Image and Top Cow Solicitations: October Highlights

The highlight of October's Image and Top Cow solicitations is, for me, the return of the publishers innovative Pilot Season initiative - a series of original one-shots with the fans getting the opportunity to vote which title becomes a mini series: past winners of Pilot Season include Velocity and Twilight Guardian.

October also sees a couple of landmark issues for longrunning series The Darkness and Witchblade: for the fifteenth anniversary edition of The Darkness long time writer Phil Hester is joined by artist Romano Molenaar for the conclusion of his three year run while Witchblade welcomes a new creative team of Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash) and Diego Bernard (The Man With No Name).

Full details of Octobers solicitations can be found at Image Comics, Top Cow and Comic Book Resources.

PILOT SEASON: TEST #1
story JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV
art RAHSAN EKEDAL
cover BAGUS HUTOMO of IFS
October 5
32 pages, FC, T+, $3.99
PILOT SEASON RETURNS! TAKE CONTROL!
The Harvey nominated creative team of ECHOES, JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV (I…Vampire) and RAHSAN EKEDA (Solomon Kane) reunite to kick off 2011’s PILOT SEASON competition with TEST.
A group of ten strangers wake up in a mysterious town with no memory of who they are and how they got there. They are the lone survivors of an apocalyptic event, chosen to repopulate the Earth. But what is the true nature of their fate?
TEST offers a fresh take on survivalist horror and psychological thriller in the way only FIALKOV and EKEDALcan!

PILOT SEASON: CITY OF REFUGE #1
story MORGAN DAVIS FOEHL
art & cover DENNIS CALERO
October 12
32 pages, FC, T+, $3.99
PILOT SEASON RETURNS! TAKE CONTROL!
Over a decade after Terminal, the residents of San Francisco live a peaceful and prosperous existence thanks to the Program. Every resident of the city is hand-selected and implanted with the chip Secura, which removes the human capacity for violence to maintain the greater good. Only the city's security forces are allowed a brief reprieve from Secura through use of the drug Freestone in order to do their jobs. Now, rumors of Freestone getting out into the open market threaten to upset the delicate balance keeping humanity from extinction.
Screenwriter MORGAN DAVIS FOEHL and artist DENNIS CALERO (X-Men: Noir) deliver a twist on the classic dystopian future in CITY OF REFUGE!

PILOT SEASON: THE BEAUTY #1
story JEREMY HAUN & JASON HURLEY
art & cover JEREMY HAUN
October 19
32 pages, FC, T+, $3.99
PILOT SEASON RETURNS! TAKE CONTROL!
Modern society is obsessed with outward beauty. What if there was a way to guarantee you could be come more and more beautiful every day? What if it was contagious? In the world of The Beauty, physical perfection is attainable and while the mass majority of the population has taken advantage of it, Detectives Foster and Vaughn will soon discover it comes with a terrible price.
Writer/artist JEREMY HAUN (Detective Comics, ARTIFACTS) and co-writer JASON HURLEY offer up a startling reflection on the cost of looking good in this procedural science fiction tale.

PILOT SEASON: FLESHDIGGER #1
story SHANNON ERIC DENTON & BRAD KEENE
art ALEX SANCHEZ
cover FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
October 26
32 pages, FC, T+, $3.99
PILOT SEASON RETURNS! TAKE CONTROL!
A random act of kindness can be damning. When a man witnessed the ruthless beating of an innocent woman, he rushed to help her and was brutally murdered for his trouble. Now driven by revenge, sorrow, and guilt, the woman enacts arcane forces to resurrect him. From out of the earth he'll rise, a twisted, worm-riddled monstrosity forced to carry out vengeance to maintain whatever life he has left, all while confronting the unimaginable truth of his new, hideous existence. Is he forever damned to be a rotting monster driven by an insatiable bloodlust...or is it possible to shed the curse and return to normal? The torment belongs to the living nightmare they'll call Fleshdigger. God help anyone who gets in his way!
From Harvey Award nominee SHANNON ERIC DENTON (GRAVESLINGER, Common Foe) and screenwriter BRAD KEENE (The Grudge 3) and artist ALEX SANCHEZ (Fathom: Blue Descent) comes a tale of supernatural horror!


