Dark Horse Comics for January 2009

Dark Horse Comics has sent Major Spoilers the cover images and solicitation information for titles arriving in January 2009.  Take the jump for all the info on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bettie Page, Conan, B.P.R.D. and more.

BERSERK VOLUME 28
Kentaro Miura (W/A)

On sale Mar 25
b&w, 224 pages
$13.95
TPB, 5 1/8″ x 7 1/4″

Guts, the Black Swordsman, and his companions have finally arrived at the sea, where they discover a mysterious child who seems to share a special bond with Guts and his former lover, the now-mad Casca. The troupe’s brief respite at the shore offers moments for quiet introspection and deeper bonding, but such peace is always short lived where Guts is involved, and Guts must once again don the demonic Berserker Armor to take on a force of bloodthirsty beasts emerging from the once-peaceful surf, possessed by the accursed sorcery of a powerful Kushan enchanter! And who knows what will happen when internal strife pushes a member of Guts’s band unknowingly into the comforting companionship of an enemy!

• Each volume of Berserk comes shrink-wrapped and carries an 18+ content advisory.

“Berserk is as shocking and unique as ever this far into the series. There are few titles out there that can sustain the level of intensity and relevance as this.” —AnimeonDVD.com

BETTIE PAGE HEAT-SENSITIVE MUG

On sale Feb 11
Packaged in deluxe full-color box
$14.99

Like your coffee HOT ?  Well, here’s a scorcher!

We have taken one of Bunny Yeager’s best photographs of our longtime muse and inspiration Bettie Page, infused it with color, and applied it to a high-quality coffee mug.

But wait—there’s more. When a hot beverage is poured into the cup, a magical transformation takes place, and our sultry cutie’s top fades away. Oh, Nellie . . . that Bettie! If the coffee doesn’t wake you up, that ought to do the trick.

BLOOD+ VOLUME 4: NANKURUNAISA
Ryo Ikehata (W) and Chizu Hashii (A)

On sale Mar11
b&w, 320 pages
$8.95
Novel, 5 1/8″ x 7 1/4″

In her attempts to stop Diva’s plan of turning all of mankind into Chiropterans, Saya makes her way to the United States. Despite her forced rest, the time for action draws near. Meanwhile Diva, carrying Riku’s children, makes preparations for the birth of the queens of the next generation! With the fate of humanity resting with the two queens, who will rise and who will fall in the final showdown?! And what of the “promise” Saya made with Haji?

• Featuring twenty-one pages of illustrations by series character designer Chizu Hashii.

• The official novelization of the popular animated series concludes!

“Blood+ is a little bit of everything for everyone.” —Publishers Weekly

“Blood+ was graced with a talented artist.” —Ain’tItCoolNews.com

BLOOD+: RUSSIAN ROSE VOLUME 1
Karino Minazuki (W) and Ryo Takagi (A)

On sale Mar 18
b&w, 320 pages
$8.95
Novel, 5 1/8″ x 7 1/4″

Petrograd, Russia, at the turn of the twentieth century. Throughout Europe a vampiric menace stalks the streets: Chiropterans, incredibly strong inhuman monsters. A new organization of vampire hunters named Red Shield battles to stop the beasts, but they are outnumbered in the face of the superior might of the creatures. All that stands between the creatures and the end of humanity is a lone girl: Saya.

These two novels will explore the history of the Chiropteran menace, how Saya and her enigmatic mentor Hagi first met, and the inner secrets of the Red Shield organization.

• Featuring eleven pages of illustrations by acclaimed manga artist Ryo Takagi.

• A tale that reveals the past of the thrilling character created in the hit motion picture Blood: The Last Vampire and the TV series Blood+.

B.P.R.D.: THE BLACK GODDESS #1 (of 5)
Mike Mignola (W), John Arcudi (W)
Guy Davis (A), Dave Stewart (C)
Kevin Nowlan (Cover)

On sale Jan 14
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Miniseries

At the turn of the twentieth century, a British museum curator with a bent for the occult traveled east in search of power and immortality. He was never heard from again.

