Freak Comics

In the aftermath of Messiah CompleX, Wolverine is set on a quest for vengeance—and he’s got some new friends to help him make it happen! In Wolverine #62, an X-Men: Divided We Stand tie-in, red-hot (and newly-Marvel Exclusive) author Jason Aaron (Scalped) and fan-favorite artist Ron Garney (Amazing Spider-Man) set Logan on a bezerker barrage for someone who’s role in Messiah CompleX is so huge, so pivotal that they may just get snikt’d! Now that Wolverine has seen the cost of this war over the new mutant child, he’s not about to let the responsible parties get away!

“Jason and Ron deliver a high-octane chase movie that’ll have you gasping…and that sheds new light on Logan’s long and complicated relationship with another core X-Men character,” says X-Men Group Editor Axel Alonso.

Spinning out of the red-hot, sold-out Messiah CompleX, Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on Wolverine #62 and all Divided We Stand branded series. Wolverine’s done revenge before, but now that it’s so personal, is he willing to go over the edge to get what he wants?

Wolverine #62 (DEC072225)
Written by Jason Aaron
Pencils & Cover by Ron Garney
Parental Advisory…$2.99
FOC—1/24/08, On-Sale—2/13/08

In the wake of the pulse-pounding Messiah CompleX, X-Factor is left in shambles. An X-Men: Divided We Stand tie-in, X-Factor #28 brings the team to what may be their point of no return, as the acclaimed creative team of writer Peter David (She-Hulk) and artist Pablo Raimondi take the mutants to the their limits! With Layla seemingly lost, Wolfsbane leaving to join X-Force (unbeknownst to her teammates) and someone else pregnant, the team embraces a brand-new direction!

Guilt-ridden Madrox has one thing on his mind—vengeance—and he’s got the Purifiers in his crosshairs. But after his harrowing trip to the future, is he headed on a suicide mission? Meanwhile, Rictor and Strong Guy must move forward, but not without a few fists thrown first!

Is Layla Miller really gone for good? Someone on the team knows something and isn’t sharing. Find out who knows what, which team member is departing and which team member has a surprise baby on the way in X-Factor #28!

X-Factor #28 (DEC072224)
Written by Peter David
Penciled by Pablo Raimondi
Cover by Glenn Fabry
Rated T+…$2.99
FOC—1/24/08, On-Sale 2/13/08

A sword of immense power is claimed by one destined for greater things…like spreading darkness and evil throughout the world! Based on the best-selling novels by Sherrilyn Kenyon (written originally under her penname of Kinley MacGregor) comes Lords Of Avalon: Sword Of Darkness #1 (of 6), a thrilling new limited series adapted by Robin Gillespie, with art by Tommy Ohtsuka and variant covers by fan-favorite Tom Grummett!

Featuring an exciting new twist on Arthurian legend, the evil Lord Kerrigan now rules over lands once defended by the Knights of The Round, a heroic force now fractured. When a young woman named Seren becomes a pawn between the forces of light and darkness, she’ll have to confront Kerrigan’s true nature…but is he more than he seems? Meanwhile, the forces of Merlin make their move to rid the world of the evil within it, but with the Round Table seemingly in its last throes, is there any hope left?

Adored by fans all over the world, Lords Of Avalon is a modern fantasy classic—and now’s your chance to find out why in this stunning adaptation! #1 New York Times best-selling author Sherrilyn Kenyon’s work comes to life like never before in the action-packed thrill-ride called Lords Of Avalon: Sword of Darkness #1!

Lords of Avalon: Sword of Darkness #1 (of 6) (DEC072159)
Lords of Avalon: Sword of Darkness #1 (of 6) Grummett Variant (DEC072160)
Lords of Avalon: Sword of Darkness #1 (Of 6) Grummett Sketch Variant (DEC072161)

Written by Kinley Macgregor
Adapted by Robin Gillespie
Pencils & Cover by Tommy Ohtsuka
Variant Cover by Tom Grummett
Sketch Variant Cover by Tom Grummett
Parental Advisory…$2.99
FOC—1/17/08, On-Sale—2/6/08

This April Archibald the Aardvark reveals Hell hath no fury like an Aardvark scorned within the pages of ARCHIBALD SAVES EASTER, the much anticipated, mature readers follow up to last winter’s ARCHIBALD SAVES CHRISTMAS.

“Writer Dwight MacPhearson and I had too good of a time working together on ARCHIBALD SAVES CHRISTMAS to not do a follow up,” said artist and creator Grant Bond. “It’s a unique opportunity to explore both my humorous and sadistic sides.”

