DC Comics solicitations for October 2005



BATMAN TITLES

BATMAN: GOTHAM COUNTY LINE #1
Written by Steve Niles, art and cover by Scott Hampton.
Acclaimed writer Steve Niles joins distinctive painter Scott Hampton for a 3-issue Prestige Format miniseries that uncovers the investigation of grisly murders outside Batman's usual territory...in the Gotham suburbs! Commissioner Gordon calls on the Dark Knight for help in solving the mystery, although Batman has never delved into the suburbs of Gotham before. But the series of murders is so shocking that Batman must respond, despite being in unfamiliar territory.
48 pages, $5.99, in stores on Oct. 5.

ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER #3
Written by Frank Miller, art and cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams.
Creative titans Frank Miller, Jim Lee and Scott Williams continue their striking new vision of the Dark Knight in this tale of young Dick Grayson's transformation from orphaned acrobat into the Batman's first sidekick: Robin, the Boy Wonder!
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

DETECTIVE COMICS #812
Written by David Lapham, art by Ramon Bachs and Nathan Massengill, over by Lapham.
Part 10 of the 12-part "City of Crime!" Bruce Wayne forgoes cape and cowl to investigate the mysteries of Gotham's seediest neighborhood, Crown Point. Plus, Gordon's back in town to help Robin uncover the Ventriloquist's secrets...only Scarface ain't talkin'.
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 5.

BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #70
Written by A.J. Lieberman, art by Al Barrionuevo and Bit, cover by Claudio Castellini.
Batman and Hush race to find the former Clayfaces and unravel the mystery of the shapechangers! Just when Hush thought he had control over this new Clayface, he's proven wrong. Dead wrong! And when is one Clayface too many?
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 19.

BATMAN #646
Written by Judd Winick, art by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen, cover by Jock.
An Infinite Crisis tie-in! The Villains United want a piece of Gotham, and Black Mask is just the man to deliver it. Batman has his hands full with the criminals of Gotham, but before he can neutralize Deathstroke and company, Red Hood plans to take matters into his own hands!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 19.

BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #196
Written by J.H. Williams III and Dan Curtis Johnson, art and cover by Seth Fisher.
The conclusion of the 5-part "Snow," featuring Batman's first confrontation with Victor Fries -- a.k.a. Mr. Freeze! And what "conclusion" will Batman draw from his experiences with a strike force?
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 12

ARKHAM ASYLUM ANNIVERSARY EDITION SC
Written by Grant Morrison Art and cover by Dave McKean
In celebration of the 16th anniversary of the Batman story that helped launch the U.S. careers of Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, DC Comics presents a softcover edition of the Arkham Asylum Anniverary Edition, reprinting the now-classic confrontation between the Dark Knight and his archnemeses the Joker, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, and more in the black heart of Gotham City's house for the criminally insane.
This graphic novel is well known for its psychological intensity and probing portraits of Batman and the Joker, as well as groundbreaking art that influenced scores of artists by introducing a new school of storytelling and technique to comics. This special edition also includes Morrison's complete original script annotated by both himself and editor Karen Berger, many of his original thumbnail breakdowns, step-by-step samples of how the story and art came together and much more!
212 pages, $17.99, in stores on Oct. 5.

BATGIRL #69
Written by Andersen Gabrych, art by Pop Mhan and Jesse Delperdang, cover by Tim Sale.
The debut of new penciller Pop Mhan and cover artist Tim Sale. Encased in ice by Mr. Freeze and held hostage by Nyssa, Batgirl is offered a choice: regain her destiny with the legendary League of Assassins or die a slow, frozen death.
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 19.

BATMAN: JOURNEY INTO KNIGHT #3
Written by Andy Helfer, art by Tan Eng Huat, cover by Pat Lee.
Batman seeks clues about the mysterious plague unleashed on Gotham in the depths of the subway system and has a close encounter with an express train! Meanwhile, the Carrier makes an alliance that could lead to even more trouble for Gotham.
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 19.

BATMAN: UNDER THE HOOD TP
Written by Judd Winick, art by Doug Mahnke, Tom Nguyen and others, cover by Matt Wagner.
Shocking revelations and age-old foes make this new collection -- featuring Batman #635-641 -- a must-have. Batman is confronted with a hidden face from the past ‹ it's the return of the Red Hood! With Black Mask controlling the Gotham underworld, what role will Red Hood have when all is said and done?
176 pages, $9.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

CATWOMAN: WHEN IN ROME HC
Written by Jeph Loeb, art and cover by Tim Sale.
The team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale returns to further the exciting adventures they began in Batman: The Long Halloween and followed in Batman: Dark Victory. Collecting the 6-part series that guest-starred Batman and a host of Gotham's most colorful and dangerous villains, When in Rome chronicles Catwoman's mysterious trip to Italy and her dealings with the deadly Falcone crime family. It's an incredible tale of Gotham's sexiest cat burglar!
160 pages, $19.99, in stores on Nov. 2.

CATWOMAN #48
Written by Will Pfeifer, art by Pete Woods, cover by Adam Hughes.
Some of the nastiest villains in the DCU have laid siege to the East End, and Catwoman is the only thing keeping them from running riot! But now that she's dead center in their sights, even Batman won't be able to talk her off a path that leads straight into the heart of danger!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 26.

GOTHAM CENTRAL #36
Written by Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker, art by Kano and Stefano Gaudiano, cover by Sean Phillips.
The conclusion of the "Dead Robin" storyline! The cops have a dead kid in a Robin outfit, and the evidence is pointing inescapably toward Batman. But how can they catch the Dark Knight? Plus, the leak within the GCPD is revealed!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 5.

NIGHTWING #113
Written by Devin Grayson, art by Cliff Chiang and Ande Parks, cover by Phil Hester and Parks.
A Villains United tie-in! Dick Grayson is working forŠDeathstroke the Terminator? Nightwing is no more -- Dick Grayson's in a new outfit, and he's got a brand-new bag of dirty tricks. And those who thought he was simply "going undercover" are in for a rude awakening...
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 12.

ROBIN #143
Written by Bill Willingham Art and cover by Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens
An OMAC Project tie-in! As the dreaded OMACs scour Blüdhaven for all costumes, Robin finds himself in the unenviable position of trying to save the newly resurrected Darla Aquista -- the very girl who swore to use her demonic powers to rid the world of Robin!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 19.

SUPERMAN TITLES

SUPERMAN #222
Written by Mark Verheiden, art and cover by Ed Benes.
The world is going to hell as the Crisis begins -- this is too big a job even for Superman! But what has changed that scares those closest to the Man of Steel?
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 5.

ACTION COMICS #832
Written by Gail Simone, art by John Byrne and Nelson, cover by Dan Jurgens and Wayne Faucher
The Spectre has come for Satanus, Metropolis's resident demon! On All Hallow's Eve, the dead will rise to protect their dark master -- and Superman is caught in the middle! But Lois has her own demons to confront when her dead father returns...
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 12.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #645
Written by Greg Rucka, art and cover by Karl Kerschl.
While Superman deals with a full-on Omac assault, Lois discovers an alarming connection between her would-be assassin and the Dark Knight! Meanwhile, Luthor is back in Metropolis to build a new power base...starting with the Parasite!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 19.

SHAZAM/SUPERMAN: FIRST THUNDER #2
Written by Judd Winick, art and cover by Joshua Middleton.
Continuing the pulse-pounding tale of the first meeting of the Last Son of Krypton and Earth's Mightiest Mortal. Superman and Shazam have joined forces to defend Fawcett City Museum from creatures unleashed by mysterious cult members. But in the confusion, the cult manages to slip away with some precious artifacts that will help them summon an even greater evil force. And what roles do Lex Luthor and Dr. Sivana play in the cult's plans?
40 pages, $3.50, in stores on Oct. 5.

SUPERGIRL #3
Written by Jeph Loeb, art and cover by Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund.
Supergirl knows that someone other than Batman has been spying on her -- and now it's time to find out who! But when her investigation leads to the Outsiders, there's no stopping the Girl of Steel! Plus, is romance blossoming for Kara Zor-El?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 12.

SUPERMAN/BATMAN #24
Written by Jeph Loeb, art and cover by Ed McGuinness and Dexter Vines.
As Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness and Dexter Vines rocket "With a Vengeance" toward its conclusion, the fate of the universe hangs in the balance unless the World's Finest Team -- The Dark Damsel Detective and The Woman of Steel, that is -- can stop it! There's nothing more incredible than the debut of Batwoman and Superwoman! Guest-starring Superlad!
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

SUPERMAN IN THE FORTIES TP
Written by Jerry Siegel, Bill Finger, Don Cameron and others, art by Joe Shuster, Wayne Boring, Jack Burnley and others, cover by Shuster.
The latest in DC's decade-by-decade celebration of the best stories featuring the Man of Steel collects stories from Action Comics #1, 2, 14, 23, 64, 93, 107, Superman #1, 23, 40, 53, 58, 61, Superboy #5, the Superman daily newspaper strip, Look magazine and World's Finest Comics #37, covering his 1938 debut through the 1940s.
192 pages, $19.99, in stores on Oct. 19.

DC UNIVERSE TITLES

INFINITE CRISIS #1
Written by Geoff Johns, art by Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning, covers by Jim Lee and Sandra Hope and George Pérez
It's finally here: the comics event so massive that it built over the first half of 2005, through Countdown, Day of Vengeance, Rann/Thanagar War, Villains United and The OMAC Project. Prepare for the dawn of the DCU's darkest day in Infinite Crisis, a 7-issue miniseries written. Surrounded by their most fearsome enemies, the world's greatest heroes are divided within and without.
DC's icons -- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman -- are joined by Nightwing, Supergirl, Donna Troy, Superboy, Robin, Wonder Girl, Green Lantern, the Flash and more as they face their most dire hour. What happens next will destroy friendships and lives, dictating the direction of the universe for the next generation!
Years in the making, the greatest event to hit the DCU in over two decades is about to explode. This issue will ship with covers by Lee and Williams (50 percent) and Pérez (50 percent).
40 pages, $3.99, in stores on Oct. 12.

AQUAMAN #35
Written by John Arcudi, art by Andy Clarke and Leonard Kirk, cover by Patrick Gleason.
An OMAC Project tie-in! Black Manta begins the water-breather gene therapy that will transform him forever! Aquaman must ask Geist to save Mera's life, but when the OMAC is activated by Brother Eye, it's Aquaman's life that may be lost!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 5.

BLOOD OF THE DEMON #8
Written by John Byrne and Will Pfeifer, art by Byrne and Dan Green, cover by Byrne.
What is manipulating Etrigan to face challenges throughout a succession of strange worlds and time periods?
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 5.

BIRDS OF PREY #87
Written by Gail Simone, art by Joe Bennett and Jack Jadson, cover by Adriana Melo and Will Conrad.
The two masterminds behind DCU's heroes and villains meet at long last, as Oracle and the Society's Calculator face off!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 19.

BREACH #10
Written by Bob Harras, art by Javier Pulido and Alvaro Lopez, cover by Marcos Martin.
Major Zanetti thought he knew everything about his new powers. He thought wrong. While he goes on the hunt for invading Rifters, Talia al Ghul shows the extent of her control over two of the DCU's most dangerous groups: H.I.V.E. and Kobra!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 12.

DOOM PATROL #17
Written by John Byrne, art by Byrne and Doug Hazlewood, cover by Byrne.
With the Chief missing and presumed dead, the surviving Patrollers learn more of the mysterious origin of Negative Man ‹ and his unexpected connection to Vortex. Meanwhile, a face from the past returns to threaten the comatose Nudge and her family.
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 26.

FIRESTORM #18
Written by Stuart Moore, art by Jamal Igle, Rob Stull, Patrick Olliffe and Simon Coleby, cover by Matt Haley.
An OMAC Project tie-in. Following the events of Villains United, a de-powered and weakened Firestorm seeks help at S.T.A.R. Labs San Francisco, which is under attack by a mysterious, unseen menace. Enter OMAC -- its mission: kill the Nuclear Man!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 5.

THE FLASH #227
Written by Joey Cavalieri, art by Val Semeiks and Livesay, cover by Art Thibert.
A exciting new creative team comes aboard as The Flash speeds toward . . . the end? The past always seems to catch up with the Fastest Man Alive, and as Infinite Crisis approaches, Wally West reflects on his life with his wife and kids and sees that the end may be near.
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 26.

GREEN LANTERN #6
Written by Geoff Johns Art and cover by Ethan Van Sciver
Mutilated by the events of REBIRTH, Black Hand returns to wreak horrifying vengeance! Meanwhile, the bizarre experiments of a new alien race come to light with their current prisoner: Green Lantern. And how does this all connect with the Rann/Thanagar War?
On sale October 26 € 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

GREEN LANTERN CORPS: RECHARGE #2
Written by Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons, art and cover by Patrick Gleason and Christian Alamy.
The 6-issue mini-series following the adventures of the Green Lantern Corps continues! The first assignment for two rookie Lanterns may be their last. Plus, Kyle Rayner meets an old love, and the biggest Green Lantern of all comes under attack.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 19.

GREEN ARROW #55
Written by Judd Winick, art by Ron Garney and Bill Reinhold, cover by James Jean.
"Heading Into the Light," Part 2 of 4. On the trail of Dr. Light, Green Arrow and Black Lightning are sidetracked by an attack by Mirror Master and Killer Frost. It's a wall-to-wall slugfest, but is their appearance a coincidence or part of a more sinister plot?
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 12.

HAWKMAN #45
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, art and cover by Joe Bennett and Ruy Jose.
The Hawks' year of mystery, madness and mayhem comes to it's startling and violent resolution in a battle not to be missed! Questions will be answered, blood will be spilled and only Hawkman knows the truth behind the plot to destroy him! Guest-starring the JSA.
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 12.

JLA #120 and 121
Written by Bob Harras, art by Tom Derenick and Dan Green, covers by Daniel Acuña.
Tthe first two chapters of "World Without a Justice League," shipping biweekly in October. There has been a great Crisis of Conscience, and the JLA as we know it is no more. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are at odds...now it's time for Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary to bring the League back to basics. But this World Without a Justice League may be just what an old villain with some new tricks has been hoping for!
And in #121, the remaining founding members of the JLA attempt to recruit new teammates, but will they want to be a part of a League that has resorted to some questionable tactics of late? Nightwing must decide to help re-form the JLA or support his mentor in keeping the team disbanded!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 12 and Oct. 26.

