Comics Alliance: An AOL Comic Book Community

Hey! It's Friday. This week that means new comics. Is that a surprise? I'm mildly surprised. Also, this week, Greg McElhatton returns with some new manga for the kids! The kids love the manga! Here he goes!

Time for some comic books! Not just any comic books, though. New comic books! Maybe I'll just start writing about old comics...."Hey! Did you guys check out that RAVAGE 2099? Good stuff!" "Oh yeah, sure. It's great, but it's no PITT!"

BOOSTER GOLD #3
Booster Gold is a time-traveling fool. In the last issue, he accidentally caused the Sinestro War and in this issue he's in a drinking contest with Jonah Hex! I would've never thought that a continuity-heavy time-traveling book would be one of the best things that DC is putting out, but it is.

BLACK SUMMER #3
This book is surrounded by a giant cloud of controversy. Issue #0 had just a wee bit of Presidential assassination in it. By a superhero. Who then held a White House press conference covered in blood. Ahhh....Warren Ellis. The thing is, instead of drowning in self-righteousness, BLACK SUMMER has actually managed to tell an intriguing action-packed story.

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #24
The second part of the One More Day storyline, in which Spider-Man learns that he only has one more day before he turns into a spider after the Kingpin assassinates Mary Jane and Aunt May for turning him into a clone of Norman Osborn and Gwen Stacy's twin babies. Now with 35% less wisecracking!

Hello there, Greg McElhatton. What's on your comics-reading agenda this week?

BLACK SUMMER: HORUS 8 inch figure
Retail Price: $24.99 US
Package Art: Juan Jose Ryp
Format: 8 inch figure in a clam-shell package
UPC: 890007002011

Straight from the pages of Warren Ellis' smash-hit series Black Summer, Horus is now available as an action figure! The hero who killed the President is now immortalized in this retro-style 8 inch poseable figure. Styled after the popular 1970's type of toys, Horus comes with a cloth costume, complete with his emblem on the back. The packaging features all-new artwork by series artist Juan Jose Ryp on the front and back, and the package itself is a re-sealable clam-shell so that you can easily open and close it without damaging the plastic. Limited to just 750 units.

BLACK SUMMER #5
Retail Price: $2.99 US
Cover: Juan Jose Ryp
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Juan Jose Ryp
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages, monthly, 5 of 7

Warren Ellis' masked hero masterpiece continues it's monthly run right here! The Seven Guns' flare of anger following the death of one of their own has burned itself out. But they must know there's going to be retaliation. They must know that, sooner or later, the scale of what Frank Blacksmith has been doing over the last few years would be revealed to them. A private army, waiting for the day Frank would be ordered to wipe out the Guns... It's going to be a super-powered conflict unlike any you've ever seen! With art by the genius Juan Jose Ryp, no fan of The Authority or Wanted will want to miss this bleeding-edge eight issue masterpiece. This issue is available with a regular or wraparound cover and also a rare 1-in-25 cover featuring the Tom Noir design sketch, all by series artist Juan Jose Ryp.

BLACK SUMMER #5 Wraparound
Retail Price: $2.99 US
Cover: Juan Jose Ryp
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Juan Jose Ryp
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages

DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #6
Retail Price: $3.99 US
Cover: Ivan Rodriguez
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Ivan Rodriguez
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages, monthly

People are getting sick. People are developing... defects. Lumps. Strange anomalies in their Grinder gear. You might almost call them "mutations." This town needs a doctor. Unfortunately, there's only Doktor Sleepless here -- and it might be all his doing... Warren Ellis' satirical-political science fiction novel continues it's on-going run! The issue is available with a regular cover by series artist Ivan Rodriguez, or wraparound cover by Raulo Caceres, and also a rare 1-in-15 Future Warning Sign cover.

DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #6 Wraparound
Retail Price: $3.99 US
Cover: Raulo Caceres
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Ivan Rodriguez
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages, monthly

DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #1 Wizard World Chicago
Retail Price: $5.99 US
Cover: Ivan Rodriguez
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Ivan Rodriguez
Readership: MR
Format: Color, 32 pages

This all-new cover by series artist Ivan Rodriguez features the Nurse and was previously only available at Wizard World Chicago. It is limited to 1000 copies

STREETS OF GLORY #3
Retail Price: $3.99 US
Cover: Mike Wolfer
Writer: Garth Ennis
Art: Mike Wolfer
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages, monthly, 3 of 6

Garth Ennis' Western epic continues! Somewhere out there in the dark, Red Crow waits. Apache warrior, serial killer and scourge of the Montana Rockies, the brutality of Red Crow's actions against the white invaders upon his people's land is unparalleled. But one man has dedicated his life to ending the savage killer's reign of terror, and Colonel Joseph Dunn will not rest until Red Crow's head rides a pike. With uneasy allies enlisted from the ranks of visiting business man Charles Morrison's personal bodyguards, Dunn prepares a hunting party to track and kill the Apache madman. But as tensions in Gladback run high in anticipation of the quest into the wilderness, Dunn senses that his posse could be more of a threat to his life than Red Crow himself. This issue is available with a regular or wraparound cover by series artist Mike Wolfer.

STREETS OF GLORY #3 Wraparound
Retail Price: $3.99 US
Cover: Mike Wolfer
Writer: Garth Ennis
Art: Mike Wolfer
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages, monthly, 3 of 6

Warren Ellis CRECY GN – SDCC exclusive cover
Retail Price: $6.99 US
Cover: Raulo Caceres
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Raulo Caceres
Readership: MR
Format: B&W, 48 pages

This exclusive cover was previously only available at the San Diego Comicon and features the stunningly detailed art of Raulo Caceres. Limited to 1000 copies.

WARREN ELLIS STRANGE KISS TPB
New Printing - Star12541
Retail Price: $8.95 US
Cover: Mike Wolfer
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artwork: Mike Wolfer
Readership: Mature Readers
Format: B&W, 72 pages, TPB
ISBN: 0970678401

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Back in print in time for the all-new series in 2008! The entire Strange Kiss series collected in one volume featuring the introduction of William Gravel! Strange Kiss is best described by Ellis himself, " horrific murder suicide in the middle of a busy city street at midday; an old man rotting and bloating in a hospital bed, something sick gestating inside him; in a darkened place close by, people screaming, impregnated, doomed. Something beautiful and awful is trying to reproduce, and its strange kiss is only to be feared..."

Warren Ellis STRANGER KISSES TPB
New Printing - Star14717
Retail Price: $9.95 US
Cover: Mike Wolfer
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Mike Wolfer
Readership: Mature Readers
Format: B&W, 72 pages, square bound TPB
ISBN: 0970678444

Finally, back in print! Warren Ellis brings his mad visions to life with the same team who brought you Strange Kiss. Stranger Kisses is about people for whom two genders are not enough, no matter how you play mix and match with sexuality. It's also about videotape, bad secrets, and what it's like to have an entire city wanting to kill you. The videotape is of seriously physically modified whores. Possibly altered at the genetic level. Because those extra orifices look grown. And those weird protuberances don't look artificial.... A very 21st Century comic, mad and modern and speedy and full of nasty ideas. In LA, the future of rich man's whoring and trophy women is being designed. Two sexes are not enough. People like their kisses stranger than that.

LADY DEATH by Ryp Bust
Retail Price: $59.99 US
Package Art: Juan Jose Ryp
Format: 7 inch bust in a full-color box
UPC: 890007002035

The master of sexy, Juan Jose Ryp, designs the first new Lady Death 3D product in many years! Featuring box art and sculpt design by Juan Jose Ryp, this super-limited product stands almost 7 inches tall and comes carefully packed in Styrofoam inside a full-color box. Limited to just 400 units.

LADY DEATH 2007 Swimsuit
Retail Price: $2.99 US
Cover: Rafa Lopez
Art: Juan Jose Ryp, Matt Martin, and others
Readership: All Ages
Format: Color, 16 pages

The luscious queen of the dead is back on the beach! Heat up your Winter with this sultry all-new pinup book featuring Lady Death drawn by some of the best artists in the industry! With Juan Jose Ryp, Matt Martin, Daniel HDR, Gabriel Guzman, Rafa Lopez and many more, this special is so smokin' it might catch fire! This issue is available in several sexy new covers including the standard edition by Rafa Lopez, Wraparound by Richard Ortiz, Seeley by Tim Seeley, Premium by Daniel HDR, a leather cover by Matt Martin that is limited to 600 copies or the very-limited Jewel cover by Daniel HDR that features jewels on the actual cover, and ships in a special protective shell with a print run of just 350!

