killer) Aurra Sing.

48 pages, $4.99, in stores on July 30.

SUPER MANGA BLAST! #34

By Masamune Shirow, Mohiro Kitoh, Makoto Kobayashi, Yuzo Takada, Hiroyuki Utatane and Yo Morimoto.

Featuring the best creators and a variety of action, adventure, drama, comedy, and cuteness, Super Manga Blast! is the perfect place for the uninitiated to see what manga is all about. Five regular manga titles and a special section of Masamune Shirow's Appleseed Hypernotes fill up this 128 page marvel! What's Michael? takes center stage this month with...oh golly, a big fight scene? Well, okay, there's some cuteness, too. But before you get used to that, Seraphic Feather will riddle you with sexy suspense and frenetic action. And to add to that, 3x3 Eyes continues with a battle in the holy land, Kunlun. Shadow Star furthers its journey through the youth psyche gone madly awry, and to settle things down a bit, Club 9 continues to charm your socks off.

128 pages, black and white, $5.99, in stores on July 30.

USAGI YOJIMBO #68

By Stan Sakai.

It's the conclusion of Stan Sakai's three-part homage to giant monsters of Japanese cinema. After a tense and disturbing monster hunt, Usagi and the sorcerer Sasuke attempt to rescue young Jotaro and a group of other children kidnapped by a demon-possessed artist. Whatever this diabolical artist paints with his ink set becomes reality, and when a monstrous stone warrior from legend is conjured up, Usagi must combat it with a creature of his own creation. Meanwhile, Jotaro leads an escape and is pursued by the artist's feral familiar.

24 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on July 23.