Dark Horse Comics that will be published in August 2006, by Ralf Haring.
BANYA: THE EXPLOSIVE DELIVERY MAN TPB
Written and art by Kim Young-Oh.
With a worldwide war raging between humans and monsters, the young
delivery men of the Gaya Desert Post Office do not pledge allegiance
to any country or king. They are banded together by a pledge to
deliver. "Fast. Precise. Secure." Banya, the craziest and craftiest of
the bunch, will stop at nothing to get a job done. Known as the
"Explosive Delivery Man" for his risk taking, bold resolve, and
impeccable record, Banya agrees to complete a wounded soldier's
mission to transport a parcel of great importance‹not knowing what
dangers lie in store for him and his friends! As their arduous journey
begins, Banya promises, "There isn't a delivery I can't make. I always
deliver." Kim Young-Oh's fantastical world is filled with unique
monsters, vicious swordplay, and a dash of hotfooted humor. This
series is presented in its original Korean format and translated by
the mother/son team of Anna Kirk and Derek Kirk Kim.
184 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Sept. 20.
BERSERK VOLUME 13 TPB
Written and art by Kentaro Miura.
The Band of the Hawk may have been the most formidable band of
fighters around, but when matched up against an army of abyssal
monstrosities, earthly fighting skills don't amount to a hill of
beans. The Hawks' tortured and mutilated former leader, Griffith, has
used the accursed Crimson Behelit to open the gates to a shadowy realm
of unspeakable horrors, the realm of the demon lords of the Godhand,
who are willing to transform Griffith into a being of terrible power
and majesty as long as Griffith is willing to give up his former
command as sacrifices in the Invocation of Doom. But nobody takes down
the Hawks without a fight, and their berserker champion, Guts, will
take on anything Hell can throw at him in order to save his lover,
Casca, from the sordid violations that only Hell can offer.
240 pages, black and white, $13.95, in stores on Sept. 27.
BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #116
Written and art by Hiroaki Samura.
"On the Perfection of Anatomy," part 5 of 6. The return of Hyakurin!
Rin continues to live in her family's abandoned döjö, fretting over
Manji's absence and disturbed by her odd visitors, Döa and Isaku.
Hyakurin's arrival is a relief, and the two ladies set out to search
for their missing friends, starting with Giichi. This fan-favorite,
bald-and-bespectacled warrior has been missing for quite a while.
After the death of his son and the dissolution of the Mugai-ryü, does
Giichi even want to be found? Meanwhile, in a horrible prison under
Edo castle, Doc Burando continues to write his medical opus, On the
Perfection of Anatomy, and several more unlucky convicts become
unwilling participants in the demented doctor's experiments. This
issue also features the return of Hiroaki Samura's absurd and
hilarious "Biography," with rare, accompanying Samura pinups!
32 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 9.
B.P.R.D.: THE UNIVERSAL MACHINE #5
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Guy Davis, colored by
Dave Stewart, cover by Mignola.
As Kate's devilish adventure in a haunted French village concludes,
Roger's fate is resolved in an otherworldly confrontation, and each
member of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defenses confronts
the truth of their own deaths‹which each has had to face alone.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 2.
THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN VOLUME 1: PANDORA'S BRIDE
Written by Elizabeth Hand.
Attempting to create life through dreadful experiments, Henry
Frankenstein and Dr. Pretorius instead created unspeakable horror: two
misshapen monsters, a brutish male and his female mate, stitched
together from the bodies of cadavers. Crafted to be the monster's
bride‹an undead Eve to an equally accursed Adam -- the female creature
was destroyed mere minutes after taking its first breath -- or was it?
This new novel by Elizabeth Hand reinterprets the memorable characters
from Universal Picture's classic 1935 film for a new generation of
horror fans. Detailing the bride of Frankenstein's secret history,
from the shadows of forgotten laboratories to the streets of Weimar
Germany, Hand creates a richly atmospheric tale of horror, mystery,
and tragedy as chilling as the creature itself.
275 pages, $6.99, in stores on Sept. 13.
