DARK HORSE COMICS FOR JULY

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

BILLY THE KID'S OLD TIMEY ODDITIES #4

Written and cover by Eric Powell, art by Kyle Hotz.

Thanks to the combined distraction of Billy's entrapment and the explosive entry of yet another insane treasure hunter seeking the Golem's heart, Sproule and his companions are able to escape from their bonds, but with the monstrous villagers mindlessly obeying Dr. Frankenstein's every word, none of them can escape from the lab . . . at least, not without Billy's help. But does Billy have the courage to overcome his greatest fears and free himself in time to save the others? Does he have the generosity of heart to risk his life for a group of people he has called "freaks?"

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 20.

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #103

Written and art by Hiroaki Samura.

This poignant episode, "Pity," deals with the complex relationships of compassion, honor, and revenge in the vicious landscape of Hiroaki Samura's modern, samurai-punk epic. Abayama, an older Ittö-ryü leader who has seen his share of death and violence, stumbles into a surprising predicament. After joining the surviving Ittö-ryü warriors on a quest for vengeance, a chance encounter leads him to a face-off with Makoto, the youngest Mugai-ryü conspirator and Abayama's former assistant.

32 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on July 13.

CONAN #18

Written by Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, art by John Steverin and Bruce Timm, colored by Dave Stewart, cover by Cary Nord.

Bruce Timm, the innovator whose work has changed the face of American animation as well as American comics, and John Severin, the legendary artist of EC's Two-Fisted Tales, Image's Desperados, and Vertigo's Caper, team up to give fan-favorite Cary Nord a month off. Busiek and Timm join forces on a brief, sadistic little adventure involving a girl, a wizard, a monster, and Conan's very morbid sense of humor. Busiek teams with sometimes writing partner Fabian Nicieza and the great John Severin to pick up a loose end from Conan #3, as Conan's destiny is misinterpreted by a series of luckless warriors and shameless opportunists, leading to nothing but misery.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 20.

EMILY THE STRANGE #1: THE BORING ISSUE

By Cosmic Debris.

For more than ten years, pop culture cultists have revered and adored a mysterious, brooding thirteen-year-old girl named Emily the Strange. Nobody knows much about the young girl with a porcelain face and huge eyes framed by black bangs, and her ever-present brood of black cats only adds to the intrigue‹but that hasn't stopped a generation of rabid fans from letting Emily put her spell upon them. Now, for the first time ever, Emily fans will be welcomed into her dark and, well, strange world‹a place where kitty friends talk, the ghosts of famous weirdos come out to play, reality is never quite what it seems, and‹ above all‹a place where anyone who's ever been considered a little ³strange² themselves will be made to feel right at home.

Dark Horse Comics and the creative minds behind Cosmic Debris are thrilled to present the first-ever Emily comic books, published as deluxe single issues with all-new stories and art. Each issue of Emily comics will feature 48 pages of black, white, and red art (with the occasional outburst of full-color freakouts!), illustrating a wacky range of Emily stories.

48 pages, $7.95, in stores on Aug. 3.

THE GOON #13

Written and art by Eric Powell.

Goon's got himself in deep this time. After his adventures in the dimension of the flesh-eating eye and his brutal battle with Dr. Alloy's army of killer robots, the uptown police take the opportunity to kick Goon while he's down and haul him off to Cade's Island Penitentury to rot for the rest of his days. Now it's up to Franky to plan a daring prison break and spring the Goon before he finds himself out-numbered on the wrong end of an all-out prison brawl with a load of old foes.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 20.

HELLBOY: THE ISLAND #2

Written and art by Mike Mignola.

Though it may cost him his life, Hellboy learns the secret history of the world, the origin of the Ogdru Jahad, and his own right hand. Celebrated writer/artist Mike Mignola concludes the biggest turning point in his Hellboy saga, establishing his character firmly in the weirdest traditions of authentic gothic horror. Award-winning creator Mike Mignola presents the long-awaited sequel to 2001's The Third Wish, and the first Hellboy series since the character was pushed into the mainstream by 2004's hit film.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 20.

THE INCREDIBLES TPB

Adapted from a script by Brad Bird, art by Ricardo Curtis and Ramon Perez.

