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Elfbytes October '09

(Note: this is not your average cut and paste, we actually write this stuff.)

This is for product starting to ship in December 2009.

This months Elfbyte credit goes to: Brock, James, Craig, Sean, Thomas, & Ethan.

For your convenience, click links below to jump to a certain Publisher.

Independent Comics | Dark Horse Comics | DC Comics
Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Toys & Stuff

Remember to get your orders in ASAP! Initial orders due September 23rd!

INDEPENDENT COMICS HIGHLIGHTS

ALBATROSS EXPLODING FUNNY BOOK

CHIMICHANGA #1

Written & illustrated by Eric Powell.

The creator of THE GOON brings us the story of a little girl with a beard who wanders around with a crappy circus. Then a weird creature arrives and makes everything screwy (but in a really good way for the readers).

ARCHAIA

SECRET HISTORY OMNIBUS HC

Written by Jean-Pierre Pecau. Illustrated by various.

An epic story of four immortal siblings who have secretly shaped and influenced human history, this series has now been collected into one big volume. This series is worth reading, and this hardcover will be a nice addition to any bookshelf.

ASPEN MLT INC.

FATHOM VOL. 3 TP

Written by J.T. Krul. Illustrated by Ale Garza.

The third volume of Michael Turner’s magnum opus has finally been completed by the ultra talented team of Krul and Garza, and it’s just as good as even Turner himself could have hoped for. There is no more fitting tribute to the man than this book, and fans should definitely lap it up.

BOOM! STUDIOS

INCORRUPTIBLE #1

Written by Mark Waid. Illustrated by Neil Edwards. Covers by John Cassaday and Tim Sale.

This new series is a spin-off from Waid’s new hit series IRREDEEMABLE, and tells the flip side of that story. Max Damage was a super-villain, but he has ‘seen the light’ and seeks to redeem himself as super-hero Max Daring.

MUPPET KING ARTHUR #1

Written by Johanna Stokes. Illustrated by TBA (so you know the art's gonna be awesome, right?).

I don't know how good the comics are, but I have to give Boom props for making comics I'd love to see as movies. Muppet Robin Hood? Awesome. Muppet King Arthur? Awesomer. What could top it, I wonder? Muppet Nightmare on Elm Street?

DIE HARD: YEAR ONE VOLUME 1 HC

Written by Howard Chaykin. Illustrated by Stephen Thompson.

Star Trek got one, Star Wars got three, and now John McClane gets his own prequel from Boom! Ever wondered if McClane had it easy in his life pre-Nakatomi Plaza? Well, this book has the answer.

IRREDEEMABLE VOL. 2 TP

Written by Mark Waid. Illustrated by Peter Krause.

The second volume of Mark Waid’s examination of super-powered good and evil is here, continuing the story of what happens when the world’s mightiest super-hero turns bad.

DESPERADO PUBLISHING

MAXIMUM BLACK: THE ART OF TIM BRADSTREET TP

Written & illustrated by Tim Bradstreet.

This book focuses on Bradstreet's early career and you can see him perfect the fine craft of having someone stand in front of a dark brick wall.

DEVIL’S DUE PUBLISHING

HACK / SLASH #30

Written by Tim Seeley. Illustrated by Daniel Leister.

It’s superheroes meet slasher as Cassie and Vlad try to save a group of irresponsible teens who have not only decided to become superhero sidekicks, but have picked up a slasher as well.

DIGITAL MANGA PUBLISHING

YASHAKIDEN THE DEMON PRINCESS NOVEL VOLUME ONE

Written by Hideyuki Kikuchi. Illustrated by Jun Suemi.

Kikuchi has written a number of impressive novel series such as VAMPIRE HUNTER D and DEMON CITY, but the man himself proclaims this series to be his best. This is the story of what happens when a massive Tokyo earthquake shatters the barriers between this dimension and the supernatural, following two “Constantine-like” characters as they try to hunt down and destroy evil beings.

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

GARTH ENNIS' BATTLEFIELDS: HAPPY VALLEY #1 (of 9)

Written by Garth Ennis. Illustrated by P.J. Holden. Cover by Garry Leach.

More Ennis war comics! A young Australian boy must earn the respect of his new air unit in the face of a war no one expects them to survive. I'm sure they'll still make time for jokes. This is an Ennis comic, after all.

DREADSTAR: THE BEGINNING HC

Written & illustrated by Jim Starlin.

