SATURDAY, MAY 6, 2006
DARK HORSE COMICS FOR AUGUST
BANYA: THE EXPLOSIVE DELIVERY MAN TPB
Written and art by Kim Young-Oh.
With a worldwide war raging between humans and monsters, the young delivery men of the Gaya Desert Post Office do not pledge allegiance to any country or king. They are banded together by a pledge to deliver. "Fast. Precise. Secure." Banya, the craziest and craftiest of the bunch, will stop at nothing to get a job done. Known as the "Explosive Delivery Man" for his risk taking, bold resolve, and impeccable record, Banya agrees to complete a wounded soldier's mission to transport a parcel of great importance‹not knowing what dangers lie in store for him and his friends! As their arduous journey begins, Banya promises, "There isn't a delivery I can't make. I always deliver." Kim Young-Oh's fantastical world is filled with unique monsters, vicious swordplay, and a dash of hotfooted humor. This series is presented in its original Korean format and translated by the mother/son team of Anna Kirk and Derek Kirk Kim.
184 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Sept. 20.
BERSERK VOLUME 13 TPB
Written and art by Kentaro Miura.
The Band of the Hawk may have been the most formidable band of fighters around, but when matched up against an army of abyssal monstrosities, earthly fighting skills don't amount to a hill of beans. The Hawks' tortured and mutilated former leader, Griffith, has used the accursed Crimson Behelit to open the gates to a shadowy realm of unspeakable horrors, the realm of the demon lords of the Godhand, who are willing to transform Griffith into a being of terrible power and majesty as long as Griffith is willing to give up his former command as sacrifices in the Invocation of Doom. But nobody takes down the Hawks without a fight, and their berserker champion, Guts, will take on anything Hell can throw at him in order to save his lover, Casca, from the sordid violations that only Hell can offer.
240 pages, black and white, $13.95, in stores on Sept. 27.
BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #116
Written and art by Hiroaki Samura.
"On the Perfection of Anatomy," part 5 of 6. The return of Hyakurin! Rin continues to live in her family's abandoned döjö, fretting over Manji's absence and disturbed by her odd visitors, Döa and Isaku. Hyakurin's arrival is a relief, and the two ladies set out to search for their missing friends, starting with Giichi. This fan-favorite, bald-and-bespectacled warrior has been missing for quite a while. After the death of his son and the dissolution of the Mugai-ryü, does Giichi even want to be found? Meanwhile, in a horrible prison under Edo castle, Doc Burando continues to write his medical opus, On the Perfection of Anatomy, and several more unlucky convicts become unwilling participants in the demented doctor's experiments. This issue also features the return of Hiroaki Samura's absurd and hilarious "Biography," with rare, accompanying Samura pinups!
32 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 9.
B.P.R.D.: THE UNIVERSAL MACHINE #5
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Guy Davis, colored by Dave Stewart, cover by Mignola.
As Kate's devilish adventure in a haunted French village concludes, Roger's fate is resolved in an otherworldly confrontation, and each member of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defenses confronts the truth of their own deaths‹which each has had to face alone.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 2.
THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN VOLUME 1: PANDORA'S BRIDE
Written by Elizabeth Hand.
Attempting to create life through dreadful experiments, Henry Frankenstein and Dr. Pretorius instead created unspeakable horror: two misshapen monsters, a brutish male and his female mate, stitched together from the bodies of cadavers. Crafted to be the monster's bride‹an undead Eve to an equally accursed Adam -- the female creature was destroyed mere minutes after taking its first breath -- or was it?
This new novel by Elizabeth Hand reinterprets the memorable characters from Universal Picture's classic 1935 film for a new generation of horror fans. Detailing the bride of Frankenstein's secret history, from the shadows of forgotten laboratories to the streets of Weimar Germany, Hand creates a richly atmospheric tale of horror, mystery, and tragedy as chilling as the creature itself.
275 pages, $6.99, in stores on Sept. 13.
CHICKENHARE: HOUSE OF KLAUS TPB
Written and art by Chris Grine.
He's a chicken! He's a hare! He's Chickenhare! And he's your new favorite comic book character, whether you know it or not!