CHICKENHARE: HOUSE OF KLAUS TPB
Written and art by Chris Grine.
He's a chicken! He's a hare! He's Chickenhare! And he's your new
favorite comic book character, whether you know it or not!
Night is falling on the frozen landscape as Chickenhare and his turtle
friend Abe find themselves on their way to be sold to Klaus‹an insane
taxidermist with a penchant for unique animals and enough emotional
baggage to go on a very long vacation.
With the help of two mysterious new companions, our fuzzy, feathered,
and amphibious heroes endeavor to escape their dire fate. But they
soon discover that might not be so easy when they get caught up in an
adventure that could bring Klaus's villiany to an end for good . . .
or they all might die.
152 pages, black and white, $9.95, in stores on Sept. 27.
COFFIN: THE ART OF VAMPIRE HUNTER D
Art by Yoshitaka Amano.
For over twenty years, the character Vampire Hunter D has haunted the
imaginations of people around the world, its image forever etched in
the mind's eye through the dazzling artwork of Yoshitaka Amano. As the
original novels appear in English for the first time, American readers
are clamoring for a more extensive look at this singular creation.
Coffin obliges. This gorgeous retrospective embraces the full scope of
Amano's work with the character: in the novels, as inspiration for the
animators of the two theatrical films, rare paintings, and
illustrations created for release as limited edition prints.
200 pages, black and white, $39.95, in stores on Sept. 13.
CONAN #31
Written by Mike Mignola, art by Cary Nord, colored by Dave Stewart,
cover by Tony Harris.
Mike Mignola and Cary Nord conclude their bone-crunching adaptation of
Robert E. Howard's "The Hall of the Dead" with an epic battle that
allies Conan with a former enemy against slithering shadows and a
veritable onslaught of undead warriors! Retainers to a lord long
forgotten awaken to protect a treasure so sizable even the dead bemoan
to see it stolen. Can a cunning Cimmerian and a foe-turned-friend
withstand the power of such dark sorceries long enough to escape with
both the loot and their lives?
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 16.
CONAN AND THE SONGS OF THE DEAD #2
Written by Joe R. Lansdale, art by Timothy Truman, colored by Dave
Stewart.
A twisted wizard brews a strange adversary for Conan from blood and
the dust of the Stygian wastes. In this forsaken desert, the Cimmerian
travels in search of an ancient and glorious prize. Yet its secret
must be won from the grip of a conniving spirit and loyal zombie
guard. Heat, grit, and evil are relentless in this wretched land, but
no more so than Conan, a force of will born from sinew and steel,
determined to claim his treasure and see it spent most mirthfully.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 9.
CRYING FREEMAN VOLUME 3 TPB
Written by Kazuo Koike, art by Ryoichi Ikegami.
A failed assassination attempt brings into Freeman's possession
Muramasa, the Devil's Sword, an ancient samurai blade that brings
misfortune and death to any who possess it. Wishing to spare Freeman
and tame the sword's malevolent spirit, Tiger Orchid, Freeman's wife,
takes the blade to Kowloon to train with a legendary swordmaster. But
she'll need to find him in Kowloon Castle, a slum so riddled with
crime and destitution that it officially doesn't exist. But its
dangers are all too real, and even a possessed sword may not be enough
to stop a gun-toting criminal army bent on selling Tiger Orchid into
slavery!
408 pages, $14.95, in stores on Sept. 13.
[Bought the first volume and it's competent enough. I'm buying too
much stuff, so this will save for some other time.]
THE ESCAPISTS #2
Written by Brian K. Vaughan and Gerard Jones, art by Steve Rolston and
Jason Alexander, cover by James Jean.
Brian K. Vaughan teams with artists Steve Rolston and Jason Alexander
for the second installment of our first Escapist mini-series! Max Roth
and Case Weaver have finished the very first issue of their re-launch
comic, featuring a revamped Luna Moth, and their promotional plans
include a risky publicity stunt that puts Denny in an old Escapist
costume . . . and in harm's way!