This classic series - that arguably helped make Starlin THE space-epic guy - is finally collected again, starting from the very beginning. This will be a welcome treat for old-school fans, and a wonderful discovery for anyone who hasn’t previously read this long out of print gem.

THE LONE RANGER DEFINITIVE EDITION VOL 1 HC

Written by Brett Matthews. Illustrated by Sergio Cariello & Paul Pope. Cover by John Cassaday.

Absolute Lone Ranger, anyone?

NEW BSG: CYLON WAR TP

Written by Joshua Ortega and Eric Nylund. Illustrated by Nigel Raynor.

Remember all those vague references to the old Cylon War on the BSG show? Well, now you can read about the war in all its 4-colour splendour. Yes, it’s another prequel to yet another hit property, but it’s also frakking good stuff.

FANFARE / PONENT MON

THE QUEST FOR THE MISSING GIRL

Written & illustrated by Jiro Taniguchi.

Mountaineer Shiga made a promise to his dead best friend (before he died, obviously) that he'd look after his friend's daughter. So he's forced to come down into the city from his mountain retreat and look for her after she goes missing. All he finds is trouble.

I.D.W. PUBLISHING

ANGEL #28

Written by Bill Willingham. Illustrated by Brian Denham. Covers by Jenny Frison and David Messina.

Do you like Fables? Do you like Joss Whedon? Well, this should work out nicely for you, then, as Bill Willingham (FABLES) takes over as the new ongoing writer of this series, and will hopefully help bring this book back to a much more readable level.

ANGEL ANNUAL #1

Written by Brian Lynch. Illustrated by Stephen Mooney.

Annual Alert! If you're already subscribing to the series, YOU STILL NEED TO ORDER THIS TO RECEIVE YOUR DISCOUNT!

Los Angels literally went to hell during the events of “Angel: After the Fall”. And every third person in L.A. is a screenwriter, so of course now that the city and all of its inhabitants are back, they had to make a movie of it. In the film, Angel is now played by Nicholas Cage and Spike is a woman, and the changes only start from there. This one should be a modern masterpiece.

GHOSTBUSTERS HOLIDAY SPECIAL: PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE (one-shot)

Written by Rob Williams. Illustrated by Diego Jourdan.

It’s a battle for the ages as our merry band of Ghostbusters are hired to deal with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future themselves.

STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE: FOOL'S GOLD #1

Written by Scott & David Tipton. Illustrated by Fabio Mantovani. Covers by The Sharp Brothers and David Messina.

DS9 is overrun with thieves and treasure hunters and no one can figure out why. Bet Quark's involved somehow.

RADICAL PUBLISHING

THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME #1 (of 3)

Written by Rick Remender. Illustrated by Greg Tocchini. Covers by Alex Maleev and Greg Tocchini.

This looks like one hell of a cool story. Set against the backdrop of a near future in which the U.S. Government is secretly planning to broadcast a signal making it impossible for anyone to knowingly commit unlawful acts. But news of this broadcast gets leaked early, and a small time crook has to move up the time-line for his one last big heist before it’s literally too late. Radical has been putting out some consistently great books, and this one looks like it is definitely worth picking up.

RED 5 COMICS

ATOMIC ROBO VOL. 3 TP: ATOMIC ROBO AND THE SHADOW FROM BEYOND TIME

Written by Brian Clevinger. Illustrated by Scott Wegener.

The next volume of this wonderfully fun series arrives, and promises to continue the tradition of excellence it has quickly established. If you haven’t read this series yet, do yourself a favour and pick this one up for a really fun read.

SIMON & SCHUSTER

HOPE LARSON: MERCURY

Written & illustrated by Hope Larson.

Hope Larson lives in sin with Bryan Lee O'Malley, he of the SCOTT PLIGRIM fame, so if you're into the kind of awesome indie stuff they create, you might want to check this out. You've previously seen Larson's work in a lot of those fancy Image anthologies, like FLIGHT. Good stuff.

TITAN BOOKS

STAR TREK: THE ART OF THE FILM HC

Written by Mark Cotta Vas. Forward by J.J. Abrams.

Numb-tongue???

DARK HORSE COMICS HIGHLIGHTS

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: WILLOW #1 (one-shot)

Written by Joss Whedon. Illustrated by Karl Moline & Andy Owens. Cover by Jo Chen.

