It’s my favorite time of the month again: time to see what exciting stuff Dark Horse is putting out next! Soliciting Multiversity starts once again with Dark Horse. We here at Multiversity know how tough it can be to pick out the winners when every solicit is trying to convince you it’s going to be the best comic ever, so I’m here to help point out the best of the crop so you don’t miss anything on your pre-orders.
For the full Dark Horse solicits, check here.
B.P.R.D. Reaches #100!
“B.P.R.D.” turns 100 issues old on Halloween this year, with “B.P.R.D.: Hell On Earth: The Return of the Master” #3! Eschewing any sort of anniversary gimmick, it promises to be another solid issue placing story and the kick-ass artwork of Tyler Crook before self-congratulatory fanfare and marketing schemes. It will still be 32 pages and has only one cover, but promises a confrontation with the Bureau’s “ultimate foe!”
That’s not all from “B.P.R.D.,” though. The final arc of the secret origins trilogy begins in “B.P.R.D.: 1948″ #1. Mignola does his usual great-first-issue-variant-cover-with-a-big-monster-on-it (a giant praying mantis this time), but I think you’ll really want the regular cover by Dave Johnson. I can’t even describe how awesome it is, it’s just…explosive! See for yourself:
“Dark Horse Does Vampires Right”
..is the slogan, and it looks like they’re going to prove it again. Tim Seeley and Josh Emmons spin a tale of a serial killer so cunning and brutal even an ancient vampire is impressed. I hadn’t heard of this project before now, and I tend to be skeptical of solicits, but this one was just too convincing! See for yourself:
EX SANGUINE #1 (of 5)
Tim Seeley (W/A/Cover), Josh Emmons (W), and Carlos Badilla (C)
On sale Oct 17
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
One’s a natural born killer–a remorseless hunter restlessly prowling the night for victims to quench an unnatural bloodlust. The other’s a vampire. A bored vampire. His centuries of existence have left him world weary and detached, until one day his thirst is reinvigorated when the deadly and intricate work of the Sanguine Killer catches his eyes.
– From Hack/Slash’s Tim Seeley!
– Dark Horse Horror gets under your skin.
– Buffy and Angel meet Natural Born Killers!
– Hard-hitting psychological horror!
“Seeley delivers the goods.”–IGN
And Other Undead, Too
As Matt pointed out last month, “Ghost” is back at Dark Horse. But #0 simply reprints the material from Dark Horse (not that that’s stopping me from picking it up!), so the new miniseries finally gets up to speed in October, with the release of “Ghost” #1!
The Return of Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities
I have to admit I missed the previous Old Timey Oddities miniseries, but I won’t be missing this one: “Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Orm of Loch Ness” #1, out in October. Eric Powell, Kyle Hotz and Tracy Marsh share writing duties, with interior art by Hotz, colors by Daniel Brown, and two kick-ass covers by Hotz and Powell.
Which Omni Do You Want for Christmas?
Also included in the October solicits are several omnibus paperbacks and a couple hardcover collections coming out in December, in time for the holiday season. These include a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 Library Edition Vol. 3” hardcover edition, and several paperback omnibi: “Ghost Omnibus Vol. 3,” “Grendel Omnibus Vol. 2: The Legacy,” and “Star Wars Omnibus: The Clone Wars Vol. 3: The Republic Falls.” Which ones will make your Christmas wish list this year?
So Many Good Archival Hardcovers
The wonderful archive edition hardcovers of classic pre-Code comics titles that Dark Horse puts out each month make me wish I could triple my comics budget. At $50 or $60 a pop, they can be a hard sell for your average comic fan, but in my humble opinion, they are totally worth it. Each month, I add them to my “Maybe some day…” list. This month’s additions include: “Forbidden Worlds Archives Vol. 1,” “Silver Streak Archives Vol. 2,” “Space Family Robinson Vol. 5,” and “Tarzan: The Russ Manning Years Vol. 1.” If I can scrounge up enough for one, though, it’d definitely be “Forbidden Worlds.” It’s contributor list is phenomenal, including one of my personal favorite artists: Frank Frazetta!
Continued belowAnd Of Course, the Usual Good Stuff!
Dark Horse is one of the most consistently solid companies, with all of their great licensed and creator-owned material. Another month means another issue of some of my favorite comics: “Dark Horse Presents,” “Mind MGMT,” Brian Wood’s “Conan the Barbarian” and “The Massive.” There’s always more than we can cram in to one column. Check out the rest of the solicits here.
Up next: DC!