JACK CROSS #3
Written by Warren Ellis, art and cover by Gary Erskine.
In part 3 of a 4-part story, Jack Cross heads to Guantanamo Bay to personally cross-examine an inmate with ties to a plan to use a terrifying weapon of mass destruction!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 26.

JLA CLASSIFIED #13
Written by Warren Ellis, art by Butch Guice, cover by Michael Stribling.
Part 4 of the 6-part "New Maps of Hell." Batman and The Flash team up to try to close the gateway to Hell, stopping more nightmarish creatures from coming to Earth, only to place the entire Justice League face-to-face with evil incarnate!
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

JSA #78
Written by Keith Champagne, art by Don Kramer and Champagne, cover by Alex Ross.
A Day of Vengeance tie-in! The JSA desperately seeks Dr. Fate to help them find the missing Jakeem and Thunderbolt. Meanwhile, as the Spectre's rampage continues, the team's greatest enemy has found the opening he needs to destroy the JSA once and for all!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 5.

JSA CLASSIFIED #4
Written by Geoff Johns, art and cover by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti.
The story you've waited years for comes to a mind-boggling conclusion! Power Girl's origin is finally revealed, and it promises to redefine the Mistress of Might and uncover truths that will serve as a prelude to Infinite Crisis and beyond.
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 19.

JUSTICE #2
Written by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross, art by Doug Braithwaite and Ross, cover by Ross.
The bimonthly 12-part maxiseries continues. The Riddler leads Batman into a mystery within a mystery through his compulsion to speak the truth through riddles. Does he hold the key to the reason the villains are helping mankind? Plus, Aquaman falls victim to one of the DCU's most nefarious criminals. Featuring painted art by Ross over Braithwaite's layouts.
40 pages, $3.50, in stores on Oct. 19.

OUTSIDERS #29
Written by Judd Winick, art by Matthew Clark and Art Thibert, cover by Daniel Acuña.
A Day of Vengeance tie-in! The Fearsome Five return to settle the score with the Outsiders, boasting a new recruit of unbelievable power -- and the crisis rocking the magic realms raises the stakes to an unimaginable level!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 5.

OUTSIDERS VOL. 3: WANTED TP
Written by Judd Winick Art by Carlos D'Anda, Karl Kerschl, Dan Jurgens, and others Cover by Doug Mahnke
The thrilling third collection of the hot title collects Outsiders #16-23. This volume includes the 3-part "Most Wanted" story arc featuring television personality John Walsh, as well as an Identity Crisis tie-in story guest-starring Batman.
192 pages, $14.99, in stores on Oct. 19.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: METAMORPHO VOL. 1 TP
Written by Bob Haney and Gardner Fox, art by Ramona Fradon, Jack Sparling, Mike Sekowsky and others, cover by Sal Trapani.
This massive black-and-white volume collects all Metamorpho's Silver Age adventures, from The Brave and The Bold #57-58, 66, 68, Metamorpho #1-17, and Justice League of America #42. Guest-starring Batman, the Justice League of America, the Metal Men and more.
560 pages, black and white, $16.99, in stores on Oct. 5.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #11
Written by Mark Waid, art by Barry Kitson and Mick Gray, cover by Kitson.
On the eve of galactic destruction, with the dream of a United Planets dissolving into hopelessness, only an all-out brawl between the Legion and the agents of Terror Firma can halt the coming invasion ‹-provided a key player in the war finds within herself an unexpected power!
40 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

MANHUNTER #15
Written by Marc Andreyko, art by Javier Pina, Steve Sadowski, Andrew Pepoy, Sean Phillips and Fernando Blanco, cover by Jesus Saiz.
To become Manhunter, Kate Spencer broke into an evidence locker and stole a powerful super-suit -- but she had no idea where it came from! The suit's secret history comes to life in this stand-alone issue!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 19.

SON OF VULCAN #5
Written by Scott Beatty, a rt by Keron Grant, cover by Ed McGuinness.
Featuring a cover by Ed McGuinness (Superman/Batman)! With the evil Witchazel, Monkey-in-the-Middle, and Dino-Mite hot on his heels, things are looking pretty bad for Mikey Devanté -- especially since the Coalition of Crime thinks he really is the son of Vulcan.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 5.

PLASTIC MAN ARCHIVES VOL. 7 HC
Written by Jack Cole, art and cover by Cole.
Another amazing volume of peak-period Plastic Man stories by Cole at his zany best! This volume collects Plastic Man #7-8 and Plastic Man's adventures from Police Comics #66-71. Plas and Woozy travel way out West, meet Stretcho the India Rubber Man, visit Hollywood, tail a homicidal hat and more!
240 pages, $49.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

RANN-THANAGAR WAR #6
Written by Dave Gibbons Art and cover by Ivan Reis and Marc Campos
The war takes an ugly, brutal turn as two worlds and countless lives are ripped asunder, setting the stage for the galaxy's greatest battle and leading into the Infinite Crisis.
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 5.

SOLO #7
Written by Mike Allred and Lee Allred, art and cover by Mike Allred.
Join Mike Allred, the creator of Madman and The Atomics, as he takes a whirlwind tour of the DCU! First stop: Hourman, as we find out exactly how much super-heroing a hero can do. The craziness continues as two super-teams are pitted against each other in "Doom Patrol vs. Teen Titans." In "Batman A-Go-Go!", the Caped Crusader is taken on a kooky psychedelic journey. Allred visits Jack Kirby's Fourth World as Lightray and Orion put Mister Miracle to the test in "Fourth World Wager." Can Scott Free really get out of any trap? And it's all capped off with "Comic Book Clubhouse," featuring just about every DC hero!
48 pages, $4.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

SEVEN SOLDIERS: KLARION THE WITCHBOY #4
Written by Grant Morrison, art and cover by Frazer Irving,
Klarion has reluctantly returned to his lost colony of Puritans in Limbo Town, far below New York City, to warn them of an impending invasion. Instead of being welcomed as a savior, he is captured, tried, and sentenced to be burned alive. Can Klarion and Teekl convince the people of Limbo Town that not only their entire way of life is in danger, but their whole world?
A Soldier must die -- will it be Klarion the Witchboy?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 19.

SEVEN SOLDIERS: ZATANNA #4
Written by Grant Morrison, art by Ryan Sook and Mick Gray, cover by Sook.
Zatanna and Misty search for the 7 Unknown Men of Slaughter Swamp, only to find themselves face to face with a menace beyond imagination! The unexpected return of an almost unstoppable Golden Age master villain could spell doom for the Mistress of Magic unless she gets her groove on fast. Will Zatanna regain her powers in time for the ultimate magical duel with the ultimate cosmic criminal? With a storyline leading directly into the epic Seven Soldiers #1, the answer may not be what you expect!
A Soldier must die -- will it be Zatanna?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 5.

TEEN TITANS #29
Written by Geoff Johns, art by Carlos D'Anda and Marlo Alquiza, cover by Tony S. Daniel and Alquiza.
The Red Hood pays the Titans a visit to claim his rightful place...over Robin's dead body! And what does Donna Troy's return mean for the team?
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 19.

VILLAINS UNITED #6
Written by Gail Simone Art by Dale Eaglesham and Wade von Grawbadger Cover by J.G. Jones
The red-hot miniseries comes to its deadly conclusion as the secret identity of the mysterious Mockingbird is revealed! This shocking revelation promises to shake the DCU to its core and leads straight into 2005's biggest event: Infinite Crisis!
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 12.

VIGILANTE #2
Written by Bruce Jones, art by Ben Oliver, cover by Michael Golden.
The thrilling 6-issue mini-series set in Metropolis continues! Seeing the Vigilante in front of you means certain death! But is Dr. Powell really his next target? Unlock the mystery behind the Vigilante in the second issue of this action/psychological thriller.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

WONDER WOMAN #222
Written by Greg Rucka, art by Rags Morales and Mark Propst, cover by J.G. Jones.
In the aftermath of DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy, Donna seeks out Wonder Woman and finds her and Supergirl in the middle of a fight with Villains United's Cheetah! But it's Donna's meeting with Supergirl that will have surprising ramifications for all three heroines. Is this a harbinger of things to come? Plus, Wonder Woman makes a decision that she's been building to for monthsŠbut will someone else beat her to the punch?
32 pages, $2.50, in stores on Oct. 26.

JOHNNY DC TITLES

THE BATMAN STRIKES! #14
Written by Bill Matheny Art by Christopher Jones & Terry Beatty Cover by Jeff Matsuda
Based on the hit cartoon on The Kids' WB! He was once Bruce Wayne's closest friendŠ now he's Batman's most dangerous enemy. It's Batman vs. Clayface!
On sale Oct 12 € 32 pg, FC, $2.25 US

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #14
Written by Adam Beechen, art by Carlo Barberi and Walden Wong, cover by Kelsey Shannon.
When demons seize control of Limbo, Deadman recruits the mystical members of the Justice League to save the hereafter!
32 pages, $2.25, in stores on Oct. 5.


TEEN TITANS GO! #24

Written by J. Torres, art by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker, cover by Sean Galloway.
After an accident with a mystical power stone, the Teen Titans get a little mixed up! Everyone on the team has switched powers, and nobody's happy about it!
32 pages, $2.25, in stores on Oct. 25.

MAD #459
Written and illustrated by The Usual Gang of Idiots.
A spook-tacular issue of MAD, perfect for giving to trick-or-treaters!
48 pages, black and white, $3.99, in stores on Oct. 5.

MAD CLASSICS #3
Written and illustrated by The Usual Gang of Idiots.
A jam-packed new issue of MAD Classics, featuring the Best of the Web, MAD Marginals, Reader's Choice picks, and much more.
96 pages, black and white, $4.99, in stores on Oct. 12.

CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #14
Written by Jim Alexander, Sholly Fisch, John Rozum and Tom Warburton, art by Jeff Albrecht, John Delaney, Gary Fields, Maurice Fontenot, Matthew I. Jenkins, Jorge Pacheco and the Iguana, cover by Robert Pope.
To what lengths will the nefarious Heinrich Von Marzipan go to claim the lost temple of the Choco-Logs? The Kids Next Door will find out! And Dexter shows Dee-Dee just how spooky science can be!
32 pages, $2.25, in stores on Oct. 26.

LOONEY TUNES #131
Written by Sholly Fisch, art and cover by Dave Alvarez and Mike DeCarlo.
It's time for monster madness and sheer mayhem! Join Tweety as a mad scientist brings about a personality crisis! Witch Hazel courts Elmer Fudd! And learn how to care for your monster!
32 pages, $2.25, in stores on Oct. 5.

THE POWERPUFF GIRLS #67
Written by Amy Keating Rogers and John Rozum, art by Christopher Cook, Ricardo Garcia-Fuentes and Mike DeCarlo, cover by Phil Moy.
Mojo Jojo is cooking up trouble! Or so the Powerpuff Girls believe after the plotting primate opens his own restaurant! Plus, you can help the Powerpuffs save a costume party from Gangreen Gang disaster!
32 pages, $2.25, in stores on Oct. 19.

SCOOBY-DOO #101
Written by John Rozum and Robbie Busch, art by Joe Staton, Robert Pope, Leo Batic, Scott McRae and Horacio Ottolini, cover by Joe Staton.
Aaaa-choo! Mystery Inc. dusts up trouble when they investigate a rare book enigma! Also, driving school has never been so scary!
32 pages, $2.25, in stores on Oct. 12.

ELFQUEST ARCHIVES VOL. 3 HC
Written by Wendy and Richard Pini, art and cover by Wendy Pini.
This third volume collects Elfquest #11-15! The Wolfriders are taken as slaves into the towering and mysterious Blue Mountain, stronghold of the ancient elves called the Gliders. Featuring all-new lettering, a new cover by Wendy Pini and an introduction by David Wise & Audry Taylor!
224 pages, $49.99, in stores on Oct. 12.

ELFQUEST: THE GRAND QUEST VOL. 11 TP
Written by Wendy and Richard Pini, art and cover by Wendy Pini. The saga continues in this volume collecting ElfQuest: Kings of the Broken Wheel #5-7! Rayek has taken Leetah, Suntop and Ember where no one may follow: into the mists of time itself. Ten thousand years in the future, the travelers will reappear -- but by then mortal Wolfriders will long be dead!
224 pages, black and white, $9.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

CMX TITLES

CIPHER VOL. 1
Written and illustrated by Narita Minako
Anise can't believe her luck when she finds herself in the same high school as famous former child star Siva. Although the cool and handsome Siva seems unapproachable, Anise manages to become his friend. But her happiness turns to surprise when she discovers Siva's secret: for years, he's been switching identities with his twin brother, Cipher.
192 pages, black and white, $9.99, in stores on Oct. 5.

KAMIKAZE KAITO JEANNE VOL. 1
Written and illustrated by Tanemura Arina.
The international blockbuster manga ‹ which also spawned a hit anime series -- comes to the U.S.! By day, Kusakabe Maron is an ordinary high school girl with more than her share of problems. But by night, she is Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne, the reincarnation of Joan of Arc! Her mission: to hunt down demon-possessed paintings and exorcise the evil spirits! Too bad accomplishing this mission puts her into conflict with the authorities, who view her as a mysterious stranger vandalizing works of art. With only the help of angel-in-training Finn, she must survive high school during the day and battle evil by night!
176 pages, black and white, $9.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

KIKAIDER CODE 02 VOL. 1
Story by Ishinomori Shotaro, art by Meimu.
The manga behind the cult favorite animated series seen on Cartoon Network is here.
What happens when a robot suffers an identity crisis?
On the surface, Jiro appears to be a normal teenage boy -- he's riddled with self-doubt, has trouble making friends, and owns a guitar he doesn't know how to play. But he's really Kikaider, a super-powered android with a secret ³Gemini" device implanted in his brain to help simulate human qualities.
Professor Gill, a former associate of Kikaider's creator, is hunting for the Gemini device... and he'll go to any lengths to recover it!
204 pages, black and white, $9.99, in stores on Oct. 19.

