DARK HORSE COMICS FOR JANUARY

BERSERK VOLUME 28

Written and art by Kentaro Miura.

Guts, the Black Swordsman, and his companions have finally arrived at the sea, where they discover a mysterious child who seems to share a special bond with Guts and his former lover, the now-mad Casca. The troupe's brief respite at the shore offers moments for quiet introspection and deeper bonding, but such peace is always short lived where Guts is involved, and Guts must once again don the demonic Berserker Armor to take on a force of bloodthirsty beasts emerging from the once-peaceful surf, possessed by the accursed sorcery of a powerful Kushan enchanter! And who knows what will happen when internal strife pushes a member of Guts's band unknowingly into the comforting companionship of an enemy!

224 pages, black and white, $13.95, in stores on March 25.

BETTIE PAGE HEAT-SENSITIVE MUG

Dark Horse has taken one of Bunny Yeager's best photographs of the longtime muse and inspiration Bettie Page, infused it with color, and applied it to a high-quality coffee mug. But wait -- there's more. When a hot beverage is poured into the cup, a magical transformation takes place, and our sultry cutie's top fades away. Oh, Nellie . . . that Bettie! If the coffee doesn't wake you up, that ought to do the trick.

$14.99, in stores on Feb. 11.

BLOOD+ VOLUME 4: NANKURUNAISA

Written by Ryo Ikehata, with art by Chizu Hashii.

In her attempts to stop Diva's plan of turning all of mankind into Chiropterans, Saya makes her way to the United States. Despite her forced rest, the time for action draws near. Meanwhile Diva, carrying Riku's children, makes preparations for the birth of the queens of the next generation! With the fate of humanity resting with the two queens, who will rise and who will fall in the final showdown?! And what of the ³promise² Saya made with Haji? Featuring twenty-one pages of illustrations by series character designer Chizu Hashii.

320 pages, black and white, $8.95, in stores on March 11.

BLOOD+: RUSSIAN ROSE VOLUME 1

Written by Karino Minazuki, art by Ryo Takagi.

Petrograd, Russia, at the turn of the twentieth century. Throughout Europe a vampiric menace stalks the streets: Chiropterans, incredibly strong inhuman monsters. A new organization of vampire hunters named Red Shield battles to stop the beasts, but they are outnumbered in the face of the superior might of the creatures. All that stands between the creatures and the end of humanity is a lone girl: Saya.

These two novels will explore the history of the Chiropteran menace, how Saya and her enigmatic mentor Hagi first met, and the inner secrets of the Red Shield organization.

Featuring eleven pages of illustrations by acclaimed manga artist Ryo Takagi. A tale that reveals the past of the thrilling character created in the hit motion picture Blood: The Last Vampire and the TV series Blood+.

320 pages, black and white, $8.95, in stores on March 18.

B.P.R.D.: THE BLACK GODDESS #1

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

At the turn of the twentieth century, a British museum curator with a bent for the occult traveled east in search of power and immortality. He was never heard from again. In 1937, masked crimefighter The Lobster faced a magic-wielding madman bent on fulfilling an apocalyptic prophecy. The plans were foiled, and the world saved, but the villain himself disappeared . . .

Seventy years later, B.P.R.D. agent Liz Sherman began to experience visions of a mysterious gentleman who warned of coming catastrophes. When the Bureau tracked him down, he disappeared -- and kidnapped Liz. Now, Liz's friends race to find her as their old enemies band together for a final, catastrophic attack. The Black Goddess is the second of three arcs pulling together threads from the beginning of the series -- and leaving the B.P.R.D. and the world forever changed.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 14.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #22

Written by Steven S. DeKnight, penciled by Georges Jeanty, inked by Andy Owens, colored by Michelle Madsen, covers by Jo Chen and Jeanty.

Vampires are the hottest thing around -- forget hipsters; being a bloodsucking fiend is where's it's at! Slayers must take the good fight underground if they're to avoid any bad press from the general public.

