Dark Horse Comics Press Releases

Dark Horse Comics Celebrating Twenty Years 1986-2006

Second collection of #1 online comic Penny Arcade arrives with Penny Arcade Volume 2: Epic Legends of the Magic Sword Kings

“Penny Arcade is a scathing send-up of geek culture with jokes sharp enough to injure an eye.” — Booklist

***1/2 (of four stars) “Tycho and Gabe are two of the great webcomic icons of the last decade.” —Metro Toronto

Verily, the heroes of Penny Arcade return in the second volume of valiant chivalric deeds of brave heroism, heroic gallantry, and gallant bravery! Forsooth! Sir Gabe and Sir Tycho return in Epic Legends of the Magic Sword Kings!

Collecting all the Penny Arcade strips posted online in the year 2001, Volume 2 includes creator commentary, an introduction from somebody sort of famous, and a gallery of artwork from the Penny Arcade card game!

If you haven’t heard of Penny Arcade, the most popular online comic ever, it might not be too late to salvage whatever reputation you have and get in on the fun all the cool people have been having. We won’t tell anyone.

Penny Arcade Volume 2: Epic Legends of the Magic Sword Kings features story by Jerry Holkins with art by Mike Krahulik. This collection arrives on sale July 26 with a retail price of $12.95.

ISBN: 1-59307-541-3

Japanese myths come to life in Yoshitaka Amano’s
The Tale of Genji

Yoshitaka Amano has been praised around the world for his lush watercolors and evocative work dealing with myth and legend. In The Tale of Genji Mr. Amano brings his considerable talent to retelling one of the most famous of Japanese myths. Originally written by Murasaki Shikibu shortly after 1000 AD and considered by most scholars to be the first novel ever written, The Tale of Genji is the story of the romantic adventures of Genji, the amazingly handsome prince and his many romantic conquests. Told through stunning paintings, Mr. Amano brings this classic story to life for a new generation.

As one of the most respected stories of all time, The Tale of Genji holds a worldwide place of honor among lovers of myth and legend. This book will appeal to the legions of Vampire Hunter D fans worldwide, as well as fans of his work on Sandman (written by New York Times-bestselling author Neil Gaiman) and Wolverine (with award-winning author Greg Rucka).

Amano: The Tale of Genji features more than forty paintings by Yoshitaka Amano. It arrives on sale July 26 with a retail price of $24.95.

ISBN-10: 1-59582-063-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-59582-063-1

Mike Mignola’s B.P.R.D. suffer devastating losses in B.P.R.D.—The Black Flame

The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense faces its worst tragedy ever as the war against the plague of frogs reaches a devastating new level. Heralded by a bizarre villain from the B.P.R.D.’s past, an ancient monster-god marches across the American heartland portending an end to the reign of men, and leaving a permanent mark on the Bureau.

Hellboy-creator Mike Mignola continues his collaboration with artist Guy Davis and co-writer John Arcudi to unravel a tale that will leave the earth shaken, the B.P.R.D. shattered, and major member of the team lying dead. This collection includes a sketchbook section chronicling Guy Davis’s creation of the abominations unleashed in The Black Flame.

B.P.R.D.—The Black Flame features story by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, with art by Mike Mignola and Guy Davis. It arrives on sale July 12 with a retail price of $17.95.

ISBN: 1-59307-550-2

Mike Mignola to write special Conan Hall of the Dead adaptation with Conan #29

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola takes over writing duties on Conan for a three-part story adapting one of Robert E. Howard’s legendary “lost” story fragments, “The Hall of the Dead”!

Pursued by a small army, Conan heads for shelter in the ancient ruins of a forgotten city, lured by a flimsy rumor of treasure. Instead, he finds the fallen idols of twisted gods and a lot of croaking creatures. Luckily, frogs are no match for a Cimmerian . . . or are they?

From artist Cary Nord and comics visionary Mike Mignola comes one of the weirdest tales ever cooked up by Howard, taking Conan on an adventure far darker, and slimier, than he’s ever faced before.

Conan #29 features story by Mike Mignola with art by Cary Nord and cover by Tony Harris. It arrives on sale June 21 with a retail price of $2.99.

Conan battles supernatural forces in the Far East in Conan And The Demons Of Khitai collection

Set many years in the future from the award-winning ongoing series, Conan and the Demons of Khitai marks Conan’s first appearance as King in Dark Horse’s best-selling comics revival of the legendary fantasy hero.

When King Conan receives an invitation from the Eastern kingdom of Khitai to open trade in precious jewels and spices, he leads a small army into this long-mysterious land. Yet to do so is perilous, as those who have requested his company may have far more devious intentions, and beasts unseen by Western eyes lurk amidst the shadows.