LADY DEATH 2007 Swimsuit Wraparound
Retail Price: $2.99 US
Cover: Richard Ortiz
Art: Juan Jose Ryp, Matt Martin, and others
Readership: All Ages
Format: Color, 16 pages

LADY DEATH 2007 Swimsuit Seeley
Retail Price: $2.99 US
Cover: Tim Seeley
Art: Juan Jose Ryp, Matt Martin, and others
Readership: All Ages
Format: Color, 16 pages

LADY DEATH 2007 Swimsuit Premium
Retail Price: $9.99 US
Cover: Daniel HDR
Art: Juan Jose Ryp, Matt Martin, and others
Readership: All Ages
Format: Color, 16 pages

LADY DEATH 2007 Swimsuit Leather
Retail Price: $24.99 US
Cover: Matt Martin
Art: Juan Jose Ryp, Matt Martin, and others
Readership: All Ages
Format: Color, 16 pages

LADY DEATH 2007 Swimsuit Jewel
Retail Price: $39.99 US
Cover: Daniel HDR
Art: Juan Jose Ryp, Matt Martin, and others
Readership: All Ages
Format: Color, 16 pages

LADY DEATH vs PANDORA #1 Super Sexy
Retail Price: $5.99 US
Cover Art: Juan Jose Ryp
Writer: Brian Pulido
Art: Gabriel Guzman
Readership: All Ages
Format: Color, 16 pages

It doesn't get any hotter than this lady-loving new cover by Juan Jose Ryp. Limited to 750 copies.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: Hunger SDCC exclusive
Retail Price: $5.99 US
Cover: Mike Wolfer
Writer: John Russo
Art: Ryan Waterhouse
Readership: MR
Format: Color, 16 pages

This special cover was previously only available at San Diego Comicon! Limited to 1000 copies.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: Hunger Burrows Sketch cover
Retail Price: $24.99 US
Cover: Jacen Burrows
Writer: John Russo
Art: Ryan Waterhouse
Readership: MR
Format: Color, 16 pages

Get an original zombie sketch from red-hot artist Jacen Burrows! Every copy has an original ink zombie sketch on the front cover and is packaged in a bag and board with a certificate of authenticity. Limited to just 200 copies.

STARGATE SG1 2007 Special SDCC Photo
Retail Price: $9.99 US
Writer: James Anthony
Art: Jorge Correa
Readership: All Ages
Format: Full Color, 16 pages

This new photo cover featuring Michael Shanks and Christopher Judge was previously only available at San Diego Comicon and is limited to just 500 copies!

AVATAR ART PRINTS
LADY DEATH Fetishes Mistress Lithograph
Retail Price: $29.99 US
Art: Richard Ortiz
Format: Full color art print, 11 x 17

This lithograph is of Richard Ortiz's blazing cover to Lady Death Fetishes Mistress cover. Printed on high-quality card stock with cutting edge technology for a perfect high-resolution print suitable for framing. Each is strictly limited to only 150 copies! Every copy of this digital art print ships in a special rigid sleeve with a seal of authenticity.

LADY DEATH Fetishes Hellish Angel Lithograph
Retail Price: $29.99 US
Art: Juan Jose Ryp
Format: Full color art print, 11 x 17

This lithograph is of Juan Jose Ryp's sexy cover to Lady Death Fetishes Hellish Angel cover. Printed on high-quality card stock with cutting edge technology for a perfect high-resolution print suitable for framing. Each is strictly limited to only 150 copies! Every copy of this digital art print ships in a special rigid sleeve with a seal of authenticity.

LADY DEATH Abandon All Hope #2 Premium Lithograph
Retail Price: $29.99 US
Art: Paulo Siqueira
Format: Full color art print, 11 x 17

This lithograph is of Paulo Siqueira's sultry cover to Lady Death Abandon All Hope #2 Premium. Printed on high-quality card stock with cutting edge technology for a perfect high-resolution print suitable for framing. Each is strictly limited to only 150 copies! Every copy of this digital art print ships in a special rigid sleeve with a seal of authenticity.