When Kennedy is sent to Japan to evaluate Satsu's efforts as team leader, they are taken by surprise by some fierce furry creatures who want to do nothing more than destroy Buffy (surprise!), while Twilight remains the captain of the anti-Slayer ship. Steven S. DeKnight (Angel, Smallville, Dollhouse) teams with series artist Georges Jeanty in "Swell."

40 pages, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 14.

THE CLEANERS #2

Written by Mark Wheaton and Joshua Hale Fialkov, art by Rahsan Ekedal, colored by Joe Graef.

Here are the facts we know so far: In less than twenty-four hours, a discreet team of private-practice trauma-scene cleaners has been dispatched to clean up two very large blood spills in the LA area -- one filling a room at a prestigious landmark hotel, and another taking up half a suburban block in the Valley. There are no bodies to speak of, no known victims, no explanation for how or why the blood appeared. But Robert Bellarmine -- whose cleaning crews get called in to take care of the weirdest jobs, the ones the cops can't or won't handle -- can already tell that both his advanced medical training and his scientifically skeptical mind will be pushed to the limit as he sets out to find a rational explanation for these sudden eruptions of gore. And when ten-year-old Henry Lisander goes missing the next day, Bellarmine knows he has even less time to figure out who or what is behind the bloodbath!

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 21.

CLOVER OMNIBUS EDITION

Written and art by CLAMP.

Kazuhiko is a young, but already deeply wounded black ops agent of a baroque, retro-tech future -- pulled out of retirement to escort Sue, a mysterious waif, to a destination she alone knows. Sue and Kazuhiko have never met . . . yet she knows him, having grown up since the age of four with her only human contact two distant voices: that of her elderly "grandma," General Ko, and of Kazuhiko's dead girlfriend, Ora. And Sue has been kept in that cage all these years because of what she is, and what the Clover Leaf Project found her to be -- a military top secret, and the most dangerous person in the world.

512 pages, black and white, $19.95, in stores on March 25.

CONAN THE CIMMERIAN #7

Written by Timothy Truman, penciled by Tomas Giorello and Richard Corben, colored by Jose Villarrubia, cover by Frank Cho.

Tim Truman's "Cimmeria" story arc comes to an explosive finale and tribal politics come to a head, as the fate of Conan's new lover is decided! Conan learns the truth about why his grandfather stayed in Cimmeria -- where the old warrior became a vital member of his adopted village, yet never let go of his daydreams and wanderlust. Brecan seeks to impress his chieftain father and end current clan tensions and disputes, but his "solution" creates even more problems and puts him at odds with an enraged Conan. Everything ties together here, as the first Conan the Cimmerian arc crescendos into a flurry of swords and emotion!

40 pages, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 21.

FEAR AGENT VOLUME 5: I AGAINST I

Written by Rick Remender, art by Tony Moore.

After being shot through the other side of a black hole, Heath Huston finds himself in a shadow universe, marooned on the desolate Planet Westx. A stranger in a strange place, the last Fear Agent enters a world populated by gun-slinging robots, venomous mutants, and buxom cowgirls in this six-part sci-fi Western shot through the heart. Creators Rick Remender and Tony Moore reunite to bring you the good, the bad, and the ugly days of Heath Huston, outlaw . . . it's high noon in dead space.

128 pages, $14.95, in stores on March 4.

GIGANTIC #3

Written by Rick Remender, penciled by Eric Nguyen, colored by Matthew Wilson.

Invisible alien film crews record your every moment for the entertainment of fat, anesthetized aliens throughout the universe. Gigantic, our would-be savior, fights to liberate us from this secretive voyeurism, but at what price? In order to restore order to their hit show "Planet Earth," the Universal Broadcast Network has sent Gigantic's archnemesis, the Iconoclast, to stop him by any means necessary, leading to a world-shattering battle through time and space.

32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Jan. 14.

GRENDEL: DEVIL'S REIGN

Written by Matt Wagner, penciled by Tim Sale, colored by Matt Hollingsworth and Giulia Brusco, cover by Wagner.