Night is falling on the frozen landscape as Chickenhare and his turtle friend Abe find themselves on their way to be sold to Klaus‹an insane taxidermist with a penchant for unique animals and enough emotional baggage to go on a very long vacation.
With the help of two mysterious new companions, our fuzzy, feathered, and amphibious heroes endeavor to escape their dire fate. But they soon discover that might not be so easy when they get caught up in an adventure that could bring Klaus's villiany to an end for good . . . or they all might die.
152 pages, black and white, $9.95, in stores on Sept. 27.
COFFIN: THE ART OF VAMPIRE HUNTER D
Art by Yoshitaka Amano.
For over twenty years, the character Vampire Hunter D has haunted the imaginations of people around the world, its image forever etched in the mind's eye through the dazzling artwork of Yoshitaka Amano. As the original novels appear in English for the first time, American readers are clamoring for a more extensive look at this singular creation. Coffin obliges. This gorgeous retrospective embraces the full scope of Amano's work with the character: in the novels, as inspiration for the animators of the two theatrical films, rare paintings, and illustrations created for release as limited edition prints.
200 pages, black and white, $39.95, in stores on Sept. 13.
CONAN #31
Written by Mike Mignola, art by Cary Nord, colored by Dave Stewart, cover by Tony Harris.
Mike Mignola and Cary Nord conclude their bone-crunching adaptation of Robert E. Howard's "The Hall of the Dead" with an epic battle that allies Conan with a former enemy against slithering shadows and a veritable onslaught of undead warriors! Retainers to a lord long forgotten awaken to protect a treasure so sizable even the dead bemoan to see it stolen. Can a cunning Cimmerian and a foe-turned-friend withstand the power of such dark sorceries long enough to escape with both the loot and their lives?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 16.
CONAN AND THE SONGS OF THE DEAD #2
Written by Joe R. Lansdale, art by Timothy Truman, colored by Dave Stewart.
A twisted wizard brews a strange adversary for Conan from blood and the dust of the Stygian wastes. In this forsaken desert, the Cimmerian travels in search of an ancient and glorious prize. Yet its secret must be won from the grip of a conniving spirit and loyal zombie guard. Heat, grit, and evil are relentless in this wretched land, but no more so than Conan, a force of will born from sinew and steel, determined to claim his treasure and see it spent most mirthfully.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 9.
CRYING FREEMAN VOLUME 3 TPB
Written by Kazuo Koike, art by Ryoichi Ikegami.
A failed assassination attempt brings into Freeman's possession Muramasa, the Devil's Sword, an ancient samurai blade that brings misfortune and death to any who possess it. Wishing to spare Freeman and tame the sword's malevolent spirit, Tiger Orchid, Freeman's wife, takes the blade to Kowloon to train with a legendary swordmaster. But she'll need to find him in Kowloon Castle, a slum so riddled with crime and destitution that it officially doesn't exist. But its dangers are all too real, and even a possessed sword may not be enough to stop a gun-toting criminal army bent on selling Tiger Orchid into slavery!
408 pages, $14.95, in stores on Sept. 13.
THE ESCAPISTS #2
Written by Brian K. Vaughan and Gerard Jones, art by Steve Rolston and Jason Alexander, cover by James Jean.
Brian K. Vaughan teams with artists Steve Rolston and Jason Alexander for the second installment of our first Escapist mini-series! Max Roth and Case Weaver have finished the very first issue of their re-launch comic, featuring a revamped Luna Moth, and their promotional plans include a risky publicity stunt that puts Denny in an old Escapist costume . . . and in harm's way!
Also in this issue is a never-before-seen chapter from Men of Tomorrow, Gerard Jones' book on the history of comics, in which he unearths some scandalous press on the Master of Elusion!
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 9.
THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF THE DEPARTURE OF MISS FINCH HC
Written by Neil Gaiman, art by Michael Zulli.