Warren Ellis BLACKGAS TPB
Retail Price: $19.99 US
Cover: Jacen Burrows
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Max Fiumara
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 144 pages
ISBN: 1592910459

All six issues of Warren Ellis zombie outbreak tale are collected here for the first time! A tiny little island off the East Coast of America, that sits on its own tiny little fault on the underlying tectonic plate. An odd little history ignored by almost everyone. Until the night of the big storm, and the crack in the fault line, and the release of something foul from the earth's guts, blown across the little town on Smoky Island. And the only two people on the island who were outside its reach are now trapped on a black spit of rock with a population who aren't people anymore. They started eating each other an hour ago. This book is available in two horrific editions with all-new covers by Jacen Burrows - softcover or a special hardcover edition limited to just 750 copies.

Warren Ellis BLACKGAS Hardcover
Retail Price: $27.99 US
Cover: Jacen Burrows
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Max Fiumara
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 144 pages
ISBN: 1592910467

ESCAPE OF THE LIVING DEAD: Resurrected TPB
Retail Price: $29.99 US
Cover: Mike Wolfer
Writer: John Russo
Art: Dheeraj Verma
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 240 pages
ISBN: 1592910475

The ultimate zombie graphic novel, John Russo's zombie epic is unveiled in this definitive collection! The co-writer of the classic film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD brings his all-new zombie masterpiece to comics! All ten issues of the Escape of the Living Dead are collected into this one giant tome of terror. Included are the original 5 issue series, the 3 issue Airborne series, the Fearbook, and the Annual. 1971: It's been three years since the blood soaked night that the dead rose from their graves, attacking and devouring the living. Now, the legacy of that horrific and unexplained event is about to be unleashed once again upon an unsuspecting world... With zombies once again roaming the Pennsylvania countryside, only a handful of individuals know that the horror has begun anew. This collected edition features a new cover by Mike Wolfer.

BLACK SUMMER #4
Retail Price: $2.99 US
Cover: Juan Jose Ryp
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Juan Jose Ryp
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages, monthly, 4 of 7

Warren Ellis' masked hero masterpiece continues it's monthly run right here! Another one of the Seven Guns down. With the size of the remaining team reduced, the one-time friends of John Horus are on the run, and time's ticking away. Surrender is no longer an option -- the team have to find John Horus before the army find them... With art by the genius Juan Jose Ryp, no fan of The Authority or Wanted will want to miss this bleeding-edge eight issue masterpiece. This issue is available with a regular or wraparound cover and also a rare 1-in-25 cover featuring the Dominic Atlas Hyde design sketch, all by series artist Juan Jose Ryp.

BLACK SUMMER #4 Wraparound
Retail Price: $2.99 US
Cover: Juan Jose Ryp
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Juan Jose Ryp
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages

DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #5
Retail Price: $3.99 US
Cover: Ivan Rodriguez
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Ivan Rodriguez
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages, monthly

Everyone loves Doktor Sleepless: except the people who know him. The good Doktor is clearly taking control of Heavenside's subcultures, and strange things are happening all over town. Who's afraid of Doktor Sleepless? And what is he going to do about them? Warren Ellis' satirical-political science fiction novel continues it's on-going run! The issue is available with a regular cover by series artist Ivan Rodriguez, or wraparound cover by Raulo Caceres, and also a rare 1-in-15 Future Warning Sign cover.

DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #5 Wraparound
Retail Price: $3.99 US
Cover: Raulo Caceres
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Ivan Rodriguez
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages, monthly

DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #1 Auxiliary
Retail Price: $3.99 US
Cover: Ivan Rodriguez
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Ivan Rodriguez
Readership: MR
Format: Color, 32 pages

For those folks that missed out on the first issue of Warren Ellis new on-going series, this is your lucky day! Now you can get this special Auxiliary edition of the first printing, which is limited to 2000 copies, with a new cover by series artist Ivan Rodriguez still at the original cover price of $3.99!

BLACK SUMMER #1 Auxiliary
Retail Price: $2.99 US
Cover: Juan Jose Ryp
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Juan Jose Ryp
Readership: MR
Format: Color, 32 pages, 1 of 7

Jump right into the carnage of Warren Ellis masked-hero saga! Now you can get this special Auxiliary edition of the first printing, which is limited to 2000 copies, with a new cover by series artist Juan Jose Ryp still at the original cover price of $2.99!