THE DARKNESS #96
story PHIL HESTER
art ROMANO MOLENAAR
cover A JEREMY HAUN
cover B SHELDON MITCHELL
October 19
32 pages, FC, M, $2.99
CELEBRATE THE FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY!
Since The Darkness first debuted fifteen years ago, the Darkness itself and its headstrong bearer, Jackie Estacado, have often been at odds. Estacado is no saint, but the Darkness has crossed a line and to protect his family, Jackie will take the fight into the heart of theDarkness itself. Leading up to the landmark issue #100, long time writer PHIL HESTER (Wonder Woman, Green Hornet) is joined by artist ROMANO MOLENAAR (The Darkness II: Confession) for the stunning conclusion of his three year run!
Featuring a variant cover by SHELDON MITCHELL!

WITCHBLADE #151
story TIM SEELEY
art DIEGO BERNARD
cover A JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
cover B DENNIS CALERO
October 26
32 pages, FC, T+, $2.99
DAWN OF A NEW ERA! The new creative team of TIM SEELEY (HACK/SLASH) and DIEGO BERNARD (The Man With No Name) bring excitement and big changes to Sara Pezzini’s world with this debut jump-on issue! Forever altered by the events of ARTIFACTS, Sara finds herself in a completely foreign situation and surroundings. The mystery of how and why will compel readers for the coming year and beyond!
Featuring two covers by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER (ARTIFACTS) and DENNIS CALERO (X-Men: Noir)!
PLUS: WITCHBLADE #151 – Foil Stamped and Signed Collector’s Edition - $14.99

BLOOD RED DRAGON #0
story JON GOFF
art CARLO SORIANO & CRIMELAB SYNDICATE
cover CARLO SORIANO
October 5
24 pages / FC / T, $3.99
Limited print run of 5000 copies
Legendary comic creators STAN LEE and TODD McFARLANE join international superstar YOSHIKI to bring the world an ALL-NEW HERO!
Born of light. Powered by darkness.
Dark prophecies speak of a power beyond comprehension: a noble force that rests, buried in the creative heart of the human spirit. It is said this power is all that stands between existence and the unmaking of all things. One man must unlock his destiny and be re-made – a warrior to defeat the coming of Oblivion.
A hero will rise: The Blood Red Dragon reborn.
BLOOD RED DRAGON combines elements of sci-fi, anime and American superhero comics in a modern gothic adventure story that plays at salvation, while hinting at the end of the world. AND IT ALL STARTS HERE!

THE STRANGE TALENT OF LUTHER STRODE #1 (of 6)
story JUSTIN JORDAN
art & cover TRADD MOORE
October 5
32 pages, FC, M, $2.99
Luther Strode is just your average nerd until he sends away for a bodybuilding course from an old comic book, one that works a whole lot better than he ever imagined. His newfound strength and strange talents make school a lot easier, but they’ve also caused some very, very bad people to take a very, very keen interest in him. Things will never be the same for Luther Strode…if he survives.

FEEL BETTER NOW
A PLUS! Novella
story, art JONATHAN HICKMAN
cover JONATHAN HICKMAN
October 26
40 pages, FC, T+, $3.99
If you're a highly qualified psychologist in Los Angeles, the fake problem capital of the world, sometimes you get bored. And, sometimes, this means you screw with your patients.
For the first time in three years, JONATHAN HICKMAN is writing and drawing a creator-owned comic. Known for the boundary-pushing stories like THE NIGHTLY NEWS and PAX ROMANA, this one-and-done book is the first of three PLUS! stories, will not be collected for over a year, and is intended to have a shelf life of several months.

THE LAST OF THE GREATS #1
story JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV
art & cover A BRENT PEEPLES
cover B PHIL HESTER
October 5
32 pages, NO ADS, FC, T+, $3.99
“THE DEAL,” Part One
There were seven, possessing the power of gods, and representing all that could be right with the world. But now... he is the Last. As humanity stands on the brink of annihilation, he is our only hope. And he hates us for what we've done. From the Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated writer of ECHOES, Tumor and Elk’s Run comes a dynamic new take on how far mankind will stoop to survive.

