The Mix : What are people talking about today?

MINDY NEWELL: SuperGod – Thus Spake Zarathustra

newell-colun-art-110926-8461390I came home from work on Friday to find a package had arrived from Amazon. It was Supergods, by Grant Morrison. I had first heard about the book while reading the Rolling Stone interview with Morrison, which I mentioned last week. Between that interview and all the hoo-hah about Action Comics Vol. 2 #1, both my own reaction and those in the media, I had to read it.

(The debate continues, by the way. Today, Sunday, National Pubic Radio – NPR – devoted a segment of its “Studio 60” program to the reboot, with two interviews: the first with a comic book shop owner in Brooklyn, and the second with Jill Pantozzi, who herself is a redhead and in a wheelchair. Jill wrote an absolutely brilliant and terrific Op-Ed piece for Newsarama about the transformation of Oracle back into Batgirl, entitled Oracle Is Stronger Than Batgirl Will Ever Be. You should check it out.)

Anyway, back to Supergods. The subtitle is “What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, And A Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human.” I’ve only read the introduction, and browsed through it, and already I’m enthralled.

Now granted (no pun intended – or maybe it was), Morrison is not the first to write about the mythology, the übergeist – I think I just made up that one from a combination of Yiddish and German – the collective consciousness of humans creating heroes to reflect themselves, their darkness and their light, their trial and tribulations. If you didn’t have to read it in college, you learned about Joseph Campbell and The Hero With A Thousand Faces from George Lucas through a little thing called Star Wars. But as one of the preeminent contemporary writers of superheroes, I can’t wait to really sit down and read it.

I think about God a lot. When I was a little girl, I had this recurring dream. I was somewhere in the middle of a field. It looked like the field in “Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth, complete with the farmhouse at the top of the hill. Of course it was a dream, so it was a totally warped “Christina’s World.” I was standing there, and it was blue skies and sun. All of a sudden the sky was black with clouds. There was an absolutely huuuuge clap of thunder and a lightning bolt, and suddenly God was standing before me. Well, all I could see was the bottom of his long, black Supreme Court Justice robe. I craned my head up and back and up and back and the robe went up and up and up beyond the sky. Then God bent over, and I could see His face, and it wasn’t happy. His long white hair and beard mixed with the grasses of the field, and He looked at me with stern black eyes, and just shook his finger at me as if to say, “You’re a bad, bad girl, Mindy.”

I don’t know why I dreamed that dream. Probably got punished by my mother or my father for something I did that I don’t remember. Talk about Jewish guilt!

God and theology continued to fascinate me as I grew up. I didn’t go to Hebrew school, wasn’t bas-mitzvahed, and I got kicked out of Communion class for asking the rabbi how the Jews could be so sure that Jesus wasn’t the Son of God, and saying that maybe we just screwed it up. (I asked a lot of questions that the rabbi didn’t like, like the time I asked him if Jonathan and David were maybe more than “just friends.”) But I read all the stories from the Old Testament that my brother brought home, and I read bits and pieces of The New Testament. I devoured movies like The Robe and Quo Vadis, and brought the books home from the library. My favorite though was, and still is, Ben-Hur.

There’s a line in Ben-Hur towards the end, when Esther and Judah Ben-Hur are taking his mother and sister from the Valley of Lepers to see Jesus. Judah’s mother is afraid, and Esther says, “No need. The world is more than we know.”

I know it was only a line in a movie, but I think the writer got it right.

Like Grant Morrison’s Animal Man, maybe the world was created by God because he’s a writer, and that’s what writers do, create, and we’re just the four-color two-dimensional characters in his comic book. Like Alan Moore’s Promethea, maybe we create the world out of our collective consciousness. Like Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, the world is nothing but a dream set in motion by Morpheus.

Maybe there’s an obelisk on the Moon, just waiting to be discovered.

TUESDAY: Michael Davis

Happy 70th Birthday, Aquaman!

Today is a very, very special day in the history of Aquaman–it’s his 70th birthday! And when we say 70th birthday, we don’t mean the birthday DC Comics has seen fit to give him within their continuity–that’s January 29. No, we mean that on this day seventy years ago–September 25, 1941–More Fun Comics #73, Aquaman’s debut appearance, hit newsstands…

So, with Aquaman hitting the big 7-0, and his new series only days away from debuting, the Shrine thought it a tribute fit for a king to reach out and collect birthday greetings from various writers, artists, and performers, all of whom have been involved with the Sea King in some way over these seven decades…

How do you blow out birthday candles underwater? For that matter, how do you light them?

via The Aquaman Shrine: Happy 70th Birthday Aquaman!.