This one-shot sees Joss return to his creation, along with his FRAY co-creator Karl Moline, to follow Willow from the destruction of Sunnydale at the end of the tv show to the current status quo in the Season 8 comics. What has so empowered Willow that she verges on immortality? What is with the sexy half snake lady? And is it okay to refer to a half snake lady as sexy?

CONAN THE CIMMERIAN: THE WEIGHT OF THE CROWN #1 (one-shot)

Written & illustrated by Darick Robertson.

Darick Robertson (THE BOYS) delivers this special “adult fable” in which Conan, in typical Conan fashion, goes out looking for a good brawl and screws up pretty much everything.

EMPOWERED (one-shot)

Written & illustrated by Adam Warren.

Our lovely heroine Empowered fights an unkillable super-villain in a mausoleum of superhero death, while an intergalactic warlord imprisoned on her coffee table spills her deepest darkest secrets. The first Empowered story not told in the digest format!

HELLBOY: THE BRIDE OF HELL #1 (one-shot)

Written by Mike Mignola. Illustrated by Richard Corben.

Following the success of last year’s HELLBOY: CROOKED MAN, Mignola and horror legend Corben bring us this special tale is which Hellboy tracks down a missing girl only to find that she's about to be given to a demon. Maybe I’m just jaded, but I don’t see this being the happiest of marriages. Can everyone’s favourite “good” demon save a kidnapped teenage girl from being married off to a crazy and clearly evil Asmodeus? If only all one shots could be this cool!

REX MUNDI VOL. 6 TP: GATE OF GOD

Written by Arvid Nelson. Illustrated by Juan Ferreyra.

This alternate history epic reaches its long building conclusion, in this sixth and final volume. An exciting moment for long-time readers, and the ideal time for new readers to discover this excellent series from the beginning.

STAR WARS KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC VOL. 8 TP: DESTROYER

Written by John Jackson Miller. Illustrated by Brian Ching, Bong Dazo, and Ron Chan.

KoToR’s 8th volume is made even more notable by the fact that it starts off with a story about Malak and Revan, two extremely important characters from the KoToR video games!

DC COMICS HIGHLIGHTS

BATGIRL #5

Written by Bryan Q. Millar. Illustrated by Lee Garbett & Trevor Scott. Cover by Phil Noto.

Batman and Robin confront Batgirl to voice their disapproval even as Gotham burns around them. But the number one most exciting thing about this issue is that at no point will it involve Stephanie or anyone else facing their undead Mother, Cousin, Puppy or Goldfish sporting a black lantern ring!

BATMAN 80 PAGE GIANT #1 (one-shot)

Written by Steve Niles, Ivory Madison, David Tischman, Simon Spurrier, and others. Illustrated by Chris Samnee, Clayton Henry, Marcus To, Saleem Crawford, and others. Cover by Andy Kubert.

Special Alert! If you're already subscribing to the series, YOU STILL NEED TO ORDER THIS TO RECEIVE YOUR DISCOUNT!

The return of DC 80 Page giants. All the stories within are set within a terrible blizzard plaguing Gotham City!

BLACKEST NIGHT: THE FLASH #1 (of 3)

Written by Geoff Johns. Illustrated by Scott Kollins. Cover by Scott Kollins. Variant cover by Francis Manapul.

Two flashes try and slow the advance of the undead rogues, but are even they fast enough to stop Black Lantern Reverse Flash? Even Kollins’ art can’t diminish how big the fight is going to get in this all-out action series.

BLACKEST NIGHT: JSA #1 (of 3)

Written by James Robinson. Illustrated by Eddy Barrows & Ruy Jose. Cover by Eddy Barrows. Variant cover by Gene Ha.

The book that will answer arguments no girls will ever have pits the Justice Society of today against the fallen heroes of old. Can Wesley Dodd take Sand? Does a real Medical PHD count for squat all against a zombie? Who’s more terrific? All this and more in 3 exciting issues!

BLACKEST NIGHT: WONDER WOMAN #1 (of 3)

Written by Greg Rucka. Illustrated by Nicola Scott. Cover by Greg Horn. Variant cover by Ryan Sook.

Greg Rucka returns to write the Princess of Power, for this series that promises major revelations regarding the War of Light and significant changes for Wonder Woman.

