Thursday, April 29, 2010

Steven Seagle and Kelley Jones' "The Crusades" Reprinted

ON A CRUSADE WITH THE CRUSADES

Steven T. Seagle and Kelley Jones' THE CRUSADES collected for the first time

The Dark Ages begin again in the first-ever collection of the controversial crime series THE CRUSADES, written by Steven T. Seagle (Soul Kiss, it's a bird...) and drawn by Kelley Jones (Sandman, Batman).

The first of two re-mastered volumes, THE CRUSADES Vol. 1: KNIGHT collects THE CRUSADES: URBAN DECREE and THE CRUSADES #1-9.

"This material has been out of print for about a decade, but -- dealing with church scandals, shady land deals, shock media and social justice -- it remains creepily relevant in its themes," says Seagle, "I get asked at every convention if the series will ever be collected, and now I can finally say 'yes' in a big way."

"We've really gone back in and made a great book even better for this edition," adds Kelly Jones, "We've redesigned everything, produced new covers, corrected some typos, heightened the color effects, upgraded the paper -- this quirky book was mostly missed the first time around, but it is not to be missed this time."

"Image is proud to collect THE CRUSADES for the first time," says Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. "This is fantastic work by Steve and Kelley Jones that deserves a top flight collection and the vast new audience this two-volume set will attract."

In THE CRUSADES, an enigmatic 11th century Knight has come to render terrible justice on the citizens of 21st century San Francisco. His acts of unspeakable violence spark a firestorm of moral soul-searching in the hearts and minds of the city's most colorful figures. Putting together the pieces of the Knight's mysteriously brutal puzzle is the voluptuous Venus Kostopikas, a fact checker for a dying newspaper who has aspirations to rise above her station and lead her own crusade.

THE CRUSADES Vol. 1: KNIGHT, a full-color 256-page hardcover for $29.99, will be in stores July 4, 2010.


Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

Kody Chamberlain Presents "Sweets"

SWEET ON DARK AND GRITTY CRIME

Newcomer Kody Chamberlain writes and draws SWEETS for Image Comics

Newcomer and Louisiana native Kody Chamberlain makes his Image Comics debut with SWEETS, a five-issue crime drama set in New Orleans shortly before Hurricane Katrina strikes.

"New Orleans is a great town for crime comics. It's rich with culture, architecture and all the little details that rarely show through in comic books," says Chamberlain. "I've lived in South Louisiana all my life: I don't have to jump on Google to find tourist photos. The music is my music, and the slang is my slang. Hopefully, that shows through and makes the city come alive for the readers."

"Kody has one of the freshest perspectives I've seen in a while," says Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. "His artwork is fantastic, but he's a great writer as well, and SWEETS is going to be the book to read."

SWEETS: A spree killer terrorizes New Orleans days before Hurricane Katrina makes landfall. Detective Curt Delatte just buried his only daughter, and he's in no condition to work. But when the bodies pile up, Delatte masks his grief and joins the hunt through the bowels of the Big Easy. It won't be long until his city---and his evidence---gets washed away.

SWEETS #1, a full-color 32-page comic written and drawn by Kody Chamberlain, will be available for $2.99 and in stores on July 14, 2010. A special preview of SWEETS can be found in CHEW #11, in stores on June 9, 2010.

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

B.O.D.Y. Rock

I read B.O.D.Y., Vol. 9

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which now has an iPhone app).


Wonder Woman's Own Encyclopedia

I received a review copy of The Essential Wonder Woman Encyclopedia

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.


Image Comics Collects All of "Hellcity"

HELL OF A LOT OF HELLCITY

Macon Blair and Joe Flood's HELLCITY gets collected

Crime noir, grotesque horror and pitch-black comedy collide in HELLCITY (THE WHOLE DAMN THING), which collects all three volumes of the HELLCITY trilogy, including never-before-published volumes 2 and 3. Hell has never been so fun!