JOHN OSTRANDER: Story Telling

I love stories. I love reading stories, I love hearing stories, I love telling stories.

I’ve been like this as far back as I can remember.

The way my mind works is that I see stories everywhere. Back when I was going to Chicago’s Quigley Prep Seminary in my freshman year of high school, I had to take the elevated train down to school and back at least five days a week. In those days, the first seat in the first car was a single seat right by the front window. When I could get it, I’d watch the tracks as we went. I’d assign one person’s life to one of the rails and another person’s life to the parallel rail and, at junctions, where another set of rails could switch you to another set of tracks, I saw those parallel lives coming together but then another junction would come and those lives would no longer travel on together. I projected a story onto the rails.

Yeah, I was an odd kid.

Sometimes I would come home after dark, especially during the winter, and when I could I’d sit by the train window and watch the apartment buildings as we passed them with rows upon rows of windows. Most would be dark or have the shades drawn but, every so often, the window would be lit and the shade would be up and you’d see someone in the window, just for a few seconds. You’d catch a bit of their life and wonder what the rest of it was like.

Years later, I lived in an apartment that was a half block or less from the train tracks. I lived on the third floor and I knew, from my previous experience, that if the lights were lit and the shades were up, people from the passing trains could look into my life just as I glimpsed into others. That seemed fair.

What I learned from this is that we play many parts in our lives. We are the leads of our own stories (or should be) although, as Charles Dickens, in the opening of David Copperfield, wrote: ”Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.” We can be the hero or villain in our own life and sometimes are both. In the story of other peoples’ lives, we assume different plot functions – supporting character, antagonist, cameo, walk-on. We are part of so many different stories.

We are all stories; we are all storytellers. As my former rector, Revered Phillip Wilson, used to say, stories are the atoms of our social interactions. We use story constantly in our own lives, to convey experience, tell a joke, share an experience. Stories are how we understand the world into which we have been born. The stories we tell shape us both as a people and a nation.

The stories often get told and re-told just as DC Comics is now re-telling its stories. Events get altered because it makes a better story. When Del Close was telling portions of his life story in Wasteland, he was never concerned about the facts (although there were often some kernels of fact in the story) – he was concerned with what was true, what was good for the story.

A good story always reflects the storyteller and Del’s stories always did. Del lives in his stories just as Dickens lives in his stories just as Shakespeare does in his. As I do in mine. The stories aren’t real in that the events haven’t happened but they are hopefully true; lies told in service to the truth.

So – what’s your story?

MONDAY: Mindy Newell

FORTIER TAKES ON SPILLANE AND COLLINS’ LATEST!

ALL PULP REVIEWS-Book Reviews by Ron Fortier
THE CONSUMMATA
By Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins
Hard Case Crime
247 pages
Release date 4 Oct 2011
In 1967 popular mystery writer, Mickey Spillane, sought to cash in the James Bond spy craze sweeping the world of literary fiction.  He created a Florida based government agent named Morgan the Raider; obviously referencing the famous pirate with the same name.  The book was titled THE DELTA FACTOR and the plot revolved around Morgan and a beautiful female agent, Kim Stacy, going to a South American island to rescue a scientist being held by terrorists.  Spillane had begun work on a sequel when THE DELTA FACTOR was made into a rather bland, lackluster movie in 1971 and disheartened by that film; he shelved the new book and never completed it.
Forty-four years later, thanks to Spillane’s good friend and protégé, crime novelist, Max Allan Collins, fans can now enjoy that sequel, THE CONSUMMATA.  The story takes places only a few months after the events in the first book, with Morgan now a felon having been framed for an armored car hold up that netted the thieves forty million dollars.  Although innocent, the only way he can prove his innocent is to find the stolen loot and return it, all the while eluding both local and government agents.
As if that isn’t trouble enough, he finds himself entangled with a group of Cuban exile patriots living in Miami who have become victims of a lowlife named Jamie Halaquez;  a spy for dictator, Fidel Castro.  Halaquez has stolen the rebels’ war chest containing seventy-five thousand dollars; money intended to fund the group’s activities and help other refugees flee Cuba.  Owing them a debt of honor, Morgan volunteers to find Halaquez and return their money. 
Less than twenty four hours later, a bomb destroys the hotel room in which Morgan was to have set up his base of operations.  Only through a sixth sense honed through years of espionage work does Morgan avoid being killed but at the same time is made aware that there is another spy in his new circle of friends.  Now things are really complicated, in a very deadly way.  At the same time he is playing detective in the seamy world of Miami’s sex clubs, unknown killers are dogging his trail.
THE CONSUMMATA is a typical pedal-to-metal Spillane thriller that zips along at a fast, gut tightening pace filled with lots of sexy and dangerous women and a true exotic mix of colorful supporting characters from both sides of the law.  There are always a few critics who will claim they can discern where Spillane left off and where Collins took over the yarn. This reviewer is happy to say he is not one of those.  This is a seamless adventure that moves smoothly from chapter to chapter with one clear and exciting voice, echoing the bullet-blasting tales of a true Mystery Grandmaster.