Come, come and hear of the strange and terrible tale of Miss Finch, an exacting woman befallen by mystery and abduction deep under the streets of London! This is the first comics adaptation of Gaiman's story "The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch," which saw print only in the U.K. edition of Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions and was recently interpreted for his Speaking in Tongues CD. The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch is a "mostly true story" that combines the author's trademark magic realism with Zulli's sumptuous paintings, and has been newly rewritten for this hardcover. Join a group of friends, with the stern Miss Finch in tow, as they enter musty caverns for a subterranean circus spectacle called "The Theatre of Night's Dreaming." Come inside, get out of the pounding rain, and witness this strange world of vampires, ringmasters, illusions, and the Cabinet of Wishes Fulfill'd.
56 pages, $13.95, in stores on Oct. 25.
THE HELLBOY COMPANION TPB
Written by Stephen Weiner and Jason Hall, art by Mike Mignola.
Densely illustrated with classic images from the comics as well as a handful of new drawings from Mignola, this volume offers thorough documentation of the Hellboy universe, compiling the many complex pieces that make up the life of the World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator into an easily understandable format. From Abe Sapien to the secret origin of the world, this complete compendium is every hardcore Hellboy fan's key to the mind of Mignola, and the ultimate introduction for anyone looking to begin their journey in the weird and wondrous world he has created.
200 pages, $14.95, in stores on Sept. 13.
JU-ON
Written by Kei Ohishi.
In Japan, ju-on is a deadly curse that takes on a life of its own. Always seeking new victims, it's a grudge that doesn't stop‹it can't be stopped. Anyone unfortunate enough to meet up with a ghost killed by the grudge is then killed‹and so it spreads . . . When a senior citizen outreach volunteer goes to work in a house in a quiet residential area, she soon starts to hear odd noises. As the strange events get more and more ominous, she discovers that some acts of violence can attach themselves to a house and that some evils can reach out and touch you‹even after death.
Few stories have influenced modern horror as much as Ju-on. The Japanese films set a new standard for horror filmmaking and storytelling with their blend of slow-burning terror and nightmarish 275 pages, $8.95, in stores on Oct. 13.
KICKBACK HC
Written and art by David Lloyd.
Joe Canelli is a crooked cop working in a corrupt police force. Joe is haunted by nightmares of powerlessness. When his partner is brutally murdered and he's betrayed by his colleagues, it appears that Joe's nightmares are coming true. With his back against the wall there's only one thing he can do -- turn against the criminal network that he once embraced.
96 pages, $12.95, in stores on Aug. 16.
LITTLE LULU VOLUME 12: LEAVE IT TO LULU TPB
Written by John Stanley, art by Stanley and Ivring Tripp.
Containing every story and strip from Dell Comics' Marge's Little Lulu #48-52, first published between June and October of 1952, this jam-packed volume captures some of the very best yarns ever to star Lulu, Tubby, Annie, Alvin, and all the rest of the rambunctious gang. Whether it's the troublesome truant officer Mr. McNabbem or the awful Witch Hazel, there's no grownup too smart for these clever kids.
208 pages, black and white, $9.95, in stores on Oct. 11.
MUSEUM OF TERROR VOLUME 2 TPB
Written and art by Junji Ito.
Think you've seen about all there is in horror? Maybe the same tired concepts of phones ringing and mysterious murders is getting a bit old? Well, then we've got the horror manga for you!
Junji Ito, the man who brought the world Uzumaki, has one of the most inspired minds in horror today. That's why Dark Horse manga is proud to bring you more from Ito's Museum of Terror series.
Continuing with his "Tomie" stories, about an eternally youthful and perfectly beautiful girl who inspires people to commit murder, Volume Two promises to invent new ways to shock you. For instance, who'd have thought of making sake out of the remains of the killed and hammered-to-mush Tomie? See? It's crazy! Junji Ito promises to entertain you in the most cracked, yet pretty ways.
376 pages, black and white, $13.95, in stores on Sept. 6.
MUSEUM OF TERROR VOLUME 3 TPB
Written and art by Junji Ito.
Museum of Terror volumes one and two introduced readers to the horrific, beautiful creature Tomie . . . the woman no man could resist. Now Junji Ito, creator and curator of this horrible museum, brings a new type of exhibit to thrill and chill your senses! First, his lovely violinists will escort you to dinner in a vampire den. Next, in a classroom full of grotesquely masked students, which one is a demon in disguise? A musician's possessed arm attacks a schoolgirl by way of his mouth, and another young man listens to the tape recording left behind by a suicide victim. Why did she kill herself, and is he safe from its influence? Swordplay, monk-ridden ruins, halls of upright corpses, infectious radio broadcasts, and murderous ceiling hair are among Ito's beastly offerings in this volume! Find out why Junji Ito is Japan's foremost creator of horror manga!
