Skullkickers Coming from Image Comics

KICK TO THE SKULL

Image Comics revives fantasy-fueled action comedy with SKULLKICKERS

In September, Image Comics brings you fantasy as you like it -- hilarious and action packed -- with SKULLKICKERS, an all-new ongoing series. Written by Jim Zubkavich with art by Edwin Huang, Chris Stevens and Misty Coats, SKULLKICKERS promises to turn any fantasy motif on its head.

"I love sword and sorcery novels and role-playing games," says Zubkavich, "so I wanted to use those as a jumping off point and marry them with a slightly sarcastic self awareness of fantasy clichés. At its core, the book is about fun characters and wild adventure, with witty banter thrown in to keep it all clipping along at a healthy pace."

SKULLKICKERS is fantasy action-comedy. Two mercenaries are entangled in a high-class assassination plot and nothing -- not werewolves, skeletons or black magic -- will stop them from getting paid. If you love tabletop fantasy RPGs, buddy stories involving a big guy and a dwarf, or movies like ARMY OF DARKNESS, SKULLKICKERS is the book for you!

SKULLKICKERS #1, a 32-page full color comic book for $2.99, will be in stores September 22, 2010. Readers can get a taste of Skullkickers in POPGUN, VOL. 2 (MAY082176) and POPGUN, VOL. 3 (JAN092368). Follow the Skullkickers blog at www.skullkickers.com.


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.

Archaia Press for September 2010

ARCHAIA ITEMS SHIPPING IN SEPTEMBER 2010

DAYS MISSING: KESTUS #1 (OF 5)
MOUSE GUARD: THE BLACK AXE #1 (OF 6)
FEEDING GROUND #1 (OF 6)
LUCID #2 (OF 4)
CRITICAL MILLENNIUM: THE DARK FRONTIER #4 (OF 4)
THE KILLER: MODUS VIVENDI #5 (OF 6)
THE SECRET HISTORY BOOK FOURTEEN
PRIMORDIA HC
OKKO VOL. 3: THE CYCLE OF AIR HC

OFFERING 1
DAYS MISSING: KESTUS #1 (of 5)
Retail Price: $3.95 U.S.
Page Count: 32 pages
Format: saddle bound, 6.625” x 10.25”, full color
Written by Phil Hester
Illustrated by David Marquez
Cover by Alex Ross

Archaia and Roddenberry Productions are proud to present the thrilling sequel to the critically acclaimed series DAYS MISSING. DAYS MISSING: KESTUS continues the saga of The Steward, a mysterious being whose ability to “fold” days of time has resulted in critical human events being absent from our historical record. Their existence is not remembered…but the occurrences of these days have forever changed the course of our evolution.

Since humanity’s birth, The Steward has stood as a guiding force for our species. But now, he is not alone! The emergence of the ancient being, Kestus, may put everything he knows in question, and the future of those he means to protect in jeopardy.

T +13 (Contains material suitable for teen readers age 13 and above)

OFFERING 2
FEEDING GROUND #1 (of 6)
Retail Price: $3.95 U.S.
Page Count: 48 pages
Format: saddle bound, 6.625” x 10.25”, full color
Written by Swifty Lang
Illustrated by Michael Lapinski
Cover by Michael Lapinski

This new series is ripped right out of the real-life drama unfolding on the Mexico-Arizona border. FEEDING GROUND reaches a large and diverse audience no matter tour personal POV on the issue. In this factious story, a famine caused by Blackwell Industries drives Diego Busqueda, a noble “coyote,” to lead a band of Mexican border crossers across the unforgiving Devil’s Highway, a desert cursed with blistering days and deadly nights. Back home, Diego’s daughter Flaca discovers that something hungrier prowls the factory fields. Stalked and persecuted, can the Busqueda family maintain their dreams of immigration or will the horrors of the desert tear them apart? Also included is 24 pages of bonus content in Spanish!

