DARK HORSE COMICS NEWS ROUNDUP

Dark Horse Comics has announced a new original graphic novel series titled Buffy: The High School Years, executive produced by Joss Whedon.

The first volume will be Buffy: The High School Years -- Freaks & Geeks, written Faith Erin Hicks with artist Yishan Li and scheduled for a June 15 release.

"I'm thrilled to be writing a Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic; the TV show was a formative story for me," Hicks said. "I loved it so much that the very first comic I ever created was a Buffy the Vampire Slayer homage. It's beyond exciting to get a chance to write the real thing!"

Here's how the book is described:

"Set during Season 1 of the television series, Buffy: The High School Years -- Freaks & Geeks delivers classic Slayer action! Moving to a new school and making new friends will create enough anxiety for any teenage girl. But when you're Buffy Summers, a vampire slayer -- the Chosen One (with all that entails) -- building a new life can be overwhelming.

"A group of nerdy vampires, shunned by their cooler brethren, decide to climb the vampire social ladder by taking out the Slayer. They play on Buffy's insecurities, wearing her down until she is full-on distracted by the mental warfare. But in addition to her Watcher, Giles, this Slayer has a couple of new friends, Willow and Xander, to cheer her on . . . except, of course, when they're not getting along."

In other Dark Horse announcements made at New York Comic Con:

NEW ALIENS: Aliens: Defiance is a new ongoing series, launching on April 25 from writer Brian Wood and artist Tristan Jones.

Here's how the book is described:

"In space, no one can hear you scream . . . Aliens: Defiance follows struggling Colonial Marine rookie Zula Hendricks as she goes AWOL to protect Earth from an unknown alien species."

VAN JENSEN TITLES: Dark Horse will publishing two creator-owned tiles from writer Van Jensen in 2016.

Jensen teams with artist Pete Woods for Cryptocracy. a deep exploration into the secret society behind every major conspiracy in history -- and why they're suddenly being killed. The series launches in May.

Coming in September is Two Dead, a collaboration with artist Nate Powell.

Here's how the book is described:

" On a snowy New Year's Day, 1947, in Little Rock, Arkansas, Police Chief O.N. Martin gunned down his lieutenant, Jack Deubler, and then killed himself. The threads of crime, conspiracy, violence, racism, and madness that led to this tragic true-crime case of murder-suicide are retraced in Two Dead, which follows in the footsteps of true-crime epics such as Green River Killer."

NEW TOMB RAIDER: Mariko Tamaki will be writing a new Tomb Raider series that launches in February. "I feel like I've just gotten this new, incredibly daring, strong, valiant friend, and now I get to think up super-cool stuff for her to do," said Tamaki. "And she has to take me with her. And we can go anywhere, and do anything? Right?! What could be better than that?"

LONE WOLF MINI: Lone Wolf 2100, a four-issue mini-series, will launch on Jan. 6. Writer Eric Heisserer and artist Miguel Sepulveda offer a reimagining of Kazuo Koike's classic manga Lone Wolf and Cub set in the not-too-distant future.

Here's how the book is described:

"AD 2100: A devastating manmade plague is turning the human race into cannibalistic monsters known as the Thrall. But there is hope: young Daisy Ogami's blood holds the secret to a cure -- if Itto, her android protector, can get her to a place where it can be extracted!"

KORRA ARTIST: Brittney Williams will be the artist for Dark Horse's line of Legend of Korra comics. She will join The Legend of Korra writer and co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino for the new series of original graphic novels, which will begin in late 2016.

GOT FIGURE: Varys is the latest Game of Thrones action figures from Dark Horse Deluxe, set for an April release. The Varys figure is the 24th in the line and will join four other figures in spring 2016: Ygritte, Margaery Tyrell, Oberyn Martell and Grey Worm.