STREETS OF GLORY #2
Retail Price: $3.99 US
Cover: Mike Wolfer
Writer: Garth Ennis
Art: Mike Wolfer
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages, monthly, 2 of 6

Garth Ennis' Western epic continues! As hardened as the majestic Rocky Mountains that rise in the distance, the frontier town of Gladback, Montana is the last place Colonel Joseph Dunn would imagine he would meet his destiny. Just this side of lawlessness, Gladback has seen its share of drifters, passing settlers and those looking for a nice, quiet place to die, but never has it seen the likes of Dunn, whose command on the battlefields of the Civil War is the stuff of legend. As Dunn becomes reacquainted with an old friend and an old love thought long lost, the mystery of the Colonel's illustrious past begins to be revealed. But there are others in Gladback who bear close watching, their fascination with Dunn running much deeper than superficial admiration for the soldier. And before Dunn's first night in Gladback is over, the torturous and barbaric ravaging of one of the town's residents will leave all in shock... All save Dunn, who knows who committed the heinous act; a man that Colonel Joseph Dunn has spent much of his life tracking and who he has sworn to kill with his own hands. Ennis teams with Mike Wolfer for this epic full color series that promises to thrill every fan of Garth's powerful story-telling and brutal violence. This issue is available with a regular or wraparound cover by series artist Mike Wolfer.

STREETS OF GLORY #2 Wraparound
Retail Price: $3.99 US
Cover: Mike Wolfer
Writer: Garth Ennis
Art: Mike Wolfer
Readership: MR
Format: Full Color, 32 pages, monthly, 2 of 6

2001 MANIACS Hornbook
Retail Price: $4.99 US
Cover: Raulo Caceres
Writer: Tim Sullivan
Art: Mike Wolfer
Readership: MR
Format: B&W, 16 pages

This special book was previously only available at the San Diego Comicon! This issue introduces the 2001 Maniacs comic series with an all-new short story by movie writer/director Tim Sullivan with art by Mike Wolfer. Also included are behind-the-scenes looks at the special and a in-depth interview with Sullivan. For Robert Englund collectors, this is as rare as it gets! The regular cover is limited to 2000 copies and the Gore cover is limited to 1250 copies, both with all-new art by Raulo Caceres!

2001 MANIACS Hornbook Gore
Retail Price: $4.99 US
Cover: Raulo Caceres
Writer: Tim Sullivan
Art: Mike Wolfer
Readership: MR
Format: B&W, 16 pages

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: Just a Girl Blood Red Convention Foil
Retail Price: $4.99 US
Cover: Jacen Burrows
Writer: John Russo
Art: Edison George
Readership: MR
Format: Color, 16 pages

This special Blood Red foil was previously only available at conventions. Ships in a bag and board with a certificate of authenticity. Limited to 500 copies.

LADY DEATH/ SHI #0 Deadly Blades
Retail Price: $5.99 US
Cover: Juan Jose Ryp
Writer: Brian Pulido
Art: Juan Jose Ryp
Readership: All Ages
Format: Color, 16 pages, 0 of 2

Lady Death and Shi cut a path of destruction on this sexy new cover by Juan Jose Ryp. Limited to 1000 copies.

LADY DEATH vs PANDORA #1 Cat Fight
Retail Price: $5.99 US
Cover Art: Gabriel Guzman
Writer: Brian Pulido
Art: Gabriel Guzman
Readership: All Ages
Format: Color, 16 pages

The super-minxes tussle on this sultry cover by series artist Gabriel Guzman. Limited to 1000 copies.

LADY DEATH Warrior Temptress Royal Blue
Retail Price: $75.00 US
Cover: Juan Jose Ryp
Art: Ryp, Martin, Lopez and others
Readership: All Ages
Format: Color, 32 pages

Special warehouse find, never-before-offered edition limited to 100 copies. All copies ship in a bag and a special protective case with a certificate of authenticity.

AVATAR ART PRINTS
LADY DEATH Masterworks Canvas Art Print #4 by Felipe Massafera
Retail Price: $29.99 US
Art: Felipe Massafera
Format: Full color art print, 11 x 17

This Art Print is the fourth in a series of Canvas prints of Felipe Massafera's beautiful works for Lady Death Masterworks. Printed on high-quality canvas with cutting edge technology for a perfect high-resolution print suitable for framing. Each is strictly limited to only 150 copies! Every copy of this digital art print ships in a special rigid sleeve with a seal of authenticity.

LADY DEATH Abandon All Hope #1 Premium Lithograph
Retail Price: $29.99 US
Art: Paulo Siqueira
Format: Full color art print, 11 x 17

This lithograph is of Paulo Siqueira=s sultry cover to Lady Death Abandon All Hope #1 Premium. Printed on high-quality card stock with cutting edge technology for a perfect high-resolution print suitable for framing. Each is strictly limited to only 150 copies! Every copy of this digital art print ships in a special rigid sleeve with a seal of authenticity.

