Thursday, September 8, 2005
DARK HORSE COMICS FOR DECEMBER
13th SON: WORSE THING WAITING #3
By Kelley Jones.
Created, written, and drawn by horror virtuoso Kelley Jones, The 13th Son tells the story of the world's ultimate monster hunter‹a creature far more horrific and terrible than any of the monsters it hunts!
The third issue of this nightmarish tale drags readers clawing and screaming through the darkest realms of the Earth, where an all-out monster war is on between the Son and his quarry‹every vampire, werewolf, ghoul, and demon on the planet. Meanwhile, the witch who birthed the Son into this world is acting on nefarious designs of her own, which could derail the plans of the Son, and send humanity scurrying from the terrors she seeks to unleash.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 13.
AEON FLUX #4
Written by Mike Kennedy, art by Timothy Green II.
The best-laid plans are those that change. The Monican Rebellion's scheme to sabotage the Bregnan government's defoliant cannons must adjust to a shortened timetable, and flat-out destruction seems their quickest and best alternative. But Aeon has other priorities as well, namely finding her mysterious young trainee, Sithandra, and settling matters properly! No one abhors manipulation more than Aeon, and this is a lesson anyone who confronts her will remember for the rest of their short livesŠ
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 4.
ALIENS: ORIGINAL SIN NOVEL
Written by Michael Jan Friedman.
In 1979, science fiction and horror were brought together in director Ridley Scott's classic film Alien. The film follows the crew of a space cargo-ship, the Nostromo, who land on a hostile planet in response to a faint SOS only to discover an abandoned ship with a ravenous alien on board. Alien inspired three movie sequels, and now Aliens: Original Sin expands further on this classic story, bringing back characters like Ripley 8, the clone of Lt. Ellen Ripley, and the android Call. It also sorts out unanswered questions from the movies and raises entirely new ones. Was it just coincidence that the Nostromo happened to pass by the desolate planet? Why was the alien on the crashed ship in the first place? The answers, along with intense action, chilling horror, and even deeper questions await in suspense virtuoso Michael Jan Friedman's Aliens: Original Sin.
300 pages, $6.99.
BERSERK VOLUME 10 TPB
Written and art by Kentaro Miura.
Warrior supreme Guts has returned, and just in time to save the weakened Band of the Hawk from certain destruction...and to form an intimate bond with the beautiful warrior Casca. But job one is to find a way to free Griffith, the Hawks' leader, from the dank dungeons and 'round-the-clock tortures of the Hawks' former benefactor, the King of Midland. But while the flayed and starved Griffith may be in isolation, he is not alone. Horrors beyond imagination await Guts and the Hawks in the catacombs, and those who die may just be the lucky ones.
240 pages, black and white, $13.95, in stores on Jan. 25.
BILLY THE KID'S OLD TIMEY ODDITIES TPB
Written by Eric Powell, art by Kyle Hotz.
Billy The Kid's Old Timey Oddities starts with Billy the Kid free to roam America, having faked his own death. Free, that is, until Fineas Spoule, AKA. The Human Spider, discovers his secret. Now, afraid of being exposed, Billy finds himself in the service of a caravan of carnival sideshow performers who have unfinished business with a mad scientist none other than Victor Frankenstein himself!
This twisted love child of spaghetti westerns and Hammer horror flicks combines Powell's humorous fast-paced storytelling and Hotz's quirky macabre visuals for a story that the whole family will love...if they're the kind of family that love alligator men and miniature boys fighting monstrous mistakes of science with the help of the fastest gunslinger in the West!
104 pages, $13.95, in stores on Jan. 11.
BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #108
Written and art by Hiroaki Samura.
"Shortcut," part of 2 of 5. Hidden in a fortified prison cell near Edo Castle, Manji endures rough inspections at the hands of Habaki Kagimura's medical examiners. Oddly enough, despite being imprisoned and tortured, Manji finds some comfort and friendship in a conversation with his cellmatea simple man with a sad story. Giichi, Mugai-ryü assassin extraordinaire, is also missing, and Hyakurin and Rin consider their next move as they search for their friends.