FROM EROICA WITH LOVE VOL. 5
Written and illustrated by Aoike Yasuko.
The fan-favorite spy saga continues! A sunken World War II relic holds the secrets Eroica, the Major, and a KGB agent desperately want. For Eroica and the gang, the prize will be riches beyond their wildest dreams. It's a mission of utmost importance (as usual) for the Major, but an old and vengeful nemesis, Mischa the Bear Cub, wants the secrets to destroy the Major -- and the West!
224 pages, black and white, $9.99, in stores on Oct. 12.

LAND OF THE BLINDFOLDED VOL. 5
Written and illustrated by Tsukuba Sakura
Summer vacation is a time for sun, sand, and getting swept away ‹ literally! When Kanade and her friends head to the beach, she and Namiki fall prey to the vicious undertow, causing them to disappear into the great big sea. Now, Arou must channel every last shred of his power and resourcefulness, or he might lose his true love forever!
200 pages, black and white, $9.99, in stores on Oct. 19.

MADARA VOL. 5
Illustrated by Sho-u Tajimam, written by Eiji Otsuka.
The series finale! Madara has joined forces with Seishinja and Kaos to challenge Kageo and the remaining Moki army. Will they have enough strength to crush this threat? Even if they prevail, will they have the power to confront and defeat Miroku, the demon emperor? Or will eternal darkness be cast upon the land?
184 pages, black and white, $9.99, in stores on Oct. 5.

TENRYU: THE DRAGON CYCLE VOL. 3
Written and illustrated by Matoh Sanami.
Hiryu and Ryukei were just a couple of good-hearted bandits -- until they met Princess Ryurei and discovered they were, in fact, Dragon Lords. They have embraced their destiny and unlocked their dragon spirits, but the journey has just begun. The sinister Lord Torao, leader of the Tiger Clan, has sent his top warriors out with one mission: to destroy the Dragon Clan. But, standing up to seasoned assassins and toppling the most dangerous man in the world is going to take a lot of training, and time is not a luxury of the hunted.
200 pages, black and white, $9.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

WILDSTORM TITLES

CAPTAIN ATOM: ARMAGEDDON #1

Written by Will Pfeifer, art by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Sandra Hope, covers by Alex Ross and Jim Lee.
One of the DCU's mightiest champions explodes straight from the pages of Superman/Batman and into the WildStorm Universe! But will the local heroes welcome Captain Atom with open arms or attack him, fearing him as the latest threat to their universe? Join Will Pfeifer, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Sandra Hope as they explore the differences between both universes through the eyes of Captain Atom and begin a story that could lead to Armageddon in the WildStorm Universe. Plus, this special debut issue features two covers: one by award-winning painter Alex Ross and the other by fan-favorite Jim Lee.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 19.

ALBION #4
Plotted by Alan Moore, written by Leah Moore and John Reppion, art by Shane Oakley and George Freeman, cover by Dave Gibbons.
Penny is determined to rescue her father, and her new allies are almost convinced that it's worth the risk. After all, if the government kept the old comics folk around, surely there's one heck of a weapons cache to be found, too. But will the prisoners of The Castle be waiting when their small band arrives?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

ASTRO CITY: LOCAL HEROES TP
Written by Kurt Busiek, art by Brent Anderson, cover by Alex Ross. The fifth volume in the Astro City collection includes Astro City Vol. 2 #21-22, Astro City: Local Heroes #1-5 and the Astro City special, plus the the short story from DC's September 11th Vol. 2 and the promotional story done to announce the Local Heroes mini-series. This softcover edition features a new painted cover by Alex Ross.
256 pages, $17.99, in stores on Oct. 12.

THE INTIMATES #12
Written by Joe Casey, art by Alé Garza, cover by Rian Hughes, Giuseppe Camuncoli and Sandra Hope.
Halo CEO Jack Marlowe visits the Seminary, and all hell breaks loose when the kids revolt! Will they finally be the heroes they've been studying to become? Too many secrets. Too many questions. Will the students learn the answers, or will they all die horrible deaths?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 5.

THE AUTHORITY: REVOLUTION #12
Written by Ed Brubaker, art by Dustin Nguyen and Richard Friend, cover by Nguyen. The startling conclusion of the critically acclaimed series! Jenny Quantum and the Authority square off against Henry Bendix in a last brutal stand, a vicious battle for the very heart of their team!
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 19.

THE AUTHORITY: THE MAGNIFICENT KEVIN #3
Written by Garth Ennis, art by Carlos Ezquerra, cover by Glenn Fabry.
Kev Hawkins has been party to some terrible events while in the service of the S.A.S. While ruminating over his betrayal at the hands of a mate, Kev recalls a crucial moment in his career that will define the man he will become. Can he live up to the motto ³Who dares, wins"?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

EX MACHINA #16
Written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Tony Harris and Tom Feister, cover by Harris.
The surprising conclusion of the 2-part cross-country adventure "Off the Grid!" Having left the relative safety of City Hall, former super-hero Mitchell Hundred races across America -- and down memory lane -- to rescue an important figure from his past.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 19.

ROBOTECH: PRELUDE TO THE SHADOW CHRONICLES #1 & 2 Written by Tommy Yune, Jason Waltrip and John Waltrip, art and cover by Omar Dogan and Udon Studios.
The legendary Robotech saga continues! After 20 years, the mysterious circumstances behind the disappearance of Admiral Rick Hunter will be revealed in this 5-issue miniseries featuring much of the original Robotech cast as well as a behind-the-scenes look into the production of the upcoming Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles DVD!
In 2022, an Expeditionary Force departed from Earth in search of the homeworld of the Robotech Masters. However, its discovery would spark an interstellar conflict that would last decades. An uneasy alliance is finally reached, but a secret pact with an enemy within the ranks threatens to start a new war that could destroy the Expeditionary Force and the human race!

And in issue #2, the treachery of General Edwards is revealed, but not before the SDF-3 is nearly destroyed! When betrayal harms the very ones that he loves, how far is Admiral Rick Hunter willing to go to take retribution? With their flagship in ruins, Rick sends Captain Vince Grant with the upgraded battlefortress Tokugawa in hot pursuit to the Invid homeworld of Optera, but will it be enough to take on Edwards's new alien technology?
32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Oct. 5 and Oct. 19.

MAJESTIC #10
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, art by Georges Jeanty and Trevor Scott, cover by Neil Googe.
Majestic, Zealot and Desmond begin to unlock the secrets of the ancient Kherubim legacy. The slumbering technology could cause the termination of the human race, but Majestic and his allies must get past Wyvern first. But is Wyvern really one of Desmond's most aggressive industrial competitors, or something much worse?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 12.

MATADOR #6
Written by Devin Grayson, art and cover by Brian Stelfreeze.
In this stunning conclusion of the 6-part miniseries by Grayson and Stelfreeze, the secrets of the Matador are revealed, leaving Isabel more isolated than ever! Can Detective Cardona bring justice to those already lost to her city's war, or will the corruption engulfing Miami finally claim Isabel, too?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 5.

SILENT DRAGON #4
Written by Andy Diggle, art by Leinil Yu and Gerry Alanguilan, cover by Yu.
The acclaimed series continues as Reizo prepares a bold plan to assault the government facility where an android army is being assembled to combat the Yakuza. But first he must visit the legendary cybernetic weapons-maker known as The Blacksmith, while ruthless Yakuza warlord Hideaki grows suspicious of his newfound ally...
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

THE WINTER MEN #3
Written by Brett Lewis, art and cover by John Paul Leon.
The little girl's trail leads Kris to the Caucasus Mountains and even more mystery. Why would a Boy Scout operation need radiation containment gear? Kris is forced to recruit criminals to raid the group with the hope of finding the girl, but does she really need rescuing?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 12.

WILDSIDERZ #2
Written by J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell, art and cover by Campbell.
The second pulse-pounding issue of the newest creation from the Danger Girl creators J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell! After the earth-shaking events of last issue, the Wildsiderz begin to gel as a team as they learn more about their fantastic new abilities and unique powers. But can they stop the nefarious Dr. Spydre from stealing the Wildsiderz technology and using it to achieve his sinister plans?
32 pages, $3.50, in stores on Oct. 12.

WILDCATS: NEMESIS #2
Written by Robbie Morrison, art by Talent Caldwell, Horacio Domingues and Matt Banning, cover by Caldwell and Banning.
WildStorm's hot new mini-series continues! Nemesis has taken her hostage -- the child Kara -- to a safe house in Manhattan while she plots her next move...until a Daemonite assault force disrupts everything! Meanwhile, learn the tumultuous past Nemesis shares with Zealot -- and the truth is astounding!
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 12.

TOM STRONG #35
Written by Peter Hogan, art and cover by Chris Sprouse and Karl Story.
ABC. A sequel to the Snow Queen story from Tom Strong #24. Ice people are on the loose in Millennium, and they're robbing banks! Could Greta Gabriel's heart have grown so cold?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 12.

TOP 10: BEYOND THE FARTHEST PRECINCT #3
Written by Paul Di Filippo, art and cover by Jerry Ordway,
ABC. In response to Commissioner Traynor's being ousted from Top 10, a large number of officers show their solidarity by staging a mass resignation. Plus, Joe Pi continues his dangerous undercover assignment.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 19.

WRAITHBORN #2
Written by Joe Benitez and Marcia Chen, art and covers by Benitez and Joe Weems.
The hunt begins as the thrilling new miniseries continues! Rival parties, both mortal and Immortal, race to find and capture the new Wraithborn. Meanwhile, Melanie continues her everyday routine, oblivious of both her new powers and "popularity." Who -- or what -- will find her first? Retailers please note: This issue features two covers by Benitez and Weems, shipping in a 50/50 ratio.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

TOMORROW STORIES SPECIAL #1
Written by Alan Moore and Steve Moore,art by Kevin Nowlan, Hilary Barta, Rick Veitch and Melinda Gebbie, cover by Nowlan.
Alan Moore returns to some of his most memorable characters in a thrilling 64-page Special illustrated by some of comics' greatest artists! Jack B. Quick returns in a spellbinding 16-page story; the secret origin of the Cobweb is finally revealed; Splash Brannigan dives into the murky end of the pool; and the first part of a brilliant new Jonni Future story is told! Plus, don't miss a lovely Greyshirt tale dedicated to the man who inspired his creation: Will Eisner.
64 pages, $6.99, in stores on

TOMORROW STORIES BOOK TWO TP
Written by Alan Moore Art by Kevin Nowlan, Rick Veitch, Hilary Barta, and others Cover by Kevin Nowlan
ABC. Join Jack B. Quick, Greyshirt, Splash Brannigan, The First American and Cobweb as they scurry, lurk, ooze, trip and slink their way through an amazing lineup of diverse adventures.
160 pages, $17.99, in stores on Oct. 19.

VERTIGO TITLES

LOVELESS #1

Written by Brian Azzarello Art and cover by Marcelo Frusin
Fresh off his run on Superman, writer Brian Azzarello has created a Western for the new millennium. Reuniting with Hellblazer artist Marcelo Frusin, Azzarello has fashioned a tough-as-nails monthly series that combines all the bloody action and atmosphere of a Sergio Leone film with the provocative storytelling of HBO's Deadwood. The extra-sized 40-page issue #1 is just $2.99; future issues are 32 pages.
Wes Cutter is a wanted man running from a violent past -- the horrors of the Civil War, a brutal stint in a Union prison camp, and the savage fallout of Reconstruction. Now he's on a quest for the one thing in short supply: peace. Joining Wes is his beautiful wife Ruth, a woman who has been to hell and back herself -- and hides dark secrets of her own.
The road they travel will be a bloody one, leaving a trail of bodies stretching from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean. This is a tale only Azzarello -- the mind behind some of the hardest-hitting comics of the last decade -- could tell.
40 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

100 BULLETS #65
Written by Brian Azzarello, art by Eduardo Risso, cover by Dave Johnson.
Check back in with Loop, Lono and Victor, as the felonious trio leaves Chicago and hits the road in search of revenge. Their targets: any remaining members of the Trust stupid enough to cross their path. But can the three trust each other enough to work together, or will road rage get the better of them?
32 pages, $2.75, in stores on Oct. 12.

THE BOOKS OF MAGICK: LIFE DURING WARTIME #15
Written by Si Spencer, consulting by Neil Gaiman, art by Dean Ormstom, cover by Duncan Fegredo.
In the explosive grand finale of the series, Tim Hunter, his owl Yo-Yo and his new partner-in-crime Jackie tie up loose ends in London. But at what cost to the planet at large? And one of the main players won't live to see the light of a new day. Final issue.
32 pages, $2.75, in stores on Oct.19.

DOOM PATROL VOL. 3: DOWN PARADISE WAY TP
Written by Grant Morrison, art by Richard Case, Kim DeMulder, Kelley Jones and others, cover by Brian Bolland.
The World's Strangest Heroes continue their adventures in this third volume collecting Grant Morrison's career-launching run on Doom Patrol. Reprinting issues #35-41 of the series,Down paradise Way features the debut of Danny the Street, the first appearance of Flex Mentallo, and, through it all, an incredible saga of cosmic war and super-evolving consciousness!
192 pages, $19.99, in stores on Oct. 12.

HELLBLAZER #213
Written by Mike Carey, art by Frazer Irving, cover by Tim Bradstreet. A special stand-alone issue featuring art by Frazer Irving. Back from the depths of Hell (literally) and devastated by the soul-wrenching events that took place there, John Constantine recalls the first time he ever worked his own unique brand of conjuring ‹ with an emphasis on "con."
32 pages, $2.75, in stores on Oct. 19.

CHIAROSCURO: THE PRIVATE LIVES OF LEONARDO DA VINCI TP
Written by Pat McGreal and David Rawson, art by Chas Truog and Rafael Kayanan, cover by Stephen John Phillips and Richard Bruning.
The passions of one of history's greatest artists are captured in this volume collecting the dark and provacative 10-issue Vertigo maxiseries. Framed around the story of Salai, a young man whose beauty entrances the great maestro, Chiaroscuro follows the struggles and triumphs of da Vinci's illustrious career, from his early work in Florence and Milan to the painting of the Mona Lisa and his epochal rivalry with Michaelangelo.
264 pages, $24.99, in stores on Oct. 19.

