DARK HORSE COMICS: October 2009 Collected Editions Solicits CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST 60TH ANNIVERSARY Various (W/A) Since making his spooktacular cartoon debut in "The Friendly Ghost," Casper has become one of the most enduring and best-loved characters in the world. Now, in celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Casper's comics debut, Dark Horse is proud to announce the publication of a special hardcover facsimile edition of not one, but two full-length, complete Casper comic books in sparklingly restored full color! Beginning with Archer St. John's 1949 first issue of Casper the Friendly Ghost, this sixtieth-anniversary edition continues with Harvey Comics' premier edition of Casper from 1952. You'll thrill as timid Casper -- defying his fellow ghosts' dictum that ghosts must scare people -- makes friends with a host of cute kids and furry animals in two tales that will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone! 80 pages, $9.95, in stores on Nov. 25. * * * THE CHRONICLES OF KULL VOLUME 1: A KING COMES RIDING AND OTHER STORIES Written by Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Len Wein Art by Marie Severin, John Severin, Bernie Wrightson, Ross Andru and Wally Wood. The Chronicles of Kull Volume 1: A King Comes Riding and Other Stories kicks off Dark Horse's newest addition to its popular Robert E. Howard reprint line. Presenting every color Kull comic from the 1970s and '80s chronologically for the first time ever, volume 1 features color Kull stories from Creatures on the Loose! #10, Monsters on the Prowl #16, and Kull the Conqueror #1 to #9. The writing talents of legendary creators Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Len Wein and the stunning visuals of Marie Severin, John Severin, and Bernie Wrightson are on display in such thrilling tales as ³The Skull of Silence,² ³Night of the Red Slayers,² and ³The Forbidden Swamp!² See how Robert E. Howard's Kull stories were interpreted over three decades ago in comics. 1200 pages, $18.95, in stores on Dec. 16. * * * THE CHRONICLES OF SOLOMON KANE Written by Roy Thomas and Ralph Macchio Art by Howard Chaykin, Steve Carr, Bret Blevins, Mike Mignola, John Bogdanove, John Ridgeway and Al Williamson. Continuing in the vein of the successful Chronicles of Conan collection series, Dark Horse is expanding its Robert E. Howard reprint line by presenting all of the original 1970s and 1980s Marvel color comic books featuring Solomon Kane in one awesome volume! This trade paperback features the landmark stories ³The Mark of Kane² and ³Fangs of the Gorilla God,² by Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin, and the entire Sword of Solomon Kane miniseries, by Ralph Macchio and a host of talented artists -- including Mike Mignola, Al Williamson, Bret Blevins, John Ridgeway, and others! From the French countryside to the Black Forest in Germany, from England to Africa -- follow Robert E. Howard's solemn, driven Puritan, Solomon Kane, as he cuts a path of vengeance across the globe! This beautiful 200-page tome includes meticulously recolored Kane adventures from Marvel Premiere #33 and #34, and the entire six-issue Sword of Solomon Kane series from the mid-1980s. 208 pages, $18.95, in stores on Dec. 16. * * * CRIMINAL MACABRE: CELL BLOCK 666 Written by Steve Niles Art by Nick Stakal Cover by Tim Bradstreet. Cal McDonald faces his greatest challenge yet -- hard time! Framed in the death of a cop, Cal finds himself at the mercy of a sadistic and corrupt police force. But now, in some of the bleakest moments of his life, the things that make him different from the rest of the world might be the only things capable of keeping his sorry butt out of deeper trouble. Because it turns out that the things that would make most people want to give up and die -- the strange, inhuman voices coming from adjacent cells, the mysterious visitors, the unlikely saviors in demonic disguise -- are the things that have kept Cal alive long enough to see a way out. And just when Cal begins to unravel the conspiracy behind his own downfall, he uncovers a nightmare world of murder and corruption at the prison that has dozens of former prisoners turning in their graves . . . and clawing their way out! 104 pages, $12.95, in stores on Dec. 16. * * * DRAWING DOWN THE MOON: THE ART OF CHARLES VESS Written and art by Charles Vess. Verdant fairy forests. Whispering mountains. The fallen towers of ancient kings. Spirit-filled lakes. The distant strains of elven bards. For over thirty years, the fantasy art of Charles Vess has been acclaimed worldwide, his rich palette, striking compositions, and lavish detail second to none in the field. Vess has been the illustrator of choice for countless publishers and writers, including Neil Gaiman, Susanna Clark, and George R. R. Martin. Embodying the timeless approach of the golden age of illustration, Vess's work is both breathtakingly singular and yet recalls an era when paint and brush were the vessels that carried readers of all ages to distant lands, bygone ages, and realms of the imagination. 