DC HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2009 #1 (one shot)

Written by Scott Kollins, Sterling Gates, Amy Wolfram, Fred Van Lente, Jay Faerber, Beau Smith, David Tischman, Jay Torres, and other. Illustrated by Scott Kollins, Jeff Lemire, and others. Cover by Dustin Nguyen.

This holiday special is for anyone who really gives a fuck how Deadman celebrates Christmas.

DETECTIVE COMICS #860

Written by Greg Rucka. Illustrated by J.H. Williams III / co-feature illustrated by Cully Hamner. Cover by J.H. Williams III.

This book has been a complete success and such a pleasure to read since the re-launch of the Bat titles this summer. Rucka does a spectacular job writing both Bat Woman and The Question, J.H. Williams’ art work is a beautiful thing to behold, and Cully Hamner brings a wonderful kinetic energy to the Question co-feature illustrations.

GREEN LANTERN #49

Written by Geoff Johns. Illustrated by Ed Benes. Cover by Ed Benes. Variant cover by Rodolfo Migliari.

John Stewart is in for what can only be called his worst day ever when he faces off against the undead hordes of the Planet Xanshi, the first world he failed to save; and to make matters worse these legions of vengeful black lanterns are lead by his long dead wife.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #43

Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Illustrated by Pat Gleason & Rebecca Buchman. Cover by Pat Gleason & Rebecca Buchman. Variant cover by Ladronn.

This issue features a moment that was simply inevitable: Guy Gardiner losing his temper and becoming a Red Lantern! Of course, his anger might stem from DC inventing the absurd and completely lame-ass term “corphans”.

JONAH HEX #50

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray. Illustrated by Darwyn Cooke.

Possibly one of the best ongoing series reaches its milestone 50^th issue, and celebrates in style with Darwyn Cooke illustrating an extra length tale.

JSA ALL-STARS #1

Written by Matthew Sturges. Illustrated by Freddie Williams II. Cover by Freddie Williams II. Variant cover by Ryan Sook.

Climb aboard for the first issue in an all new on-going series marking the beginning of a new chapter in the legacy of DC’s longest-running superhero group. The Justice Society has split into two factions, and only time will tell if that’s a good thing or not.

THE OUTSIDERS #25

Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Illustrated by Fernando Pasarin & Jay Leisten. Cover by Tom Mandrake.

In what must be the most unique story of the decade the outsiders face off against their undead loved ones and .... oh, wait a minute, maybe I have heard this before.

SECRET SIX #16

Written by Gail Simone. Illustrated by Peter Nguyen & Doug Hazelwood. Cover by Daniel LuVisi.

This book is so much fun. Month in and out, Gail Simone consistently delivers fantastic characterization and over-the-top kick-ass action. Pick this one up and discover how good this book is.

TEEN TITANS #78

Written by J.T. Krul. Illustrated by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson.

The most dysfunctional family reunion ever takes place when Ravager is forced to team up with her father Deathstroke - the man she’s sworn to kill - in order to fight off her undead brother. And you thought the nagging of your mother in-law was bad.

WONDER WOMAN #39

Written by Gail Simone. Illustrated by Aaron Lopresti & Matt Ryan.

This book has been continually building towards several big moments since Gail Simone took over as writer two years ago and this issue promises to deliver and to set things up for some even bigger things to come. This book delivers and now is the perfect time to start reading.

BATMAN: UNDER THE COWL TP

Written by Bill Willingham, Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Chuck Dixon, and others. Illustrated by Various.

Over the years, there have been many stories positing different scenarios where Bruce Wayne is not under the Bat-Cowl. Now, DC has gathered some of the best of them and put them in one handy volume. Aren’t they good to us.

DOC SAVAGE: THE SILVER PYRAMID TP

Written by Dennis O’Neil. Illustrated by Adam Kubert and Andy Kubert.

To celebrate the impending introduction of Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, to the DCU, DC is finally collecting Doc Savage’s 1987 mini-series written by comics legend Dennis O’Neil and illustrated by those fraternal superstars, the Kubert boys!

R.E.B.E.L.S VOL. 1 TP: THE COMING OF STARRO

Written by Tony Bedard. Illustrated by Andy Clarke, Claude St. Aubin, and Scott Hanna.

Much like how Annihilation revitalized the Marvel Cosmic Universe, R.E.B.E.L.S. has made the DCU’s cosmic corner an exciting one. Collecting the first six issues of this wonderful series, this trade is not to be missed if you are a science fiction fan, a Legion fan, or just a fan of great tales period.