T +13 (Contains material suitable for teen readers age 13 and above)

OFFERING 3
MOUSE GUARD: THE BLACK AXE #1 (of 6)
Retail Price: $3.50 U.S.
Page Count: 24 pages
Format: saddle bound, 8” x 8”, full color
Written by David Petersen
Illustrated by David Petersen
Cover by David Petersen

The Eisner Award-winning MOUSE GUARD returns with THE BLACK AXE, a third volume to be told in six bi-monthly issues. Set in 1115, this prequel to MOUSE GUARD: FALL 1152 fulfills the promise the wise oldfur Celanawe made to Lieam the day his paw first touched the Black Axe: to tell the young warrior about the mouse who first wielded the deadly weapon. The arrival of distant kin takes Celanawe on an adventure that will carry him across the sea to uncharted waters and lands, all while unraveling the legend of Farrer, the blacksmith who forged the mythic Black Axe.

All ages

OFFERING 4
LUCID #2 (of 4)
Retail Price: $3.95 U.S.
Page Count: 24 pages
Format: saddle bound, 6.625” x 10.25”, full color
Written by Michael McMillian
Illustrated by Anna Wieszczyk
Cover by Anna Wieszczyk

Things are heating up at the House at Dupont Circle. What is the Prophecy of the Pendragon? What Occult weapon threatens the fate the United States... for the second time? And what exactly is an Astral Amplifier?! LUCID #2 takes you one more giant leap into the strange world of Matthew Dee as the novice Combat Mage races against the clock to prevent President’s Day from becoming a National Day of Mourning!

Written by “True Blood” actor Michael McMillian and illustrated by newcomer Anna Wieszczyk, LUCID is Archaia’s first title published in association with Zachary Quinto (“Heroes,” “Star Trek”) and his production company, Before the Door Pictures.

T +13 (Contains material suitable for teen readers age 13 and above)

OFFERING 5
CRITICAL MILLENNIUM #4 (of 4)
Retail Price: $3.95 U.S.
Page Count: 40 pages
Format: saddle bound, 6.625” x 10.25”, full color
Written by Andrew E. C. Gaska
Illustrated by Daniel Dussault
Cover by Daniel Dussault

The dramatic conclusion to the first miniseries! The gravitic drive vessel Black Rabbit is on the pad for its earthborn launch to new worlds! Prime Minister Blacklytter bans public transmission of the lift off! The Wraith infiltrates the launch bay with the intent of hijacking the starship! Young John Adams makes a stand for his beliefs, and pays the ultimate price! Disaster strikes New Bombay, heralding the end of Hope itself! Angel Rei stares long and hard into a bottle of sleeping pills! Countess Watwani races to stop her husband from committing genocide! All this, and Coney, Eryc and Pandita find their flight out-system blocked by a police force! As all points converge, will Thomm finally realize his grandparents’ dream of a new beginning for mankind, and a future amongst the stars?

Mature Readers (Contains Adult Content)

OFFERING 6
THE KILLER: MODUS VIVENDI #5 (of 6)
Retail Price: $3.95 U.S.
Page Count: 32 pages
Format: saddle bound, 6.875” x 10.25”, full color
Written by Matz
Illustrated by Luc Jacamon
Cover by Luc Jacamon

In Venezuela, our Killer has made a pact with the Cubans, leading a campaign of assassinations against a military junta. It’s a crusade of sorts, and well out of character for a stonehearted executioner. So has the Killer finally woken to the world, to a cause? Or, as his buddy Mariano suggests, is his heart just being manipulated by the bewitching Cuban officer, Katia?

Mature Readers (series contains Nudity, Graphic Violence and Adult Content)

OFFERING 7
THE SECRET HISTORY BOOK FOURTEEN
Retail Price: $5.95 U.S.
Page Count: 48 pages
Format: perfect bound, 6.875” x 10.25”, full color
Written by Jean-Pierre Pécau
Illustrated by Igor Kordey
Colors by Leonard O’Grady
Cover by Manchu & Olivier Vatine

The Watchers. 1945. The two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki seem to have put an end to the evil plots of William of Lecce. In liberated Paris, Daniel Rosenthal, a survivor of the death camps, learns how to live again. He owes his survival to a “star,” a strange tarot card given to him by the surrealist poet Robert Desnos in the Terezín concentration camp, who also told him about the mysterious cabaret, L’Arcane 17. Daniel begins a descent into a world he did not know existed and into a story that the textbooks do not teach: the secret history.