CARBON GREY ORIGINS #1 (of 2)
story PAUL GARDNER, HOANG NGUYEN & KHARI EVANS
art POP MHAN, KHARI EVANS, HOANG NGUYEN & KINSUN LOH
cover KHARI EVANS & KINSUN LOH
alternate cover HOANG NGUYEN
October 26
32 pages, FC, M , $3.99
“ORIGIN,” Part one of two
Creator HOANG NGUYEN presents an anthology of short stories set in the universe of the Carbon Grey. A boy becomes a god, two fictional characters come to life, a refugee becomes a queen and two sisters become killers. Legends, secret histories, and continuity errors – all will be revealed in CARBON GREY ORIGINS.

XENOHOLICS #1
story JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
art SETH DAMOOSE
cover DAN DUNCAN
October 19
32 pages, FC/ M, $3.50
Are you addicted to aliens? Late night Encounters? Abductions? Probes? The XenoHolics are here to help!
Because everyone thinks they’re a bunch of nutcases, a support group that claims aliens abducted them try to prove that aliens are real. But that’s much easier said than done and they find themselves caught up in not just ONE government conspiracy, but TWO. Oh, yeah and along the way they learn who is lying about being abducted… and who is telling the truth.
Presenting a twisted new series about aliens and the crazy people who believe in them, by creators JOSHUA WILLIAMSON (Superman/Batman, DEAR DRACULA), and SETH DAMOOSE (I HATE GALLANT GIRL) with covers by DAN DUNCAN (TMNT)

CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011
story MATT WAGNER, J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI, KAZIM ALI, DARA NARAGHI, J.H. WILLIAMS III, MARK WAID, CARLA SPEED MCNEIL, AJ LIEBERMAN, MICHAEL BRAMLEY, STEVE NILES, BRANDON MONTCLARE, JUDD WINICK, RICHARD STARKINGS
art MATT WAGNER, KEVIN SACCO, CRAIG THOMPSON, CHRIS MITTEN, J.H. WILLIAMS III, JEFF LEMIRE, CARLA SPEED MCNEIL, RILEY ROSSMO, FRANK QUITELY, SHANE DAVIS, FRED HEMBECK, MICHAEL MONTENAT & JACK PURCELL, JOËLLE JONES, GREG LAND, GREG HORN, THIAGO MICALOPULOS & RODNEY RAMOS, DUSTIN NGUYEN, DAVE COOPER, IVAN REIS, SHAKY KANE
cover A JOHN CASSADAY
cover B MATT WAGNER
October 12
48 pages, FC, M, $4.99
A COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND BENEFIT BOOK!
Stand Up For Your Rights! Censorship is the ultimate form of bullying. Censors want to take away the power people have to think, speak, or create freely. In CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011, Legendary Editor BOB SCHRECK gathers an all-star line-up of comics creators to stand up to those censoring bullies with 48 powerful pages of ALL NEW story and art about standing up for your rights! All proceeds from this book benefit the important First Amendment work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, who've been fighting censorship in comics for 25 years!
This year's Liberty Annual includes incredible contributions, including all-new original stories by superstars J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI, FRANK QUITELY, J.H. WILLIAMS III, STEVE NILES, JUDD WINICK, MARK WAID, and CARLA SPEED MCNEIL. Plus, new tales featuring GRENDEL by MATT WAGNER, COWBOY NINJA VIKING by AJ LIEBERMAN & RILEY ROSSMO, and ELEPHANTMEN by RICHARD STARKINGS & SHAKY KANE. Plus a massive, and first ever color story from indy comics master CRAIG THOMPSON! Even Marvel and DC have stepped up to show their support all-new pin-ups including BATMAN by DUSTIN NGUYEN, X-MEN by GREG LAND, GREEN LANTERN by IVAN REIS, and THE AVENGERS by GREG HORN!
All proceeds from CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011 will benefit the important First Amendment legal work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians and readers.

