AXE COP VOLUME ONE Malachai Nicolle (W) and Ethan Nicolle (P) On sale Dec 22 b&w, 120 pages $14.99 TPB, 6″ x 9″ Bad guys, beware! Evil aliens, run for your lives! Axe Cop is here, and he’s going to chop your head off! We live in a strange world, and our strange problems call for strange heroes. That’s why Axe Cop—along with his partner Flute Cop and their pet T. rex Wexter—is holding tryouts to build the greatest team of heroes ever assembled. Created by five year-old Malachai Nicolle and illustrated by his older brother, the cartoonist Ethan Nicolle, Axe Cop Volume 1 collects the entire original run of the hit webcomic that has captured the world’s attention with its insanely imaginative adventures. Whether he’s fighting gun-toting dinosaurs, teaming up with Ninja Moon Warriors, or answering readers’ questions via his insightful advice column, “Ask Axe Cop,” the adventures of Axe Cop and his incomparable team of crime fighters will delight and perplex even the most stoic of readers. • Axe Cop debuted in January 2010 to glowing reviews from Entertainment Weekly, Wired, and dozens of other newspapers and magazines. • Comics website Newsarama said, “Axe Cop wins the award for best comic ever!”
BALTIMORE: THE PLAGUE SHIPS #4 (of 5) Mike Mignola (W/Cover), Christopher Golden (W), Ben Stenbeck (A), and Dave Stewart (C) On sale Nov 3 FC, 32 pages $3.50 Miniseries While hunting the vampire responsible for the death of his family, Lord Baltimore gets stranded on a haunted island, where horrible fungus spores cover the beaches and rotting corpses don’t stay dead. • Based on the novel by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden.
BILLY THE KID’S OLD TIMEY ODDITIES AND THE GHASTLY FIEND OF LONDON #3 (of 4) Eric Powell (W/A/Cover), Kyle Hotz (A/Cover), Dan Brown (C), and Dave Stewart (C) On sale Nov 10 FC, 32 pages $3.99 Miniseries Jack the Ripper stands revealed! The bad news is he’s kidnapped a member of the traveling sideshow where Billy the Kid serves as a hired gun! Now Billy and the four-armed leader of the troupe must race to save their friend from the demented killer. Of course, it doesn’t help that Billy is a suspect himself, with the London police hot on his heels! • Goon backup story by Eric Powell! • Powell’s The Goon was named one of the comics of the decade by The Onion’s AV Club!
BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL VOLUME 23: SCARLET SWORDS Hiroaki Samura (W/A) On sale Jan 26 b&w, 224 pages $19.99 TPB, 5 3/4″ x 8 1/4″ To atone for the atrocities committed under his watch, Habaki Kagimura is no longer the top general for Edo castle and the shogunate, and he must commit ritual suicide. While his replacement gave the despised Itto-ryu gang a reprieve and an order to leave Edo and remain in exile, Kagimura still has one shot to redeem himself. Desperate and with very little time left, he’s assembled his Rokki-dan warriors—with Kagimura’s own daughter among their numbers—and he now seeks to hunt down and wipe out the Itto-ryu for good. But in his haste, will he fall for a string of traps planned by Anotsu, their devious leader? Freed and unfazed by his time in Edo’s dungeons, Manji searches for his missing limb, and a few old friends return to the pages of this action-filled, epic manga series. Hiroaki Samura’s widely acclaimed Blade of the Immortal manga series has won awards across the globe, including the Eisner Award in America, the prestigious Media Arts Award of Japan, and several British Eagle Awards! Samura is the creator of the enchanting Ohikkoshi manga anthology and the hardcover The Art of Blade of the Immortal—also published by Dark Horse Manga!
B.P.R.D.: HELL ON EARTH—NEW WORLD #4 (of 5) Mike Mignola (W), John Arcudi (W), Guy Davis (A/Cover), and Dave Stewart (C) On sale Nov 10 FC, 32 pages $3.50 Miniseries Trapped in a massive firefight with a horrific tentacled behemoth, the B.P.R.D. are rescued by another wild monster, while one agent chases the evil responsible for this chaos. Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi and drawn by Eisner Award–winning artist Guy Davis (The Marquis). Bureau agents and hideous monsters collide in a furious battle! “Davis is an absolute master of creepiness; he creates atmosphere almost effortlessly.” —Newsarama
BRIDE OF THE WATER GOD VOLUME 7 Mi-Kyung Yun (W/A) On sale Jan 19 b&w, 192 pages $9.99 TPB, 5 7/8″ X 8 1/4″ Soah, our heroine, is saved from a strange, sacrificial ritual by Habaek, the young Water God. While Soah has come to appreciate the Water God and his kingdom, the heavenly Suguk, she’s also fallen in love with a mysterious man named Mui. What she doesn’t know is that Habaek is Mui—he’s been cursed to appear as a little boy during the day while he lives in his true adult form at night! Will Soah discover that she’s torn between two versions of the same person, or will other sinister forces drive them apart? Soah and Habaek try to overcome a kidnapping, memory loss, pride, conflicting passions, and an array of devious interlopers on their paths to true love! • Bride of the Water God is a best-selling series in Korea and has been adapted into a television series. • Mi-Kyung Yun received a Korean Best New Artist award in 2004.
BRODY’S GHOST BOOK 2 Mark Crilley (W/A) On sale Jan 12 b&w, 96 pages $6.99 TPB, 5 1/4″ x 7 1/2″ Brody knew that being mixed up with Talia, a dead girl turned ghost, was going to change his life forever. He just didn’t realize it was going to involve going head to head with one of the most vicious gangs in the whole city. But here he was, giving himself over to the bizarre training methods of Kagemura, an ancient samurai ghost, to transform himself from a flabby slacker to a peak-condition fighter capable of bringing the city’s most dangerous criminals to their knees. • Don’t miss the second installment of Brody’s Ghost, Dark Horse’s exciting new saga from thirteen-time Eisner nominee Mark Crilley.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #38: LAST GLEAMING Part 3 (of 5) Joss Whedon (W), Scott Allie (W), Georges Jeanty (P/Cover), Andy Owens (I), Michelle Madsen (C), and Jo Chen (Cover) On sale Nov 3 FC, 40 pages $2.99 Ongoing While Super Buffy is fighting side by side with Spike in Sunnydale, Angel is on the other side of the world fighting demons of his own. As Twilight he was given a clear mission in regard to Buffy—help her reach the next plane, together create a new world, and end all suffering. But Buffy doesn’t play by the rules, and this “higher plane” and a lifetime of happiness with Angel wasn’t gonna cut it—not if she had to sacrifice her family to keep it. And now Angel has to answer for his failings as Twilight—willingly or not. Back in Sunnydale everyone is fighting for their lives against a horde of demons, and someone close to Buffy joins forces with a villain from the past to strive for a common goal—protect the seed. The finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is in full effect, and you won’t want to miss a single beat of Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty’s fateful conclusion years in the making.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: TALES Joss Whedon (W), Amber Benson (W), Jane Espenson (W), Drew Goddard (W), Gene Colan (A), Tim Sale (A), Paul Lee (A), Steve Lieber (A), Andy Owens (I), and more On sale Jan 19 FC, 296 pages $29.99 HC, 8” x 12 3/16” Before Season Eight, Joss Whedon brought generations of Slayers and vampires to comics with the help of his acclaimed TV writing team and some of the best artists to ever grace the comics page. Now all those stories, plus selected stories from Season Eight, are collected in one deluxe hardcover with a new cover by Jo Chen. Joss writes multiple tales: a somber vamp tale, drawn by Cameron Stewart; the story of the first Slayer, drawn by Leinil Yu; and more. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales also reprints for the first time new Season Eight stories written by novelist Jackie Kessler (Hell’s Belles) and award-winning cartoonist Becky Cloonan (Demo), featuring vampires living in the public eye, killing Slayers and killing each other. • This hardcover collects stories from MySpace Dark Horse Presents #31 and #32; Tales of the Vampires: Carpe Noctem parts 1 and 2; Buffy: Tales of the Vampires one-shot; Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Vampires #1–#5; Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayers #1—“Broken Bottle of Djinn”; Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Slayers TPB.
CLASSIC ARCHIE CHARACTER #2: VERONICA On sale Feb. 23 Limited to 950 numbered pieces Packaged in its own tin box, with a pin-back button and character booklet $49.95 Archie first appeared in Pep Comics #22 in 1941, followed closely by his own comic book series. The year 2011 marks the seventieth anniversary of Archie, and with Dark Horse poised to begin releasing the Archie Firsts, we are proud to give the Archie family our signature Syroco-style treatment. The second character statuette in our series of five is Riverdale’s resident rich girl and brunette bombshell, Veronica Lodge! Best friend of Betty, Veronica has great looks, money, and charm—everything a girl could want! Everything of course, except the undivided attention of Archie Andrews! Standing 5″ tall, this statuette is sculpted by Yoe! Studio.
CONAN: THE FRAZETTA COVER SERIES #6 Timothy Truman (W), Tomás Giorello (A), José Villarrubia (C), and Frank Frazetta (Cover) On sale Nov 3 FC, 72 pages $6.99 Ongoing The sixth installment in Conan: The Frazetta Cover Series features Frank Frazetta’s iconic Conan cover painting, The Indomitable, and an expansion on Robert E. Howard’s “Hand of Nergal” story fragment. Writer Timothy Truman is joined by Tomás Giorello on pencils and José Villarrubia on colors in this exploration into the horrors of Howard’s Hyborian world. With zombies, a demonic army, an unearthly behemoth, a sorcerer, and a young witch on his hands, Conan is tasked not only with saving a beautiful princess—but saving his entire world from the evil god Nergal. • This issue also ties into events seen in Conan: The Frazetta Cover Series issue #4! • Collects Dark Horse’s Conan #49 and #50!
DOCTOR SOLAR, MAN OF THE ATOM #4 Jim Shooter (W), Roger Robinson (A), and Michael Komarck (Cover) On sale Nov 17 FC, 40 pages $3.50 Ongoing Surya the Sun God, Moloch the Devourer, and hordes of monsters made of living stone assail Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom, pressing him to the limit. Help comes from an unlikely source as Solar’s former foe Leviathan pits his awesome strength against the terrifying forces massed against “Red Suit,” but even Leviathan’s might can only delay defeat and death. But the key to the Man of the Atom’s power is his indomitable will, and, his spirits buoyed by beautiful Dr. Gail Sanders, the woman he is falling for faster than the speed of light, Solar will need every quantum of his power and purpose to rally and administer the greatest atomic ass-kicking of all time!
DOMO On sale Nov 17 7″ Domo Qee: DIY Packaged in a full-color window box Limited edition of 200 $59.99 7″ Domo Qee: Love Green Packaged in a full-color window box Limited edition of 400 $59.99 Dark Horse and Toy2R are excited to bring you the limited-edition 7″ Domo Qee series. After the rousing success of our 2″ Domo Qee figures, we were wondering what we could do to top them. We have selected the most interesting and collectible of our custom Qee designs and, in concert with Hong Kong’s Toy2R, crafted them into a new, oversize, ultralimited 7″ version. Dark Horse is set to release a total of six new 7″ Domo Qee designs in the coming months. The final two of these offerings in the series will be a DIY (Do it yourself) Domo Qee (limited edition of 200), and the prickly/fuzzy Love Green Domo Qee (limited edition of 400). These will go fast, so order wisely!
FEAR AGENT #32: OUT OF STEP part 5 (of 5) Rick Remender (W), Mike Hawthorne (P), Tony Moore (P), and John Lucas (I) On sale Nov 24 FC, 32 pages $3.50 Miniseries THE END! “Rick Remender and Tony Moore are leading the way in what I believe will be the next generation of superstar creators.” —Ron Richards, iFanboy “Good sci-fi stories are really lacking in comics today and Fear Agent is one of the best. Grade: A.” —Tim Janson, Comic World News “Moore’s pitch-perfect depiction of the degradation of Heath Huston’s life never misses a dramatic beat.” —Sarah Horrocks, Impose magazine
GANTZ VOLUME 15 Hiroya Oku (W/A) On sale Jan 5 b&w, 224 pages $12.99 TPB, 5 1/8” x 7 1/16” Gantz is getting absolutely intense! Our protagonist, the eternally awkward otaku boy named Kei, has hunted a bevy of odd and dangerous aliens living in Japan. The Onion Alien was strange enough, but then there were the dinosaur aliens and eventually some vampires who might not be aliens at all. Gantz moves along at a furious pace, drowning readers in blood and violence, but then holds back for a few tender (and sometimes excessively sexy) moments here and there. It’s a crazy ride so far, a guilty pleasure for many readers. See whom Kei is told to hunt next! It will certainly be a surprise.
GHOST TALKER’S DAYDREAM VOLUME 5 Saki Okuse (W) and Sankichi Meguro (A) On sale Jan 12 B&w, 240 pages $10.99 TPB, 5″ x 7″ Saiki Misaki, our albino dominatrix necromancer hero, can’t seem to get away from dead people. Even while on vacation! Far from home, resting at a spa resort, Misaki still seems to be a magnet for tragic stories and creepy scenes. And sometimes the creepy stuff just comes looking for her. In volume five of Ghost Talker’s Daydream, Misaki’s partner from back home is racing to find her with a few colorful characters in tow, namely the young stalker who’s obsessed with Misaki, and a young girl who is also a budding necromancer. The result is a long trip to the world of the dead.
HEART TRANSPLANT Andrew Vachss (W), Zak Mucha (W), and Frank Caruso (A) On sale Oct 13 FC, 100 pages $24.99 HC, 13″ x 10″ On sale Oct 13 FC, 100 pages $99.99 Ltd. Ed HC, 13″ x 10″ For more than three decades, best-selling author Andrew Vachss has battled the lowest bullies: child abusers. In his law practice, he’s represented children and youth exclusively. As art director for King Features for two decades, Frank Caruso has developed a style that speaks to all ages, for all ages. The two are now joining forces to attack school bullying. Universally decried, bemoaned, and condemned. And on the rise. Heart Transplant is aimed at radically changing the way we deal with this most critical issue. The anchoring essay—by clinical social worker Zak Mucha—explains in detail what the reader has experienced . . . and why that experience could change our world. Dr. Joel Dvoskin, President of the American Psychological Association’s Law Society division, says, “[T]his gripping story gives kids and grownups alike a road map to change, both for individual kids and more importantly, for the school as a community . . . This book should be required reading in every elementary school in America[.]”
HELLBOY: DOUBLE FEATURE OF EVIL Mike Mignola (W/Cover), Richard Corben (A/Cover), and Dave Stewart (C) On sale Nov 17 FC, 32 pages $3.50 One-Shot Eisner Award–winning horror masters Mike Mignola and Richard Corben present this bloodcurdling double-feature comic with Hellboy entering two very different, but very deadly, houses—a carnivorous home and a pagan temple, both hungry for human sacrifices.
JOHN CARTER OF MARS: WEIRD WORLDS Marv Wolfman (W), Howard Chaykin (A), Murphy Anderson (A), Gray Morrow (A), Sal Amendola (A), and Joe Orlando (I/Cover) On sale Jan 12 FC, 112 pages $14.99 TPB, 7″ x 10″ Since his serialized debut in All-Story magazine in 1912, the spacefaring adventurer John Carter of Mars has become one of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ most beloved characters. The star of decades worth of novels and comic books, he’s soon to be immortalized on the silver screen as well, in the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures major film release John Carter of Mars! In this volume, John Carter, an ex-soldier turned prospector, is transported to Mars—“Barsoom,” as it is known to its natives—under mysterious circumstances, and becomes a champion dedicated to protecting his new home and newly found love, the princess Dejah Thoris, from warring alien civilizations and a host of deadly Barsoomian beasts! • Collecting stories originally published in Tarzan #207–#209 and Weird Worlds #1–#7. • Featuring the work of comics legends Marv Wolfman, Murphy Anderson, Gray Morrow, Sal Amendola, Joe Orlando, and Howard Chaykin!