200 pages, $39.95, in stores on Dec. 16. * * * EERIE ARCHIVES VOLUME 3 Written and art by various. Cousin Eerie is back with dozens more blood-chilling tales of terror and the macabre! Dark Horse Comics continues its groundbreaking archival reprint series, and this third installment of Eerie Archives is the spookiest yet! Eerie magazine was a newsstand fan favorite for years, but the original issues have long since been expensive and hard to find. Reprinted in its original size, this collection of classic horror storytelling and astonishing artwork from such luminaries as Jeff Jones, Wallace Wood, Tom Sutton, and Gene Colan is a fine addition to any horror fan's library. Featuring stories written by Archie Goodwin, Russ Jones, Johnny Craig and others! 240 pages, black and white, $49.95, in stores on Dec. 23. * * * ELECTROPOLIS Written and art by Dean Motter. Menlo Park is a reprogrammed janitor robot working as a private eye on the neon streets of Electra City, a town designed to generate and conduct massive amounts of electricity. Sixteen years after the apparent suicide of his human partner atop the world's tallest tower, a blond femme fatale gives Menlo some new information about the cause of death. As Menlo and his assistant, Anesta, reopen the case, their journey takes them from Electra's high society to its dark underbelly. 152 pages, $14.95, in stores on Dec. 2. * * * THE ESCAPISTS Written by Brian K. Vaughan and Michael Chabon Art by Jason Shawn Alexander, Steve Rolston, Philip Bond and Eduardo Barreto. Inspired by Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, this is Vaughan's love letter to his chosen medium, a story about what it takes to start out with nothing in Cleveland, Ohio, and end up with a comic so hot a major corporation wants to steal it from you! Brilliantly interweaving the lives of the creators with the world of their creation, artists Steve Rolston and Philip Bond bring the comic-booking trio Maxwell Roth, Case Weaver, and Denny Jones to life, while the inimitable Jason Shawn Alexander and Eduardo Barreto illustrate the thrilling trials and exciting extrications of the new -- and old -- Escapist! 160 pages, $14.95, in stores on Dec. 2. * * * THE GOON VOLUME 6: CHINATOWN AND THE MYSTERY OF MR. WICKER Eric Powell (W/A) Collected in softcover for the very first time, the critically acclaimed Chinatown marks Powell's first self-contained graphic novel, which chronicles the misadventures of Goon and his wisecracking sidekick, Franky. When a mysterious new figure enters the crime scene and begins taking out the Goon's business operations one by one, the Goon struggles to keep the city's organized crime under his control as his mind is haunted by the memories of his darkest moment . . . when his mind and body were left scarred . . . and his heart was left black. On sale Dec 30 FC, 112 pages $15.95 TPB, 7" x 10" * * * GRENDEL: BEHOLD THE DEVIL Matt Wagner (W/A) For years, the life of the original Grendel, Hunter Rose, has been accessible only through his private journal, but there is a secret too terrible for even its pages, and a section of the journal is missing. Behold the Devil follows Rose through this lost period early in his criminal career, as he is under scrutiny not only by the police and media, but also by the prying eyes of an unseen‹possibly supernatural‹pursuer. Unusually shaken and paranoid, the criminal mastermind is forced to take steps that redefine the evil of the entity known as Grendel! On sale Dec 16 b&w&r, 184 pages $19.95 HC, 7" x 10" * * * LITTLE LULU: MISS FEENY'S FOLLY AND OTHER STORIES Written by John Stanley Art by Stanley and Irving Tripp. One hundred issues in, the endless imagination of John Stanley and Irving Tripp never lets up. Collecting Marge's Little Lulu #100­#105 in their original, full-color glory, Miss Feeny's Folly shows these masters at their most comedically ingenious. 