Politics, horror, and squabbling, demented surgeons! Hiroaki Samura is pulling our favorite immortal warrior down a very disturbing, bloody pathway ... and the twisted fun in this "Shortcut" story arc is just getting started!
32 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 14.
BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE -- NIGHT OF THE BEASTS NOVEL
Written by Mamoru Oshii, cover by Katsuya Terada.
At Yokota Base in Japan, American soldiers stand guard at the brink of the Vietnam War. Although they fear the enemy outside their base, an even more dangerous enemy waits within‹bloodthirsty vampires walk among them. Appearing human, the beasts lurk in secret among the soldiers, waiting for the moment to attack. Saya, a fierce and beautiful vampire hunter, is sent to lead a team of undercover agents whose mission is to decide who is human and who is not, and wipe out the vampires before they can wipe out the base. But even though Saya is a powerful warrior whose skill with her Japanese sword is lethal, her ferocity may not be enough. The first book in a highly successful series of novels from Japan, Blood: The Last Vampire is a startling, fast-paced thriller full of chilling surprises.
300 pages, $8.95, in stores on Dec. 14.
B.P.R.D.: THE BLACK FLAME #5
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Guy Davis, colored by Dave Stewart.
The secret war against the frogs is no longer secret as an ancient monster-god marches across the devastated American heartland. Air Force bombs and missiles are useless against it, so how can the B.P.R.D., on the verge of total collapse, hope to stop it? The answer lies in a dream and in the bottom of a dresser drawer of a man who never existed.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 28.
CONAN #23
Written by Kurt Busiek, art by Greg Ruth.
Kurt Busiek teams up with Greg Ruth for another eye-popping tale spotlighting Conan's earliest years. At the age of 10, Conan already finds boyhood too small to contain his manly strength and ambition. But when disease strikes him and his village, he is left weak and unworthy. Determined to regain his self-respect, he journeys alone to the site of one of Cimmeria's bloodiest battles‹but little does Conan know that vile men hide in the shadows of this place, waiting to prey upon those so foolish as to awaken the fallen warriors from their uneasy sleep.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 21.
CONAN AND THE DEMONS OF KHITAI #3
Written by Akira Yoshida, art and cover by Pat Lee.
King Conan battles an onslaught of monsters unlike any he's seen in this penultimate issue of the series that pits the King of the Western world against a phantom warrior seeking to crush the Far East beneath his demonic fist. Shinzen was the greatest swordsman in the exotic kingdom of Khitai, until he became warped with dark power and stole the prized mystical blade Hakkiba. Now, Conan, his last remaining comrade, and the elite of the Khitai royal guard must stop Shinzen‹no matter how many twisted beasts of unspeakable horror he throws in their way.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 7.
CONCRETE VOLUME 3: FRAGILE CREATURE TPB
Written and art by Paul Chadwick.
When you're seven-feet plus of walking, talking stone, you're bound to draw the media spotlight, especially when you live in Tinseltown. Concrete's celebrity status is sometimes a pain in the buttress . . . but it does bring the occasional paycheck gig. When the producer of a low-budget science-fiction film approaches Concrete to use his prodigious strength to help save money on the film's FX budget, the siren call of Hollywood draws Concrete like a moth to a flame . . . a seven-thousand-dollar-a-week flame, that is.
208 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Jan. 18.
DRACULA: ASYLUM NOVEL
Written by Paul Witcover.
The book follows the activities at Dr. Seward's Sanatorium, the location from which Dracula drew several victims before being destroyed by Jonathan Harker in the original story. It is now after World War I and after being gone for years Dracula is suddenly restored to earth. Trapped beneath the grounds of the madhouse, his evil reaches out into the minds of the weak and insane‹and as a new crop of victims is harvested, new heroes are needed to battle this impenetrable evil. Dracula: Asylum combines intense horror, psychological tension, and thrilling action to create a successor worthy of the original.