AND AS A PARTING PIRATEY SHOT, PULP EMPIRE AND ANOTHER INTERVIEW!

PulpEmpire.com is proud to offer our newest anthology Pirates & Swashbucklers, a seventeen story collection of great pirate pulp fiction! Pirates & Swashbucklers author Kameron W. Franklin interviewed his fellow writers of the new Pulp Empire anthology out now!


Today he sits down with Viktor Kowalski, author of “The Treasure of the Lost Race”.


When did you first realize you were a writer?
When I wrote my first yarn. I was like: “Wow! I’m a writer! Awesome!”


What authors influence or inspire you?
Robert E. Howard.


What book(s) have you read more than once? What drew you back?
The “Complete Chronicles of Conan” by Robert E. Howard because it contains the best fantasy yarns ever written; “Prometheus Rising” by Robert A. Wilson because it is the absolutely best book about the workings of the human mind, and what you can do to make the most of yours.


Do you consider yourself a “pulp” writer? Why? Is there another genre you like to write?
But of course. I like to write pulps because that’s what I like to read.

I also write genre fiction like fantasy, historical fiction, adventure, horror and sci-fi, sometimes in pulp style, other times not. I’ve tried writing those contemporary dramas, steeped in emotional wallowing and whining, seasoned with quasi-intellectual and philosophical self-indulgence. It didn’t work.



In 25 words or less, how would you define “pulp” as a genre?
Robert E. Howard.




What made you decide to submit a story for the Pirates & Swashbucklers anthology?
It seemed like an excellent opportunity to showcase my exquisite writing ability. Seriously.




Read more of Kameron’s interviews at PensAndSwords.com.


Pulp Empire Presents: Pirates & Swashbucklers is now available at Pulp Empire.com. Until October 10th, use the code “62QUSQGC” at our CreateSpace bookstore to receive 15% off on the book!

If You Didn’t Know Minck Oosterveer, Read His BOOM! Work For Free

In honor of the memory of Minck Oosterveer, who passed away last weekend, BOOM! Studios is offering all issues of Mark Waid and Oosterveer’s The Unknown and The Unknown: Devil Made Flesh for free through all their digital partners — comiXology, iVerse, Graphicly, and mydigitalcomics. It’s a very good story, albeit a bit weird reading it now, with its themes of life after death.

Take a look and see just what made this guy so good. Here’s a preview of the first ten pages of The Unknown:

Also, BOOM!’s Editor-in-Chief, Matt Gagnon, has written a stirring remembrance of Minck.

MARC ALAN FISHMAN: UltraFish — What I’d Do Were Malibu Mine

fishman-column-art-110924-4602351Welcome back to the Fishtopia, gentle readers. Once again, I’m refraining from dumping all over DC. I know, bold move. But boldness is what I’m known for. Boldness, being Jewish, and uhh… having a beard. I thought I’d tickle my fantasy bone today and open a door to a magic land. Come with me, won’t you? We open on a cool, crisp Chicago late afternoon. A chilly breeze blows through my thick beardly-locks. The lake air wafts past my nose, bringing with it the scents of a city. A hotdog dragged through the garden. Buttery deep dish pizza choked with cheese and sausage. Hipster-douchebags in knit caps, skinny jeans, and too much Old Spice. Ahhhh. I gaze longingly at the Lake. A lonely boat drifts in the distance. My iPhone rings. Oh! It’s Marvel calling.

Me: Hello?

Them: Marc-E-Marc! It’s Axel!