KULL: THE HATE WITCH #1 (of 4) David Lapham (W), Gabriel Guzman (P), Dan Jackson (C), Tom Flemming (Cover), and Fabio Cobiaco (Cover) On sale Nov 24 FC, 32 pages $3.50 Miniseries Critically acclaimed comics scribe David Lapham (Stray Bullets) pens the next adventure of the great barbarian King Kull! The stoic Kull presides over a kingdom on the edge of revolution. Enter the Hate Witch—an ancient enemy eager to use Kull to destroy the great city of Valusia and with it, the whole of humanity. A string of murderers and noblemen looking to overthrow the king forces Kull to return to the land of his exile—Atlantis. Gabriel Guzman (Predators) illustrates this epic tale that tests King Kull’s mettle as ruler of all Valusia, and reintroduces readers to Brule, Tu, and Queen Igraine. • From Stray Bullets creator David Lapham! • From Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan!
LITTLE LULU’S PAL TUBBY VOLUME 2: THE RUNAWAY STATUE AND OTHER STORIES John Stanley (W/A) On sale Jan 5 FC, 224 pages $15.99 TPB, 6″ x 9″ Dark Horse’s new full-color series collecting John Stanley’s never-before-reprinted Tubby continues! Take a walk down the other end of Little Lulu’s Main Street, as seen through the eyes of Lulu’s best pal and worst nemesis, Tubby. And what a different view it is! With the same warmth and wit Stanley brought to Lulu, Tubby looks at the more fantastical side of Lulu and Tubby’s world, as Tub has adventures with monsters, ghosts, crooks, and even aliens, all while still finding time to get into scrapes with the fellers and woo the elusive Gloria. A great companion to Little Lulu, Tubby is sure to tickle the funny bone of comics fans of any age!
MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH VOLUME 2 CLAMP (W/A) On sale Jan 19 b&w, 640 pages $19.99 TPB, 5 1/8″ x 7 1/4″ Umi, Hikaru, and Fuu have returned to Earth from Cephiro, but all three know they have been forever changed by their adventures there. Haunted by the decisions they made and the unresolved war between Zagato and Emeraude, the Magic Knights journey to Cephiro once more, this time with a sense of duty. But who was it that had the strength of heart to summon them again, if it was not the Princess Emeraude? Is it the person who, as Clef says, could replace her as the Pillar of Cephiro? • Magic Knight Rayearth was made into both an anime TV and OAV (direct-to-video) series, available in North America through Media Blasters and Manga Entertainment.
METALOCALYPSE/DETHKLOK #2 (of 3) Brendon Small (W), Jon Schnepp (W/Cover), Jeremy Barlow (W), Lucas Marangon (P), Eduardo Francisco (I), and Eric Powell (Cover) On sale Nov 17 FC, 40 pages $3.99 Miniseries An especially brutal Dethklok gig has resulted in the destruction of Helsinki, in no small part due to a gargantuan troll accidentally awakened from the depths of Lake Bodom. Now Dethklok have returned to the scene, seeking to make amends, not knowing that there are worse things waiting for them in the blackness of the lake. Meddling with the supernatural can only lead to one thing . . . new pets for the band? • Based on the popular Adult Swim animated series Metalocalypse. New season begins in August! Brutal! • Stories by series creator/writer Brendon Small and series director/designer Jon Schnepp! Brutaler! • Variant cover by The Goon creator Eric Powell! Brutalest!
MICHAEL MOORCOCK’S ELRIC OF MELNIBONÉ VOLUME 1 Roy Thomas (W), P. Craig Russell (A), Michael T. Gilbert (A), and Neil Gaiman (W) On sale Jan 26 FC, 400 pages $29.99 TPB, 7″ x 10″ Michael Moorcock’s brooding albino, Elric of the Emerald Isle, represents a landmark of sword-and-sorcery fantasy to millions of readers worldwide. Heir to a legacy of tens of thousands of years, Elric sees the power of his decadent empire waning as the Young Kingdoms of humankind begin to stir. The 428th sorcerer-emperor to hold the ruby throne, he is unusually introspective and weak for his race—a combination that proves too tempting for his scheming cousin, Yyrkoon! As Elric is forced to call upon Arioch, Lord of Chaos and Duke of Hell, to rescue his beloved Cymoril from Yyrkoon’s clutches, so too will fate lead him to Stormbringer—a bloodthirsty magic sword with a mind of its own—and a dimensions-spanning encounter with the Four Who Are One. • Collecting the long-out-of-print comics adaptations of the first two novels in the celebrated Elric sequence—Elric of Melniboné and The Sailor on the Seas of Fate—and P. Craig Russell’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s autobiographical story, “One Life.” • World-renowned science-fiction and fantasy writer Michael Moorcock is best known for his decades-long books series chronicling the tales of Elric, an incarnation of his “Eternal Champion”
MILO MANARA T-SHIRT On sale Nov 17 Men’s M-XL $17.99 XXL $19.99 Dark Horse proudly announces the start of what promises to be a long association with Milo Manara, one of the most celebrated and respected graphic-story talents in the world. He has made a powerful name for himself by producing comics that revolve around elegant, beautiful women. It’s no surprise, then, that we have selected one of his lush renderings of a mysterious lady for our debut T-shirt. Printed on high-quality slate gray fabric, this will click as a fashion statement. Sorry, not available in butterscotch . . .
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: CAMPUS APOCALYPSE VOLUME 2 Ming Ming (W/A) On sale Dec 29 b&w, 160 pages $10.99 TPB, 5 1/8″ x 7 1/4″ Now that he’s received his Eva, Shinji Ikari commits himself to doing battle with the Angels terrorizing the NERV Foundation Academy. However, when he finds out what’s going on between Kaworu and Rei, Shinji begins to feel nagging doubts about truths, facts, relationships . . . even his own existence! Is he a burden to his teachers, friends, and family, or does he have a greater destiny? The second installment of Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse presents Shinji with his toughest challenge yet!
THE OCCULT FILES OF DOCTOR SPEKTOR ARCHIVES VOLUME 2 Donald Glut (W) and Jesse Santos (A) On sale Jan 19 FC, 192 pages $49.99 HC, 7″ x 10″ The inquisitive and adventurous Dr. Adam Spektor is an occult detective, myth researcher, and demon hunter who travels the world over to investigate the strange and the supernatural, aided by his assistant, Lakota Rainflower. Cocreated by writer Donald Glut in 1972—who also provides this volume’s insightful introduction—the character came into his own when artist Jesse Santos was assigned to Spektor’s ongoing comic-book series. In Doctor Spektor Archives Volume 2, you’ll discover the thrilling chronicles of a strange protector—a character who often breaks the fabled “fourth wall” to address readers directly while narrating disturbing tale after tale from his vast files. As a bonus treat for Spektor spawns and disciples. • The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor (1960s comic-book series) #8-#12 plus, Spektor appearances from Spine-Tingling Tales #4, Mystery Comics Digest #10, #11, and #21, and Golden Comics Digest #25, #26, and #33.
REELART STUDIOS FRAZETTA’S DRACULA MEETS THE WOLFMAN STATUE On sale Oct 27 Limited to 500 pieces $285.00 Long noted for its fantastic sculptural interpretations of the late fantasy-art grandmaster Frank Frazetta’s work, ReelArt Studios as turned its talents to a new release that brings a ferocious encounter between two of the horror genre’s most iconic characters to ripping, frenzied life. With its usual attention to detail, the team at ReelArt Studios has immortalized the climactic moment of a life-or-death battle royal. Sculpted by Troy McDevitt, with subtle paint mastering by Joy and Tom Studios.
SINFEST: VIVA LA RESISTANCE Tatsuya Ishida (W/A) On sale Jan 5 b&w, 208 pages $14.99 TPB, 8 1/4” x 9 3/4” Sinfest is BACK, and better than ever! Viva la Resistance features over a year and a half of never-before-collected strips from the webcomic phenomenon that’s “head-and-shoulders above the rest [. . . and] superior to most print comic strips, too” (R. C. Harvey). What other series has had the chutzpah to make characters out of God, the Devil, Jesus, Buddha, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, and corrupt Wall Street CEOs? As the Onion’s AV Club remarked, Tatsuya Ishida’s Sinfest is “irreverent and playful . . . [crossing] lines that few cartoonists would dare toe.” Widely acclaimed for both style and content, Sinfest is a frequent entry in critics’ “Best Comics of the Year” lists (The Comics Journal, MTV, Comics Reporter, Comics Worth Reading) and just hit its tenth year of serialization. Don’t miss it! • An entire volume of never-before-collected strips, for the first time since 2005! • Web traffic on sinfest.net averages 2.3 million unique visitors per month!
STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES—JANGO AND BOBA FETT #4 (of 4) Tom Taylor (W) and Chris Scalf (A/Cover) On sale Nov 24 FC, 40 pages $3.50 Miniseries Boba Fett is on a mission to uphold his father’s honor. But when a bounty is paid, and the crime lord who issued it still refuses to call off his vendetta, Boba Fett’s own sense of honor is offended. Forget about bounties; now there’s hell to pay! Boba Fett takes on a crime lord. Check. And the crime lord’s army of minions. Check. And a giant, rampaging rancor. Check and double-check!
STAR WARS: DARK TIMES VOLUME 4—BLUE HARVEST Mick Harrison (W), Douglas Wheatley (P/Cover), Dave McCaig (C), Chris Chuckry (C), and Dan Jackson (C) On sale Nov 10 FC, 136 pages $17.99 TPB, 7″ x 10″ Three months after the events in Revenge of the Sith . . . In a time when all Jedi are fugitives, surviving Jedi Dass Jennir is trying to live as an outlaw without actually becoming one. Accepting a job from a mysterious beauty, Jennir sets out to rid her town of a gang of slave runners. But when he finds that his employer hasn’t been completely honest with him, he begins to doubt the course she’s set him on. Outlaw or not, there’s one thing he knows for certain: he has vowed to save this town—and a Jedi never gives up! Meanwhile, Darth Vader makes a discovery that has him questioning his own future and the plans of Emperor Palpatine. There are many questions and few answers in these dark times! • Explore the uncharted Star Wars era between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope! • Collects Star Wars: Dark Times #13–#17, and the prologue from Dark Times #0.
STAR WARS: KNIGHT ERRANT—AFLAME #2 (of 5) John Jackson Miller (W), Federico Dallocchio (A), Michael Atiyeh (C), and Joe Quinones (Cover) On sale Nov 10 FC, 40 pages $2.99 Miniseries Jedi Knight Kerra Holt thought she was prepared for anything that could happen on the volunteer mission that took her deep into Sith space. But now, trapped behind enemy lines, Kerra looks toward a life without the support of the Republic . . . and if her headstrong ways continue to lead her actions, she may end up without any support at all! • The second issue in a brand-new series, with a brand-new hero, in an uncharted era of Star Wars! • John Jackson Miller is also writing a Knight Errant novel for Del Rey starring Kerra Holt in an original adventure! See her here first!
STAR WARS: LEGACY VOLUME 10—EXTREMES John Ostrander (W), Jan Duursema (P/Cover), Dan Parsons (I), Brad Anderson (C), and Sean Cooke (Cover) On sale Jan 5 FC, 104 pages $15.99 TPB, 7″ x 10″ One hundred thirty-three years after Luke Skywalker made his final stand against the Emperor and Darth Vader, the Galactic Alliance, Emperor-in-exile Roan Fel’s forces, and the reunited Jedi Order are finally ready to take on the Sith Empire. Everyone is out of hiding, and the battle lines have been drawn! Cade Skywalker is back in action, as well—leading a personal vendetta against the Sith, and brought to the brink of having to accept his family legacy or deny it once and for all! • Collects Star Wars: Legacy #47–#50.
STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC #5—BLOOD OF THE EMPIRE part 2 (of 3) Alexander Freed (W), Dave Ross (P), Mark McKenna (I), Michael Atiyeh (C), and Benjamin Carré (Cover) On sale Nov 3 FC, 40 pages $2.99 Ongoing The hunt for the emperor’s apprentice continues in this tale of Sith vs. Sith! Proving his worth to the Dark Council by capturing Exal Kressh may be the end of young Sith Teneb Kel; and a brief encounter with his skilled prey brings some questions to the surface . . . Why would a loyal apprentice betray her emperor and the entire Sith Empire? • Based on the highly anticipated MMOG from LucasArts and BioWare! • Written by senior game writer Alexander Freed! • The newest Star Wars era begins here!
SUPERSIZED: STRANGE TALES FROM A FAST-FOOD CULTURE Morgan Spurlock (W), Jeremy Barlow (W), Lukas Ketner (A), Ron Chan (A), Tony Millionaire (A), Lucas Marangon (A), and Ron English (Cover) On sale Jan 26 FC, 88 pages $12.99 HC, 6″ x 9″ Do you dare find out what’s happening behind the counters of your neighborhood fast- food joint? Then grab a bucket and dive into one of the creepiest graphic novels of the year! Supersized: Strange Tales from a Fast Food Culture is an entertaining—and at times gut-wrenching—series of stories focusing on America’s ubiquitous and potentially destructive fast-food culture. A perfect companion to Super Size Me, the graphic novel bridges the gaps between humor, fact, and heart, while peering behind the scenes of the fast-food world. Written by Morgan Spurlock with writer Jeremy Barlow and drawn by a variety of creators, Supersized: Strange Tales from a Fast-Food Culture is an original-graphic-novel companion that expands on some of the bizarre stories not featured in the Academy Award-nominated film.
THE TERMINATOR: 1984 #3 (of 3) Zack Whedon (W), Andy MacDonald (A), Dan Jackson (C), and Massimo Carnevale (Cover) On sale Nov 24 FC, 40 pages $3.50 Miniseries The future of humanity seems more uncertain than ever as Kyle and Ben are forced to battle an entirely new Terminator threat alongside a very pregnant Sarah Connor! It’s the blowout conclusion to Zack Whedon and Andy MacDonald’s inspired reimagining of the original Terminator saga! “The formula of Whedon and MacDonald working together on this title pays off . . . giving us everything we could want out of a Terminator story.” —Comic Attack
TROUBLEMAKER T-SHIRTS On sale Oct 27 Troublemaker T-shirt Barnaby and Hooker Running White, women’s T-shirt S-XL $24.99 Troublemaker T-shirt Beans White, women’s T-shirt S-XL $24.99 Troublemaker T-shirt Logo with Palm Trees White, women’s T-shirt S-XL $24.99 Dark Horse continues its line of products based on the highly anticipated graphic- novel series Troublemaker, by Janet and Alex Evanovich. Featuring the favorite characters and stars of the show, Barnaby and Hooker, and their mischievous dog, Beans, the designs reflect the spirit of the series. Incorporating great art by Joëlle Jones, the three compelling designs are a must have for Janet Evanovich fans!
TUROK, SON OF STONE #2 (of 4) Jim Shooter (W), Eduardo Francisco (A), and Raymond Swanland (Cover) On sale Nov 24 FC, 40 pages $3.50 Miniseries Swept through a cataclysmic rift in space-time to a timeless land where dinosaurs rampage and wonders abound, Native Americans Turok and young Andar struggle to survive. The invincible wizard-warrior Thunder-Hand leads the army of the Aztec god-king Maxtla against the proud, fierce Panther Warriors, mowing them down like wheat before the scythe. Maxtla’s bloodthirsty warriors overrun the tree fortress of the Panther People, where Turok and Andar have been taken. The invaders seize Andar, and Thunder-Hand has his sights on the alluring Aasta, goddess of the Panther People. Standing in Thunder-Hand’s way is Turok, Aasta’s champion, protector . . . and lover? Written by industry legend Jim Shooter and illustrated by Eduardo Francisco!
USAGI YOJIMBO #132 and #133: TAIKO Parts 1 and 2 Stan Sakai (W/A) On sale Oct 27 b&w, 24 pages $3.50 Ongoing On sale Nov 24 b&w, 24 pages $3.50 Ongoing These issues form both halves of “Taiko,” a special double-issue story line. A group of drought-stricken farmers commission an enormous taiko drum to show their devotion to the gods, and pray for rain. But the bloodthirsty Red Scorpion Gang threatens to destroy the drum unless the farmers pay up, so the farmers must turn to rabbit ronin Usagi to protect the drum, lest they face starvation from drought! When the Red Scorpion Gang burns down the farmers’ temple and the drum is in jeopardy, Usagi must figure out how to rescue it and fight the Red Scorpions at the same time, or all is lost! • Special double-issue story line makes a great introduction to Usagi Yojimbo for new readers! • Issue #123 of this Eisner Award-winning series was nominated for the 2010 Eisner for Best Single Issue!

