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2013’s Best Selling Comics

Here it is, courtesy of worldwide comics (and many other cool things) distributor, Diamond.

Diamond Announces Top Comic Books & Graphic Novels of 2013

Marvel Comics top publisher; Image Comics’ The Walking Dead #115 was the year’s top comic

Image Comics’ The Walking Dead #115 was the best-selling comic book published in 2013 based on total unit sales to comic book specialty shops, according to Diamond Comic Distributors, the world’s largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop-culture merchandise.

Written by creator Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Charlie Adlard, The Walking Dead #115 celebrated the zombie series’ 10th-anniversary and kicked off the “All-Out War” storyline with twelve different covers, ten of which interlocked to create one large image.

Demonstrating the strength of the comic book specialty market, comics and graphic novels had another strong year, with 2013’s annual sales increasing 9.04% over the previous year, as comic book sales were up 10.22%, while graphic novel sales were up by 6.5%.

Marvel Comics finished the year as the comic book specialty market’s top publisher, leading both Dollar and Unit Market Shares, with a 33.50% Dollar Market Share and a 36.97% Unit Market Share. Marvel Comics had six titles in the top ten, led by Guardians of the Galaxy #1 in the third spot.

DC Entertainment was the comic book specialty market’s number two publisher in 2013 with a 30.33% Dollar Market Share and a 33.35% Unit Market Share. DC Entertainment published three of the year’s top ten comic books and thirteen of the top twenty, with Justice League of America #1 charting as 2013’s second best-selling comic book title.

The first volume of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga from Image Comics was the year’s top-selling graphic novel and helped propel Image Comics to be the third largest comic book publisher, with a with a 8.00% Dollar Market Share and a 8.49% Unit Market Share. A science-fiction epic of love and family in a time of interstellar war, Saga received the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story from the wider science-fiction community in September. Image Comics had seven of the top ten graphic novels, including five volumes of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead.

IDW Publishing’s mix of licensed comic books, creator-owned titles and groundbreaking art books fortified the company as the comic book specialty market’s fourth largest publisher. The company’s market share rose .90% in 2013, up to 6.47% dollar market share. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Volume 1 based on the fan-favorite animated series was IDW’s top-selling graphic novel for the year.

Dark Horse Comics was the fifth leading comic book publisher to the comic book specialty market in 2013 with a 5.17% retail dollar market share, gaining .36% over its 2012 total. Coupled with the year’s top-selling book, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse solidified its position as a top seller in both the comic book specialty and book markets worldwide.

TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS

PUBLISHER	DOLLAR SHARE	UNIT SHARE
MARVEL COMICS	33.50%	36.97%
DC ENTERTAINMENT	30.33%	33.35%
IMAGE COMICS	8.00%	8.49%
IDW PUBLISHING	6.47%	5.10%
DARK HORSE COMICS	5.17%	4.50%
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT	2.72%	2.59%
BOOM! STUDIOS	1.99%	1.92%
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS	1.25%	0.26%
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT	0.98%	1.06%
AVATAR PRESS	0.89%	0.74%
OTHER NON-TOP 10	8.70%	5.02%

TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	THE WALKING DEAD #115 (MR)	$2.99	AUG130518-M	IMAGE COMICS
2	JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1	$3.99	DEC120237-M	DC ENTERTAINMENT
3	SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1	$4.99	APR130107-M	DC ENTERTAINMENT
4	GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1	$3.99	JAN130642-M	MARVEL COMICS
5	SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #1	$3.99	FEB138598-M	MARVEL COMICS
6	INFINITY #1	$4.99	JUL138068-M	MARVEL COMICS
7	X-MEN #1	$3.99	FEB130497-M	MARVEL COMICS
8	AGE OF ULTRON #1	$3.99	JAN130627-M	MARVEL COMICS
9	UNCANNY X-MEN #1	$3.99	DEC120608-M	MARVEL COMICS
10	SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #2	$3.99	MAY130128-M	DC ENTERTAINMENT

TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

RANK	DESCRIPTION	PRICE	ITEM CODE	VENDOR
1	SAGA VOLUME 1 TP (MR)	$9.99	AUG120491	IMAGE COMICS
2	THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 1: DAYS GONE BYE TP	$14.99	NOV128157	IMAGE COMICS
3	SAGA VOLUME 2 TP (MR)	$14.99	APR130443	IMAGE COMICS
4	THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 18: WHAT COMES AFTER TP	$14.99	APR130482	IMAGE COMICS
5	THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 2: MILES BEHIND US TP	$14.99	SEP088204	IMAGE COMICS
6	THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 19: MARCH TO WAR TP	$14.99	SEP130566	IMAGE COMICS
7	HAWKEYE VOLUME 1: MY LIFE AS WEAPON TP	$16.99	DEC120744	MARVEL COMICS
8	BATMAN VOLUME 1: THE COURT OF OWLS TP	$16.99	DEC120323	DC ENTERTAINMENT
9	BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE SPECIAL EDITION HC	$17.99	NOV070226	DC ENTERTAINMENT
10	THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 3: SAFETY BEHIND BARS TP	$14.99	NOV082245	IMAGE COMICS

January 12, 2014
Categories: Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, New To Comics?, News . Tags: 2013 best selling comics, Dark Horse Comics . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

2014 Is Dark Horse’s Year

Sure, they may have just announced that they’ve (unsurprisingly) lost their licence for their critically acclaimed Star Wars comics to Marvel, but that’s not all that Dark Horse publish. It is a shame that as of next year, no more Star Wars comics will come from the Horse as they have added significant layers to the SW mythos over the last twenty years, but Dark Horse are confident that their diverse line to continue to impress audiences this year. Official press release below.

DARK HORSE PROCLAIMS 2014 TO BE

THE YEAR OF THE HORSE!

Before we had even taken the time to look at the Chinese zodiac calendar, we knew 2014 was shaping up to be one of the best in Dark Horse Comics’ nearly thirty-year history!

In 2013, Dark Horse saw record sales growth in every channel and received what may have been moreaccolades than ever for its publishing line.

As we enter 2014, we go boldly into a year that, as the Chinese foretold, was destined to be ours!

We have partnered with our good friends at Comic Book Resources to bring Dark Horse fans an early look at what the year holds in every aspect of the business, from new comic series to books and products. Today we begin a four-part interview with Dark Horse president and founder Mike Richardson.

Look for a new interview each week and exclusive announcements, first looks, and more!

Before we look forward though, let’s look at the past. Dark Horse have done very well in publishing some of the best comics of 2013, as you can see below.

DARK HORSE TOPS A RECORD NUMBER

OF YEAR-END LISTS IN 2013!

In 2013, Dark Horse set records in every sense of the word. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia topped nearly every major bestseller list and the Nielsen BookScan report! The company saw record sales in all markets, as well as at every major convention! Multiple titles sold out of first printings! New original series like Steve Niles and Dave Wachter’s Breath of Bones garnered 10 out of 10 reviews for their entire run! It didn’t stop there. Just before the new year, as critics’ year-end lists rolled in, Dark Horse found a place on nearly every one of them!

As we bid adieu to a banner year, we’d be remiss not to share one last highlight with you . .

Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the very best of 2013!

Amazon’s Best Books of 2013: The Black Beetle | MIND MGMT

Big Shiny Robot’s Best of 2013: 47 Ronin | MIND MGMT

iTunes’ iBooks Best of 2013: MIND MGMT | Bad Houses | The Creep

io9’s Best Products of Comic-Con 2013: Game of Thrones figures

IGN’s Best Products of Comic-Con 2013: Zelda figures

Bleeding Cool’s 11 Best Comics of 2013: Buzzkill | Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight | Hellboy in Hell