Also in this issue is a never-before-seen chapter from Men of
Tomorrow, Gerard Jones' book on the history of comics, in which he
unearths some scandalous press on the Master of Elusion!
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 9.
THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF THE DEPARTURE OF MISS FINCH HC
Written by Neil Gaiman, art by Michael Zulli.
Come, come and hear of the strange and terrible tale of Miss Finch, an
exacting woman befallen by mystery and abduction deep under the
streets of London! This is the first comics adaptation of Gaiman's
story "The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch," which
saw print only in the U.K. edition of Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors:
Short Fictions and Illusions and was recently interpreted for his
Speaking in Tongues CD. The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss
Finch is a "mostly true story" that combines the author's trademark
magic realism with Zulli's sumptuous paintings, and has been newly
rewritten for this hardcover. Join a group of friends, with the stern
Miss Finch in tow, as they enter musty caverns for a subterranean
circus spectacle called "The Theatre of Night's Dreaming." Come
inside, get out of the pounding rain, and witness this strange world
of vampires, ringmasters, illusions, and the Cabinet of Wishes
Fulfill'd.
56 pages, $13.95, in stores on Oct. 25.
THE HELLBOY COMPANION TPB
Written by Stephen Weiner and Jason Hall, art by Mike Mignola.
Densely illustrated with classic images from the comics as well as a
handful of new drawings from Mignola, this volume offers thorough
documentation of the Hellboy universe, compiling the many complex
pieces that make up the life of the World's Greatest Paranormal
Investigator into an easily understandable format. From Abe Sapien to
the secret origin of the world, this complete compendium is every
hardcore Hellboy fan's key to the mind of Mignola, and the ultimate
introduction for anyone looking to begin their journey in the weird
and wondrous world he has created.
200 pages, $14.95, in stores on Sept. 13.
[Not really the target audience since I own all the collections.]
JU-ON
Written by Kei Ohishi.
In Japan, ju-on is a deadly curse that takes on a life of its own.
Always seeking new victims, it's a grudge that doesn't stop‹it can't
be stopped. Anyone unfortunate enough to meet up with a ghost killed
by the grudge is then killed‹and so it spreads . . . When a senior
citizen outreach volunteer goes to work in a house in a quiet
residential area, she soon starts to hear odd noises. As the strange
events get more and more ominous, she discovers that some acts of
violence can attach themselves to a house and that some evils can
reach out and touch you‹even after death.
Few stories have influenced modern horror as much as Ju-on. The
Japanese films set a new standard for horror filmmaking and
storytelling with their blend of slow-burning terror and nightmarish
275 pages, $8.95, in stores on Oct. 13.
KICKBACK HC
Written and art by David Lloyd.
Joe Canelli is a crooked cop working in a corrupt police force. Joe is
haunted by nightmares of powerlessness. When his partner is brutally
murdered and he's betrayed by his colleagues, it appears that Joe's
nightmares are coming true. With his back against the wall there's
only one thing he can do -- turn against the criminal network that he
once embraced.
96 pages, $12.95, in stores on Aug. 16.
LITTLE LULU VOLUME 12: LEAVE IT TO LULU TPB
Written by John Stanley, art by Stanley and Ivring Tripp.
Containing every story and strip from Dell Comics' Marge's Little Lulu
#48-52, first published between June and October of 1952, this
jam-packed volume captures some of the very best yarns ever to star
Lulu, Tubby, Annie, Alvin, and all the rest of the rambunctious gang.
Whether it's the troublesome truant officer Mr. McNabbem or the awful
Witch Hazel, there's no grownup too smart for these clever kids.
208 pages, black and white, $9.95, in stores on Oct. 11.
MUSEUM OF TERROR VOLUME 2 TPB
Written and art by Junji Ito.
Think you've seen about all there is in horror? Maybe the same tired
concepts of phones ringing and mysterious murders is getting a bit
old? Well, then we've got the horror manga for you!
Junji Ito, the man who brought the world Uzumaki, has one of the most
inspired minds in horror today. That's why Dark Horse manga is proud
to bring you more from Ito's Museum of Terror series.
