comic book

THE RETURN OF NEXUS! COMING TO DARK HORSE PRESENTS #12!

Rob Leave a Comment

Dark Horse Comics announces the return of Nexus in Dark Horse Presents #12.

The fan-favorite title returns with its team of creators, Mike Baron (The Badger) and Steve Rude (The Moth), in their respective positions of writer and artist! Baron and Rude created Nexus in 1981 and have been continuing their canonical tale for thirty years. The Eisner Award winners will craft a brand-new three-part story for readers eager to quench their thirst for what’s next to come in the Nexusverse.

“The new stories crush anvils,” says Mike Baron.

“Nexus has never been a stranger to different publishers. Last seen under the Rude Dude banner in 2009, Nexus has stayed in limbo, never quite knowing when to return, or if he ever would return. Things come together in strange ways. With the backing of Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Comics, Nexus will return to comics,” Steve Rude said. “We especially look forward to the response of Nexus’s devoted fans, and thank them for the wonderful support and encouragement they’ve given us since the book’s debut in 1981!”

Dark Horse Presents #12 is on sale May 2012.

ALL-NEW TRANSFORMERS SERIES DEBUTING IN JANUARY “Two Titles, One Universe”

Rob Leave a Comment

Two Series to follow shattering TRANSFORMERS: THE DEATH OF OPTIMUS PRIME issue in December” ”

image

TRANSFORMERS and comics fans everywhere have two new ongoing TRANSFORMERS comics series–TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE andTRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE. Under license from Hasbro, the two interrelated series are a direct continuation of IDW’s CHAOS event and spring directly out of the special TRANSFORMERS: THE DEATH OF OPTIMUS PRIME issue releasing in comic stores and online on December 21st. Both series will appeal to existing TRANSFORMERS fans and new readers. Featuring two great stories under one TRANSFORMERS comic universe, each series offers never-before-seen action, new threats and new villains that both current readers and those new to the series will enjoy.

“The response to the TRANSFORMERS ongoing series has been phenomenal,” says IDW senior editor John Barber. “This relaunch is a chance to jump onboard for anybody who might have been missing out. We’ve got big stories planned, and there’s never been a better time to read TRANSFORMERS.”

Created as a stepping on point for both fans of super-heroic and science fiction comics, as well as fans of the TRANSFORMERS characters, TRANSFORMERS: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE and TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE each explore the new status quo coming out of IDW’s CHAOS event including BUMBLEBEE’s new leadership position for all TRANSFORMERS. The war between AUTOBOT and DECEPTICON is over, and now the hard part begins. In the new world of CYBERTRON, there are only two choices: stay or go

image

Helmed by writer James Roberts with art and covers by Nick Roche, RODIMUS calls on his fellow AUTOBOTS to leave CYBERTRON in search of the KNIGHTS OF CYBERTRON in TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE. This lost tribe of TRANSFORMERS characters is, according to legend, the guardian of the original Cybertronian culture and RODIMUS and his followers begin a quest that will stretch to the farthest reaches of the galaxy to find the KNIGHTS and restore CYBERTRON to its past glory.

image

DARK HORSE COLLECTS CHANNEL ZERO!

Rob Leave a Comment

image

THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION OF BRIAN WOOD’S FIRST SERIES!

Out of print and unavailable to readers for more than three years, Dark Horse Comics is giving new life to a critically acclaimed classic with the complete collection of Brian Wood’s Channel Zero!

DMZ and The Massive creator Brian Wood launched an all-out assault on the comics medium in 1997 with Channel Zero, an influential, forward-thinking series that combined art, politics, and graphic design in a unique way. Hitting on themes of freedom of expression, hacking, cutting-edge media manipulation, and police surveillance, it remains as relevant today as it did back then.

The Channel Zero collection contains the original series; the prequel graphic novel, Jennie One (illustrated by Becky Cloonan); the best of the two Public Domain design books; and almost fifteen years of extras, rarities, short stories, and unused art. Also featuring the now-classic Warren Ellis introduction and an all-new cover by Wood, this is the must-have edition. A blistering take on media control in a repressive future America!

