ON SALE THIS WEEK: KIRBY GENESIS & LAST PHANTOM RETURN!

KIRBY: GENESIS #5
Plot by KURT BUSIEK & ALEX ROSS
Script by KURT BUSIEK
Art by JACK HERBERT & ALEX ROSS
Covers by ALEX ROSS (main), RYAN SOOK (1-in-10)
The stakes are already high in a battle royale pitting Silver Star, Captain Victory and the Glory Knights versus Darius Drumm, the Lightning Lady and Roag over the Proto-Seed -- and when Sigurd Dragonsbane and the Mythics join in, the results will shake the heavens themselves. Meanwhile, Kirby's only hope for survival on the Phantom Continent lies in the Primals, whose secrets are rooted deep in the history of mankind itself.
32 pages FC • $3.99 • Teen +




THE LAST PHANTOM #11
Written by SCOTT BEATTY
Art by EDUARDO FERIGATO
Covers by ALEX ROSS (main), STEPHEN SADOWSKI (1-in-10), JONATHAN LAU (1-in-15)
Aided by Bandar tribesmen, Kit Walker finally finds the source of the blood
diamonds funding the Bengali coup d'etat! But when The Phantom attempts to permanently shut down the dangerous mines, he discovers that the forces of General Kiboko are trading in a commodity even more precious to win the war!
32 pages FC • $3.99 • Teen +

NEWS: THE SHADOW #1 ARRIVES THIS APRIL!

THE SHADOW #1 ONGOING SERIES BY GARTH ENNIS!

IN STORES APRIL 2012!!!

January 16th, 2012, Runnemede, NJ - Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows! The Shadow returns to comic stores written by the man born to write him - Garth Ennis. The artist joining Garth will be Aaron Campbell. Featuring covers by fan favorite artists Alex Ross, Howard Chaykin, Jae Lee and John Cassaday. The Shadow #1 his stores in April 2012!

In the first issue of the ONGOING SERIES, it's 1938 and The Shadow returns in a tale of blazing action and deadly intrigue, as a night of carnage on the New York waterfront plunges the mysterious vigilante into a conspiracy involving the fate of the world itself. As storm clouds gather across the globe, American Military Intelligence meets with a certain Lamont Cranston, determined to beat a host of spies and assassins to the greatest prize of all... but what that might be, only the Shadow knows. Be sure to get The Shadow #1 in April 2012!

"The Shadow is probably the last established character I like that I haven't gotten around to writing yet, certainly on this side of the Atlantic," says writer Garth Ennis. "It makes a kind of bloody, bullet-riddled sense: I always had a feeling our paths would cross sooner or later."

"The Shadow is an awesome character in an awesome time," adds artist Aaron Campbell. "I mean what's not to like? You have the old school mystique of eastern mysticism wrapped up with a badass gunslinger!"

"Garth is a writer who was born to write The Shadow," states Dynamite Entertainment President and Publisher Nick Barrucci. "Not since Howard Chaykin's acclaimed mini-series have I been this excited for a Shadow series. Garth will take The Shadow to a new level, and Aaron will compliment his scripts well. I cannot wait for fans to see Garth's take on the character!"

Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for his immensely successful revival of Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise and the DC/Vertigo series Preacher, co-created with artist Steve Dillon.

His work is characterized by extreme violence, black humor, profanity, an interest in male friendship, an antagonistic relationship with organized religion, and irreverence towards superheroes. Frequent artistic collaborators include Steve Dillon, Glenn Fabry, Carlos Ezquerra and John McCrea. Garth Ennis' current work includes Dynamite's hit series The Boys.

The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town" with psychic powers. One of the most famous pulp heroes of the 20th century, The Shadow has also been featured in comic books, comic strips and at least five motion pictures.

Join the conversation on Twitter with #TheShadowKnows and on Dynamite Entertainment's twitter page at http://twitter.com/DynamiteComics

ON SALE THIS WEEK: TARZAN, VOLTRON & DRAGONSBANE

LORD OF THE JUNGLE #1
Written by ARVID NELSON
Art by ROBERTO CASTRO
Covers by ALEX ROSS (25%), LUCIO PARILLO (25%), RYAN SOOK (25%), PAUL REANAUD (25%)
The original Lord of the Jungle returns! If you thought you knew the story, think again! For the first time in its 100 year history the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs story, Tarzan of The Apes is told UNCENSORED! This series will capture the savagery and action of the original while expanding on it with new elements! The story begins in the late 1800s, John Clayton, Lord of Greystoke, and his wife, the Lady Alice, are left stranded on a remote African coast. They must fend for themselves in this savage world, and the fact that Lady Alice is pregnant doesn't make things any easier!
The violent saga of Greystoke begins in December written by Arvid Nelson and illustrated by Roberto Castro, and featuring covers by Alex Ross, Lucio Parillo, Ryan Sook, and Paul Renaud!
32 pages FC • $1.00 • Mature