STARMAN OMNIBUS VOL. 4 HC

Written by James Robinson. Illustrated by Tony Harris and various others.

This fantastic and seminal series continues to receive the deluxe treatment with the fourth hardcover volume, including the extremely difficult to find BATMAN / HELLBOY / STARMAN issues illustrated by Mike Mignola.

SUPERMAN: MON-EL VOL. 1 HC

Written by James Robinson, Richard Donner, and Geoff Johns. Illustrated by Renato Guedes, Javier Pina, Pablo Raimondi, Jesus Merino, Eric Wright, and Jose Wilson Magalhaes.

After the events of New Krypton, Metropolis has found itself bereft of Superman’s protection. Luckily, just before he left, Superman managed to free Daxamite powerhouse Mon-El from his Phantom Zone prison. Now, Mon-El seeks to protect us in Superman’s stead ... but can he do it?

TITANS: OLD FRIENDS TP

Written by Judd Winick. Illustrated by Ian Churchill, Joe Benitez, and Julian Lopez.

Now in trade paperback format, this book collects the first adventure of the second ongoing “Titans” series starring the original New Teen Titans made famous by Marv Wolfman and George Perez way back when. If only this books were anywhere near that good.

DC - VERTIGO

DAYTRIPPER #1 (of 10)

Written by Gabriel Ba & Fabio Moon. Illustrated by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba. Cover by Gabriel Ba.

The twin brother creators behind such indie juggernauts as CASANOVA, B.P.R.D., UMBRELLA ACADEMY, & SUGARSHOCK have hit the big time with Vertigo. This story follows a Brazilian obituary writer as he struggles with his career and daddy issues. These two artists are at the top of their game, and this new series is absolutely worth picking up!

HELLBLAZER: PANDEMONIUM HC

Written by Jamie Delano. Illustrated by Jock.

To celebrate John Constantine’s 25th anniversary, original series writer Jamie Delano teams with superstar artist Jock to bring us an all new tale of the urban shaman, a tale that sees him chasing both women and monsters from the back alleys of London to the war zone of Iraq. A must have for any fan of the character, or either creator’s work, but also surly to be an enjoyable read for the uninitiated.

HOUSE OF MYSTERY VOL. 3 TP: THE SPACE BETWEEN

Written by Matthew Sturges, Bill Willingham, and Chris Roberson. Illustrated by Lucas Rossi, Gilbert Hernandez, Neal Adams, Ralph Reese, Sergio Aragones, David Hahn, and Eric Powell.

The third volume of this great series reveals a few answers to some of the mysteries facing our protagonists, and continues to set an excellent tone to this always enjoyable book. Worth picking up, along with the first two volumes which are also available for order.

HUMAN TARGET: CHANCE MEETINGS TP

Written by Peter Milligan. Illustrated by Edvin Biukovic and Javier Pulido. Cover by Tim Bradstreet.

A new collection collecting the original limited series and the Final Cut graphic novel, just in time for the Fox TV series that will, like all Fox TV series, likely get cancelled three episodes in. Christopher Chance is a master of disguise and uses that talent to become a human target, taking the identity of men and women with contracts out on their lives. Good comic. We'll see about the show.

THE UNWRITTEN VOL. 1 TP: TOMMY TAYLOR AND THE BOGUS IDENTITY

Written by Mike Carey. Illustrated by Peter Gross.

If you like your stories literate, your fantasies intelligent, and your comics erudite, then you simply HAVE TO read this fantastic new series. Is Tommy Taylor merely the son of a famous author, or is he actually a fictional character made flesh? A wonderful piece of metafiction that examines the nature of story telling in a way not seen since SANDMAN, this title looks like it will be the next long-running Vertigo hit.

DC - WILDSTORM

THE AUTHORITY #17

Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning and Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman. Illustrated by Simon Coleby and Al Barrionuevo. Cover by Simon Coleby.

It's the end of one run and the beginning of another, as Abnett & Lanning say goodbye and the new creative team takes over. The Authority let the world get blown up and did nothing to help restore it. Now the team has to decide whether or not to regroup at all, and whether or not the Authority will even stay on the broken planet.

DANTE’S INFERNO #1 (of 6)

Written by Christos Gage. Illustrated by Diego Latorre.