In 1937, masked crimefighter The Lobster faced a magic-wielding madman bent on fulfilling an apocalyptic prophecy. The plans were foiled, and the world saved, but the villain himself disappeared . . .

Seventy years later, B.P.R.D. agent Liz Sherman began to experience visions of a mysterious gentleman who warned of coming catastrophes. When the Bureau tracked him down, he disappeared—and kidnapped Liz.

Now, Liz’s friends race to find her as their old enemies band together for a final, catastrophic attack.

The Black Goddess is the second of three arcs pulling together threads from the beginning of the series—and leaving the B.P.R.D. and the world forever changed.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #22
Steven S. DeKnight (W)
Georges Jeanty (P/Alt. Cover), Andy Owens (I)
Michelle Madsen (C), and Jo Chen (Cover)

On sale Jan 14
FC, 40 pages
$2.99
Ongoing

Vampires are the hottest thing around—forget hipsters; being a bloodsucking fiend is where’s it’s at! Slayers must take the good fight underground if they’re to avoid any bad press from the general public.

When Kennedy is sent to Japan to evaluate Satsu’s efforts as team leader, they are taken by surprise by some fierce furry creatures who want to do nothing more than destroy Buffy (surprise!), while Twilight remains the captain of the anti-Slayer ship.

Steven S. DeKnight (Angel, Smallville, Dollhouse) teams with series artist Georges Jeanty in “Swell.”

• Executive produced by Joss Whedon!

2008 Eisner Award winner—Best New Series.

THE CLEANERS #2 (of 4)
Mark Wheaton (W), Joshua Hale Fialkov (W)
Rahsan Ekedal (A), and Jon Graef (C)

On sale Jan 21
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Miniseries

Here are the facts we know so far: In less than twenty-four hours, a discreet team of private-practice trauma-scene cleaners has been dispatched to clean up two very large blood spills in the LA area—one filling a room at a prestigious landmark hotel, and another taking up half a suburban block in the Valley. There are no bodies to speak of, no known victims, no explanation for how or why the blood appeared. But Robert Bellarmine—whose cleaning crews get called in to take care of the weirdest jobs, the ones the cops can’t or won’t handle—can already tell that both his advanced medical training and his scientifically skeptical mind will be pushed to the limit as he sets out to find a rational explanation for these sudden eruptions of gore. And when ten-year-old Henry Lisander goes missing the next day, Bellarmine knows he has even less time to figure out who or what is behind the bloodbath!

• Josh Fialkov is the writer behind the hit indie sensations Punks the Comic and Elk’s Run, as well as highly acclaimed runs on Friday the 13th, Vampirella, and more!

CLOVER OMNIBUS EDITION
CLAMP (W/A)

On sale Mar 25
b&w, 512 pages
$19.95
TPB, 5 3/4″ x 8 1/4″

Kazuhiko is a young, but already deeply wounded black ops agent of a baroque, retro-tech future—pulled out of retirement to escort Sue, a mysterious waif, to a destination she alone knows. Sue and Kazuhiko have never met . . . yet she knows him, having grown up since the age of four with her only human contact two distant voices: that of her elderly “grandma,” General Ko, and of Kazuhiko’s dead girlfriend, Ora. And Sue has been kept in that cage all these years because of what she is, and what the Clover Leaf Project found her to be—a military top secret, and the most dangerous person in the world.

• Clover is a long-out-of-print classic from Japan’s shojo artist supergroup CLAMP!

• Never before available in its original Japanese right-to-left reading orientation, Dark Horse not only brings Clover into English for the first time, but also collects all four of the original volumes into one reasonably priced omnibus, with a brand-new cover design especially for this edition!