Salon.com’s Best Superhero Comics of 2013: The Black Beetle

NewsOK’s 10 Best Comic Book Series of 2013: The Black Beetle

Time Magazine’s Top 10 Comics and Graphic Novels: Bad Houses

Paste Magazine’s 10 Best Comics of 2013: MIND MGMT | Bad Houses

Paste Magazine’s 13 Best Webcomics of 2013: Battlepug

WhatCulture’s 50 Best Comics of 2013: Bandette

io9’s The Very Very Best Comics of 2013: MIND MGMT | The Fifth Beatle

Digital Spy’s Top 10 Comics of 2013: Hellboy in Hell

Huffington Post’s 10 Best Comics of 2013: Concrete Park

Newsarama’s The Best of Best Shots 2013: Kelly Sue DeConnick (Ghost) | Matt Kindt (MIND MGMT) | Amala’s Blade

The Onion’s A.V. Club’s Best Mainstream & Superhero Comics of 2013: Dream Thief | Hellboy in Hell | MIND MGMT

Bloody Disgusting’s Best Comics of 2013: Abe Sapien | Hellboy in Hell

Bloody Disgusting’s Top Miniseries and Ongoings of 2013: The Black Beetle | Dream Thief | The Goon | The Victories

Bloody Disgusting’s Top 10 Debut Issues of 2013: Buzzkill

Bloody Disgusting’s Best Comics Miniseries of 2013: To Hell You Ride

Comic Book Resources’ Top 100 Comics of 2013 Part 1: Sabertooth Swordsman

Comic Book Resources’ Top 100 Comics of 2013 Part 2: Dream Thief | Blade of the Immortal | Hellboy: The Midnight Circus

Comic Book Resources’ Top 100 Comics of 2013 Part 3: The Black Beetle

Comic Book Resources’ Top 100 Comics of 2013 Part 4: MIND MGMT | The Fifth Beatle | Hellboy in Hell | Bad Houses

Comic Bastards’ Comic Book Round-Up: The Best Part 1:

• Best Single Issue: The Goon #44 | The Massive #17

• Best Ongoing: MIND MGMT

• Best Miniseries: Baltimore | Darth Vader and the Ninth Assassin | The Black Beetle

Comic Bastards’ The Best of Part 2:

• Best OGN: Hellboy: The Midnight Circus | Last Man Standing | The Last of Us: American Dreams

• Best All-Ages Title: Itty Bitty Hellboy

Comic Bastards’ The Best of Part 3:

• Best Book of 2012 We’re Still Talking About: Conan the Barbarian

• Best Revival: Brain Boy

• Best Adaptation: The Last of Us: American Dreams | The Art of BioShock Infinite | The Star Wars

Multiversity’s 2013 in Review:

• Best Ongoing Series: Hellboy in Hell | MIND MGMT | B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth

• Readers’ Choice for Best Ongoing Series: MIND MGMT

• Best Writer: John Arcudi | Matt Kindt | Kelly Sue DeConnick

• Best Artist: J. H. Williams III

• Best Miniseries: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys | Catalyst Comix | B.P.R.D.: Vampire

• Best Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

• Best Graphic Novel: Sin Titulo | Hellboy: The Midnight Circus

• Most Overlooked Series: Catalyst Comix | MIND MGMT | Gamma

• Breakout Writer: Frank Barbiere | Joshua Williamson

• Breakout Artist: Ulises Farinas | Greg Smallwood

Uproxx’s 15 Best Comic Books of 2013: Buzzkill | Star Wars

Unwinnable’s Best Comics of 2013: The Shaolin Cowboy | Hellboy in Hell | B.P.R.D.