Mature Readers (series contains Nudity, Graphic Violence, and Adult Content)

OFFERING 8
PRIMORDIA Collected Hardcover Edition
Retail Price: $19.95 U.S.
Page Count: 128 pages
Format: hardcover with dust jacket, 6.625” x 10.25”, full color
Written by John R. Fultz
Illustrated by Roel Wielinga
Colors by Joel Jason O’Chua
Cover by Roel Wielinga

A pair of human infants are abandoned in the depths of an ancient forest and adopted by the strange creatures called Woodfolk. Driniel (Moon) is the night-wanderer, dancing with the Darkling spirits of the deep groves, summoning demons for his arcane pleasures. Alleyar (Sun) is the flame of valor, rising to esteem in the ranks of the Woodfolk hunters and taming a fierce beast with his sorcery. The Woodking's daughter, Princess Vega, must choose between her twin lovers as they are exiled into the savage world of Man. More than human, less than gods, these misfit brothers will change the worlds of Gods and Mortals forever as they uncover the secrets of their own past and parentage.

Mature Readers (series contains Mild Nudity, Graphic Violence, and Adult Content)

OFFERING 9
OKKO VOL. 3: THE CYCLE OF AIR Collected Hardcover Edition
Retail Price: $19.95 U.S.
Page Count: 108 pages
Format: hardcover with dust jacket, 6.875” x 10.25”, full color
Written by Hub
Illustrated by Hub

It is the Spring of 1110 in the official calendar of the Pajan Empire. Okko is called upon to assist the daughter of Lady Mayudama, who has retreated into a profound silence. The best doctors have been unable to provide even a diagnosis of her condition. Okko may prove to be her last resort. But a strange force that has been prowling around the region for over a week has also arranged a meeting with the ronin for a duel of incomparable violence... Collects all four issues of Okko: The Cycle of Air miniseries.

Mature Readers (series contains Nudity, Strong Sexual Content, Graphic Violence, and Adult Content)

Science Dog Gets Comic Book

FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE. FIGHT EVIL WITH SCIENCE

SCIENCE DOG gets his first collection from Image Comics

Half man, half dog and all hero, Science Dog gets his first collection in SCIENCE DOG SPECIAL #1, coming this September from Image Comics. He's INVINCIBLE'S favorite comic book character. Soon, he'll be yours as well!

"In the INVINCIBLE universe, Science Dog is a superstar -- comic books, movies, action figures -- the works," says writer Robert Kirkman. "This is a step toward making him the superstar he should be in our universe!"

"It's exciting to finally see Science Dog in his own book," adds artist Cory Walker. "The character is front and center in SCIENCE DOG SPECIAL #1, where he belongs."

SCIENCE DOG SPECIAL #1 collects the never before reprinted Science Dog back-up stories from INVINCIBLE #25 and #50. This story leads right into the senses-shattering back-up story contained within INVINCIBLE #75. If you're only reading INVINCIBLE in collected form, this is what you've been missing! Don't miss out a second time!

SCIENCE DOG SPECIAL #1, a 32-page full-color comic book collecting the Science Dog backup stories from INVINCIBLE #25 and #50, will be available for $3.50 on September 1, 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.

Mike Gagnon's Dream Comes True with Marvel Comics

Small Press Creator Makes Mark with Marvel Comics

Writer and comic fan Mike Gagnon has achieved a lifelong goal, having his work published by entertainment giant Marvel Comics.

Gagnon is a professional writer who has also worked as a publisher, editor and graphic designer for various publishers in his decade long career. Gagnon has produced several small press graphic novels, including the all ages humor comic titled Monkeys and Midgets, but his work with Marvel is his debut credit with a major comic publisher.