Me: The Axe-Man! What’s the happy haps?

Them: So we just have to get you on the payroll here. It’s been too long!

Me: I know, I know. What do you have in mind? Another Slingers mini? Maybe Matt and I can knock out that Darkhawk book we keep pitching to you?

Them: Oh no, bubbala. I got something better. Something you’ve been dying for.

Me: No.

Them: Oh… oh yes.

Me: Say it. I want to hear you say it.

Them: OK Fish. Malibu. It’s yours.

At this point my legs go a bit limp. I find a bench. All is right with the world.

It’s no secret. I loved Malibu Comics’ Ultraverse. I owned nearly every book they published. If a genie were to grant me three wishes… bringing them back is the first thing I’d ask for (after world peace and a carb and calorieless Mac and Cheese). For those who aren’t familiar, let me dial up the pop-tart sized Wikipedia entry for you to wolf down before we proceed.

In 1993, a small publisher, Malibu Comics, decided to put out a line of superhero books. Hey why not, everyone else was doing it! The “Ultraverse” as it were, was a fun romp not beleaguered by decades of history (like Marvel or DC), knee-deep in boobs and guns (Ahem, Image…), nor entrenched in wads of super-science and hyper-continuity (like Valiant). Malibu’s line was just about the fun. Characters with barely believable backstories fighting baddies with a wide array of appropriated super-powers. As a 12-year old, I ate it up like a church group at a Sunday buffet. Yeah, I went there.

Fast forward to the mid-nineties… and sales dropped. Turned out all those issues of the Death of Superman weren’t worth thousands, and people were getting tired of counting the flaps of Spawn’s cape in a book of 17 splash pages. Marvel picked up the ashes of the now unpopular Ultraverse, and laid them to rest after a failed crossover. Ever since, I’ve wanted to grab those dirty ashes and reanimate them to their former glory. Here’s how…

Keeping things to their own li’l separate universe would be key. Call me crazy, but usurping an entire universe and rewriting continuity just to force a few has-beens into a modern setting seems like the dumb kid trying to wedge the square into the circle hole. Sound like anyone you know? Nah, me neither. Anyone here reading Voodoo and Grifter yet? But I digress!

I would make a batch of four or five books, akin to Marvel’s successful (turned boring, turned Jeph Loeb nightmare, turned interesting again) Ultimate line. A solid solo adventure book. A sturdy team book. Something to explore the fantasy/sci-fi angle. Maybe a nice villain-centered book. And then? A book with Wolverine in it. Hey, even in my wildest dreams, I need to sell some books. Allow me to pontificate.

My solo book? Prime. Here’s a character that begs to brought back. Taking the original Captain Marvel concept (a boy who can transform into a 20/30 something super-man), but adding a pinch of angst… makes this a title to appeal to teens and not-teens alike. Billy Batson is gee-golly-gosh cool. Seriously. I loved Mike Kunkel’s Johnny DC title. But we ain’t talkin’ about Billy.

Prime’s alter-ego is (was) Kevin Green… troubled youth. With a chip on his shoulder and an attitude problem, he’s the quintessential anti-Batson. Where a Peter Parker or Clark Kent have that “boy next door” charm, and a happy demeanor in and out of costume… Kevin is at that perfect age where he knows all the answers, and still can’t get girls to dig him. But when danger is afoot, he activates his liquid flesh power, and becomes the hyper-muscular Prime. Unlike a Marvel or Captain America though… Prime is instinctively still a teenager. He’s quick to anger. Quick to fight. And he’s powerful enough that no one is going to tell him otherwise, by force or not. Add in some crazy scientist arch nemesis and robots to trash? Maybe a love triangle where Kevin has the hots for a teen girl in high school, and a seductive Super Heroine as Prime? The book practically writes itself! Will Kevin lose his virginity to the super-slut, or save himself for prom? And how can he fight the evil mutant army, when he still needs to clean his room!?

How about a team adventure? Well, look no further than The Strangers. When a group of seven random passengers aboard a San Francisco trolley get hit by sentient alien lightning, they are imbued with super powers. They must unite to fight a mysterious eighth citizen who’s bent on taking over the city! OK, simple pitch aside, what I loved about The Strangers back in the day still holds true now. The pure oddity of powers given matched with completely dissimilar character types makes a book that never stops being fun for fun’s sake. The team is led by an art school student with Firestorm level matter-altering powers (and he doesn’t have the restriction of needing to know how to convert matter a la Ronnie or Jason). His best friend, a hot-head with a Guy Gardner level chip on his shoulder, is constantly trying to steal the spotlight. There’s a street urchin who’s more interested in using his super speed to score and sell drugs. A fashion designer who could care less about her new powers… she’s got a business to run. And did I mention the team has a hooker-android with electrical powers that may be remotely controlled by a mad scientist? What wouldn’t this book have people?!