THE FOUNTAIN HC
Written by Darren Aronofsky, adapted by Kent Williams, art and cover by Williams.
Darren Aronofsky proved himself a filmmaker to watch with his provocative debut, Pi. His follow-up, Requiem for a Dream, continued the accolades, receiving Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. His latest accomplishment, however, comes straight to comics in the form of The Fountain, a gorgeously painted, oversized original graphic novel about the timeless truths of life, love and death.
Working with painter Kent Williams (Blood: A Tale, Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold), The Fountain crisscrosses through three distinct time periods: 1535, during an ancient Mayan war; the present day, following one doctor's desperate search for the cure for cancer; and the far future through the vast exotic reaches of space. Interweaving these three periods, The Fountain follows Tomas ‹ warrior, doctor, explorer ‹ as he feverishly tries to beat death and prolong the life of the woman he loves.
A story so grand, one medium couldn't contain it, Aronofsky's feature film version of Fountain will be released by New Regency and Warner Bros. Pictures, starring Tony-award winning actor Hugh Jackman (X-Men, Van Helsing,The Boy from Oz) and acclaimed actress Rachel Weisz (Constantine, The Mummy, the upcoming The Constant Gardener). But before he did, the filmmaker wanted The Fountain to be realized in the unique storytelling power and artistic beauty of the graphic novel. Together, Aronofsky and Williams deliver what might be considered the ultimate director's cut. This volume also features an afterword by Aronofsky.
176 pages, $29.99, in stores on Nov. 2.

FABLES #42
Written by Bill Willingham, art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha Cover by James Jean
In the first issue of the 4-part "Arabian Nights (and Days)," wayward foreigners have started showing up in Fabletown -- much to the dismay of the longtime residents. These new Fables are not European and are in danger of throwing the comfortably Eurocentric Fabletown into chaos. Once more, Prince Charming is in over his head and must call on the help of a Fable character not seen in these pages for far too long.
32 pages, $2.75, in stores on Oct. 12.

THE LOSERS #29
Written by Andy Diggle, art and cover by Jock.
Part 1 of ³Endgame." It's all been building to this: With New Jerusalem behind him, Max lays it all on the line ­ his plans, his origins, and the stakes, which are nothing short of global. Now it's Max vs. the Losers with the world hanging in the balance, and the Losers will have to play every card in their hand to win.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

LUCIFER #67
Written by Mike Carey, art by Peter Gross and Ryan Kelly, cover by Michael Wm. Kaluta.
"Morningstar," Part 4 of 6. The Silver City has fallen, and with the arrival of a devastating third force, the war in Heaven is over. But the fate of Creation must now be decided amidst the blood and rubble, and hybrid angel Elaine Belloc is at the centre of Lucifer's plans.
32 pages, $2.75, in stores on Oct. 19.


THE ORIGINALS SC

Written by Dave Gibbons, art and cover by Gibbons.
Lel and Bok -- two best friends -- want nothing more than to join the Originals, the top gang on the streets. Through them, they'll meet the high-speed world of hover scooters, all-night clubs, and, for Lel, the girl of his dreams in particular. But with the fast life comes tough foes, and tribal loyalty will teach them the unforgettable meaning of unforgivable loss.
Neither a science-fiction story nor set in a mundane reality, The Originals takes place in a world both familiar and strange, where the young are angry, loyal and stylish. And the only thing more important than who your friends are is who your friends hate.
160 pages, black and white, $17.99, in stores on Oct. 26.

VERTIGO: FIRST OFFENSES TP
Written by Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Bill Willingham, Mike Carey and Matt Wagner, art by Steve Dillon, Scott Hampton, Steve Leialoha, Guy Davis, Lan Medina and Steve Yeowell, cover by John J. Hill.
Vertigo: First Offenses is a special volume created to introduce new readers to comics' most provocative imprint. Collecting the premiere issues of five of Vertigo's signature series, this 168-page trade paperback is priced at a mere $4.99 US, allowing thrill-seeking ordinary civilians the chance to do hard time with some of comics' heaviest hitters. Included are The Invisible #1 (written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Steve Yeowell), Fables #1 (written by Bill Willingham and illustrated by Lan Medina & Steve Leialoha), Preacher #1 (written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Steve Dillon), Sandman Mystery Theatre #1 (written by Matt Wagner and illustrated by Guy Davis) and The Sandman Presents: Lucifer #1 (written by Mike Carey and illustrated by Scott Hampton).
168 pages, $4.99, in stores on Oct. 5.

SWAMP THING #20
Written by Joshua Dysart, art and cover by Richard Corben.
Internationally acclaimed artist Richard Corben returns to Swamp Thing for a pivotal tale in one of comics' most enduring sagas. Wearied by tumultuous recent events, Swamp Thing attempts to escape by creating smaller and smaller versions of himself. Finally, he shrinks into a quantum state, exploring the subatomic universe. But what is John Constantine doing there?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 5.


Y: THE LAST MAN #38

Written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Pia Guerra & José Marzan Jr., cover by Massimo Carnevale.
"Paper Dolls" Part 2 of 3. How has the world of media changed since the onset of the mysterious man-killing plague? Yorick Brown finds out the hard way as he and his companions encounter a tenacious journalist dedicated to exposing the story of the century...by any means necessary.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Oct. 5.

Pop Artifact! Beverly Hillbillies lunchbox

Quick hits

"Superman Returns" is primarily a romance, director Bryan Singer says.

Comics Continuum has a rundown of DC Comics news out of the Comic-Con International in San Diego. Tidbits that caught my eye: Mark Waid, writer of DC's best current book Legion of Superheroes, will be doing a reboot of The Brave and Bold. Joe Kubert's six-part Sgt. Rock mini-series starts in January. There's a Marvel overview, too. The only thing that caught my interest is the fact that Joss Whedon has signed on to do Astonishing X-men through issue 25. God, Marvel is otherwise so depressing these days. And DC is nearly as bad.

More on Waid's Brave and the Bold from Newsarama.

I guess Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder is pretty much what you'd expect. Please, God, someone save Batman...

The God of Thunder gets lit (via Super Frankenstein).

Mike Sterling Googles Zatanna. The lucky bastard...

Dial B for Blog is counting down the 40 Sickest Comic Book Covers Ever.

Also via Dial B for B: Countdown to Infinite Crisis gets what it deserves.

In music news: the reformed Cream may play a string of shows in New York.

Houseplant Studios shares a true Nugget: The Hombres' Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) LP.

Eisner Award winners 2005

The awards were made over the weekend at the Comic-Con International in San Diego:

Best Short Story: “Unfamiliar,” by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson, in The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft (Dark Horse Books)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot):
Eightball #23: “The Death Ray,” by Dan Clowes (Fantagraphics)

Best Serialized Story: Fables #19-27: “March of the Wooden Soldiers,” by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Steve Leialoha (Vertigo/DC)

Best Continuing Series: The Goon, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)

Best Limited Series: DC: The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke (DC)

Best New Series: Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris, and Tom Fesiter (WildStorm/DC)

Best Publication for a Younger Audience: Plastic Man, by Kyle Baker and Scott Morse (DC)

Best Humor Publication: The Goon, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)

Best Anthology: Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, edited by Diana Schutz and David Land (Dark Horse)

Best Digital Comic: Mom's Cancer, by Brian Fies

Best Graphic Album—New: The Originals, by Dave Gibbons (Vertigo/DC)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint: Bone One Volume Edition, by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books)

Best Archival Collection/Project: The Complete Peanuts, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)

Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material: Buddha, vols. 3-4 by Osamu Tezuka (Vertical)

Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan, Y: The Last Man (Vertigo/DC); Ex Machina (WildStorm/DC); Runaways (Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist: Paul Chadwick, Concrete: The Human Dilemma (Dark Horse)

Best Writer/Artist—Humor: Kyle Baker, Plastic Man (DC); Kyle Baker, Cartoonist (Kyle Baker Publishing)

Best Penciller/Inker (tie): John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men (Marvel); Planetary (WildStorm/DC); I Am Legion: The Dancing Faun (Humanoids/DC); Frank Quitely, WE3 (Vertigo/DC)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art): Teddy Kristiansen, It’s a Bird . . . (Vertigo/DC)

Best Coloring: Dave Stewart, Daredevil, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Six, Captain America (Marvel); Conan, BPRD (Dark Horse); DC: The New Frontier (DC)

Best Lettering: Todd Klein, Promethea; Tom Strong; Tom Strong’s Terrific Tales (ABC); Wonder Woman (DC); Books of Magick: Life During Wartime; Fables; WE3 (Vertigo/DC); Creatures of the Night (Dark Horse)

Best Cover Artist: James Jean, Fables (Vertigo/DC); Green Arrow, Batgirl (DC)

Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition: Sean McKeever (A Waiting Place; Mary Jane; Inhumans; Sentinels)

Best Comics-Related Periodical: Comic Book Artist, edited by Jon B. Cooke (Top Shelf)

Best Comics-Related Book: Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book, by Gerard Jones (Basic Books)

Best Publication Design: The Complete Peanuts, designed by Seth (Fantagraphics)

Hall of Fame: Judges’ choices: Lou Fine; René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo; Voters’ choices: Nick Cardy, Gene Colan, Johnny Craig, Hugo Pratt

Other awards presented:

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award: George Pérez

Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award: Chris Bailey (Major Damage)

Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Writing Award: Jerry Siegel, Arnold Drake

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award: Night Flight Comics, Salt Lake City; Mimi Cruz and Alan Carroil, owners

CBLDF Defender of Liberty Award: Denis Kitchen

Kong toys!

Down in San Diego, Playmates Toys unveiled the action figures it's doing based on Universal's upcoming remake of "King Kong."

The range will include:

Basic Figure Asst.:
- 6" scale (8 styles total)
- Available this fall at mass market retailers for the suggested retail
price $9.99

Deluxe Figure Asst.:
- At a towering 11", the Deluxe Roaring Kong and Deluxe Bull T-Rex action
figures
- 11" scale (2 figures total) -- Deluxe Roaring Kong and Deluxe Bull
T-Rex
- Both figures feature 14 points of articulation at the neck, shoulders,
elbows, wrists, hands, hips and knees
- SRP $17.99

14" Feature Kong Figure:
- Highly detailed 14" figure features sound effects including roaring,
stomping and ambient jungle noises
- With 22 points of articulation, this Kong walks around on his front
knuckles and when standing up, Kong shakes his arms in the air
- SRP $24.99

Role Play Toys:
- Role play set includes Kong mask and breakaway chains
- Deluxe, electronic Kong arms allow children to experience the power of
Kong
- SRP $9.99 and $19.99

Battling Action Game:
- Kong vs. T-Rex Battle Game including 6" Kong and 6" T-Rex
- Game features posable Kong and T-Rex figures that twist and swing to
attack, each monster has a collapsible feature, and unique fighting
techniques
- SRP $14.99

Skull Island Playset:
- Multi environment playset inspired by the mysterious Skull Island
- Designed to play with the 6" action figure collection
- SRP $29.99

Soft Figures:
- 8" Kong basic soft figures
- 11" roaring Kong soft figures includes chest-activated roaring sounds
- SRP $5.99 and $9.99


DC Direct, JLU action figure sneak peeks

Superhero Times is snappin' pics in San Diego. Check out their gallery of upcoming DC Direct and Mattel figures here.



Another shot



More from Newsarama.

Darwyn Cooke to do ongoing Spirit series

Well, I'm not sure how I feel about someone other than Will Eisner doing the Spirit, but Cooke is probably the best guy around to do it.

According to a Newsarama report from the International Comicon in San Diego, the new series will debut in 2006, following up a Spirit meet Batman oneshot written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Cooke.

Cooke will write the ongoing title himself. It'll be set in a the modern age, not Eisner's 1930s/40s milieu but, aside from that, he's shooting to stay as loyal as possible to the original, citing these two goals for himself:

”One - preserve and if humanly possible, enrich the core essence of the Spirit. Give long-time readers a contemporary look at the magic that has held them for decades, and introduce a new generation to the irresistible pull of this rich human drama. Action, crime, romance, humor and pathos will all be generously employed in the ‘spirit’ of the original strip. There'll be no deconstruction and every issue will be a story unto itself, making every issue an ideal jumping on point. Every story will try to add and hopefully strengthen the essence of Eisner’s characters and vision.

”The second goal is to produce a work that reaffirms the Spirit as the strip for graphic innovation that enhances storytelling. This second mandate is, I believe, the one to be artistically important. While we cleave to Eisner’s vision and world-view for Central City, we should be equally mindful of his vision that contemporary storytelling techniques be continually introduced to engage the reader in fresh and appropriate ways. I believe that this would have been very important to Will, and I feel it is the key to avoiding a simple homage.”


Eisner's longtime associate Denis Kitchen helped bring the project to fruition.

Also in the works, a series of "Best of the Spirit" paperbacks featuring some of Eisner's top work on the strip.

Pop Artifact! Superman roller skates



More Superman.

Quick hits

Coming Soon has an update on plans for a live-action film featuring Will Eisner's Spirit.

The official site for Underworld: Evolution is up.

Via BoingBoing: Back in 1982, original "Bullwinkle and Rocky" voice actors performed a live script reading from one of the toons scripts. Check out the performance here.

Pop Artifacts! Batman and Robin squeeze toys

PBS to air Python specials

"Monty Python's Personal Best" devotes one episode each to the troupe's six members: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin and Terry Jones.

The episodes will mix interview footage and clips from Python films and TV programs.

It'll air sometime next spring, UPI reports.

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" review roundup

Newsday: This is Burton in the winking mode and full-tilt visual extravagance of his three best movies: "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure," "Edward Scissorhands" and "Ed Wood." The youngest audience members will miss the layering of pop culture references upon which Willy has built his madhouse (as if time had stood still the moment he shut the gate on the outside world): Sgt. Pepper, the Bee Gees, "Ben-Hur," "THX 1138," "2001: A Space Odyssey" and Busby Berkeley-style production numbers for the Oompa-Loompas (written by Burton die-hard Danny Elfman) that remind us how fascistic those synchronized routines could be.

Depp, who is to Tim Burton what James Stewart was to Alfred Hitchcock, misses the mark when the script requires him to shtick it up a la Jerry Lewis. But he puts his head on the block in ways most of his contemporaries wouldn't dare, and ultimately overrides the camp posturings of the flashback sequences (Joan Crawford, anyone?) to make us feel something for Willy's inner child.