The year is 2530, and the corrupt Church, Vatican Ouest, has fallen, spreading upheaval across North America, along with an infestation of vampires. In this new world, Ex-COP leader Pellon Cross is still at large, devil-possessed Eppy Thatcher is missing, and Orion Assante is on an ambitious quest to restore order to the continent and gain legitimate power. But will Orion attain his goals before threats from overseas change the rules in this game for power?

Tim Sale's first major series in comics, collected for the very first time!

184 pages, $19.95, in stores on March 4.

HELLBOY: THE WILD HUNT #2

Written by Mike Mignola, art by Duncan Fegredo and Guy Davis, colored by Dave Stewart, cover by Mignola.

Hellboy contends with treacherous huntsmen, mystic visions, newly awakened bands of vicious giants, and a talking bird as he continues his journey across the rolling hills of England. Things far stranger await, should Hellboy's enemies succeed in resurrecting the Queen of Blood . . .

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 7.

KULL #3

Written by Arvid Nelson, penciled by Will Conrad, colored by Jose Villarrubia and cover by Andy Brase.

With Pict leader Ka-Nu's ominous warning still ringing in his ears, Kull must confront a more immediate crisis -- the wrath of his first wife, the Lady Igraine, whose venomous tongue threatens the validity of his claim to the throne. If that weren't enough, Kull must still meet with Brule, the formidable-yet-contentious Pict warrior whose insights will lead to a horrific revelation.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 7.

THE MASK OMNIBUS VOLUME 2

Written by Evan Dorkin, Rich Hedden, Bob Fingerman and John Arcudi, art by Kyle Hotz, Peter Gross, Sibin, Doug Mahnke and others.

A mystical artifact from the ancient past, the relic known only as the Mask imbues its wearer with nearly limitless power . . . face-stretching, mallet-forming, clock-smashing power. Slap the Mask on your mug and nothing is beyond your reach -- or the reach of a pie bomb‹which is why every crook, grifter, creep, hood, miscreant, scofflaw, and other words in the thesaurus are out to get their mitts on it. The hunt for the valued vizard (thanks again, thesaurus!) goes from sea to shining sea, involving voodoo, Amazonian tribesmen, ninjas (sweet!), mafiosi, Crypto-Nazis . . . and the Bardard Thespian Club!

384 pages, $24.95, in stores on March 18.

MISTER X: CONDEMNED #2

Written and art by Dean Motter.

In a desperate attempt to rescue his citizens from the insanity-inducing architecture that surrounds them, the mayor of Radiant City employs giant robots to demolish the most maddening buildings. That is, until one such mechanical monstrosity razes the sanctuary of a reclusive sect of architects -- with all 150 members inside! A freak accident or foul play? One man is determined to discover the truth -- the mysterious Mister X!

24 pages, $3.50, in stores on Jan. 28.

OH MY GODDESS! COLORS

Written and art by Kosuke Fujishima.

What's inside? Let's start with what's outside: a metallic gold embossed cover with french flaps, featuring the Goddess sisters on the front, and Belldandy and her angel Holy Bell on the interior. Then the contents kick off with a wacky intro to the Oh My Goddess! saga, in the form of an eight-page "fan" manga by Neon Genesis Evangelion Angel designer Yoshitou Asari! Then, OMG! Colors's namesake: four classic Oh My Goddess! stories, each focusing on a different goddess, and colorized under Kosuke Fujishima's supervision. Finally, an exhaustive "Encyclopedia" section cross-references the people, places, and things of the first thirty volumes of OMG!, including the differences between the two English versions, and many in-jokes about the series never before revealed!

192 pages, $19.95, in stores on March 11.

PLANET OF BEER

Written and art by Brian Sendelbach.

Dark Horse presents one of the silliest -- yet most subversive and darkly funny -- collections of comics this year. Planet of Beer selects the best and weirdest comic strips from the popular underground weekly comic Smell of Steve in one gloriously colored, landscape-format book. Join creator Sendelbach's all-misfit cast of underloved underwater superheroes, space-faring former U.S. presidents, soul-sucking alien DJs, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and other insane characters as they work together to find the elusive and legendary Planet of Beer.