As a follow-up to Diamond Distribution’s Top Publishers, Top 500 Comics, and Top 500 TPBs & GNs for the Entire Year of 2009, I have used the raw data to construct the sales charts for small press titles, published in 2009.

To see the charts for independently published comics for 2009, please click here.

What do I mean by Small Press? I mean independently owned and operated companies, who only publish a small handful of titles, and hold under 1% of the total market share. There are of course a couple of exceptions to this rule, for example, I have also excluded companies like Archie Comics, Scholastic, and Random house, because while they hold under 1% of the market share via direct distribution, this is only a small fraction of these companies total sales.

Index

• Top Small Press Comics
• Top Small Press TPBs & OGNs

[Return to index]

Top Small Press Comics

Hmm, sorry to disappoint, but once all of the publishers holding more than 1% of the total market share have been removed from Diamond’s Top 500 comics, there are no comics left! Not to worry, there are still some small press titles in the TPB/OGN charts, which can be found below.

[Return to index]

Top Small Press TPBs & OGNs

The Indy TPB & OGN charts are looking a little healthier than the comics charts, with 26 titles left over after removing all the publishers with over 1% of the total market share.

The Top 10

The top ranking small press graphic novel of 2009 was The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century 1910 (Top Shelf), with an overall ranking at position #2. In The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol III): Century #1 (“1910″), our familiar cast of Victorian literary characters enters the brave new world of the 20th century! CHAPTER ONE is set against a backdrop of London, 1910, twelve years after the failed Martian invasion and nine years since England put a man upon the moon. In the bowels of the British Museum, Carnacki the ghost-finder is plagued by visions of a shadowy occult order who are attempting to create something called a Moonchild, while on London’s dockside the most notorious serial murderer of the previous century has returned to carry on his grisly trade. Working for Mycroft Holmes’ British Intelligence alongside a rejuvenated Allan Quatermain, the reformed thief Anthony Raffles and the eternal warrior Orlando, Miss Murray is drawn into a brutal opera acted out upon the waterfront by players that include the furiously angry Pirate Jenny and the charismatic butcher known as Mac the Knife. This one is not to be missed! This book is the first of three deluxe, 80-page, full-color, perfect-bound graphic novellas, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O’Neill — with lettering by Todd Klein, and colors by Ben Dimagmaliw. Each self-contained narrative takes place in three distinct eras, building to an apocalyptic conclusion occurring in our own twenty-first century. — 6 5/8″ x 10 1/8″ - Written by Alan Moore, with art by Kevin O’Neill.
The second spot goes to Scott Pilgrim Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs The Universe (Oni Press), with an overall ranking at position #14. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe is the penultimate volume of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s story about a Canadian slacker who falls in love with American delivery girl Ramona V. Flowers, but must defeat her seven “evil exes” in order to date her. Scott Pilgrim just turned 24, and things couldn’t possibly be better! This means things are about to get infinitely worse. Suddenly, TWO of Ramona’s evil ex-boyfriends are in town, and they’re playing dirty. His band is in turmoil, and his own exes aren’t making things any easier. And what’s up with Ramona, anyway? She’s been acting kinda weird ever since they moved in together. It’s the SECOND LAST VOLUME of SCOTT PILGRIM: Scott’s precious little life is coming back around to bite him in the butt, and it may not be pretty! - Written and Illustrated by Bryan Lee O’Malley.
The third spot goes to Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life (Oni Press), with an overall ranking at position #55 Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life is the first volume of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s story about a Canadian slacker who falls in love with American delivery girl Ramona V. Flowers, but must defeat her seven “evil exes” in order to date her. Scott Pilgrim’s life is so awesome. He’s 23 years old, in a rock band, “between jobs,” and dating a cute high school girl. Everything’s fantastic until a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, rollerblading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties. But the path to Ms Flowers isn’t covered in rose petals. Ramona’s seven evil ex-boyfriends stand in the way between Scott and true happiness. Can Scott beat the bad guys and get the girl without turning his precious little life upside-down? - Written and Illustrated by Bryan Lee O’Malley.
The fourth spot goes to Mouse Guard Volume 2: Winter 1152 (Archaia), with an overall ranking at position #75 In the Winter of 1152, the Mouse Guard face a food and supply shortage threatening the lives of many mouse through a cold and icy season. Some of the Guard’s finest - Saxon, Kenzie, Lieam, and Sadie, led by Celanawe, the legendary Black Axe - traverse the snow-blanketed territories acting as diplomats to improve relations between the mouse cities and the Guard, and find themselves on a race against time to deliver crucial medicines. This is a winter not every Guard may survive… Collects the second Mouse Guard series by Russ Manning Award-winner David Petersen, with an epilogue and bonus content. - Written and illustrated by David Peterson.
The fifth spot goes to Rasl Volume 1: The Drift (Cartoon Books), with an overall ranking at position #123 Cartoon Books proudly presents Jeff Smith’s new adventure series, RASL - a stark, sci-fi series about a dimension-jumping art thief, a man unplugged from the world who races through space and time searching for his next big score - and trying to escape his past. In this first of three graphic novels, Rasl faces an assassin’s bullet and stumbles across a mystery that not only threatens to expose his own illicit activities, but could also uncover one of the world’s most dangerous and sought after secrets! - Written and illustrated by Jeff Smith.
The sixth spot goes to Warren Ellis’ Frankenstein’s Womb (Avatar Press), with an overall ranking at position #126 1816 was called “The Year Without A Summer.” In the weird darkness of that July’s volcanic winter, Mary Wolfestonecraft Godwin began writing Frankenstein on the shore of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. But that is not where Frankenstein began. It began a few months earlier when, en route through Germany to Switzerland, Mary, her future husband Percy Shelley, and her stepsister Clair Clairmont approached a strange castle. Castle Frankenstein, some one hundred years earlier, had been home to Johann conrad Dippel, whose experiments included the independent invention of mitroglycerin, a distillation of the exlixir of life - and the transfer of a live soul into an awful accretion of human body parts! Mary never spoke of having entered the real Castle Frankenstein, stark on its hilltop south of Darmstadt. But she did. and she was never the same again - becasue something was haunting that tower, and Mary met it there. Fear, deather, and alchemy - the modern age is created here, in lost moments in a ruined castle on a day never recorded. The newest addition to Warren Ellis’ Apparat line of original graphic novels has arrved! Following up the huge successes of Crecy and Aetheric Mechanics, Ellis turns his spark of mad genius to bring us a fantastical tale in this all-new original graphic novel illustrated in atmospheric perfection by newcomer Marek Oleksicki. - Written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Marek Oleksicki.
The seventh spot goes to Stinky (TOON Books), with an overall ranking at position #131 Stinky is a monster who loves pickles and possums - but is terrified of people! When a new kid enters his swamp, this adorable little monster comes up with all sorts of crazy plans to scare him away. But Stinky quickly learns to conquer his fear, as he realizes that bats, rats, and toads aren’t the only friends you can find in the swamp. This hilarious and heart-warming story by ferociously talented newcomer Eleanor Davis proves that even monsters can make new friends… warts and all! - Written and illustrated by Eleanor Davis.
The eight spot goes to Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World (Oni Press), with an overall ranking at position #141 Scott Pilgrim Versus the World is the second volume of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s story about a Canadian slacker who falls in love with American delivery girl Ramona V. Flowers, but must defeat her seven “evil exes” in order to date her. Does Scott and Ramona’s burgeoning relationship have a future? Isn’t Scott still supposedly dating Knives Chau? Who is Ramona’s second evil ex-boyfriend, and why is he in Toronto? Who are The Clash At Demonhead, and what kind of bizarre art-punky music do they play? Who’s their hot girl keyboardist, and what is Scott’s relation to her? Why are they Knives Chau’s new favourite band? Fights! Drama! Secrets revealed! The answers to all these questions and more! - Written and Illustrated by Bryan Lee O’Malley.
The ninth spot goes to Alan Moore’s Light Of Thy Countenance (Avatar Press), with an overall ranking at position #161 Alan Moore, master and magician of storytelling, tears back the veil of one of the most arcane of enchantments - The Magic of Television! Part grimoire, part grim invocation of things that are all too ordinary, Light of Thy Countenance - an original and breathtaking story by Alan Moore - is adapted to graphic novella format by Antony Johnston, preserving every word, with each page painstakingly painted by Felipe Massafera. Maureen Cooper is not real. She is an apparition summoned to screens, into homes, into the hearts and mind of the viewing audience by Carol Livesly. But Carol Livesly is not the god that creates the illusions that capture the mind and bind the soul. She is only a servant of a higher power. A higher, hungry power, as old as the world and eternally new. As, perhaps, are we all. - Written by Alan Moore, adapted by Antony Johnston, illustrated by Felipe Massafera.
The tenth spot goes to Freakangels, Volume 2 (Avatar Press), with an overall ranking at position #184 This installment collects the entire second arc of the post-apocalyptic saga into 144 gorgeous, full-color pages. Twenty-three years ago, twelve strange children were born in England at exactly the same moment. Six years later, the world ended. Today, eleven strange 23-year-olds are living in and defending Whitechapel, maybe the last real settlement in flooded London. They’ve made a new friend, and together they successfully defended their home from raiders-but the post-apocalyptic drowned London that the eleven Freakangels survive in is never a safe place, and never surrounded by friends. Night has only just fallen, but strangers already creep through Whitechapel with the worst of intentions and the weapons to see them through. In FREAKANGELS: VOLUME TWO, we discover just how bad the situation in sunken England has gotten, and we meet the last of the eleven strange Freakangels. But the twelfth, sinister Mark, is still out there somewhere… Ellis’ ongoing story of a flooded London is beautifully illustrated in jaw-dropping detail by Paul Duffield, and every page is as much a work of art as it is a compelling and multi-layered story. - Written by Warren Ellis, illustrated by Paul Duffield.

Beyond the Top 10

Oni Press is the company that racks up the most titles in the small press charts for 2009, with a total of six comics. Avatar Press comes in second with a total of four, and Zenoscope Entertainment comes third with three titles ranking for the year.

Bryan Lee O’Malley is the creator with the most titles ranking in the charts last year, with all five volumes of Scott Pilgrim making the list! The Scott Pilgrim movie is coming outt his year, alongside the sixth and final volume of the series, so expect these books to be HUGE sellers in 2010!

SP Rank	QUANTITY RANK	DOLLAR RANK	ITEM CODE	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	PUBLISHER
1	2	6	FEB094465	LOEG III CENTURY #1 1910 (MR)	$7.95	TOP
2	14	36	DEC084184	SCOTT PILGRIM GN VOL 05 SP VS THE UNIVERSE	$11.95	ONI
3	55	128	MAY042851	SCOTT PILGRIM GN VOL 01 SP PRECIOUS LITTLE LIFE (MAY042851)	$11.95	ONI
4	75	22	MAY090647	MOUSE GUARD HC VOL 02 WINTER 1152	$24.95	ARC
5	123	229	SEP083845	RASL TP VOL 01 DRIFT (MR)	$13	CAR
6	126	681	APR090689-M	WARREN ELLIS FRANKENSTEINS WOMB GN (MR)	$6.99	AVA
7	131	260	JAN088344	STINKY GN	$12.95	RAW
8	141	276	DEC042750	SCOTT PILGRIM GN VOL 02 VS THE WORLD	$11.95	ONI
9	161	662	NOV083804	ALAN MOORE LIGHT OF THY COUNTENANCE GN (MR)	$7.99	AVA
10	184	136	MAR094092	FREAKANGELS TP VOL 02 (MR)	$19.99	AVA
11	207	407	JUN073779	SCOTT PILGRIM GN VOL 04 SP GETS IT TOGETHER (JUN073779)	$11.95	ONI
12	209	403	OCT053132	SCOTT PILGRIM GN VOL 03 INFINITE SADNESS (OCT053132)	$11.95	ONI
13	250	408	JAN098019	JEFF SMITH LITTLE MOUSE GETS READY HC	$12.95	RAW
14	265	1332	FEB094410	RESURRECTION TP INSURGENT ED	$6	ONI
15	269	45	FEB042691	FROM HELL TP	$35	TOP
16	304	240	STAR07025	JOHNNY HOMICIDAL MANIAC DIRECTORS CUT SC	$19.95	SLA
17	329	391	APR090622	TERRY MOORES ECHO TP VOL 02 ATOMIC DREAMS	$15.95	ABS
18	364	362	DEC084356	GRIMM FAIRY TALES TP VOL 05	$15.99	ZEN
19	369	94	MAY090981	TMNT COLLECTED BOOK TP VOL 01	$29.95	MIR
20	386	313	SEP090638	FREAKANGELS TP VOL 03 (MR)	$19.99	AVA
21	388	2742	JUL088567-M	LENORE TP VOL 02 WEDGIES	$13.95	SLA
22	392	274	DEC084219	ATOMIC ROBO TP VOL 02	$19.95	RED
23	412	582	JUN090898	LOVE & ROCKETS NEW STORIES TP VOL 02 (MR)	$14.99	FAN
24	471	672	NOV084364	TALES FROM WONDERLAND TP VOL 01	$12.99	ZEN
25	495	184	JUL091141	BOOK OF GENESIS ILLUS BY ROBERT CRUMB HC	$24.95	WW
26	500	499	APR091068	GRIMM FAIRY TALES TP VOL 06	$15.99	ZEN

Diamond Distribution have informed retailers that voting is now open for the 19th Annual Gem Awards. The awards, nicknamed the Gemmies, are not open to voting by the public, but instead are voted on by comic book specialty retailers.