Last week was a big one for our friend Warren Ellis. Aside from contracting what he diagnosed as San Diego SARS and downing something like five pallets of Red Bull at what is assured to be one of his last Comic-Cons in quite a while--and you should check out John's stellar on-the-scene reportage for all the tidbits and gory details of that adventure--he released the first issues of two new comic series, a graphic novel and his first ever prose novel-quite a hefty load, so much so that its taken me this long to parse through the material, develop one or two cogent thoughts and present you here with my mega-Warren-Ellis-review bonanza! So light a cigarette, down a Red Bull and strap on your seatbelt because we're diving right in to the demented, demonic, deranged and delightful mind of our favorite British comic-titan.

I've already reviewed Crooked LIttle Vein, so I'll only go so far as to say, for actually the third time on this blog, Godzilla porn. But let's do talk about his graphic novel, Crécy, inspired by the epic 1346 Battle of Crécy between the English and the French during the Hundred Years' War that, due to advanced weaponry and barbaric tactics, many historians point to as the beginning of the end of chivalry. Gee, I wonder why this one had appeal for Ellis?

Published by Avatar, the story follows William of Stonham, a longbowman for King Edward III of England who has been pillaging French villages in service to the King. Why? The English could always use more land, he says, and "the more we own, the less chance of French people rowing across the channel and invading us." Their march is leading them to Crécy, where the French intend to make their stand. They're outnumbered nearly four to one, and not really expected to survive the battle.

Living up to his reputation during a candid two-hour conversation with his fans late Saturday night at Comic-Con, Warren Ellis worked his way through two Red Bull tallboys, a can of Sparks (an alcohol-infused energy drink presented to him by a fan) and, in flagrant disregard of Convention Center policy --to say nothing of the state of California-- a late-in-the panel cigarette ... all to the delight of his gathered fans.

Ellis greeted the crowd as, "my children," prompting one wag to shout in response, "daddy!" To which Ellis shot back, "oh, shit!" The Red Bulls were delivered to the stage about five minutes into the talk and, upon being placed in front of him, Ellis remarked, "Christ, I might actually make it through the two hours now."

Details on two new Ellis projects for Avatar Press were released during the talk. Announcing the first, Ellis said, "I'm doing a long-form comic for the Web starting this Autumn." It's called FreakAngels and Avatar will be releasing it totally free online. Ellis said, "I've written two hundred pages and I still have no idea what it's about ... it's retro-punk, it's near-future steampunk" and involves characters who are "living in a post-flood London that they might possibly have had something to do with." Paul Duffield is the artist for the title, and there will be five new pages posted each week, totally free to readers. Why not hit freakangels.com now and sign up for a subscription?

It's such an exciting time to be a comics fan...if you're in San Diego for Comic Con. The rest of us have to sit around and wait for news to leak back from the show. While we wait there are a few quality new releases to help us pass the time.


BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #5

It's so rare that something you have such high hopes for not only lives up to the hype, but actually surpasses any notion you had. Buffy Season 8 is so much like having the show back on the air that I keep checking my DVR for episodes and then I remember it's a comic. Then I make a sandwich. Then I check my DVR again. Then I make prank phone calls. That's a pretty average night for me.




ALAN MOORE WILD WORLDS TP

There are a lot of you out there sleeping on how good Alan Moore's work on books like Wild Cats and Supreme was. At some point you're going to read that stuff and post on this site about how much you owe us for recommending these titles to you. Then you're going to want to read this collection of Mr. Moore's other WildStorm work, which isn't as awesome, but is still real, real good.





BATMAN #666

Grant Morrison tells this evil tale of Batman's son Damien. You'd better be listening to Iron Maiden or Slayer when you read this.

If there's one thing Warren Ellis loves to do, it's go totally overboard with a concept. Take his upcoming novel Crooked Little Vein (which I'm not allowed to review yet, but look for it July 1!), a crime noir detective story, which let's just say involves a government conspiracy to hide a second constitution of the United States that's written on alien skin. Oh yes, and there's Godzilla porn.