VOLTRON #2
Written by BRANDON THOMAS
Art by ARIEL PADILLA
Covers by ALEX ROSS (75%), SEAN CHEN (25%)
Voltron is down and the people of Earth are only hours away from complete annihilation. In order to preserve all they know, Keith and the rest of his highly trained force must launch a rescue mission to save Voltron, and uncover a terrible secret decades in the making. This is not the first time the Drule Empire has attempted to annex Earth. It's happened before, and even then, Zarkon played a critical role in determining the planet's survival...just not the one everyone thinks. The truth is coming, as Generation Voltron continues...
32 pages FC • $3.99 • Teen +





KIRBY: GENESIS - DRAGONSBANE #1

Written by ROBERT RODI
Art by FRITZ CASAS
Covers by ALEX ROSS (main), JACK HERBERT (1-in-10)

Spinning out of the epochal events of KIRBY: GENESIS comes the saga of Sigurd Dragonsbane, the greatest champion in all Valhalla. Since time immemorial tales of his adventures have resounded throughout the halls of gods and men alike. But what happens when Sigurd and his colleagues-wise Balduur, rakish Honir, and caustic Heimdall-discover that Valhalla isn't the only mythic realm?...And that all the others are now conjoined into one vast magical landscape? Why, they set out to explore it, of course-and to rescue a princess beset by dragons. But all isn't as it seems in these newly unified Mythlands, and Sigurd's latest exploit could be his last! Based on character concepts and designs by Jack Kirby, DRAGONSBANE draws back the curtain on the astonishing mythical underpinnings of the Kirby universe.
32 pages FC • $3.99 • Teen +

NEWS: MERCILESS - THE RISE OF MING

SPINNING-OFF FROM FLASH GORDON - ZEITGEIST…THE PREQUEL COMIC BOOK SERIES, MERCILESS - THE RISE OF MING #1!

IN STORES APRIL 2012!!!

January 11th, 2011, Runnemede, NJ - The iconic legend Flash Gordon made his dynamic splash back into comics with Dynamite Entertainment with Flash Gordon - Zeitgeist! Spinning off from that series is the prequel comic book series, Merciless - The Rise of Ming #1, which is written by Scott Beatty and drawn by Ron Adrian, with an incredible cover from Alex Ross and is in stores April 2012! In issue #1, Prince Ming begins his rise to dominion over the entirety of Mongo! But who (or what) was Ming before he was 'Merciless'? Find out here as the origin of one of science fiction's preeminent villains is presented in all its diabolical details! Be sure to get Merciless - The Rise of Ming #1 in April 2012!

"In most heroic fiction, we (the readers, that is) never really question why the villains do very bad things. It's always just assumed that evil is as evil does," says writer Scott Beatty. "Ming is one of the great antagonists of science fiction. In many ways, he's archetypal and the model for all intergalactic despots to follow. But he's not just Ming. Everybody knows he's Ming the MERCILESS. And he's successful at being just that. Ming has a plan. For EVERYTHING. Readers of FLASH GORDON can think of MERCILESS: THE RISE OF MING as "required reading" for the series' central conflict. It's a primer that reveals not just who Ming the Merciless is--well before he ruled all of Mongo--but just what he did to get there... and WHY he did it."

"Scott [Beatty] has taken the groundwork laid by Eric [Trautmann] and Alex [Ross] in Flash Gordon and gone back in time to tell the tale of the Rise of Ming," states Dynamite Editor Joe Rybandt. "This is the direct precursor to the story in Flash Gordon and presents the definitive origin of the universe's most merciless dictator."

Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip.

The original Flash Gordon comic strip follows the adventures of Flash Gordon, a handsome polo player and Yale graduate, and his companions Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov. The story begins with Earth bombarded by fiery meteors. Dr. Zarkov invents a rocket ship to locate their place of origin in outer space. Half mad, he kidnaps Flash and Dale, whose plane has crashed in the area, and the three travel to the planet Mongo, where they discover the meteors are weapons devised by Ming the Merciless, evil ruler of Mongo.