According to Diamond, “the awards are selected in a three-step process that is based on quality, creativity, and most importantly, their overall sales impact. Nominees are selected by a panel of Diamond industry professionals from all products shipped during a given year”.

The winners of this year’s awards will be announced in February. Here is the list of nominees:

2009 Comic Book Publisher of the Year Over 4%

• Dark Horse Comics
• DC Comics
• IDW Publishing
• Image Comics
• Marvel Comics

2009 Comic Book Publisher of the Year Under 4%

• Avatar Press
• BOOM! Studios
• Dynamite Entertainment
• Oni Press
• Viz Media

2009 Backlist Publisher of the Year

• Dark Horse Comics
• DC Comics
• Dynamite Entertainment
• IDW Publishing
• Image Comics
• Marvel Comics

2009 Manga Publisher of the Year

• Dark Horse Comics
• DC Comics/CMX
• Digital Manga
• TOKYOPOP
• VIZ Media

2009 Comic Book of the Year Under $3.00

• Archie #600 (Archie)
• Batman and Robin #1 (DC)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Vampires (Dark Horse)
• Haunt #1 (Image)
• The Boys #30 (Dynamite)
• Wolverine #71 (Marvel)

2009 Comic Book of the Year Over $3.00

• Amazing Spider-Man #583 Obama Variant (Marvel)
• Blackest Night #1 (DC)
• Image United #1 (Image)
• Irredeemable #1 (BOOM!)
• Star Wars: Invasion #0 (Dark Horse)

2009 Licensed Comic of the Year

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer #22 (Dark Horse)
• Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: Nightmare Warriors #1 (DC/WildStorm)
• Stand: American Nightmares #1 (Marvel)
• Transformers Ongoing #1 (IDW)

2009 Original GN of the Year

• Asterios Polyp GN (Pantheon Books)
• Book of Genesis: Illustrated by Robert Crumb HC (W.W. Norton)
• Filthy Rich HC (DC/Vertigo)
• Grandville HC (Dark Horse)
• Richard Starks’ Parker: The Hunter HC (IDW)
• Scott Pilgrim Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe (Oni)

2009 Reprint TP or HC of the Year

• Bloom County Complete Library HC Volume 1 (IDW)
• Final Crisis HC (DC)
• Irredeemable TP Volume 1 (BOOM!)
• Secret Invasion TP (Marvel)
• The Boys TP Volume 4: We Gotta Go Now (Dynamite)
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz HC (Marvel)
• Umbrella Academy TP Volume 2: Dallas (Dark Horse)
• Walking Dead Compendium TP Volume 1 (Image)
• Watchmen TP (DC)

2009 Licensed TP or HC of the Year

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 TP Volume 4: Time of Your Life (Dark Horse)
• Halo Uprising Premiere HC (Marvel)
• Star Trek: Countdown TP (IDW)
• World of Warcraft: Ashbringer HC (DC/WildStorm)

2009 Manga TP of the Year

• Fruits Basket GN Volume 22 (TOKYOPOP)
• Lucky Star GN Volume 1 (Bandai Entertainment)
• Naruto TP Volume 45 (Viz Media)
• Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project TP Volume 1 (Dark Horse)

2009 Anthology TP of the Year

• Flight GN Volume 6 (Villard Books)
• Pixu TP Volume 1: Mark of Evil (Dark Horse)
• Popgun GN Volume 3 (Image)
• Toon Treasury of Classic Children’s Comics HC (Abrams Comicarts)

2009 Indie GN of the Year

• Alan Moore’s The Courtyard GN Color Printing (Avatar Press)
• Eternal Smile GN (St. Martin’s Press)
• Fahrenheit 451 GN (St. Martin’s Press)
• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen III: Century #1 – 1910 (Top Shelf Productions)
• Love & Rockets: New Stories TP Volume 2 (Fantagraphics Books)

2009 Trade Book of the Year

• Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon: Lifelong Vision of the Heroic (Flesk Publications)
• Dawn: The Worlds of Final Fantasy HC (Dark Horse)
• Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Volume 39 (Gemstone Publishing)
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies SC (Chronicle Books)

As a follow-up to my list of the best graphic novels of 2009, I have compiled a list of my favourite comics of 2009 - by which I mean monthly and weekly titles, rather than collections and graphic novels.

I found this list incredibly hard to put together, as I originally intended to write a list of series I enjoyed, and then write a short paragraph about each, saying why it was on the list. However, as I composed the list, it got longer, and longer, and longer… until I realised that I couldn’t possibly say something about each of these great series. Therefore, I broke the titles up in to categories, and picked my top title from each, then wrote a few paragraphs about what made that one the top pick. The other titles I considered are included in the honourable mentions section of each category (not necessarily in ranked order).

The categories picked are: best new ongoing series; best established ongoing series; best miniseries; best anthology title; best one-shot; best event series; and best quarterly/irregularly published title.

I hope you enjoy my picks, and be sure to let me know your thoughts

Best Established Ongoing Series

• Detective Comics

What?

A new era in the history of DETECTIVE COMICS begins as Batwoman is unleashed on Gotham City! Marked by the blood-red bat, Kate Kane is a soldier fighting her own private war - one that began years ago and haunts her every waking moment. With a script by Greg Rucka and breath-taking art by JH Williams III, you’ve never seen anything like this! Featuring the debut of a new co-feature starring The Question written by Rucka! Odds against you? Alone and nowhere to turn? Willing to fight, but you don’t know how? When you’re searching everywhere for an answer, sometimes all you need to do is ask the right Question. Renee Montoya again dons the faceless mask to help those in need, all the while searching for her own answers in this new adventure with art by Cully Hamner (BLUE BEETLE).

Why?

The year for Detective Comics started with Neil Gaiman’s ‘Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader’ which crossed over with Batman. It was a wonderful retrospective of the life of Bruce Wayne, as told by his friends and foes. A dreamlike wake for a man that no-one ever truly knew.

Following this issue, Greg Rucka came on board, kicked Batman off the title, and gave us a story of the new Batwoman, with a co-feature story following the adventure of the new Question. Batwoman is really the star of star of the show, with the story following her continuing battle against the religion of crime, which has taken route in Gotham, and has a new leader, the mysterious Alice. Greg brings all of his crime writing skills to this tale, to give us a gritty tale from the dark side of the DC Universe - a street level book from the streets of the meanest city in the world! Greg was accompanied on the title by JH Williams III, who illustrates the title in breath-taking fashion, with some of the most astounding and stylish artwork I’ve ever witnessed. JH Williams III has always been a great artist, but his work on Detective Comics is beautiful beyond words. Sometimes, I would turn over the page, to be met with a splash page, and I would just have to stop and admire it for a few minutes, before continuing on reading!

But It’s not all about the Batwoman, the Question back-up was in many ways just as good as the main story. Where the Batwoman story was a street level tale, the Question delved more into the gritty underworld of human trafficking, to take a look at the grim underbelly of the DCU. Renee Montoya is one of Rucka’s greatest creations, and by this point in her ongoing story, I feel almost as if she’s a real person. The tale is illustrated in brilliant fashion by Cully Hamner, who does an amazing job bringing the characters to life, and delivering us with a dark, far more realistic, version of the DCU.

Honourable Mentions:

• Fables
• Unknown Soldier
• Hellblazer
• Air
• House of Mystery
• 100 Bullets
• Terry Moore’s Echo
• Nova
• Jack of Fables
• Northlanders
  
• Justice Society of America
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Captain America
• Ex Machina
• Usagi Yojimbo
• The Boys
• Irredeemable
• DMZ
• Daredevil
• Invincible Iron Man
• X-Factor
• Fantastic Four
• Elephantmen
• Wasteland
• Cable
• X-Men Legacy
• Uncanny X-Men
• X-Force
  
• Immortal Iron Fist
• Walking Dead
• Invincible

Best new ongoing series

• The Unwritten

What?

The plot revolves around Tom Taylor, son of Wilson Taylor, an author who disappeared without a trace. Wilson wrote a series of books about a boy wizard called Tommy Taylor, very much like the Harry Potter series. Shortly after the start of the series, it comes to light that Tom Taylor may not be Wilson’s son at all. Conspiracy theories about identity fraud become prominent with fans of the books, outraged that they may have been lied to all this time. Other fans in New Zealand create a theory that Tom Taylor may in fact be Tommy Taylor made flesh from words. This theory gains credibility when other characters from the Tommy Taylor series begin appearing around Tom.

Why?

This fantastic new series from Mike Carey and Peter Gross is a high-concept metafiction epic, filled with abundant references to literary works, and a tongue-in-cheek examination of the Harry Potter Phenomenon. I have been a huge fan of Mike Carey’s writing for many years, and this is probably his best work to date. Peter Gross is also producing some of the best artwork of his career, creating an absolutely gorgeous comic that puts even Lucifer to shame. Carey and Gross are working at a synchronized creative peak on this story, forging a tale that is both beautiful and engrossing. Quite definitely the best new series this year!

Honorable mentions

• Greek Street
• Batman & Robin
• Secret Warriors
• Sweet Tooth
• Chew
• Viking
• Do Andoids Dream of Electric Sheep?
  
• Stumptown
• Wolverine: Weapon X
• JSA All-Stars
• Incorruptible
• The Anchor

Best miniseries

• Citizen Rex

What?

Comics legends Gilbert and Mario Hernandez join forces to present a bizarre, sexy view of the future and what it means to be human. Twenty years ago, the most famous, lifelike robot in the world was engulfed in scandal, arrested, and deactivated. Since then, an anti-robot movement has developed, while body modification is in and prosthetic limbs have become hot, black-market items.

Stories like these are the stock-in-trade of gossip columnist Sergio Bauntin, whose startling revelations earn him the constant scrutiny of both the mob and the city’s mysterious investigators, the Truth Takers. When Sergio catches wind of sightings of the long-missing robot celebrity CTZ-RX, all of these interests will collide in violence and intrigue.

Why?

Gilbert and Mario Hernandez have collaborated to create one of the most bizarre works of science-fiction ever conceived. Like a twisted mash-up of Love & Rockets, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The brothers explore the moral issues of creating a robot in the image of man, and whether artificial life is as valid as that of organic. The story is punctuated by moments of absurdity that will feel quite familiar to fans of Love & Rockets. What is the gigantic block in the middle of the city? Why has someone grapphitied ‘why?’ onto the block? Why has Citizen Rex reemerged after all these years? And most importantly, what happened to Bloggo’s shoes? These questions are all answered inside the pages of this original and thought-provoking story, and you wont believe some of the answers!

The story is illustrated in Beto’s inimitable style, with his minimalistic linework, and strong, confident brush strokes. The artwork oozes style, and his wonderful character designs are unique and full of personality.

Honourable Mentions:

• Incognito
• Criminal: the Sinners
• BPRD 1947
• Hellboy: The Wild hunt
• Groo: the Hogs of Horder
  
• North 40
• Battlefields: the Tankies
• The Boys: Herogasm
• Locke & Key: Head Games
• Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead
• Hercules: Knives of Kush
• JSA vs. Kobra: Engines of Faith
• The Trial of Sherlock Holmes
• The Complete Dracula
• Chronicles of Wormwood: The Last Battle
  
• Beasts of Burden
• Phonogram 2: Singles Club
• Days Missing
• The Literals
• Crossed
• Ghost Rider: Heaven’s on Fire
• Captain America: Reborn
• Umbrella Academy: Dallas
• Ignition City
• Groom Lake
• Stuff of Legend

Best Anthology

• 2000 AD

What?

The UK’s premier science fiction anthology! The galaxy’s greatest Comic! The home of Judge Dredd, The ABC Warriors, Nemesis the Warlock, Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper, and many more!

Why?

It’s been a hell of a year for 2000 AD, with so many wonderful new and ongoing stories appearing in the pages of the prog that many readers actually reported suffering from thrill-power overload.

High-lights of the year included: Defoe, Book 3: Queen of the Zombies (Pat Mills & Leigh Gallagher); Kingdom, Book 3: Call of the Wild (Dan Abnett & Richard Elson); Shakara, Book 4: Destroyer (Robbie Morrison & Henry Flint); Savage, Book 5: 1984 (Pat Mills & Patrick Goddard); Sinister Dexter: Wish you Were Here (Dan Abnett & Anthony Williams); Zombo (Al Ewing & Henry Flint); CradleGrave (John Smith & Edmund Bagwell); Nikolai Dante: An Army of Thieves and Whores (Robbie Morrison & Simon Fraser); as well as multiple arcs of Judge Dredd by legions of fantastic creative teams.

The galaxy’s greatest is just getting better and better, it’s a good time to be a Squaxx dek Thargo!

Honourable Mentions

• Judge Dredd Megazine
• Wednesday Comics
• Western (Accent UK)
• Strange Tales
• FTL (Orang Utan Studios)

Best One-Shot

• Batman/Doc Savage

What?

Doc Savage returns to DC Comics …and comes face-to-fist with the Batman! Superstar scribe Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS, JOKER) and the breathtaking art of Phil Noto combine to shine the first light on a shadowy new version of the DC Universe, where the thugs run rampant, corruption runs deep, and even heroes can’t be trusted! Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, hates what he’s heard about the connections between a grisly murder and Gotham City’s violent new vigilante. But the Batman can’t abide do-gooders getting in his way…and his .45 just won’t stay in its holster!

Be here for this vital prologue to an upcoming 6-issue miniseries by Azzarello and Rags Morales (IDENTITY CRISIS), which will pull back the curtain to reveal the full width and breadth of DC’s new pulp-influenced universe. This special issue also features sketchbook material by Rags Morales that will show you just what you’re in for! You might think you’re ready - but you’re very, very wrong…

Why?

