IMAGE COMICS FOR OCTOBER

Following are Image Comics' solicitations for October, with information coming from the publisher.

ARTHUR SUYDAM: CONAN SKETCHBOOK

Art and text by Arthur Suydam.

A welcome addition to the Conan Craze: For the first time ever in a magazine-size trade paperback, Arthur Suydam's sepia chalk drawings in the stunning style of the old Dutch masters. Amazing detail comes alive! Also features Suydam sketches of the extremely popular DeathDealer character, as well as a few other surprises. Includes informative commentary from the artist himself. Eight pull-out drawings printed on archival paper, ready for framing.

64 pages, black and white, $14.95, in stores on Oct. 8.

CASEFILES: SAM & TWITCH #13

Written by Marc Andreyko art and cover by Greg Capullo.

"Cops and Robbers." Everyone has a secret, and detective Sam Burke's weighs on him constantly. It's a ghost: a phantom of regret, bad choices and a life that should have been better. Now, after years of avoidance, the ghost has come home. Case Files: Sam and Twitch #13 is a special stand-alone story written by Steve Niles with art by Paul Lee.

32 pages, black and white, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 6.

FIREBREATHER: THE IRON SAINT

Written by Phil Hester, art and cover by Andy Kuhn.

Duncan's class trip to Europe should be an exciting diversion from his troubled home life, but when he sets foot on British soil, ancient forces stir and an unstoppable armored giant begins a rampage that can only end with Duncan's death.

48 pages, $5.95, in stores on Oct. 27.

FORSAKEN #3

Written by Carmen Treffiletti, art and color by Kristian Donaldson, inked by Nick Zagami, cover by Kristian Donaldson.

"The Light of Other Days," part three. As the Separatist goes public with his intent to inflame a full-scale race war, the team must race against the clock to track down their next lead before their greatest fear becomes a bloody reality. Will this lead prove to be yet another dead end? Or will the team finally gain some ground?

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 6.

FRANKENSTEIN MOBSTER #6

Written and illustrated by Mark Wheatley, covers by Wheatley and Alex Nino.

Tonight the Frankenstein Mobster will escape from the police, kidnap the Mayor and engage in wanton property damage. He is a one-man crime wave. Too bad his daughter, Police Detective Terri Todd, is the only person who stands a chance of stopping him.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 6.

HAWAIIAN DICK: THE LAST RESORT #3

Written by B. Clay Moore, art by Nick Derington, cover by Steven Griffin.

Loose ends are tied together as others unravel. The FBI makes its presence known and a hungover Byrd confronts the crime families with information regarding their motivations. Meanwhile, Mo prepares for a date with man-eating sharks, and a sunbathing Kahami encounters (a deceased?) Stew Mulligan.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 27.

HOUDINI: THE MAN FROM BEYOND OGN

Written by Brian Haberlin and Jeff Philips, art by Gilbert Monsanto and Haberlin.

Celebrate the anniversary of the death of a legend with his greatest escape of all! On the eve of the Wall Street collapse of 1929, Harry Houdini makes the ultimate escape: He returns from the dead in the guise of a young stockbroker and partners with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to prevent his wife Bess from being murdered. Their search calls into question Houdini's own demise and brings them into contact with such period luminaries as Aleister Crowley and Charles Lindbergh as they uncover a cult that threatens to unlock the secrets of eternity.

160 pages, $16.95, in stores on Oct. 27.

INVINCIBLE #18

Written by Robert Kirkman.

Invincible is enlisted to accompany the first manned space flight to Mars. What secrets could the red planet hold? Why would someone anticipate a problem necessitating the inclusion of the most powerful superhero on the planet? Invincible is about to find out, and the answer will astound you.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 13.

THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW GN

Written by Washington Irving, adapted and painted by Bo Hampton, cover by Hampton.

This is Bo Hampton's 1993 Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a faithful adaptation of Washington Irving's tale surrounding the ghostly inhabitants of Tarrytown, New York around the time of the American Revolution. The cast of characters is headed up by the Headless Horseman himself! Hampton's original watercolor art achieved wide critical acclaim and was nominated for a Harvey Award for Best Graphic Novel in 1993. This edition boasts new covers and 16 pages of new material, including numerous preliminary sketches of scenes and characters.