CONAN THE CIMMERIAN #7
Timothy Truman (W)
Tomás Giorello (P), Richard Corben (P)
José Villarrubia (C), and Frank Cho (Cover)

On sale Jan 21
FC, 40 pages
$2.99
Ongoing

Tim Truman’s “Cimmeria” story arc comes to an explosive finale and tribal politics come to a head, as the fate of Conan’s new lover is decided! Conan learns the truth about why his grandfather stayed in Cimmeria—where the old warrior became a vital member of his adopted village, yet never let go of his daydreams and wanderlust. Brecan seeks to impress his chieftain father and end current clan tensions and disputes, but his “solution” creates even more problems and puts him at odds with an enraged Conan. Everything ties together here, as the first Conan the Cimmerian arc crescendos into a flurry of swords and emotion!

“The artists team up to create a pitch-perfect sword and sorcery aesthetic which easily ranks the book amongst the best of comparable books on the stands.”  —ign.com

FEAR AGENT VOLUME 5: I AGAINST I
Rick Remender (W)
Tony Moore (A)

On sale Mar 4
FC, 128 pages
$14.95
TPB, 7″ x 10″

After being shot through the other side of a black hole, Heath Huston finds himself in a shadow universe, marooned on the desolate Planet Westx. A stranger in a strange place, the last Fear Agent enters a world populated by gun-slinging robots, venomous mutants, and buxom cowgirls in this six-part sci-fi Western shot through the heart. Creators Rick Remender and Tony Moore reunite to bring you the good, the bad, and the ugly days of Heath Huston, outlaw . . . it’s high noon in dead space.

“If you’re looking for rough, sci-fi battles, you really aren’t going to do better than this.” —ign.com

GIGANTIC #3 (of 5)
Rick Remender (W)
Eric Nguyen (P), and Matthew Wilson (C)

On sale Jan 14
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Miniseries

Invisible alien film crews record your every moment for the entertainment of fat, anesthetized aliens throughout the universe. Gigantic, our would-be savior, fights to liberate us from this secretive voyeurism, but at what price? In order to restore order to their hit show “Planet Earth,” the Universal Broadcast Network has sent Gigantic’s archnemesis, the Iconoclast, to stop him by any means necessary, leading to a world-shattering battle through time and space.

GRENDEL: DEVIL’S REIGN
Matt Wagner (W/Cover)
Tim Sale (P), Matt Hollingsworth (C), and Giulia Brusco (C)

On sale Mar 4
FC, 184 pages
$19.95
TPB, 7″ x 10″

The year is 2530, and the corrupt Church, Vatican Ouest, has fallen, spreading upheaval across North America, along with an infestation of vampires. In this new world, Ex-COP leader Pellon Cross is still at large, devil-possessed Eppy Thatcher is missing, and Orion Assante is on an ambitious quest to restore order to the continent and gain legitimate power. But will Orion attain his goals before threats from overseas change the rules in this game for power?

• Grendel: Devil’s Reign is a groundbreaking synthesis of politics, war, religion, and the devil created by two of the top talents in comics!

• Artist Tim Sale’s work can be seen in the NBC hit show Heroes!

• Brand new painted cover by Grendel creator Matt Wagner!

Tim Sale’s first major series in comics, collected for the very first time!

HELLBOY: THE WILD HUNT #2 (of 8)
Mike Mignola (W/Cover)
Duncan Fegredo (A), Guy Davis (A)
Dave Stewart (C)

On sale Jan 7
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Miniseries

Hellboy contends with treacherous huntsmen, mystic visions, newly awakened bands of vicious giants, and a talking bird as he continues his journey across the rolling hills of England. Things far stranger await, should Hellboy’s enemies succeed in resurrecting the Queen of Blood . . .
• Hot on the heels of the 2008 summer film release Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo reunite with Hellboy: The Wild Hunt to follow up on the events of their best-selling 2007 series Hellboy: Darkness Calls.
• This issue also includes a backup story written by Mike Mignola and drawn by B.P.R.D. artist Guy Davis!

• Mike Mignola is a 2008 Spike TV Scream Award nominee for Best Writer (Hellboy: Darkness Calls, Lobster Johnson: Iron Prometheus).

