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Image Comics on April 2013

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Brett

JUPITER’S LEGACY #1

story MARK MILLAR
art / cover A FRANK QUITELY
cover B BRYAN HITCH
cover C DAVE JOHNSON
cover D PHIL NOTO
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

The comic-book event of 2013 finally arrives as superstar creators MARK MILLER and FRANK QUIETLY give us the superhero epic that all future comics will be measured by. The world’s greatest heroes have grown old and their legacy is a poisonous one to the children who will never live up to their remarkable parents. Unmissable.

RETAIL INCENTIVE AVAILABLE! SEE ORDER FORM FOR DETAILS!

OFFERED AGAIN
AMERICAN JESUS, VOL. 1: CHOSEN TP

CHIN MUSIC #1

story STEVE NILES
art / cover TONY HARRIS
APRIL 17
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

Shaw is a man on the run and lost in time. Fleeing ancient enemies, Shaw finds himself in prohibition-era Chicago surrounded by gangers and demons alike and caught between law enforcement and the local supernatural underground. CHIN MUSIC is a tale of mysticism and violence like nothing you’ve experienced before.

’68 JUNGLE JIM #1 (OF 4)

STORY: MARK KIDWELL
ART: JEFF ZORNOW & JAY FOTOS
COVER A: JEFF ZORNOW JAY FOTOS
COVER B: NAT JONES JAY FOTOS
RI COVER C: BEN TEMPLESMITH
APRIL 3
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.99

Vietnam, 1968: Behind enemy lines, Private Brian Curliss is alone. The enemy caged him, the dead want to devour him and the voices in his head are driving him to madness. A madness that emerges in the form of an unstoppable killing machine wrapped in burlap and bamboo…

Curliss is a one-man-army, sworn to wade through a wet red jungle gone straight to hell in search of a ghost named Jungle Jim. To the Viet Cong, he’s a nightmare. To POWs trapped in enemy hands, he’s salvation. To the legions of shambling, hungry dead…He’s the Grim Reaper in a gas mask.

MeatGrinder Studios and Image Comics return to the grim world of ’68 with an all-new, four-issue series continuing the story of Jungle Jim. The brutal sequel to the original one-shot, Jungle Jim #1 fleshes out the new dark star of the Vietnam/Zombie apocalypse. Scripted by Mark Kidwell with savage artwork by Jeff Zornow and Jay Fotos. Covers by Jeff Zornow, Nat Jones and Jay Fotos.

MICE TEMPLAR IV: LEGEND #1

story BRYAN J.L. GLASS & MICHAEL AVON OEMING
art MICHAEL AVON OEMING & VICTOR SANTOS
cover a MICHAEL AVON OEMING
cover b VICTOR SANTOS
APRIL 3
48 PAGES / FC / T
$3.99

“A DANGEROUS FAITH”

Long ago, the valiant Templar destroyed themselves through a vicious civil war, allowing the bloodthirsty crusade of the tyrant king Icarus to destroy mouse culture. Yet the inspiring tale of the young mouse Karic promises to restore the fractured Templar and overthrow the mad king. But while some accept Karic as a prophecy for good, still others see his rising legend as an omen of evil.

Thus begins the climactic chapter in the epic saga of hope and despair, of tragedy and triumph, and where every secret will at last be revealed.

OFFERED AGAIN
MICE TEMPLAR, VOL. 1 HC
MICE TEMPLAR, VOL. 2.1 HC
MICE TEMPLAR, VOL. 2.2 HC
MICE TEMPLAR, VOL. 3 HC

MINIATURE JESUS #1 (of 5)

story / art / cover TED McKEEVER
APRIL 17
32 PAGES / BW / M
$3.99

GOLDEN AGE FORMAT

Devil on one shoulder – angel on the other.

One tells you to do bad things, the other . . . well, you get the idea.

Bad news for a recovering alcoholic if the “good” one is MIA.

Between a liquor-gulping demon and a mummified cat hell-bent on mucking up his fragile stability with esoteric trappings of Egyptian Gods, it’s all about to make our hero’s day hit the proverbial fan.

OFFERED AGAIN
TED McKEEVER LIBRARY, VOL. 1: TRANSIT HC
TED McKEEVER LIBRARY, VOL. 2: EDDY CURRENT HC
TED McKEEVER LIBRARY, VOL. 3: METROPOL HC
MONDO TP

A DISTANT SOIL #39

story / art / cover COLLEEN DORAN
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / BW / T+
$3.50

15-year-old Liana now sits on the throne of the Avatar, a living weapon of mass destruction, the most powerful psionic in the universe. And she’s pointed directly at Earth.

Back after a six-year hiatus, the final chapter of the critically acclaimed space opera series begins in a bi-monthly release from Image/Shadowline

INVINCIBLE UNIVERSE #1

story PHIL HESTER
art/ cover TODD NAUCK & JOHN RAUCH
APRIL 3
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

In the aftermath of INVINCIBLE 100 and “The Death of Everyone,” Dinosaurus has left his mark on the world. Can heroes from across the universe – Invincible, the Guardians of the Globe, Tech Jacket, the Astounding Wolf-Man and more – contain the damage done? Or are the end times of the Invincible Universe ahead?

MORNING GLORIES #26

story NICK SPENCER
art JOE EISMA
cover RODIN ESQUEJO
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / M
$1.00

“THE WAITING GAME”

Season 2 of the smash hit series begins here, with a special, full-sized, impossibly priced $1 prelude – the perfect jumping-on point for collection readers looking to move to single issues!

OFFERED AGAIN
MORNING GLORIES, VOL. 1 TP
MORNING GLORIES, VOL. 2 TP
MORNING GLORIES, VOL. 3 TP
MORNING GLORIES, VOL. 4 TP

MIGHTY SKULLKICKERS #1

story JIM ZUB
art EDWIN HUANG
cover A EDWIN HUANG & JIM ZUB
cover B CHRIS STEVENS
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / T
$3.50

MIGHTY SKULLKICKERS: A classic relaunch that blazes a new trail with familiar fan favorite sensibilities. A bold, new direction, a continuing story and a brand new adjective! Our twenty-first issue is brand a new #1! Our B cover is a variant with the original numbering, in case readers want their issue super-duper “old school.”

P.S. Retailers: Shelf this numero uno alongside other “Mighty” comics you may have hanging around the shop. Tell them it’s the latest and greatest thing, because it IS!

OFFERED AGAIN
SKULLKICKERS, VOL. 1 TP
SKULLKICKERS, VOL. 2 TP
SKULLKICKERS, VOL. 3 TP

WITCHBLADE: DAY OF THE OUTLAW #1

story JOSHUA FIALKOV
art / cover NELSON BLAKE II & DAVE McCAIG
APRIL 3
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.99

SHOWDOWN WITH THE WITCHBLADE OF THE WILD WEST!

In the days of the Wild West, before Sara Pezzini claimed her destiny, Witchblade bearer Sheriff Enola protected the high plains from the Darkness that lurked beyond the horizon. Although her townspeople lived in peace, they were always mistrusting of their sheriff-witch. With her town seeking to banish her and the Darkness angling for a duel, will the Witchblade be enough to save Enola from becoming a footnote in the annals of the blade’s history?

ALSO AVAILABLE:
Stjepan Sejic New York Comic-Con Triptych signed set – Includes Witchblade #160, Artifacts #21, The Darkness #107 New York Comic-Con & Long Beach Comic Con Exclusive Variants. Witchblade #160 variant signed by writer Tim Seeley – $30.00 (SHOW COVER)

NOTE: Limited quantities available. Allocations may occur.

BOMB QUEEN DELUXE, VOL. 2 HC

story /art / cover JIMMIE ROBINSON
APRIL 3
240 PAGES / FC / M
OVERSIZE HARDCOVER
$24.99

Collectors of the BOMB QUEEN villain series will love this re-mastered, re-edited, oversized, hardcover edition featuring the heroines of Shadowline and a rare guest appearance of She-Spawn. Don’t miss this director’s cut collection with extra bonus material from the insane mind of JIMMIE ROBINSON.

Collects the BOMB QUEEN III and BOMB QUEEN IV miniseries in their entirety.

OFFERED AGAIN
BOMB QUEEN DELUXE, VOL. 1 HC

THE DARKNESS: REBIRTH, VOL. 2 TP

story DAVID HINE
art / cover JEREMY HAUN & JOHN RAUCH
APRIL 28
160 pages / FC / M
$17.99

“BREAKING DARK”

Jackie Estacado had everything he ever wanted: riches, power, and a beautiful family. But Jackie relinquished his control of the Darkness. With his marriage crumbling and the encroachment of a rival gang on his turf, Jackie has failed to notice that there is something horribly, horribly wrong with his daughter, Hope. And Jackie will learn that there are things even the Darkness should fear.

Collects THE DARKNESS #106-111

HACK/SLASH, VOL. 12

story JUSTIN JORDAN, JAMES LOWDER & Various
art DANIEL LEISTER, MATT MERHOFF & EMILIO LAISO
cover TIM SEELEY
APRIL 3
160 PAGES / FC / T+
$18.99

This volume collects the acclaimed issues written by guest stars JUSTIN JORDAN (LUTHER STRODE), JAMES LOWDER and MICAHEL MORECI & STEVE SEELEY (HOAX HUNTERS) as well as the rare crossover with Mercy Sparx.

On a trip back to Chicago, Vlad encounters his extended family, a mob of inbred cannibals; while Cat Curio takes the stage in a solo adventure. Then, Cassie and Vlad feel the toll of a slasher who can come back every few minutes.

Collects HACK/SLASH, VOL. 2 #16-19 & HACK/SLASH vs. MERCY SPARX

OFFERED AGAIN
HACK/SLASH, VOL. 8 TP
HACK/SLASH, VOL. 9 TP
HACK/SLASH, VOL. 10 TP
HACK/SLASH, VOL. 11 TP

HAPPY! TP

story GRANT MORRISON
art & cover DARICK ROBERTSON
APRIL 17
112 PAGES / FC / M
$12.99

Meet NICK SAX – a corrupt, intoxicated ex-cop turned hit-man, adrift in a stinking twilight world of casual murder, soulless sex, eczema and betrayal. With a hit gone wrong, a bullet in his side, the cops and the mob on his tail, and a monstrous child killer in a Santa suit on the loose, Nick and his world will be changed forever this Christmas.