“Over the course of my career, I have walked down many paths, but never did I imagine I would one day travel the road to Khitai with Conan the Cimmerian!” remarked writer Akira Yoshida. “Guiding the King of Aquilonia through these strange Asian lands has been a daunting one. As Robert E. Howard had written of the mystic land of Khitai, but never in any great detail, we were all strangers in a strange land on this journey. But working with editor Scott Allie and artist Paul Lee has been a pleasure and the adventure we’ve taken with Conan is one we hope everyone will be talking about.”

Conan and the Demons of Khitai features story by Akira Yoshida and art by Paul Lee and Pat Lee. It arrives on sale July 12 with a retail price of $12.95.

ISBN: 1-59307-543-X

Freeing trapped souls makes for good business for entrepreneurial college students in Kurosagi
Corpse Delivery Service

Your body is their business! Five young students at a Buddhist university find little call for their job skills in today’s Tokyo . . . among the living, that is! All that stuff in college they were told would never pay off—channeling, dowsing, ESP—gives them a direct line to the dead who are still trapped in their corpses and can’t move on to the next reincarnation. To put their skills to use the students form the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service: whether suicide, murder, accident, or illness, they’ll carry your body wherever it needs to go to free your soul!

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service features story by Eiji Ohtsuka and art by Housui Yamazaki. Volume 1 arrives on sale July 19 with a retail price of $10.95.

ISBN: 1-59307-555-3

Horror manga legend Junji Ito brings Museum Of Terror Volume 1 to Dark Horse

Dark Horse Comics is proud to present the first volume of Museum of Terror, a series of horror stories by Japan’s foremost creator of horror manga Junji Ito.

The first story in this series is Ito’s award winning “Tomie”, the story of an eternally youthful and beautiful high school girl, whose admirers are obsessed to the point of murdering her. But to their horror, she is reincarnated over and over!

Ito’s tale of Tomie has been turned into a hugely popular film in Japan and his works have resulted in seven movies and five made-for-TV specials including Uzumaki, the thrilling and grotesque manga and film.

Museum of Terror Volume 1 features story and art by Junji Ito. It arrives on sale July with a retail price of $13.95.

ISBN: 1-59307-542-1

A harrowing tale of revenge is told in the manga that inspired the hit film in Old Boy Volume 1

Ten years ago, they took him and confined him in a private prison. He doesn’t know who took him. He doesn’t know why. For ten years his only contact with the outside world has been a television set and the voices of his jailers. In time, he lost himself, and transformed into something else, something hard, something lethal. Without warning one day his incarceration ends, again without explanation. He is sedated, stuffed inside a suitcase, and dumped in a park. When he awakes, he is free to reclaim what’s left of his life . . . and what’s left is revenge!

Old Boy is an intense, bare-knuckled urban thriller in the tradition of Pulp Fiction and Payback and is the manga that inspired the critically acclaimed 2003 film. The Oldboy film, directed by Chan-Wook Park, was awarded the Grand Jury prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

Old Boy Volume 1 features story by Garon Tsuchiya with art by Nobuaki Minegishi and is presented non-Westernized. It arrives on sale July 5 with a retail price of $10.95.

ISBN: 1-59307-568-5

Spread the weird with Pete Von Sholly’s
Extremely Weird Stories

Tired of ordinary weird stories? What you need are some Extremely Weird Stories—and we’re here to tell you just where to find them!

Experience horror, babes, and laughs! See monsters from beyond the grave and before the dawn of history! See Scottish Lakes, black magic, and psychotic pseudo-scientists! Musty museums, virtual video vermin, and foul fables! See “things” that crawl and claw from the pages of putrid pulps and under the covers of creepy comics! See stuff you’ll hope never sees you!

Don’t miss Pete Von Sholly’s Extremely Weird Stories! It’s just what the mad doctor ordered! SPREAD THE WEIRD!

Pete Von Sholly’s Extremely Weird Stories features art and story by Pete Van Sholly. The weirdness arrives on sale July 12 with a retail price of $14.95.

Weird ISBN: 1-59307-554-5

Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos critically-acclaimed murder mystery Revelations collected

“Paul Jenkins’ writing is mirrored by Humberto Ramos’s excellent art, which is bold and sophisticated.” — Comics International

“”¦writer Paul Jenkins seemed to have a firm grasp on the essence of the genre’s appeal while weaving a tight yet complex mystery thriller that left me on the edge of my seat as I finished each issue.”Ã¢â‚¬â€BrokenFrontier.com

From Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos, the best-selling creative team behind Marvel’s Spectacular Spider-Man, comes a sophisticated murder mystery set in the unlikeliest of places—The Vatican.