Continuing with his "Tomie" stories, about an eternally youthful and
perfectly beautiful girl who inspires people to commit murder, Volume
Two promises to invent new ways to shock you. For instance, who'd have
thought of making sake out of the remains of the killed and
hammered-to-mush Tomie? See? It's crazy! Junji Ito promises to
entertain you in the most cracked, yet pretty ways.
376 pages, black and white, $13.95, in stores on Sept. 6.
MUSEUM OF TERROR VOLUME 3 TPB
Written and art by Junji Ito.
Museum of Terror volumes one and two introduced readers to the
horrific, beautiful creature Tomie . . . the woman no man could
resist. Now Junji Ito, creator and curator of this horrible museum,
brings a new type of exhibit to thrill and chill your senses! First,
his lovely violinists will escort you to dinner in a vampire den.
Next, in a classroom full of grotesquely masked students, which one is
a demon in disguise? A musician's possessed arm attacks a schoolgirl
by way of his mouth, and another young man listens to the tape
recording left behind by a suicide victim. Why did she kill herself,
and is he safe from its influence? Swordplay, monk-ridden ruins, halls
of upright corpses, infectious radio broadcasts, and murderous ceiling
hair are among Ito's beastly offerings in this volume! Find out why
Junji Ito is Japan's foremost creator of horror manga!
392 pages, black and white, $13.95, in stores on Oct. 25.
[I own the two Tomie collections and the Flesh-Colored Horror one from
ComicsOne. I have no idea how those overlap with these volumes, so I
guess I'll skip these until I can look at them.]
OCTOPUS GIRL VOLUME 3 TPB
Written and art by Toru Yamazaki.
In previous volumes, Takako Unabara‹the Octopus Girl‹has fought
zombies, Satanists, school bullies, and the resilient Vampire Granny.
Toru Yamazaki's latest collection of absurdist horror stories pits
Octopus Girl and Sakae (her wicked companion who has the body of a
moray eel) against alien aggressors, bathroom-invading mutants,
jealous teen rivals, and (once again!!) the annoying, tough Vampire
Granny. Three bonus, "real world" horror vignettes are also included!
These shocking manga tales, available in English for the first time,
will hypnotize fans of the macabre and the absurd.
Toru Yamazaki is a talented and twisted manga artist who has found
recent cult popularity as a Japanese television personality and a
recording artist. Cutting a crass, comical niche into modern horror
manga, Yamazaki's Octopus Girl collections serve up the most
disgusting dishes of heartbreak and revenge found on land or at sea!
192 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Sept. 20.
OHIKKOSHI TPB
Written and art by Hiroaki Samura.
These stories are told with the same bold, kinetic art style and
brilliantly paced storytelling that Samura's Blade of the Immortal
epic is famous for. The main offering, "Ohikkoshi," follows the
turbulent paths of several twenty-something art students as they fall
in love, fall in lust, play in rock bands, ride motorbikes, eat, sleep
(together), and try to avoid making life decisions while drunk. This
romantic comedy is a "Japanese art school confidential" packed with
absurd humor, obscure death metal references, and some expertly
placed, dramatic revelations. "Luncheon of Tears Diary" is a vibrant,
genre-busting tale that also peppers its humor with sharp, dramatic
moments. Natsumi Funabashi, a virgin, is an aspiring manga creator on
a quest for love and a fulfilling career. Along the way, she has to
cope with overzealous men, gang warfare, a mahjong addiction, and a
lascivious manga editor. This collection is rounded off by Samura's
hilarious "Kyoto Super Barhopping Journal: Bloodbath at Midorogaike,"
a rare, autobiographical travel piece.
248 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Oct. 18.
[Hmmmm, maybe.]
OH MY GODDESS! VOLUME 4 TPB
Written and art by Kosuke Fujishima.
Ever since a cosmic phone call brought the literal young goddess
Belldandy into college student Keiichi's residence, his personal life
has been turned upside down, sideways, and sometimes even into strange
dimensions!