Having given us the amazing conclusion to his hard-boiled epic, 100 Bullets, Brian Azzarello has come to the DC Universe to revive and reinvent the pulp magazine style of the 1930s and 40s. Designed as a taster for his upcoming First Wave series, this special one-shot introduces us to an early incarnation of Batman, trying to tame the wild streets of Gotham City. When experienced crime fighter Doc Savage comes to town, the pair lock horns before learning that they have a lot more in common that they know. It’s a great story, which is over far too quickly… bring on the miniseries!

Honourable Mentions:

• Whatever Happened to the World’s Fastest Man?
• The Eternal Conflicts of the Cosmic Warrior
• Wormwood, Gentleman Corpse: Down the Pub
  
• Tank Girl: Dark Nuggets
• The Devil’s Handshake (Archaia)
  
• Dead Space: Extraction
• Doctor Who: Whispering Gallery

Best Event Mini

• War of Kings
  

What?

In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion, Black Bolt has led the Inhumans on a shockingly savage path to restore their strength and security. But that path has brought them into direct confrontation with the Shi’Ar Empire - and their mad ruler Vulcan! Who will get in the first strike? Who will fall on the bloody battlefield? Who will rule? The Imperial Guard, the Starjammers, the Inhuman Royal Family and more of your favorite sci-fi characters are locked on a collision course!

Why?

Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning have been weaving Marvel’s cosmic titles into a universe-spanning epic. First they picked up the threads of Annihilation to give us Nova; then the Annihilation: Conquest event came, from which we got Guardians of the Galaxy; then they gave us their grandest story yet, War of Kings -  a battle between galactic empires. Told between the main title, Nova, and ‘Guardians’, this event was one of the best cosmic comics ever made. But at the same time, it was only a stage in their master plan, as the other cosmic characters are now left dealing with a massive rift in Space-Time, which is sure to lead to tons more thrilling tales in 2010! Abnett & Lanning can do no wrong!

Honourable Mention:

• Blackest Night

Best Quarterly/Irregular

• Rasl

What?

Jeff Smith, the visionary writer and artist behind the epic fantasy Bone and Shazam: Monster Society of Evil, unveils his newest series, the stark sci-fi series, Rasl! Meet Rasl, an art thief searching for his next big score - and trying to escape his past! Where other thieves plan their heists with breathtaking precision, Rasl has an ace up his sleeve - he can travel through the light between dimensions, affording him access to museums that no ordinary thief could access! In this issue Rasl faces an assassin’s bullet and stumbles across a mystery that not only threatens to expose his own illicit activities, but could also uncover one of the world’s most dangerous and sought after secrets.

Why?

Jeff Smith has totally reinvented himself with this title. We all loved Bone, but this is something else entirely! Mixing science-fiction with southwestern Native American culture and hardboiled crime fiction, Smith has created something truly original and unique. The dark and intense story is complimented by high contrast black & white artwork that makes these bizarre characters jump right out of the page! It’s just a incredibly unusual and inventive story, and every time a new issue comes out, it’s like a breath of fresh air.

Honourable Mentions:

• Nexus
• Kick-Ass
• The Goon
• Gravel
  
• Fear Agent
• Godland
• The Dead: Kingdom of Flies (Beserker)
  

Well, it’s that time of year again, when every comic site begins compiling lists of their favourite releases of the year. So I thought it was high time that I started to compile my list, it being the penultimate day of the year, and all. I thought I would start by putting together a list of my favourite graphic novels released this year, and honestly didn’t think it would take me very long at all. However, it turns out that there were a huge amount of fantastic releases this year, and this list took me forever to compile!

I’ve tried to keep the list to either OGNs (original graphic novels), or collections of miniseries that are no longer in print. Or perhaps it’s better to say that I didn’t want to fill the list up with trades of currently running series, because that would overlap with the list I plan to compile of the best comics of 2009 (which I plan to have up in the next couple of days).

This year’s list has a few obvious GNs on it, which are appearing on everyone’s lists this year, as well as a few not so obvious ones. Three of the books are by Los Bros. Hernadez, and two of them are by Jeff Lemire (go Canada!). Six of them were released by Fantagraphics, three are from Top Shelf, and three are from Dark Horse. The list is sorted into a rough order, but don’t take it too literally, because all of these books were fantastic, and it’s very hard to rank variations of greatness!

If you click the links on any of these titles, you will be magically transported to Amazon.com, and if you buy something, I’ll make a couple of cents per purchase. If you would like to discuss this list, or post your own, head over to the Hypergeek forums.

Without further ado, here is the list of what I thought were the greatest graphic novels of 2009, and why I picked them:

• Asterios Polyp

by David Mazzucchelli

What?

An original graphic novel about the titular protagonist, Asterios Polyp, a middle-aged, meagerly successful architect and teacher, aesthete and womanizer, whose life is wholly upended when his New York City apartment goes up in flames. In a tenacious daze, he leaves the city and relocates to a small town in the American heartland. But what is this “escape” really about? As the story unfolds, moving between the present and the past, we begin to understand this confounding yet fascinating character, and how he’s gotten to where he is. And isn’t. And we meet Hana: a sweet, smart, first-generation Japanese American artist with whom he had made a blissful life. But now she’s gone. Did Asterios do something to drive her away? What has happened to her? Is she even alive? All the questions will be answered, eventually.

Why?

After almost a decade of silence David Mazzucchelli has returned with an original graphic novel that has stunned the comic industry with its unabashed mastery of the medium. A hauntingly beautiful tale of love, ambition and opportunity, filled with philosophical and mythological references, Asterio Polyp is possibly one of the most literary comics stories ever devised. A masterpiece in terms of both writing and artwork, Mazzucchelli has pushed the boundaries of the medium, and raised the bar for all who come after him. One of the best graphic novels ever created!

• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century 1910

by Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill

What?

Top Shelf is proud to present the all-new installment in the breathtaking series by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill! In The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol III): Century #1 (“1910″), our familiar cast of Victorian literary characters enters the brave new world of the 20th century!

CHAPTER ONE is set against a backdrop of London, 1910, twelve years after the failed Martian invasion and nine years since England put a man upon the moon. In the bowels of the British Museum, Carnacki the ghost-finder is plagued by visions of a shadowy occult order who are attempting to create something called a Moonchild, while on London’s dockside the most notorious serial murderer of the previous century has returned to carry on his grisly trade. Working for Mycroft Holmes’ British Intelligence alongside a rejuvenated Allan Quatermain, the reformed thief Anthony Raffles and the eternal warrior Orlando, Miss Murray is drawn into a brutal opera acted out upon the waterfront by players that include the furiously angry Pirate Jenny and the charismatic butcher known as Mac the Knife. This one is not to be missed!

This book is the first of three deluxe, 80-page, full-color, perfect-bound graphic novellas, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O’Neill — with lettering by Todd Klein, and colors by Ben Dimagmaliw. Each self-contained narrative takes place in three distinct eras, building to an apocalyptic conclusion occurring in our own twenty-first century.

Why?

Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill return with more tales of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. This time we find ourselves at the tail-end of the Edwardian era, for a tale of mystery, action and suspense, with pirates, a serial killer, and a shadowy occult order. Ringing in at only 88-pages, this densely layer, literary masterpiece tells more story in its short space than most full-size graphic novels could ever hope to achieve. Moore continues to play with characters from literary works, to create a wonderfully inventive and intelligent tale that is both gripping and original. O’Neill’s artwork continues to impress and surprise, and he delivers some of the finest artwork of his entire career in this volume. A true epic in every sense of the word, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is one of the best comics comic series ever conceived, and this latest volume is the high-point of the series thus far!

• Parker: The Hunter

by Richard Stark & Darwyn Cooke

What?

The Hunter, the first book in the Parker series, is the story of a man who hits New York head-on like a shotgun blast to the chest. Betrayed by the woman he loved and double-crossed by his partner in crime, Parker makes his way cross-country with only one thought burning in his mind - to coldly exact his revenge and reclaim what was taken from him! Richard (Donald Westlake) Stark’s groundbreaking Parker books are adapted for the first time as a series of graphic novels by Darwyn Cooke. The initial graphic novel brings to life the first Parker book, The Hunter, which introduces readers to the dangerous anti-hero’s cold and calculated world of criminals, thugs, and grifters.

Why?

There’s been a bit of a Noir revival going on in comics recently, but this retelling of Richard Stark’s original, shows us that there is nothing quite like the hard boiled classics. Adapted by Darwyn Cooke, with breathtakingly beautiful artwork, this OGN is perhaps even more nail-bitingly tense and suspenseful than Stark’s original prose. A visual masterpiece!

• Defoe: 1666

by Pat Mills and Leigh Gallagher

What?

London, 1668. It is two years since the city was devastated by the Great Fire, the inferno caused by a comet passing over the capital. But from the ashes rose the undead, hungry for the flesh of the living. Protecting the populous are zombie hunters like Titus Defoe, ex-Leveller and now agent of the crown. As Titus battles the zombie horde he comes to realise that some sort of intelligence is guiding them. Along with his Brethren of The Night, he must look deep into the rotten heart of the undead capital, to discover the cause of this evil canker!

Collects:

’1666′ (2000 AD progs 1540-1549)
‘Brethren of the Night’ (2000 AD progs 1589-1598)

Why

Written by Pat Mills, with artwork by Leigh Gallagher, this wildly original story mixes elements of steampunk with zombie horror, to create something that is far greater than the sum of its parts. Pat Mills uses his love of history to play with politicians and inventors of the era, and create a mind-blowing reality where Sir Issac Newton and Robert Hook create zombie killing steam engines, and angelic powered flying machines; where zombie hordes are commanded by the severed head of Oliver Cromwell, which barks orders from its place atop a pike! The artwork, by Leigh Gallagher, is is just breath-taking, with his intricate line art, and strong inking, which pays tribute to the style of the era. This is a collection that you can’t afford to do with out! It’s a thrill-ride from start to finish, and is sure to blow your mind!

• Low Moon

by Jason

What?

The acclaimed graphic novelist Jason returns with his most eagerly awaited book yet, thanks to the inclusion of the title story, the world’s first (and likely last) chess Western. Originally serialized in 2008 to a huge audience in the New York Times Sunday Magazine “Funny Pages” section, “Low Moon” made Jason’s 2008 appearance at the MoCCA Arts Festival in Manhattan the talk of the prestigious show, catapulting the Norwegian star to a higher level of mass appeal. This 216-page hardcover book features five yarns - all brand new with the exception of the aforementioned “Low Moon,” which is collected into book form for the first time. The volume also includes deadpan, genre-warping tales of murder, revenge, and strained relationships.

Why?

Norwegian cartoonist, Jason (John Arne Sæterøy), has done it again. It seems that he manages to outdo himself with every single release. I really didn’t think that he would be able to top his last masterpiece, Pocket Full of Rain, but I was wrong! Low Moon is filled with, mostly silent, tales of crime, existential crises, alien abductions, and cowboys who rather than have gun fights, battle each other with games of chess. Each tale is illustrated in Jason’s inimitable minimalist style, with all the protagonists being anthomorphic animals, with haunting white circles for eyes. At times both bleak and humorous, these beautifully absurd stories will leave you as speechless as one of Jason’s silent characters.

• Love and Rockets: New Stories, No. 2

by Gilbert and Jamie Hernandez

What?

In the summer of 2008, Fantagraphics Books brought the classic Love and Rockets brand to a whole new audience with the hugely successful first volume of the trade-paperback sized Love and Rockets: New Stories. A year later, the Hernandez Brothers are back with the second eye-popping volume. This volume gets off to a flying start with “Hypnotwist,” Gilbert’s 39-page wordless epic about a beautiful, leggy redhead’s surreal journey into a night filled with mysterious shady characters, dreamlike violence, and sparkling retro spike heels. But is it real, or something else? Then, the concluding 50-page chapter of Jaime’s acclaimed superhero mash-up “Ti-Girls Adventures,” our protagonist Boot Angel learns more hard lessons about becoming a superheroine. Eventually, just about the entire cast gets together in Maggie’s tiny, messy one-bedroom apartment. Beto concludes with “Chest Fever,” in which a group of friends venture to Las Vegas, which isn’t quite what they expected…

Why?

Gilbert and Jamie Hernandez have managed to keep their writing and art fresh for almost thirty years now. With the ‘New Stories’ books, they not only maintain this trend, but push themselves into new realms of inventiveness and creativity. Nowhere else can you find stories as fun, absurd, and heartfelt as these. Nowhere else can you find artwork with as much character, with it’s sleek, minimalist linework, and bold, confident inking. Los Bros. Hernandez continue to blaze trails with their originality, and the comic industry is better for it. This essential collection should be on every fan’s shelf.

• ALEC: The Years Have Pants (A Life-Size Omnibus)

By Eddie Campbell

What?

For the first time ever, the pioneering autobiographical comics of master cartoonist Eddie Campbell (From Hell) are collected in a single volume!

Brilliantly observed and profoundly expressed, the Alec stories present a version of Campbell’s own life, filtered through the alter ego of “Alec MacGarry.” Over many years, we witness Alec’s (and Eddie’s) progression “from beer to wine” - wild nights at the pub, existential despair, the hunt for love, the quest for art, becoming a responsible breadwinner, feeling lost at his own movie premiere, and much more! Eddie’s outlandish fantasies and metafictional tricks convert life into art, while staying fully grounded in his own absurdity. At every point, the author’s uncanny eye for irony and wry self-awareness make even the smallest occasion into an opportunity for wit and wisdom. Quite simply, ALEC is a masterpiece of visual autobiography.

This Life-Size Omnibus edition of ALEC includes collects the previous Alec books The King Canute Crowd, Graffiti Kitchen, How to Be an Artist, Little Italy, The Dead Muse, The Dance of Lifey Death, and After the Snooter, as well as an all-new 35 page book, The Years Have Pants, and some other short stories rarely or never before seen.

Why?

Alec: The Years have Pants (a Life size Omnibus) is one of the most interesting and moving autobiographies that I have ever read, in comic form or otherwise. While I have enjoyed several of the Alec stories over the years (these stories were begun in the year of my birth), the immensity of the project never really dawned on me until I laid into this 640-page collection! The sheer level of dedication required to keep a project going this long is deserving of great accolades, but to keep the quality of these stories as high as Campbell has, and to continue to challenge himself and refine his style – well, there isn’t a honor grand enough to bestow on him for such as achievement. In much the same way that Harvey Pekar was able to take the mundane events of his daily life and convert them into American Splendor, Eddie Campbell has managed magically transform the ins and outs of his own existence into something truly magnificent. Every self-respecting comic fan needs a copy of this book in their collection, it’s stories like these that truly elevate the level of the comics medium!

• Luba

by Gilbert Hernadez

What?