By a tiny blue horse called Happy…

Collects HAPPY! 1-4

HARVEST HC

story AJ LIEBERMAN
art / cover COLIN LORIMER
APRIL 10
136 PAGES / FC / M
OVERSIZED HARDCOVER
$19.99

Livers, kidneys and rogue medical teams, oh my! Welcome to Dr. Benjamin Dane’s nightmare. His only way out? Bring down the man who set him up for murder by reclaiming organs already placed in some very powerful people. The only people Dane can count on are an ex-Yakuza assassin and six year-old drug fiend. If Dexter, ER & 100 Bullets had a three-way and that mind blowing tryst somehow resulted in a kid, that kid would read HARVEST.

Collects HARVEST #1-5, plus extras and an amazing FOLD-OUT featuring all five covers!

INVINCIBLE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, VOL. 8 HC

story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art RYAN OTTLEY, CORY WALKER & CLIFF RATHBURN
cover RYAN OTTLEY
APRIL 24
336 PAGES / FC / T+
$39.99

In the aftermath of the Viltrumite War, friends become enemies, enemies become allies, and Mark Grayson’s future as Invincible ends here.

Collects issues INVINCIBLE #85-96

OFFERED AGAIN
INVINCIBLE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, VOL. 1 HC
INVINCIBLE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, VOL. 2 HC
INVINCIBLE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, VOL. 3 HC
INVINCIBLE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, VOL. 4 HC
INVINCIBLE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, VOL. 5 HC
INVINCIBLE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, VOL. 6 HC
INVINCIBLE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, VOL. 7 HC

MIND THE GAP, VOL. 2: WISH YOU WERE HERE TP

story JIM McCANN
art RODIN ESQUEJO & DAN McDAID
cover RODIN ESQUEJO
APRIL 24
136 PAGES / FC / T+
$14.99

ONE OF THE TOP 20 BOOKS OF 2012 ROARS ON!

New threats arise as the curtains pull back to reveal some of the most shocking secrets surrounding the mystery behind the attack on Elle Peterssen. Meanwhile, what is her connection to a 10-year-old girl who claims to actually be Elle’s mind trapped in this girl’s body? All of this plus the acclaimed silent issue “speechless” and the unmasking that changes the entire series.

Collects MIND THE GAP #6-10

OFFERED AGAIN
MIND THE GAP, VOL. 1 TP

POINT OF IMPACT TP

story JAY FAERBER
art & cover KORAY KURANEL
APRIL 3
104 PAGES / BW / M
$14.99

A gripping, provocative murder mystery from acclaimed writer Jay Faerber and stunning artist Koray Kuranel begins with one woman’s murder and branches out to follow the investigation by three people with personal connections to her: her husband, an investigative reporter; her lover, an ex-soldier; and her friend, a homicide detective. Her death will change all of their lives.

Collects POINT OF IMPACT #1-4

OFFERED AGAIN
NEAR DEATH, VOL. 1 TP
NEAR DEATH, VOL. 2 TP

THE ACTIVITY #15

story NATHAN EDMONDSON
art / cover MITCH GERADS
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.50

“BUDDY SYSTEM”

Hiding from Russian authorities, Switchfoot and Fiddler trek through the ice of Northern Siberia to recover a fallen satellite piece. Meanwhile Weatherman and Bookstore are on a recon mission in Afghanistan, and what they see has ominous implications for the near future.

ARTIFACTS #28

story RON MARZ
art MARCO TURINI
cover STJEPAN SEJIC
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.99

“TRUTHS & DESTINIES,” Part Two

FBI profiler and Rapture bearer Tom Judge used to be a man of the cloth. His faith led him away from the Church. The Magdalena, however, still serves the Church. Can both Tom and the Magdalena overcome their differences of faith to battle an evil that is as old as the universe itself?

BEDLAM #6

story NICK SPENCER
art RILEY ROSSMO
cover FRAZER IRVING
APRIL 3
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.50

“Confession.”

BLACKACRE #5

story DUFFY BOUDREAU
art WENDELL CAVALCANTI
cover BRIAN CHURILLA
APRIL 3
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

The stunning finale to arc one! A night of terror in the Hinterlands. A day of reckoning in BlackAcre. The mission’s collapsed, but the fallout’s just begun…

CHEW #34

story JOHN LAYMAN
art / cover ROB GUILLORY
APRIL 17
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

On the trail of the vampire!

CLONE #6

Story DAVID SCHULNER, AARON GINSBURG & WADE McINTYRE
Art & cover JUAN JOSE RYP & FELIX SERRANO
APRIL 10
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

NEW STORY ARC!

Luke Taylor’s true nature has been revealed, but his fight to rescue his wife and newborn daughter back is just beginning. Now that Beta and the second generation of clones have been unleashed, how can Luke survive against his younger, stronger, more ruthless self?

EAST OF WEST #2

story JONATHAN HICKMAN
art NICK DRAGOTTA
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.50

“SONS OF PROPHECY”

Following the high crimes in the debut issue of EAST OF WEST, the fallout spreads across the broken nations of America. Forces align to stave off the apocalypse, while equally powerful ones do everything they can to bring it to pass.

One of the most exciting new books of the year, this is EAST OF WEST, a brand new, ongoing, monthly comic from the award-winning team of Marvel’s FF, JONATHAN HICKMAN and NICK DRAGOTTA.

EPIC KILL #10

story / art / cover: RAFFAELE IENCO
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

The series’ EPIC conclusion!

Song’s uncle, her sole remaining family, is killed while in government custody.

Enraged, will Song seek vengeance for his death, or try to find inner peace so she can finally lead a normal life?

THE END TIMES OF BRAM & BEN #4 (of 4)

story JAMES ASMUS & JIM FESTANTE
art REM BROO
cover BEN TEMPLESMITH
APRIL 17
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

MINISERIES CONCLUSION

After last issue’s shocking ending — Ben is left alone to face the Antichrists! Did we mean for that to be plural? Will Ben die before having sex with Laura, the Gym teacher? Why does God let bad things happen to good people??? FIND OUT IN THIS FINAL ISSUE!

FIVE GHOSTS: THE HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY #2 (of 5)

story FRANK J. BARBIERE
art / cover CHRIS MOONEYHAM
APRIL 17
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

“BLOOD FOR THE SPIDER GOD”

The year’s most exciting new adventure continues!

“… an elegantly designed, sharply colored, moody descent into a twilit world…an intriguing entry point into a compelling new universe from Barbiere and Mooneyham that sets a high standard for up-and-coming comics creators.” – The Comics Beat

FIVE WEAPONS #3 (of 5)

story / art / cover JIMMIE ROBINSON
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / T
$3.50

At the annual school festival, Tyler is caught in a battle between the Archery club and the Exotic weapons club, but a new threat emerges from outside the school that could blow his cover and ruin everything.

GREAT PACIFIC #6

story JOE HARRIS
art / cover MARTÍN MORAZZO
APRIL 3
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

“TRASHED!” Conclusion

The United States Navy has come to drag fugitive, would-be Garbage Patch ruler Chas Worthington back to the America he left. But Chas has one more trick up his sleeve, and the future of New Texas will never be the same.

HELL YEAH #9

story JOE KEATINGE
art ANDRE SZYMANOWICZ & FABIO REDIVO
cover RICKEN
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.50

“THE DEATH OF PLANET EARTH,” Part Two

Pretty much everyone dies in this issue. No one is saved. Nobody learns anything.

2013’s grindhouse-style, revenge-fueled supersploitation epic rages towards the conclusion of its first year!

HOAX HUNTERS #9

story MICHAEL MORECI & STEVE SEELEY
art BRENT SCHOONOVER
covers JOE EISMA
APRIL 17
32 PAGES / FC / T +
$2.99

“GHOST BUSTED”

Special flipbook issue! The Hoax Hunters go on a haunted house ghost-busting mission. One half of the issue contains the “on-air” story, what happened while the camera was rolling; flip it over and find out what went down behind the scenes! Features guest artist BRENT SCHOONOVER. PERFECT FOR NEW READERS!

I LOVE TROUBLE #5

story KEL SYMONS
art/cover MARK A. ROBINSON
APRIL 3
24 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

“MARS AIN’T THE KIND OF PLACE TO RAISE YOUR KIDS”

Things just aren’t going well for Felicia, when she starts experiencing breaks with reality after her work as an assassin begins to take an emotional toll. Doesn’t help that she finds out just how deep Johnny’s betrayal goes, either.

INVINCIBLE #102

story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art / cover RYAN OTTLEY & JOHN RAUCH
APRIL 17
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

It’s Nolan vs. Thragg on the surface of the moon as still more secrets about the Viltrumite Empire are revealed.

IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #8

story JAMIE S. RICH
art MIKE NORTON
cover MICHAEL & LAURA ALLRED
APRIL 17
32 PAGES / FC / E
$2.99

“(NO) SURPRISES”

It’s the anniversary for romantic superhero couple Black Crystal and the Slug, but it appears that Black Crystal has forgotten. To be fair, he has other things on his mind. Like giant monsters that have erupted from their home beneath the ocean looking for a fight!

THE LEGEND OF LUTHER STRODE #5 (of 6)

story JUSTIN JORDAN
art / cover TRADD MOORE
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.50

Luther has been Bound. Petra has become Jack’s new friend. Binder gets a surprise from an unexpected source. And the world burns down around them all.

LOST VEGAS #2 (of 4)

story JIM McCANN
art JANET LEE
cover A JANET LEE
cover B DECLAN SHALVEY
1:10 incentive cover FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
APRIL 3
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.50

The clock has started — Roland has 24 hours to make his move. But when he uncovers the darkest secret of LOST VEGAS, will that information help him…or will he be in even more danger? (Hint: let’s go with “more danger.)

The Eisner Award-winning team of JIM McCANN

and JANET LEE reunite to create a universe filled with intrigue and a high stakes heist.

THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #13

story JONATHAN HICKMAN
art NICK PITARRA
APRIL 17
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.50

“PIECE BY PIECE”

After a decade of working together to overcome everything that stood against them, fractures begin to form between the scientists of the Manhattan Projects.

The thrilling FEEL GOOD, BAD SCIENCE series continues in THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #13: PIECE BY PIECE!

MARA #5 (of 6)

story BRIAN WOOD
art MING DOYLE & JORDIE BELLAIRE
cover MING DOYLE
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / T
$2.99

Everything’s on the table as far as the military’s position on Mara, but who’s the one with the nuclear option? How much power can one woman hold before the world says “enough”?

NOWHERE MEN #5

story ERIC STEPHENSON
art NATE BELLEGARDE & JORDIE BELLAIRE
cover NATE BELELGARDE & FONOGRAFIKS
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

Dead to the world.

PROPHET #36

story BRANDON GRAHAM & SIMON ROY
art SIMON ROY & GIANNIS MILONOGIANNIS
cover AARON CONLEY
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.99

The three-armed Prophet wants Old man Prophet found. NewFather disobeys his superiors to seek out weapons needed to combat a new mysterious foe.