Half-goddess, half-demon, Belldandy's big sister Urd continues her
campaign of naughtiness when she brews up a luuuuuv potion that, of
course, goes horribly awry, infecting everyone but her poor intended
target‹Keiichi. But random passion in the streets may be the least of
the gang's worries as a seemingly harmless CD could turn out to be a
portal from the underworld, unleashing a most pesky demon, and any
other random nasties that happen to be near her!
192 pages, black and white, $10.95, in stores on Oct. 25.
OLD BOY VOLUME 2 TPB
Written by Garon Tsuchiya, art by Nobuaki Minegishi.
Deciding that he must know the truth, the man who calls himself
"Yamashita" follows a trail of clues that leads him back to the
mysterious building where he was imprisoned and kept incommunicado for
ten years. There, with the help of violence and a brutal imagination,
he will try to find answers to the questions that haunt him. However,
he will discover that his opponent will not yield to him so easily,
and that his ordeal is far from finished.
208 pages, black and white, $10.95, in stores on Oct. 4.
[I'm sure I'll check it out eventually, but I just didn't want to
start a new series at this time. Also wanted to see the movie first.]
PATH OF THE ASSASSIN VOLUME 3: COMPARISON OF A MAN TPB
Written by Kazuo Koike, art by Goseki Kojima.
Koike and Kojima's story of the famed ninja, Hanzo Hattori and his
trials and tribulations protecting the shogun-to-be, Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Each page builds upon the relationship between the two warrirors and
the women they love. Path of the Assassin, printed in the same size
format as Lone Wolf and Cub and Samurai Executioner, this title is a
wonderful addition to the Koike and Kojima samurai collection.
312 pages, black and white, $9.95, in stores on Oct. 25.
[Ditto. I'm sure I'd enjoy this, but I don't want to start a new
series.]
PENNY ARCADE VOLUME 3: THE WARSUN PROPHECIES TPB
Written byJerry Holkins, art by Mike Krahulik.
So it was written, so it shall be. The coming foretold, sealed into
the hands of fate by the lips of the prophets from another time. The
mystery is revealed and the great plan will now come to its fruition!
Its number shall be three. From the far horizons, across the deepest
reaches of the ethereal gulf, the thunderous echo of its name shall be
heard! Penny Arcade!
Penny Arcade, the most powerful webcomic in the universe, returns! The
third volume of this cultural and supernatural phenomenon, The Warsun
Prophecies, brings you every Penny Arcade strip published online in
2002 A.D., encased with the dark secrets of the mad prophets known as
Gabe and Tycho. Behold! It has been foretold!
136 pages, $12.95, in stores on Oct. 25.
REIKO THE ZOMBIE SHOP VOLUME 4 TPB
Written by Rei Mikamoto.
Reiko Himezono may make good money as a Zombie Shop‹a person who can
raise the dead and summon obedient zombie servants straight from Hell
itself‹but is all that cash worth all the trouble? Reiko has had to
deal with crazed serial killers, vicious werewolves, and plenty of
monsters, not to mention her wicked twin sister, Riruka!
Unfortunately for Reiko, her next challenge may well be her toughest
yet! When she put an end to beautiful psychopath Saki Yurikawa's reign
of terror, she had no idea that Saki's little sister Midori was
waiting in the wings, all set to re-open the floodgates of tragedy and
catastrophe all by herself! Reiko may have thought she was finished
with the Yurikawa family, but blood is thicker than water, after all,
and is it ever going to fly when Reiko and Midori square off!
200 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Sept. 13.
REX MUNDI #1
Written by Arvid Nelson, art by Juan Ferreyra, cover by J.H. Williams
III.
A quest for the Holy Grail or a murder mystery? This bold, critically
acclaimed series joins the Dark Horse horror line! In a Europe where
the Catholic Church dominates and sorcery determines political power,
Master Physician Julien Saunière must infiltrate a mysterious cult
with a thousand-year-old secret that calls into question the root of
all power in Europe, as well as the origins of Christianity itself!