The sequel to the 2003 perennial classic, Palomar. Gilbert Hernandez climaxed his award-winning “Palomar” series at the end of Love and Rockets‘ original run by leveling the Central American hamlet. But he soon picked up the story of Luba: The hammer-wielding matriarch had emigrated to the U. S. where she contended not only with an unwelcoming new culture but also her extended family. These “America” stories - over 80 of them, ranging from quick one-page blackout sketches to graphic novellas - were originally published in a number of different comics and reprinted in a trilogy of oversized paperbacks. Luba collects in one compact, affordable hardcover the entirety of these tales, showcasing Gilbert Hernandez’s wicked wit, great compassion, and uncanny understanding of how human beings love, squabble, and ultimately find a way to make it through this life.

Why?

This over-sized Hardcover collects Beto’s Love & Rockets spin-off series featuring the titular (pun not intended) character, Luba. It’s an astounding collection of stories about family, life, love, and heartbreak. This is the first time these stories have ever been collected together, and when you read all of these powerful tales together in one place, you realise that Beto has created an epic here, unrivaled in it’s scale and depth. Words fail to express just how wonderful this collection is.

• Everybody is Stupid Except for Me

by Peter Bagge

What?

Fans of Peter Bagge’s Hate comic may not realize he’s been contributing comic-strip opinion pieces to Reason magazine for the last several years… finally collected in this volume. Although a libertarian, Bagge is hardly dogmatic, and most of the pieces undermine traditional party lines in favor of a rather personal, rational and informed take on hot-button issues: Favorite topics include the erosion of our civil liberties, ongoing boondoggles of the American public, the Iraq war, politicians both in general and in particular, and the conservative/religious war on sex. Each piece features Bagge himself front and center as the puzzled, indignant, or deeply conflicted everyman-on-the-street trying to make sense of this 21st century. And of course, every panel is delineated in Bagge’s glorious, laugh-out-loud stretchy cartoon style, making even his disquisitions on some very serious topics crackle with wit and energy.

Why?

This collection gathers together almost a decade’s worth of Peter Bagge’s political cartoons from Reason magazine. Bagge delivers intelligent political insights, biting witticism, and irreverent satire. Everything is of course accompanied by Bagge’s instantly recognizable art style, with his gormless looking, bendy-limbed caricatures, which bring everyone down to the same (silly) level. It’s a brilliant piece of work, and perhaps Bagge’s finest achievement to date.

• Locas II

by Jamie Hernadez

What?

This second omnibus volume of “Locas” tales by Jaime Hernandez - collecting over a dozen years’ worth of stories from the award-winning Love and Rockets comics - picks up shortly after Maggie and Hopey’s long-awaited reunion at the end of the Locas hardcover. Even though her love life remains chaotic, Hopey takes her first steps toward responsible adulthood with a real job, while divorced Maggie manages a fleabag apartment building, where she continues to wrestle with the demons of her past - especially in the stunning graphic novel-length “Ghost of Hoppers” with its hallucinatory dream finale. Ray, still in love with Maggie, hangs out with the bombshell “Frogmouth,” whose ties to local thugs causes trouble. Of course, Maggie, Hopey and Ray’s paths continue to intersect in Jaime’s increasingly complex, always richly imagined world, along with those of characters both old (Izzy Ortiz, Penny Century) and new (the jockette Angel, the mysterious superheroine Alarma).

Why?

This beautifully put together hardcover collects the second volume of Xamie’s ‘Locas’ tales from Love & Rockets. These tales of the lives of Maggie, Hopey, and Ray, are some of the most enthralling, and sometimes bizarre, stories ever told in the comic medium.

• The Complete Essex County

by Jeff Lemire

What?

Where does a young boy turn when his whole world suddenly disappears? What turns two brothers from an unstoppable team into a pair of bitterly estranged loners? How does the simple-hearted care of one middle-aged nurse reveal the scars of an entire community, and can anything heal the wounds caused by a century of deception? Award-winning cartoonist Jeff Lemire pays tribute to his roots with Essex County, an award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of his hometown, the eccentric farming community of Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In Essex County, Lemire crafts an intimate study of one community through the years, and a tender meditation on family, memory, grief, secrets, and reconciliation. With the lush, expressive inking of a young artist at the height of his powers, Lemire draws us in and sets us free. This new edition collects the complete, critically-acclaimed trilogy (Tales from the Farm, Ghost Stories, and The Country Nurse) in one deluxe volume! Also included are over 40-pages of previously unpublished material, including two new stories.

Why?

Jeff Lemire has created something incredibly special in Essex County. Rivaling Los Bros Hernandez in his world building expertise, Lemire creates an entire community and an engaging cast of characters, each with distinct and fully developed personalities. You find yourself caught up in the lives of these individuals, watching the grow, and love, and suffer, as the years tick slowly by. A truly remarkable achievement in storytelling.

• Grandville

by Bryan Talbot

What?

Two hundred years ago, Britain lost the Napoleonic War and fell under the thumb of French domination. Gaining independence after decades of civil disobedience and anarchist bombings, the Socialist Republic of Britain is now a small, unimportant backwater connected by a railway bridge, steam-powered dirigible, and mutual suspicion to France. When a British diplomat is murdered to look like suicide, ferocious Detective-Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard stalks a ruthless murder squad through the heart of a Belle Epoque Paris, the center of the greatest empire in a world of steam-driven hansom cabs, automatons, and flying machines. LeBrock’s relentless quest can lead only to death, truth… or war.

Why?

Master storyteller Bryan Talbot delivers a thrilling detective tale, set in a steam-punk inspire alternate reality, inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. It’s a amazingly creative adventure story, and the excitement doesn’t let up for one second. Bryan Talbot has always been a creative powerhouse, but he looks to have really outdone himself with this charmingly fun and exhilarant work.

• Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai

by Stan Sakai

What?

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai is an Original Graphic Novel written and fully painted in color by Usagi Yojimbo creator Stan Sakai. 2009 Marks the 25th year of publication for Stan Sakai’s rabbit ronin, Miyamoto Usagi, and to mark this occasion Sakai decided to create a special standalone OGN.

Yokai are the monsters, demons, and spirits of Japanese folklore, such as the shape-changing kitsune, the obakeneko demon cats, and the evil oni ogres. Usagi faces all these and more when a desperate woman begs for his help in finding her kidnapped daughter. Tracing the abducted girl deep into the forest, Usagi finds it haunted by creatures of Japanese legend and discovers that they are amassing for a great raid on the countryside! Fortunately, Usagi is joined by Sasuke the Demon Queller, who is also fighting to prevent the invasion, but things aren’t always as they seem, especially when dealing with the supernatural!

Why?

Sakai has created a truly enchanting tale in Yokai, which captivates the reader’s imagination from the first speech bubble to the last sublime panel. I consumed this whole tale in just one sitting, as I just could not put the book down. That’s not to say that the book isn’t value for money, as the artwork on this book is so beautiful, so charming that it’s a book that you can keep coming back to again and again, if only to appreciate what an amazing piece of art it is! Sakai’s artwork on this book is some of the best of his entire career, and his watercolor painting elevates the art to a whole new level of excellence; if you’re familiar with Sakai’s artwork, you’ll know that is really saying something!

• The Nobody

by Jeff Lemire

What?

The tiny, isolated fishing village of Large Mouth never saw much excitement - until the arrival of the stranger, that is. Wrapped from head to toe in bandages and wearing weird goggles, he quietly took up residence in the sleepy town’s motel. Driven by curiosity, the townfolk quickly learn the tragic story of his past, and of the terrible accident that left him horribly disfigured. Eventually, the town embraces the stranger as one of their own - but do his bandages hide more than just scars? Xeric Award-winner Jeff Lemire (“Essex County”) explores themes of identity, fear and paranoia in a small community in a story that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Why?

Loosely based on The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, The Nobody is a touching story of a small town community learning to accept a bizarre looking stranger. But under the surface lies a rich mystery that keeps the reader on their toes. With beautiful artwork, sincere character moments, and amazingly natural dialogue, The Nobody is a breathtaking story of the kindness of the human soul.

• You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation!

by Fletcher Hanks

What?

The first volume of Fletcher Hanks stories, I Shall Destroy All Civilized Planets! (now in its fourth printing) was an Eisner Award-winning smash hit and a staple on “Best of the Year” lists. Edited by cartoonist Paul Karasik, this second volume, You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation, collects all of the rest of Hanks comic book work. The thirty-one tales in this book, when combined with the first volume, will comprise The Complete Fletcher Hanks! Fletcher Hanks was the first great comic book auteur: that is, he wrote, penciled, inked and lettered all of his own stories, many of which feature the cold space wizard superhero Stardust or the jungle protectress Fantomah. Today’s mature readers - both comics fans and non-comics fans who learned about the book from magazines such as The Believer and other journals - are stunned by these comics’ pop surrealism and outright violent mayhem.

Why?

Collecting the second volume of Fletcher Hanks’ forgotten comic strips, these surreal tales from the dawn of the super hero are uncompromisingly vivid, brutal, and at times, completely insane! Hanks was apparently a rather unstable individual, and it almost seems like he was using these stories to drive out his demons. Imagine reading this in the 1940s! It must have scared the crap out of people then, and it still remains eerie and bizarre even to this day!

All the reviews that have appeared on the site, sorted into alphabetical order:

#

• 2000 AD Prog #1650
• 28 Days Later #1
• [Forty Five] ⁴⁵

A

• The Abortion
• Air #7
• Aladdin: Legacy of the Lost #1
• Alec: The Years Have Pants (A Life Sized Omnibus)
  
• Alien Vs. Predator: Three World War #1
  
• Alpha Gods #1 & #2
• Alpha Gods: Betrayal #1
• Ana Chronistic #1
• The Anchor #1
• Arthur: The Legend Continues #1
  
• Astonishing X-Men #25

B

• Batman & Robin #7
• Battlefields: Happy Valley #1
• Blackest Night #6
• Blue Beetle #28

C

• Captain America: White #0
• The Complete Alan Moore Future Shocks TPB
• Creature Feature #1
• The Complete Dracula #1
• Crossed #0
• Crossing Midnight #19

D

• The Dark #1
• The Dark OGN
• Dark Tower: The long Road Home #5
• Days Missing #4
• Days Missing #5
• Defoe Vol. 1: 1666
• Detective Comics #854
• The Devil’s Handshake
  
• Dingo #1 & #2
  
• Doctor Who: Room With a Deja View

E

• The End is Nigh #4
• The Eternal Conflicts of the Cosmic Warrior
• Ex Occultus: Bange of Langavat
• EyeCandy #1

F

• Fear Agent #22
• Final Crisis #2
• Final Crisis:Requiem
• Forgotten 22 Issues #1 & #2
• FTL #1
• FTL #2
• FTL #3
• FTL #4
  
• FVZA #1
• FVZA #2
  

G

• Geek Girl #0
• Green Lantern #32
• Groom Lake #4

H

• Haunt #1
• Hercules: The Knives of Kush #1
• Hercules: The Knives of Kush #4
• Hercules: The Knives of Kush #5
  
• Herogasm #1
• Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead #3 of 4
• Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead #4 (of 4)
• Humpday #1

I

• Incarnate #1 (of 3)
• Incorruptible #1
• Insomnia Café OGN
• Irredeemable #4

J

• Junx #1

K

L

• The Last Days of American Crime #1
• Legends: The Enchanted #0

M

• Mass Effect: Redemption #1
• Mr. Phelps Space Detective #1

N

• Nexus #101 Ashcan
• No Hero #0

O

• Omnitarium #1
• Orc Stain #1

P

• Paragon #4
• Paul Grist’s Big Cosmic Comic #1
• PJ Holden’s Previously
• Comic Review - Political Power: Barack Obama

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R

• RASL #2

S

• Savage Tales #8
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• Stranded #5
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• Tech Storm: Rages of War #2 (of 2)
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• The Waking #1
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• Whatever Happened to the World’s Fastest Man?
• Wolverine #66

X

• X-Men Legacy #213

Y

Z

The Eternal Conflicts of the Cosmic Warrior is a one-shot Image Comics release written, pencilled, and inked by Paul Grist, with colours by Bill Crabtree.

Paul Grist is a Britsh comic creator probably best known writer/artist behind such titles as Kane, Jack Staff and Burglar Bill! He has also been providing covers for IDW’s current ongoing Doctor Who series.

For a time, Jack staff featured a guest character known as The Eternal Warrior. Thought to be inspired by classic comic character Adam Eterno, The Eternal Warrior has appeared in Jack Staff #11, #12 and Jack Staff Special #1. The Eternal Warrior is “the cosmic champion, a wanderer through time and space, forever caught in the battle between order and chaos! He can only be bested by a man of honest intent! He’s never met one yet!”

Since the character’s departure from Jack Staff, Paul says that he hasn’t been able to stop thinking of the continuing adventures of The Eternal Warrior. He says that “this story is something I’ve been kicking round for over a year now - I do a few pages, then leave it, come back a few weeks later and have a totally new idea about how to do it, leave it, then come back a few weeks later and, well you get the idea!” In an attempt to give himself a little focus he decided to post pages up on the Internet as he completed them, posting at least one new page a week - depending on how much work he’s got on.

Now those pages have been collected, Grist’s black & White artwork has been coloured by Bill Crabtree, and the first issue of story has been released as a one-shot called The Eternal Conflicts of the Cosmic Warrior. The original title of the issue was Timeless Adventures of the Eternal Warrior, but there was a last minute name change, probably to distinguish the character from that of Adam Eterno.

The story opens on a scene of an old prophet telling an evil king of a vision that he has received of a warrior coming to destroy the king. The king is unhappy with this vision , and the prophet’s life is forfeit. It’s a bit of a silly sequence, with a good joke at the end!

We then get a lovely double page spread that tells us the legend of a warrior called Leonard, a great leader of men, whose song people lived and died for. Eventually Leonard is vanquished by the enemy, and his song is forgotten, but many people live in the hope that his song will be heard once more.

The action then shifts to a monastery where monks worship what they think believe to be  the hand of Leonard. A mysterious woman named Bernadette wants the power that this artifact holds, and is willing to kill anyone who gets in her way, including the monks. Before she can claim the power though the Comic Warrior bursts into the monastery and vanquishes all of Bernadette’s forces.

Soon it is the Cosmic Warrior is face-to-face with Bernadette, battling over the hand of Leonard otherwise know as “The Hope of the Universe.” Bernadette then surprises the Cosmic Warrior by telling him that he is the fourth incarnation of the Warrior that has stood in her way, and there is nothing that he can do to stop her from putting the Universe out of it’s misery…

Paul Grist’s linework on this book is some of the best in his career. Paul definitely has a recognizable style, as exhibited in his previous work on Kane and Jack Staff, with abundant use of inks, giving a negative-space look to much of his work. Here though he changes things up quite a bit, giving the art a much more fantasy meets cosmic look, and Grist it seems can do cosmic with the best of ‘em, eat your hearts out Jack Kirby and Steve Rude!

I really liked Paul’s original B&W artwork, and would still have bought this if it were printed in B&W, but this market is bad for black & white, and it’s a surefire way to make sure no-one buys your book, with a few obvious exceptions such as Walking Dead, of course! I was quite hesitant to see a coloured version of the comic, but Bill Crabtree has done a top-notch job here, using a slightly subdued palette of light blues, greys and browns that works really well against all that black background. In fact the colouring job seems to elevate the quality of the art a little, which is really saying something!

