DARK HORSE COMICS FOR NOVEMBER

Following are Moonstone Books' solicitations for December, with information coming from the publisher.

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #95

Written and art by Hiroaki Samura.

"Confession." Magatsu, licking his wounds after last issue's bloody showdown, plays samurai detective after he journeys to the site of an Ittö-ryu massacre. In a weird turnaround, it's a batch of new Ittö-ryu warriors who are massacred! Crossbow expert Hyakurin is also convalescing, under Giichiıs protection while she slowly becomes battle-ready. A heartbreaking conversation provides some insight into Giichi's character, and the ever-present Blade cliffhanger leaves us wondering about Hyakurin's future. Gracing this issue are two stellar pinups by rising comic book stars Jonathan and Joshua Luna.

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

B.P.R.D. THE DEAD #1

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Guy Davis, colored by Dave Stewart.

Abe Sapien digs up more details of his origin, as the biggest secret in 10 years of Hellboy comics continues to unravel. The other members of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense meet their new team leader, a formerly dead Pentagon special operative, as they move in to their new command center to combat the ongoing plague of frogs. John Arcudi joins the team as co-writer, mixing his bizarre brand of action and humor with Mignolaıs own unique writing style.

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

CONAN #10

Written by Kurt Busiek, art by Cary Nord and Thomas Yeates, colored by Dave Stewart, cover by Leinil Francis Yu.

Conan accused of murder! Burglarizing a lush temple, Conan stumbles across a dead body and is blamed for the crime. But can the city guard even hope to hold him? Part One of our two-part adaptation of Robert E. Howardıs ³The God in the Bowl,² a locked-room mystery with broadswords, evil gods, and more. This also marks the first time Conan runs afoul of Thoth-amon, greatest sorcerer of the Hyborian Age, who will be Conanıs most deadly and implacable enemy. Find out how their long rivalry begins.

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

DOCTOR SOLAR MAN OF THE ATOM VOLUME 1 HC

Written by Paul S. Newman, art by Bob Fujitani and Frank Bolle.

When industrial sabotage causes an experiment in atomic energy to go awry, nuclear physicist Doctor Phillip Solar is transformed into a living atomic reactor! Now Doctor Solar uses his miraculous energy-based powers to protect the innocent and to thwart the diabolical machinations of the mysterious archcriminal known only as Nuro.

The original incarnation of the classic hero Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom springs to life in this newly remastered collection of classic stories from comics visionaries Bob Fujitani, Frank Bolle, and Paul S. Newman. Reprinted for the first time in nearly forty years, these adventures of Doctor Solar are truly wonders of the atomic age. Fans of Russ Manning, Mac Raboy, or Alex Raymond will be delighted with artist Bob Fujitani's original depiction of this classic hero in all his radioactive glory. This collection also features two rare cover paintings by legendary science-fiction illustrator Richard Powers.

208 pages, $49.95, in stores on Dec. 29.

FREAKS OF THE HEARTLAND #6

Written by Steve Niles, art by Greg Ruth.

Young Trevor Owen and his "freak" brother Will are almost at the end of their road-- theyıve fled the family farm where Will spent his entire life hidden from the world, chained up in the barn. Their parents are dead. And now theyıre on the run from the law while Gristlewood Valley burns with the flames they started. But all the terror and heartbreak will be worth it if they can make it out of the Valley alive--and take the other three living "freak" children the town has hidden with them. But are four six-year-old freaks of nature and two of their "normal" older siblings any match for a well-armed sheriff and his posse? The stunning and heartbreaking conclusion to this year's most resonant and unpredictable horror series.

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

GRENDEL: DEVIL'S REIGN #6

Written by Matt Wagner, art by Tim Sale.

In this penultimate chapter of the saga of the first Grendel-Khan, Orion is nowhere to be found, even as the world heads into total war between East and West! After the loss of his wife, the Khan has disappeared, and now a dangerously unpredictable general has his finger on the nuclear button! And how does Eppy Thatcher, the last incarnation of the Devil, fit into this dire picture? Meanwhile, the increasingly unstable Pellon Cross schemes to free his vampiric brethren from internment‹with the bloody help of his now-evangelical following. Re-presenting the original Grendel #39, with remastered color by Matt Hollingsworth and Giulia Brusco.

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

THE INCREDIBLES #1

Adapted from a script by Brad Bird, penciled by Ricardo Curtis, inked by Ramon Perez.