VICE’s Ten Best Comics of 2013: The Manara Library Volume 5

The Village Voice’s 2013’s Best Graphic Novels: Sacrifice

PopCandy’s Best of 2013: Bad Houses

USA Today’s 2013’s Best Graphic Novels and Collections: The Black Beetle Volume 1 | The Fifth Beatle

USA Today’s Best Comic Books of 2013:

• Best Cover Artist: Jenny Frison

• Most Insane Read: Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight

• Best Throwback: Star Wars

• Honorable Mentions:

• Rookie of the Year (Character): Buzzkill

• Best Miniseries: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

January 12, 2014
Categories: Comics, New To Comics?, News . Tags: Dark Horse Comics, Star Wars . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

A Few Black Friday Sales

Now an exciting annual tradition, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are up for grabs. It would appear it’s mainly centred in the U.S, but have a look at some great opportunities for cheap pop culture goodness below.

UPDATE: There’s even more sale opportunities at Comics Alliance, including discounts on purveyors of art prints, action figures, and more.

My fave film website is Dark Horizons, run by fellow Aussie Garth Franklin, and here’s their exhaustive rundown of what Amazon has to offer from boxsets, Blu-ray and more.

STAR WARS BLACK FRIDAY!

DARK HORSE STRIKES BACK!

For 72 hours, Dark Horse Digital will offer 150 single-issue Star Wars comics for $100! A savings of over $300!

Dark Horse Comics is rocking Black Friday madness with a very exclusive limited offer for its digital-comics readers . . .

Feast your optic sensors on this year’s Black Friday MegaBundle. For one weekend only, you can get over 150 digital Star Wars comics for the crazy-low price of only $100.

Get classics like The Clone Wars, The Old Republic, and all three arcs of Crimson Empire. Get a taste of Brian Wood’s critically acclaimed Star Wars series. Your favorite Sith friends are here too, with Darth Maul and Darth Vader series, plus the latest series, Lost Tribe of the Sith. Your favorite bounty hunter, Boba Fett, is here, plus the Imperial spy comic Agent of the Empire. Go back in time to the origins of the Jedi in Dawn of the Jedi, travel to hundreds of years after the films end with Legacy, and more!

Over 3,500 pages of Star Wars goodness! This sale goes live at midnight (PST), Friday, November 29, and runs through midnight, Sunday, December 1.

Get this MegaBundle here: http://goo.gl/bZwZpM, before Chewie punches it, and it jumps to hyperspace!

The free Dark Horse Digital comics app is now available worldwide through all modern web browsers and features cloud storage in both the Android and iOS apps.

DARK HORSE DIGITAL CYBER MONDAY DEAL!

In anticipation of the infamous holiday shopping weekend, Dark Horse Comics is giving you another killer deal for Cyber Monday. Dark Horse Digital is offering comics fans 50% off their entire order for 24 hours!

You can redeem this 50% discount with the coupon code dhdcyber2013.

This offer is good for 24 hours beginning at midnight (PST) on Monday, December 2 ($20 cart minimum). VisitDigital.DarkHorse.com to take advantage of this amazing web store only offer. Sign up for the Dark Horse Digital Newsletter by Thanksgiving to get even more discounts (http://goo.gl/FP6Eva).

The free Dark Horse Digital comics app is now available worldwide through all modern web browsers and features cloud storage in both the Android and iOS apps.

Stop by Dark Horse Digital and get a massive discount on all the Dark Horse comics you could want and more!

Stop by Dark Horse Digital and get all the Star Wars comics you could want and more

BOOM! STUDIOS ANNOUNCES WEBSTORE HOLIDAY SALE PROMOTIONS FOR BLACKFRIDAY, SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY, AND CYBER MONDAY

BOOM! Studios is happy to announce several sale promotions in its webstore for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday to kick off the 2013 holiday shopping season! The BOOM! Studios webstore can be found at boom-studios.com.