KULL #3 (of 6)
Arvid Nelson (W)
Will Conrad (P), José Villarrubia (C)
Andy Brase (Cover)

On sale Jan 7
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Miniseries

With Pict leader Ka-Nu’s ominous warning still ringing in his ears, Kull must confront a more immediate crisis—the wrath of his first wife, the Lady Igraine, whose venomous tongue threatens the validity of his claim to the throne. If that weren’t enough, Kull must still meet with Brule, the formidable-yet-contentious Pict warrior whose insights will lead to a horrific revelation.

Praise for Arvid Nelson’s Rex Mundi series:

“[Arvid] Nelson compellingly stretches the medium.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“Truly original ideas are worth their weight in gold, but a truly original idea executed with as much intelligence and obvious passion as Rex Mundi is priceless. A top-of-the-stack comic, month after month.”
—Brian K. Vaughn

THE MASK OMNIBUS VOLUME 2
Evan Dorkin (W), Rich Hedden (W), Bob Fingerman (W), John Arcudi (W), Kyle Hotz (A), Peter Gross (A), Sibin (A), Doug Mahnke (A), and others

On sale Mar 18
FC, 384 pages
$24.95
TPB, 6″ x 9″

A mystical artifact from the ancient past, the relic known only as the Mask imbues its wearer with nearly limitless power . . . face-stretching, mallet-forming, clock-smashing power. Slap the Mask on your mug and nothing is beyond your reach—or the reach of a pie bomb—which is why every crook, grifter, creep, hood, miscreant, scofflaw, and other words in the thesaurus are out to get their mitts on it. The hunt for the valued vizard (thanks again, thesaurus!) goes from sea to shining sea, involving voodoo, Amazonian tribesmen, ninjas (sweet!), mafiosi, Crypto-Nazis . . . and the Bardard Thespian Club!

• The Mask Omnibus Volume 2 collects over 350 maniacal story pages, never before collected, of the acclaimed comics series that inspired the megahit motion picture.

• Featuring the talents of Evan Dorkin, Kyle Hotz, Bob Fingerman, Peter Gross, John Arcudi, Doug Mahnke, and more.

MISTER X: CONDEMNED #2 (of 4)
Dean Motter (W/A)

On sale Jan 28
FC, 24 pages
$3.50
Miniseries

Comic-book and graphic-design legend Dean Motter continues to reinvent his industry-changing creation in part two of Mister X: Condemned!

In a desperate attempt to rescue his citizens from the insanity-inducing architecture that surrounds them, the mayor of Radiant City employs giant robots to demolish the most maddening buildings. That is, until one such mechanical monstrosity razes the sanctuary of a reclusive sect of architects—with all 150 members inside! A freak accident or foul play? One man is determined to discover the truth—the mysterious Mister X!

“Mister X has appropriated the language and format of traditional American comic books and realigned them to serve a subversive agenda.” —SPIN magazine

OH MY GODDESS! COLORS
Kosuke Fujishima (W/A)

On sale Mar 11
FC, 192 pages
$19.95
TPB, 7″ x 10″

What’s inside? Let’s start with what’s outside: a metallic gold embossed cover with french flaps, featuring the Goddess sisters on the front, and Belldandy and her angel Holy Bell on the interior. Then the contents kick off with a wacky intro to the Oh My Goddess! saga, in the form of an eight-page “fan” manga by Neon Genesis Evangelion Angel designer Yoshitou Asari! Then, OMG! Colors’s namesake: four classic Oh My Goddess! stories, each focusing on a different goddess, and colorized under Kosuke Fujishima’s supervision. Finally, an exhaustive “Encyclopedia” section cross-references the people, places, and things of the first thirty volumes of OMG!, including the differences between the two English versions, and many in-jokes about the series never before revealed!

• The ultimate celebration for the Oh My Goddess! fan, Oh My Goddess! Colors is a beautiful, oversize retrospective on Kosuke Fujishima’s Oh My Goddess!, the longest-running manga series in English!