300 pages, $6.99, in stores on Dec. 14.
THE GOON #15
Written and art by Eric Powell.
The war against the Zombie Priest is going well as Goon and his allies have managed to put a strangle-hold on the Priest's supply of fresh corpses for his Zombie legion. But just as things seem to be cooling down on Lonely Street, a mysterious figure arrives on the scene to seek revenge on one of the Goon's best pals, Norton.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 21.
GUNGRAVE ANIME MANGA TPB
Based on the anime created by Yasuhiro Nightow and the animation produced by Madhouse.
For Brandon Heat, death doesn't matter. Driven by his need for revenge, he returns from beyond the grave to cripple Millenion, the huge mafia organization that uses undead monsters as its enforcers. His ultimate goal will be to destroy Harry McDowel, the leader of Millenion, and at one time, Brandon's best friend...
160 pages, $14.95, in stores on Jan. 18.
JINGLE BELLE: THE FIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Written by Paul Dini, art by Stephanie Gladden and Jose Garibaldi.
Clear the ice! Santa's rebellious daughter returns in this fun-filled winter one-shot courtesy of writer Paul Dini and artists Stephanie Gladden and Jose Garibaldi. In a follow-up to her classic "Mighty Elves" tale, Jingle once again takes to the hockey rink in a battle royal with her snow leopard rival Tashi. It's the war to settle the score, or it will be if the girls can stay out of the penalty box long enough to finish the game. Also, romance comes to the North Pole in a tale of love among the lemmings, and Jing endures yet another "blissful" Christmas Eve in the company of her famous mom and pop.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 14.
KONG, THE 8TH WONDER OF THE WORLD MOVIE ADAPTATION #1
Written by Christian Gossett, art by Dustin Weaver.
With disgruntled investors after his skin, director Carl Denham has one chance to make the film of his dreams‹hire an unknown actress, kidnap his writer, and board a tramp freighter for the South Pacific. And Denham is the only one on board who knows their final destination: a mysterious, storm-shrouded land mass known only as the Island of the Skulls.
There, Denham and his film crew will encounter hostile natives, and actress Ann Darrow will find herself in the grasp of the island's undisputed lord and master‹the mighty Kong!
Based on the eagerly anticipated motion picture by Peter Jackson, this three-issue comics adaptation captures all of the action, all of the romance, and all of the terror of the 8th Wonder of the World!
40 pages, $3.99, in stores on Dec. 21.
PENNY ARCADE: 1 x 25˘
Written by Jerry Holkins, art by Mike Krahulik.
If you've never heard of Penny Arcade, it's possible you were killed tragically in a snowplow accident and your ghost is haunting the place where you once lived, convinced that you are still alive! Or you may have just missed out on this new invention called "the Internet." But don't fear, because Penny Arcade, the most popular web comic ever, is coming to comics shops and bookstores everywhere. The comic for gamers, by gamers is now available to everyone! In celebration of Dark Hore's January release of Attack of the Bacon Robots, the first Penny Arcade collection, we're offering readers a 25-cent preview of the book in a 24-page comic.
24 pages, 25 cents, in stores on Dec. 7.
PERHAPANAUTS #2
Written by Todd Dezago, art by Craig Rousseau, colored by Rico Renzi.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 28.
REVELATIONS #5
Written by Paul Jenkins, art by Humberto Ramos, colored by Leonardo Olea.
Someone wants Detective Charlie Northern dead. Brought to the Vatican to investigate the strange death of the Pope's most likely successor, Northern has uncovered too much, and now, someone close to him has been murdered. Dark and powerful forces are at work, but Northern doesn't care anymore. He knows he's dangerously close to the truth, and nothing short of Hell itself is going to stop him from finding out who or what is out to destroy his life.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 28.