REPOSSESSED #4 (of 4)

story/ art / cover JM RINGUET
APRIL 3
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

The miniseries ends with a bang and a boom when the repo from Dee Agency learn way more than they bargained for and are left to decide on a trip to the West Coast to face the biggest threat they have ever encountered!

REVIVAL #9

story TIM SEELEY
art MIKE NORTON
cover by JENNY FRISON
APRIL 17
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

Em and Dana have a long dinner and talk about murder. There’s something weird going on in Cooper’s dad’s shed. Joe Meyers isn’t feeling quite like himself lately. The authorities start cracking down on “gently used” body parts.

SAGA #12

story BRIAN K. VAUGHAN
art / cover FIONA STAPLES
APRIL 10
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

Prince Robot IV makes his move.

SAVAGE DRAGON #187

story /art / cover ERIK LARSEN
APRIL 17
32 PAGES / FC / T
$3.99

“THE VICIOUS CIRCLE RISING”

A glimpse into the lives of Chicago’s notorious criminal organization. For decades the Vicious Circle has all but ruled the Windy City. Now, at last, we enter their world and see through their eyes. We see their struggles, their fears, the obstacles they face. Introducing the sons and daughters of the Vicious Circle. We see the crime family they were born to inherit and the forces who oppose them.

SEX #2

story JOE CASEY
art / cover PIOTR KOWALSKI
APRIL 10
32 PAGES/FC/M
$2.99

SECOND ISSUE COLLECTOR’S ITEM!

Simon Cooke’s journey into the underbelly of Saturn City continues. Think about it… how repressed would YOU be after waging a war on crime for the entirety of your adult life? What happens when the superhero power fantasy finally ends? Find out by buying more SEX!

SNAPSHOT #3 (of 4)

story ANDY DIGGLE
art / cover JOCK
APRIL 3
32 PAGES / BW / T+
$2.99

Hunted by a ruthless killer who has framed them for murder, Jake and Callie try to infiltrate the mysterious gated community at the heart of the deadly conspiracy. But nothing can prepare them for what they will find there. Continuing the new thriller from the creators of The Losers and Green Arrow: Year One!

SON OF MERLIN #3

story ROBERT NAPTON
art / cover ZID
APRIL 3
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

Morgana never anticipated that Merlin’s bastard son, the MIT professor Simon Ambrose, would delay her plan to obtain the Stone of Giramphiel. But even with the power inherent in Merlin’s diary, Simon isn’t ready to face her in battle. To seek refuge from Morgana’s grasp, Simon will need to call upon enchanters of old who have spent the past century hiding in plain sight in New York City.

SPAWN #230

story TODD MCFARLANE
art SZYMON KUDRANSKI
cover TODD MCFARLANE
APRIL 3
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

“COMPLEX MESSIAH,” Part Two

As a small online community continues to look into Jim’s connection with the Curse of the Hellspawn, the fervor around the world’s “new messiah” begins to reach an apex.

Meanwhile, the Vatican makes a house call, taking the first steps in their efforts to test Jim’s true origin. Sinner or Saint, the church has no intention of allowing his gifts to be used against them.

Plus: The final fate of someone in Jim’s inner circle.

For retailer order form:

For every 25 copies ordered, retailers may order one Todd McFarlane B/W cover.

STORM DOGS #6 (of 6)

story DAVID HINE
art DOUG BRAITHWAITE & ULISES ARREOLA
cover DOUG BRAITHWAITE
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.50

Season one builds to a tragic climax as the team discovers that everything they thought they knew about Amaranth is a lie.

SUPER DINOSAUR #20

story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art JASON HOWARD & CLIFF RATHBURN
cover JASON HOWARD
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / E
$2.99

In the aftermath of their first battle with Tyrannosaurus X, Derek and Super Dinosaur get… fancy!

THINK TANK #8

story MATT HAWKINS
art RAHSAN EKEDAL
cover RAHSAN EKEDAL & BRIAN REBER
APRIL 10
32 PAGES / BW / T
$3.99

Accountability isn’t something Dr. David Loren worried about before. Sheltered behind the manned concrete perimeter of CED, so long as he continued to fulfill his contractual obligation to create inventions of destruction, David never had to think twice about being an arrogant jerk. But right now, David is on the wrong side of the military’s good graces. And accountability is a bitch.

TODD, THE UGLIEST KID ON EARTH #4 (of 4)

story MK PERKER & KEN KRISTENSEN
art / cover MK PERKER
APRIL 10
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

“CANDY WITH STRANGERS,” Conclusion

When his best friend and mentor gets thrown in solitary confinement, Todd becomes an easy target for an Aryan Nation assassin. Meanwhile, his father accepts a marriage proposal that was never given, and his mom comes face-to-face with the Maniac Killer.

THE WALKING DEAD #109

story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art / cover CHARLIE ADLARD & CLIFF RATHBURN
APRIL 10
32 PAGES / BW / M
$2.99

Maggie and Sophia pick up the pieces and continue their lives at the Hilltop.

WITCH DOCTOR: MAL PRACTICE #6 (of 6)

story BRANDON SEIFERT
art / cover LUKAS KETNER & ANDY TROY
APRIL 24
32 PAGES / FC / T
$2.99

This is it: Doc Morrow’s last stand against the forces making his life hell! If Morrow and his allies fail here, all of Arkham, Oregon will suffer! Too bad he screws it up. Oops: SPOILERS!

“Drips with retro-gore fun” — Paste Magazine

Best Comics of 2012

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Brett

It’s the first day of a new year and so that means we’re doing our “best of” listing of the top comic books for 2012. Generally these are comic books that came out in 2012, though some are from earlier times and I got around to reading them, or limited series that continued. Keep in mind, this is what I have read. If it’s not on here, I just might not have read it.

Best Super Hero Comic – Hawkeye

Hawkeye, Marvel Comics’ least likely hit is as cool as the minimalist covers by David Aja. Written by Matt Fraction with art by Aja, Hawkeye follows the Avenger and shows him not as his cockiest (as portrayed elsewhere), but instead as a character who isn’t totally sure of himself. The series is a deconstruction of this hero, putting him at the street level, as likely to take on Hydra as his is some petty street thugs who say “Bro” a lot.

The series shares a lot with last year’s winner Daredevil. Both have a pulp sense about them, but there’s something with Hawkeye’s simple story telling that makes it stand above the rest. The art, the story, the covers, it’s all there blending perfectly.

There’s a fantastic mix of action, humor and simple human interaction that pulls together to make it the best super hero comic I’m reading, but also one of the best debuts of the year. Hopefully the comic finds the audience it deserves as accolades are poured upon it, but if nothing else, this is a series that’ll be looked upon as at the top of it’s game, no matter the year.

Runners Up:

Daredevil – Last year’s winner is still one of the best comics on the market. Mark Waid’s writing is fantastic as he took Matt Murdock down holes (literally and metaphorically). We again questioned Murdock’s sanity and Waid was able to mix in pulp fun with super heroes and not make it all seem silly when we got our reveal at the end.
Idolized – Aspen Comics’ first entry into true super heroes was a comic I looked forward to reading each month. Centered around a reality tv super hero contest, we’re given a character we can relate to, cheer on as well as scold all at the same time. The art is top notch and here’s hoping it lasts for quite some time.
Batman – Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have put together a Batman run that’s up there with the best. This year they’ve given us the Court of Owls and Talons which are villains that feel appropriate for Batman but also his equal in every way.
Wolverine & The X-Men – Wolverine is now the headmaster at a school that’s as chaotic as him in beserker mode. Each issue I walk away smiling after a few laughs. In a year of uneven “X” books, this one has been consistent fun.

Best Non-Super Hero Comic –The Massive

Writer Brian Wood‘s DMZ won last year, so is it any surprise his new series by Dark Horse is this year’s winner? This to me is not just the best non-super hero comic, but also the best “new series” and “best series” of the year. It’s that damn good. It’s the future after a massive environmental disaster and aboard a ship the Kapital is a crew of environmental activists on a mission to survive as well as find their sister ship The Massive.

The comic is as good as they come, with an amazing cast of characters that we slowly get to learn more about as layers pealed apart issue by issue. The world is destroyed and while familiar, the environmental devastation has left it so that we’re kept on our toes.

The cast of characters are some of the most realistic and interesting in any comic out there right now. It’s diverse and varied in backgrounds, motivations, attitudes, everything. There’s someone for everyone to cheer for and hiss at. We have heroes and villains and motivations that still remain murky and elusive.

The Massive is the one series I immediately read upon release no matter what I have going on. The downside is, I have to wait a month to do so between each issue.

Runners Ups:

Saga – Brian K. Vaughn has written some modern classics and Saga looks like it’ll be right up there with his past works. An epic in the making that’s a mix of science fiction and fantasy following two enemy soldiers who fall in love, have a kid, and go on the run. Each issue keeps you on your toes as to what expect next.
Revival- Did you hear zombies are still big in entertainment? This new series follows a town locked down by the CDC after the dead come back to life. What’s the cause? What exactly is going on? Little by little we’re finding out, but the focus is really the realistic characters dealing with this strange world.
Mind MGMT- Matt Kindt is an amazing writer and this series involving mind controlling secret agents is trippy and exciting as they come. The art is his usual water color like style, unique and recognizable in today’s comics. The comic feels like Ah-Ha’s Take On Me music video, with psychics and world traveling, aka, it’s awesome.
Rachel Rising – Another horror comic that’s fantastic each and every issue. Another people coming back from the dead comic that again keeps you on your toes as what’s going on plays out slowly over each issue. This is a slow build, page turner.

Best Limited Series or One Shot – Princeless

Fairy tales are rather played out. Girl needs a prince to rescue her from the tower and to do so, the prince must defeat the dragon. Then, comes in Princeless, which takes all of that and skewers it with some of the best female empowering political/societal skewering this year. The lead is a female black princess out to save her sisters. It’s girl power and it’s awesome.

The sly commentary about society and gender roles makes this first volume and it’s two one-shots stick out. The fact it’s done in a package that’s as fun for kids as it is for adults, makes it one of the best of the year.

The comic has gotten praise, landing on a few other lists and even receiving Eisner nods, all the accolades are deserved. We get a second volume in February, and you better pre-order it to make sure you get a copy.

If you’re looking for a comic to hand to your kids, female or male, this is a great one to start, but lets be honest, it’s so entertaining, you’ll be the one reading it.