DOC BIZARRE, M.D.HC
story JOE CASEY
art, color ANDY SURIANO
October 19
72 pages/ FC, T+
STANDARD SIZE, $12.99
From monsters crippled with pneumonia or demons suffering from incontinence, only one manclaims to possess the skills and the training to cure what ails them … DOC BIZARRE, M.D.! He’ll make globe hopping house calls for sick creepers, medically challenged myths and ghouls at death’s door!It’s over-the-top, comedic horror from JOE CASEY and ANDY SURIANO!
DON’T MISS THIS ORIGINAL GRAPHIC NOVEL – JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN!

LAST MORTAL HC
story JOHN MAHONEY & FILIP SABLIK
art & cover THOMAS NACHLIK
October 26
160 pages, B&W, M, DIGEST SIZE, $19.99
REVENGE NEVER DIES!
Alec King is a small time thief & con man who has always run away from responsibility. When he and his partner get in over their heads after being blackmailed into becoming hitmen and his partner is killed in the process, Alec tries to escape one last time. Alec attempts to take his own life, only to discover he cannot die. What would you do if you had nowhere left to run?
Collecting the hard-hitting noir tale of revenge from Minotaur Press, this hardcover not only offers the complete series, but a wealth of behind-the-scenes bonus material including a complete cover gallery,character designs, and a look at the development of Last Mortal.
Collects LAST MORTAL #1-4.

THE WALKING DEAD SURVIVOR’S GUIDE TP
story TIM DANIEL & ROBERT KIRKMAN
art & cover CHARLIE ADLARD & CLIFF RATHBURN
October 19
112 pages, FC, M, $14.99
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the cast of The Walking Dead. TheSurvivor’s Guide is a handy checklist of all the characters who have appeared in the series thus far, alive or dead. This series isa can’t-miss supplement to the hit comic book series that is now a hit TV series on AMC!

WHO IS JAKE ELLIS?, VOL. 1 TP
story NATHAN EDMONDSON
art & cover TONCI ZONJIC
October 12
136 pages, FC, T+, $16.99
The multiple-sellout miniseries Newsarama calls "a modern noir package that is not to be missed" and MTV "couldn't put down." Jon Moore is a mercenary spy on the run, protected only by Jake Ellis, a man invisible to everyone except Jon.
Collects WHO IS JAKE ELLIS? 1-5

MORNING GLORIES #14
story NICK SPENCER
art JOE EISMA
cover RODIN ESQUEJO
October 12
32 pages, FC, M, $2.99
RUN!!!
Nominated for four Eisner Awards!

SKULLKICKERS #12
story JIM DEMONAKOS, KYLE STEVENS, HOWARD TAYLER, ZACH WEINER &JIM ZUB
art JOEL CARROLL, MIKE LUCKAS, BEN MCSWEENEY & JOE NG
cover SAEJIN OH
October 26
32 pages, FC, T, $2.99
"FOUR MORE TAVERN TALES"
The Skullkickers tip back a few more pints and you're all invited along to the pub to toast their glory!
This issue is another righteous Skullkicking short story cavalcade by killer comic talent JOEL CARROLL (Flight),MIKE LUCKAS, BEN MCSWEENEY (Joe is Japanese), JOE NG (Street Fighter IV), HOWARD TAYLER (Schlock Mercenary), ZACH WEINER (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal), JIM DEMONAKOS & KYLE STEVENS (Kirby Krackle) and JIM ZUB (that SKULLKICKERS comic thing).

THE WALKING DEAD #90
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art, cover CHARLIE ADLARD & CLIFF RATHBURN
October 12
32 pages, BW, M, $2.99
Glenn will soon regret his decision.

Image and Top Cow Solicitations: August 2011 Highlights

August sees Image and Top Cow launching a number of what look like being interesting and enjoyable new series and one-shots.

Robert Kirkman and Rob Liefeld deliver The Infinite - a story featuring world domination and time travel. As well as a 'regular' edition there will be a 'deluxe' edition of the first issue that will include sketches and illustrations, notes and pages from the script.

Severed from Scott Snyder, Scott Tuft and Attila Futaki looks like an interesting new horror story while I also like the sound of The Vault from the pen of Sam Sarkar which promises treasure hunters, the latest tech and 'nature's fury'.