392 pages, black and white, $13.95, in stores on Oct. 25.
OCTOPUS GIRL VOLUME 3 TPB
Written and art by Toru Yamazaki.
In previous volumes, Takako Unabara‹the Octopus Girl‹has fought zombies, Satanists, school bullies, and the resilient Vampire Granny. Toru Yamazaki's latest collection of absurdist horror stories pits Octopus Girl and Sakae (her wicked companion who has the body of a moray eel) against alien aggressors, bathroom-invading mutants, jealous teen rivals, and (once again!!) the annoying, tough Vampire Granny. Three bonus, "real world" horror vignettes are also included! These shocking manga tales, available in English for the first time, will hypnotize fans of the macabre and the absurd.
Toru Yamazaki is a talented and twisted manga artist who has found recent cult popularity as a Japanese television personality and a recording artist. Cutting a crass, comical niche into modern horror manga, Yamazaki's Octopus Girl collections serve up the most disgusting dishes of heartbreak and revenge found on land or at sea!
192 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Sept. 20.
OHIKKOSHI TPB
Written and art by Hiroaki Samura.
These stories are told with the same bold, kinetic art style and brilliantly paced storytelling that Samura's Blade of the Immortal epic is famous for. The main offering, "Ohikkoshi," follows the turbulent paths of several twenty-something art students as they fall in love, fall in lust, play in rock bands, ride motorbikes, eat, sleep (together), and try to avoid making life decisions while drunk. This romantic comedy is a "Japanese art school confidential" packed with absurd humor, obscure death metal references, and some expertly placed, dramatic revelations. "Luncheon of Tears Diary" is a vibrant, genre-busting tale that also peppers its humor with sharp, dramatic moments. Natsumi Funabashi, a virgin, is an aspiring manga creator on a quest for love and a fulfilling career. Along the way, she has to cope with overzealous men, gang warfare, a mahjong addiction, and a lascivious manga editor. This collection is rounded off by Samura's hilarious "Kyoto Super Barhopping Journal: Bloodbath at Midorogaike," a rare, autobiographical travel piece.
248 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Oct. 18.
OH MY GODDESS! VOLUME 4 TPB
Written and art by Kosuke Fujishima.
Ever since a cosmic phone call brought the literal young goddess Belldandy into college student Keiichi's residence, his personal life has been turned upside down, sideways, and sometimes even into strange dimensions!
Half-goddess, half-demon, Belldandy's big sister Urd continues her campaign of naughtiness when she brews up a luuuuuv potion that, of course, goes horribly awry, infecting everyone but her poor intended target‹Keiichi. But random passion in the streets may be the least of the gang's worries as a seemingly harmless CD could turn out to be a portal from the underworld, unleashing a most pesky demon, and any other random nasties that happen to be near her!
192 pages, black and white, $10.95, in stores on Oct. 25.
OLD BOY VOLUME 2 TPB
Written by Garon Tsuchiya, art by Nobuaki Minegishi.
Deciding that he must know the truth, the man who calls himself "Yamashita" follows a trail of clues that leads him back to the mysterious building where he was imprisoned and kept incommunicado for ten years. There, with the help of violence and a brutal imagination, he will try to find answers to the questions that haunt him. However, he will discover that his opponent will not yield to him so easily, and that his ordeal is far from finished.
208 pages, black and white, $10.95, in stores on Oct. 4.
PATH OF THE ASSASSIN VOLUME 3: COMPARISON OF A MAN TPB
Written by Kazuo Koike, art by Goseki Kojima.
Koike and Kojima's story of the famed ninja, Hanzo Hattori and his trials and tribulations protecting the shogun-to-be, Tokugawa Ieyasu. Each page builds upon the relationship between the two warrirors and the women they love. Path of the Assassin, printed in the same size format as Lone Wolf and Cub and Samurai Executioner, this title is a wonderful addition to the Koike and Kojima samurai collection.