Written by MACON BLAIR and illustrated by JOE FLOOD, HELLCITY takes all the tropes of hard-boiled detective fiction, from tough guy narration to shadowy, rain slicked streets to mysterious femme fatales and puts them in a blender with Monty Python, Dante's Inferno, and old school Peter Jackson movies. HELLCITY is full of action, gore and dark, dark humor.

"Joe and I are beyond excited that Image is putting out HELLCITY, our baby," emphasizes Blair. "They literally brought it back from the dead."

HELLCITY is a nightmarish slice of urban sprawl, where demons and humans co-exist, albeit miserably. When a human detective is hired to secretly investigate the out-of-character antics of the Boss of Hellcity -- the Devil himself -- he discovers a conspiracy that upends everything he thought he knew and sets off an apocalyptic human/demon race war.

HELLCITY (THE WHOLE DAMN THING), a black-and-white 328-page trade paperback for $24.99, will be available July 21, 2010.


Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

Jane Wiedlin and Bill Morrison Present "Lady Robotika"

ROCK AND ROLL SPACE OPERA

The Go-Go's Jane Wiedlin and Bill Morrison get celestial with LADY ROBOTIKA

JANE WIEDLIN (The Go-Go's) and BILL MORRISON (Bongo Comics) blast off this July with the out-of-this-world space adventure LADY ROBOTIKA from Shadowline and Image Comics. Scribes Wiedlin and Morrison get an assist by TONE RODRIGUEZ (Shadowhawk), who works with Morrison on the art.

"I never meant for it to be like this," exclaims Wiedlin. "One minute I was just another hard-workin' guitar slinger, ripping out power chords while traveling the hinterlands with my band, The Go-Go's. The next, I was blasted into a crazy adventure in Space, with powers far beyond a damn fine F chord and some nice sexy stage banter. But hey, it's a big Universe out there, and someone's got to save it. Guess that someone is ME."

Morrison adds, "I heard someone say 'Lady Robotika is bigger than Jesus!' I certainly didn't say it. I would never say something like that. I'm going to Hell, aren't I?"

"LADY ROBOTIKA is pure rock and roll," says Shadowline Publisher Jim Valentino. "Loud and proud of it! This is the space adventure for rock stars."

In LADY ROBOTIKA, aliens from a distant planet abduct rock star Jane Wiedlin and force her to play a concert for their Earth-obsessed emperor. During the trek back to their planet, the aliens implant Jane's body with nanobots. But their plan to turn her into one of their cyborg slaves backfires when Jane learns to control the nanites within her and becomes the super-powered cyborg liberator, LADY ROBOTIKA!

LADY ROBOTIKA #1, a full-color 32-page comic written by Jane Wiedlin and Bill Morrison with art by Bill Morrison and Tone Rodriquez, will be available for $3.50 in stores July 14, 2010.

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

Joe Casey and Chris Burnham Present "Officer Downe"

JOE CASEY AND CHRIS BURNHAM GET DOWNE

Forget the Comics Code: Joe Casey and Chris Burnham get violent in OFFICER DOWNE

Writer JOE CASEY (Godland) and artist CHRIS BURNHAM, the team responsible for the cult hit NIXON'S PALS bring a whole new kind of crime comic with OFFICER DOWNE, a one-shot available from Image Comics this July. OFFICER DOWNE features a police officer who won't let anything -- including death -- stop him from taking down the worst criminals in town.

"This book is the antidote for the event comic that takes waaaaaayyy too long to tell too little story -- the "talky" alterna-comic that lacks the proper amount of mayhem -- and any of the company-owned pabulum that they try to pass off as entertainment," exclaims Casey. "You have the right to remain silent... and experience a *true* hero for our times.”

OFFICER DOWNE walks the eternal beat and delivers the eternal beat-down! Much more than man...he is policeman! It's hyper-violence on the mean city streets, from JOE CASEY and CHRIS BURNHAM -- an all-new one-shot in which a lone Badass With A Badge takes on the scourges of the criminal underworld! Not even death itself can stop this powerhouse of justice! Officer Downe is one cop that'll keep coming back for more...even from beyond the grave!

OFFICER DOWNE, a full-color 48-page one-shot for $4.99, will be in stores July 14, 2010.


Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.