While this comic is listed as a one-shot, it is really the first issue of a much larger story that Paul Grist has planned. If he finds that enough people are interested in the story, Grist has a five-issue miniseries planned as a follow-up in 2010. In this first issue Grist has laid down the foundations of something very different from any of his previous work. The concept is very Sword & Sorcery, but it is transplanted into a cosmic environment, allowing for much more imaginative experimentation. Lots of seeds of intrigue are planted in this first issue, and I can’t wait to see this epic story come to fruition! If you like cosmic adventure comics, then this is for you!

I enjoyed this comic immensely and give it my top recommendation. I implore you all to get out and grab a copy, so that Paul Grist will go ahead with the follow-on miniseries. I really need to know how the rest of the story turns out!

Rating:

Preview:

Hypergeek’s Hot Picks is a weekly column on the site, where I take a look through the list of comics released that week, and decide which ones I think are worth picking up.

With most of the comics that I recommend, I have usually read a pre-release copy, and enjoyed it, or I have read a preview of the comic, and can predict that it is going to be a good read. At the end of the day though, it’s just my opinion, so don’t take it *too* seriously

This week’s column is going to have to be another brief one, as I have a heck of a lot of non-site stuff to do today, so I apologize for that.

Remember that you can view previews of all of this week’s comics by clicking here!

This Week’s Hottest Comic Picks

My top comic recommendations for this week! Make sure you buy them if you buy nothing else from the Hot Pick stack!

• FVZA #1
  

I did a review of this fantastic comic yesterday afternoon, where I said:

FVZA #1 was an incredibly impressive opening issue for this miniseries, and could be one of the greatest things I’ve read from David Hine since Strange Embrace! … FVZA is this year’s indispensable horror comic, and with Halloween just around the corner, you can’t afford to pass this up!

As you can tell, I really liked it Make sure to grab your copy soon, as the comic has already sold out at the distributor level!

Solicitation:

• Eternal Conflicts of the Cosmic Warrior (One-Shot)

This comic was originally serialized on the internet as Paul Grist’s Big Cosmic Comic. I did a review of the comic several months ago, where I said:

Grist does some wonderful writing here and is laying down the foundations of something very different from any of his previous work. The concept is very Sword & Sorcery, but it is transplanted into a cosmic environment, allowing for much more imaginative experimentation. Lots of seeds of intrigue are planted in this first issue, and I can’t wait to see this epic story come to fruition!

Solicitation:

• Groo: The Hogs of Horder #1 (of 4)

Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier return to their most famous creation! This is a must-have comic this week, seriously, if you don’t like Groo, then you don’t like comics!

Solicitation:

• Dark Avengers: Ares #1 (of 3)

One of my favourite writers, Kieron Gillen, is taking on one of Marvel’s most interesting new characters, Ares, the God of War. You can’t afford to miss this one!

Solicitation:

• Fantastic Four #572

Jonathan Hickman is just kicking-ass on Fantastic Four right now. If you thought that Mark Millar’s run was fun, wait till you see all the bat-shit crazy trick’s that Hickman pulls out of the bag. This run has legendary written all over it!

Solicitation:

• Detective Comics #858

It’s a brand-new story arc for what has been labeled the best DC Comics titles on the shelves (by me!) Now, we finally get to find out the origin story of the all-new Batwoman.

Solicitation:

• Ultimate Comics Avengers #3

Ultimates 4, as I like to call it, is so good that you could almost forget that Jeff Loeb tried to murder the title, and the entire Ultimates line of books!. It’s great to have Mark Millar back on the book, I’ve really missed that madman!

The Red Skull is Captain America’s son… genius move!

Solicitation:

• Blackest Night #4 (of 8 )

I normally despise ‘event’ comics, but damn if Geoff Johns isn’t just rocking my socks off with this book. I love Johns’ run on GL, so I guess it was inevitable that I would love this too.

Try to avoid all of the tie-in miniseries though, they all suck ass!
Solicitation:

• Batman #692

Oh my god! I can buy Batman again! Judd Winick is off the title. If I believed in god, I’d be thanking him profusely right now!

Who would have expected that Tony Daniel would be a good writer? His Battle of the Cowl miniseries was pretty solid, so lets hope he can pull it off again!

Solicitation:

• 2000 AD Pack #4: Sep 2009

I know that you have to order issues of 2000 AD three months in advance in North America, but I thought I would mention this anyway. This pack contains 2000 AD progs 1651-1655, containing  Judge Dredd, Kingdom, Strontium Dog, and Nikolai Dante.

2000 AD is on a bit of a run at the moment, and every story within it’s pages is better than anything coming out of the U.S. scene right now, but I won’t dwell on it, because it’s not like you can just walk into the shop any pick this up. I don’t want to rub your faces in it or anything!

Solicitation:

My Complete Hot Picks

Included below is the full list of comics that I am picking up this week. They are all great, and any one would be a great pick!

The following comic previews are for Marvel Comics titles on sale Wednesday October 28^th 2009. Please click the the title below that you wish to preview. Once there, please click on the thumbnail images to launch the image viewer. Pictoview is recommended for easier image navigation.

• Anita Blake, the Laughing Corpse - Executioner #1
• Avengers: the Initiative #29
• Dark Avengers: Ares #1
• Dark Reign: the List - Punisher
• Dark Reign: the List - Wolverine
• Dark Reign: Young Avengers #5 (DR)
• Ender’s Shadow: Command School #2
• Fantastic Four #572
• Guardians of the Galaxy #19
• Hulk #16
• Incredible Hercules #137
• Marvel Adventures Spider-man #56
• Marvel Divas #4
• Models, Inc. #3
• Ms. Marvel #46 (DR)
• New Avengers #58
• New Mutants #6
• Nova #30
• Punisher #10
• Secret Warriors #9
• Son of Hulk #16
• Spider-man: the Clone Saga #2
• Ultimate Comics Armor Wars #2
• Ultimate Comics Avengers #3
• War Machine #10
• Wolverine First Class #20
• Wolverine Weapon X #6
• X Necrosha
• X-factor #50
• X-force #20
• X-men Forever #10

Previews

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Anita Blake, the Laughing Corpse - Executioner #1

Written by Laurell K. Hamilton & Jessica Ruffner
Pencilled by Ron Lim
Coloured by Laura Villari
Lettered by Bill Tortolini
Cover by Harvey Tolibao
32 pages
FC
$3.99

Current queen of the book charts and soon to be the star of her own television film, best-selling author Laurell K. Hamilton’s vampire hunter continues to take comics by storm! As THE LAUGHING CORPSE enters its haunting final act, Anita Blake thinks she has the deadly voodoo priestess who’s made her life hell dead to rights…but the necromancer is about to find out her nightmare’s only just begun! Find out why everyone in America is talking about Anita!

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Avengers: the Initiative #29

Written by Christos Gage
Pencilled by Rafa Sandoval
Inked by Victor Olazaba
Coloured by Edgar Delgado
Lettered by Joe Caramagna
Cover by Matteo De Longis
32 pages
FC
$2.99

While the Hood makes a captive hero an offer they can’t refuse, the stress of Trauma’s situation is opening the way for a threat far deadlier than even Norman Osborn. What could possibly be dangerous-and powerful-enough to threaten both the Initiative and the Avengers Resistance? How about an other-dimensional demon lord bent on conquering our plane…and it’s not Dormammu. With both the heroes and villains in disarray, who can save us? Anyone…anyone…?

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Dark Avengers: Ares #1

Written by Kieron Gillen
Pencilled by Manuel Garcia
Inked by Stefano Gaudiano
Coloured by Christina Strain
Cover by Cary Nord
32 pages
FC
$3.99

Ares – the God of War! His relentless brutality and his bloodthirsty drive to attain victory at any cost earned him only scorn from his fellow gods in the Greek pantheon, and exile from Olympus. After thousands of years living as a man and fighting in man’s bloody, petty conflicts, Ares joined the ranks of Earth’s mightiest heroes – the Avengers. Now Norman Osborn – the new head of the corrupted Dark Avengers and director of the paramilitary intelligence agency H.A.M.M.E.R. – wants the finest fighting force the God of War can provide. He charges Ares with hand-picking an elite squad of soldiers and beating them into the hardest, sharpest warriors ever to wield an M-60 in each hand. And that’s exactly what Ares will need, when the goddess Hera provides him with a fighting chance to regain his standing in the pantheon’s eyes. And Ares is taking his men with him into the battle of their lives…

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Dark Reign: the List - Punisher

Written by Rick Remender
Pencilled by John Romita Jr.
Inked by Klaus Janson
Coloured by Dean White
Cover by John Romita Jr.
48 pages
FC
$3.99

Frank Castle has disabled much of Norman Osborn’s criminal underground, tarnished his well-groomed public image and attempted to assassinate him. Today Osborn returns the favor. With Frank still torn apart from his battle with the Hood, Osborn dedicates himself and every single HAMMER resource to one goal: killing The Punisher. To make sure they don’t fail, The Dark Avengers are going with them. Somebody has to die. Somebody will. Legendary artist John Romita Jr. returns to The Punisher, joined by regular series writer Rick Remender for this, the most ferocious battle of Frank Castle’s life. Plus, a preview of the next exciting chapter of the Punisher.

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Dark Reign: the List - Wolverine

Written by Jason Aaron
Pencilled by Esad Ribic
Inked by Tom Palmer
Cover by Esad Ribic
48 pages
FC
$3.99

The power mad Norman Osborn wants control of the Weapon Plus program. The eternally-surly Wolverine wants to stop him. The artificially-evolved super-sentinel Fantomex wants to shoot everyone in the face and zip away in his kick-ass flying saucer. The Kree warrior Marvel Boy just wants the hell out. And the all-new Weapon XVI wants to bring the world to its knees. And you should want to read it. PLUS: Jason Aaron’s never-before-reprinted first Wolverine story, from WOLVERINE (first series) 175—and more!

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Dark Reign: Young Avengers #5 (DR)

Written by Paul Cornell
Pencilled by Mark Brooks
Inked by Karl Story
Coloured by Christina Strain
Lettered by Cory Petit
Cover by Mark Brooks
32 pages
FC
$3.99

So can the Young Avengers and those who would be Young Avengers form one big happy group? Can either of them live under Norman Osborn’s rules? Will blood out? Will guilt win? Will Speed and Coat or won’t they? It’s the end. And lots of terrible stuff happens. And everything ends in tatters.

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Ender’s Shadow: Command School #2

Written by Christopher Yost
Pencilled by Pasqual Ferry
Inked by Sebastian Fiumara
Coloured by Giulia Brusco
Lettered by Cory Petit
Cover by Pasqual Ferry
32 pages
FC
$3.99

Ender Wiggin’s Dragon army goes from strength to strength, sweeping aside all opposition, with Bean as its secret weapon. But will Ender’s strategic genius and Bean’s special tactics unit be enough when Dragon comes up against Bonzo Madrid’s Salamanders - with the deck stacked before the battle even starts?

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Fantastic Four #572

Written by Jonathan Hickman
Pencilled by Dale Eaglesham
Cover by Dale Eaglesham
32 pages
FC
$3.99

This is the shocking conclusion to dramatic first arc from Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham that spins Marvel’s first family into a bold new era of adventure. Be there to see Reed Richards SOLVE EVERYTHING. Part Three of Three.

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Guardians of the Galaxy #19

Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Pencilled by Wes Craig
Inked by Serge LaPointe
Coloured by Nathan Fairbairn
Lettered by Joe Caramagna
Cover by Alex Garner
32 pages
FC
$2.99

Will Kang Conquer the Guardians? Rocked by the aftershocks of War of Kings, Star-Lord’s team – now castaways across shattered timelines – are desperate to find a route home before all possible futures fuse into one dark nightmare! Guest-starring the original Guardians of the Galaxy (sort of) and the infamous time-traveling despot who may be their only hope! Yes, it’s more sci-fi shenanigans from the book that has ComicBookResources.com raving, “Abnett and Lanning do an amazing job of delivering a quick-moving, jam-packed, high-octane, bombastic epic.”

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Hulk #16

Written by Jeph Loeb
Pencilled by Ian Churchill
Inked by Dario Brizuela & Mark Farmer
Coloured by Peter Steigerweld
Lettered by Comicraft & Chris Giarrusso
Cover by Ian Churchill
32 pages
FC
$2.99

Red She-Hulk. ‘Nuff said.

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Incredible Hercules #137

Written by Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente
Pencilled by Rodney Buchemi
Inked by Dario Brizuela & Mark Farmer
Coloured by Guillem Mari
Lettered by Simon Bowland
Cover by Rafael Alberquerque
32 pages
FC
$2.99

The face-off Herc fans have been clamoring for since his series began is here at last! God of Strength versus God of Thunder! Adamantine mace versus uru hammer! Olympian versus Asgardian! Incredible versus Mighty! That’s right — HERCULES battles THOR! The Odinson discovers the Lion of Olympus has been impersonating him and he’s out to prove nothing beats the original! Then, in #137, the epic Secret Origin of Amadeus Cho concludes! He learns his connection with the original MASTER MIND EXCELLO and the identity of who really killed his parents! And once Amadeus knows this, will he look to reunite with Hercules… or destroy him?

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Marvel Adventures Spider-man #56

Written by Paul Tobin
Pencilled by Matteo Lolli
Inked by Christian Dalla Vecchia
Coloured by Chris Sotomayor
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
Cover by Skottie Young
32 pages
FC
$2.99

Captain George Stacy has discovered Peter Parker’s secret, but he’s willing to keep it to himself in return for a favor. The mysterious duo known as Cloak & Dagger have come to town, and since they’re way beyond the average beat cop’s ability to take down, Spider-Man has a choice: simply place himself in mortal danger, fighting two foes with unknown powers, or take off the mask.

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Marvel Divas #4

Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Pencilled by Tonci Zonjic
Inked by Tonci Zonjic
Coloured by June Chung
Lettered by Cory Petit
Cover by Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic
32 pages
FC
$3.99

All your questions will be answered here, True Believers! When the real intentions behind Daimon Hellstrom’s indecent proposal come to light, does it mean that once again, Patsy Walker is going to Hell? Also, now that Monica’s helped Doctor Voodoo obtain the dread monkey’s paw, does that means HE now owes HER? After Felicia’s fight with the Puma last issue, is there any way their relationship can survive? And when a blast from the past re-enters Angelica’s life, will it be at the moment of her greatest triumph or most crushing defeat? All bets are off in the heart-stopping conclusion of this high-buzz mini-series!

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Models, Inc. #3

Written by Paul Tobin
Pencilled by Vicenc Villagrasa
Inked by Gary Martin
Coloured by Val Staples
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
Cover by Scott Clark
32 pages
FC
$3.99

Millie may not be modeling her prison stripes any more, but she’s in as much hot water as she is in hot fashion! While the noxious North Norrell continues to hold up Millie as the prime suspect in the mystery of Todd Speers and Devin Perlman’s murders, Millie’s friends are pulling out all the stops trying to clear her name. All this and keeping up with fashion week! Of course, someone didn’t tell the sniper aiming for Millie’s head that hot lead isn’t an in-vogue accessory this season!