312 pages, black and white, $9.95, in stores on Oct. 25.
PENNY ARCADE VOLUME 3: THE WARSUN PROPHECIES TPB
Written byJerry Holkins, art by Mike Krahulik.
So it was written, so it shall be. The coming foretold, sealed into the hands of fate by the lips of the prophets from another time. The mystery is revealed and the great plan will now come to its fruition! Its number shall be three. From the far horizons, across the deepest reaches of the ethereal gulf, the thunderous echo of its name shall be heard! Penny Arcade!
Penny Arcade, the most powerful webcomic in the universe, returns! The third
volume of this cultural and supernatural phenomenon, The Warsun Prophecies,
brings you every Penny Arcade strip published online in 2002 A.D., encased
with the dark secrets of the mad prophets known as Gabe and Tycho. Behold! It has been foretold!
136 pages, $12.95, in stores on Oct. 25.
REIKO THE ZOMBIE SHOP VOLUME 4 TPB
Written by Rei Mikamoto.
Reiko Himezono may make good money as a Zombie Shop‹a person who can raise the dead and summon obedient zombie servants straight from Hell itself‹but is all that cash worth all the trouble? Reiko has had to deal with crazed serial killers, vicious werewolves, and plenty of monsters, not to mention her wicked twin sister, Riruka!
Unfortunately for Reiko, her next challenge may well be her toughest yet! When she put an end to beautiful psychopath Saki Yurikawa's reign of terror, she had no idea that Saki's little sister Midori was waiting in the wings, all set to re-open the floodgates of tragedy and catastrophe all by herself! Reiko may have thought she was finished with the Yurikawa family, but blood is thicker than water, after all, and is it ever going to fly when Reiko and Midori square off!
200 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Sept. 13.
REX MUNDI #1
Written by Arvid Nelson, art by Juan Ferreyra, cover by J.H. Williams III.
A quest for the Holy Grail or a murder mystery? This bold, critically acclaimed series joins the Dark Horse horror line! In a Europe where the Catholic Church dominates and sorcery determines political power, Master Physician Julien Saunière must infiltrate a mysterious cult with a thousand-year-old secret that calls into question the root of all power in Europe, as well as the origins of Christianity itself!
In this issue, the Duke of Lorraine's plans have come to fruition -- he's pushed Europe into war, and the French monarchy is in tatters. Lorraine will try to seize the crown by force, but will he survive the coup? Meanwhile, Julien, locked in the dungeon of the Holy Inquisition, faces death and torture.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 16.
REX MUNDI VOLUME 3: THE LOST KINGS TPB
Written by Arvid Nelson, penciled by Eric Johnson, colored by Jeromy Cox, colored by Jim Di Bartolo, cover by Juan Ferreyra.
In a Paris where magic is real and the Catholic Church never lost its political power, one man's quest to solve a murder may lead him to the Holy Grail itself!
Doctor Julien Saunière continues his investigation into the theft of a mysterious medieval scroll, only dimly aware of the forces tugging him to the doorstep of the powerful Duke of Lorraine. Lorraine wants to provoke a massive, globe-spanning war that will soak the world in blood‹but why? The answer to that question, a deadly confrontation in the ancient catacombs beneath Paris, and a blasphemous revelation about Judas, Christ's betrayer, all await Julien in this volume of the critically acclaimed series Rex Mundi!
176 pages, $16.95, in stores on Sept. 13.
SATSUMA GISHIDEN VOLUME 1 TPB
Written and art by Hiroshi Hirata.
Controversial, tough, angry, highly skilled, and lost in a time of peace, the characters of Satsuma Gishiden tell a quasi-historical tale of social caste and brutal reprisal.
Readers with a taste for Kazuo Koike's gritty Lone Wolf and Cub will go nuts for master gekiga artist Hiroshi Hirata's tome of samurai struggle. Hirata's art and calligraphy leap off the page during scenes of action, only to unfold upon a full bleed that looks like a fine plate print. It's art at its most expressive, accentuating the classic stoic samurai characters you've come to know, only with a little more true society thrown in to help the reader understand what it was really like to be a warrior without a war.