“Oh My Goddess! Is an eternally charming manga series with magical humor and a big heart.” —ActiveAnime.com

PLANET OF BEER
Brian Sendelbach (W/A)

On sale Mar 18
FC, 152 pages
$14.95
TPB, 12″ x 8″

Dark Horse is proud to present . . . actually, make that giggling manically as we present one of the silliest—yet most subversive and darkly funny—collections of comics you’ll see this year. Planet of Beer selects the best and weirdest comic strips from the popular underground weekly comic Smell of Steve in one gloriously colored, landscape-format book. Join creator Brian Sendelbach’s all-misfit cast of underloved underwater superheroes, space-faring former U.S. presidents, soul-sucking alien DJs, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and other insane characters as they work together to find the elusive and legendary Planet of Beer. Actually, that’s way more of a sensible plot than you’ll actually find in this book, but if you like your comics absurd, awesome, and maybe just a tiny bit disturbing and wrong, we’re pretty sure you’re going to love this book.

• The Smell of Steve strip started running in The Stranger (Seattle, WA) in the mid-1990s, and eventually ran in Vice magazine, The New York Press, The Philadelphia Weekly, Baltimore City Paper, The Portland Mercury, Terminal City (Vancouver, BC), Punchline (Richmond, VA), The Weekly Alibi (Albuquerque, NM), The Bohemian (San Jose, CA), and GoGo (Denver, CO).

• For a look at the hilarious Smell of Steve strips that make up Planet of Beer, go to:
HYPERLINK “http://www.myspace.com/smellofsteve”www.myspace.com/smellofsteve

SOLOMON KANE #5 (of 5)
Scott Allie (W), Mario Guevara (P)
Dave Stewart (C), and John Cassaday (Cover)

On sale Jan 28
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Miniseries

The Castle of the Devil hides several secrets—the most horrible of which may still be locked at the base of the castle in the ruins of an ancient abbey. Solomon Kane gets closer to unveiling the truth behind the crazed monks who used to live there, as he deals with the castle’s current batch of strange inhabitants. Escaping with John Silent, his wounded companion, is out of the question, because Kane also seeks justice for the souls of innocent children who were killed on the gallows that litter this evil, tainted region of Germany’s Black Forest.

“With art and writing that perfectly captures the pulp weirdness of his birth, Solomon Kane officially becomes the only Puritan I’ve ever been a fan of. Don’t miss out on these weird tales, you’ll regret it.” —Ed Brubaker

The story rolls into a shocking finale!

THE SPIRIT MOVIE STATUE AND SNOW GLOBE

One of the most anticipated new films of the year is Frank Miller’s movie adaptation of Will Eisner’s comic strip The Spirit, opening Christmas Day. Dark Horse is happy to celebrate the forthcoming release with some very sophisticated limited-edition pieces based on the characters as they appear in the film.

On sale Jan 28
The Spirit Movie Statue
11.21″W  X  7.34″D  X  8.5″H
Numbered, limited edition of 750 copies for worldwide distribution
$199.99

The Spirit statue presents the masked avenger in full figure (1:7 life size). Peering over a winter rooftop of Central City, the Spirit is poised and ready to spring. Sculpted by Kolby Jukes.

On sale Nov 26
The Spirit Snow Globe
High-quality 120mm glass sphere
Limited to 500 pieces
$99.99

The continual snowfall is a graphic theme in The Spirit, as it has often been in Frank Miller’s graphic stories, and creates a visual atmosphere that oozes drama. Therefore, it was not hard to imagine a beautiful snow globe that would capture and reproduce the effect. Crafting the miniature environment was a technical challenge for Dark Horse and sculptors Kolby Jukes and Oluf Hartvigson, but the result is a unique collectible that is fascinating.

STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC #37—PROPHET MOTIVE part 2 (of 2)
John Jackson Miller (W)
Bong Dazo (A)
Michael Atiyeh (C), and Dan Scott (Cover)

On sale Jan 21
FC, 40 pages
$2.99
Ongoing

Former Padawan Zayne Carrick’s new life takes a turn for the worse as a con gone wrong puts his friends in a deadly predicament!