OK, one more before I go. Mantra. For the sword and sorcery set who dig a little gender bending to boot. A warrior cursed to live eternally is reborn once more, after a thousand years… but this time, in the body of a woman! Having to acclimate himself to a modern world he’s not ready for, in a body he can’t get used to! It’s a fish out of water, with boobs. Marvel at Mantra as she fights against evil modern-day warlocks and demons… while trying to get the hang of sports bras and depilatories. Sex and the City meets Dungeons and Dragons, folks. Come get some.

Of course, you can’t actually get some. Malibu’s contracts were coated in leagues of red tape and legal roadblocks. Marvel tried to unearth the Ultraverse in 2005, but it go no further than a wish on the wind. And while no one of importance cared… I cried that lone American-Indian-on-the-side-of-the-road tear. Normally, I’d figure out a nifty way to end my column. A nice summation told via a pun or a wicked barb aimed at a worthy foe.

But I’m too sad right now. So I’m just ending with a bitter plea. Someone out there give me a million dollars, so I can go make this happen. No? You’re a bunch of jerks!

SUNDAY: John Ostrander

ARDDEN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS. FLASH.

NEWS. FLASH!!

FLASH GORDON : THE VENGEANCE OF MING COMING SEPTEMBER 2011
INVASION OF THE RED SWORD TPB – COMING THIS FALL 2011

With the next exciting Flash Gordon series on the launching pad (The Vengeance of Ming #1 – due September ’11), Ardden can also reveal that its Collected Edition of The Mercy Wars is almost out of print and due to go back to press this fall for the book market and with a brand new cover too!

The Mercy Wars has gained great reviews and critical acclaim and collects the hard to find issue zero and issues #1 to #6 of the mini series released in 2009. Written by Brendan Deneen with art by Paul Green, Flash Gordon: The Mercy Wars #1 sold a staggering 15,000 copies of its debut issue in July 2008 and since then fans have just loved Ardden’s twist on a the classic sci-fi hero.

The follow-up collected edition, The Invasion Of the Red Sword, is also written by Deneen by this time Eduardo Garcia provides the interior artwork, with colors by JOK and will be 160 pages with additional material and priced at $19.99.

Ardden has something planned for the New York Comic-con this fall for Flash fans – so make sure you’re they’re to “pick up” the excitement!

FLASH GORDON : THE INVASION OF THE RED SWORD #2 – OUT NOW!!
ISSUE #3 IN JULY!

Thank you everyone who have been emailing us about the next issue of Flash Gordon IOTRS… well, you’ll be pleased to know that issue #2 is out now, with issue #3 in stores very soon.

Both Brendan and yours truly would like to let you know that Flash will return with another series very soon and after IOTRS is wrapped up in August. We’re so pleased with the feedback we’re getting – and the fanbase we’ve built – that we’d love to keep it going for another 1000 issues, but Brendan has a definitive story that will end after 24 issues and as they say “all good things come to an end.”

We’d also like to thank you for the emails that amassed after another indie publisher announced that it too would be publishing Flash Gordon. We’re none too worried as we know that when we all look back in a few years we’ll all agree that Ardden’s Flash was the best one out there. They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery — and we tend to agree! :)

Moving on… we have lots planned. The last few months have been rather busy for us with several new indie signings, one of which has caught the eye of several international publishers and studios. But for now… Flash is our main goal and to make sure you love what we’re doing each and every month.

FLASH GORDON : INVASION OF THE RED SWORD #2
Writer: Brendan Deneen
Artist: Eduardo Garcia
Price: $3.99
Full Color

To learn more about Ardden Entertainment, please visit http://limited-edition-comix.com/atlas/index.htm

Dynamite Entertainment’s October Pulpy Offerings

Coming in October from Dynamite Entertainment.