Okay, maybe my point is a bit obvious to anyone who has ever read an Ellis book. So it should be no suprise to anyone that his take on a superhero book was going to be anything other than, well, f***** up. Last week Avatar Press published issue # 0 of Ellis' Black Summer, a book that asks to define the limits of a superhero's duty to protect citizens from evil and tyrrany, no matter where it might reside.

Meet the Seven Guns, a group of bright-eyed idealists who concoct a litany of strange abilities for themselves, strap on helmets and begin to clean up the streets--starting with the corrupt police force. Years later, vigilantism has taken its toll on the group. As has 9/11, which they were unable to avert much to the scrutiny of the public. They've separated, drifted apart. One has died. Tom Noir, who's painted as the idealist that turned his visioon of a superhero task force into reality, has lost a leg and sunk into a booze-addled depression.

Press Release

Warren Ellis' first creator-owned masked hero epic, BLACK SUMMER, makes its debut this week, and the death of a President is only a catalyst for bigger events beginning this summer. The specially priced #0 issue is available for only 99 cents. It features an original story leading directly into the monthly mini-series that starts in August priced at just $2.99 per issue. The full color series is drawn by Juan Jose Ryp and colored by Mark Sweeney.

"It's as pure a working-out of the central notion as I could manage," Black Summer creator Warren Ellis says of the core masked hero concepts behind the series. "Even the characters who may immediately seem familiar will turn out not to be. This is as new a take on superhero fiction as I've got in me right now. So I guess it fills a hole. Marvel are engaged in the business of trying to bring in new readers through the wide-ranging revivals of their creative library that is their mandate. DC are deeply involved in the complex revitalisation of their superhero line that is intended to bring back old readers. BLACK SUMMER is right in the middle - new characters, new ideas, new angles on the genre."

"We have the best parts of the masked hero genre, huge fights and massive explosions," adds Avatar's EIC William Christensen." "But we also have horrible deaths, real character drama, and actual issues of our society looked at in the terms of this fantasy world with masked heroes. Black Summer is the sort of hero book that I have an interest in reading. I am fortunate that I was able to provide just the right environment for Warren to create his magic here. A major creator on a superhero book with no continuity issues or other editorial restrictions to worry about - that doesn't happen too often."

Avatar Press has traditionally specialized in creator-owned and pulp comics that push the boundaries between mainstream and indy. BLACK SUMMER is Avatar's first foray into the superhero genre dominated by industry heavyweights Marvel and DC, but Christensen views coming at the genre with a fresh start as a big advantage. "I couldn't care less if Booster Gold is dead, or Triplicate Lass is now Duo Damsel," notes Christensen. "The huge weight of continuity can be a giant drag on Marvel and DC books. I'm not saying that to bash Marvel and DC. I have been a big mainstream comics cheerleader over the years. Believe it or not, I was one of Wizard's most prolific freelancers in the early days.

But continuity can be a huge obstacle for the creator and the reader as well. If you think about what books are considered the best superhero stories of the past two or three decades, a couple books that are outside of continuity are at the top of the list. Once every few years there is a book in the genre that makes everyone else step up their game. Books like Watchmen, Dark Knight, Wanted, and now Black Summer.

So Black Summer allows folks who have grown up with hero books to enjoy something with more substance. It's a hero book with balls."

The series has received coverage unlike any Avatar Press comic before, with press clamoring to get a peak inside the book with the already-infamous wraparound cover of issue #0. Playing by the rules Of mainstream hero comic fans, Avatar has committed to a timely monthly release schedule starting with the launch of #1 in August. Promotional posters sent to retailers across the country and given to fans at national conventions, mainstream press coverage, and Avatar's most extensive convention presence in a decade at the year's most popular conventions - including the appearance with Warren Ellis at San Diego - have all been in preparation for this controversial New series and the biggest event of 2007.

Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Jacen Burrows

I have to admit that I am generally not a Garth Ennis fan. Not that I don't think he can write well, because I do, but more because what he writes tends to be filled with more violence and gore than I can handle. I am member of the video game generation, but apparently I played all the wrong games.

"Chronicles of Wormwood" (not to be confused with "Wormwood Gentlemen Corpse") may be changing my mind about Ennis books, or at least convincing me to take a second look. It is about the Anti-Christ, Danny Wormwood, who has chosen not to be the Anti-Christ. Instead he runs a television channel, which some say amounts to about the same thing. The book Chronicles his life, including his talking rabbit, friendship with Jesus Christ and his relationship with women (here's a hint: he's not very good at them).