DANCER #1, the first issue of a new Image Comics thriller series by Eisner-nominee Nathan Edmondson (WHO IS JAKE ELLIS?) and Nic Klein, has sold out at the distributor level the same day that it was in stores, May 16.

Following the flight through Milan of an ex-assassin and the woman he loves, a ballerina named Quinn, as they evade a sniper’s bullets, the debut garnered early raves on the day of its release.

DANCER #1′s second printing is available for order now (APR128084) and will be in stores on June 13, the same day as DANCER #2.

Also selling out on its Wednesday release date this week was the second issue of the Teen Titans-meets-The Lord of the Flies series DANGER CLUB by Landry Q. Walker and Eric Jones (Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade) that MTV Geek calls ” a relentless and unique take on the ‘teen superhero team’ genre.” continuing its strong performance after a critically-acclaimed first issue that also sold out and received a second printing. Its second printing (APR128085) will be in stores on June 13.

THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #3 by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra (THE RED WING) also sold out this week. The alternate history science fiction series that Comics Alliance calls “pure mad science in comic book form” continues its nuclear assault on readers’ minds, with sales numbers on the third issue matching those of the first. The second printing of THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #3 (APR128086) will also be on shelves on June 13.

SAGA continues its soaring success with a sell-out of its third issue this week, as Image Publisher Eric Stephenson revealed in an interview with ICv2 that SAGA #1′s sales are nearing 70,000 copies. The latest issue of the Brian K. Vaughan-penned, Fiona Staples-drawn epic series was called “stunning, entertaining, and relevatory” by Comic Book Resources. A second printing of SAGA #3 (APR128087) will be in stores on June 13 as well.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

(via Bleeding Cool)

Around the Blogs:

Bleeding Cool – Fined $780 And Put On Sex Offenders Register For Owning Comics – Such horseshit.

Library Journal – “Out” on the Shelves: 26 Graphic Novels for Pride Month 2012 – Some great suggestions.

CBR – iVerse CEO Michael Murphey on the other digital comics – Some interesting stuff here.

Bleeding Cool – Mark Andrew Smith And James Stokoe Fund Comic In Four Hours On Kickstarter – I chipped in my $30, did you?

CBR – Telltale’s First “Walking Dead” Game Episode Sells Over One Million Units – Awesome….

Spinoff Online – Joss Whedon ‘Very Torn’ About Returning For Avengers Sequel – He did well the first time, so here’s hoping he goes with yes.

Around the Tubes Reviews:

Cambridge First – Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery

CBR – The Shade #8

Paste Magazine – Comic Book & Graphic Novel Round-Up (5/16/12)

HEROCLIX ONLINE INTRODUCES NEW TOURNAMENT FORMAT, FIGURES OF THE WEEK

Heroclix Online developers have alerted players of an all-new tournament format, Crossover Booster Sealed Tournaments, beginning on a rolling queue today.

Crossover Boosters (containing 10 single figures from a dynamic distribution) draw from all Modern Marvel sets currently available in game. Additionally, any Marvel figures included in the Figure of the Week promotions also have a chance to show up in the Crossover Booster.

The new tournament format using Crossover Boosters coincides with a special Figure of the Week promotion which makes Marvel Galactic Guardians figures Cardinal of the UCT, Replica, Cardinal Raker and Magus available for individual purchase today through May 30. All four figures will also become part of the Crossover Booster distribution immediately.

For more information on Crossover Booster contents and Sealed tournament format, players and fans are encouraged to visit the FAQ.

DARK HORSE PUBLISHES RARE & OUT-OF-PRINT ARCHIVES!

May 16, MILWAUKIE, OR—With a jaw-dropping selection of well-known titles, accurate color restoration, uncoated off-white paper, and an impressive roster of foreword writers, Dark Horse Archives is hitting another peak season this year with a lineup of pre-Code collections!

This heavy-hitting year will see more volumes in the Crime Does Not Pay Archives series, with engaging forewords from Greg Rucka and Howard Chaykin. Adventures into the Unknown Archives will feature a series of essays by Bruce Jones, focusing on the long-running horror anthology and the climate that led to the Comics Code Authority.

Historian Dan Nadel will provide enlightening introductions for Forbidden Worlds Archives—a true “grab bag” anthology where anything strange, fantastic, or horrific can happen—and writer/artist/historian Michael T. Gilbert will write a series of information-packed foreword pieces for Silver Streak Archives Featuring the Original Daredevil.

“The comics found in these collections are incredibly hard to find, expensive, and full of freewheeling, pre-Code fun (and sometimes viscera). It’s a joy to be able to handle these comics and work on these collections—but a bigger joy comes from being able to bring these stories to new readers and to finally assign credits to some creators who have been uncredited for decades!” said Dark Horse editor Philip Simon.

The comics in these anthologies are seen as revered and influential—but they’ve been impossible to find. Now Dark Horse is making these gems available in affordable collections for discussion, dissection, and inspiration!

Adventures into the Unknown Archives Volume 1 is on sale May 30, 2012.