The city of Municiburg is protected by many superheroes, but its main champion is the ultra strong Mr. Incredible‹who always works alone. But things go awry for Mr. Incredible and the rest of the supers when they are hit with a series of lawsuits brought by those they once saved. In an effort to defuse the situation, the government steps in and creates a program to relocate the supers and put them into hiding‹in exchange for their promise never to use their powers again. Mr. Incredible is forced to resume the life of his secret identity‹Bob Parr. But family life and the daily nine-to-five aren't enough for Bob, who takes to sneaking out and doing "superhero work" in the evenings with his good friend Lucius, who used to be known as Frozone. These evening outings cause problems for Bob at home. But things take an unexpected turn when Bob is contacted by a mysterious woman named Mirage who wants to recruit Bob for some top-secret superhero work...

96 pages, $12.95, in stores on Aug. 31.

JAPAN TPB

Written by Buronson, art by Kentaro Miura.

Yuka Katsuragi, a beautiful TV news reporter, has attracted the affections of a Yakuza thug, Katsuji Yashima, who travels with his brother all the way to Spain to find her, only to have his affections rebuffed by Yuka. A terrible earthquake hits, and Katsuji, his brother, and Yuka, along with four high-schoolers in Spain on a field trip, all fall deep underground. While trapped below the surface, they encounter a mysterious old woman who reveals to them prophecies that the wealthy nation of Japan will meet the same demise as the once-prosperous city of Carthage. Katsuji and the others insult the old woman, who then sends them to see the world of the future with their own eyes, a future of desolation and death...

216 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Aug. 10.

KONG: KING OF SKULL ISLAND TPB

Created and illustrated by Joe DeVito, written by Brad Strickland.

In 1933, American showman Carl Denham returned from a mysterious, hidden island with a priceless treasure. A treasure not gold or jewels, but the island's barbaric god, a monstrous anthropoid called ³Kong.² The savage giant escaped and wreaked havoc among the man-made canyons of Manhattan, but within hours of the giant ape's death his body‹and Carl Denham‹disappeared. Twenty-five years later, the son of Carl Denham makes a shocking discovery that leads him back to the site of his father's greatest adventure and to the answers that will unlock the century's greatest mystery and history's greatest miracle.

Authorized by the Cooper Estate and based on the original novel that inspired the all-time classic film. This new novel acts as both prequel and sequel to the classic fantasy tale, King Kong. Acclaimed fantasy artist Joe DeVito and top fantasy and science-fiction writer Brad Strickland join forces to make for an interactive visual-narrative storytelling experience unlike any other.

176 pages, $19.95, in stores on Aug. 31.

LITTLE LULU: LULU IN THE DOGHOUSE TPB

Written by John Stanley, art by Stanley and Irving Tripp.

Little Lulu has been taking shots at the funnybones of comics fans for nearly fifty years‹ but you've got another think coming if you dare assume this means today's readers won't love her, too. As tough as she is tender-hearted, as smart as she is sassy, and as fair and generous as she is cantankerous, Lulu Moppet is a real one-of-a-kind. Now, for the first time ever, comics fans can read and relish every Little Lulu comic book story from the original, long-running Dell Comics series in Dark Horse Books' handy paperback library series! Handy, affordable, and hilarious, these thick, fun-filled volumes are bursting with stories from every angle of Lulu's world‹from the far-flung fairy tales she dreams up to calm the quarrelsome tot, Alvin, to the silly slice-of-life adventures that end with impossible complexities and belly laughs for readers.

208 pages, black and white, $9.95, in stores on Aug. 10.

LITTLE AND LARGE HC

Written and art by Tony Millionaire.

Here is another delightful book from writer/artist Tony Millionaire featuring two interconnected stories that tie together for the happiest of endings. When Ann Louise's grandfather crashes through the woods to cut down a tree for use in his workshop, he never stops to think about all the creatures making their home in it. Uncle Gabby then meets a spider displaced from his tree house and begins a quest to find him a new place to live. A weathervane? A dollhouse? A goose-wagon? Sadly, no, no and no! But what is Grandfather building from the lumber?