Charlie Northern may be one of the best detectives in Scotland Yard but that doesn’t keep him from enjoying a night off curled up with a good book of conspiracy theories and a full pack of cigarettes. That is, until an old friend shows up at his door with the news that a high-ranking Vatican official and probable successor to the Pope has mysteriously died. Now, Northern must travel to Rome and seek out the facts in a place legendary for keeping its secrets. There are forces at work in The Holy See that want Northern to fail—forces darker and more ancient than any in his favorite dime-store paperbacks.

“Revelations is a labor of love. It’s a story quite a few years in the making and it is quite honestly one of my favorite books I have ever worked on,” commented series writer Paul Jenkins. “I hope you’ll see that for every twist there is a turn, that nothing is quite what it seems and I hope you’ll agree that the character of Charlie Northern leaps off the page. If you want to know the truth behind the darkest secret of the Catholic Church, if you want to learn new and creative ways to swear at cigarettes, please join us.”

Jenkins continued, “Working with Humberto on this has been a revelation in and of itself — I’ve had the privilege to see the guy’s art on a monthly basis for a couple of years. I never imagined I would see anything like this. He’s a good lad, grade one. Check it out because it is vastly different from anything else he has done and it’s bloody amazing!
Like I said, nothing is quite what it seems. Unless you are God, in which case it’s all completely bleeding obvious.”

Revelations features story by Paul Jenkins with art by Humberto Ramos. It arrives on sale July 26 with a retail price of $17.95.

ISBN: 1-59307-239-2

All-new Star Wars series begins with
Star Wars: Legacy #1!

Following the May release of the special 25¢ Star Wars: Legacy preview comic, the adventures of the Star Wars galaxy continue with the first issue of an all-new series set more than a century after Return of the Jedi and the New Jedi Order!

The Jedi Temple is attacked, an Emperor is betrayed, and the Sith are born anew”¦a lot can happen in a hundred years, but all of the above happens just in this first issue! Not since Luke Skywalker first stepped aboard the Millennium Falcon has the galaxy seemed like such a vast, exciting, dangerous place!

“I remember the thrill I got the first time I saw the original Star Wars movie,” commented series writer John Ostrander. “Amazing visuals, gripping story, characters great and small, heroes and villains. It swept you up and got you excited. That’s what we’re looking to do with Legacy. While we’re staying true to Star Wars traditions and continuity, Legacy is going to be accessible to even the casual Star Wars fans. These aren’t going to be only great Star Wars comics, they’re going to be great comics— PERIOD!”

This is a perfect jumping-on point for any reader—an epic beginning to an untold chapter of the greatest adventure in the universe!

Star Wars: Legacy #1 features script by John Ostrander and art by Jan Duursema, Dan Parsons and Brad Anderson with a cover by Adam Hughes. Issue #1 arrives on sale June 7 with a retail price of $2.99.

Dark secrets bring nightmares to life in Greg Rut’s Sudden Gravity

Greg Ruth, acclaimed artist on Freaks of the Heartland and several issues of Dark Horse’s Conan series, brings you a tale worthy of David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick’s feverish dream sequences. Collected for the first time and featuring Rut’s unique art style (crafted here using a ball point pen!), Sudden Gravity will haunt readers long after the last panel is read.

Built on a site of great and forgotten power, the mammoth Bentham International Hospital was to be the very definition of modern medical science at its best. But over the years, the specters and dark secrets of the Hospital began to bore away at its heart, leaving its foundations cracked and vulnerable to the oldest of horrors and nightmares. When a prominent Commissioner of the City’s Housing and Urban Development Department is brought in for evaluation after murdering her family, the haunted secrets of the hospital begin to unravel, leaving no one untouched.

“I originally conceived the book to be the beginning of an long line of stories surrounding the birth, life and crumbling death of the hospital itself all moved along backwards and forwards as a melodrama,” commented writer/artist Greg Ruth. “There are layers upon layers of hidden keys and meanings and messages stowed away in the story inspired by Geomancy, Perceptual theory, Chaos Magic and Masonic-like conspiracy material. Sudden Gravity itself is a really prologue to this total world parallel to our own that can be navigated by way of a classic murder mystery. I wanted to pit hard science against magical realism and let them both draw out each othe’s fallacies and strengths. You’ll come in with questions, find answers, and you’ll leave with new ones. It’s escapism to make you think.”

Sudden Gravity features story and art by Greg Ruth. It arrives on sale July 12 with a retail price of $10.95.