152 pages, $14.95, in stores on March 18.

SOLOMON KANE #5

Written by Scott Allie, penciled by Mario Guevara, colored by Dave Stewart, cover by John Cassaday.

The Castle of the Devil hides several secrets -- the most horrible of which may still be locked at the base of the castle in the ruins of an ancient abbey. Solomon Kane gets closer to unveiling the truth behind the crazed monks who used to live there, as he deals with the castle's current batch of strange inhabitants. Escaping with John Silent, his wounded companion, is out of the question, because Kane also seeks justice for the souls of innocent children who were killed on the gallows that litter this evil, tainted region of Germany's Black Forest.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 18.

THE SPIRIT MOVIE STATUE

Sculpted by Kolby Jukes.

The Spirit statue presents the masked avenger in full figure (1:7 life size). Peering over a winter rooftop of Central City, the Spirit is poised and ready to spring.

11.21"W X 7.34"D X 8.5"H, numbered, limited edition of 750 copies for worldwide distribution $199.99, in stores on Jan. 28.

THE SPIRIT MOVIE SNOW GLOBE

The continual snowfall is a graphic theme in The Spirit, as it has often been in Frank Miller's graphic stories, and creates a visual atmosphere that oozes drama. Therefore, it was not hard to imagine a beautiful snow globe that would capture and reproduce the effect. Crafting the miniature environment was a technical challenge for Dark Horse and sculptors Kolby Jukes and Oluf Hartvigson, but the result is a unique collectible that is fascinating.

High-quality 120mm glass sphere, limited to 500 pieces, $99.99, in stores on Nov. 26.

STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC #37

Written by John Jackson Miller, art by Bong Daxo, colored by Michael Atiyeh, cover by Dan Scott.

"Prophet Motive," part 2 of 2. Former Padawan Zayne Carrick's new life takes a turn for the worse as a con gone wrong puts his friends in a deadly predicament! Fleecing the corrupt financial exchange on Metellos 3 seemed like a victimless crime to Zayne's friends Jarael and Rohlan -- until they became the victims! Now prisoners of a galactic criminal syndicate, Jarael and Rohlan must find a way to survive long enough for Zayne and his conniving cohort Gryph to rescue them!

40 pages, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 21.

STAR WARS: LEGACY #32

Written by John Ostrander, art and cover by Omar Francia, colored by Brad Anderson.

"Fight Another Day," part 1 of 2. Darth Krayt's program to exterminate the Mon Calamari is still in progress, with only the Mon Cal Rangers standing between the refugee populace and certain doom. Now a Sith scientist has a new weapon against which the Rangers are powerless. Faced with a choice between allowing refugees to perish and sacrificing themselves in a fruitless delaying action, the Rangers turn to an unexpected -- and reluctant -- source for help.

40 pages, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 28.

STYLE SCHOOL VOLUME 4

Written and art by various.

Do you love the artistic styles of manga and anime? Well, Dark Horse has a treat for you, with the fourth volume of the wonderfully instructional world of Style School. Within these gorgeous pages you'll find all the tricks of the trade and dazzling images to inspire you to create works of your very own. Learn techniques from top artists tutoring you on watercolor, digital coloring, screen tones, markers, pen, brush, and acrylics. Includes informative how-to sections alongside art from aspiring artists from around the globe.

176 pages, $16.95, in stores on March 25.

TUROK TRADING CARDS

From ancient times to the present, we have been mystified, frightened, and inspired by dinosaurs. Our fascination was perfectly captured in Dell's Turok: Son of Stone cover paintings, which teamed American Indian warrior Turok with a variety of saurian adversaries. While these renderings of dinosaurs were considered to be accurate in the1950s and Œ60s, modern paleontology has given us a new understanding of the reptile denizens of prehistory. Veteran illustrator and dinosaur expert Pete Von Sholly has created an absolutely stunning series of trading cards depicting the weirdest and most mysterious cover, with scientifically accurate dinosaurs, effectively updating this classic genre with fifty new pieces. Text on the back of the card tells details of the dinosaurs. This set will amaze and inform casual observers and serious Turok or dinosaur buffs alike.