40 pages, $7.95, in stores on Aug. 17.

MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN #3

Written by Bruce Campbell and David Goodman, art by Rick Remender and Hilary Barta.

Award-winning artist of The Goon, Eric Powell, pops in for a portrait of Bruce Campbell to wrap around our bloodstained third chapter, in which Campbell's dead wife returns as a robot who's more in love with the cab driver hiding inside her husband's brain than the man himself. Meanwhile in Gyspy Town, the cabbie's ex-wife stages a mannequin wedding‹this is comics as only the greatest madman of B-movies could conceive it. This issue features two covers, one by the regular team on the book and one by Eisner Award-winning creator Eric Powell!

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 13.

MICHAEL CHABON PRESENTS THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF THE ESCAPIST #7

Written by Michael Chabon, art by Eduardo Barreto, colored by Paul Hornschemeier, cover by Briand Bolland.

This very special seventh issue of The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist features...no Escapist whatsoever! Instead, Pulitzer-winning author Michael Chabon takes over the entire issue with a story introducing the mysterious Mr. Machine Gun, a character torn straight from the pages of Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.

Legendary duo Kavalier and Clay created scads of fascinating characters, and Mr. Machine Gun was one of the best. A former guinea pig of Nazi bioexperimentation, the WWII hero turned to a postwar career in politics. Now, dealing with an intensely personal tragedy, Senator ³Ben Vanderslice² struggles to once more gain control over his murderous right hand!

With Chabon aided by artist Eduardo Barreto, you'll swear that you're reading the original Sunshine Comics edition‹now an impossible find! Who is this classic character that inspired a runaway issue-length tale from a Pulitzer winner? Find out in this snub-nosed and smoking seventh installment of the popular quarterly anthology!

80 pages, $8.95, in stores on July 13.

SAMURAI EXECUTIONER VOLUME 7 TPB

Written by Kazuo Koike, art by Goseki Kojima.

As Samurai Executioner continues moving into its own world of crime and punishment, honor and bushido, we are beginning to learn more about the characters and situations involved in Edo-era justice. We're learning about Kubikiri Asa, the Shögun's decapitator, and his stoic life. This man's joyless existence is backed by stories of his past as a child, and how they reflect on his present life. But we also learn more about the peace officers of the era. In particular, there's the character ³Catcher Kasajirö,² the charming young man who uses a hooked rope and chained cudgel with such great skill. With these two characters, one with the guilt of many generations, and one bearing the naiveté of a young buck, comes an odd sort of tenderness to a world of pain and death.

304 pages, black and white, $9.95, in stores on Aug. 10.

SERENITY #1

Written by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews, pencils by Will Conrad, colors by Laura Martin.

This fall Joss Whedon makes his big-screen debut as writer/director with Serenity, the big-budget feature follow-up to his cult-hit TV show Firefly‹the story of a ship full of mercenaries, outlaws, fugitives, and one law-abiding prostitute running across the fringes of space. Now Whedon pens a three issue miniseries based on the film with Brett Matthews, whose previous credits include Spider-Man specials with Daredevil and Wolverine, episodes of TV's Firefly, an Angel miniseries, and the animated Chronicles of Riddick feature Dark Fury.

The crew of Serenity once again find themselves broke and on the wrong side of a number of very large firearms, making the first issue a case study in how to mix intense, Whedon-style character interaction with cinematic action and violence. Artist Will Conrad and colorist Laura Martin paint a rough and wild world of adventure across a strange and dangerous universe. Each issue of this series features three covers, one for each member of the Serenity crew, drawn by the biggest names in comics. Issue #1 features Mal by John Cassaday, Inara by J.G. Jones, and Jayne by Bryan Hitch.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 6.

SHADOW ROCK TPB

Written by Jeremy Love, art by Robert Love and Jeremy Love.

After his mother's death, young Timothy London moves from the big city to the small New England fishing town of Shadow Rock to live with his father. His new home is up the hill from a legendary haunted lighthouse where Timothy discovers the ghost of Kendahl Fog, a little boy who died under mysterious circumstances. Timothy and his new ghostly companion set out to explore the dark underbelly of Shadow Rock and the mystery of Kendahl's death. Harrowing thrills and chills ensue in this classic boy's adventure with a horror twist from Jeremy and Robert Love, the creators of Fierce.