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Ms. Marvel #46 (DR)

Written by Brian Reed
Pencilled by Sana Takeda
Inked by Sana Takeda
Coloured by Sana Takeda
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
Cover by Sana Takeda
32 pages
FC
$2.99

WAR OF THE MARVELS: THE FINAL CHAPTER

There’s only room for one Ms. Marvel, and both Carol Danvers and Karla Sofen will kill to take the mantle. It’s the ultimate showdown of Dark Reign as the lines between good and evil are blurred…and the last Ms. Marvel standing will face the surprise ending of the year!

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New Avengers #58

Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Pencilled by Stuart Immonen
Inked by Wade von Grawbadger
Coloured by Dave McCaig
Lettered by Comicraft
Cover by Stuart Immonen
32 pages
FC
$3.99

The Hood’s control over his turf is challenged. Big time. And you won’t believe by who. And you won’t believe where the Hood is getting his newfound powers from. A big status quo change for the power brokers of the Marvel Universe. Guest-starring the Cabal. All that and guess which Avengers hook up this issue. And by hook up… we mean ” hook up”.

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New Mutants #6

Written by Zeb Wells
Pencilled by Diogenes Neves
Inked by Edgar Tadeo
Coloured by John Rauch
Lettered by Joe Caramagna
Cover by Adam Kubert
32 pages
FC
$2.99

“NECROSHA”

The dead just won’t stay dead. The New Mutants’ past comes to haunt them as Necrosha hits home. Selene’s master plan busts out of the pages of X-FORCE and into NEW MUTANTS. Part 1 (of 3).

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Nova #30

Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Pencilled by Kevin Sharpe
Inked by Nelson Pereira
Coloured by Bruno Hang
Lettered by Cory Petit
Cover by Brandon Peterson
32 pages
FC
$2.99

“Starstalker” Part 2 finds Nova and his fledgling Corps pitted against a threat from another dimension, forced to team up with the galaxy’s deadliest bounty hunter, and coping with a blast from the past! Find out why AintItCoolNews.com calls NOVA, “bar none, one of the consistently best comics Marvel puts out.”

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Punisher #10

Written by Rick Remender
Pencilled by Tan Eng Huat
Inked by Tan Eng Huat
Coloured by Lee Loughridge
Lettered by Joe Caramagna
Cover by Mike McKone
32 pages
FC
$2.99

“DEAD END,” Part 5 Finally! It’s the Punisher vs. the Hood! The new kingpin of crime has torn Frank’s world down around him, now he twists the knife embedded in Frank Castle’s chest in an act so cruel, so malicious, it’ll go down in the history of villainy. The gloves are off and anything goes in this sadistic face-off as Frank Castle and Parker Robbins attempt to kill each other by tearing each other’s souls apart. How much will Frank compromise to punish the guilty? There are worse things you can do to a person than kill him. Much worse.

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Secret Warriors #9

Written by Jonathan Hickman
Pencilled by Alessandro Vitti
Inked by Alessandro Vitti
Coloured by Sunny Gho
Lettered by Dave Lanphear
Cover by Jim Cheung
32 pages
FC
$2.99

GOD OF WAR. PART THREE OF FOUR!

Nick Fury’s secret base is infiltrated by Norman Osborn and H.A.M.M.E.R., and with Marvel’s super spy on a top secret mission, the kids have to fend for themselves. It’s Ares, Bullseye and Iron Patriot versus the Secret Warriors. GOD OF FEAR.

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Son of Hulk #16

Written by Paul Jenkins
Pencilled by Andres Guinaldo Isabel
Inked by Vicente Cifuentes
Coloured by Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
Cover by Alex Garner
32 pages
FC
$2.99

War besets the hardened survivors of the destroyed planet Sakaar. Only the gamma-fueled rage and ancient Old Power burning through the veins of their leader, the SON OF HULK, keeps them alive. As he tears through the embattled hordes, his ruthless power grows exponentially - but will his quest for revenge cripple the mighty GALACTUS or will his terrifying energies consume him from within?

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Spider-man: the Clone Saga #2

Written by Tom DeFalco & Howard Mackie
Pencilled by Andres Guinaldo Isabel
Inked by Victor Olazaba
Coloured by Javier Tartaglia
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
Cover by Miguel Angel Sepulveda
32 pages
FC
$3.99

Ben Reilly: carbon copy or the real deal? It’s only issue two and already we’re letting this genie out of the bottle! Find out what the architects of the original Spidey epic REALLY had in store for poor Peter Parker as the sensational series that has everyone talking ramps up into high gear!

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Ultimate Comics Armor Wars #2

Written by Warren Ellis
Pencilled by Steve Kurth
Inked by Jeffrey Huet
Coloured by Guru-eFX
Lettered by Joe Sabino
Cover by Francis Tsai
32 pages
FC
$3.99

IRON MAN CRASHES EUROPE! Tony Stark’s frantic pursuit of his stolen Stark tech across the Atlantic gets ugly as the secrets (and bodies?!) start piling up! The world of industrial espionage gets a repulsor blast to the face as Stark squares off with a villain unlike anything he’s faced before! Don’t miss this next pulse-pounding installment from the high-tech team-up of Warren Ellis (ULTIMATE HUMAN) and Steve Kurth (IRON MAN)!

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Ultimate Comics Avengers #3

Written by Mark Millar
Pencilled by Carlos Pacheco
Inked by Danny Miki & Dexter Vines
Coloured by Justin Ponsor
Lettered by Cory Petit
Cover by Carlos Pacheco
32 pages
FC
$3.99

THE SEARCH FOR STEVE ROGERS CONTINUES! From the mad minds of MARK MILLAR (ULTIMATES 1 & 2) and CARLOS PACHECO (X-MEN), Nick Fury assembles a new team of deadly operatives to track down the renegade Captain America! But what will the Avenger’s resident marksman HAWKEYE have to say about Fury’s tactics and will these new faces make the cut when the %^&( hits the fan?

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War Machine #10

Written by Greg Pak
Pencilled by Wellinton Alves
Inked by Nelson Pereira
Coloured by Jay David Ramos
Lettered by Joe Caramagna
Cover by Francesco Mattina
32 pages
FC
$2.99

A DARK REIGN TIE-IN!

For the last nine issues, Norman Osborn and James Rhodes have attempted to destroy each other’s most precious hopes and dreams – all without ever seeing each other face to face. But now everything comes to a head as Iron Patriot and War Machine finally throw down! And this ain’t just another show fight, kids — by the end of this issue, only one armored giant will remain standing! Find out why ComicBookResources.com says, “Little did I know how far Greg Pak would take this concept…this issue proves that it refuses to let itself be overlooked. It won’t sit quietly in its little corner and play nice.”

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Wolverine First Class #20

Written by Peter David
Pencilled by Dennis Calero
Inked by Dennis Calero
Coloured by Dennis Calero
Lettered by Joe Caramagna
Cover by Skottie Young
32 pages
FC
$2.99

In space no one can hear you scream. But can they hear you Snikt? The explosive battle aboard the Skrull battleship between the pesky Super-Skrull and the *ahem* marvelous guest star CAPTAIN MARVEL is getting a little hairy -and Wolverine’s not even in the thick of it, yet! Tied up with adamatium shackles by his Skrully captors, will he be able to escape in time to get in a few good punches before the whole dust-up goes sour?

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Wolverine Weapon X #6

Written by Jason Aaron
Pencilled by Yanick Paquette
Inked by Yanick Paquette
Coloured by Nathan Fairbairn
Lettered by Cory Petit
Cover by Adam Kubert
32 pages
FC
$3.99

“INSANE IN THE BRAIN” PART 1 (of 4)

Welcome to Dunwich Sanatorium, where the only people weirder than the patients are the doctors in charge. The newest resident is a man known only as Patient X, a poor confused soul who doesn’t remember who he is or how he came to be here. He only has vague memories of living with wolverines and traveling to the moon and killing lots and lots of people. Lucky for him, he came to the right place. The good Dr. Rot knows everything there is to know about the human brain. Including how to remove it… This issue begins an all-new arc unlike any Wolverine story you’ve ever read.

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X Necrosha

Written by Mike Carey, Craig Kyle, Zeb Wells, & Christopher Yost
Pencilled by Clayton Crain, Ibraim Roberson, Dustin Weaver
Inked by Clayton Crain, Ibraim Roberson, & Dustin Weaver
Coloured by Clayton Crain & John Rauch
Lettered by Joe Caramagna & Cory Petit
Cover by Clayton Crain
48 pages
FC
$3.99

Death has come to the X-Men. The one true Black Queen has returned, and she wants nothing less than every soul of mutantkind…dead or alive. And everyone that’s ever crossed Selene is going to pay. The dead rise, familiar faces haunt mutants across the world, and Selene takes her final steps into becoming a god. It all begins here in a full-length X-FORCE extravaganza, and continues in the pages of next month’s issue of X-FORCE…but the shockwaves of this terrifying event will be felt in NEW MUTANTS and X-MEN: LEGACY as well, and those reverberations begin here in two all-new bonus tales.

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X-factor #50

Written by Peter David
Pencilled by Valentine De Landro
Inked by Pat Davidson
Coloured by Jeromy Cox
Lettered by Cory Petit
Cover by David Yardin
48 pages
FC
$3.99

Worlds and times collide in this double-sized conclusion to the year long storyline that has revitalized X-Factor. Will the Summers Rebellion triumph as is supposed to happen…or will it be derailed? Will Madrox make it back to his own time? Will Siryn, Monet and the rest of the team have their final showdown with Cortex? Will we actually learn just how it is that Layla Miller knows stuff? Will someone die? The answer to at least some of these questions is: Yes.

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X-force #20

Written by Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Pencilled by Mike Choi & Sonia Oback
Inked by Jason Pearson
Coloured by Sonia Oback & Dave Stewart
Lettered by Cory Petit
Cover by Mike Choi & Sonia Oback
32 pages
FC
$2.99

“NOT FORGOTTEN”

The Facility created X-23 to be the ultimate killing machine, an assassin for hire that would never stop until her target was dead. And now they want more of her. But X-23′s got a new target now… them. HAMMER Agent Morales is about to see a side of X-23 that only two people have ever seen…and lived to tell about it. PLUS… Wolfsbane is reunited with X-Force just as Selene’s forces descend on the X-Men.

To be continued in the X-FORCE/NEW MUTANTS: NECROSHA ONE-SHOT! Part 4 (of 4).

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X-men Forever #10

Written by Chris Claremont
Pencilled by Paul Smith
Inked by Terry Austin
Coloured by William Baumann
Lettered by Tom Orzechowski
Cover by Tom Grummett
32 pages
FC
$3.99

“The Secret History of The Sentinels”

The thrilling conclusion to the X-Men’s South American adventure!!! The X-Men take on this newest threat while still reeling from the revelations of the last issue — and the reappearance of the Trask family! PLUS! The funeral of WOLVERINE. The X-Men put to rest their team member and friend. Penciled by Paul Smith and inked by Terry Austin!

The Anchor is a new BOOM! Studios comic series written and created by Phil Hester, and illustrated by Brian Churilla. The comic tells the story of a creature known only as The Anchor, a Holy warrior in an unholy war.

One thousand years ago a hulking outcast sought refuge in the crumbling ruins of an ancient monastery and offered in return the one thing he had to give - his fists. Transformed into an immortal warrior monk standing at the gates of Hell itself to keep our world free from its invading armies, The Anchor is mysteriously tricked into centuries of slumber. But today, this holy warrior rises to battle all the unholy monsters unleashed during his slumber.

This first issue opens with our protagonist locked in an eternal battle with the forces of Hell. He sits on a rocky outcropping at the passage way between Hell and Earth, and acts as a gate keeper, preventing the hordes of Hell from breaking through to the mortal plane.

After this brief prologue the action shifts to Reykjavik, Iceland, where the news is reporting an event they are labeling as Science Fiction turned reality. A giant creature has appeared at the city’s edge and has begun a rampage of utter destruction that has taken numerous lives and caused incalculable damage. As the creature begins to make its way towards the city center a general evacuation is called, and people begin to flee the city.

At a hospital in the center of town, everyone is beginning to evacuate the walking wounded, but one volunteer, Hofi Eriksdotter won’t leave the injured to die alone. Hofi is quite surprised when the hulking behemoth known to readers as The Anchor walks into the ward, suffering multiple chest lacerations, and emitting black smoke from under the bandages on his arms. She becomes even more surprised when his arms become engulfed in flames!

At first Hofi believes the man to insane, as he claims that he rowed to Iceland from Northumbria in England, after sensing the presence of the monster attacking the town. He also claims to have acquired all of his wounds in Hell. It seems that The Anchor’s soul is in hell, constantly in battle, while his body wanders the Earth, and every time his soul suffers a wound the pain is inflicted on his physical body. This is highlighted by the fact that as he sits there talking, a huge wound opens up in his chest, gushing blood, only to scab over and heal within seconds. When Hofi asks his name, he doesn’t seem to know it, so noticing the anchor of St Clement on his belt buckle she decides to call him Clem.

Clem then decides that he must battle the giant monster that is attacking the city, but in order to do so needs some unexpected battle advice from Hofi first, who advises him how he might use his connection to Hell to win this battle…

Phil Hester is a fantastic writer, and he is especially good on his own creations. This series has an incredibly strong concept that is just dripping with originality. The main character is incredibly enigmatic and and is shrouded in so much mystery that you just want to keep reading in order to discover more! Hester has written the perfect opening issue for the series, which gives us a strong introduction to the characters and concepts that will be explored down the line, while still managing to fit in some great action scenes to  make sure that the story isn’t too plot heavy and we aren’t weighed down with explanations about what The Anchor’s greater mission is. The dialogue is top-notch, the action is pulse-pounding and thrill-packed, and the plot is tight and has some very clever hooks that keep things wonderfully interesting.

The artwork on the book is by Brian Churilla and I have seen comparisons made to the work of both Mike Mignola and Eric Powell. I can definitely see how those comparisons could be made, but I think that Churilla has a very strong sense of style that is all his own. His art on this issue is quite marvelous, with his fantastic sense of composition, strong linework, and thick strong inks.

The Anchor #1 is one of the strongest series debuts that I have read this year. The Anchor is a fantastic addition to BOOM!’s line-up of original titles, and fits in perfectly with comics like Irredeemable, The Unknown and Unthinkable. The Anchor is fresh, unique, original and gripping! It’s a rare experience to be present at the birth of a classic new series, and reading The Anchor #1 felt very much like that. Phil Hester and Brian Churilla are a creative force to be reckoned with, and it feels like they have tons of great tales in store for The Anchor, and lots of interesting history set to explore. I just can’t wait to see where this story goes, and I can see this fast becoming one of my favourite comic series!