ISBN: 1-59307-565-0

Featuring a rare short story, Usagi Yojimbo Volume 20: Glimpses Of Death offers a glimpse into a young Usagi

Wandering ronin Usagi Yojimbo is alone once again, having emerged from his travels with young Jotaro. His brief respite from danger was not destined to last long, for adventure in feudal Japan waits for no one!

In this volume of the internationally acclaimed series, master storyteller Stan Sakai treats readers to intriguing tales of Usagi on his own and catches up with a bevy of fan-favorite characters—”whodunit” maestro Inspector Ishida has another puzzling mystery to solve, bounty hunters Gen and Stray Dog are each on the tail of the possessed swordswoman Inazuma, bodyguard Tomoe has a new political rival in Lord Noriyuki’s court, and Priest Sanshobo’s temple is plagued by a vile demon! Throughout these stories we follow Usagi as he is roped into a covert smuggling operation, escorts a cantankerous old woman through dangerous territory, assists an inventor with a visionary flying machine, and once again encounters a vengeful young samurai.

This book features a rare short story starring Katsuichi and young Usagi which has never seen print in the Usagi comics series!

Usagi Yojimbo Volume 20: Glimpses of Death features art and story by Stan Sakai. The softcover edition arrives on sale July 12th with a retail price of $15.95. The hardcover edition arrives on sale August 2nd with a retail price of $59.95.

ISBN: 1-59307-631-2 (hardcover)
ISBN: 1-59307-549-9 (softcover)

All new Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian tales to make up Dark Horse Free Comic Book Day offering

Dark Horse is pleased to announce its 2006 Free Comic Book Day offering will be in the form of a special split issue featuring original Star Wars and Conan material. Each story is ten pages long and the content for both is appropriate for all ages.

Our Star Wars tale “Routine Valor” is set during the Clone Wars and features Commander Cody and his troops in an indefensible position facing an unassailable enemy. Star Wars: Routine Valor features story by Randy Stradley with art by Doug Wheatley.

In the Conan story “The Spear,” a sorcerer receives a vision about a tremendous force washing over the world, and decides it’s a prophecy ordering him to revive his sleeping god—but he should have considered it fair warning about his own run- in with Conan! “The Spear” features story by Tim Truman with art by Paul Lee and Dave Stewart.

Free Comic Book Day is Saturday May 6, 2006.

FROM DH PRESS

Famed filmmaker John Landis is chronicled for the first time ever in John Landis biography

An exhaustive career retrospective about the groundbreaking revolutionary filmmaker, told through exclusive interviews with Landis as well as featuring essays, interviews and remembrances by his colleagues, contemporaries and members of the film industry and reviewers. Contributors include Joe Dante, Jack Arnold, Jaimie Lee Curtis, Wes Craven, Rick Baker, Frank Oz, Jim Abrahams and others. Illustrated with many exclusive photographs from Mr. Landis’ many films, some reproduced here for the first time from the directo’s personal collection taken on the set by Mr. Landis.

John Landis has remained one of the most popular filmmakers of his generation since exploding on the cinema scene in the early 1970s. There has never been a major biography/autobiography of Landis. Landis was recently a member of the Masters of Horror film series and has two new films in the works due for release in 2006 and 2007.

John Landis is written by Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan, a film journalist who serves as director of the Torino Film Festival hosted each year in Italy and features a special introduction by Dan Aykroyd. It arrives in November with a retail price of $29.95.

ISBN-10: 1-59582-041-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-5982-041-9

It’s Frankenstein versus Jack The Ripper in Frankenstein: The Shadow Of Frankenstein

The classic Universal Pictures version of the Frankestein legend is re-imagined for the twenty-first century in this all-new novel!

Following his lab’s explosion, Henry and Elizabeth Frankenstein head to London for a rest (and to avoid possible criminal charges). The monster, still alive, follows, but winds up in the Whitechapel district. There, he’s mistaken for a disfigured, mentally disabled man and befriended by local prostitutes. When one of the streetwalke’s is horribly murdered, the creature roams the area, hoping to protect the survivors.

This brings him in contact with the real killer—Jack the Ripper. After 47 years, he’s back in action. The Rippe’s string of brutal killings in 1887 were actually sacrifices, dark rituals that extended his life. Now he’s aging again and desperate to remain alive, and sees in the reanimated corpse of the Frankenstein monster a possible new way to live forever. Henry, the monster and Jack the Rippe’s fates become entwined as Jack the Ripper hatches a plan to frame the monster for the killings, to force Henry to reveal his secrets of life and death.

Frankenstein: The Shadow of Frankenstein novel is written by Stefan Petrucha. It arrives on sale in July with a retail price of $6.99.

ISBN-10: 1-59582-037-X
ISBN-13: 978-1-59582-037-2