Continuing Wildstorm’s tradition of excellence in licensing video games, Dante’s Inferno is based on the upcoming EA offering that has gamers everywhere salivating. Here, Dante Alighieri is reimagined as a holy warrior on a mission of vengeance that will take him to the depths of hell itself.

EX-MACHINA #47

Written by Brian K. Vaughan. Illustrated by Tony Harris.

Mayor Hundred has a new superpowered arch-enemy. Does she have what it takes to bring down his administration? There are only three more issues remaining to find out.

GEN 13 #33

Written by Adam Beechen. Illustrated by Cruddie Torian. Cover by Rafael Albuquerque.

A new creative team takes over as the combined rosters of Gen 13 and Gen 14 take a road trip through the American wasteland. Good place to jump on board if you're tired of the Big Two dicking you around with one big “event” after another.

WILDSTORM: AFTER THE FALL TP

Written by Christos Gage & Russell Uttley. Illustrated by Trevor Hairsine, Chris Sprouse, John Paul Leon, Phil Noto, Mike McKone, and more.

The WildStorm Universe has been destroyed by a superhuman war that spun out of control. And while The Authority, StormWatch, Wildcats and Gen 13 struggle to help survivors in the regular books, there are still a lot of characters trapped in this hellish new landscape. Find out what Wetworks, John Lynch, Deathblow, StormWatch Team Achilles, Backlash, and Cybernary have been up to in the Apocalypse, and how it leads into events in 2010. Illustrated by some fantastic artists who rarely do interior work, like Phil Noto and John Paul Leon.

IMAGE COMICS HIGHLIGHTS

ANGELUS #1 (of 6)

Written by Ron Marz. Illustrated by Stjepan Sejic.

Despite not showing any thigh, ass, or cleavage on the cover, this is a spin off from the recently concluded “War of the Witchblades”. This new series tells the story of Daniel Baptiste in her new role as the Angelus, the human bearer of the primal force for light. And you thought she’d just fade away forever ...

GOD COMPLEX #1

Written by Michael Avon Oeming & Daniel Berman. Illustrated by John Broglia. Cover by Oeming.

From the mind of Michael Avon Oeming (POWERS, RAPTURE) this series tells the tale of what happens when Apollo (not the fat guy from BSG) goes on the run from his family, hiding on our world under the mundane guise of a gentleman named “Paul”.

PROOF #27

Written by Alexander Grecian. Illustrated by Riley Rossmo.

This fantastic series begins the next big arc, and provides you the perfect place to jump onboard this fan-favourite book.

SKY PIRATES OF NEO TERRA #4 (of 5)

Written by Josh Wagner. Illustrated by Camilla D’Errico.

The companion series to the sure-to-be hit game for the DS and Wii reaches its penultimate chapter. What are you waiting for?

TANK GIRL: DARK NUGGETS ONE-SHOT

Written by Alan Martin. Illustrated by Rufus Dayglo.

I have no idea why Tank Girl keeps jumping publishers like this. Titan, IDW, now Image? Anyway, it will probably be the same, highbrow entertainment you've come to expect from Tank Girl so far.

PHONOGRAM VOL. 2 TP: THE SINGLES CLUB

Written by Kieron Gillen. Illustrated by Jamie McKelvie.

The second volume of this musical magical mash-up is a great read. Eagerly awaited by fans of the first volume, but completely accessible to everyone else, this book is original and enjoyable.

THE WALKING DEAD VOL. 11 TP: FEAR THE HUNTERS

Written by Robert Kirkman. Illustrated by Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn.

Yes, the shocks never end with this series. After the horrific events of the last volume, the surviving members of our cast head off to Washington DC. But the road is dark and dangerous, and not everyone will make it there alive.

MARVEL COMICS HIGHLIGHTSHTS

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THEATRE OF WAR - PRISONERS OF DUTY #1 (one-shot)

Written by Kyle Higgins & Alec Siegel. Illustrated by Agustin Padilla. Cover by Mirco Pierfederci.

SPOILER ALERT for Cap. You're going to die. Then get reborn.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIELD? #1 (one-shot)

Written by Ed Brubaker. Illustrated by Butch Guice.

Two Caps for the price of one! This one-shot will wrap up everything from CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN, and establish what will happen to both Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. A must for anyone who has been enjoying Ed Brubaker’s fantastic work on Cap, and an excellent place for new readers to jump onboard. Spoilers for CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN: He gets reborn.