200 pages, $14.95, in stores on Nov. 25. * * * MYSPACE DARK HORSE PRESENTS VOLUME 4 Written by Joss Whedon, Mike Mignola, Farel Dalrymple and Mick Harrison Art by Jo Chen, Doug Wheatley and Kristian Donaldson Cover by Donaldson. The fourth volume of the online comics anthology MySpace Dark Horse Presents continues to bring you a wide range of genres and classic characters in the Dark Horse tradition. For the first time, Star Wars debuts comic content online with Dark Times: Blue Harvest. Our commitment to webcomics continues to shine with contributions from online-strip creators Chris Onstad, David Malki, and Kate Beaton. Eric Powell's backwoods-charm-filled series The Goon is the subject of an "interpretation" from Gossip Whore Ann Romano. Joss Whedon teams with Season Eight cover artist Jo Chen for a special Buffy the Vampire Slayer story. 165 pages, $19.95, in stores on Dec. 23. * * * NEXUS ARCHIVES VOLUME 10 Written by Mike Baron Art by Steve Rude, Greg Guler, Phil Hester and others. History professor Stanislaus Korivitsky has been chosen by the Merk to inherit the role of Nexus, fusionkasting executioner of mass murderers. Far saner than his predecessors, Stacy and Michana Loomis, Stan immediately kills his first target and then sets off for A.J. Cronin -- megalomaniacal CEO of a massively influential (and less than ethical) multiplanetary company, the Scorporation. But when A.J.'s terrifying single-mindedness outlives his own body, Stan, Horatio, and Sundra will face off with an unstoppable hunter/killer in a high-speed subzero chase . . . and if they survive, the antitechnology zealots of the Elvonic Order have a serious bone to pick with the new Nexus. Collects Nexus Vol. 2 #58-#65, originally published by First Comics. 232 pages, $49.95, in stores on Dec. 30. * * * ROBERT E. HOWARD CHRONICLES SLIPCASE SET Written by Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Ralph Macchio and Gerry Conway Art by Bernie Wrightson, Mike Mignola, Howard Chaykin and Barry Windsor-Smith. For the first time, Robert E. Howard's most-celebrated creations are together in one handsome collection! Experience all of Howard's most exciting tales as told by the industry's finest creators -- including Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith, Howard Chaykin, Mike Mignola, the Severins, and more! Featuring the latest in coloring technology, the remastered comics are a perfect introduction to the Robert E. Howard universe and a refreshing refurbishment of these timeless yarns for the collector who already owns the classic comics from the '70s and '80s! The Chronicles of Conan Volume 1 reprints issues #1 through #8 of the original Marvel comic-book series and includes the classic "Tower of the Elephant" tale and the work of the incomparable Barry Windsor-Smith! The Chronicles of Solomon Kane collects every color appearance of Solomon Kane from his years at Marvel: Marvel Premiere issues #33 and #34 and the six-issue miniseries The Sword of Solomon Kane. The Chronicles of Kull Volume 1 features the work of Bernie Wrightson and includes Monsters on the Prowl #16, Creatures on the Loose! #10, and the first nine issues of Kull the Conqueror! 584 pages, $54.85, in stores on Dec. 16. * * * STAR WARS: LEGACY VOLUME 7--STORMS Written by John Ostrander Penciled by Omar Francia and Jan Duursema Cover by Franica. A shake-up in the Sith leadership has made the galaxy a worse place, not a better one. On the planet of Dac, the Mon Calamari are still feeling the wrath of Darth Krayt -- their punishment for betraying the Sith Empire. Meanwhile, a victory has turned sour -- and possibly deadly -- for Cade Skywalker and his companions. And the Galactic Alliance comes closer to forming an alliance with deposed Emperor Roan Fel's forces against their mutual enemy. Now, if they can just agree on who that enemy is . . . 128 pages, $17.95, in stores on Dec. 9. * * * TARZAN ARCHIVES: THE JESSE MARSH YEARS VOLUME 4 Written by Gaylord DuBois Art by Jesse March. In the late 1940s, Dell Publishing assembled a new comics team that would leave an indelible impression on millions of young readers. For the next nineteen years, Jesse Marsh -- an "artist's artist" -- and Gaylord DuBois created an absorbing jungle world for Edgar Rice Burroughs's most famous character. The realism and consistent quality in their collaboration remain influential to countless comics artists today. 232 pages, $49.95, in stores on Dec. 9.