Silver Streak Archives Featuring the Original Daredevil Volume 1 is on sale June 27, 2012.

Crime Does Not Pay Archives Volume 2 is on sale July 11, 2012.

Forbidden Worlds Archives Volume 1 is on sale December 12, 2012.

About Dark Horse

Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, Guillermo Del Toro and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties such as The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton’s Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.

IN COMIC STORES EVERYWHERE THIS COMING AUGUST! 

May 16th, 2011, Runnemede, NJ – This coming August, Vampirella and Barnabas Collins meet for the first time EVER in Dark Shadows/Vampirella #1!  Written by the acclaimed Marc (Manhunter) Andreyko and drawn by Patrick Berkenkotter, with a cover by Fabiano Neves, this will be a cross-over to remember!  Be sure to pick up Dark Shadows/Vampirella #1 this coming August!

In Dark Shadows/Vampirella #1, when the disappearance of a family friend brings Barnabas Collins to New York, he is ill-prepared for the seedy underworld of clubs that awaits him! And Vampirella’s quest to find the “Big Apple Butcher” sends her on a collision course with the vampire of Collinsport! Will Vampirella and Barnabas uncover the shocking identity of this madman before they kill each another?

“Barnabas Collins and Vampirella are two classic characters in vampire lore, so getting the chance to pen their first meeting is a blast,” says writer Marc Andreyko.  “I remember watching Dark Shadows reruns and sneaking peeks at the Vampirella magazines when I was just a wee lad, so getting to do this book seems like fate! And I’m not going easy on Barnabas or Vampi in this series, either! They are going to be put through a gauntlet of terror before this book is through!”

Jim Pierson, spokesman for Dark Shadows rights owner Dan Curtis Productions, adds, “It’s fun to further expand the reach of Dark Shadows and hopefully expose the classic characters to new fans who might just be discovering Barnabas with the new Johnny Depp movie.”

“Cross-overs get a bad rap when they’re not done right, or they feel forced,” adds Dynamite editor Joe Rybandt. “But this one felt like a natural the moment we had the idea. The setting, the characters, the bad guys…the whole thing has come together so naturally, and Marc and Patrick are the perfect pair to make it happen.”

Become our fan on Facebook at facebook.com/DynamiteComics!

Join the conversation on Dynamite Entertainment’s twitter page at http://twitter.com/DynamiteComics!

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic-book titles and properties, including The Shadow, The Boys, Green Hornet, Vampirella, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, Game of Thrones, and more!

In addition to its critically-acclaimed titles and best-selling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high-profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Alex Ross, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Michael Avon Oeming, Mel Rubi, Marc Guggenheim, Stephen Sadowski, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Jae Lee, Matt Wagner, and a host of up and coming new talent!

Dynamite recently won the Diamond Gem Award for Best Publisher, under 4% of market share, for 2011!

DYNAMITE is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic-book publishers, and several of its titles–including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger’s PROJECT SUPERPOWERS–have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors. Several Dynamite titles have also hit The New York Times Best-Sellers List: The Boys, Vampirella Archives, and Robert Jordan’s New Spring and Wheel of Time graphic novels. In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM Award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%). The company has also been nominated for several industry awards, including the prestigious Eisner Award.

Written By Raven Gregory

Sela sets off in search of the Tomb of Death and finds herself joined by an unlikely ally who is also searching for a way to redeem herself from the failings of her past.  But will this new ally be enough to help Sela defeat the dreaded black ghost knights who guard the swamplands that lead to the Tomb?  Meanwhile, Alicia, Baba Yaga, Venus, and the Goblin Queen begin the final stage of their mysterious plans to rule the four realms and the very nexus itself.  The final count down to the Grimm Fairy Tales 75 begins here.  Don’t miss out!

32 pgs, $2.99
Out – 5/16/2012

Neverland Hook #5

Written By Joe Brusha

Barre’s power continues to grow and its only a matter of time before Neverland falls to him and the earth soon after. Cross, Tiger Lily and Wendy are all that stand in his way but without Tinker Belles help they don’t stand half a chance of defeating the evil tyrant. Unfortunately she has her hands full battling the mysterious dark fairy and even if she manages to win and survive it may prove to late to stop Barre’s madness.

32 pgs, $2.99
Out – 5/23/2012

CALL OF WONDERLAND #1 (MINI-SERIES 1 OF 4)

Written By Dan Wickline

The COUNTDOWN to the brand new WONDERLAND ongoing series begins here!!!  The Jabberwocky has been defeated.  The Queen of Hearts is dead and Wonderland is in a state of chaos with no ruler on the throne.  Enter the Red Knight who is determined to destroy all of Wonderland and the world at large by unleashing a deadly ancient force long thought to be gone.  Meanwhile on earth, a literary student researching Lovecraft will discover a long forgotten secret that could save or damn us all.  Don’t miss out on this incredible mini-series that sets the stage for the upcoming Wonderland ongoing series!

32 pgs, $3.99
Out – 5/30/2012

More information should be coming soon, but for now, here’s a look at the cover.