“Channel Zero is literally the start of my comics career, the first proper comic I ever made, and as such as informed everything that’s come after it, especially DMZ and the upcoming THE MASSIVE.” Tells Brian Wood. “It also put me and Becky Cloonan together, helping build a creative partnership that has lasted a decade. This edition here is the definitive one, including everything worth printing, including a color section that includes the original covers to the single issues.”

Praise for Brian Wood & Channel Zero:

“Wood’s message is clear enough: apathy is the real enemy, and it is harder to fight than any totalitarian government.”—Wired

“It’s about anger as a positive force of creation…Someone’s remembered what comics are for. Meet Brian Wood.”—Warren Ellis, award-winning writer of Planetary

“Dramatic Black and White visuals…Controlled sense of rhythm.” —I.D. magazine

“Your handbook for the media revolution.”—Eyeball magazine

“Strangely prescient… lucid and sharp” – Matt Fraction

“A seemingly endless barrage of powerful art” – Newtype USA

“Fascinating… this is a paranoid future Grant Morrison could not conceive of” – Comics International

The Channel Zero Collection is on sale May 30 th , 2012!

FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA UNLEASHES THE BLACK BEETLE!

Rob Leave a Comment

image

Dark Horse Comics is proud to announce a new three-part story by New York Times best-selling artist for Batman, and current Captain America artist, Francesco Francavilla: The Black Beetle!

The Black Beetle is centered on a pulp-noir character and takes place in a fictional universe that’s based in Colt City. Francavilla published several stories online and even put out an ashcan. When the ashcan sold out, Francesco quickly realized that many fans were interested in exploring this world with him. It was only a matter of time before Dark Horse approached him about bringing some Black Beetle tales to Dark Horse Presents!

“I’m working on a 24-page story, titled ‘Night Shift’ that will be spread over three issues of Dark Horse Presents. I am hugely influenced by pulp stories of the ‘30s and ‘40s, and wanted to develop a series that used that influence as a jumping-off point to explore some modern storytelling with fun twists. I think this will be a great introduction to readers who are new to this character and universe, but will also be an exciting new adventure for those who’ve been reading the online stories over the years,” Francesco states.

“As a huge fan of pulp and noir, working on my own characters and stories really gives me free reign to explore this world and create lots of fun scenarios and thrilling situations. The stories are definitely full of mystery and intrigue, plus I get to give The Black Beetle lots of cool and funky gadgets. ‘Night Shift’ promises to be full of action, excitement, danger, and double-crosses, so I am overjoyed to see this new tale in print, and hope this is the first of many more to come in Dark Horse Presents.”

For more on Francesco Francavilla’s art, check out his official website, www.francescofrancavilla.com, and his pulp blog, http://pulpsunday.blogspot.com.

Dark Horse Presents #11 is on sale April 18 th , 2012!

New COBRA COMMANDER Revealed

Rob Leave a Comment

After the bloody COBRA Civil War, a new commander is crowned.

COBRA will never be the same.
IDW Publishing’s COBRA CIVIL WAR end today when the new COBRA COMMANDER is crowned in G.I. JOE: #8, and the stunning aftermath will infect all three intertwined G.I. JOE series—G.I. JOE, COBRA, and SNAKE EYES. This December and under license from Hasbro, IDW’s G.I. JOE universe will never be the same, and each issue reveals a piece of this brand-new direction.

In stores December 7th, G.I. JOE: #8 features writing by Chuck Dixon (Batman, Superman), art by Will Rosado (Green Arrow, Robin) and a cover by Tom Feister (Iron Man, Green Lantern). After months of COBRA CIVIL WAR, the kills have been tallied and it’s time to name the all-new COBRA COMMANDER. Marking this once-in-a-lifetime event, G.I. JOE: #8 will feature a special scratch-off lottery cover, revealing the identity of the new COBRA COMMANDER.

The action and aftermath continue on December 14th in SNAKE EYES #8, written by Dixon with art by Casey Maloney (Star Trek, Children of the Grave), as the ninja commando attempts to rescue his teammate, DUKE, who’s been infected by a lethal virus that’s diving him violently mad. If SNAKE EYES cannot save him in time, DUKE could be the last casualty of the COBRA CIVIL WAR.