DAREDEVIL #503

Written by Andy Diggle. Illustrated by Roberto De La Torre. Cover by Esad Ribic.

The bold new direction under the new creative team continues. This is one book everyone should be reading!

DARK AVENGERS ANNUAL #1

Written Brian Michael Bendis. Illustrated by Chris Bachalo.

Annual Alert! If you're already subscribing to the series, YOU STILL NEED TO ORDER THIS TO RECEIVE YOUR DISCOUNT!

This one is all about the Grant Morrison Marvel Boy. Oh, but we're calling him Captain Marvel now.

FANTASTIC FOUR #574

Written by Jonathan Hickman. Illustrated by Neil Edwards.

Hickman’s first story arc as the writer of Marvel’s first family proves that the man is one of the best writers in the industry, and shows that the Fantastic Four can be cool. Warren Ellis fans should pick up this series, simply because Hickman is the next Ellis. Yeah, I said it. This issue features Spider-Man, the X-Kids, and the Power Pack in the birthday celebration to end all birthday celebrations.

FALL OF THE HULKS ALPHA (one-shot)

Written by Jeff Parker. Illustrated by Paul Pelletier. Cover by Ed McGuinness.

FALL OF THE HULKS GAMMA (one-shot)

Written by Jeph Loeb. Illustrated by John Romita Jr. Cover by Ed McGuinness.

In these connect one-shots, a bunch of super criminal geniuses decide to learn from years and years of getting their asses kicked by the good guys, and set into motion a sinister plan. These two specials will set everything up and lead directly into the big “Hulk family” event beginning in January, WORLD WAR HULKS. No, really. That’s the title. It’s Jeph Loeb, what did you expect.

HULK: WINTER GUARD #1 (one-shot)

Written by David Gallaher. Illustrated by Steve Ellis.

Hulk fights some Russians!

NEW AVENGERS ANNUAL #3

Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Illustrated by Mike Mayhew.

Annual Alert! If you're already subscribing to the series, YOU STILL NEED TO ORDER THIS TO RECEIVE YOUR DISCOUNT!

This one is all about the ladies. Specifically the women of the New Avengers and their rescue mission of Clint Barton. Because comics are a male fantasy. It is also the beginning of Jessica Jones becoming a super hero once more, and will be illustrated by the underrated but extremely talented Mike Mayhew.

SIEGE: THE CABAL #1 (one-shot)

Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Illustrated by Michael Lark. Cover by David Finch.

This one-shot is the beginning of the end of “Dark Reign”, as Norman Osborn’s secret Cabal begins to fracture. It also sets up the next big event from Marvel, which begins next month in the four issue THE SEIGE limited series, which has been carefully crafted to string you along for another series of “events” for the next year!

WHAT IF? ASTONISHING X-MEN

Written by Jim McCann and Mateo Casali. Illustrated by David Yardin, Kai Spannuth, and Mike Getty.

Marvel’s various “What If?” series and special have always been intriguing in the possibilities they put forth. In this issue, we get to see what would have happened if Jean Grey was resurrected instead of Colossus in Joss Whedon’s first story arc on the title.

WOLVERINE: UNDER THE BOARDWALK (one-shot)

Written by Stuart Moore. Illustrated by Tomm Coker.

Ordinarily I'd mock the blatant money grabbing one-shot, but I really like Tomm Coker's art. I'll save the mockery for Dark Siege Cabal of Ultimate Sadness X.

X-FACTOR #200

Written by Peter David. Illustrated by Bing Cansino. Cover by Esad Ribic. Variant covers by David Yardin and Ryan Sook.

This book has quietly been one of Marvel’s best books for quite some time now, yet constantly flies well under most readers’ radar. With a return to “classic numbering” for this over-sized anniversary issue, now is the perfect time to pick this title up.

X-FORCE ANNUAL #1

Written by Robert Kirkman, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost. Illustrated by Jason Pearson, & Carlo Barberi. Cover by Jason Pearson.

Annual Alert! If you're already subscribing to the series, YOU STILL NEED TO ORDER THIS TO RECEIVE YOUR DISCOUNT!

Wolverine fights Hydra alone (hasn’t he done that before, about a million times?) in this year’s Annual, which has some pretty good creators on it.

