Heads Up: Dark Horse Comics Previews – December 2011

Being a comic fan can be tough. With so many publishers printing more and more books, canceling titles and starting new ones, it can be daunting when you head to the comic book shop on a Wednesday to know exactly what’s coming out.

The current system of presenting and ordering comics three months ahead of their release as set forth by the sole comics distributor, Diamond Comics, doesn’t make it any easier either. We’re not a fan of that system, we think it’s slowly strangling comics to death, but we realize it’s a harsh reality of how the industry works and we definitely don’t want you to miss out on any of the cool comics being published.

And so, as opposed to regurgitating the list of comics solicited in Previews each month, we present to you some of the highlights of things you probably won’t want to miss out on.

SPOILER WARNING – In order to get people to order comics, the publishers have a funny habit of revealing what’s happening in the books. If you don’t want anything at all to be spoiled, then you’ll probably want to skip this post and take your chances with your pre-orders and/or your shopping.

The Final Bell Tolls!

The first mini-series was a pile of fantastic, and if you’ve missed the end of this one, you’re missing some of the best in comics.

BALTIMORE: THE CURSE BELLS #5 (of 5)

Mike Mignola (W/Cover), Christopher Golden (W), Ben Stenbeck (A), and Dave Stewart (C)

On sale Dec 14
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Miniseries

Baltimore makes a final stand against the evil warlock and his clan of undead nuns in order to save the town, rescue the innocents, and finally come face to face with his mortal enemy!

Noto! Noto, I Say!

I’m pointing this out because of Phil Noto, as guest artist. Is that clear?

ANGEL & FAITH #5

Christos Gage (W), Phil Noto (A), Dan Jackson (C), Steve Morris (Cover), and Rebekah Isaacs (Variant cover)

On sale Dec 28
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Ongoing

It’s a dark and foggy night in London, and Angel and Faith are about to encounter a most unexpected visitor. Superceleb vampire Harmony Kendall returns! When a stalker threatens to expose one of Harm’s misdeeds, she solicits the help of wayward heroes Angel and Faith. With her little pups, her friend Clem, and her Hollywood entourage by her side, Harmony is taking the UK by storm!

How do we get people to buy this title?

That’s right. It’s a Hellboy story written and drawn by Mike Mignola. I sense a sales hike.

DARK HORSE PRESENTS #7

Mike Mignola (W/A), Neal Adams (W/A), Howard Chaykin (W/A), Andi Watson (W/A), Ricardo Delgado (W/A), Beau Smith (W), M. J. Butler (W), Eduardo Barreto (A), Mark Wheatley (A), Dave Stewart (C), Mike Mignola (Cover), and others

On sale Dec 21
FC, 80 pages
$7.99
Ongoing

Mike Mignola’s Hellboy is the centerpiece for the 7th all-star issue of Dark Horse Presents!

In addition, this issue packs the beginnings of two new stories―200 People to Kill and Skultar, a brand-new Age of Reptiles story by Ricardo Delgado, a new Skeleton Key story by Andi Watson, and continuing stories by Howard Chaykin and Neal Adams!

If you don’t know Bryan Talbot

Then you should probably know Bryan Talbot.

DOTTER OF HER FATHER’S EYES HC

Mary M. Talbot (W) and Bryan Talbot (A)

On sale Feb 8
FC, 96 pages
$14.99
HC, 6″ x 8 1/2″

Part personal history, part biography, Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes contrasts two coming- of-age narratives: that of Lucia, the daughter of James Joyce, and that of author Mary Talbot, daughter of the eminent Joycean scholar James S. Atherton. Social expectations and gender politics, thwarted ambitions and personal tragedy are played out against two contrasting historical backgrounds, poignantly evoked by the atmospheric visual storytelling of award-winning graphic-novel pioneer Bryan Talbot. Produced through an intense collaboration seldom seen between writers and artists, Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes is smart, funny, and sad―an essential addition to the evolving genre of graphic memoir.

Sexy Goes Deluxe

But if it was just sexy, we wouldn’t be talking about it. Lots of stuff is sexy, but Empowered is straight up good.

EMPOWERED DELUXE EDITION VOLUME 1 HC

Adam Warren (W/A)

On sale Feb 29
b&w, 712 pages
$59.99
HC, 6 1/2″ x 9″

The steamy cape-and-tights comedy so outrageous that the bonds of regular graphic novels could not hold the laughs within, Empowered has expanded into a tome so massive that even the superpowered can barely lift it! Empowered Deluxe Edition Volume 1 collects between its rock-hard covers all the material from the first three Empowered volumes, plus several metric tons (okay, like forty pages) of top-secret, never-before-seen extras (except by Adam Warren, a few close friends, and some ninja), including the very first Empowered stories, sketches, logo variants, Adam’s story notes, and more, more, more! That’s seven hundred pages, chief, and printed on way nice paper, too! Only you deserve so much!

The Fruits of Public Domain Characters

This one collects the very good looking and little known mini-series from earlier this year.

THE STRANGE CASE OF MR. HYDE TP

Cole Haddon (W), M. S. Corley (A/Cover), and Jim Campbell (C)

On sale Feb 22
FC, 96 pages
$14.99
TP, 7″ x 10″

Sometimes good police work just isn’t enough, as Inspector Thomas Adye
 of Scotland Yard finds out when he’s assigned to the Jack the Ripper 
case. He’ll need the guidance of imprisoned madman and amoral 
libertine Dr. Henry Jekyll, whose mind-splitting serum Jack might be 
using to commit his bloody murders. With London’s two greatest monsters pitted against one another, will Adye
―and his soul―survive intact?

del Toro’s Making Comics.

The beloved director of cultish sci-fi gets directly involved with comics. This one is about dangerous strain of disease that threatens… well, everything.

THE STRAIN #1 (of 11)

David Lapham (W), Guillero del Toro (W), Chuck Hogan (W), Mike Huddleston (A/Cover), Steve Morris (Variant cover), and Dan Jackson (C)

On sale Dec 14
FC, 32 pages
$1.00
Miniseries

When a Boeing 777 lands at JFK International Airport and goes dark on the runway, the Center 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.

These are just the books we picked out. You can see the full list here.