In COBRA #8, available on December 21st from writer Mike Costa (Blackhawks, Smoke & Mirrors) and artists Antonio Fuso (Wolverine: Origins, G.I. Joe: Hearts and Minds) and Werther dell’Edera (X-Force, Punisher), the reign of the new COBRA COMMANDER begins—leading to January’s status-quo shattering COBRA COMMAND crossover series. An unstoppable series of events is set in motion, the world is about to learn what COBRA already knows: this is a very different kind of COBRA COMMANDER.

All three issues are part of IDW’s photo-cover month, each sporting a variant action cover featuring classic G.I. JOE toys.

Also available on December 7th, G.I. JOE: COBRA: COBRA CIVIL WAR, VOL. 1 takes fans back to the beginning of the COBRA CIVIL WAR, with the first four issues of the COBRA series plus the 10-page prologue from G.I. JOE #0, including origins of the Cobra candidates who aspired to be the next COBRA COMMANDER. Readers can relive the early battles of this unprecedented war.

“Mike Costa has delivered readers with what could well be one of the best BARONESS stories to ever show up in a comic.” – TheTerrordrome.com

The plague is coming and we want to know how you will survive.

Rob Leave a Comment

Win a chance to get killed in the 2nd Story Arc of The Strain!

We’re making preparations for the coming infestation, storing food, comics and weapons. The Strain #1 is on its way, infecting comic shops on Dec. 14th. And here’s a little contest to get you excited for the comics from Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, David Lapham and Mike Huddleston. 

We want to hear how you will survive the vampire plague. In the comments below give us at least a 200 word description of how you plan to survive the coming epidemic. What supplies will you need? Where would you go to hide? Who would be with you? What weapons would you need? Give us all the details, we need help figuring out how we’d survive.
Official Rules:
1. Post a comment of at least 200 words on the Dark Horse Blog (http://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/741/strain-survive-plague-contest) by 11:59p.m. PT on Sunday Dec. 4th, 2011 and describe how you plan to survive the coming plague.
2. Come back next week as we post the top 5 Survival Tales, once per day through Dec. 9th. 
3. Starting Dec. 9th. come back to the blog and Vote for the best Survival Plan Through Dec. 13th. 
***We’ll post the winner on Dec. 14th, the release date of The Strain #1
The Winner of this contest will have their likeness drawn into one of The Strain arc two comics to be killed by a Vampire. We will finalize details with the winner individually.
The fine print: No purchase necessary. One online entry per person (one e-mail address per person/address). You must be eighteen years of age or older to enter. Contest entries only accepted if they are submitted by 11:59p.m. (PDT), Dec. 4th, 2011, to be eligible. Winner will be selected based upon the quality of submitted comments (as determined at Dark Horse’s sole discretion) from all applicable entries and will be notified by Dec. 13th, 2011. Entry becomes the property of Dark Horse upon receipt. Entry constitutes agreement by winners to be publicized and permission to use each winner’s name for the purposes of promotion of the Contest without further compensation. Contest void where prohibited. Odds of winning dependent on number of entrants.

EVAN DORKIN INVITES YOU TO HOUSE OF FUN!

Rob Leave a Comment

With Dark Horse Presents continually adding new and awesome stories to the lineup, Evan Dorkin wants to tell you about House of Fun!

“While we were working on the Milk and Cheese collection with Scott Allie and Daniel Chabon, I pitched the idea to do new material for Dark Horse so I could revive some of my old characters. This dovetailed nicely with the revival of Dark Horse Presents, since most of my humor comics originally ran in various anthologies including several from DHC like Instant Piano, Deadline USA, and the first run of Dark Horse Presents.

“The idea was to bring back as many of my old characters and concepts from Milk and Cheese and Dork as possible, grouping it all under the new House of Fun name. I decided not to use Dork as a catchall title for these comics. I got sick of the name a long time ago and this relaunch felt a good opportunity to finally retire it.