Notable one-shots include Deadlands: Death was Silent from Ron Marz and Bart Sears and '68: Hardship from Mark Kidwell, Jeff Zornow and Jay Fotos while August also sees the final issues (for now at least) of The Last Mortal, Moriarty and Netherworld.

Here are my highlights in full from the months new releases:

THE INFINITE #1 DELUXE EDITION
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art / cover ROB LIEFELD
AUGUST 3, 48 PAGES, FC, T, $5.99
Freedom fighter Bowen has lost everything in the war against The Infinite. His only hope is to travel back in time to prevent their world domination before it starts! Bowen can’t do this alone, he must turn to the only ally he knows he can trust: HIMSELF. Now a man in his 40s, damaged by the horrors of war, must team up with his younger, reckless and optimistic 20-year-old self in order to SAVE THE WORLD!
This Deluxe Edition of THE INFINITE #1 is the complete first issue plus mountains of behind-the-scenes sketches and illustrations by ROB LIEFELD and piles of notes and script pages by ROBERT KIRKMAN. Much like your favorite extras-filled DVDs, this version will give you a glimpse behind the curtain to see all the usually unseen work that goes into the creation of a comic book.

THE VAULT #1 (of 3)
story SAM SARKAR
art GARRIE GASTONNY
color SAKTI YUWONO
cover BAGUS HUTOMO
JULY 27, 32 PAGES, FC, T, $3.50
A small team of treasure hunters struggles to excavate a dangerous and legendary treasure pit before a massive storm hits Sable Island, the “Graveyard of the North Atlantic”. Equipped with all the latest technology, the scientists believe they are prepared against all of nature's fury, but nothing can prepare them for what they are about to unleash from The Vault.
From the team that brought you CALIBER and the artist of SUPERGOD.

THE LAST MORTAL #4 (of 4)
story JOHN MAHONEY & FILIP SABLIK
art / cover THOMAS NACHLIK
AUGUST 24, 32 PAGES, BW, M, $3.99
“REGICIDE,” Part Four
The finale of the hard-hitting supernatural noir series from Minotaur Press is here. Alec King, the suicidal immortal, has been beat down, stabbed, and shot so many times he’s beginning to lose count. But finally, the man responsible for his best friend’s death is in his sights. The question remains-- will Alec be able to make the hard decision for the first time in his miserable life?


SEVERED #1
story SCOTT SNYDER & SCOTT TUFT
art / cover ATTILA FUTAKI
AUGUST 3, 32 PAGES, FC, M, $2.99
“NOTHING WASTED,” Part One
1916. A man haunts the roads; a man with sharp teeth and a hunger for flesh. When 12-year-old Jack Garron runs away from home, he’ll see how quickly the American Dream becomes a nightmare. Be there at the beginning of the series that everyone will be talking about!
From Eisner-nominated writer SCOTT SNYDER (American Vampire, Detective Comics), SCOTT TUFT and ATTILA FUTAKI (NYT Best-Selling-Artist: Percy Jackson) comes the most terrifying horror series of 2011--SEVERED.

EPOCH #1 (of 5)
story KEVIN McCARTHY
art PAOLO PANTALENA & JORGE FARES
cover PAOLO PANTALENA & PAOLO BARBIERI
AUGUST 3, 32 PAGES, FC, M, $3.99
THE GREATEST TOURNAMENT THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN BEGINS ANEW!
Top Cow Productions and Heroes and Villains Entertainment proudly present a dark and intensely kinetic tale from writer KEVIN McCARTHY (Red Sonja, The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist) and newcomer PAOLO PANTALENA (What If?: House of M, War of Kings: Darkhawk). Jonah Bishop is an NYPD detective assigned to a mysterious murder case that threatens to rip the reality he knows and plunge him into the shadow world of his heritage--the Supernatural. Jonah’s quest will drop him deep in the middle of a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society.