Fleecing the corrupt financial exchange on Metellos 3 seemed like a victimless crime to Zayne’s friends Jarael and Rohlan—until they became the victims! Now prisoners of a galactic criminal syndicate, Jarael and Rohlan must find a way to survive long enough for Zayne and his conniving cohort Gryph to rescue them!

• Make sure to be there as the conclusion to “Prophet Motive” propels Knights of the Old Republic into a brand-new galaxy of adventures!

STAR WARS: LEGACY #32—FIGHT ANOTHER DAY part 1 (of 2)
John Ostrander (W), Omar Francia (A/Cover), and Brad Anderson (C)
On sale Jan 28
FC, 40 pages
$2.99
Ongoing

Darth Krayt’s program to exterminate the Mon Calamari is still in progress, with only the  Mon Cal Rangers standing between the refugee populace and certain doom. Now a Sith scientist has a new weapon against which the Rangers are powerless.

Faced with a choice between allowing refugees to perish and sacrificing themselves in a fruitless delaying action, the Rangers turn to an unexpected—and reluctant—source for help.

“Star Wars: Legacy took a gamble by jumping the Star Wars saga one hundred years past what we knew about it and it has paid off. It’s a great series.”
—BlogCritics.com

STYLE SCHOOL VOLUME 4
Various (W/A)

On sale Mar 25
FC, 176 pages
$16.95
TPB, 8 7/8″ x 10 1/8″

Do you love the artistic styles of manga and anime? Well, Dark Horse has a treat for you, with the fourth volume of the wonderfully instructional world of Style School. Within these gorgeous pages you’ll find all the tricks of the trade and dazzling images to inspire you to create works of your very own.  Learn techniques from top artists tutoring you on watercolor, digital coloring, screen tones, markers, pen, brush, and acrylics. Includes informative how-to sections alongside art from aspiring artists from around the globe.

Also, all the information you need to submit your very own art to be considered for publication in upcoming issues of SS magazine in Japan!

• Includes many how-to techniques for numerous different art styles!

• Style School contains hundreds of full-color and black-and-white illustrations!

• A must-have book for any aspiring manga or anime artist.
.
• One of the most successful art publications in Japan, published for the first time in English.

TUROK TRADING CARDS

On sale Mar 18
50 full-color trading cards, packaged in a deluxe box
$14.95

From ancient times to the present, we have been mystified, frightened, and inspired by dinosaurs. Our fascination was perfectly captured in Dell’s Turok: Son of Stone cover paintings, which teamed American Indian warrior Turok with a variety of saurian adversaries. While these renderings of dinosaurs were considered to be accurate in the1950s and ‘60s, modern paleontology has given us a new understanding of the reptile denizens of prehistory. Veteran illustrator and dinosaur expert Pete Von Sholly has created an absolutely stunning series of trading cards depicting the weirdest and most mysterious cover, with scientifically accurate dinosaurs, effectively updating this classic genre with fifty new pieces. Text on the back of the card tells details of the dinosaurs.  This set will amaze and inform casual observers and serious Turok or dinosaur buffs alike.

UMBRELLA ACADEMY: DALLAS #3 (of 6)
Gerard Way (W), Gabriel Bá (A/Cover)
Dave Stewart (C)

On sale Jan 28
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Miniseries

As Clare Boothe Luce once said, “No good deed goes unpunished.” The Séance, ego bloated from having saved the world a few months ago, finds himself strapped in for a most unpleasant ride while the team runs in four different directions—because only four of the seven Umbrella Brats are currently mobile.