Gagnon recently achieved his goal of writing for the worlds largest comic book publisher when he joined the team of writers for Marvel’s series of character handbooks, with his work appearing in “The official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Updates A-Z” and “Deadpool Corps: Rank and Foul” and will soon appear in “The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Premiere Hardcover Vol. 14”.

“It was a great experience, I can’t thank editors Jeff Christiansen and Jeff Youngquist enough for giving me the chance to contribute to the Marvel Universe in my own small way.” said Gagnon.

It was his lifelong love of comics that led him to choose a career in writing, and his work can now be found in some of the titles he enjoyed reading as a kid.

“I always enjoyed reading and collecting Marvel comics including the series of handbooks as a kid, and Deadpool has been a long time favorite character of mine, so getting to contribute to a book devoted to the character is very rewarding” Gagnon added.

Over the years Gagnon has written for a number of pop culture and art themed magazines, such as Back Issue, published by TwoMorrows publishing. More details on his work can be found at www.mikegagnon.ca.

The new edition of the Marvel Universe Handbook featuring Gagnon’s writing was released in February. The Deadpool Corps: Rank and Foul one-shot was released in May and can still be found on comic racks and in specialty stores, although many retailers report the title selling out quickly thanks to the popularity of the feature character. Check with your local comic shop for availability and shipping dates for the Premiere Hardcover edition.

More Image Firsts Including Mage, Wanted

TRY SOME, BUY SOME

Image Comics reprints the first issue of classic series in IMAGE FIRSTS: WAVE TWO

This Fall, Image Comics is re-presenting 10 first issues as an introduction to some of its most acclaimed titles. Each debut acts as a perfect primer to its corresponding ongoing series and collected editions. Starting September 1, 2010, and continuing through November, each reprinted first issue will be available for only $1.

"Response to Image Firsts has been phenomenal," exclaims Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. "So, we are expanding the line with a second wave of IMAGE FIRSTS. Image Firsts is a fantastic way for readers to discover new titles and for retailers to introduce customers to Image's unsurpassed backlist."

IMAGE FIRSTS: WAVE 2 shipping this September include:

IMAGE FIRSTS: THE DARKNESS #1
story GARTH ENNIS
art & cover MARC SILVESTRI
SEPTEMBER 1

IMAGE FIRSTS: LIBERTY MEADOWS #1
story FRANK CHO
art & cover FRANK CHO
SEPTEMBER 8

IMAGE FIRSTS: WANTED #1
story MARK MILLAR
art & cover J.G. JONES
SEPTEMBER 15

IMAGE FIRSTS: I KILL GIANTS #1
story JOE KELLY
art & cover J.M. KEN NIIMURA
SEPTEMBER 22

IMAGE FIRSTS: MAGE #1
story MATT WAGNER
art & cover MATT WAGNER
SEPTEMBER 29

Discover some of Image Comics' best series in September with IMAGE FIRSTS: WAVE TWO, re-releasing the first issue of THE DARKNESS, LIBERTY MEADOWS, WANTED, I KILL GIANTS and MAGE for only $1.

Be on the lookout for more IMAGE FISTS in October and November!


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.

David Beckham Latest Subject of Bluewater Comics' "Fame" Series

SOCCER STAR DAVID BECKHAM THE SUBJECT OF LATEST BLUEWATER BIOGRAPHY COMIC BOOK

He may be the most famous soccer star in the world. He's married to a Spice Girl. He is, by any measure, an international sex symbol. And now soccer player David Beckham has become a comic book hero. This September, Beckham will star in Fame: David Beckham from comic book publisher Bluewater Productions.

Writer Pete Rogers and artist Pablo Martinena bring Beckham's amazing career to life, from his earliest days on the soccer field, when he dreamed of playing for Manchester United, to the challenges of his soccer days in the United States.

“Working on the Beckham book was quite different from any other comic I've worked on to date,” Rogers said. “Telling someone's real life story was quite a challenge, and I tried to find as many ways as possible to ensure that it was visually interesting and not just a case of 'he did this and then he did that'.”

Rogers wasn't content to simply read about Beckham and his life when researching his script. He spoke to a wide range of people about what Beckham means to them and the sport of soccer.