In this issue, the Duke of Lorraine's plans have come to fruition --
he's pushed Europe into war, and the French monarchy is in tatters.
Lorraine will try to seize the crown by force, but will he survive the
coup? Meanwhile, Julien, locked in the dungeon of the Holy
Inquisition, faces death and torture.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 16.
REX MUNDI VOLUME 3: THE LOST KINGS TPB
Written by Arvid Nelson, penciled by Eric Johnson, colored by Jeromy
Cox, colored by Jim Di Bartolo, cover by Juan Ferreyra.
In a Paris where magic is real and the Catholic Church never lost its
political power, one man's quest to solve a murder may lead him to the
Holy Grail itself!
Doctor Julien Saunière continues his investigation into the theft of a
mysterious medieval scroll, only dimly aware of the forces tugging him
to the doorstep of the powerful Duke of Lorraine. Lorraine wants to
provoke a massive, globe-spanning war that will soak the world in
blood‹but why? The answer to that question, a deadly confrontation in
the ancient catacombs beneath Paris, and a blasphemous revelation
about Judas, Christ's betrayer, all await Julien in this volume of the
critically acclaimed series Rex Mundi!
176 pages, $16.95, in stores on Sept. 13.
SATSUMA GISHIDEN VOLUME 1 TPB
Written and art by Hiroshi Hirata.
Controversial, tough, angry, highly skilled, and lost in a time of
peace, the characters of Satsuma Gishiden tell a quasi-historical tale
of social caste and brutal reprisal.
Readers with a taste for Kazuo Koike's gritty Lone Wolf and Cub will
go nuts for master gekiga artist Hiroshi Hirata's tome of samurai
struggle. Hirata's art and calligraphy leap off the page during scenes
of action, only to unfold upon a full bleed that looks like a fine
plate print. It's art at its most expressive, accentuating the classic
stoic samurai characters you've come to know, only with a little more
true society thrown in to help the reader understand what it was
really like to be a warrior without a war.
264 pages, black and white, $14.95, in stores on Sept. 20.
SCARLET TRACES: THE GREAT GAME #2
Written by Ian Edginton, art by D'Israeil.
It is five decades after the Martians' failed attempt to invade Earth.
Britain has become the world's undisputed leader of military
technology, but the nation is cracking at the seams, and liberties are
being revoked to maintain order. Now a face from the past steps
forward to help save the future!
The mysterious figure who saved the life of photojournalist Charlotte
Hemming was none other than Robert Autumn. The aged gentleman
adventurer‹and hero of the previous graphic novel, Scarlet
Traces‹reveals that dastardly deeds are being done on Mars! Someone
must go there and bring back the proof they need, and Hemming is the
prime candidate. First she must travel incognito from the Earth to the
Moon Š but even there, all is not what it seems.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 23.
[Waiting for the collection.]
SCHOOL ZONE VOLUME 3 TPB
Written and art by Kanako Inuki.
This building may appear to be a normal elementary school, but look a
little closer and you will see that it has a very, very dark side. For
this is no ordinary school . . . It is a haunted place wrapped in
curses, where monsters and ghosts torment the students and nightmares
become reality. Terrible things happen to those who enter this place,
but the worst fate, it is said, is reserved for those unlucky enough
to learn all thirteen of the school's horrific ghost stories. But what
else would you expect from a school that was built on an old burial
ground? If only adults believed what the children who have to attend
this terrible school have been trying to tell them . . .
The secret of the mysterious mirrors has been revealed, but with these
precious pieces of spirit-binding glass shattering around them, the
students of this spooky school have to deal with the ever-increasing
number of vicious ghosts who are crossing from the spirit realm into
the realm of the living, and bringing all kinds of wickedness with
them! Will Yosuke and his friends find a way to banish these horrors
for good or, with all this running for their lives, are they just
running out of time?
192 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on Sept. 27.
STAR WARS: DARK EMPIRE II 2ND EDITION TPB
Written by Tom Veitch, art by Cam Kennedy and Jim Baikie.