Runners Up:

Point of Impact– Image Comics released this series which is only in it’s third issue, but it’s basically Law & Order, the comic book. The story is as solid as you’d see on that show and should be a great crossover to draw fans of that television series over to comic books. If you’re a fan of that tv show, even a casual one, go grab this series if you can find it.
Stumptown Vol. 2 – Greg Rucka brings back his detective series for a second volume. This one focusing on musicians and the drug trade. The series is still playing out and man it’s good. The series also decided to try some things new visually, like having you turn the pages during a car chase. Solid story and innovative art to boot!
The New Deadwardians – Vertigo’s limited series is the British upper crust meets vampires and zombies. Did I also mention that it’s a detective thriller?
Archaia Free Comic Book Day – You have to give Archaia props for this free comic, not just due to the excellent content within, which included Rust, The Return of the Dapper Men and more, but it also was a hardcover comic. The absolute best presentation and giveaway for Free Comic Book Day ever.

Best Single Issue – Batman #5

Scott Snyder‘s Batman epic event Court of Owls was an amazing read, giving us a villain that seemed the equal or better of Batman. Something that hasn’t been felt in a long time. But, the story was helped by Greg Capullo‘s art. If you need evidence of how important that was, then go back to this issue. Though it came out in the beginning of the year, it’s stuck with me since.

Batman is captured and dumped in the Owls’ maze. As he’s drugged and descends in to madness, we’re taken with him. Before we know it, we’ve turned the issue on it’s side, then completely upside down as we go down the spiral with our hero. We’ve scene that sort of visual before, in movies, on television, but the tactile holding of the book, instead of the passive watching ads an element that drags us into the experience.

It’s a perfect example of the marriage of story and art and why comics are an entertainment medium unlike any other.

**Worst Single Issue of the Year – Thunderbolts (Marvel Now) #1**

I’ve loved Marvel’s Thunderbolts in ever version we’ve gotten over the years. Even their latest time travel spin, while silly at times, ended well enough to justify the trip. Marvel NOW! was supposed to be the best creative teams creating some of the best comics, but this first issue is such a stinker, it’s sad and I wonder how it got approved.

The issue is the very non-creative gathering of the members of the team. In a movie, it’d maybe be 10 or 15 minutes, and possibly covered in the opening credits. Add on top of it we wonder how General Ross is getting from place to place, the entire issue is poorly plotted, thought out and just beyond boring. Add in a waste of art talent and I can only hope things get better going forward, cause this was really bad.

It’s a shame to see such cool character be used so poorly with a set-up that is predictable and at the same time, make no sense. The fact this is supposed to get people excited and draw them in since it’s Marvel NOW! just makes it even more of a travesty.

Runners Up:

Deadpool (Marvel Now) #1- Deadpool versus zombie versions of past Presidents. The story arc is silly and just pointless. This is not Deadpool at his best.
Happy! (any issue) – If there was an award for the most use of “fuck” in comics, this would win. If that’s supposed to be edgy and entertaining, I’ll pass.

Best Graphic Novel/Trade Paperback – Economix: How Our Economy Works & Doesn’t Work

Take a complicated subject of economics and most people’s eyes glaze over just before they fall asleep. What this graphic novel does, is take a complicated and dense subject and makes it easy to understand, and somehow does it in an entertaining fashion.

The graphic novel begins in the early stages of economics and follows through to modern times, including the fiscal meltdown over the last decade. Not only are the philosophies that impacted the thought of the time discussed, but the major events of the time are added in to give us a perspective as to how it all fits together.

The graphic novel isn’t preachy at all, instead it allows us to make up our own mind as to how it all works together. We’re presented with the history without the personal opinion or perspective (for the most part).

This is a graphic novel that should be a required reading in all high schools and colleges. Not only does it educated, but it also entertains. In one read, I learned more on the subject than all of my education put together. For that the graphic novel deserves accolades.

This is a prime example of how graphic novels and comics have transcended their origins and are more than silly heroes in tights.

Runners Up:

My Friend Dahmer – Want to know the “origin” of Jeffrey Dahmer? Well here you go, directly from a person who knew him in high school. This graphic novel will leave you scratching your head and disturbed at the killer and monster he was, but also wonder how anyone could of stopped it.
Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City – Guy Delisle’s latest about his time spent in Israel. The commentary and perspective of his experiences is amazing and really gets you to think. A travel guide like no other, Delisle’s work is beyond entertaining perfect for comic and non-comic fans alike.
Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland and Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me – These are some of Harvey Pekar’s last works before his passing this year. Both are as personal as they come discussing his faith and growing up in Cleveland. Masterpieces both.
Building Stories – The most praised release of the year is a collection of stories in a box the size of a board game. The interconnected stories make you rethink what comic books are and could be.

Best Writer of the Year – Brian Wood

The Massive would put Wood in the running this year, but add in his run on Conan the Barbarian and his release of Mara and Brian Wood is the best writer this year. Each series is varied in topics and characters, but what they all have in common is strong characters.

Wood, throughout everything he’s written has focused on that. They voices he writes through run through the spectrum, and through it all he tackles some great socio and political commentary. His writing is a commentary in the world we live in or a world we could live in.

All three series are some of the top of the year, and with Star Wars on the horizon in 2013, there’s a good chance he’ll be towards the top of the list then too.

Runners Up:

Mark Waid – Waid is a master writer turning anything he touches into gold. He’s got Daredevil, last years best series, and take the reigns on the Indestructible Hulk, plus there’s his work at Thrillbent. I can’t wait to see what he releases in 2013!
Scott Snyder – The man has injected excitement and new ideas into Batman, giving us new bad guys that seem like a threat and the return of the Joker. On top of that there’s his work on American Vampire and Swamp Thing. 2013 sees Man of Steel from DC comics, we’ll see if he can give us the Superman we deserve.
Matt Kindt – Mind MGMT has gotten Kindt on to the list. The story and how it’s laid out, with fake ads and small details in the margins makes it a series that sucks you in, in every way.
Brian Michael Bendis – The man wrapped up his epic run on the Avengers and gave us the All-New X-Men after juggling the epic battle of Avengers Vs. X-Men. Probably the most controversial person on the list, he’s taken concepts that shouldn’t work and some how have made them so.

Best Event of the Year – Court of Owls

Scott Snyder’s Batman event has given us a threat that really makes us think Batman has met his match. Talons, undead assassins are unleashed on Gotham to cleanse it and bring in the reign of the Court of Owls a secret society that’s been around since the cities’ earliest of days.

We got some retconning and wedging in of the concept, but it all works. Snyder pulled it off giving us a hell of an exciting story and one I wish went on longer. It’s only downside was it was too short, but I’m sure it’s ramifications will be felt in the long run, setting up a plot line for Batman that’ll be around for years.

Runners Up:

Rotworld – Swamp Thing and Animal take on the Rot, which might consumer us all. The least talked about event and story-arc of the year is one of DC’s best.
Avengers Vs. X-Men – It should of been horrible, but every battle, every fight was entertaining and filled up that small part of us that want to see comic characters beat the crap out of each other. Oh yeah, and the Phoenix returned. It gave us the new Marvel status-quo, so it was also one of the most important story arcs.
Uncanny X-Force: Final Execution – Will Kid Apocalypse turn evil? This is what the series has been leading to, and in the end it’s all a comment on nature vs. nurture.
Return of Valiant – Valiant is back! And while the comics are all over the map in quality, they’re all good to great. 2013 sees the publisher’s first big events, so we’ll see where they land next year. Welcome back Valiant, you’ve been missed!

Best Genre of the Year – Indie Comics

Is it a “genre”? We can argue about that, but lets face it, 2012 was a year we saw major creators shrug off the big two, instead launching creator owned series at other publishers, digitally or through Kickstarter. We saw more comics, in more varieties, on more subjects and more ways to consume them, than any time before. It really wasn’t the year of the Big Two, this was a year that we as consumers could find something that’d fit our tastes.

With more channels for distribution and more ways to produce comics, we’re in a golden age where the old ways of publishing no longer hold back the creativity that abounds.

Runners Up:

Zombies – Zombies have become a cultural phenomenon, lead ~~marching~~ shuffling along by The Walking Dead. Revival changed the genre a bit, with so many releases giving us so many other spins and perspectives. The genre has crossed over in to movies, television, books, toys and more. We’ll see how soon before it all comes grinding to a halt.
Digital Comics – Digital first. Digital exclusive. Web comics. This was the year digital comics began to break through. Lead by the platform comiXology, we also saw some creativity in how to sell digitally by Viz. This distribution method will only grow in 2013 as more ways to gain revenue from it are explored.

Best Comic Tie-In of the Year – The Walking Dead Episodes 1 to 5

The game has gained numerous accolades in the video game industry. It released as episodes, mimicking comic books and the television series it built off of. You make choices and try to survive in a world filled with zombies, with your decisions impacting the story. It also was a break through for episodic video game content, something toyed with, but not really ever gaining the acceptance it deserved.

This is the video game based on a comic book that didn’t suck. Something rare when it comes to video games. A second volume is out in 2013, so expect this to make numerous lists then too.

Runners Up:

Marvel and DC Lego Sets – How awesome are these? I have all the sets released, plus the key chains and some of the limited edition figs. All are awesome, and there’s more out in 2013!
The Walking Dead (Facebook game) – Take The Walking Dead and make it a fun social game you can play on Facebook. A fun time sink that plays off it’s source material perfectly.
Minimates – Kind of like Lego figures, but more points of articulation and so many choices to make. There’s over 50 sets out and the characters and properties they cover is massive. A great niche form of toys and one I got in to in 2012.
Marvel Universe – The out put this year seems to have dropped of these G.I. Joe like toys. But, the quality was up there. Topping the list for me was my Guardians of the Galaxy toy set with Rocket Raccoon and Groot!

Best Comic Book Related Movie/TV Show – The Walking Dead

This was a juggernaut. The television series based on the Skybound/Image Comics comic dominated television, putting up ratings that haven’t been scene before in a cable television series. It crushes the competition in key demographic categories and only seems to be getting bigger and bigger.

It become a focal point between AMC and television cable companies in their battles this year. It also has driven people to pick up the source material. The Walking Dead television series has done what no other movie or television series based on comics has done, it’s driven people to buy comics. The Walking Dead trade paperbacks have been in the top ten of lists for much of the year and stores can’t keep them in stock.

Issue 100 of the series was one of the biggest selling comics of the last decade driven by the popularity of the television show. It’s back in February and I’m expecting only bigger ratings and fandom to come.

Runners Up:

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope – A celebration of fandom, the movie took us to San Diego Comic-Con and helped us understand the buzz and comic fans, never talking down about or making fun of them. A documentary that truly celebrates it’s subject.
Avengers- The movie was flawed, but Marvel and Joss Whedon pulled off what many thought was impossible, pulling together Marvel’s characters and creating a cohesive comic movie universe. That gets it to make the list.
The Dark Knight Rises- The end of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy fails to stand on it’s own, but it’s a great end cap to the three movies wrapping up it’s themes nicely. The whole is stronger than any individual part.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 – The source material is fantastic, so not a shock the animated feature is any less. Now I want part 2!