'68: HARDSHIP (ONE-SHOT)
story MARK KIDWELL
art JEFF ZORNOW & JAY FOTOS
cover A JEFF ZORNOW & JAY FOTOS
cover B NAT JONES & JAY FOTOS
AUGUST 24, 32 PAGES, FC, T+, $3.99
In February of 1968, Teddy Calhoun came home from Vietnam and brought a piece of the war back with him. Through a prism of battle fatigue and schizophrenia, his vision of Nebraska has changed into a threatening landscape of violence and enemy occupation. Now, Teddy will do whatever he must to protect his family from the murderous approach of “Charlie” and an army of the risen, hungry dead.
’68 Hardship is a journey into a psychological realm of hallucination, violence and undead horror. Written by MARK KIDWELL, with monstrous artwork by JEFF ZORNOW and JAY FOTOS, this one-shot is a direct tie-in with the regular ongoing ’68 series, extending the world of Vietnam/Zombie horror to America’s heartland and your own backyard.

DEADLANDS: DEATH WAS SILENT (ONE-SHOT)
story RON MARZ
art & cover BART SEARS
AUGUST 17, 32 PAGES, FC, T, $2.99
Visionary Comics and Pinnacle Entertainment present the third one-shot of the weird Western world of DEADLANDS! A silent bounty hunter rides into a remote town, but the town holds dark secrets that may turn the hunter into the hunted. Superstars RON MARZ and BART SEARS team for a weird Western tale unlike any other!

MORNING GLORIES YEARBOOK 2011
story NICK SPENCER
art RODIN ESQUEJO & JOE EISMA
cover RODIN ESQUEJO
AUGUST 31, 32 PAGES, FC, M, $2.99
A look back at our first year at the academy, with a sequential recap by MORNING GLORIES cover artist RODIN ESQUEJO! And loaded up with extras like character bios, sketches, designs, script excerpts, and more!

VESCELL #1
story ENRIQUE CARRION
art / cover JOHN UPCHURCH
AUGUST 31, 32 PAGES, FC, M, $2.99
The International Company known as Vescell specializes in what is commonly known as “Vtrans”, the transferring of a person’s mind and spirit from one body into another. Former Icarus City Detective, Mauricio “Moo” Barrino is now Vescell’s best agent, handling the most high profile and dangerous cases. In the seedy world of a high end corporate espionage, where mysticism and guns clash, and money is tainted with sin, Agent Mauricio Barrino fights against the demons of fate while trying to reach the heaven of his destiny. Be prepared for the bar-raising, sci-fi noir epic that is VESCELL.

THE DARKNESS: ACCURSED, VOL. 5 TP
story PHIL HESTER & JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV
art SHELDON MITCHELL, ROMANO MOLENAAR & MATT TIMSON
cover MICHAEL BROUSSARD & STEVE FIRCHOW
AUGUST 31, 144 PAGES, FC, T, STANDARD SIZE, $16.99
Jackie Estacado, the current bearer of The Darkness, was blackmailed and lied to by a devil calling himself The Sovereign. Now free from The Sovereign's grip, Jackie has assembled a motley crew of criminals with one goal - destroy every last one of The Sovereign's reliquaries! His quest will pit him against a former Russian mob boss turned art collector, a mute mystic, countless of The Sovereign's statues, and even traitors within his midst! Concluding the second year of writer PHIL HESTER’S (Firebreather, Wonder Woman) epic run and featuring art by SHELDON MITCHELL (Pilot Season: Stealth) and ROMANO MOLENAAR (The Darkness II: Confession), and a special stand-alone "Tale of The Darkness" issue set in the Wild West by JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV (Tumor, Echoes) and MATT TIMSON (Impaler, Popgun).
Collects THE DARKNESS #85-89.

HACK/SLASH, VOL. 9: TORTURE PRONE TP
story TIM SEELEY
art DANIEL LEISTER & JETHRO MORALES
cover TIM SEELEY
AUGUST 10, 160 PAGES, FC, T+, $16.99
The hit new ongoing series from Image is collected! In a dark future ruled by the Murder Messiah, street witch Liberty Lochs is on a mission to change the past. Meanwhile, horror heroes Cassie Hack & Vlad must contend with an obsessive serial killer, and a duo of slashers they thought they'd already put down. This epic collection sets the staus quo for Cass & Vlad's new adventures.
Collects HACK/SLASH ANNUAL #2 and HACK/SLASH #1-4

MORNING GLORIES, VOL. 2 TP
story NICK SPENCER
art JOE EISMA
cover RODIN ESQUEJO
AUGUST 10, 168 PAGES, FC, M, $12.99
Collecting the second story arc of the smash series in one volume. Learn (some) of the secrets in the Glories’ lives as we delve into their pasts and see how it affects their present. Each chapter focuses on a different Glory while maintaining the narrative and moving the mystery forward.