DARK SHADOWS #1

Price: $3.99
Shipping: October, 2011
Related Products:
SKU: C725130179708
Rating: Teen +
Covers: Francesco Francavilla (50%), Aaron Campbell (50%)
Writer: Stuart Manning
Artist: Aaron Campbell
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 32 pages
Rights: WW
Age range: 16+
UPC: 725130179708
Television’s original reluctant vampire is back! Barnabas Collins is re-adjusting to life under his vampiric curse. Haunted by terrifying dreams of his age-old lover and nemesis, Angelique, and fighting his bloodlust, Barnabas fears that danger lies ahead for all who live at Collinwood. Meanwhile, Barnabas’ ally and trusted friend Dr. Julia Hoffman is harboring secrets of her own…

RED SONJA STATUE INSPIRED BY J. SCOTT CAMPBELL

SKU: C117134
This beautiful statue was inspired by the incredible Red Sonja artwork of J. Scott Campbell.
Tom and Joy Snyder sculpted, painted and painstakingly reviewed every detail of this statue under the watchful eye of J. Scott, creating one of the most compelling and beautiful Red Sonja statues of all time. Measuring approximately 8.5″ tall with a base 4″ long x 6″ wide, this magnificent piece shows that we created a piece that fans will appreciate for years to come
Price: $189.99
Shipping: October, 2011

WARLORD OF MARS 2012 CALENDAR

warlordcalendar-3661530

Price: $14.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C117556
Publication Date: August 2011 (advance solicit for October 2011)
Dimensions: 12 x 12
Format: Wall Calendar
Page Count: 24 pgs
Caution Code: C:0-1-2
UPC: 725130175564
Start 2012 with a trip to Mars! This full color calendar features incredible art by J. Scott Campbell, ,Alex Ross, Joe Jusko, Paul Renaud, Arthur Adams, and Lucio Parrillo from the hit Warlord of Mars comic books. 2012 is the year of John Carter and his adventures on Mars!

KEVIN SMITH’S THE BIONIC MAN #3

Price: $3.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C725130179753
Rating: Teen +
Covers: Alex Ross (main), Jonathan Lau (1-in-10)
Writer: Kevin Smith with Phil Hester
Artist: Jonathan Lau
Colorist: Ivan Nunes
Genre: Media Tie-In, Action Adventure
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 32 pages
Rights: WW
Age range: 16+
UPC: 725130179753
Colonel Steve Austin’s body is ruined, his spirit broken, the prospect of a future as a barely human cyborg haunting him as he hovers between life and death. Meanwhile, the demented cyborg Hull launches the first strike in his fanatical war against humanity! From the team that brought you Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet.

WARLORD OF MARS #13

Price: $3.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C725130179852
Rating: Mature
Covers: Joe Jusko (50%), Stephen Sadowski (50%), Lucio Parrillo (1-in-15)
Writer: Arvid Nelson
Artist: Stephen Sadowski
Colorist: Adriano Lucas
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Super-Hero
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 32 pages
Rights: WW
Age range: 16+
UPC: 725130179852
John Carter returns to Mars to be with his beloved princess and the son he has never know – at least, that was his plan. He arrives on the Red Planet in a forest of horrors, a place he’s never seen before. Fortunately, an old friend joins him soon enough. Before Carter can look for answers about where he is, he’s going to have to do what he does best – kick a little ass. Well, more than a little! Warlord of Mars #13: A Forest Battle is the thrilling first installment of the Gods of Mars story arc, believed by some, including the writer of this very blurb, to be the finest of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars novels. You don’t want to miss it!

WARLORD OF MARS: DEJAH THORIS #8

Price: $3.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C725130179883
Rating: Mature
Covers: Paul Renaud (33%), Joe Jusko (33%), Ale Garza (33%)
Writer: Arvid Nelson
Artist: Carlos Rafael
Colorist: Carlos Lopez
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Super-Hero
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 32 pages
Rights: WW
Age range: 16+
UPC: 725130179883
Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, and Phondari, Pirate Queen of Mars, find themselves in the clutches of Phodari’s old master, Xen Brega. But before Xen was Phondari’s master, he was her slave. Phondari wasn’t the kindest of mistresses, and Xen’s looking for a little vengeance. He’s invited Phondari and Dejah to dinner… to be the main course! If Dejah and Phondari can escape the butcher’s knife, Dejah might just learn a thing or two about the mysterious coin she discovered, and why Phondari is so interested in it. Get ready for Dejah Thoris #8: The Hoard of Segotha!