Best Surprise of the Year – Image’s come back

Image celebrated it’s 20th anniversary this year, and it came back and kicked ass. Each released seemed to create bigger and bigger buzz with constant sell-outs. And should it be any shock this was the case? Image drew some of the biggest talent in the comic industry as creators threw off the shackles of the big two and instead released quality indie comic after indie comic.

There was something for everyone this year from Image, and they moved passed their reputation of big guns and pecks comics, instead bringing us varied titles that at times pushed the medium.

Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Marvel NOW!

I’ll start off by saying there’s some great comics in Marvel NOW!. But, there’s also some real stinkers. We were promised the best creative teams tackling the best characters, but so far, this big shake up has seemed like business as usual. Sure, there’s solid comics, All-New X-Men, Thor, Avengers, but for each good one, there seems to be some turds too.

Add on top of that, a promise of promotion that hasn’t been scene. There was Jimmy Kimmel, but that seemed to make fun of comic books. There was Jeopardy that every contestant avoided like the plague.

What should of been a huge multi-media event instead turned into another launch point aimed at people already reading comics, offering nothing new or different. Just the same old comics, with different creative teams.

Sure there’s the Marvel augmented reality, but do I want to pull out my phone to read a comic? It’s a toy added to what should be the real draw, the comic story and art. This just feels like an accessory to the action figure that’s not needed.

We also have a release schedule that makes me slap my head. Some issues see their fifth issue out in less than two months. Some are a weekly release, some are monthly. This is overload of the worst kind when it comes to releases.

Instead of innovating and challenging what comics are and who reads them, we get what’s come before with some new polish.

Best Character – Callum Israel

Callum Israel is the main character of Brian Wood‘s The Massive. A former mercenary who worked for a Blackwater like operation, is now the leader of an environmental group trying to find their sister ship in a world destroyed by ecological disaster.

We’re still learning more and more about this character, much like everyone in Wood’s amazing read. We know were he’s from, that’s brought up a lot. We know a bit about his past and partially why he stopped his former life. There’s a gap however between then and when he became an environmental crusader and so much else we don’t know about.

A leader whose mysterious and tough. Israel is a character I want to learn more about.

Runner Up:

Batman – A successful comic series and event(s) plus a successful movie that end caps a fantastic movie trilogy. That was followed up about rumors as to how he’ll be handled in the upcoming Justice League movie. This was Batman’s year when it comes to super heroes.

Publisher of the Year – Kickstarter

I thought long and hard about who should have this mantle. I decided there should be a couple of factors when choosing the “Publisher of the Year.” I wanted a “publisher” that not only put out solid comic books, but in this digital age, pushed the envelope some how. While not technically a publisher Kickstarter did both.

Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform where individuals put up projects and people submit pledges to help those projects meet their goals. Pledges may contain various gifts back, like digital comics, printed comics, posters, prints, t-shirts or more.

Kickstarter is now roughly the third largest publisher in it’s output each month, but what’s more amazing is that it’s democratized the creation process. In the past the publisher was the one that decided what was printed and what the masses could read. Sure there was indie comics, but for the most part the the decision process was top down.

Instead, Kickstarter is a publishing platform, allowing creators to pitch their ideas and creations and allow the masses to decide what gets funded, and by being funded, what gets printed. It destroys the creation process and throws out the out-dated beliefs.

Comics you’d never see otherwise are now getting created and in to the hands of fans. Some of the most buzzed about projects are starting there first and then going to publishers. Some of the industry’s biggest creators are going there to get their projects out there.

Kickstarter has really gotten the ball rolling in a change that will fundamentally change the entertainment we enjoy and will eventually lead to a publishing process years from now we don’t even recognize today. What’s more amazing is, it’s just getting started.

Runners Up:

Image Comics – Image has had a banner year, getting past stereotypes of the type of comics you’d expect from them and drawing in some of the industry’s biggest creators. It gave us some of the most talked about comics of the years, creating some of the biggest buzz. All of which during it’s 20th anniversary.
Dark Horse – Conan, The Massive, The Strain, the Goon, Dark Horse Presents, Mind MGMT, Ghost and I could go on and on. Dark Horse gave us some amazing monthly series, but also collections of modern comics as well as classic comic archives.
Viz Media – I don’t read Manga. I’m not the biggest fan, but I’m checking it out more and more. Why Viz Media makes the list is because they’re changing up revenue models. Not only did they launch Neon Alley, but they have given a digital Manga platform which you can pay for or read digital comics by watching ads. Add in a deal with CafePress and this is a company willing to try new things and see what works.
Archaia – Archaia has put out some of the most beautiful comics this year. They went digital first, which I think hurt a bit, but the comics themselves are fantastic. They really have something for everyone and if you want to get someone in to comics, this is a company to start with. The presentation alone will get people to change their minds. When I think of Archaia, I think quality.

Preview – Point of Impact #3 (of 4)

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Brett

Point of Impact #3 (of 4)

Story by: Jay Faerber Art By: Koray Kuranel
Price: $2.99

It’s the penultimate issue of Jay Faerber’s murder mystery! As Boone attempts to infiltrate the conspiracy surrounding Nicole Rafferty’s murder, Mitch Rafferty manages to track down the man who could have all the answers. Meanwhile, Det. Abby Warren discovers the aftermath of a violent encounter.

Pick of the Week – Avengers Arena #1

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Brett

I haven’t read Avengers Arena #1, but out of all of the comics being released as part of Marvel NOW!, this one has me the most intrigued. Take the Hunger Games, mix it with Battle Royal and add super heroes and villains and you have this series. Or at least that’s the concept that I understand. What this will actually be as far as quality, I really have no idea. But, as far as what comics I’m reading this week, Avengers Arena #1 is at the top of my “read” pile.

Avengers Arena #1 – see above
The Massive #7 – The best comic on the market and one of the best of the year. Comic of the year and new comic of the year potential, just saying.
Cable and X-Force #1 – What’s Cable up to in Marvel NOW!? Well, find out right here.
Point of Impact #3 – Law & Order, the comic book. This is an absolute buy for any fan of the television series.
Supurbia #2 – First issue rocked, I’m expecting no less from the second!

Preview – Point of Impact #2 (of 4)

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Brett

Point of Impact #2 (of 4)

Story by: Jay Faerber Art By: Koray Kuranel
Price: $2.99

Chapter Two of JAY FAERBER’s thrilling murder mystery! The victim’s secret boyfriend is the prime suspect in her murder – and the cop leading the investigation will stop at nothing to catch him. Meanwhile, the victim’s husband learns there’s a lot about his wife he didn’t know.

Pick of the Week – The Massive #6

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Brett

Brian Wood‘s The Massive is THE best series you’re not reading, seriously. This comic series follows the crew of a boat as they search for their sister ship the Massive in a world devastated by environmental disasters. The characters are beyond interesting, being layered and not the stereotypical one dimensional characters you see in so many comics.

The world itself is fascinating as we know “what happened” but we have no idea “why.” The series is tense as is the world the characters inhabit. You never know where each issue will take you, as we keep on finding out more about what’s going on, but the events depicted are movie worthy. I’ve found myself digging my toes into my shoes while reading.

Do yourself a favor and get this comic and start reading this series!

The Massive #6 – see above
Point of Impact #2 – This is Law & Order in comic form, except it focuses more on the characters within the pages. The first issue blew me away and I expect no less from this second issue.
Great Pacific #1 – There’s lots of buzz about this series which takes place on the big garbage heap in the ocean, a popular setting nowadays. We’ll see how this “environmental” series does.
The Marvel #1’s, All-New X-Men #1, Fantastic Four #1, Thor: God of Thunder #1, X-Men: Legacy #1 –How can you not include all of Marvel’s reboots/relaunch/continuations this week? If you’ve wanted to check out a Marvel comic, here’s your chance.
Locke & Key: Omega #1 – Joe Hill’s series is poised to blow up and this newest volume will hopefully kick the buzz up to the next level. You can see you were reading the series before it was cool.

Picks of the Week

Review – Creator Owned Heroes #5, Hoax Hunters #4, MacGyver: Fugitive Guantlet #1, Morning Glories #22, Point of Impact #1, Think Tank #3

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Brett

Creator Owned Heroes #5

The fifth issue of the comic/magazine mash-up is a perfect hopping on point starting two new comic stories. Featuring a massive amount of talent, Creator Owned Heroes is a comic magazine perfect for people interested in behind the scenes advice as well as some solid stories you’re not going to find anywhere else.

Killswitch is the start of a brand new four-part story. Introducing Killswitch, an enigmatic, and devastatingly handsome killer with a fetish for blunt force, a strong code of honor, and more than a few skeletons in his closet. Killswitch is drawn into a game of death with the world’s top assassins to find out who is behind the contract on his head – and why.

Black Sparrow is a new two-part story begins, as a family living in the old west must reconcile that someone close to them might be a killer, or worse. A dark tale of haunting family dedication and the price we pay for love.

You get a lot here for your dollar, including the start of two interesting stories. Add those together with interviews, tips and more, and it’s easy to recommend this issue and the series as a whole.

Story by: Steve Niles, Jay Russel, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, Andrew Ritchie, Jerry Lando, Paul Mounts Art By: Dave Johnson & Andrew Ritchie

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Hoax Hunters #4

The Hoax Hunters desperately try to prevent Clive and his carnival from executing their plan-a plan that includes the extinction of an entire cryptid race. More answers to the deepening mystery are revealed in this thrilling finale to the first Hoax Hunters arc!

Take the current “busters” series on television and mash them together and you get this series. Mythbusters + Ghost Hunters + Ghost Adventures and you pretty much have what this series is. The first three issues have been building to this fourth issue, which seems to lay out what to expect for some time to come.

The only downside I think is there’s not enough of the television aspect of it, instead focusing on the bigger mystery and that mystery isn’t totally explained through at all points. Which is fine, in that more and more will be revealed as the series progresses. So far, beyond entertaining and a definite buy.

Story by: Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley Art By: Axel Medellin Cover By: Keith Burns

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

MacGyver: Fugitive Guantlet #1

Welcome to the long-awaited return of MacGyver – co-written by his creator! When an old friend calls for help, Mac becomes involved in a web of industrial espionage, murder and a white-knuckle pursuit across the globe with a million dollar hit on his head! Can he live long enough to save the world – or has his luck finally run out?