ARTIFACTS #12 (of 13)
story RON MARZ
art JEREMY HAUN & SUNNY GHO
cover A GREG HORN
cover B JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
AUGUST 31, 32 PAGES, $3.99
THE PENULTIMATE ISSUE!
This is it! We arrived at the climax of the most universe-shattering event series in Top Cow history! We can’t tell you anything more! The final showdown you’ve been waiting for is here!
PLUS: Each issue will also feature an Artifacts: Origin story written by RON MARZ and drawn by a guest superstar artist.

AVENGELYNE #2
story ROB LIEFELD & MARK POULTON
art OWEN GIENI
cover A ROB LIEFELD
cover B OWEN GIENI
AUGUST 17, 32 PAGES, FC, T+, $2.99
“DEVIL IN THE FLESH,” Part Two
In his search for a new apprentice, the Red Dragon has taken control of Avengelyne’s body forcing her essence into Heaven Starr. Meanwhile, Torment targets the New Church of the People. Plus, the return of Passover!

THE DARKNESS #95
story PHIL HESTER
art SHELDON MITCHELL
cover BANE
AUGUST 31, 32 PAGES, FC, M, $2.99
“OUTER DARKNESS,” Part Six
The Darkness declares all out war against its most rebellious bearer, Jackie Estacado! With a small group of loyal allies, Jackie must face down an army of doppelgangers, a scorned woman from his past, and the very source of his own power.

ELEPHANTMEN #35
story RICHARD STARKINGS
art / cover BOO COOK
AUGUST 17, 40 PAGES, FC, M, $3.99
“THE DRUM AT THE GATE OF THUNDER”
The sequel to WAR TOYS concludes as Yvette tracks down Hip, Ebony and Horn to exact her revenge.

MORIARTY #4
story DANIEL COREY
art / cover ANTHONY DIECIDUE
AUGUST 3, 32 PAGES, FC, T, $2.99
“THE DARK CHAMBER,” Part Four
"The Dark Chamber" comes to a climax in this installment, which sees Professor Moriarty finally confronting Tartarus in an epic battle that will change his destiny and decide the fate of London and the world.

NETHERWORLD #5 (of 5)
story BRYAN EDWARD HILL & ROB LEVIN
art / cover TONY SHASTEEN & DAVE McCAIG
AUGUST 17, 32 PAGES, FC, M, $3.99
We ARE all lost!
It comes down to this. Either Ray gets Madeline on the train out of the city, or we will all be lost... forever. But first, he has to get through Cyrus Kane.

SAMURAI’S BLOOD #3 (of 6)
story OWEN WISEMAN
art NAM KIM, MATTHEW DALTON & JESSICA KHOLINNE
cover JO CHEN
AUGUST 17, 32 PAGES, FC, T, $2.99
There are four ascending levels of suffering in the world and Mayuko is about to learn them all. With Katashi floating unconscious down the river, Mayuko is left to fend for herself against the vile Mistresses Kimori and Yamayuna, as they attempt to break her spirit and make her one of their oiron girls. But just as quickly--as the faintest glimmer of freedom appears—so, too, does it fade away. Innocence must pay the terrible price.

SKULLKICKERS #10
story JIM ZUB
art EDWIN HUANG & MISTY COATS
cover SAEJIN OH
AUGUST 31, 32 PAGES, FC, T, $2.99
"FIVE FUNERALS AND A BUCKET OF BLOOD," Part Four
This issue has it all: A cover, printed pages, comic panels in sequential order and staples! You heard that right-- staples! Okay, now that we’re past that stuff--does anyone read this info? Do you? Let us know at www.skullkickers.com. PS: We now have more issues than BATTLE CHASERS.


For details of the full Image and Top Cow solicitations for August 2011 visit Image Comics, Top Cow and Newsarama.