One of the most influential tales in the history of Star Wars, Dark
Empire II gets a brand new edition that includes Empire's End in the
same volume for the first time!
With the Empire in retreat, Luke Skywalker undertakes a quest to
rebuild the Jedi. Yet he has spent time as the Emperor's thrall, and
the taint of the Dark Side still lurks in his mind. When Palpatine
unveils an insidious plan to conquer the galaxy using Han and Leia's
own children, will Luke be able to stop his one-time master?
Luke and Lando, Han and Leia, Threepio and Boba Fett -- the gang's all
here in one of the most important stories of their lives!
208 pages, $19.95, in stores on Sept. 13.
STAR WARS: EMPIRE VOLUME 6 -- IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THEIR FATHERS TPB
Written by Thomas Andrews and Scott Allie, art by Adriana Melo, Michel
Lacombe and Joe Corroney, cover by Michael Atiyeh.
Luke Skywalker confronts the legacy of the Jedi father he never knew
in an epic story involving Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and the fate of
an entire planet!
When Luke and Leia travel to Jabiim recruiting allies for the
fledgling Rebellion, they unwittingly set into motion events that will
ignite one man's betrayal of his people, pit rebel hero against rebel
hero, and attract the attention of the Empire's deadliest
enforcer‹Darth Vader! This action-packed tale sheds new light on
Anakin Skywalker's actions at the Battle of Jabiim during the Clone
Wars.
144 pages, $17.95, in stores on Oct. 25.
STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC #8
Written by John Jackson Miller, art by Dustin Weaver, colored by
Michael Atiyeh and cover by Brian Ching.
The Mandalorians have captured one of fugitive Padawan Zayne Carrick's
faithful companions, which means one thing‹a rescue mission deep
behind enemy lines! Above the mining world of Vanquo, Republic and
Mandalorian starfighters battle, while down on the surface, the motley
crew of the Last Resort become stowaways on their own ship, piloted by
an unknown thief. Even if they regain control of the ship in time to
pursue their friend's abductors, how will they ever make it past the
Republic and Mandalorian armadas, both of which want them dead! Forget
about the Force, what these four need is some cold, hard luck!
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 30.
STAR WARS: LEGACY #3
Written by John Ostrander, penciled by Jan Duursema, inked by Dan
Parson, colored by Brand Anderson, cover by Adam Hughes.
A man struggles with a dilemma: to claim his rightful heritage and
save the galaxy, he will have to turn his back on his only kin and
abandon them to a dark fate. Elsewhere, a long-kept secret gnaws at a
ruthless bounty hunter. Revealing it could mean certain death for him
and his companions, but ignoring it just might drive him mad. An
unpredictable third installment in the series that reveals the
never-before-seen future of the Star Wars universe! A galaxy of
intrigue and danger, romance and adventure awaits!
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 2.
STAR WARS: OMNIBUS -- X-WING ROGUE SQUADRON VOLUME 2 TPB
Written by Michael A. Stackpole, Jan Strnad, Ryder Windham, Scott
Tolson and Mike W. Barr, art by John Nadeau, Gary Erskine, Jordi
Ensign an Monty Sheldon, colored by Dave Nestelle, Perry McNamee and
Cary Potter.
As the Empire withers away and the New Republic grows, one team of ace
starfighters takes on the most critical missions to ensure freedom in
a galaxy long oppressed‹Rogue Squadron!
Collecting X-Wing Rogue Squadron #9-20, this mammoth volume includes
Battleground Tatooine, The Warrior Princess, and Requiem for a Rogue.
Whether it's keeping a massive weapons cache out of the hands of Jabba
the Hutt's would-be successors, brokering peace on a planet wracked by
civil war, or rescuing a downed cruiser from the jaws of an ancient
evil, no task is too treacherous for the heroes of Rogue Squadron!
288 pages, $24.95, in stores on Oct. 11.
STAR WARS: REBELLION #5
Written by Rob Williams, penciled by Brandon Badeaux, colored by Wil
Glass.