It’s been so long since MacGyver was on television screens and from my memories it was the one person A-Team. Each week, there’d be some bad guy or obstacle and then at the end some gizmo would get him out of the situation.

It’s been so long, and I barely remember the series, but this just doesn’t feel like a MacGyver story. Folks are out to kill him, people are being killed, the gizmo escape is meh, it’s just off. Maybe the entire story arc together will work, but this first issue wasn’t enough to get me to want to come back for more.

Story by: Lee David Zlotoff & Tony Lee Art By: Will Sliney Cover By: Andie Tong

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7 Recommendation: Pass

Morning Glories #22

Uh… this issue was a bit weird. For each issue, for every mystery revealed in each issue, so many more are thrown out there. This issue picks up right away from the rather shocking ending of the previous issue. I swear this series has a higher body count than an X-Men comic featuring kids.

There’s some stuff about saving a person and going back in time. All of that leads to the characters speaking foreign languages, making it even more difficult to figure out what the hell is going on.

I loved this series when it started, there was so much going for it. But, like Lost, the mystery has dragged on and at this point it feels made up on the fly and mystery piled on mystery. There’s so much that’s great and so much I scratch my head and ask wtf.

Story by: Nick Spencer Art By: Joe Eisma Cover By: Rodin Esquejo

Story: 7.25 Art: 8 Overall: 7.25 Recommendation: Read

Point of Impact #1

A gripping, provocative four-part crime series from acclaimed writer JAY FAERBER and stunning new artist KORAY KURANEL begins with one woman’s murder and branches out to follow the investigation by three people with personal connections to her: her husband, an investigative reporter; her lover, an ex-soldier; and her friend, a homicide detective. Her death will change all of their lives.

Add in the Law & Order infamous chime and this first issue would fit right into the television series. And it’s awesome. A woman is dead and the police are trying to figure out the how and why. This is a police procedural in every sense.

And holy crap is it good. The way it introduces the characters and teases what might be clues, the comic is as good as any cop show on television and better than so many of them. This is a series, I’m looking forward to the next issue. A perfect comic to transition and get your friends into Law & Order and CSI to try out comics.

Story by: Jay Faerber Art By: Koray Kuranel

Story: 9.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9.25 Recommendation: Buy

Think Tank #3

Hey you! Yeah, you! The MacGyver comic a few reviews earlier. This is the big escape and use of gadgets you were looking to pull off.

Dr. David Loren has had enough. Enough of the death and destruction at his hands. Enough of the military men that control his life. Tonight, David finally makes his move to escape from the military think tank that has been his prison and playground for years. The only complication… he has to free an innocent woman from the same place.

Matt Hawkins’ series has been a magic trick for smart people focusing on one of those smart folks snatched up by the military to build new weapons. The writing and story just has snark about it and entertainment value that keeps me giggling.

How this’ll sustain into an ongoing series remains to be seen, but

Story by: Matt Hawkins Art By: Rahsan Ekedal and Brian Reber

Story: 9.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9.25 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review

Image Comics in December 2012

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Brett

MARA #1 (of 6)

story BRIAN WOOD
art / cover MING DOYLE & JORDIE BELLAIRE
DECEMBER 26
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

Acclaimed creator BRIAN WOOD (The Massive, DMZ, Demo, Northlanders) and brilliant newcomer MING DOYLE (The Loneliest Astronaut, Fantastic Four, Girl Comics) bring you MARA, the story of an especially gifted woman in a sports-and war-obsessed future. Young Mara Prince is at the top of the world, a global celebrity in a culture that prizes physical achievement above all else. After she manifests supernatural abilities on live TV, she becomes famous all over again but for the worst reasons. Integrating themes of superpowers, celebrity worship, corporate power, feminism, and political brinksmanship, MARA takes a classic genre to new places.

HIP FLASK: OURBOROUS

story RICHARD STARKINGS
art / cover LADRÖNN
DECEMBER 26
48 PAGES / FC / M
$5.99

LADRÖNN Eisner award winner for his work on HIP FLASK: MYSTERY CITY returns for the penultimate issue in the series. Sahara is dead, but both Hip Flask and Obadiah Horn are determined to save her!

BLACKACRE #1

story DUFFY BOUDREAU
art WENDELL CAVALCANTI
cover MICHAEL AVON OEMING
DECEMBER 5
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

100 YEARS AFTER THE FALL… A NEW GREAT GAME BEGINS.

A retired soldier on a secret mission… sent out from the walled city and the only life he’s ever known into the violent wilderness of the world after the fall! Tribal cults, roaming bands of barbarians, vicious warlords! A startling new take on the post-apocalypse and the most auspicious comics debut of the year!

CHANGE #1 (of 4)

story ALES KOT
art / cover MORGAN JESKE
DECEMBER 12
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

A foul-mouthed struggling screenwriter who moonlights as a car thief. An obscenely wealthy rapper completely disconnected from the real world. A dying cosmonaut on his way back to Earth.

Los Angeles is being toyed with by destructive forces that repeatedly find the city through time and swallow it whole, and those three are the only people able to save it – if they survive the fanatics who live in the hills, National Security Agency agents, and the horrors that lurk in the Pacific Ocean.

I LOVE TROUBLE #1

story KEL SYMONS
art / cover MARK A. ROBINSON
DECEMBER 5
24 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

“DISAPPEARING ACT”

Felicia Castillo, a New Orleans grifter, is on the run from mobsters in our premiere issue, when she discovers she possesses an unusual superpower in the middle of a plane crash.

THE LEGEND OF LUTHER STRODE #1 (of 6)

story JUSTIN JORDAN
art / cover TRADD MOORE
DECEMBER 5
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.50

Luther Strode lives.

Five years after losing everything, Luther has become more than a nightmare for the evil men in his city… he has become a legend. But somebody is hunting the bogeyman, and he has dangerous allies that Luther will never expect. Luther Strode lives; but for how long?

The sequel to 2011’s breakout hit begins here!

ARTIFACTS #25

story RON MARZ
art STJEPAN SEJIC
cover MARC SILVESTRI
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.99

Thirteen Artifacts destroyed the Universe. Darkness bearer Jackie Estacado remade the Universe. Rapture bearer and defrocked priest Tom Judge has recruited Witchblade bearer Sara Pezzini to muscle Jackie into setting everything back to how it was. Will their triumph return the natural order of things, or will it make matters much, much worse?

HAPPY! #4 (of 4)

story GRANT MORRISON
art / cover DARICK ROBERTSON
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

Christmas is here and the bad men are about to open their presents! It’s showdown time but can Nick Sax save the day without Happy to help him – or will he screw this up like everything else? You must not miss the blood-drenched conclusion of our heartwarming Yuletide classic!

MORNING GLORIES #25

story NICK SPENCER
art JOE EISMA
cover RODIN ESQUEJO
DECEMBER 19
48 PAGES / FC / M
$3.99

DOUBLE-SIZED 25th ISSUE – and the Season One Finale! Featuring three interconnected covers by rising superstar RODIN ESQUEJO!

“8:13”

FATALE #11

story ED BRUBAKER
art SEAN PHILLIPS & DAVE STEWART
cover SEAN PHILLIPS
DECEMBER 19
32 PGS / FC / M
$3.50

The first of four standalone FATALE FLASHBACK issues, and a perfect place for new readers to jump on board. Welcome to 1930s California, a hard place to be for a girl on the run. Witness Josephine’s early days with the Femme Fatale curse, and see some of her elusive secrets revealed.

And remember each issue of FATALE contains extra content, articles and artwork that are not available anywhere but the printed single issues.

FATALE, VOL. 2: THE DEVIL’S BUSINESS TP

story ED BRUBAKER
art / cover SEAN PHILLIPS & DAVE STEWART
DECEMBER 19
136 PAGES / FC / M
$14.99

The second arc of Image’s new hit collected just in time for new readers to jump on board with issue 11!

In 1970s Los Angeles, Josephine can’t hide from the forces of Hollywood, Satanic Cults and creepy 16mm films collected by wealthy deviants. And when a struggling actor and his wounded friend cross her path, all hell will break loose, leaving ripples that echo all the way to modern time, where Nicolas Lash falls deeper into Josephine’s spell.

ED BRUBAKER and SEAN PHILLIPS’ best-selling series just gets hotter!

Collects FATALE 6 – 10

KRISHNA: A JOURNEY WITHIN OGN

story / art /cover ABHISHEK SINGH
DECEMBER 5
300 PAGES / FC OVERSIZED / E
$29.99

A searing, human portrayal of Krishna, the god of all gods awaits you in A JOURNEY WITHIN. Journey along through his pastimes that have swayed the ages. The final confrontation between the fire of man’s consuming greed to conquer all, and the supreme power of the Divine Spirit.

BODY BAGS, VOL. 2 TP

story JASON PEARSON
art / cover JASON PEARSON
DECEMBER 12
112 PAGES / FC / M
$12.99

Jason Pearson’s controversial action series is back in this brand new trade! BODY BAGS, VOL. 2 collects stories from the sold out 3 THE HARD WAY and ONE SHOT specials, now under the same cover for the first time. Join Clownface and panda, as the original father/daughter duo kick ass across Terminus, GA! Featuring a cover gallery and never-before-seen extras, fans of this amazingly illustrated, hard-hitting series are sure to be pleased.

Collects BODY BAGS: 3 THE HARD WAY and ONE SHOT

BUTCHER BAKER, THE RIGHTEOUS MAKER HC

story JOE CASEY
art MIKE HUDDLESTON
DECEMBER 5
250 PAGES / FC / M
$24.99

THE SUPERHEROIC PERVERSION OF THE DECADE – NOW IN AN OVERSIZED HARDCOVER EDITION! At one time, Butcher Baker was the preeminent, All-American superhero. Now he’s… getting laid. A lot. But one last mission could signal his return to glory, and now he’s back on the blacktop! It’s a balls-out, pimp-slappin’, surreal super-epic from the twisted minds of JOE CASEY and MIKE HUDDLESTON! LOADED WITH ALL-NEW BACKMATTER MATERIAL!

Collects BUTCHER BAKER, THE RIGHTEOUS MAKER 1-8

CHEW, VOL. 6: SPACE CAKES TP

story JOHN LAYMAN
art / cover ROB GUILLORY
DECEMBER 5
156 PAGES / FC / M
$14.99

Presenting a new storyline of the New York Times Best Selling, Harvey and multiple Eisner Award-winner series about cops, crooks, cooks, cannibals, and clairvoyants!

While Tony Chu – the cibopathic federal agent with the ability to get psychic impressions from what he eats – clings to life in a hospital ICU, his twin sister Toni steps up to take center stage. Toni is cibovoyant, able to see the future of anything she eats, and, lately, she’s seeing some pretty terrible things.