50 full-color trading cards, packaged in a deluxe box, $14.95, in stores on March 18.

UMBRELLA ACADEMY: DALLAS #3

Written by Gerard Way, art and cover by Gabriel Ba, colored by Dave Stewart.

As Clare Boothe Luce once said, "No good deed goes unpunished." The Séance, ego bloated from having saved the world a few months ago, finds himself strapped in for a most unpleasant ride while the team runs in four different directions‹because only four of the seven Umbrella Brats are currently mobile.

Clare Boothe Luce, Republican congresswoman, ambassador, and playwright, was the daughter of unmarried violinist and deserter Wm. Franklin Boothe. (The Umbrella Academy does not approve of the term "illegitimate child." Every child is legitimate; it's some parents we find to be lacking.) Through her varied career, she took on communism, sexism, and Nazism. When her friend, actress and legendary suicide Dorothy Hale, threw herself from the sixteenth floor of New York City's Hampshire House, Luce compelled art goddess Frida Kahlo to paint the shocking El Suicidio de Dorothy Hale. In 1953, President Eisenhower named Luce ambassador to Italy. When she met Pope Pius XII, Luce, ignoring America's own ethic about separation of church and state, explained the Church's moral requirement to be tougher on communism. Pope Pius replied, "You know, Mrs. Ambassador, I am a Catholic, too." Seven years later, the United States would elect its first Catholic president.

32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 28.

USAGI YOJIMBO #117

Written and art by Stan Sakai.

The rabbit ronin Usagi wanders into a new three-part adventure that begins with the unleashing of a never-before-seen threat! Three hundred years ago, Lord Hayashi quashed an uprising incited by Lord Nobu, slaughtering all traitors and leaving their bodies unburied as punishment at the Battle of the Gray Overlook. Now, something has happened and Sasuke the Demon Queller has been called upon to face a new evil. A delicate balance exists between the powers of light and darkness, and when the thief Kitsune picks the purse of a samurai to find a small, nondescript jewel, she threatens to upset this balance forever!

24 pages, black and white, $3.50, in stores on Jan. 28.

VAMPIRE HUNTER D VOLUME 12: PALE FALLEN ANGEL PARTS THREE AND FOUR

Written by Hideyuki Kikuchi, art by Yoshitaka Amano.

Baron Byron Balazs nears the end of his arduous journey; his bodyguard -- the enigmatic and deadly Vampire Hunter D -- has delivered him to his faraway home in Krauhausen. Having survived the near-epic journey, and many attempts on his life -- ordered by his father, the dread Vampire Noble Lord Vlad -- the baron thinks he is ready for his final battle, whatever the cost. But Lord Vlad is not so easily vanquished, as he unleashes yet another host of nefarious killers on his son, not least of whom is a mad doctor who was enlisted to perform sinister experiments on the young baron's mother years before!

480 pages, black and white, $14.95, in stores on March 18.

WETA COLLECTIBLES: HALO 3 -- MASTER CHIEF VS. THE FLOOD STATUE

Every bit as dangerous as the Covenant zealots, the seemingly mindless Flood infection threatens to overrun the galaxy. While protecting Earth from its would-be Covenant conquerors, the Master Chief must also fend off the relentless advance of these biological monstrosities -- disturbing masses of meat and bone, distorted and sculpted into killing machines in service to the Gravemind.

16" high, 13.5" wide, 13" deep, 1:10 scale, limited edition, $330, in stores on May 28.

XS VOLUME 4: DISILLUSION

Written and art by Song Ji-Hyung.

Welcome to the continuing story of In-chang and Mina, two teens who have known each other since they were little. As they've grown up within this digital cloak-and-dagger mystery, their young infatuation has quickly turned into adult dependency. As a global virus threatens to destroy all of humanity, can In-chang keep Mina safe or will the odds be too great for him to handle?

192 pages, black and white, $10.95, in stores on March 4.