The promotions are as follows:

ALL WEEKEND LONG (starts Thursday, Nov. 28, 8:00 p.m. PST; ends Monday, Dec. 2, 11:59 p.m. PST)

· Every order over $25.00 qualifies for free domestic shipping

· All trade paperbacks of licensed titles (i.e. ADVENTURE TIME, ROBOCOP, PEANUTS, BRAVEST WARRIORS, PLANET OF THE APES, and more) in stock are 15% off

· Several bundle packs will be discounted (check the site for details)

BLACK FRIDAY (starts Thursday, Nov. 28, 8:00 p.m. PST; ends Friday, Nov. 29, 11:59 p.m. PST)

· Get 25% off all orders from $60.00 to $99.99

· Get 35% off all orders from $100.00 and up

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY (Nov. 30, starts 12:00 a.m. PST; ends 11:59 p.m. PST)

· All leather-bound Archaia editions in stock are 50% off

· All other Archaia items in stock are 25% off

BONUS BOOM! SUNDAY (Dec. 1, starts 12:00 a.m. PST; ends 11:59 p.m. PST)

· All trade paperbacks of licensed titles* in stock jump to 25% off (*Excludes ADVENTURE TIME products)

CYBER MONDAY (Dec. 2, starts 12:00 a.m. PST; ends 11:59 p.m. PST)

· Free mystery gift packed with every order

· Buy one, get one free for all main covers (A or B) to single issues in stock

· Any order over $50.00 is automatically entered into a raffle to win THE ULTIMATE GIFT PACK, featuring one copy of every single issue** BOOM! Studios and KaBOOM! has released in 2013 to date (**Some issues may be filled with variant covers)

We’re beating the Black Friday rushes by starting ours early. Buy any item from our web store* and receive a b-a-n-a-n-a-s 40% discount, from today (Monday, November 25th) until Monday, December 2nd.

*Yes, any item! This sale includes books, comics, posters and more. And, since all our 2013 titles are now available in the US and Canada, every awesome book you’ve thought about buying this year is also available at a sale price. There’s a handy round-up of them over on our blog.

COLLECTOR’S PARADISE GOES BEYOND BLACK FRIDAY SALE WITH “BUY 2 GET 1 FREE ON ANYTHING IN THE STORE”, COMICS BY THE POUND, AND A TWO WEEK PROGRESSIVE DISCOUNT GRAPHIC NOVEL SALE AT BOTH COLLECTOR’S PARADISE STORES!

Los Angeles area’s Leading Retail Comic Book Store Chain expands the concept of Black Friday Sale into a weeks-long event with unprecedented discounts throughout the stores, and a Graphic Novel Sale that tests your patience for two weeks.

Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery, is proud to announce that we will, once again, be bringing Progressive Graphic Novel Sale as part of our Black Friday promotion to Los Angeles area this year.

“Last year’s Black Friday two-week event was fantastic.” said owner Edward Greenberg, adding: ” We learned so much about how to do this, and will use the lessons this year to provide an even better experience for our customers.”

While many stores host Black Friday events, Collector’s Paradise decided that this year they would try out a new approach: Buy 2 Get 1 FREE on Anything in the store, mix and match. A customer can buy an action figure, a t-shirt and a graphic novel, and the lowest of the three items is FREE. It’s a “design your own sale Sale”.

Comics by the Pound is another way to make a Sale more fun for the customers. There will be a huge selection of comic books available in boxes, for customers to look through and pick the ones they would like to buy for just $3 per pound. Considering an average single comic book is about $4 these days, getting a bunch of them for just $3 is an amazing deal. Not only that, but every purchase gives you an entry into our raffle where one winner per store will win an amount up to what they have bought for FREE .

The most ambitious part of the Black Friday Sale is something not heard of in the comic book industry, the Progressive Discount Graphic Novel Sale. On BlackFriday, the stores will have boxes full of graphic novels at 50% off. Whatever does not sell that day, will be 52% off next day, 54% off the following day, and so on, until 2 weeks later, when it reaches 80% off for whatever is still left over. Every customer will have to make a decision on whether to wait out for a higher discount or to buy the books before someone else grabs them. It’s a fun and exciting way to get deals on awesome reads.