ARCHIBALD SAVES EASTER continues the story behind Archibald Aardvark, one of cartoons biggest stars of yesteryear who may or may not be a vicious serial killer. However, when his closest friends personal demons turn out to be literal, they find his Hyde-like alter ego may be the key to saving them all.

Shadowline President Jim Valentino said, “Shadowline strives to showcase the newest and most interesting talent emerging into the industry. Both Dwight and Grant are certainly high up on our list of favorite finds.”

ARCHIBALD SAVES EASTER, a 32-page two-color comic for $3.50, will be on stands April 2nd, 2008.

Image Comics is a comics and graphic novels publisher formed in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Since that time, Image has gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. There are currently four partners in Image Comics (Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino), and Image is currently divided into four major houses (Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central). Image comics and graphic novels cover nearly every genre, sub-genre and style imaginable, offering science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. Visit www.imagecomics.com.

In the wake of Messiah CompleX’s jaw-dropping conclusion, the X-Men are no more—but where do Xavier’s former students go from here? In Uncanny X-Men #495, from Eisner-winning author Ed Brubaker and rising star artist Michael Choi, the surviving mutants must reassess Xavier’s dreams and decide if peaceful coexistence is still an option. An X-Men: Divided We Stand tie-in, this issue sets the stage for mutantkind’s future and while former allies are mourned, is the world truly safer? Meanwhile, Iron Man confronts Cyclops with a plan for ensuring the safety of all mutants—but will he agree?

Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on Uncanny X-Men #495 and all X-Men: Divided We Stand tie-ins, as all X-titles continue to sell out at Diamond and buzz keeps growing around this bold new direction for the X-Men! The only thing that’s certain for Cyclops and his allies is that a world without X-Men will be unlike anything you’ve seen before—and it all begins in Uncanny X-Men #495!

Uncanny X-Men #495 (DEC072219)
Written by Ed Brubaker
Pencils & Cover by Michael Choi
Rated T+…$2.99
FOC—1/17/08, On-Sale—2/6/08

Marvel is pleased to announce that Amazing Spider-Man #546, beginning the landmark Brand New Day storyline, has sold out at Diamond (though copies may be available at the retail level). Written by the friendly neighborhood dream team of acclaimed writer Dan Slott (Avengers: The Initiative) and superstar penciller Steve McNiven (Civil War), and kicking off the thrice-monthly shipping of Amazing Spider-Man, this issues launches a bold new era for Peter Parker as he must confront the new criminal elements, new threats…and search for a new job!

To meet the overwhelming demand for this issue, Marvel is going back to press with Amazing Spider-Man #546 Second Printing Variant, with a new cover featuring the spectacular interior art of Steve McNiven!

“As the controversial first issue of a new era for Spidey, Slott, McNiven and everyone else involved hit this one out of the park,” said editor Steve Wacker. “Love it or hate it, everyone’s takling about Spider-Man.”

ComicBookResources.com’s Augie De Blieck Jr gushed that Slott is, “the perfect writer for a Spider-Man book,” a sentiment echoed by SilverBulletComicBooks.Com’s Dave Wallace, declaring Brand New Day, “a reinvigoration of the Spider-Man mythos and a return to the classic roots of the character.”

Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on all issues of Amazing Spider-Man, as the series continues to receive high profile coverage from Newsweek, Yahoo.Com, People Magazine, USA Today, The New York Daily News and more!

Now that Amazing Spider-Man ships thrice monthly, it’s three times the amazing, three times the action and three times your favorite super hero!

Keep checking the new Spider-Office blog at http://www.marvel.com/blogs/Spider-Office for images and information you won’t find anywhere else!

Amazing Spider-Man #546 Second Printing Variant (NOV078192)
Written by Dan Slott
Art & Cover by Steve McNiven
Rated A …$3.99
FOC—1/17/08, On-Sale—1/30/08

Amazing Spider-Man #547 (OCT072078)
Written by Dan Slott
Art & Cover by Steve McNiven
Rated A …$2.99
On-Sale—1/16/08

Amazing Spider-Man #548 (OCT072079)
Written by Dan Slott
Art & Cover by Steve McNiven
Rated A …$2.99
On-Sale—1/23/08

Spider-Man: Swing Shift Director’s Cut One-Shot (OCT072080)
Written by Dan Slott
Pencils & Cover by Phil Jimenez
Rated A …$3.99
On-Sale—1/30/08

After being frozen for decades by the Nazis, the heroic Mystery Men of the World War II era are back in action! Acclaimed writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Chris Weston, bring this team back in The Twelve #2 (of 12) with a fantastic cover by superstar Kaare Andrews. With Captain Wonder at the helm, the team is faced with living in a world where everyone they knew and loved are no longer around, as they wake up to a new world! After surrendering their secret identities and registering with the Initiative, the American government tries to ease these heroes back into a world where the definition of heroism may have changed.