Rolling Stone: The Michael Jackson pallor. The unnaturally white teeth. The smile stretched with insincerity. Johnny Depp's deliciously demented take on Willy Wonka, the candy man of Roald Dahl's book, demands to be seen. Director Tim Burton surrounds Depp with miraculous visuals of spun sugar and creeping menace. Their missionary lunacy is a treat for twisted children of all ages.

MSNBC: The new movie often feels less like a remake than a trip through Burtonland, where weird landscapes, Danny Elfman’s spry music and Johnny Depp’s whims threaten to turn the movie into a series of improvisations. Fortunately, there’s more of the classic Burton (“Beetlejuice,” “Ed Wood”) than the problematic Burton (“Big Fish,” “Planet of the Apes”) of recent years.

And the casting couldn’t be much better. Highmore, who was Peter Pan to Depp’s J.M. Barrie in “Finding Neverland,” has the requisite soul and spirit to play Charlie. Also making solid contributions are David Kelly as Charlie’s young-at-heart grandfather and James Fox as perhaps the most indulgent parent on the planet. Depp’s dark take on Wonka may not become as beloved as Wilder’s version, but his performance is the film’s chief source of welcome surprises.


Chicago Tribune: Tim Burton's scrumptious version of writer Roald Dahl's 1964 children's classic is almost everything you'd want it to be: a peach of a story delightfully imagined by Dahl and lushly realized by Burton. It's full of witty or awesome scenes, flights of fancy and characters either totally, lovably sweet or outrageously, humorously rotten.

Marvel's next big movie

"The Watcher"!

Mike Sterling has the scoop!

"Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 3" contents revealed

Out Oct. 25, the four-disk set will include:

Disc 1 - BUGS BUNNY CLASSICS (149 mins)
Hare Force
Hare Remover
Hare Tonic
A Hare Grows in Manhattan
Easter Yeggs
The Wabbit Who Came to Supper (commentary)
Bowery Bugs (commentary)
Homeless Hare
The Case of the Missing Hare (commentary)
Acrobatty Bunny
Wackiki Wabbit (commentary)
Hare Do
Rebel Rabbit
Hillbilly Hare (commentary)
Duck! Rabbit! Duck! (commentary)

Disc 2 - Hollywood Caricatures and Parodies (141 mins)
Daffy Duck in Hollywood
Hollywood Capers (commentary)
The Coo-Coo Nut Grove (commentary)
Porky's Road Race
The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos
She Was an Acrobat's Daughter (commentary)
The Film Fan
Speakin' of the Weather
Thugs with Dirty Mugs (commentary)
Goofy Groceries
Swooner Crooner (commentary)*
Wideo Wabbit
The Honey-Mousers (commentary)
The Last Hungry Cat
The Mouse That Jack Built (commentary)

Disc 3 - Porky and the Pigs (143 mins)
I Haven't Got a Hat (commentary)
Porky's Romance (commentary)
Porky's Party (commentary)
Porky in Egypt
Porky and Teabiscuit
Pigs Is Pigs
Pigs in a Polka (commentary)*
Porky Pig's Feat (commentary)
Daffy Duck Slept Here
Bye, Bye Bluebeard
An Egg Scramble
Robin Hood Daffy (commentary)
The Windblown Hare
Claws for Alarm (commentary)
Rocket Squad (commentary)

Disc 4 - All Stars Cartoon Party (146 mins)
Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur
Super Rabbit (commentary)
Daffy Duck and Egghead
A Gruesome Twosome (commentary)
Draftee Daffy (commentary)
Falling Hare (commentary)
Steel Wool
Birds Anonymous (commentary)*
No Barking (commentary)
Rabbit Punch
An Itch in Time (commentary)
Odor-able Kitty (commentary)
Walky Talky Hawky (commentary)*
Gonzales Tamales (commentary)
To Beep or Not to Beep (commentary)


Quick hits

Marvel and Microsoft are teaming up for a series of videogames, say news reports.

DC Direct is coming out with a series of Looney Tunes figures, the Comic Book Bin reports. Newsarama has pics.

Cameron Diaz turned down the chance to play Wonder Woman, says here.

A remake of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" starring Owen Wilson puts a new spin on the James Thurber tale: The movie Mitty is a comic book writer, according to reports.

The Detroit Free Press profiles Jim Ottaviani, who writes highly entertaining non-fictional graphic novels about science and dinosaurs and stuff.

Stan Lee's Pow! Entertainment is launching a toy line, reports ICv2.

Dan Slott, Marvel's last best hope for making its comics fun again, talks to Newsarama about his upcoming Thing series. One I'll surely be checking out, given Slott's recent Spider-Man/Human Torch mini-series, which was a blast.

Image Comics' Girls isn't worth reading, says Joanna.

Dial B for Blog posts unpublished Fantastic Four covers.

Drawn sings the righteous praises of master designer Saul Bass.

Unveiled: Slip case art for "Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince"

The book is due out July 16 and available via Amazon.

Click for a full-size view.

Another batch of Bob boots

Coming from Columbia Records Aug. 30:

Bob Dylan's "No Direction Home: The Soundtrack - The Bootleg Series Vol. 7" is the latest edition in the critically acclaimed "Bootleg Series," as well as the companion soundtrack to the two-part feature-length film, "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan," a Martin Scorsese picture.

The film will make its U.S. premiere on the Public Broadcasting System's "American Masters Series" over the course of Monday and Tuesday nights, September 26-27th, respectively.

The two-CD chronologically sequenced package contains 28 Bob Dylan tracks -- 26 of them previously unreleased -- comprised of rare private recordings, live concert, television and festival recordings, and 12 alternate takes of songs from his Columbia LP recording sessions in New York and Nashville during this period. The songs range in time from 1959 (a high school recording of "When I Got Troubles," most likely the first original song he ever recorded), to 1966 (alternate takes of "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" and "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" from the "Blonde on Blonde" album recording sessions, as well as "Ballad of a Thin Man" and "Like A Rolling Stone" from the legendary 1966 UK tour).

Many of the songs or tracks are introduced in the film for the first time in history, or are representative of times and places covered in the film, while others are alternate takes of classic tracks that were unearthed during the making of the film. For example, the version of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" performed in 1961, at the intimate Carnegie Chapter Hall in New York City, was never known to have existed on any tape until now.

On the other hand, the "No Direction Home" film version of "Mr. Tambourine Man" is taken from the Newport Folk Festival, July 1964; while the CD version presents -- for the first time -- the first complete take of the song with Ramblin' Jack Elliott, recorded at Columbia Studios the month before. The track is then followed on the CD by "Chimes of Freedom" from Newport '64.

Archivists and researchers reviewed more than 400 hours of recordings by Bob Dylan in the preparation of "No Direction Home." The two CDs will be packaged with a 60-page color book housed in a slipcase. The book will include separate liner notes written by Andrew Loog Oldham, and Al Kooper who sheds light on the "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde on Blonde" recording sessions in New York and Nashville (for which he played organ and served as musical director). An authoritative track-by-track delineation is also included.

The first feature-length film biography ever produced on the artist, "No Direction Home" is narrated in its entirety by Dylan. In addition to hours of black-and-white and color archival footage and photography, it features exclusive interviews with Joan Baez, photographer John Cohen of the New Lost City Ramblers, Allen Ginsberg, Tony Glover, Al Kooper, Bruce Langhorne, Paul Nelson, Suze Rotolo, Pete Seeger, Dave Van Ronk, Izzy Young of the Folklore Center, and many others.


You can pre-order the set now from Amazon. A DVD of the "No Direction Home" film also is available for pre-order, and is due out Sept. 20.

Pop Artifact! Obelix figure

The Fantastic Four Jack'n'Joe Gallery

Jack Kirby's pencils on the Fantastic Four never looked batter than when Joe Sinnott started inking them. It was surely a match made in comic book heaven.

Now you can see a gallery of Jack'n'Joe art at Sinnott's official site, including covers and a few rare black-and-white pieces.

New JLU figures coming up

Set to debut at the International Comicon this week in San Diego, new figures depicting the animated versions of Black Canary, Orion and Bizarro, Action Figure Insider reports. No pics yet.

New CD releases of note

July 12

Marian McPartland and Elvis Costello Piano Jazz
Willie Nelson Countryman
Son Volt Okemah and the Melody of Riot
Richard Brautigan Listening to
Duke Ellington The Piano Player
The Everly Brothers A Date with, Both Sides of an Evening, Instant Party!, It's Everly Time and Sing Great Country Hits
Soft Machine & Heavy Friends BBC in Concert 1971
Joe Strummer Walker

July 19

Art Blakey The Big Beat
Donald Byrd Fuego
Don Cherry Symphony for Improvisors
Sammy Davis, Jr. & Carmen McRae Boy Meets Girl: The Complete on Decca
Herbie Hancock Inventions and Dimensions
OST The Dukes of Hazzard

Quick hits

Salma Hayek may be up for a part in Sin City 2, says JoBlo.

Uma Thurman is set to star in a superhero-themed movie, reports Dark Horizons.

The impressively produced Comic Art magazine is set to return after a break in publishing, according to the Comics Reporter.

Drawn! discovers the lovely art of Eyvind Earle, background artist for Disney's "Sleeping Beauty."

Fred Hembeck sees "The Fantastic Four." I spose I should see it too eventually.

Quick hits

Bubblegumfink finds some groovy cover art from the 1970s Marvel Comics Planet of the Apes mag.

Bedazzled checks out the Library of Congress' online "Wizard of Oz" exhibit.

Drawn finds some nice fireworks label art.

The Planet of Sardines stumbles upon lots and lots of paperback cover art scans.

Rato Records offers up Bert Kaempfert's "Swingin' Safari" LP.

Record Brother has two new vinyl sharity offerings.

Comic Book Heaven has a personal Jack Kirby remembrance.

Mike Sterling sees "The Fantastic Four."

Superfrankenstein checks into this whole crazy Batman-is-a-libertarian phenomenon. My take: Batman, a guy who dresses up in a big batsuit and fights criminals whilst unarmed, isn't nutty enough to be a libertarian. He's more like a Truman Democrat.

Pop Artifact! Count Chocula figure toy

New Gervais series takes to air soon

Ricky Gervais, star and co-creator of The Office (funniest show ever), has a new series starting on the BBC July 21.

Extras focuses on people working as, um, extras on movies. HBO is set to air it in the U.S., but there's not a date yet.

See Gervais' site for clips and more info.

DVD new releases for July 12

July 12



Million Dollar Baby



Cry Baby

Flux photos

JoBlo has a buncha pics from the upcoming Aeon Flux flick starring Cherlize Theron.

Boxing up The Band

Upcoming Sept. 27 from Capitol/EMI:

Executive produced by Robbie Robertson, The Band's new career-spanning box set, "A Musical History," is the most comprehensive collection ever created for the group. Packaged within a 108-page hardcover book brimming with previously unseen photos and memorabilia are five CDs and one DVD documenting The Band's entire recording career from 1963 to 1976. Among the set's 111 audio and video tracks are 37 previously unreleased recordings and filmed clips captured live and in-studio. To be released on September 27 by Capitol/EMI Music Catalog Marketing, this definitive collection features a cover painting of The Band by world-renowned artist Ed Ruscha and extensive biographical liner notes by the Grammy-winning writer Rob Bowman. In-demand producer partners Cheryl Pawelski and Andrew Sandoval, who also teamed for the in-depth restoration of The Band's original Capitol albums in 2000 and 2001, joined Robertson on the project.

"This is by far the most comprehensive, in-depth, and beautifully put together collection of The Band's musical journey," says The Band's Robbie Robertson.

Among "A Musical History's" previously unreleased audio tracks are live and studio recordings The Band created with Bob Dylan and Ronnie Hawkins, as well as various song sketches. The DVD's nine film clips include rare and previously unreleased concert performances, a filmed studio jam, and three songs The Band performed on "Saturday Night Live" in 1976, never before issued in their entirety.

"A Musical History's" release concludes a comprehensive restoration campaign for The Band's entire Capitol Records catalog. In 2000 and 2001, The Band's original Capitol albums were remastered and reissued with bonus tracks: "Music From Big Pink" (1968); "The Band" (1969); "Stage Fright" (1970); "Cahoots" (1971); "Rock Of Ages" (1972); "Moondog Matinee" (1973); "Northern Lights-Southern Cross" (1975); "Islands" (1977); and a new "Greatest Hits" compilation was released.

By the late 1960s, The Band was one of the most popular and influential rock groups in the world, and the group's members shared an extensive collaborative history dating back to the late 1950s and early '60s. Between 1958 and 1962, the then-teenaged multi-instrumentalists Levon Helm (drums, vocals), Robbie Robertson (guitar, piano, vocals), Rick Danko (bass, vocals), Richard Manuel (keyboards, vocals, drums) and Garth Hudson (keyboards, horns) first performed and recorded together as members of the backing band for Ronnie Hawkins called the Hawks. In late 1963, the Hawks struck out on their own and became Levon & the Hawks, playing and recording under this name in 1964 and 1965.

In 1965, Robertson met with Bob Dylan in New York, just as Dylan was seeking an electric guitarist for his touring band. The Band was born, with all of the former Hawks backing Bob Dylan on the road from October 1965 through 1966 as he incensed audiences in the U.S., Australia and Europe, performing electric sets. Disheartened by the vocally disdainful 'folkie purist' audience response to their first plugged-in performances with Dylan, Helm left The Band in November 1965.

After the 1966 tour concluded, The Band woodshedded for the next year in upstate New York, often in the company of Bob Dylan, forging a highly original sound that in one way or another encompassed the panoply of American roots music: country, blues, R&B, gospel, soul, rockabilly, the honking tenor sax tradition, Anglican hymns, funeral dirges, brass band music, folk music, modern rock, fused and synthesized in ways that no one had ever thought possible before. Levon Helm re-joined The Band in 1967, as the group prepared to record their first full-length album, "Music From Big Pink." The Band's line-up remained intact until they disbanded in November 1976, following the live recording and Martin Scorsese's filmed documentation of their final concert for "The Last Waltz."

