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BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL VOLUME 22: FOOTSTEPS
Hiroaki Samura (W/A)
On sale Jan 13
b&w, 232 pages
$19.95
TPB, 5 3/4″ x 8 1/4″Hiroaki Samura’s latest Blade of the Immortal volume finds Manji and Rin recovering from their harrowing escape out of Edo’s underground prisons and finally confronting their odd relationship. Doea and Isaku have something important to announce when Anotsu and the Itto-ryu reunite with their missing members, and Habaki Kagimura faces a death sentence! To atone for his failures and sins, Kagimura has one month to destroy Anotsu and his crew–or Kagimura must commit suicide. With his Mugai-ryu assassins disbanded, Kagimura enlists even stranger felons than before, creating the frightening, new Rokki-dan gang. With his colorful cast expanding, Samura’s knack for creating memorable characters and his masterful ability to dovetail multiple plot lines into each other are evident in this new volume, which also packs a powerful surprise ending!
- Hiroaki Samura is the creator of the enchanting Ohikkoshi manga anthology–also published by Dark Horse Manga!
Not much to say here since I’m still way behind, but I do intend on buying this.
CHOBITS OMNIBUS EDITION
CLAMP (W/A)
On sale Jan 27
B&w, 720 pages
$24.95
TPB, 5 1/8″ x 7 1/4″Some people buy their personal computers based on style . . . and in near-future Japan, the hottest style for your “persocom” is shaped like an attractive android! Poor student Hideki, fresh off the farm and trying to get into a Tokyo university, has neither money nor a girlfriend–then finds a persocom seemingly discarded in an alley. Taking the cute robot home and activating it, Hideki finds her affectionate, but amnesiac, able only to say the word “Chi”–and so he names her.
But who is this strange new persocom in his life? Instead of being his digital assistant, Hideki finds himself having to teach Chi how to get along in the everyday world, even while he and his friends try to solve the mystery of her origins. Is she one of the urban-legendary Chobits–persocoms built to have the riskiest functions of all: real emotions, and free will?
- A crossover hit for both female and male readers, CLAMP’s best-selling manga ever in America is finally available in omnibus form!
- The Chobits Omnibus Edition contains sixteen bonus color pages!
The solicitation doesn’t mention if the entire series is collected in one volume or not, but the cover image suggests this is the first of a series of volumes. I’ll have to wait and see.
END LEAGUE #9
Rick Remender (W), Andy MacDonald (P), Matthew Wilson (C), and Eric Canete (Cover)
On sale Nov 4
FC, 40 pages
$3.99
OngoingWith the hammer of Thor in his possession, the Smiling Man sets out to remake the world in his image, unless Codename Black can stop him. Dead Lexington’s manipulations force Prairie Ghost and Brother Occult to choose between mass murder and the fate of all life on Earth. Zeus sends his only daughter, Divinity, to destroy her former allies and obtain the hammer for Olympus. Soldier American finds himself a POW of Wolfsangel–in 1942. The deck is stacked; there is no possibility of victory–the end draws nigh for the End League. Brought to you by the super champion of America, Rick Remender (Punisher: War Journal, Fear Agent), with art by groundbreaking rising star of comic bookery Andy MacDonald (Punisher: War Journal, Miss America).
Series finale!
No cover art was available with this one.
GANTZ VOLUME 9
Hiroya Oku (W/A)
On sale Jan 27
B&w, 232 pages
$12.95
TPB, 5 1/8″ x 7 1/4″Sometimes big things come in small packages. And our Gantz hero, Kei, might want to consider that in this volume of the frantic and weird, angsty and sexy manga by Hiroya Oku.
Gantz’s cross between the real world of teenage complications and the totally sci-fi concept of aliens occupying an unwitting Earth is a hit with a cross section of comics and manga readers. Each volume brings new challenges and frustrations, and plenty of sex and violence.
- Gantz has proven to be one of the most popular adult anime in recent years, with over 190,000 copies sold in the U.S. alone!
- Each volume of Gantz comes shrink-wrapped and carries an 18+ content advisory.
Again, I may be behind, but I don’t intend to stay that way.
RAPTURE #6 (of 6)
Michael Avon Oeming (W/A), Taki Soma (W/Cover), and Val Staples (C)
On sale Nov 25
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
MiniseriesThe end of the end is near for Evelyn Town. Cannibals have slain her mother and decimated her city. A corrupted Champion has twisted the heart of the one she sought so valiantly from the beginning–her boyfriend, Gil. Love and power are strong forces which can bring triumph or destruction. Will Evelyn and Gil recognize their gifts in time to save their world and themselves? Or, now that the former flames are reunited, will they fight to the death in the ultimate lovers’ quarrel? Can the world ever recover its former glory, when utopia seemed within grasp as Champions patrolled the skies above? Or will Evelyn’s and Gil’s passion and anger end it all?
The final Earth-shattering issue!
Oh, this doesn’t sound like it will have a happy ending.
STAR WARS OMNIBUS: SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE
Steve Perry (W), Michael A. Stackpole (W), John Wagner (W), Timothy Zahn (W), Carlos Ezquerra (A), John Nadeau (A), Kilian Plunkett (A), Ron Randall (A), and others
On sale Jan 27
FC, 408 pages
$24.95
TPB, 6″ x 9″Beginning with Shadows of the Empire, Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca are determined to foil Boba Fett’s plan to deliver carbonite-encased Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt. But these heroes are up against more than they realize. Darth Vader searches for Luke, hoping to turn him to the dark side, and a new threat, Xizor, the ruthless leader of the criminal organization Black Sun, seeks to gain the trust of the Emperor by killing Skywalker and overthrowing Vader! Then, in Shadows of the Empire: Evolution, a beautiful human-droid–previously an assassin for Xizor–searches to find her human side as Luke Skywalker tracks her across the galaxy, determined to bring her to justice! And finally, in Mara Jade: By the Emperor’s Hand, the Emperor’s personal assassin carries out her last mission, determined to succeed despite the death of her Master–even if it costs her life!
- Features all your favorite characters from the original Star Wars trilogy: Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo!
- Includes stories written by acclaimed novelists Timothy Zahn and Steve Perry!
- The latest in the value-packed line of Star Wars Omnibus editions from Dark Horse!
I love these Omnibus editions, and I can’t wait to have them all lined up on a shelf someday.
STAR WARS: THE THRAWN TRILOGY
Mike Baron (W), Olivier Vatine (A), Fred Blanchard (A), Terry Dodson (A), Edvin Biukovic (A), Mathieu Laffray (Cover) and others
On sale Jan 6
FC, 420 pages
$34.95
HC, 6″ x 9″Five years after the fall of the Empire, Luke Skywalker is the first in a new line of Jedi Knights. Han Solo and Princess Leia have married, together assuming many burdens of the New Republic’s government. But across the galaxy lies a dying part of the Empire–all the more dangerous near death–and it has just discovered something that could bring it back to life! The last of the Emperor’s warlords, Admiral Thrawn, is ready to destroy the New Republic–and the odds are stacked heavily against Luke, Leia, and Han!
- Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy collects the adaptations of Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command. This Star Wars hardcover edition is a must have!
I loved these novels the first time I read them, and I’m pretty sure I own the single issues, but how could I pass up a complete hardcover edition? The only thing cooler might be an omnibus edition instead.
There may not be a lot, but Dark Horse has plenty of cool things for me to look forward to.