Kevin Powers, of ComicsBulletin.com, says, “The Twelve is most certainly J. Michael Straczynski at his finest. It’s sophisticated yet fun, sad yet extraordinary, mysterious and brilliant and has the potential to sail out of the park.”

Their secret identities exposed, the Twelve must adapt to a more dangerous world—one in which some of them do not have super powers! Will these heroes be accepted in the post-Civil War world? Are their days as heroes numbered? These questions and more are answered in The Twelve #2 (of 12)!

The Twelve #2 (of 12) (DEC072215)
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Penciled by Chris Weston
Cover by Kaare Andrews
Rated T+&helip;$2.99
FOC—1/17/08, On-Sale—2/6/08

Hot off the heels of this February’s PERHAPANAUTS ANNUAL, Craig Rousseau and Todd Dezago return this April with the ongoing adventures of everyone’s favorite crypto-zoological super-team!

“Getting PERHAPANAUTS out on an ongoing basis has been a goal of ours since its inception,” said writer Todd Dezago. “As fans of the series know, we have a love for introducing background elements that eventually become major players later on. While we highly enjoyed our previous mini-series, this new ongoing series will allow us to fully explore all the ideas we’ve had brewing for years!”

PERHAPANAUTS is a book that features quite a few familiar faces from urban legend, but with an entirely new view. Bigfoot - yes, THAT bigfoot - heads up a team consisting of psychics, paranormals, dimension hoppers and even a chubacabara against menaces from beyond the outer edges of reality!

Artist Craig Rousseau said, “Drawing PERHAPANAUTS would be any artists dream come true - the book features all the best parts of superhero stories and tales of terror with a good balance of heart and suspense. It’s a cliche, but here’s it’s true - we’re set out to make a book where anything is possible.”

PERHAPANAUTS #1, a full-color ongoing series for $3.50, will be in stores April 16th, 2008.

In the wake of Messiah CompleX, the X-Men are no more, but some threats to mutantkind must be dealt with permanently by the new mutant strike force of Wolverine, X-23, Warpath and Wolfsbane! The hotly anticipated X-Force #1, from the acclaimed writing duo of Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost and rising star artist Clayton Crain, brings Cyclops’ mutant black ops team into conflict against the mutant-hating Purifiers…and there are deadly consequences! The all-new X-Force must accept the ramifications of their mission that’s so secret not even the most trusted members of the X-Men can ever learn about it! All this wrapped up in a regular cover by Crain, a “bloody” variant and another variant by superstar artist Travis Charest!

“This series is packed full of action and intrigue,” says series editor John Barber, “If you’ve liked Messiah CompleX, you’ll love X-Force. These are the characters that aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, or to take the fight to the bad guys. And when the bad guys are the Purifiers assembling a truly terrifying group of the worst villains mutantkind has ever faced, no quarter will be asked and none given!”

Perfect for readers new and old, X-Force #1 launches a dangerous new era for mutantkind, featuring the shocking return of a fan-favorite X-villain! Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on this new series spinning out of the red-hot Messiah CompleX storyline and bringing together some of Marvel’s most popular mutants in a Divided We Stand tie-in!

It’s an all-new, all-different X-Force—and not everyone may survive the x-perience of X-Force #1!

X-Force #1
X-Force #1 Bloody Variant
X-Force #1 Charest Variant
Written by Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Art and Cover by Clayton Crain
Variant Cover by Travis Charest
Parental Advisory …$2.99
FOC—1/17/08, On-Sale—2/6/08

This March YOUNGBLOOD’s Joe Casey and rising star Chris Burnham dig deep into the hidden super-villain
underbelly of Los Angeles this March in the 120-page graphic novel, NIXON’S PALS.

“The ‘Nixon’ in NIXON’S PALS is Nixon Cooper, parole officer to Los Angeles’ ever growing super-villain scene,” said writer Joe Casey.
“This is hard boiled storytelling, basically putting a superpowered spin on what I love in crime fiction by writers like Elmore Leonard and Jim Thompson.”

Casey is not comparing NIXON’S PALS to Leonard’s work lightly. The world of NIXON’S PALS is far from bright, with Burnham bringing
a refreshingly unique twist on the conventional grim and gritty super tale.

Burnham said, “Not only is Joe the type of writer who lets an artist run free, but NIXON’S PALS is exactly the type of comics I love to draw.
It’s an insane romp, filled with giant furnance robots, sentient breasts, and a ton of really vile bastards. It’s fun for the whole family!”

NIXON’S PALS (JAN082057), a 120-page black and white graphic novel for $12.99, will be in stores March 26th, 2008.