Please visit Collector’s Paradise’ official site, ComicsAndCards.net for full details about our Black Friday and Progressive GN Sale events.For additional information, please contact Edward Greenberg, managing partner of Collector’s Paradise @ 818-999-9455 (business) or by email, atstore@comicsandcards.net

Collector’s Paradise Canoga Park is located at 7131 Winnetka Ave, at Sherman Way in Canoga Park. Collector’s Paradise Pasadena is located at 319 S. Arroyo Parkway Unit 4, at the corner of Del Mar in Pasadena.

November 28, 2013
Categories: Comics, Movies, New To Comics?, News . Tags: Cheap comics, Dark Horse Comics . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Hellboy: The Midnight Circus Review

This year is the 20th anniversary of Mike Mignola’s very successful creation Hellboy. There are many ways to celebrate, including reading The Midnight Circus, an awesome new OGN written by Mignola with awesome art by Duncan Fegredo.

You can read my review of this impressive tale at Broken Frontier.

November 5, 2013
Categories: Comic Art, Comics, New To Comics?, Reviews . Tags: Dark Horse Comics, Hellboy, Mike Mignola . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

The Last Of Us: American Dreams Review

I’ve been a fan of writer/artist Faith Erin Hicks since her OGN Zombies Calling. If I recall correctly, I picked it up on a whim my first time at San Diego Comic-Con a few years ago, and fell in love with her storytelling ability. She somehow manages to make every character relatable and sympathetic, and there’s great depth in her cartooning style. I’ve pretty much read everything she’s done since my first exposure to her, and when I saw her name in relation to a dark, horror video game title, I was rather surprised. It’s not her normal playground, but I’m glad I gave The Last Of Us: American Dreams a chance.

This 106 page full colour TPB collects the recent four issue mini-series based on the game of the same name that was released not that long ago. Dark Horse have a good history when it comes to video games, and although the medium rarely translates well to the silver screen, there have been some great comics based on video games in the last few years, such as Udon’s always good value Street Fighter series, plus the Horse’s own efforts which include franchises such as Mass Effect, and Dragon Age. The publisher have also released some rather pretty art books which are must haves for lovers of concept art and world building, on such games as Bioshock Infinite, Remember Me as well as The Last Of Us.

American Dreams expands that world further. Written by Hicks and the creative director of the game, Neil Druckmann, with art by Hicks, this is set before the events of the game. The writing pair set the world up elegantly. In the first dozen pages, we know who these characters are, and what world they’re living in. Essentially, the city is barricaded by a giant wall against hordes of diseased citizens called, “infected.” There’s also a rebellious faction calling themselves The Fireflies who are against the new police state, despite the good intentions of its militaristic leaders.

After some initial friction, and lots of swearing, Ellie, the angry new girl, and Riley the more experienced and sarcastic girl team up to escape their new “home.” Riley is about to turn 16 and like all those before her at that age, will be forced to become a soldier for the good of the surviving community. She doesn’t want that life so she escapes the compound with Ellie and introduces her to the older Winston, who lives in a tent in a very rundown shopping centre.

Hicks’ art conveys the emotion of each scene splendidly and isn’t afraid to use silence when necessary. The city that the mischievous pair traverse is deserted thanks to the infected, which are kind of like fast zombies, although there’s not highly detailed exposition within the story itself. On the back cover, however, is a nice setup (19 years ago a fungal outbreak killed most of the world’s population).

Being largely unfamiliar with the game, this tale stands on its own, and by focusing on two teen protagonists, and their interaction with each other, the scary world, the infected, and the hardcore Fireflies, Hicks and Druckmann have crafted a believable world in which people question their values and determination. Fans of The Walking Dead will surely be fond of American Dreams, and Hicks’ artwork is, as always, a pleasure to behold, and the few extra pages of her sketches is a pleasant bonus. At first glance it may seem that her style may not suit the gritty and intense story being told within these pretty pages, but there’s great raw emotion and dynamism at work here. When characters shout, or get frustrated or scared, Hicks superbly renders all those feelings.

The Last Of Us: American Dreams is available from October 30, and you can see a preview here.