Released in 1968, "Music From Big Pink" received glowing reviews; a journalist for Life magazine wrote that The Band "dipped into the well of tradition and came up with a bucketful of clear, cool, country soul that washed the ears with a sound never heard before," and icons such as Eric Clapton and George Harrison extolled the virtues of the album in print. While it only reached the #30 slot on Billboard's album charts when it was initially released, over time it has become recognized as one of the most important and classic albums in the history of rock.

Between 1968 and 1976, The Band released seven albums, and two additional releases followed in 1977 and 1978. The aforementioned "Music From Big Pink" (1968) was adorned with an original folk art cover painting by Bob Dylan. The eponymous album "The Band" (1969) sailed into Billboard's Top 10 and is hailed as one of rock's seminal releases. "Stage Fright" (1970) was recorded at the Woodstock Playhouse without an audience (due to local government's worries about a potential fan rush on the town from the greater Northeast), and climbed to #5 on the album charts, the highest position any Band album would ever attain. "Cahoots" (1971) peaked at #21 on the chart. The double live album "Rock Of Ages" (1972) peaked at #6 on Billboard's album charts. "Moondog Matinee" (1973) was a collection of covers recorded in Bearsville and Hollywood which reached #28 on the chart. "Northern Lights-Southern Cross" (1975), which peaked at #26, was The Band's first studio recording of original material since 1971 (1974 had seen a studio album collaboration with Bob Dylan, "Planet Waves," and a live album from their subsequent tour, "Before The Flood"). "Islands" (recorded in 1975 and released in 1977) was The Band's final studio album, a collection of odds and ends they had not intended for a specific album. "The Last Waltz," filmed in 1976 by Martin Scorsese and recorded live with all-star ensemble of guest performers, was theatrically released with an accompanying 3-album soundtrack in 1978, capping The Band's original recorded legacy.

Although Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Levon Helm got back together and went back on the road in 1983 under the name The Band, without all five original members it was never the same. Wracked by demons for far too long, in March 1986 Richard Manuel committed suicide in a Florida motel. In 1989, The Band was inducted into the Canadian Juno Hall of Fame and five years later they were accorded the same honor by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. With the exception of Manuel, all of the former members of The Band have issued a variety of solo recordings over the years, enjoying successful careers as individuals. Sadly, Rick Danko passed away in his sleep on December 10, 1999.

Dark Horse Comics solicitations for October 2005: Nexus Archives and more

AEON FLUX #3 (of 4)
MIKE KENNEDY (W) and TIMOTHY GREEN II (A)
On sale October 19, FC, 32pg, $2.99

As the Bregnan government prepares to unleash their new defoliant
weapon on the dense jungle outside their walls, Aeon and Sithandra
infiltrate the heavily guarded labs with plans of sabotage. But even the Monican
Rebellion’s top agent is caught off guard, as escape becomes a matter
of life and death. Their mission jeopardized, her life draining from a
bullet hole, and the clock ticking towards a potentially genocidal
mistake, Aeon has little choice but to reveal her secret to her sister. But
hers is not the only secret revealed—the Bregnan government assaults
the Rebellion’s hideout, thanks to information provided by their
mysterious inside informant …

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #106: CAULDRON (one-shot)
HIROAKI SAMURA (W/A)
On sale October 12, b&w, 48pg, $3.99

Two new, complex characters come to the forefront of Hiroaki Samura’s
samurai epic! As Rin frets over Manji’s disappearance, she is surprised
by the arrival of two traveling warriors, the feisty, headstrong Döa
Yoshino and her huge, brutish companion, Isaku Yasono-ökami. Rin quickly
regrets her decision to let this strange couple stay with her, but her
detective work takes priority when she returns to Habaki Kagamura’s
stronghold to search for Manji. Meanwhile, Manji awakens to find himself
in a very disturbing situation … and the horrific reason behind
Kagamura’s interest in him becomes clearer!
• Winner of Japan’s prestigious Media Arts Award and America’s own
Eisner Award.
FOR MATURE READERS

B.P.R.D.: THE BLACK FLAME #3 (of 6)
MIKE MIGNOLA (W/Cover), JOHN ARCUDI (W), GUY DAVIS (P/I), and DAVE
STEWART (C)
On sale October 26, FC, 32pg, $2.99

Liz Sherman awakens from a dream with a secret name of doom in her
throat, a secret that Roger comes closest to understanding. Meanwhile, The
Black Flame burns more darkly, lighting the way for his frog legion as
they shuffle that much closer to their destiny—a destiny that will
leave the Bureau broken, perhaps forever.
• Colorist Dave Stewart has been nominated for a 2005 Eisner Award for
his work on B.P.R.D. and Conan.

CHRONICLES OF CONAN VOLUME 9: RIDERS OF THE RIVER-DRAGONS AND OTHER
STORIES TPB

ROY THOMAS (W), JOHN BUSCEMA (P), and VAL MAYERIK (P)
On sale November 30, SC, 160pg, FC, 7" x 10", $16.95

From the turbulent seas to the deepest, darkest jungles, the barbarian
Conan moves ever closer to his destiny as king and conqueror. Allied
with the deadly she-pirate Bêlit, Conan journeys further into the most
savage and untamed Hyborian lands, and into his own heart of darkness.
Collecting Conan the Barbarian #60-63, #65, #69-71.
It’s Sword and Sorcery at its finest!
• Presenting eight more issues from the celebrated Roy Thomas/John
Buscema Conan the Barbarian run, this volume features completely remastered color and all of the original story lettering.

CLASSIC COMIC BOOK CHARACTER: MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER
On sale November 16, 2005, 5" tall, fully-painted, packaged in a
litho-printed full-color tin box and included is a vintage-style pinback
button, and booklet about the character and his creator, limited to 750
pieces, $49.95
Having produced nearly fifty "syroco" statues so far in our Classic
Comic Character series based on newspaper comic strips, Dark Horse is now
offering a new Classic Comic Book Character series, featuring
characters from a variety of comic book publishers.
The third statue in this series features North Am’s Magnus, Robot
Fighter, the karate-chopping hero of 4000 A.D.! An enduring creation of
comics legend Russ Manning, Magnus first appeared on newsstands in February
of 1963. Millions of readers followed the adventures of the only man
able to fight the malicious robots of the future. While Russ Manning’s
work on the Gold Key series lasted only twenty-one issues, his creation
has survived generations, influencing countless science fiction artists
and writers to this day.

CLUB 9 VOLUME 4 TPB
MAKOTO KOBAYASHI (W/A)
On sale November 2, SC, 200pg, b&w, 5 3/4" x 8 1/4", $15.95
Haruo Hattori’s a country-fried cupcake, the sweetest dish at Club 9,
the most happening hostess bar in Tokyo’s notorious Ginza district.
She’s staying true to her fella back home, but her guileless beauty is one
major bull’s-eye for some of Tokyo’s most eligible bachelors, including
a down-on-his-luck baseball superstar, one of the country’s hottest
manga artists, and a bonafide super-rich playboy with fast-track matrimony
on his mind. And with her boyfriend off to Europe to study for the next
few years, will poor Haruo be able to stave off this onslaught of
affection? Collecting stories from Super Manga Blast! issues #37-#46.
• Club 9 is uproarious slice-of-life, fish-out-of-water comedy as
crafted by the inimitable creator of What’s Michael?, Makoto Kobayashi. A
hilarious look at Tokyo nightlife and Japanese culture, Club 9 is
flat-out, fresh-off-the-farm fun!

CONAN #21
KURT BUSIEK (W), CARY NORD (P), DAVE STEWART (C), and LADRÖNN (Cover)
On sale October 19, FC, 32pg, $2.99

The award-winning team of Busiek and Nord continue their adaptation of
one of Robert E. Howard’s greatest Conan stories, with the second part
of "The Tower of the Elephant." Conan, at the side of Taurus, Prince of
Thieves, assaults the dreaded Elephant Tower—but deadly peril awaits at
every turn, from hungry lions to giant spiders, and it’ll take all his
barbarian skill merely to stay alive long enough to make it inside.
Yet, once inside, the tower holds secrets far stranger and darker than
anything Conan could have prepared for.
• Colorist Dave Stewart has been nominated for a 2005 Eisner Award for
his work on B.P.R.D. and Conan.
• Cary Nord and Thomas Yeates have been nominated for a 2005 Eisner
Award for Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team.

CONAN AND THE DEMONS OF KHITAI #1 (of 4)
AKIRA YOSHIDA (W), PAUL LEE (A), and PAT LEE (Cover)
On sale October 5, FC, 32pg, $2.99

King Conan travels to the exotic land of Khitai, only to run afoul of
an evil sorcerer and his demonic retainers in this tale of silent shadow
warriors and ghastly monsters in the Far East.
When Conan receives an invitation from the Eastern Kingdom of Khitai to
open trade in precious jewels and spices, he decides that he will
travel into this long-mysterious land. Yet, to do so is perilous, as those
who have requested his company may have far more devious intentions, and
beasts unseen by Western eyes lurk amidst the shadows.
With words by fan-favorite scribe Akira Yoshida (X-Men/Fantastic Four;
Wolverine: Soultaker; Elektra: The Hand) and pictures by Paul Lee
(Detective Comics; Buffy: The Vampire Slayer; Lurid) the entire series is
topped off with covers by Pat Lee (Transformers; Darkminds; Warlands).
• Set many years in the future from the award-winning on-going series,
Conan and the Demons of Khitai marks Conan’s first appearance as King
in Dark Horse’s best-selling comics revival of the legendary fantasy
hero.

EDEN VOLUME 1: IT’S AN ENDLESS WORLD! TPB
HIROKI ENDO (W/A)
On sale November 2, SC, 216pg, b&w, 5" x 7", $12.95
Eden Volume One is both a brilliant love song to the post-apocalyptic
survival genre and the beginning of a deep exploration on man’s role in
the natural order. In the near future, a large portion of humanity is
wiped out by a brutal, new virus that hardens the skin while dissolving
internal organs. Those who aren’t immune are either severely crippled
or allowed to live with cybernetically enhanced bodies. Taking advantage
of a world in chaos, a paramilitary force known as the Propater topples
the United Nations and seeks world domination. Elijah, a young survivor
searching for his mother, travels towards the Andes Mountains with an
artificially intelligent combat robot. When he encounters a group of
anti-Propater freedom fighters, a maelstrom of unique characters unfolds.
Graphic, cyberpunk, and philosophical, Eden is a place where endearing
heroes face a constant struggle for survival and violent surprises wait
around every corner!
• From the pages of Afternoon, the same manga anthology that brought us
Blade of the Immortal and Oh My Goddess!
• Often compared to Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira in both artistic execution
and storytelling scope, Hiroki Endo’s deep and beautiful Eden series is
finally available in English!
• Each volume comes shrink-wrapped and carries an 18+ content advisory.

EMILY THE STRANGE #2: THE LOST ISSUE
COSMIC DEBRIS (W/A)
On sale November 16, FC, 48pg, 6 5/8" x 10 1/6", $7.95

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 Emily fans are invited
into her odd, mysterious 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 "strange" themselves will be made to feel right at home.
Dark Horse Comics and the creative minds behind Cosmic Debris are
thrilled to present the second issue of Emily, with all-new stories and art.
Each issue of Emily comics features 48 pages of black, white, and red
art (with the occasional outburst of full-color freakouts!),
illustrating a wacky range of Emily stories.
• Emily the Strange is the star of a best-selling line of merchandise
and fashion accessories from the creative brain trust known as Cosmic
Debris. Visit www.Emilystrange.com.
• Also included in this issue is a bonus Emily fold-out poster
highlighting the theme of this issue and showing what Emily does best—"get
lost"!

FRANK MILLER’S SIN CITY LIBRARY SET II HC
FRANK MILLER (W/A)
On sale November 30, HC, 736pg, b&w w/spot color, 8" x 12", $150.00

This second Sin City slipcase completes our oversized archival
editions, available only in these exceptional collections. The handsome 8"x12"
books feature the individual stories printed on high-quality paper
stock and showcase Miller’s atmospheric cover art from the original comics!
Created with serious Frank Miller collectors and art connoisseurs in
mind, these new archival editions are sure to satisfy!
• This slipcase holds Sin City volumes five through seven: Family
Values, Miller’s first direct-to-trade work; Booze, Broads, and Bullets, an
expansive compilation of short stories from the Town without Pity; and
Hell and Back, the longest Sin City story to date!
• This Library set also includes a special edition of The Art of Sin
City, a lush complement to these deluxe volumes. The Art of Sin City
extends the reach of the Eisner, Harvey, and National Cartoonists Society
award-winning series by showcasing content—such as Miller’s preliminary
sketches—that cannot be found elsewhere. Now the groundbreaking work
that sent a rush of adrenaline through the entire industry is available
in an attractive archival format!


GOON 25 CENT COMIC

ERIC POWELL (W/A)
On sale October 12, FC, 32pg, $.25

Now is the perfect time to get acquainted with the cult-hit that Wizard
calls "the most rip-snortin’ comics series to hit stands in years," as
Eisner award-winner Eric Powell and Dark Horse Comics present the
original The Goon #1 in a new 25 cent edition that includes a brand-new
short story and painted cover by none other than the illustrious Mr. Powell
himself.
Over the last few years, The Goon has earned both critical and popular
acclaim with its tales of a lone thug and his fight against a
never-ending onslaught of zombies, giant lizards, and killer robots. For one
measly quarter, see why Entertainment Weekly put The Goon on their "Must"
list and why Ain’t It Cool News said, "The Goon is a wild ride filled
with imaginaion, intrigue, horror, and laughs." You know you want to.
• 2005 Eisner nominee for Best Single Issue (or One-shot), Best
Continuing Series, Best Humor Publication, and Best Writer/Artist Humor.

MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN TPB
BRUCE CAMPBELL (W), DAVID GOODMAN (W), RICK REMEMDER (P), and HILARY
BARTA (I)
On sale November 16, SC, 104pg, FC, 7"x 10", $13.95

B-movie megastar Bruce Campbell of Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, and
Bubba Ho-Tep fame comes to comics with this adaptation of his upcoming
feature film.
Campbell not only co-wrote the film with David Goodman, but directed
and starred in it as well. However, in order to see his vision realized
unadulterated by budgetary constraints, Campbell put the version of the
script he wanted to shoot into the hands of artists Rick Remender and
Hilary Barta.
Man with the Screaming Brain tells the story of a wealthy American
businessman determined to exploit the crippled economy of a former Soviet
state torn between communist roots and capitalist greed. But Campbell’s
character soon finds himself in the grip of a mad scientist with a
twisted brain-transplant scheme worthy of Dr. Frankenstein.
• Collecting the four issue miniseries.