NATION X #1 (of 4)

Written by Simon Spurrier, James Asmus, and Scott Snyder. Illustrated by David Lopez, Stephen Thompson, and more. Cover by Dustin Weaver.

Now that a mutant island nation has been created (and we all remember how well that worked out the last time it happened), there are all kinds of stories to tell about the daily lives of your favourite mutants. Which this four issue short story / anthology type series will do. This issue features such under-exposed characters as Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine.

MARVELS TP (new printing)

Written by Kurt Busiek. Illustrated by Alex Ross.

This extremely important book (for providing a launching pad for Ross’ stellar career, if nothing else), finally gets a new printing. A must for anyone who’s never read this tale.

X-MEN / SPIDER-MAN TP

Written by Christos Gage. Illustrated by Mario Alberti.

This overlooked, but enjoyable series from earlier this year is now collected and provides you the perfect chance to read about everyone’s favourite wall-crawler and his misunderstood mutant pals through their long history together. A fun and nostalgic look at various meetings between the two Marvel icons from their earliest days through until modern times, this story is the perfect treat for any long-time readers or continuity freaks. Also, Mario Alberti’s artwork is lovely to look at.

TOYS & MISC. HIGHLIGHTS

THE CARTOONIST: JEFF SMITH, BONE, AND THE CHANGING FACE OF COMICS DVD

This DVD is a portrait of Jeff Smith, as he takes us through the completion of his magnificent BONE series and the beginning of his new work RASL. Features interviews with other comic greats like Paul Pope, Terry Moore, and Harvey Pekar.

DC ORIGINS SERIES 1: ACTION FIGURE TWO-PACKS

These action figure two-packs show the changes over the years in some of DC’s most iconic characters. Each set features a ‘classic’ and ‘modern’ version of:

-BATMAN

-CATWOMAN

-JOKER

-NIGHTWING

DEADPOOL: ICON BLACK T-SHIRT

With Deadpool’s popularity at an insane height (seriously, he couldn’t support a co-starring role two years ago, and now he’s got three solo books?!?), what better way to get on the band wagon by wearing this cool shirt.

FINAL FANTASY XIII PLAY ARTS -KAI- ACTION FIGURES

Perhaps the most highly anticipated game of the 2010 season is Final Fantasy XIII, set to be released on both the Plasystation 3 and the X-Box 360. Understandably, gamers all over the world are salivating as they wait, and Play Arts has acted quickly to take advantage of this by soliciting the first action figures from the game. The first wave includes Lightning, Snow Villiers, and Oerbia Dia Vanille.

MARVEL COMICS KOTOBUKIYA COLLECTION - VENOM STATUE

This looks like a fantastic sculpt of fan-favourite Spidey villain Venom. Kotobukiya always put out a great product, and this one looks like it will strongly continue that trend.

MARVEL HEROCLIX: HAMMER OF THOR BOOSTER PACK

Hero-clickers rejoice! Your favourite game returns with the brand new “Hammer of Thor” booster pack. But just as exciting is that Heroclix is alive and well and will be putting out new sets! (See our blog post for more info).

RESIDENT EVIL ARCHIVES SERIES 1 7-INCH ACTION FIGURES

Just in time for the Wii debut of the original Resident Evil games, NECA releases this collection of classic R.E. characters from back in the day with upgraded packaging. This series contains Chris Redfield, Licker, and Zombie with Dog.

STAR WARS CHARACTER TINS

These very cool character shaped tins can be used to carry your STAR WARS action figures, your art supplies, or even your lunch. With a selection of Boba Fett, Darth Vadar, or R2-D2.

WATCHMEN: THE ULTIMATE CUT DVD

If you have been waiting for a LORD OF THE RINGS style, super-extended, ultimate, definitive edition of Watchmen, well, wait no longer. This is a five disc ultimate cut with 3 hours of special features in addition to the superior Director’s Cut integrated with the animated Tales of the Black Freighter. Which should be enough for even the most hard-core fan.

WONDER TWINS: JAYNA SYMBOL T-SHIRT and ZAN SYMBOL T-SHIRT

From the nostalgic ‘70s and the days of the SUPERFRIENDS tv show, you can now wear either of the Wonder Twin t-shirts.

THE WRITE ENVIRONMENT: FEATURING JOSS WHEDON DVD

Here is an in-depth interview with the genius that brought us DOLLHOUSE and FIREFLY, about how he can get shows cancelled so easily.

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