64 pages, $7.95, in stores on Oct. 6.

NOBLE CAUSES #4

Written by Jay Faerber, art and cover by Fran Bueno, cover by Andres Ponce.

As friends and foes close in on Krennick, he uncovers a secret from his past that could dramatically affect his future. Meanwhile, on a distant planet, Frost and Cosmic Rae have been separated from Rusty and the others, which doesn't please Rusty one bit. Back on Earth, Gaia starts to wonder if the "new" Doc is too good to be true.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 20.

PSCYTHE #2

Written, illustrated and front cover by Mark Texeira.

Following the end of Lucifer's war, legions of angels were banished to Hell to suffer an eternity for their actions. For one of the fallen, the suffering is about to end. Pscythe, once one of the most powerful of angelic entities, has been granted a chance for redemption. To succeed, it must inhabit the subconsciousness of a human vessel in order to understand and appreciate the lessons on Earth that it did not learn in Heaven or Hell. Without her knowledge, a novice bounty hunter, is chosen to be that vessel, placing her in the middle of a spiritual struggle for Pscythe's allegiance. Angela stalks her first bounty. Little does she know, the hunter will become the hunted.

Plus: INDUSTRY OF WAR

Written by Jordan Raskin and Andrew Lelling, art and back cover by Raskin.

Former gang member Eddie Vierra is released from prison amid street-level suspicions that he's turned state's evidence. The agents continue their hunt for the weapon system, which sets them on a collision course with Eddie and his former gang.

40 pages, black and white, $3.95, in store on Oct. 27.

PvP #12

Written, illustrated and cover by Scott Kurtz.

Respectfully submitted for your perusal: five office co-workers enjoying what seems to be your run-of-the-mill Halloween party. Outside, a spaceship of unknown origin hovers menacingly. Its motive? Therein lies the tale. Anything is possible in The PvP zone.

32 pages, black and white, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 13.

ROB ZOMBIE'S SPOOK SHOW INTERNATIONAL OMNIBUS #2

Written by Rob Zombie, art by Pat Boutin, Fabio Laguna and EJ Su, cover by Leanne Shaw.

Holy hellbound hotcakes! Things go topsy-turvy in the underworld when Pat Boutin brings his run to a close on Spookshow with the awesome conclusion to this Suzi-X story arc. El Superbeasto keeps on riding the hot rails to hell where evil monkeys (monkeys?) lurk. Elsewhere, Simon Deadmarsh leads us back into the cold abyss of monster mashing as he tackles another fiendish foe. How hot is too hot? You'll find out this month in Spookshow International. Collects #5-6.

48 pages, $4.95, in stores on Oct. 27.

QUANTUM MECHANICS GN

Written, illustrated and cover by Art Thibert.

64 pages, black and white, in stores on Oct. 27.

SAVAGE DRAGON #119

Written, illustrated and cover by Erik Larsen. "The Running Man," Part One: Bush Whacked Forces are driving the masses to embrace Savage Dragon as their candidate of choice. Things are not right in Washington as the President of the United States spends the few days leading up to the impending election readying the country for war: a war with the super-powered beings that police the very planet. But things are not always what they seem, and the President is in more danger than he, or anybody else, knows. Plus, an all-new Rock vs. Zeek yarn by Erik Larsen and Frank Fosco.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 27.

SAVAGE DRAGON: GOD WAR #4

Written by Robert Kirkman, art and cover by Mark Englert.

The end is really nigh this time! Dragon and what's left of the Gods must unite to stop an ancient evil that threatens to end all life on this planet. This epic battle was so big it wouldn't fit in three issues, so we've expanded this mini by one issue, bringing you more God War action.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 6.

SPAWN #139

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

"Hellbound," Part 1, What would you do to save a loved one from a fate beyond imagining? Would you brave the perils of Hell itself? Would you take up the burden of an ancient curse and bear it on your shoulders? Would you break a sacred trust, knowing it could never be restored? While Spawn struggles to recover from the events of "1000 Clowns," Nyx faces these questions and more. Her decision will shock you.

32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 27.

SUPERPATRIOT: WAR ON TERROR #4

Written by Robert Kirkman, art and E.J. Su, cover by Cory Walker and Bill Crabtree.