NEXUS ARCHIVES VOLUME 1 HC
MIKE BARON (W) and STEVE RUDE (A)
On sale November 16, HC, 216pg, b&w & FC, 7" x 10", $49.95

On the distant moon of Ylum, an enigmatic man is plagued by nightmares.
He is forced to dream of the past. He dreams of real-life butchers and
tyrants, and what they have done.
And then he finds them, and kills them.
The year is 2841, and this man is Nexus, a godlike figure who acts as
judge, jury, and executioner for the vile criminals who appear in his
dreams. He claims to kill in self-defense, but why? Where do the visions
come from, and where did he get his powers? Though a hero to many, does
he have any real moral code? These are but some of the questions that
reporter Sundra Peale hopes to have answered. Collecting Nexus #1-3
(Vol. 1., black and white) and Nexus #1-4 (Vol. 2, full color), from
Capital Comics.
• A multiple Eisner Award-winning series that defined the careers of
acclaimed creators Steve Rude and Mike Baron, Nexus is a modern classic
not to be missed!
• Printed on high-quality paper stock and features a newly painted
cover by Steve Rude.

OH MY GODDESS! COLORS TPB
KOSUKE FUJISHIMA (W/A)
On sale November 2, SC, 192pg, b&w & FC, 7" x 10", $19.95

Oh My Goddess! Colors is Dark Horse’s English-language edition of a
special collection first published in Japan. What’s inside? Original
publisher Kodansha, working with artist Kosuke Fujishima, produced color
versions of four of the best-loved stories from the series, each centering
on one of the goddesses. "The Number You Have Dialed Is Incorrect" is
the one which started it all, as Belldandy appears when Keiichi reaches
The Goddess Technical Help Line. Belldandy’s big sister Urd becomes
small in "Urd’s Fantastic Adventure," and in "Crazy Little Thing Called
Love," Skuld, the youngest of the sisters, wobbles through her first
romance while learning to ride a bicycle. Finally, "Are You Being Served?"
brings in the Fourth Goddess, the vampish Peorth, when Keiichi misdials
again to reach Belldandy’s rival agency…the Earth Assistance Hotline!
In addition to the four color stories, the Oh My Goddess! Colors
collection contains a bonus original manga story by Fujishima fan Yoshitou
Asari. And if that doesn’t do the trick, Kosuke Fujishima weighs in with
an eight-page profile of the Goddesses. Plus, an eighteen-page
"Encyclopedia of Goddess Terminology," cross-referencing the people, places,
and events of the first twenty-two volumes of OMG!, four pages on the
cars, bikes, and planes of the series, the two-page "Rules of the Goddess’
World," and a six-page thumbnail guide to the OMG! story chapters. Oh
My Goddess! Colors is the ultimate official fan companion to the manga
series!
• Published in the original Japanese format!

REVELATIONS #3 (of 6)
PAUL JENKINS (W), HUMBERTO RAMOS (A), and LEONARDO OLEA (C)
On sale October 26, FC, 32pg, $2.99

Detective Charlie Northern continues his investigation into the
possible murder of a highly influential cardinal, as the superstar creative
team of Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos unveil a mystery of supernatural
proportions in the Vatican City.
Northern starts rounding up witnesses, only to find that someone seems
to have gotten to them first. Questions lead to more questions, and
soon, Northern’s prodding into dark places puts his life in grave danger.

STAR WARS: CLONE WARS VOLUME 7—WHEN THEY WERE BROTHERS TPB
HADEN BLACKMAN (W), MILES LANE (W), BRIAN CHING (P), NICOLA SCOTT (P),
and TOMÁS GIORELLO (Cover)
On sale November 30, SC, 144pg, FC, 7" x 10", $17.95

Many on both sides of the Clone Wars have been wounded or killed. But
the war has taken its toll on the survivors, too.
Consumed by the belief that the Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress still lives,
Obi-Wan Kenobi has temporarily forsaken his duties and recruited Anakin
Skywalker in his desperate hunt for Ventress.
But Anakin believes that Obi-Wan is chasing a ghost—because he himself
killed Ventress. And Anakin’s doubts about his former Master’s quest
are not assuaged when, following the trail of the rumors of Ventress’
existence, they walk into a trap set by their old enemies, the bounty
hunter Durge and Count Dooku!
A tale that tests the strengths of the bonds of brotherhood!
• Collects Obsession #1-5 and the 2005 Free Comic Book Day comic.
• Dark Horse has sold over 85,000 copies of the Star Wars: Clone Wars
graphic novels!

STAR WARS: EMPIRE #38
"The Wrong Side of the War" part 3 (of 5)
WELLES HARTLEY (W), DAVIDÉ FABBRI (P), CHRISTIAN DALLA VECCHIA (I),
DAVIDÉ FABBRI (C), and DAVID MICHAEL BECK (Cover)
On sale October 5, FC, 32pg, $2.99

Dissent in the ranks! Janek Sunber finds himself at odds—and at
gunpoint—with his fellow officers over the treatment of Imperial prisoners.
Hardly an auspicious start to his new assignment, and made all the worse
because the internal conflict blinds the Imperials to the presence of
Rebel infiltrators in their midst!
But the biggest shock to Sunber—and the Rebels—is yet to come, from a
most unexpected quarter! Allegiances are strained, identities are
revealed, and a major strike against the Empire is in the offing. An issue
that should not be missed!
• The return of Lieutenant Janek Sunber (the lead character in "To the
Last Man," Empire #16-18).

STAR WARS: REPUBLIC #82
"The Hidden Enemy" part 2 (of 3)
JOHN OSTRANDER (W), JAN DUURSEMA (P/Cover), DAN PARSONS (I), and BRAD
ANDERSON (C)
On sale October 26, FC, 32pg, $2.99

A battle rages on the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. Victory is in
sight for the clone armies of the Republic, led by Jedi Masters Yoda,
Luminara Unduli, and Quinlan Vos, but none of them are aware that victory
will lead to a betrayal that will change the galaxy forever. There is one
chance to survive, and one course remaining to any who
survive …
The fate of the Jedi Order is sealed, but a single Jedi may find a path
to the future … or to the grave.
• Covering events during and after Revenge of the Sith!

STAR WARS: X-WING—ROGUE LEADER #2 (of 3)
HADEN BLACKMAN (W), TOMÁS GIORELLO (P), MICHAEL ATIYEH (C), and GARY
ERSKINE (Cover)
On sale October 19, FC, 32pg, $2.99

On Wedge Antilles’ home planet, Corellia, he and the other members of
the Rogue Squadron are all that stand between an unarmed populace and a
terrorist attack by remnants of Palpatine’s Imperial forces.
Even the budding Jedi powers of Luke Skywalker won’t be enough to tip
the scales in the Rogues’ favor, and to snatch victory from the jaws of
this defeat may cost the life of one of their own!
High-flying action with the most popular heroes of the expanded
Universe!
• A return to one of the most requested story lines in Star Wars
history!

SUPER MANGA BLAST! #57
MOHIRO KITOH (W/A), MAKOTO KOBAYASHI (W/A), KENICHI SONODA (W/A), and
HIROYUKI UTATANE (A) with TOSHIYA TAKEDA (W)
On sale October 19, b&w, 128pg, $5.99

With the Cannon God Exaxxion team facing a Riofaldian assault squad,
"Grandpa" Kano dons a nearly indestructible gun-suit to help his beloved
androids defend their home base. Makoto Kobayashi’s extended What’s
Michael? storyline continues! His hilarious "Planet of the Cats" series
finds human astronauts suffering under the paws and whims of bipedal,
feline captors. Would you have the strength to perform circus tricks for a
crowd of attention-challenged cats? Fighting for their lives against
super-powered terrorists, the heroes of Seraphic Feather cope with a
deadly breach in their ship’s hull. The Shadow Star cast recuperates from
the events in the "Grudges" story arc, and Shiina seeks a safe haven
from further Shadow Dragon attacks.
FOR MATURE READERS

THE 13TH SON: WORSE THING WAITING #1 (of 4)KELLEY JONES (W/A) and MICHELLE STEWART (C)
On sale October 19, FC, 32pg, $2.99

Monsters fighting monsters! Monsters eating monsters! Monsters tearing
monsters into little monster pieces! From one of comics’ best and
weirdest talents comes the creepiest new offering from Dark Horse’s horror
line—The 13th Son.
Created, written, and drawn by Kelley Jones, The 13th Son is the story
of the world’s ultimate monster, how he came to exist, and what this
hideous creature has in store for our ill-fated world.
Born to a young woman driven to insanity and black magic by the deaths
of her previous children, the 13th Son is a creature like nothing this
world has seen before. Humans are not his target. It’s the other
monsters who walk this world—the Wendigo, werewolves, ghouls, zombies, and
vampires—who live in fear of his enormous and terrifying powers. And what
those powers are setting into motion is a horror beyond your deepest,
darkest nightmares.

TRIGUN MAXIMUM VOLUME 7: HAPPY DAYS TPB
YASUHIRO NIGHTOW (W/A)
On sale November 2, SC, 192pg, b&w, 5" x 7", $9.95

Unlike the subtitle of this new installment of Trigun Maximum, our
hero, Vash the Stampede isn’t exactly experiencing the happiest of days.
Rather, his struggle with his brother-in-destruction, Knives, is
escalating to extreme heights. But wait, before we get to the frantic action,
creator Yasuhiro Nightow would like readers to know about these boys’
mysterious pasts, and uses almost half of this issue presenting the lives
of the two supermen before they fell to the dusty planet. This volume
of Trigun Maximum promises not only past history, but future frenzy. For
instance, you’ll soon discover that not only is Vash not the only one
of his kind, but neither is Wolfwood.
• Presented in a fashion directly approved by Nightow himself, Trigun
Maximum is so authentic that ... well, it could hardly be more so.
Includes facetious inner cover art and Nightow’s hilarious back page
commentary.

USAGI YOJIMBO #88
STAN SAKAI (W/A)
On sale October 26, b&w, 24pg, $2.99

World-renowned storyteller Stan Sakai treats his readers to an all-out
samurai brawl in this issue of Usagi Yojimbo! Fans of the rabbit ronin
are well accustomed to Sakai’s deft hand with dynamic fight scenes, and
this issue gives him plenty to work with—Usagi and Tomoe, captured and
forced to work in Lord Sanada’s illegal gold mine, lead a slave revolt!
But they face Tomoe’s murderous cousin, Noriko "the blood princess,"
and with her a horde of Sanada’s deadly samurai. To make matters worse,
the slaves only have shovels and hoes in their battle against lethal
steel swords! And in the ensuing chaos, someone will be trapped inside the
mine … find out who in part six of "The Treasure of the Mother of
Mountains"!
• 2005 Eisner Award Nominee for Best Writer/Artist.
• The Art of Usagi Yojimbo has been nominated for Best Publication
Design and Best Comics-Related Book.

ZOMBIEWORLD: CHAMPION OF THE WORMS 2nd ED. TPB
MIKE MIGNOLA (W) and PAT MCEOWN (A)
On sale November 16, SC, 80pg, FC, 6" x 9", $8.95

Every year, publishers and movie studios churn out piles of new zombie
yarns, but none have rivaled the originality of this tale about a
reanimated priest from an ancient cult and the zombie outbreak he creates in
order to sacrifice mankind to his dark gods. Dark horror and high
adventure mingle as a team of heroes race against an unstoppable evil bent
on the end of mankind.
• Written by Hellboy and B.P.R.D. creator Mike Mignola!
• Collecting the original three-issue miniseries, plus sketchbook
material and updated commentary by Pat McEown, this new edition features a
new cover by Mike Mignola and is the perfect package to reintroduce
readers to this contemporary horror classic.

Pop Artifacts! DC Comics Pepsi glasses

Now you can pretend to shoot a man in Reno just to watch him die!

With your own Johnny Cash action figure!

From Action Figure Insider:

Approx. 7 inches tall, this figure is based off the classic photo of Johnny
Cash "walking the line" from the Fall of 1969, at the height of Cash’s
popularity when his records were outselling even the Beatles! The figure
will have articulation as well as a guitar and base.

Look for the first of SOTA Toys’ Johnny Cash figures in late Fall 2005.


Jessica who?

Movie producer Roger Corman and the stars of his not so fantastic "Fantastic Four" film--done quickly and cheaply in 1994--are calling for the DVD release of their FF flick, the Fresno Bee reports.

"The film had a budget of about $1.2 million," Corman says between chats with the cast members. "That was a pretty big budget for one of my movies."

By modern standards, especially for a movie that requires many special effects, that budget is on the low end. More was spent on producing one episode of the sci-fi TV series "Star Trek: Enterprise." That's why some of the effects don't look all that special in the movie.

"Mine was the easiest special effect to do," [Invisible Woman actress Rebecca] Staab says. "To become invisible, all I had to do was freeze, wait for the cameras to stop and then move out of the scene."


Pop Artifact! Doc Savage Club pin

Secret origins of the Fantastic Four

Socka-magee Dial B for Blog is a great, um, blog!

This week, Robby is outdoing himself with a wonderfully detailed and illustrated series of articles tracking the history of the FF, including in-depth looks into the strip's various inspirations (Doc Savage, the Justice League of America, the Challengers of the Unknown and more). Check it out.

Let Walt take you to Disneyland

Disney has announced the reissue of the 1956 album Walt Disney Takes You to Disneyland, an audio/musical tour of the theme park hosted by the man himself.