October 28, 2013
Categories: Comic Art, Comics, Games, New To Comics?, Reviews . Tags: Dark Horse Comics, Faith Erin Hicks, Neil Druckmann . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Ghost Volume 1 Review

A superheroine from the ’90s is back in the latest volume collecting the adventures of Ghost. You can read my review right here.

August 4, 2013
Categories: Comics, New To Comics?, Reviews . Tags: Dark Horse Comics . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

The Victories: Touched Review

Writer/artist Mike Avon Oeming’s 5 issue mini-series, The Victories is now available as a Trade Paperback from Dark Horse.

I review the collection of the mature superhero tale here at Broken Frontier.

June 15, 2013
Categories: Comics, New To Comics?, Reviews . Tags: Dark Horse Comics, Mike Avon Oeming . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Halo Comics Now At Dark Horse

Marvel may eventually take Star Wars from Dark Horse, but Dark Horse are now taking Halo from Marvel.

A NEW ERA OF HALO® COMICS BEGINS AT

DARK HORSE!

One of the most iconic video game franchises in history comes to the number-one publisher of licensed comics!

Dark Horse continues in the tradition of bringing only the biggest and best characters and story lines to comics with the announcement of the Halo: Initiation miniseries, launching in August! This exciting new miniseries will be written by Halo 4 writer and comics veteran Brian Reed, with art by Marco Castiello (Secret Invasion: Front Line,Star Wars: Purge)!

Before she was a supersoldier defending humanity as part of the Spartan-IV program, Sarah Palmer was an ODST—Orbital Drop Shock Trooper—carrying out the most dangerous missions behind enemy lines! See how she became the first Spartan-IV commander in this must-read series for fans of Halo 4 and the Halo franchise!

“A rich science fiction universe driven by compelling characters, Halo has all the makings for show-stopping comics, ” said Dave Marshall, Dark Horse Editor. “In Initiation, Brian and Marco are delivering an action-packed thrill-ride with a beating heart of authentic human drama.”

“It’s really exciting to work with Dark Horse in continuing the Halo story in comics. After Halo 4 and Spartan Ops, fans wanted to know more about the origins of the Spartan-IV program and Sarah Palmer in particular. So it’s great fun to be able to grant those wishes with a partner like Dark Horse,” said writer Brian Reed.

For an exclusive look at an interior page, check out Wired.

Look for Halo: Initiation #1 on sale in comic shops everywhere on August 14!

April 27, 2013
Categories: Comic Art, Comics, Games, New To Comics? . Tags: Dark Horse Comics, Halo . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

The Star Wars At Dark Horse

Dark Horse have been a great publisher for the Star Wars licence over the last 20 years, and their stories have covered both the path and the present of George Lucas’ universe. Now, however they’re going to what could’ve been. No, not the Infinities line of mini-series that saw alternate futures for the original trilogy. This is something quite different, and rather bold. And apparently not an April Fool’s Day joke.

LUCASFILM AND DARK HORSE ANNOUNCE

THE BIGGEST EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF

STAR WARS COMICS!

George Lucas’s original-draft screenplay for The Star Wars to be adapted by J. W. Rinzler and Mike Mayhew!

It’s no April Fools’ prank! Dark Horse is honored to announce a dream project: working with J.W. Rinzler, executive editor at LucasBooks, and artist Mike Mayhew (Avengers) to adapt the rough-draft original screenplay which spawned the biggest franchise in film history!

Three years before his 1977 film, George Lucas put down on paper his first story set in a galaxy far, far away—a tale of fantastic adventures, daring escapes, “lazer swords,” romance, and monsters. A story of Jedi Annikin Starkiller and General Luke Skywalker, an alien named Han Solo, and evil Sith Knights. The screenplay was titled The Star Wars!