WARLORD OF MARS: FALL OF BARSOOM #4

Price: $3.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C725130179913
Rating: Teen +
Covers: Joe Jusko (main), Francesco Francavilla (1-in-10)
Writer: Robert Place Napton
Artist: Roberto Castro
Genre: Action/Adventure
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 32 pages
Rights: WW
Age range: 16+
UPC: 725130179913
100,000 YEARS BEFORE THE TIME OF JOHN CARTER! A tribe of Red Martians attacks the Atmosphere Plant just as it’s about to go operational. Meanwhile, the savage Warhoon march on the last stronghold of the Orovar — the city of Horz–determined to wipe the White Martians from the face Mars. This is the penultimate chapter in the Fall of Barsoom!

GREEN HORNET #21

Price: $3.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C725130180018
Rating: Teen +
Covers: Brian Denham (33%), Phil Hester (33%), and Jonathan Lau (33%)
Writer: Ande Parks
Artist: Igor Vitorino
Colorist: Ivan Nunes
Genre: Super-Hero, Adventure
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 32 pages
Rights: WW
Age range: 16+
UPC: 725130180018
This stand alone story is jam packed with malevolent Mixed Martial Arts mayhem, as Green Hornet and Kato enter a cage match with the baddest men in Century City! Britt Reid and Mulan have decided to enjoy a nice, street clothes night out at the fights. When an old college buddy of Britt’s is seriously injured in the octagon, our heroes join the fray. Now, Green Hornet and Kato have to stay alive in a bloody cage match to the death against the very fighters they bought tickets to see.

ZORRO RIDES AGAIN #4 (OF 12)

Price: $3.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C725130180025
Rating: Teen +
Covers: Matt Wagner
Writer: Matt Wagner
Artist: Esteve Polls
Genre: Action/Adventure
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 32 pages
Rights: WW
Age range: 16+
UPC: 725130180025
Matt Wagner (MAGE, GRENDEL) continues the finale of his epic story of Zorro! How will Don Diego’s personal life affect Zorro’s continuing crusade against the alcalde of Los Angeles, Luis Quintero? Find out in ZORRO RIDES AGAIN #4!

RED SONJA #64

Price: $3.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C725130180049
Rating: Teen +
Covers: Walter Geovani (50%), Wagner Reis (50%)
Writer: Eric Trautmann
Artist: Walter Geovani
Genre: Sword and Sorcery, Adventure, Superhero
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 32 pages
Rights: WW
Age range: 16+
UPC: 725130180049
The She-Devil With A Sword has traveled from pastoral Shem to strife-torn Koth and now, into the dark heart of Stygia itself. Sonja’s quest: a lost weapon of terrifying power, and perhaps, some measure of atonement. But the sinister schemes of the Phaorah’s own witch, Azenathi, may only bring Red Sonja death.

QUEEN SONJA #24

Price: $3.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C725130180056
Rating: Teen +
Cover: Lucio Parrillo (50%), Adriano Batista (50%)
Writer: Luke Lieberman
Artist: Fritz Casas
Genre: Sword and Sorcery, Adventure
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 32 pages
Rights: WW
Age range: 16+
UPC: 725130180056
When finally the forces of Emora and Songoria meet in open battle, who lives and who dies? Can Queen Sonja stop the Emperor’s onslaught on Songoria from a hundred Leagues away? And once she sits on the Emperor’s throne, will she ever give it up?

THE LONE RANGER VOL 4: RESOLVE TPB

Price: $19.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C1606901184
Rating: Teen +
Cover: John Cassaday
Writer: Brett Matthews
Penciller/Inker: Sergio Cariello
Colorist: Marcelo Pinto
Genre: Western, Action Adventure
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: soft cover trade paperback
Page Count: 180+
The Ranger and Tonto head for their final confrontation with the villainy that is Butch Cavendish. Along the way, love is found, life is lost, and the Ranger learns the true meaning of “Resolve”.
Collects issues #17-25, along with a complete cover gallery by artist John Cassaday.
ISBN-10: 1-60690-118-4
ISBN-13: 978-1-60690-118-2