Out July 12, the CD includes the following tracks:

Overture
Disneyland Theme.......Walt Disney Narration

Main Street, U.S.A.
Meet Me Down on Main Street
Player Piano, Orchestration, Marching Band, Calliope

Adventureland
Overture....................Walt Disney Narration
Adventureland Boat Ride
Orchids in the Jungle -- Monkeys and Hippos --
Distant Drums -- The River and the Rapids --
Tribal Dances -- Finale

Frontierland
Overture....................Walt Disney Narration
Covered Wagon Ride
"Westward Ho The Wagons!"... "Old Betsy"
Golden Horseshoe................... "Slue Foot's Hoe Down"
River Boat Ride.................... "Farewell"
Finale............................. "Ballad of Davy Crockett"

Tomorrowland
Overture...................Walt Disney Narration
The World of Tomorrow
Count Down and Blast Off
Outer Space
A Meteorite Strikes
The Other Side of the Moon and Back
Next Target - Mars

Fantasyland
Overture...................Walt Disney Narration
King Arthur Carousel
Snow White Ride... "Whistle While You Work"... "Some Day
My Prince Will Come" "Heigh Ho"
Peter Pan Ride................... "You Can Fly"
Storybook Land................... "Alice in Wonderland"
Finale........................... "When You Wish Upon a Star"

You can pre-order the disk now from Amazon.

Pop Artifacts! Shadow club buttons



"Fantastic Four" review roundup

Roger Ebert:It's all setup and demonstration, and naming and discussing and demonstrating, and it never digests the complications of the Fantastic Four and gets on to telling a compelling story. Sure, there's a nice sequence where the Thing keeps a fire truck from falling off a bridge, but you see one fire truck saved from falling off a bridge, you've seen them all.

The Fantastic Four are, in short, underwhelming. The edges kind of blur between them and other superhero teams. That's understandable. How many people could pass a test right now on who the X-Men are and what their powers are? Or would want to? I wasn't watching "Fantastic Four" to study it, but to be entertained by it, but how could I be amazed by a movie that makes its own characters so indifferent about themselves?


San Diego Union-Tribune: "Fantastic Four" has jolly payoffs but could have been better, perhaps a blithe pop convergence of the comical charms of "Galaxy Quest" and the thundering effects zest of "The Core." But both those movies thudded at the box office, maybe because they asked the audience to do more than gape, and the makers of this show aren't going to take such chances.

Go in expecting just another summer bulldozer, and you might be pleasantly surprised. Expect much more, and you might get impatient. Either way, it isn't the morbid mosh pit of Spielberg's invasion epic.


New York Daily News: ...this adaptation of the popular Marvel Comics superhero series plays like a neighborhood Halloween party, where the guests spend the evening checking each other out and trying to guess who will win Best Costume.

..."Fantastic Four" is aimed at a teenage audience, but I expect the average age of the most-pleased viewers will be in the single digits. It's a big, noisy, colorful lark, and perhaps the safest children's summer movie this side of "Madagascar."


Seattle Times: As super-flicks go, the long-awaited and long-troubled big-screen adventure of Marvel's "first family" is no "Spider-Man," but it stomps on "Elektra."

...For all its misses, the movie has more hits. Doom is not a hyperbole-spouting caricature but a manipulator who first tries to turn Ben against his friends. Johnny's constant, playful needling of Ben — a highlight — taps into the essence of Lee and Kirby.


Jack Kirby museum planned

Just came across this interesting press release:

Signifying a momentous step for comicbook lovers and popular culture scholars worldwide, Lisa Kirby, the daughter of the late Jack Kirby, artist and co-creator of the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America and many other comicbook characters and stories, today announced the creation of the Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center (JKMRC).

"My dad's work, starting with Captain America in the 1940s and reaching a peak with most of the other Marvel Comics superheroes in the 1960s, had a great influence on our culture, " Lisa Kirby says. "His imagination, storytelling ability, and prolific output contributed significantly to
making the comicbooks he created among the most highly regarded in the U.S."'

Although the general public is familiar with some of his work, Kirby himself is still relatively unknown. "In the years since his death in 1994, there have been a number of high profile movies featuring properties and characters Dad created, but he has, for the most part, not been
featured in the movies' promotions," Lisa Kirby added, "In that respect, my family and I were excited by the creation of a non-profit educational organization devoted to Dad's work."

Spearheaded by Randolph Hoppe of Hoboken, New Jersey, a cartoonist and web designer who hosts Kirby discussion groups, and supported by the Kirby Family and John Morrow, the award-winning publisher/editor of the Jack Kirby Collector magazine from Raleigh, North Carolina, JKMRC is devoted to promoting and encouraging the study, understanding, preservation and appreciation of the work of comicbook creator Jack Kirby.

"Our first program is to build an exhaustive, collaborative online Jack Kirby 'Catalogue Raisonné'," reports Hoppe, referring to the term for a book of "all the works" by an individual artist. "With support from the Kirby Estate, TwoMorrows Publishing, JKMRC members and scholars worldwide, we will take what has been known as the Jack Kirby Checklist and build it into an invaluable media-rich resource ‹ not just for comicbook and Kirby fans, but for popular culture scholars, as well. I hope that programmers who have knowledge of or experience working on similar volunteer-based online projects will be able to provide some expertise."

However, the online Catalogue Raisonné is not JKMRC's only project. "We hope to develop an exhaustive, multimedia Jack Kirby biographical presentation and to partner with museums, conferences and conventions around the world on Kirby-related exhibits, papers and more," Hoppe adds. "But it all depends on how much support we can garner. I know the first question on most people's mind when learning about a new Jack Kirby Museum will be, 'where will
the building with the collection and the exhibit space be built?' My cautiously optimistic response is, 'One step at a time'. At this early stage, it's best to say that anything's possible with the right support."

For John Morrow of TwoMorrows Publishing, the JKMRC is a perfect fit. "I've been editing and publishing the Jack Kirby Collector magazine for more than ten years," Morrow says. "Back in 1995, Rand approached me about posting a web site for the Kirby Collector ­ I didn't know what a web site was. When he told me his idea for a Kirby Museum, I agreed it's time had come.
I'm going to put the full resources of TwoMorrows Publishing behind this effort." TwoMorrows started with a 16-page bi-monthly xeroxed Kirby Collector, and is now a thriving operation publishing trade paperbacks and five magazines targeted at the comicbook specialty market.

JKMRC will also celebrate Jack Kirby's co-creators and colleagues. For almost fifteen years starting in 1940, Joe Simon partnered with Kirby, becoming the top creative team during comicbooks' so-called "Golden Age".

Starting with their work on Captain America, they then worked on Sandman, Manhunter, Newsboy Legion and Boy Commandos. Simon & Kirby also invented the Romance comicbook genre with the publication of "Young Romance Comics" in 1947. "I've had considerable contact with Joe Simon while publishing the Kirby Collector," Morrow added. "I hope we can work closely with Joe on JKMRC programs, too."

"Most people remember Jack for developing and telling the stories of the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk and more in the 1960s with Marvel Comics' Editor, Art Director and Writer Stan Lee," Hoppe noted. "Marvel Comics would not be what it is today without those Kirby/Lee
collaborations they defined the Fantastic Four in the more than 102 issues they produced together," he said. "We can't celebrate Jack's 1960s work for Marvel without acknowledging Stan Lee's substantial efforts. We look forward any contributions Stan Lee can make to our programs." Lee's partner on Spider-man was Steve Ditko.

"All of us in the Kirby family look forward to the growth and impact of this organization," Lisa Kirby stated.

Mission Statement:

The Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center is organized exclusively for educational purposes; more specifically, to promote and encourage the study, understanding, preservation and appreciation of the work of Jack Kirby by:

* illustrating the scope of Kirby's multi-faceted career,

* communicating the stories, inspirations and influences of Jack Kirby,

* celebrating the life of Jack Kirby and his creations, and

* building understanding of comicbooks and comicbook creators.

To this end, the Museum will sponsor and otherwise support study, teaching, conferences,
discussion groups, exhibitions, displays, publications and cinematic, theatrical or multimedia productions.

Pop Artifacts! Chandu the magician club button



New CD releases of note

July 5

OST Dark Water (score by Angelo Badalamenti)
OST Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: The Album
SACD Jeff Wayne Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds
VA Hal Lifson Presents Music for Lonely Housewives

July 12

Marian McPartland and Elvis Costello Piano Jazz
Willie Nelson Countryman
Son Volt Okemah and the Melody of Riot
Richard Brautigan Listening to
Duke Ellington The Piano Player
The Everly Brothers A Date with, Both Sides of an Evening, Instant Party!, It's Everly Time and Sing Great Country Hits
Soft Machine & Heavy Friends BBC in Concert 1971
Joe Strummer Walker

Twomorrows Publishing solicitations for July

Upcoming goodies include:

ALTER EGO #52
ALTER EGO #52 features GIELLA, PIKE, & THALL, a Triptych of Titanically Talented Comic Artists! Behind a new GIELLA color cover, featuring a trio of DC super-stars facing their greatest foes, JOE GIELLA—legendary inker of DC’s 1960s Flash, Green Lantern, & “New Look” Batman—and artist on the Batman, Phantom, Mary Worth, & Flash Gordon newspaper strips—talks about the Silver Age at DC, the Golden Age at Marvel, JULIE SCHWARTZ, et al., in an exclusive JIM AMASH interview! Featuring rare and lavish art by CARMINE INFANTINO, GIL KANE, MIKE SEKOWSKY, CURT SWAN, DICK DILLIN, SHELLY MOLDOFF, FRANK GIACOIA, DAN & SY BARRY, KURT SCHAFFENBERGER, and others! Then, there’s JAY SCOTT PIKE on STAN LEE & the Marvel/Timely years (Jann of the Jungle, Black Rider, Lorna the Jungle Girl, Kid Colt, & Cold War spy comics) and on CHARLIE BIRO’s Crimebuster! MARTIN THALL on working with ROSS ANDRU & MIKE ESPOSITO (Get Lost!), GEORGE EVANS (Captain Video), WALLY WOOD, SIMON & KIRBY, AL WILLIAMSON, CHARLES SULTAN, MAURICE WHITMAN, etc.! FCA featuring MARC SWAYZE, C.C. BECK, & OTTO BINDER—ALEX TOTH on comic art—MICHAEL T. GILBERT & MR. MONSTER—BILL SCHELLY interviews 1960s fan GLEN JOHNSON—& MORE!! Edited by Roy Thomas.

The 100 page (plus cover), saddle-stitched 8 1/2" x 11" magazine with a
full color cover and black-and-white interiors retails for $6.95 (New
Price) in the U.S. and ships 7 September 2005.


BACK ISSUE #12
BACK ISSUE #12 examines comics revamps of the ’70s and ’80s in our “Extreme Makeovers” issue! Pulitzer Prize-winner MICHAEL CHABON, DAVE GIBBONS, ROY THOMAS, KURT BUSIEK, and other insiders explore the history of the postmodern super-hero—from Squadron Supreme to Watchmen to today—with rare Gibbons Watchmen art! TOM DeFALCO and RON FRENZ go “Pro2Pro” to unravel the true story behind Spider-Man’s 1980s costume change, while DENNY O’NEIL and friends unlock the secrets of Superman’s 1970 revamp (with art by CURT SWAN and MURPHY ANDERSON)! BOB ROZAKIS and MARSHALL ROGERS plug us in to the Calculator, recently rebooted in DC’s Identity Crisis, and “The Greatest Stories Never Told” spotlights JOHN BYRNE’s aborted SHAZAM! Plus: MIKE FRIEDRICH’s “Off My Chest” editorial reminds us of how Star*Reach changed the comics world; TONY DeZUNIGA draws bead on Jonah Hex, the anti-hero that reinvented the Western comic (with JOHN ALBANO’s never-before-published roughs for the first Hex story); a look at how STEVE GERBER and JACK KIRBY’s Destroyer Duck took a stand for creator rights; a “Rough Stuff” pencil-art gallery featuring FRANK MILLER’s Elektra, LEE WEEKS’ Daredevil, DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI’s Batman: Year One, CHARLES VESS’ Spider-Man, and more; plus extra surprise features! With an all-new SPIDER-MAN cover by RON FRENZ and JOE RUBINSTEIN!

The 100 page (plus cover), saddle-stitched 8 1/2" x 11" magazine with a
full color cover and black-and-white interiors retails for $5.95 in the
U.S. and ships 14 September 2005.


Pop Artifact! Mandrake the Magician club pin

"The Batman vs. Dracula" DVD set for October release

A straight-to-DVD animated film, the title will be out Oct. 18.

Here's a synopsis from Warner Home Video:

Gotham City is terrorized not only by recent escapees Joker and Penguin, but by the original creature of the night, Dracula! Can Batman stop the ruthless vampire before he turns everyone in the city, including The Caped Crusader, Joker and Penguin, into his mindless minions?

Extras include:

Featurette: "Science vs. Superstition": Batman?s computer gives light to the legend of Dracula and all its rumors.

Other: 1) "City of Knight": Click on a map of Gotham and discover behind the scenes and hidden buttons with short video clips of the making of.
2) "Voices in Close Up": Multi-window montage with pop-up trivia boxes and interview footage give intimate interview looks at the voices behind Batman vs. Dracula.


Lisa Kirby speaks out on "Fantastic Four" flick

The daughter of legendary comics artists and FF creator Jack Kirby tells the Los Angeles Times that her dad's name will be listed in the credits of the new film, but the Kirby Estate hasn't been promised any money from the film.

"I have mixed feelings every time one of these movies comes out," Lisa Kirby said. "My dad would be amazed that they're making these superhero movies — that his characters are still alive and that people are still enjoying them. Then again, it's disheartening that he isn't getting as much recognition as he should."

Also, while Marvel reaps the rewards of Lee's and Kirby's creations through licensing and profit agreements, Kirby's heirs see nary a dime. Because Kirby was considered "work for hire" when he was drawing for Marvel, the company has complete ownership of the characters.

(Any doubt about Kirby's employment status was put to an end in 1987, when, in exchange for the return of his original art, Kirby signed a document giving up any rights he might have had in the characters he created.)

More golden age comics podcasting

Bill Jourdain continues with his Golden Age of Comics podcasts this week:

The fifth installment of The Golden Age of Comic Books podcast has been uploaded. In this issue, we discuss some very high dollar books in our marketplace segment. We also discuss the Golden Age Human Torch from his start in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939, through his appearances in the Silver and Bronze Ages. If you have iTunes 4.9, you can subscribe to The Golden Age of Comic Books podcast by selecting the link on our web site, http://www.goldenagecomics.org. If you use a different player on your computer (i.e. Windows Media Player, Quick Time, Real Audio, etc.) you can download the .mp3 file directly from our web site.