Collects CHEW 26-30, plus extras, as well as the blockbuster spin-off one-shot that stole America’s heart, CHEW: SECRET AGENT POYO.

CYBER FORCE ORIGINS, VOL. 2 TP

story MARC SILVESTRI & ERIC SILVESTRI
art MARC SILVESTRI, TODD MCFARLANE & JOE BENITEZ
cover MARC SILVESTRI
DECEMBER 5
280 PAGES / FC / T+
$19.99

ORIGINS CONTINUED!

To coincide with the groundbreaking return of CYBER FORCE, Top Cow proudly continues the original stories that launched the series! Collecting the very first stories of the original ongoing CYBER FORCEseries, this trade includes the “Killer Instinct” and “Assault With a Deadly Woman” storylines and more! Revisit the adventures of Velocity, Ripclaw, Heatwave, Cyblade, Impact and Ballistic, many of which have never been reprinted prior to this collection! This collection includes a complete cover gallery, character designs, commentary and more!

Collects CYBER FORCE , VOL. 2 1-8, CYBER FORCEORIGINS 1 and more!

HACK/SLASH, VOL. 11: MARRY F*CK KILL TP

story TIM SEELEY
art DANIEL LEISTER & EMILIO LAISO
cover TIM SEELEY
DECEMBER 19
160 PAGES / FC / T+
$16.99

This volume collects two of HACK/SLASH’s most controversial storylines, as Cassie and Vlad go face to face with the Bomb Queen in “Interdimensional Women’s Prison Breakout,” and then must prevent Samhain from going to the dark side in the midst of a giant monster invasion in “Monster Baiting.” Sex, blood, and one giant snake gorilla, in the finest HACK/SLASH tradition!

Collects HACK/SLASH, VOL. 2 9-15

HOAX HUNTERS, VOL. 1: MURDER, DEATH & THE DEVIL TP

story MICHAEL MORECI & STEVE SEELEY
art JM RINGUET, AXEL MEDELLIN & EMILIO LAISO
cover STEVE SEELEY
DECEMBER 5
160 PAGES / FC / T+
$14.99

In this first collection of the critically acclaimed series, the Hoax Hunters travel to Russia, the Louisiana Bayou, and 1984 New Jersey to seek out the truth behind supernatural events – and cover them up! The Hoax Hunters demonstrate the truth isn’t out there. Includes the much sought after issue 0.

Collects HOAX HUNTERS 0-5

THE PERHAPANAUTS, VOL. 2: TREASURE OBSCURA TP

story TODD DEZAGO
art CRAIG ROUSSEAU & VARIOUS
cover CRAIG ROUSSEAU
DECEMBER 12
128 PAGES / FC / E
$9.99

Buried treasure from THE PERHAPANAUTS vaults! Includes THE PERHAPANAUTS 5.5, THE PERHAPANAUTS 6, THE PERHAPANAUTS HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR 1, and THE PERHAPANAUTS: MOLLY’S STORY 1. Plus; never-before-published stories from the online “Tales from the Perhaps”! and other extras!

REVIVAL, VOL. 1: YOU’RE AMONG FRIENDS TP

story TIM SEELEY
art / cover MIKE NORTON & MARK ENGLERT
DECEMBER 12
128 PAGES / FC / T+
$12.99

For one day in rural central Wisconsin, the dead came back to life. Now it’s up to Officer Dana Cypress to deal with the media scrutiny, religious zealots, and government quarantine that has come with them. In a town where the living have to learn to deal with those who are supposed to be dead, Officer Cypress must solve a brutal murder, and everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect. The sell-out hit series created by NYT Bestselling author TIM SEELEY and Eisner winning artist MIKE NORTON is collected with bonus material!

Collects REVIVAL 1-5 and the FREE COMIC BOOK DAY short story

THINK TANK TP

story MATT HAWKINS
art RAHSAN EKEDAL
cover RAHSAN EKEDAL & BRIAN REBER
DECEMBER 5
120 PAGES / BW / T
$14.99

Dr. David Loren is many things: child prodigy, inventor, genius, slacker… mass murderer. When a military think tank’s smartest scientist decides he can no longer stomach creating weapons of destruction, will he be able to think his way out of his dilemma or find himself subject to the machinations of smaller men?

Collecting the original series in its entirety, this trade paperback also is jam packed with a complete cover gallery, bonus articles, behind-the-scenes sketches, and more!

Collects THINK TANK 1-4

THE WALKING DEAD OMNIBUS, VOL 4 HC

story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art & cover CHARLIE ADLARD & CLIFF RATHBURN
DECEMBER 5
560 PAGES / BW / OVERSIZED / M
$100.00
S&N EDITION $150.00

This deluxe hardcover features 24 issues of the hit series, The Walking Dead, along with the covers for the issues all in one massive, oversized slip-cased volume. Perfect for long-time fans, new readers, and anyone needing a heavy object with which to fend off the walking dead!

Collects THE WALKING DEAD 73-96

AGE OF BRONZE #32

story ERIC SHANOWER
art / cover ERIC SHANOWER
DECEMBER 12
24 PAGES / BW / T
$3.50

“THE STORY OF THE TROJAN WAR: BETRAYAL,” Part 13

Cressida enters the Achaean camp, far from Troilus, her lover in Troy. The Achaeans treat her little better than a whore, while her father, the Trojan traitor Kalchas, won’t listen. Only Diomedes shows her respect – but can Diomedes survive in battle against Troilus?

THE ACTIVITY #12

story NATHAN EDMONDSON
art MARC LAMING
cover MITCH GERADS
DECEMBER 5
32 PAGES / FC / T
$3.50

Before SWITCHFOOT was in the activity, he was an operator in Delta Force. Guest artist Marc Laming takes Switchfoot’s Delta squad into Fallujah during the 2004 siege where the team’s actions will draw fire from the enemy and the US Marines alike.

BEDLAM #3

story NICK SPENCER
art RILEY ROSSMO
cover FRAZER IRVING
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.50

The First.

BLACK KISS #5 (of 6)

story / art / cover HOWARD CHAYKIN
DECEMBER 5
24 PAGES / BW / M
$2.99

Welcome to Los Angeles, 1984. A trying time and a difficult place for relationships of every stripe, as old lovers fall out and new ones fall in. And Las Vegas, 1991, where and when nostalgia for a carefree world of sexual depravity makes for the strangest bedfellows.

CLONE #2

story DAVID SCHULNER
art / cover JUAN JOSE RYP & FELIX SERRANO
DECEMBER 12
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

Dr. Luke Taylor’s world continues to unravel and open up as the hunt for his missing, and very much pregnant, wife continues. His clone counterparts show him just how many clones are out there – and how much the government had a role to play!

COMEBACK #2 (of 5)

story ED BRISSON
art / cover MICHAEL WALSH
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.50

An FBI raid throws RECONNECT, an illegal time travel agency, into a panic. Trapped in the past, RECONNECT agent Mark Thomas has lost the woman whose life he was sent to save. He must find her and throw the FBI off his trail or lose his only method of getting back home.

CREATOR OWNED HEROES #7

story STEVE NILES & SCOTT MORSE, JIMMY PALMIOTTI & JUSTIN GRAY, JERRY LANDO, PAUL MOUNTS & DARWYN COOKE
art / cover DAN PANOSIAN & SCOTT MORSE
DECEMBER 5
56 PAGES / FC / M
$3.99

SPECIAL EXTRA PAGES ISSUE!

A brand new story by STEVE NILES and SCOTT MORSE, and more madness from DARWYN COOKE!

“KILL SWITCH,” Part Three

Locked in a Peruvian Prison, Kill Switch awaits a Mexican hit squad as he tries to discover who put a bounty on his head and why. The bullets fly as our hero is led into a deadly game of death against the world’s best and most eccentric assassins, but the gloves come off when they threaten his family.

“MEATBAG,” Part One

Detective Paul DeSanto works the seedy side of Los Angeles. He specializes in cheaters and losers, but he never chooses sides. In Hollywood cheats and loses work both sides of the street. After one of his operatives is eviscerated in an alleyway, DeSanto discovers the strange side of seedy.

Plus: LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS: INDEPENDENT SPIRITS a profile feature by Christopher Irving and Seth Kushner spotlighting EVAN DORKIN.

CYBER FORCE #3

story MARC SILVESTRI & MATT HAWKINS
art KHOI PHAM & SUNNY GHO
cover MARC SILVESTRI
DECEMBER 5
32 PAGES / FC / T+
FREE

CYBER FORCE CONTINUES IN ITS GROUND-BREAKING RELAUNCH!

The massive corporation CDI continues to engineer technologically enhanced humans. Opposing CDI is a lone group of rebels. Will the public perceive the newly formed Cyber Force as resistance fighters battling for public good – or terrorists who must be stopped?

Not content in pushing the envelope just in terms of story and art, Top Cow will be the first major US comic publisher to launch one of their biggest properties with top tier creators concurrently for the traditional print market and exploding worldwide digital market for FREE. That’s right, thanks to the support of fans through Kickstarter and participating comic shops, you can get the first FIVE issues of CYBER FORCE at no cost.

THE DARKNESS #110

story DAVID HINE
art / cover JEREMY HAUN
DECEMBER 12
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

“BREAKING DARK” CONCLUSION!

There is something terribly, terribly wrong with Jackie Estacado’s daughter Hope. But with Jenny’s fragile mental state and the empire he created for himself crumbling around him, Jackie has failed to notice that his greatest problem isn’t the Bulgarian mob, Aram the Witch King, or the ancient powers he’s allowed back into the world – it’s Hope!

EPIC KILL #7

story / art / cover RAFFAELE IENCO
DECEMBER 5
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

Trapped between life and death in a nether zone of imagination, Song awakens just in time to fight alongside her Uncle against government drones and super-powered mercenaries.

GLORY #31

story JOE KEATINGE
art ROSS CAMPBELL & ULISES FARINAS
cover NATE BELLEGARDE
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.99

“WAR TORN,” Part One

The entire first year of Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell’s GLORY saga has been leading to this: Glory vs. Silverfall. PLUS: a special flashback sequence illustrated by Ulises Farinas finally revealing why Glory was near death when Riley found her.

GREAT PACIFIC #2

story JOE HARRIS
art / cover MARTÌN MORAZZO
DECEMBER 5
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

“TRASHED!” Part Two

Throwing his life of privilege and comfort aside, fugitive oil heir Chas Worthington plants a flag on the floating continent of trash known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and proclaims it his own, sovereign nation. But he’s not the only one who’s come to check out Earth’s newest, strangest frontier!