“So, what I’m doing is twenty-four pages of comics to be spread over three issues of DHP, with each eight-page anchored by a new Milk and Cheese strip. The other features will include a new Murder Family episode; several pages of Fun gag strips, as well as the return of The Eltingville Comic Book, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Role-Playing Club. If all goes according to plan I’ll also be doing a one-page Fisher-Price Theater adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 and a short Devil Puppet story.

“Also, the comics will all be colored by my longtime collaborator and long-suffering wife, Sarah Dyer.

“This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time now. The last issue of Dork came out in 2006 and it’s been even longer since I worked on an Eltingville or Murder Family strip. I’m excited to be working on my own stuff again, I’m having a lot of fun making these comics, and I hope folks will have fun reading them. If not they can go suck an egg.”

House of Fun will premiere in Dark Horse Presents #10, on sale March 21, 2011.

DARK HORSE DELIVERS COMICS DIGITALLY AND IN PRINT SAME DAY

Rob Leave a Comment

STARTING DECEMBER 14! 

Dark Horse’s digital evolution continues after seeing huge success with digital sales. Dark Horse Comics will now make their comics available digitally the same day they are on sale in comic shops.

Beginning December 14, all titles from Dark Horse Comics will be on sale the same day in both print and digital format, allowing new-technology readers to access their favorite comics at the same time as their print-oriented counterparts.

Dark Horse Digital launched its standalone comic-reader app earlier this year and received incredible support from the continuously growing digital-comics fan base, a new type of comics fan eager to adapt to new technologies.

Since then, Dark Horse Digital has grown significantly in numbers and readership with the additions of several key titles to the digital roster, including Star Wars, Buffy, Angel & Faith, and Dollhouse. Dark Horse Digital also provides weekly sales and discounts to its readers, currently offers over eight hundred comics, and continues to increase the digital availability of the Dark Horse back catalog.

IDW and Barnes & Noble Partner to Bring Graphic Novels to NOOK®

Rob Leave a Comment
Major comics publisher launches graphic novel catalog on new NOOK Tablet™

Continuing to lead the charge of digital comics, IDW Publishing proudly debuted a collection of graphic novels for the new Barnes & Noble NOOK Tablet, the company’s fastest and lightest tablet with the best in HD entertainment. IDW’s initial NOOK entrée features over thirty complete graphic novels, including award-winning books and works by bestselling authors.

“We’re excited to partner with Barnes & Noble to bring IDW graphic novels line to NOOK,” stated Jeff Webber, IDW’s director of ePublishing. “With the NOOK Tablet, Barnes & Noble has developed a stunning display that works perfectly for viewing comics and graphic novels. Our digital graphic novels include all the special features and content found in the print versions also available through Barnes & Noble.”

IDW’s rich graphic novel catalog of top prose authors and comics creators is especially suited for eReaders. Fans of IDW writers such as Joe Hill, Anne Rice, Max Brooks, Peter S. Beagle, Steve Niles, or James Patterson can now find those graphic novels right next to their respective prose stories. Award-winning creators like Darwyn Cooke and his acclaimed adaptations of Richard Stark’s Parker books and the first installment of the BLOOM COUNTY: THE COMPLETE LIBRARY are also included in IDW’s diverse NOOK line.

IDW’s NOOK launch offers something for readers of all ages, from classics like Eric Shanower’s OZ series for younger audiences and Joe Hill’s best-selling LOCKE & KEY series for mature readers.

“Barnes & Noble is excited to offer IDW Publishing’s graphic novels on NOOK Tablet,” said Theresa Horner, vice president of Content and Digital Products for Barnes & Noble.  “With the launch of NOOK Tablet, we now offer a vast collection of full-color comics, graphic novels and kids’ comics in high resolution that makes the action virtually jump off the page.  IDW’s graphic novels are a great addition.”

NOOK devices are the perfect choice for anyone who wants access to their favorite reads anywhere they go.  NOOK Tablet is the company’s fastest and lightest tablet with the best in HD entertainment. NOOK Tablet offers access to popular movies, TV shows, music and more through the top entertainment services, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora and others, plus a collection of high-quality apps, fast Web browsing and e-mail. NOOK Tablet features Barnes & Noble’s award-winning color reading experience, with access to the world’s largest digital bookstore via Wi-Fi®.