It's the face-off of the Century: SuperPatriot vs. Baron Blitzkrieg with the fate of the United States of America at stake! Not since the civil war has a battle of such epic proportions been waged on U.S. soil. Let's hope our hero can ensure that such an event never happens again.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 13.

SYLVIA FAUST #2

Written by Jason Henderson, art and cover by Greg Scott.

Tim Klass already has a small army of young employees, and now he has to deal with his worst waitress ever, Sylvia Faust, who's depressed because she's found her father and he doesn't remember her. But when Tim comforts her with an escape into his favorite movies, Sylvia shows him how to make the escape a kind of reality. Weird and snarky magic romance.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 20.

TALES OF TELLOS #1

By Todd Dezago, Kelly Yates and Craig Rousseau, cover by Mike Wieringo.

In this first issue, writer/co-creator Todd Dezago joins forces with penciler Kelly Yates to bring you the swashbuckling tale of Serra and Sheva Nova, featuring the return of the beautiful yet deadly Dyn Jessa! Also in this issue, Dezago and Craig Rousseau combine their talents to bring you a fairy tale re-telling of the first (unfortunate) meeting of Hawke and Rikk. Plus a bonus pin-up by Thor Badendyck!

As is usual with the Tellos books, this three-issue series contains secrets, clues and twists that weave their way throughout the series. Don't think you know it all! All this is behind a gorgeous cover by Tellos co-creator (and Fantastic Four artist) Mike Wieringo.

32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Oct. 10.

ULTRA #3

Written by Jonathan and Joshua Luna, art by Jonathan Luna.

"Seven Days," Part Three. When Pearl finally decides to acknowledge the "signs" leading to true love (which may or may not happen), she makes a huge leap of faith by taking on something far more dangerous than crime-fighting or cut-throat superhero politics combined: the dating scene.

32 pages, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 13.

THE WALKING DEAD #13

Written by Robert Kirkman, art by Charlie Adlard, cover by Tony Moore.

The epic tale of survival continues as Rick and crew find another possible shelter. This place is perfect: It's secure, it's large, it has nearly everything they could ever need. Only problem is, it's already got dead tenants...lots of 'em.

32 pages, black and white, $2.95, in stores on Oct. 6.

THE WALKING DEAD, VOL. 2: MILES BEHIND US TP

Written by Robert Kirkman, art by Charlie Adlard, cover by Tony Moore. An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months society has crumbled: There is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living.

This volume follows our band of survivors on their tragic journey in search of shelter. Characters live and die as they brave a treacherous landscape littered with packs of the walking dead. Collects The Walking Dead #7-12.

136 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Oct. 6.

THE WICKED WEST GN

Written by Todd Livingston and Robert Tinnell, art and cover by Neil Vokes, color by Scott Keating.

The Black Forest was this spring's sleeper horror masterpiece, selling out in mere weeks while garnering rave reviews. Now TBF's creators are back, and this time they're bringing you Hell on horseback. Imagine the Outlaw Josey Wales riding into 'Salem's Lot and that'll get you to the core of The Wicked West. The year is 1870, the place is the Texas frontier town of Javer's Tanks. Cotton Coleridge is a man running from his past. And being new in town, he's the one the locals blame when folks start dyin' mysteriously. By the time the truth gets out, half the town has diedŠand come back. Cotton's quick with a gun, but guns don't work on vampires.

96 pages, $9.95, in stores on Oct. 13.

WONDERLAND GN

Written by Derek Watson, art and cover by Kit Wallis. In a future torn apart by conventional, chemical and biological warfare, three teenagers struggle to retain their humanity and survive against seemingly overwhelming odds. Brought up in isolation by a father intent on protecting them from the hostile environment that threatens their very existence, they face a danger more horrifying than anything they have faced before: a flesh-deforming plague of epic proportions.

When their father fails to return from a routine foraging mission, the teenagers find their lives thrown into turmoil and uncertainty by the alarming increase in attacks from cannibalistic, mutated humans. Although frightened to leave the relative security of their home and fully aware of the disturbing possibility that he may already be dead, the group risks everything to find their missing father.

96 pages, $6.95, in stores on Oct. 20.