Clare Boothe Luce, Republican congresswoman, ambassador, and playwright, was the daughter of unmarried violinist and deserter Wm. Franklin Boothe. (The Umbrella Academy does not approve of the term “illegitimate child.” Every child is legitimate; it’s some parents we find to be lacking.) Through her varied career, she took on communism, sexism, and Nazism. When her friend, actress and legendary suicide Dorothy Hale, threw herself from the sixteenth floor of New York City’s Hampshire House, Luce compelled art goddess Frida Kahlo to paint the shocking El Suicidio de Dorothy Hale. In 1953, President Eisenhower named Luce ambassador to Italy. When she met Pope Pius XII, Luce, ignoring America’s own ethic about separation of church and state, explained the Church’s moral requirement to be tougher on communism. Pope Pius replied, “You know, Mrs. Ambassador, I am a Catholic, too.”  Seven years later, the United States would elect its first Catholic president.

USAGI YOJIMBO #117
Stan Sakai (W/A)

On sale Jan 28
b&w, 25 pages
$3.50
Ongoing

The rabbit ronin Usagi wanders into a new three-part adventure that begins with the unleashing of a never-before-seen threat!

Three hundred years ago, Lord Hayashi quashed an uprising incited by Lord Nobu, slaughtering all traitors and leaving their bodies unburied as punishment at the Battle of the Gray Overlook. Now, something has happened and Sasuke the Demon Queller has been called upon to face a new evil. A delicate balance exists between the powers of light and darkness, and when the thief Kitsune picks the purse of a samurai to find a small, nondescript jewel, she threatens to upset this balance forever!

VAMPIRE HUNTER D VOLUME 12: PALE FALLEN ANGEL PARTS THREE AND FOUR
Hideyuki Kikuchi (W)
Yoshitaka Amano (A)

On sale Mar 18
b&w, 480 pages
$14.95
Novel, 5 1/8″ x 7 1/4″

Baron Byron Balazs nears the end of his arduous journey; his bodyguard—the enigmatic and deadly Vampire Hunter D—has delivered him to his faraway home in Krauhausen. Having survived the near-epic journey, and many attempts on his life—ordered by his father, the dread Vampire Noble Lord Vlad—the baron thinks he is ready for his final battle, whatever the cost. But Lord Vlad is not so easily vanquished, as he unleashes yet another host of nefarious killers on his son, not least of whom is a mad doctor who was enlisted to perform sinister experiments on the young baron’s mother years before!

• The epic conclusion of the longest Vampire Hunter D story ever. This book was originally published in four individual novels in Japan. To make this more affordable for fans, we’re releasing this mega-novel as two omnibus volumes!

• Features thirteen black-and-white line illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano.

• Awareness of Amano’s work will be heightened this year with the release of Shinjuku, Amano’s first original book for Dark Horse with film director Mink.

WETA COLLECTIBLES: HALO 3—MASTER CHIEF VS. THE FLOOD STATUE

On sale May 28
16″ high, 13.5″ wide, 13″ deep, 1:10 scale
Limited edition
$330.00

Every bit as dangerous as the Covenant zealots, the seemingly mindless Flood infection threatens to overrun the galaxy. While protecting Earth from its would-be Covenant conquerors, the Master Chief must also fend off the relentless advance of these biological monstrosities—disturbing masses of meat and bone, distorted and sculpted into killing machines in service to the Gravemind.

XS VOLUME 4: DISILLUSION
Song Ji-Hyung (W/A)

On sale Mar 4
b&w, 192 pages
$10.95
TPB, 5 1/8″ x 7 3/8″

Welcome to the continuing story of In-chang and Mina, two teens who have known each other since they were little. As they’ve grown up within this digital cloak-and-dagger mystery, their young infatuation has quickly turned into adult dependency. As a global virus threatens to destroy all of humanity, can In-chang keep Mina safe or will the odds be too great for him to handle?

• Creator of ’Til Death Do Us Part, one of the top manga in Square Enix’s manga library (currently running in Young GanGan comics monthly).

“…XS settles down into a pretty entertaining mix of action-movie antics, SF themes, and teenage angst.” – Advance Media Network – Anime

“. . . One of the best car chase . . . seen on paper, comparable in intensity to the infamous speeding-under-the-el sequence in The French Connection.”
— PopCultureShock.com

via Dark Horse Comics