The city of Municiberg was once protected by many heroes, but its main champion was the ultra-strong Mr. Incredible--who always worked alone. But things went awry for Mr. Incredible and the rest of the Supers when they were hit with a series of lawsuits brought by those they once saved. To diffuse the situation, the government created a relocation program for the Supers--who, in exchange for an end to the lawsuits, went into hiding and promised never to use their powers again.

Now, Mr. Incredible is simply Bob Parr, living the suburban life with his wife Helen and their three children. However, family life and the daily nine-to-five routine aren't enough for Bob, who frequently sneaks out to do "hero work" in the evenings. Bob's inability to move on from past glories soon puts a strain on his home life. But one day things take an unexpected turn when Bob is contacted by a mysterious woman who recruits him for some top-secret hero work... Adapted from The Incredibles, a Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios film.

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

JINGLE BELLE #1

Written by Paul Dini, art by Jose Garabaldi and Stephanie Gladden.

The first issue features two stories with Jingle Belle and her gal pal Polly Green stirring up trouble. In "A Very Special Jingle Belle Special," Jingle Belle is once again trying to sell her life story as the unsung hero of the holiday season. After several failed attempts Jingle thinks she finally found a way to correct past mistakes. She once again defies Santa's "no publicity" edict and signs with a cartoon producer to make an all-new animated special. But she soon finds herself facing adversaries even more dangerous than the Blizzard Wizard and his snow monsters--contemporary TV executives. The "Polly Green Backup Story" finds Jingle's gal pal Polly Green, fledgling Halloween witch, in quite a predicament. Her family is demanding that she use her magic to conjure up elaborate gifts for them and Polly is sick of being used. Determined to teach her greedy family a lesson, Polly gives one gift to everyone and turns their home into a huge gingerbread mansion. It isn't long before Polly's family falls under the spell of the house and devour it, becoming hideously fat. Polly's relatives beg her to magically make them thin again, but Polly says there's only one way they can shed those holiday pounds: lots and lots of exercise.

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

KINGDOM OF THE WICKED HC

Written by Ian Edginton, art by D'Israeli.

Forget J. K. Rowling. Forget Lemony Snicket. Forget Phillip Pullman. Christopher Grahame is the premier childrenıs author of the twenty-first century. From a handful of homespun tales told to his own children at bedtime, Chris Grahame is now a publishing phenomenon. With his work translated into everything from Aborigine to Zulu, he is the cornerstone of a multi-million dollar, franchise-spewing empire. Is it any surprise then that under all this pressure something has to give? Unfortunately, it's Chris' mind. Stricken by mysterious headaches and blackouts that plagued his childhood, Chris once again finds himself walking the avenues and boulevards of Castrovalva--the fantasy realm he dreamt up as a boy, to while away his recuperation. But like Chris, Castrovalva has also changed. Deluged in mud, blood, and barbed wire, war has come to wonderland. Chris tries to tell himself it's all a bad dream ... so why can't he wake up?

120 pages, $15.95, in stores on Dec. 1.

SAMURAI EXECUTIONER VOLUME 3 TPB

Written by Kazuo Koike, art by Goseki Kojima.

Readers of Lone Wolf & Cub came to know a samurai of such high honor that he was not only able to perform but enjoyed and, in fact, learned from basic daily tasks. Cutting wood, cooking food. That wasn't something a samurai did back in feudal Japan. These same human elements are apparent in Kubikiri Asa, the main character in Samurai Executioner. He's a man of the people, though his job is to separate many of those same people from their heads.

In this volume, however, we're treated to three fantastic stories of amazing weapons skill, both on the part of Asa and those around him. Witness, for the first time in this series, a duel between two great samurai, in the slow, contemplative tradition. Observe Asa's extremely precise sword stroke. And read a charming story of a young peace officer who practices the use of his specialized weaponry to the point of utilitarian, life-saving perfection. It's more classic samurai stories in our third volume of Samurai Executioner.

312 pages, black and white, $9.95, in stores on Dec. 8.

STAR WARS: EMPIRE #27

Written by Ron Marz, art by Nicola Scott, colored by Michael Atiyeh, cover by Tommy Lee Edwards.