“One of the reasons I enjoyed working on the comic so much is that I got the chance to go down memory lane myself, not just to pivotal moments in David's life but also back to my own childhood, as some of the first comics I ever read were actually football comics,” Rogers said. “I used to pick up titles like Tiger (with Billy's Boots and Hotshot Hamish), Roy of the Rovers and Football Picture Story Monthly without fail. When I wasn't reading comics I was playing football, and I used to spend the school holidays training with local professional side 'AFC Bournemouth' at their Summer Soccer School. Getting the Beckham pages back from brilliant artist Pablo Martinena has taken me back to reading those comics on long hot journeys to Dean Court in the back of my Dad's car."

Fame: David Beckham is just the latest installment in Bluewater's popular series of biography comics tracing the lives of influential movie stars, sports heroes and musical icons. Past issues have featured Lady GaGa, Twilight star Robert Pattinson and pop sensation Taylor Swift.

Fame: David Beckham retails for $3.99 and can be found online at Amazon.com or in comic book shops across the country.

“David Beckham is the first sports star we've featured in a Bluewater comic,” said Darren Davis, president and founder of Bluewater Productions. “Of course, Beckham is much more than simply a sports star. He's also an international celebrity, as famous for his looks as he is for his soccer abilities, so he's a perfect fit for our Fame line.”

To order the book contact your local comic book store by going to www.comicshoplocator.com or go to Amazon.com.

For more information about Bluewater Productions and its wide variety of comic books and graphic novels, visit the company online at www.bluewaterprod.com.


About Bluewater Productions:
Bluewater Productions Inc. is one of the top independent production studios of comic books, young adult books and graphic novels. Its extensive catalog of titles includes the bestsellers “10th Muse” and “The Legend of Isis” ”Bluewater publishes comic books in partnership with entertainment icon William Shatner (“TekWar Chronicles”), legendary filmmaker Ray Harryhausen (“Wrath of the Titans,” “Sinbad: Rogue of Mars,” “Jason and the Argonauts,” et al) and celebrated actor Vincent Price (“Vincent Price Presents”), Additionally, Bluewater publishes a highly successful line of biographical comics under the titles “Female Force” and “Political Power.”

Bluewater aims to unite cutting-edge art and engaging stories produced by its stable of the publishing industry's top artists and writers.

Pain Revealed in Naruto 48

NARUTO MEETS THE TRUE FACE OF PAIN

The Gripping Next Installment of the Hit SHONEN JUMP Manga, NARUTO Volume 48, Now Available!

VIZ Media invites fans to continue the adventure with their favorite ninja in NARUTO Volume 48, now available in stores! NARUTO is rated ‘T’ for Teens and carries an estimated retail price of $9.99 US and $12.99 CAN.

Naruto, a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief and a wild sense of humor, is completely serious about his mission to be the world's greatest ninja! In this volume, Naruto is finally face-to-face with his ultimate nemesis, and finds out there's way more to the true Pain than he could have ever imagined. As the consequences of the tumultuous politics of the past come to light, an unexpected turn of events puts a new ninja in power in Konoha - the first act by the new leader will change Naruto's world forever.

Also included in this exciting volume as a special bonus is an exclusive collectible NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Collectible Card from Bandai America, featuring Sakura Haruno. Part of an exclusive three-card promotion, fans can collect the first card featuring Naruto Uzumaki, included in Bandai’s Series 17 Hobby Booster Boxes, and the third card featuring Kakashi Hatake, included in the August issue of SHONEN JUMP magazine (the best selling monthly manga anthology in North America), hitting retailers on July 6th.

NARUTO depicts the adventures of a young boy named Naruto Uzumaki who trains to become a ninja, and through his exciting adventures, the young ninja learns the importance of friendship, teamwork, loyalty, hard work, creativity, ingenuity, and right versus wrong. Created by Masashi Kishimoto, NARUTO was first introduced in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga, and more than 100 million copies to date have been printed. The manga series has captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe and South America.

For more information on NARUTO please visit www.NARUTO.com.