The reunion of Luke Skywalker and his boyhood friend Janek "Tank"
Sunber comes to its shocking conclusion, as one of these two men is
forced to make a decision that will change both of their lives
forever! With the entire Rebel fleet under siege by a massive Imperial
force, Wedge Antilles and Red Squadron launch a valiant defense, but
even they know if the fleet doesn't figure out an escape plan soon,
there won't be anything left to defend. Meanwhile, chaos reigns on the
Rebel command ship as a threat from inside continues to have
devastating consequences for the Alliance. White-knuckled action in an
era when Darth Vader was unstoppable and Luke Skywalker was little
more than a brave farm boy.
32 pages, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 9.
STYLE SCHOOL VOLUME 1 TPB
By various.
Japan's leading manga illustration instructional guide (titled SS
Magazine in Japan) comes to America! Learn the techniques of Japan's
top manga and anime artists in Style School, showing step-by-step
methods to help today's up-and-coming illustrators master the use of
pen, brush, paint, marker, screen tones, computer modeling, and other
tricks of the trade. Gain insight into the weapons of choice of
today's top creators, especially those brands and tools that are so
hard to find outside Japan. See for the first time the eye-popping art
of tomorrow's manga and anime stars, with page after gorgeous page of
spectacular visual imagination. And find out how to submit your work
to be considered for publication in upcoming issues of SS Magazine in
Japan!
144 pages, $14.95, in stores on Oct. 25.
USAGI YOJIMBO #96
Written and art by Stan Sakai.
Dig, dig, dig. Poor, insane Jodo is digging holes all over town. Boss
Hamanaka, Jodo's father, is dead, and his vast fortune is nowhere to
be found! Gangs vying for control of the community wage an impending
war just as Usagi arrives on the scene! And there's another samurai,
mysteriously observing everything from the sidelines, who may enter
into the fray‹or maybe he's waiting for the town to be torn apart!
Internationally acclaimed storyteller Stan Sakai presents the first
installment of the two-part "Hamanaka's Treasure."
24 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on Aug. 30.
VAMPIRE HUNTER D VOLUME 5: THE STUFF OF DREAMS
Written by Hideyuki Kikuchi, art by Yoshitaka Amano.
In a world where even the smallest and most remote village is being
terrorized by the monsters that stalk the night, there is a hamlet,
prosperous and peaceful, where mortals and vampires have lived in
harmony for years. It is there that seventeen-year-old Sheavil Schmidt
has slept, neither waking nor aging, for thirty years since first
receiving the vampire's immortal kiss. The mysterious Vampire Hunter D
is lured to the tranquil oasis by recurrent dreams of the beautiful,
undying girl bathed in an eerie blue light and dancing in a ghostly
chateau.
280 pages, $8.95, in stores on Aug. 16.
WHO FIGHTER WITH HEART OF DARKNESS TPB
Written and art by Seiho Takizawa.
The first story in this anthology, "Who Fighter," is a play on the
legendary "Foo Fighters," the nickname given to the mysterious,
UFO-like fireballs that were sighted by World War II pilots. An ace
Japanese pilot manages to shoot one of the fireballs down . . . or
does he? As ominous signs and visions begin to follow in his steps,
the bewildered pilot wonders if he's lost not only his memory of the
incidentbut also his very mind! The second story, "Heart of Darkness,"
is Takizawa's unique take on the Joseph Conrad novel that inspired the
film Apocalypse Now. A Japanese war hero, Colonel Kurutsu, has gone
rogue, setting up his own private kingdom deep upriver in the jungles
of Burma. A young captain, sent to execute Kurutsu, finds that the
true reasons for the Colonel's "desertion" are very different from
what he was told. Finally, a short piece, "Tanks," closes out the
collection with a surreal voyage through one hundred years of armored
vehicle battles! 208 pages, black and white, $11.95, in stores on Oct.
11.
-Ralf Haring
"The mind must be the harder, the heart the keener,
the spirit the greater, as our strength grows less."
-Byrhtwold, The Battle of Maldon