For many years, the three companions have adventures on Mongo, traveling to the forest kingdom of Arboria, ruled by Prince Barin; the ice kingdom of Frigia, ruled by Queen Fria; the jungle kingdom of Tropica, ruled by Queen Desira; the undersea kingdom of the Shark Men, ruled by King Kala; and the flying city of the Hawkmen, ruled by Prince Vultan. They are joined in several early adventures by Prince Thun of the Lion Men. Eventually, Ming is overthrown, and Mongo is ruled by a council of leaders led by Barin. Flash and friends return to Earth and have some adventures before returning to Mongo and crashing in the kingdom of Tropica, before reuniting with Barin and others. Flash and his friends would travel to other worlds and frequently return to Mongo, where Prince Barin, married to Ming's daughter Princess Aura, has established a peaceful rule (except for frequent revolts led by Ming or by one of his many descendants). The long story of the Skorpii War takes Flash to other star systems, using starships that are faster than light.


Scott Beatty has worked extensively for the popular comic book publisher DC Comics since the mid '90s. He is perhaps best known for his work on several encyclopedic guides to superheroes. He has also worked writing comic books, recently contributing to the Wildstorm reboot World's End with the series Wildstorm: Revelations and Number of the Beast. Other projects include Buck Rogers, The Last Phantom, and Merciless - The Rise of Ming for Dynamite Entertainment.
Join the conversation on Twitter with #FlashGordon and on Dynamite Entertainment's twitter page at http://twitter.com/DynamiteComics

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THE 2 FLASH GORDONS?

After posting in our year-in-review the section for Dynamite's Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist, I received this comment from Brendan Deneen, who is a comic book writer and publisher, which I refrained from publishing:

"Why pay for this when you can read FLASH GORDON: THE MERCY WARS #0 and #1 (34 pages of story) for FREE at www.Ardden-Entertainment.com

We've been publishing Flash Gordon since 2008 and have received rave reviews from Publishers Weekly, Ain't It Cool News, and more.

Thanks!"

Now here's my response. I wanted to properly address this matter not in the comments section but as a post:

Dear Mr. Deneen,
I commend you on the efforts you are making to get your Flash Gordon book recognized. Let me tell you that I have read the preview of The Mercy Wars, which is co-written by Jim Krueger, a frequent collaborator and friend of Alex Ross, and found it exhilarating.

As you may have noticed, this site is dedicated to collecting the art of Alex Ross, hence the post on Zeitgeist and the omission of the existence of your title(s). I would've loved for you to contact me through the proper channels and discuss both books. I believe that questioning my readers as to why are they reading one thing and not the other wasn't the appropriate way, that's the reason behind my refusal to publish your comment. I don't mean any disrespect with my action because I firmly believe in free will and that the existence of two very different titles of such a beloved character such as Flash Gordon could co-exist so people can chose which one they like most.

Thanks for your time and I enjoy having you as a reader of my blog as I am now a reader of your work.

Sincerely,

Andres Avila
The Alex Ross Collector
www.alexrosscollector.com



So, to all the readers of this blog, I'm hereby exhorting you to try both titles. The complete issue one of Zeitgeist with a more retro take on Flash Gordon by Eric Trautmann, Daniel Lindro and Dynamite Entertainment which can be found on this blog or Brendan Deneen's and Jim Kruger's more modern take on the same character which can be found at their website.

FLASH GORDON: ZEITGEIST #1 - FULL ISSUE!

Thanks to Dynamite Entertainment! Enjoy!

FLASH GORDON - ZEITGEIST #1
Plot by ALEX ROSS & ERIC TRAUTMANN
Script by ERIC TRAUTMANN
Art by DANIEL LINDRO
Covers by ALEX ROSS (75%), PAUL RENAUD (25%), FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA (1-in-10), WAGNER REIS (1-in-25)
The year is 1934, a time of two-fisted swashbuckling, of fearsome threats and wild adventure-and of ever-growing threats on the horizon.
Three valiant humans -- Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov -- are plucked from the Earth, traveling to the distant planet Mongo. Their exploits are legendary, battling the machinations and terror schemes of the dreaded emperor Ming, the All-Seeing Ruler of Mongo. But they did not fight alone...
Written by Eric Trautmann (Vampirella, Red Sonja), from a story and designs by Alex Ross (Kingdom Come, Marvels, Project: Superpowers) and illustrated by Daniel Lindro.
32 pages FC • $1.00 • Teen +