GUARDING THE GLOBE #4

story PHIL HESTER
art / cover TODD NAUCK & JOHN RAUCH
DECEMBER 5
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

The Earth’s greatest superheroes could be ravaged by an alien parasite, leaving mankind vulnerable to an even darker evil brewing behind the scenes. Also: What’s been going on with Outrun?

HARVEST #5 (of 5)

story A.J. LIEBERMAN
art / cover COLIN LORIMER
DECEMBER 5
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.50

The bad news? Everything is going wrong for ex-Dr. Benjamin Dane. His patient has been kidnapped. The FBI is closing in on him and he’s bleeding out in a motel bathroom. The only thing that can save him now is vast amounts of luck, his Yakuza bodyguard and the six-year-old kid on his shoulder.

INVINCIBLE #99

story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art / cover RYAN OTTLEY & JOHN RAUCH
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

“THE DEATH OF EVERYONE” continues!

Invincible Vs. Dinosaurus for the fate of the world! Could this be the end of Mark Grayson?!

IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #5

story JAMIE S. RICH
art MIKE NORTON
cover MICHAEL & LAURA ALLRED
DECEMBER 12
32 PAGES / FC / E
$2.99

“DARK STREETS, SNAP CITY” Part Five

It Girl has seen the true face of her enemy, and she’s confronting LaLa Wah-Wah on the villain’s own turf: inside the video game dimension! It’s a dangerous showdown, but with the Atomics rallying behind her, It Girl can’t lose. Concluding the first arc of Image’s newest hit series.

MACGYVER: FUGITIVE GAUNTLET #3 (of 5)

story LEE DAVID ZLOTOFF & TONY LEE
art WILL SLINEY & OWEN JOLLANDS
cover ANDIE TONG & CIARAN LUCAS
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.50

En route to Moscow, MacGyver and Kari find themselves on a plane journey to certain death when an old nemesis of Mac’s returns to claim his bounty – and things go from bad to worse! Catch up with the series everyone’s talking about, co-written by MACGYVER creator LEE DAVID ZLOTOFF!

MIND THE GAP #7 

story JIM McCANN 
art RODIN ESQUEJO  & SONIA OBACK
cover A RODIN ESQUEJO 
cover B SONIA OBACK 
DECEMBER 12
32 PAGES / FC / T+  
$2.99

“WISH YOU WERE HERE,” Part Two

New Arc! Great Jumping on point! Join the mystery everyone is talking about!!

As Dane and Jo try to find a way to clear his name, someone else is sitting pretty, unaware that it is merely the calm before the storm for them. And after Elle’s latest “possession,” will Dr Geller and Detective Wallace be able to set aside science and facts to start trusting in the supernatural?

MULTIPLE WARHEADS: ALPHABET TO INFINITY #3 (of 4)

story / art / cover BRANDON GRAHAM
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

Sexica runs into some old Organ hounds from the Red city that have discovered a magic secret about the city built into the Whaling wall.

NON-HUMANS #3 (of 4)

story GLEN BRUNSWICK
art / cover WHILCE PORTACIO
DECEMBER 12
32 PAGES / FC / T+
S2.99

Aimes has an “About Last Night” moment. His son, Todd, is in some really deep Non-Humans crap. Is Eden harboring a secret that could bring them all down?

NOWHERE MEN #2

story ERIC STEPHENSON
art NATE BELLEGARDE & JORDIE BELLAIRE
cover NATE BELLEGARDE & FONOGRAFIKS
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

There are fates worse than death.

PERHAPANAUTS: DANGER DOWN UNDER #2 (of 5)

Story: TODD DEZAGO
art/cover A: CRAIG ROUSSEAU
cover B: JOE STATON
DECEMBER 5
32 PAGES/FC/E
$3.50

“THE AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE,” Part Two

As BIG puts together his team to go after the legendary – and deadly – BUNYIP, MOLLY opts out, unable to work with one of Big’s selections. Who is this mysterious agent that causes such a stir?

Plus: “Molly’s Mission” by ERIC HENSON and “Choopie and Karl in the Wild Wild West!” by MATT WIERINGO and CHRISTIAN LEAF!

PETER PANZERFAUST #9

story KURTIS J. WIEBE
art / cover TYLER JENKINS
DECEMBER 12
32 PAGES / FC / T
$3.50

“PARIS” Part Four

Captured! Peter and the boys face the terror of Nazi interrogation and despite saving Felix, their adventures have come to an end. There is no way out and the indomitable Kapitan Haken will have his questions answered, one way or another.

POINT OF IMPACT #3 (of 4)

story JAY FAERBER
art & cover KORAY KURANEL
Dec 12
32 PAGES / BW / M
$2.99

PROPHET #32

story / art / cover SIMON ROY
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / T+ 
$3.99 

John Ka, Earth Empire scout, has found little trace of mankind since her pod surfaced. However, when she finds a band of feral humans – and a Prophet clone who has gone native to protect them – she finds herself questioning what it means to be human.

SAGA #8

story BRIAN K. VAUGHAN
art / cover FIONA STAPLES
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

Former soldier and new mom Alana has already survived lethal assassins, rampaging armies and alien monstrosities, but now she faces her greatest challenge yet: the in-laws.

SPAWN #226

story TODD MCFARLANE
art SZYMON KUDRANSKI
cover TODD MCFARLANE
DECEMBER 5
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

“DE-PROGRAMMED,” Part Two

The SECRET ORIGIN of the PROGRAM!

The RISE of Jason Wynn!

NEW TODD MCFARLANE cover!

Jason Wynn, Al Simmons’ old mentor and superior, and one of the Spawn universe’s greatest villains, returns to shed light on the dark realities of Jim’s past. But Wynn, ever the puppet master, has motivations beyond simply filling in the blurred gaps in Jim’s memory. What happens when Wynn finds himself to be nothing more than another pawn in the endless war between Heaven and Hell? Witness the early days of Wynn’s rise to power, and the unbridled ambition that made him one of the most powerful men on the planet as “DE-PROGRAMMED” continues with this special two-part chapter entitled, “The Life and Death of Jason Wynn!”

STORM DOGS #2 (of 6)

story DAVID HINE
art DOUG BRAITHWAITE
colors ULISES ARREOLA
cover DOUG BRAITHWAITE
DECEMBER 5
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.50

Jered’s story: The crime team’s forensic pathologist performs an autopsy that reveals a new mystery, a meeting with the native aliens leads to violence and the second day on Amaranth ends in a close encounter with an enigmatic character called…Doll.

SUPER DINOSAUR #17

story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art / cover JASON HOWARD
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / E
$2.99

Super Dinosaur is on his own – pursued by an unknown attacker that could mean the end of him! While Derek Dynamo is dealing with something far more deadly that could mean the end of the world! And something very strange is happening to Minimus – what is he transforming into?!

THIEF OF THIEVES #11

story ROBERT KIRKMAN & JAMES ASMUS
art / cover SHAWN MARTINBROUGH & FELIX SERRANO
DECEMBER 5
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

The lines are drawn between the cartel and Augustus’ group in the race to save Emma. The only problem is that things could get a little grisly before either party is ready to strike.

THE WALKING DEAD #105

story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art / cover CHARLIE ADLARD & CLIFF RATHBURN
DECEMBER 12
32 PAGES / BW / M
$2.99

“Sing me a song.”

WHERE IS JAKE ELLIS? #2 (of 5)

story NATHAN EDMONDSON
art/ cover TONCI ZONJIC
DECEMBER 12
32 PAGES / FC / T
$3.50

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jon must use all of his ingenuity to escape Bangkok and the ruthless hunter pursuing him – but can Jon make it on his own?

WITCH DOCTOR: MAL PRACTICE #2 (of 6)

story BRANDON SEIFERT
art / cover LUKAS KETNER & ANDY TROY
DECEMBER 19
32 PAGES / FC / T
$2.99

Doc Morrow doesn’t remember what happened to him last night — and what he doesn’t know might kill him! With the clock ticking, Morrow consults with some very unorthodox specialists. But will the cure prove worse than the disease? “Charmingly demented… I can’t wait for future volumes.” — Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

SKYBOUND PRODUCTIONS MERCHANDISE

SUPER DINOSAUR LUNCHBOX

art JASON HOWARD
DECEMBER 5
ONE SIZE
$14.99

Spend the holidays with some dino-cheer!

This nylon lunchbox features Derek Dynamo jamming into action with his best friend Super Dinosaur. Perfect for kids’ school snacks, or the adult on the go!

THE WALKING DEAD “SKULL & CROSSBONES” T-SHIRT

art CHARLIE ADLARD
DECEMBER 5
S-XL $24.99
XXL $27.99

This iconic shirt features no branding, but everyone will know what it is! Featuring NEW artwork from series artist, CHARLIE ADLARD, this is the perfect gift for all Walking Dead fans.

THE WALKING DEAD “NO WAY OUT” POSTER

art CHARLIE ADLARD & CLIFF RATHBURN
DECEMBER 5
24×36
$9.99

Relive your favorite moments from the most haunting chapter in the ongoing survival horror with this new poster… and always be reminded that there is NO WAY OUT.

McFARLANE TOYS

#19172-1 Halo 4 Series 1 Deluxe Figure – KNIGHT

The Knight Deluxe Action Figure is approx. 9-inches tall

The Knight has an opening compartment in its back to carry our Halo 4 Watcher figure (the Watcher is sold separately and will be available in NOV)

Includes mounted Scattershot weapon on its right arm and energy blade weapon on its left arm

Case Pack Information:

Case pack is 2. Refer to individual item code above when ordering. Call your local retailer for pricing.

#92131-1 HAUNT Resin Statue

Individually numbered
Hand signed plaque attached to base by Haunt creators TODD McFARLANE and ROBERT KIRKMAN (creator of The AMC’S Walking Dead TV Series)
Stands over 12 inches tall with a highly detailed 360 degree rotating base, 10 inches in diameter
Limited to 500 pieces worldwide

Solid Case Pack Information:

Case pack is 1. Refer to individual item code above when ordering. Call your local retailer for pricing.

Point of Impact from Image Comics in October

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Brett

cover of Point of Impact #1 In Point of Impact, a new Image Comics miniseries by Near Death creator Jay Faerber and Koray Kuranel, a woman’s murder brings those who thought they knew her best to the realization that they didn’t know her at all. As the investigation of Nicole Rafferty’s death reveals the secrets of her life, three people — her husband, friend, and secret lover — are put on a collision course with the truth.

The four-issue miniseries, which will debut in October, is drawn by Koray Kuranel, a Turkish storyboard artist, in stark black and white. That teaser image has me interested alone, just beautiful work.

Point of Impact#1 will available for pre-order in the August issue of Previews.