SERAPHIC FEATHER VOLUME 6: COLLISION COURSE TPB
Written by Toshiya Takeda, art by Hiroyuki Utatane.
A game of power, treachery, and violence plays out over possession of advanced alien technology discovered buried on the Moon. These "Emblem Seeds" can unleash incredible power, but only a few are capable of wielding that power, and those who can are as valuable as the technology itself. Separatist corporate terrorists have hijacked a shuttle to Earth with the intent of kidnapping one such paranormal, Kei Heidemann, but U.N. agents, led by the beautiful and deadly Attim M-Zak, are out to spoil their plot. If the agents fail, not only will Kei fall into enemy hands, but the crippled shuttle will collide with Earth's orbital elevator, cutting off the moon colonies and setting the stage for the moon's independenceŠand potential war with Earth.
$15.95, in stores on Jan. 11.
SERENITY TPB
Written by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews, art by Will Conrad, cover by Adam Hughes.
Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and scribe of Marvel's Astonishing X-Men, unveils a previously unknown chapter in the lives of his favorite band of space brigands in this comics prequel of the Serenity feature film‹the big-budget follow-up to Whedon's cult-hit TV show Firefly.
Penned by Whedon and Brett Matthews, who wrote several episodes of Firefly as well as Dark Horse's final Angel comics series and the animated Chronicles of Riddick feature "Dark Fury," Serenity follows a ship full of mercenaries, fugitives, and one law-abiding prostitute in their pursuit for fast cash and a little peace along the fringes of space. The ragtag crew of Serenity take on a scavenger mission with the hopes of earning enough dough to disappear for a while. Only too late do they realize the whole gig is orchestrated by an old enemy eager to remake their acquaintance with the help of some covert-operatives known only as the Blue Gloves.
104 pages, $12.95, in stores on Jan. 25.
SHI: JU-NEN TPB
Written by Billy Tucci and JC Vaughn, art by Tucci.
Ana Ishikawa returns to her native Japan where she desperately tries to avert an all out-war between the secretive sects of the Kyoto and Nara Sohei. And with the Narans on the verge of annihilation, the Kyoto Sohei are about to rub it in‹with the encouragement of the Yakuza and with potentially disastrous consequences. Once again, Ana in the guise of Death Incarnate, will take up the naginata and don her grandfather's Kabuki face paint in order to save both cities, even if it means turning to her father's murderer Masahiro Arashi to do so...
104 pages, $12.95, in stores on Jan. 11.
SPACE PINCHY: PLEASED TA MEETYA
Written and art by Tony Takezaki.
Meet Space Pinchy. The last remaining member of the Pinch Tribe, Space Pinchy travels through space in search of the tribe's lost treasures, everything from dirty magazines to doomsday devices! In her adventures Pinchy utilizes myterious superpowers, a form fitting outfit, and about every innuendo in the book to aid her in her quest. It's a sexy, silly manga in full, digital color from Japan's very odd Tony Takezaki, and it's coming to America in a special six-issue series from Dark Horse Comics.
48 pages, $3.99, in stores on Dec. 21.
104 pages, $12.95, in stores on Jan. 11.
STAR WARS: EMPIRE #40
Written by Welles Hartley, art and colors by Davide Fabbri, inks by Christian Dalla Vecchia, cover by David Michael Beck.
"The Wrong Side of the War" part 5 of 5. The jig is up! The Rebel intelligence operatives inside the Imperial base on Kalist VI have been discovered. Yet, even with their cover blown, this stalwart crew of Alliance heroes is determined to follow through with their mission no matter what the cost! As Imperial forces close in swiftly and mercilessly, will this band of Rebels need to be rescued from their own rescue mission? Find out in this explosive conclusion to "The Wrong Side of the War."
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 21.
STAR WARS: EPISODES I -- III SLIPCASED GRAPHIC NOVEL SET
By various.