GREEN HORNET VOL 3: IDOLS TPB

Price: $16.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C1606902199
Rating: Teen +
Cover: Alex Ross
Writer: Phil Hester
Artist: Jonathan Lau
Colorist: Ivan Nunes
Genre: Superhero, Action Adventure
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: soft cover trade paperback
Page Count: 136
Picking up right where Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet left off! The Black Hornet is history, but a new, even deadlier threat has grown right in the heart of Century City, and it may already be too late for The Green Hornet and Kato to stop it. How can Green Hornet scare a street gang out of business when the gang members themselves have no fear of anything – even death? Is the horrifying power behind their fearless ferocity truly supernatural? And just who is Saint Death?
Collects issues #11-15 in one volume, along with complete cover gallery.
Introduction by Ande Parks
ISBN-10: 1-60690-219-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-60690-219-6

WARLORD OF MARS: DEJAH THORIS VOLUME 1 – THE COLOSSUS OF MARS TP

Price: $16.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C1606902458
Rating: Mature
Cover: Paul Renaud
Writer: Arvid Nelson
Artist: Carlos Rafael
Colorist: Carlos Lopez
Genre: Fantasy, Sci Fi, Action Adventure
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: soft cover trade paperback
Page Count: 128
Martians live forever – everyone knows that. So what was Dejah Thoris doing all those hundreds of years before John Carter arrived? Four hundred years before the events of Warlord of Mars took place, Dejah’s nation of Helium was divided into two warring city-states. An unscrupulous overlord from afar encouraged that rivalry to his own advantage, until he discovers a terrible secret from Mars’s ancient past beneath Dejah Thoris’ capital. A secret to kill for!
Collecting the first five issues of the hit series in one volume, with bonus material and a complete cover gallery from artists such as Art Adams, Joe Jusko, Paul Renaud, Sean Chen, and Ale Garza.
John Carter of Mars film in development from Pixar, set for a March 9, 2012 release in theaters worldwide.
ISBN-10: 1-60690-245-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-60690-245-5

SHERLOCK HOLMES: YEAR ONE TPB

Price: $19.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C1606902172
Rating: Teen +
Cover: Francesco Francavilla
Writer: Scott Beatty
Artist: Daniel Indro
Genre: Mystery, Action Adventure
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: soft cover trade paperback
Page Count: 144
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s dauntless detective returns in an all-new series of adventures exploring the sleuth’s untold origins! Join Dr. John Watson as he meets young Sherlock Holmes in a fateful encounter that will forever shape both men’s destinies! Mysteries and murders most foul abound as we discover clues that reveal just how Holmes became the world’s most famous detective.
Collecting the 6-issue series in one volume, plus bonus material and a complete cover gallery timed to coincide with the new Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movie, A Game of Shadows, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law slated for theatrical release December 16, 2011!
ISBN-10: 1-60690-217-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-60690-217-2

WAREHOUSE 13 #3 (OF 5)

Price: $3.99
Shipping: October, 2011
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SKU: C725130179982
Rating: Teen +
Covers: Ben Morse (50%), Photo Cover (50%)
Writer: Marque Franklin-Williams & John-Paul Nickel
Artist: Ben Morse
Genre: Media Tie-In, Sci-Fi
Awards: N/A
Publication Date: Oct 2011
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 32 pages
Rights: WW
Age range: 16+
UPC: 725130179982
When a series of strange murders in Japan pings the Warehouse team’s radar, Pete, Myka and Claudia journey to the Land of the Rising Sun to investigate. What they discover is a masked assassin who’s using an artifact to cut a swath of terror through the Japanese criminal underworld. In order to snag, bag and tag this deadly weapon, our heroes will have to protect the head of the Yakuza from becoming the killer’s next victim. Little do they realize the assassin is closer than they think! Written by WAREHOUSE 13’s Marque Franklin-Williams & John-Paul Nickel.

For a full listing of Dynamite’s October Release, visit them at http://www.dynamite.net/htmlfiles/previews.html?getMonth=October&getYear=2011

SIMON PRICE IS BACK IN ‘MOVING TARGETS’ FROM CR AND REDBUD!

Writer: Ron Fortier Art: Rob Davis Inks: Steve Farfan Letters: Brant Fowler

Standard Comic
Black & White
Page Count: 24
POD

Nearly killed by two assassins wearing gorilla masks
Simon investigates the attempt on his life. What he
finds out shocks him.

Hounded off the Police Force by crossing the
“thin blue line” and
turning in his dirty partner, Simon Price becomes
 a Private Eye.

Price For The Asking #2 TM and © 2011 Ron Fortier & Bill Gladman
 Art © 2011 Rob Davis & Steve Farfan. All rights reserved.