80 pages, $9.95, in stores on Aug. 31.

STAR WARS: EMPIRE #35

Written by John Jackson Miller, penciled by Brian Ching, colored by Michael Atiyeh.

"A Model Officer." Information obtained from a prisoner captured on Jabiim has set Darth Vader on the trail of the Rebel Fleet. No Alliance defense can divert Vader from his target, and if he is successful it will mean the destruction of the fleet and the end of the Rebellion.But there is one small hope for the Rebels, and it all comes down to one man pursuing his duties with an unshakable zeal, and remaining a ³model officer² to the end... Iron Man writer John Jackson Miller joins the Star Wars team with this one-shot story of duty, honor, and betrayal within the Empire.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 6.

STAR WARS: REPUBLIC #79

Written by Welles Hartley, art by Dough Wheatley, colored by Christopher Chuckry, cover by John Gallagher.

³Into the Unknown,² part 2 of 2. The galaxy has changed for the Jedi, their Order has been dealt a crippling blow. Now the dark times have begun, and individual Jedi are left to decide whether they will stay true to the duty they took on during the Clone Wars, cast themselves to the will of the Force, or abandon their beliefs altogether.None of the decisions is easy, and all of them are fraught with peril! Republic embarks on the first step into the "dark times" after Revenge of the Sith!

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on July 27.

SUPER MANGA BLAST! #54

By Mohiro Kitoh, Makoto Kobayashi, Kenichi Sonoda, Hiroyuki Utatane and Toshiya Takeda.

Sunao joins the fray in a Seraphic Feather space showdown! Will the shy psychic's mental abilities and shaky shooting skills be enough to help rescue Kei? The penulimate episode of Club 9 finds Haruo Hattori tying up loose ends in Tokyo and yearning for the life she left behind in rural Akita. Makoto Kobayashi's What's Michael? comic masterpiece explores themes of cat cohabitation, amusement parks, peanuts, and fame. A new, frenzied battle begins in Cannon God Exaxxion, as the Exaxxion home base is infiltrated for the first time by Riofaldian forces! In Shadow Star, Shiina is alone, unarmed, and hunted by Satomi's malicious Shadow Dragon!

128 pages, black and white, $5.99, in stores on July 27.

TRIGUN MAXIMUM VOLUME 6: THE GUNSLINGER TPB

Written and art by Yasuhiro Nightow.

A lot of the Gung-Ho Guns have fallen victim to defeat and therefore death, but not by the bullets of the reluctant hero, Vash the Stampede. But even if the ³Guns² seem to be dwindling, that doesn't mean there's a lack of violent freaks tearing up the planet. In Gunslinger Vash is running into all sorts of weirdos with guns. All the while, Knives and his crew have something mysterious going on behind the scenes, and it doesn't look good for Vash and the people he lives to protect.

192 pages, black and white, $9.95, in stors on Aug. 3.

VAMPIRE HUNTER D: RAISER OF GALES VOLUME 2 NOVEL

Written by Hideyuki, cover and illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano.

The adventures of Vampire Hunter D continue!Vampires: murderous creatures in the shape of humans, they stalk the night feeding on the blood of innocents. Seemingly immortal, they can be destroyed only by the use of a stake through the heart, severing of their heads, or exposure to sunlight. By the year 12, 090 A.D. vampires have ruled the Earth for almost 300 years, and it is only these weaknesses that have kept these foul monsters from totally overrunning the world.

But what happens when those rules no longer apply? The village of Tsepesh sits in the eternal shadow of an abandoned castle, a onetime stronghold of the Nobility, the vampire lords who rule the devastated wasteland of the future. Ten years ago four children disappeared while playing near the castle, only to mysteriously reappear a month later. Now vampires have begun to hunt in the daylight. Are the two events connected? The villagers turn to the vampire hunter known only as D, but as he follows the children, now adults, the answers he finds may be more terrifying than anything he could ever imagine.

300 pages, black and white, $8.95, in stores on Aug. 17.