"General Skywalker," part 2 of 2. Luke Skywalker is a pilot for the Rebel Alliance and a Jedi-in-training, but when a Rebel intel team gets pinned down by an unexpected Imperial patrol Luke receives an unexpected promotion‹to General! It's all part of Commander Narra's plan to enlist the aid of an unexpected ally that could turn the tables on the Imperials.

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

STAR WARS: OBSESSION #1

Written by Haden Blackman, art by Brian Ching, cover by Brad Anderson.

While Anakin Skywalker enjoys a brief respite from the Clone Wars (and a reunion with his secret wife Padmé Amidala), Obi-Wan Kenobi embarks on a "personal" mission. Kenobi's first stop is a frontier town on the swamp world of Trigalis, where he fights a small army of bounty hunters, duels with a crime lord who has ties to Count Dooku, and obtains undercover help from fellow Jedi Aayla Secura. All that just to verify a rumor about an enemy that he can't forget. Obi-Wan is becoming obsessed, and he knows it. But the danger of flirting with the dark side is a risk he's willing take to save the person about whom he cares most in the galaxy. Dark Horse sets its sights on the events leading up to the most anticipated event in Star Wars history: Episode III‹Revenge of the Sith.

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

STAR WARS: REPUBLIC #71

Written by John Ostrander, art by Jan Duursema and Dan Parsons, colored by Brad Anderson, cover by Duursema.

"The Dreadnaughts Of Rendili." Part 3 of 3. The action is fast and furious as the Jedi pull out all stops to prevent the Separatists from commandeering the mighty Rendili Fleet. Anakin Skywalker and renegade Jedi Quinlan Vos team up in their starfighters, Vos is finally captured and broght to justice for his crimes, and Anakin has what he hopes will be a final showdown with dark Jedi Asajj Ventress high above the dark alleys of Coruscant. Against the backdrop of the Clone Wars, dark deeds are made to seem right, so that even a Jedi might condone revenge.

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

SUPER MANGA BLAST! #47

By Mohiro Kitoh, Makoto Kobayashi, Kenichi Sonoda, Yuzo Takada, Hiroyuki Utatane and Yo Morimoto.

Kenichi Sonoda's current Cannon God Exaxxion story arc nears its conclusion, with Earth's champion attempting to outwit and outmaneuver the alien invaders' massive robot, piloted by the cunning Colonel Hulan'ki. Makoto Kobayashi's slice-of-Tokyo-life drama, Club 9, sees the naïve Haruo back at her hostess job and troubled pitcher Koji Uryü struggling to regain past successes. Kobayashi's Eisner-Nominated Whatıs Michael? offering features a rare 13-page story, some cute kittens, and One Dangerous Baby! Seraphic Feather illustrates how a doomed shuttle in the cold vacuum of space just doesn't mix well with treacherous super-soldiers and enraged, meta-human U.N. agents! Shiina returns to the pages of Shadow Star, with a new look, a new scar, and plenty of new school troubles.

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

ULTRAMAN TIGA VOLUME 2: PAST SINS, PRESENT DANGERS TPB

Written by Tony Wong and Khoo Fuk Lung.

Perhaps one of the most popular of Asia's cultural icons, Ultraman has charmed fans and fired imaginations since the 1960s. Appearing across both the Anime and Manga media, the character continues to grow in popularity thanks to a devoted fanbase and the ability to constantly reinvent itself. This incarnation of Ultraman, now called "Tiga," finds the 100-foot-tall hero revived in the year 2049 and facing a world ill-equipped to handle the onslaught of gigantic beasts that are peppering the globe. Melding incredible sci-fi concepts with some of the most exciting action sequences ever put to paper, Ultraman Tiga continues to punch, kick, and karate-chop his way into the hearts of fans around the world. Collecting issue #5-#10 of the series.

200 pages, $19.95, in stores on Dec. 29.

USAGI YOJIMBO #80

Written and art by Stan Sakai.

Join Dark Horse in celebrating the 20th anniversary of Usagi Yojimbo with this last issue of the year! Wandering through feudal Japan, masterless samurai Usagi Yojimbo now encounters a man developing a flying machine! The contraption's design is based on sketches by an Italian visionary, and though Dr. Takenoko has endured many failures in his quest to soar the skies, he now believes that he has perfected a prototype! However, a thief has learned of his endeavors, and plots to murder the good doctor and claim the machine for himself...if only he can get rid of Usagi! Find out "If Rabbits Could Fly," this month in Usagi Yojimbo.

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