“I’m not sure where I first read about The Star Wars—it was years and years ago—but the idea of Luke Skywalker being an older Jedi General, and Han Solo being a six-foot-tall lizard, turned my Star Wars fan brain on its side,” said longtime Star Wars editor Randy Stradley. “I always assumed this would be one of those stories that would be ‘lost to history,’ so getting to work on bringing it to life is kinda like a dream come true.”

“While researching in the Lucasfilm Archives I’ve found many treasures—but one which truly astounded me was George’s rough draft for The Star Wars. His first complete imaginings were hallucinating to read—mind blowing,” said writer J.W. Rinzler. “While working with George on another book project, I once asked if we could adapt his rough draft. He was hesitant. Years later, with Dark Horse’s invaluable help, we showed him a few drawn and colored pages of what it might look like. He gave us the okay.”

Originally conceived in 1974, The Star Wars has been the subject of rumor and legend in the fan community throughout the history of the galaxy far, far away. Now, Lucas has seen fit to grant Dark Horse the right to adapt this fabled story into an eight-issue comic series launching in September!

April 2, 2013
Categories: Comics, New To Comics?, News . Tags: Dark Horse Comics . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

The Massive Vol. One Review

At Broken Frontier you can now read my review of the first collection of the excellent series The Massive from Dark Horse Comics.

Read it right here.

March 26, 2013
Categories: Comics, New To Comics?, Reviews . Tags: Dark Horse Comics . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Blacksad: A Silent Hell Review

Here’s my review of this latest English adaptation of the adventures of feline detective John Blacksad. It’s a noir filled beauty.

July 12, 2012
Categories: Comics, New To Comics?, Reviews . Tags: Dark Horse Comics . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Get The Strain

I’ve mentioned this new horror series based on the novels by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan before, but on page 67 of this month’s Previews catalogue, you’ll see my Broken Frontier quote singing the praises of the series for the first TPB. Cool.

July 1, 2012
Categories: Comics, New To Comics? . Tags: Dark Horse Comics . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

The Strain TPB

This last year, Dark Horse have been putting out some great new horror comics, including The Strain, which is being collected in November. It’s gruesome and thrilling, and recommended, as my Broken Frontier quote says below.

DARK HORSE COMICS COLLECTS

GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S THE STRAIN!

Acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and novelist Chuck Hogan bring their New York Times best-selling series of novels, the Strain Trilogy, to Dark Horse Comics with an ongoing adventure that takes a terrifying spin on the vampire genre.

Renowned comics creator David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Silverfish) and artist Mike Huddleston (The Coffin, Butcher Baker) join forces in this comic book adaptation unlike any other—bringing del Toro and Hogan’s vision to life in a story that casts a deadly plague over the whole of humanity. The StrainVolume 1, collecting issues #1–#6 of this ongoing series, is a horror story unlike any other!

When a Boeing 777 lands at JFK International Airport and goes dark on the runway, the Centers for Disease Control, fearing a terrorist attack, calls in Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and his team of expert biological-threat first responders. Only an elderly pawnbroker from Spanish Harlem suspects a darker purpose behind the event—an ancient threat intent on covering mankind in darkness.

Praise for Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain:

“[The Strain] is one of the scariest comics on the stands, as genuine surprises await the reader at every turn of the page. Usually, such big reveals are left to the final moment, but with The Strain there’s almost a cliffhanger every few pages and that makes this series a truly surprising, and enjoyable, read.”—Broken Frontier

“One of the year’s best books. If I were to give you one bit of advice while reading this book, don’t read it in the dark.”—Comic Buzz

The Strain Volume 1 is on sale November 14 in comic shops everywhere!

June 12, 2012
Categories: Comics, New To Comics? . Tags: Dark Horse Comics . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Conan #3 and Star Wars #5 Reviews

Amongst the bevy of great features during Broken Frontier’s Image Month are two Dark Horse reviews of mine.

That’d be Conan the Barbarian #3 by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan, and the grand finale of Star Wars: Agent of the Empire-Iron Eclipse.

April 11, 2012
Categories: Comics, Reviews . Tags: Dark Horse Comics, Star Wars . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

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