The Prequel Trilogy is now complete, and Star Wars fans can now own the entire set of graphic-novel adaptations in one deluxe package. From Anakin Skywalker's days as a podracer on Tatooine, to his tragic transformation into the Dark Lord of the Sith, the entire story is here in one slipcased set. The slipcase contains: Episode I‹The Phantom Menace, Episode II‹Attack of the Clones, and Episode III‹Revenge of the Sith.
Three books, 352 pages, $29.95, in stores on Nov. 16.
STAR WARS: PURGE
Written by John Ostrander, art by Doug Wheatley, colored by Chris Chuckry, cover by Adam Hughes.
After Order 66, few Jedi dare to venture outside the shadows‹rumors of the dark and terrible Darth Vader haunting even their waking moments. Yet, some Jedi find this life of fear unbearable. Now, a small band of Jedi have agreed to meet and discuss what should be done to oppose the Empire and its Sith Lords. However, the Empire is always watching, and Vader himself is eager to confront any Jedi that might bring him closer to the whereabouts of his betrayer, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Prepare for Jedi versus Sith action unlike any seen since the Old Republic in this special one-shot follow-up to Revenge of the Sith.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Dec. 28.
STAR WARS TALES VOLUME 6 TPB
By Rob Williams, Thomas Andrews, Ian Edginton, Lucas Marangon, Brandon Badeaux, Cully Hamner, Michel Lacombe, Steve Pugh and others.
The vastness of the Star Wars galaxy hosts an ever-unfolding mythology, filled with character-driven stories of loss and tragedy, of heroism and redemption. Collected here are ten such tales‹thrilling adventures that traverse and illuminate every era in the Star Wars mythos. From the life-affirming lessons of the Force to the moral and emotional fallout that comes with giving oneself over to the ways of the Sith, these exhilarating stories will change the way you see that galaxy far, far away...
232 pages, $19.95, in stores on Jan. 25.
SUPER MANGA BLAST! #59
By Mohiro Kitoh, Makoto Kobayashi, Kenichi Sonoda, Hiroyuki Utatane and Toshiya Takeda.
The insanity of Makoto Kobayashi's first extended What's Michael? story arc continues, as stranded astronauts face spitting, scratching horrors on the "Planet of the Cats!" Whether you're performing as a circus freak or imprisoned in a gross "breeding cell," life's surely not easy for a human surrounded by thousands of angry, bipedal felines. The Cannon God Exaxxion team finally sits down for dinner! (Then something really disturbing happens.) Shadow Star and Seraphic Feather, now featured in the original right-to-left, Japanese format, both enter new eras. The Seraphic Feather crew is almost ready to return to Earth, and Shiina's father becomes a Shadow Star detective, edging closer to the secrets of the mysterious Shadow Dragons! Also, SMB!'s entertaining and educational columns, "Sugoi Japan!" and "A Fan's View," continue to inspire fans of Japanese culture!
128 pages, black and white, $5.99.
UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: CAVALCADE OF HORROR TPB
By Dan Jolley, Den Beavais, Dan Vado, Steve Moncuse, Tony Harris, Art Adams, Jonathan D. Smith and Terry Austin, cover by Eric Powell.
The Mummy, Frankenstein, Dracula, the Creature from the Black Lagoon! Featuring long out-of-print artwork by Tony Harris and artist Art Adams, as well as a brand-new introduction and painted cover by multiple Eisner Award Winner Eric Powell, this collection tells the original stories of the Universal Monsters‹Frankenstein, the Mummy, Dracula, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
From the 1930s to the 1950s, Universal Studios changed horror cinema forever with its legendary run of monster movies. Since then, these timeless tales of terror and tragedy have enthralled generations of audiences and inspired countless creators of the macabre. Now, read the stories of the Universal Monsters as envisioned by some of comics' finest talents.
208 pages, $19.95, in stores on Jan. 11.
VAMPIRE HUNTER D VOLUME 3: DEMON DEATHCHASE NOVEL
Written by Hideyuki Kikuchi, art by Yoshitaka Amaon.
