Dark Horse Comics has announced a new creator-owned series from Francesco Francavilla, the 2012 Eisner Award winner for Best Cover Artist.

Francavilla’s critically acclaimed The Black Beetle returns in December with The Black Beetle #0, which will collect the three-part story entitled Night Shift that originally appeared in the pages of the Eisner Award–winning Dark Horse Presents. The issue will feature a brand-new cover, twenty-four story pages, and bonus sketch material and art.

January brings The Black Beetle: No Way Out, a four-issue story that marks the first full series for Francavilla’s Black Beetle, continuing from the self-published, limited-edition ashcan comic of the same name—the first appearance of this exciting new pulp hero.

In Night Shift, an ancient artifact known as the Hollow Lizard—a powerful totem of dark magic—shows up at the Colt City Natural History Museum. Hitler sends his fearsome Werwolf Korps to collect the piece in hopes it will help him unlock the secrets of ancient Egypt’s Black Priests. Unfortunately for the führer, Colt City’s protector, the Black Beetle, is on the case.

In No Way Out, Black Beetle’s investigation of two local mob bosses is interrupted when a mysterious explosion murders them and a pub full of gangsters—taking out most of Colt City’s organized crime in one fell swoop. Who could pull off such a coup, and what damage might that murderous bomber inflict upon Colt City and Black Beetle?

Francavilla’s The Black Beetle series will also showcase a letter page so fans have the chance to have their thoughts, comments, and compliments answered by the creator himself. E-mail blackbeetle[at]darkhorse[dot]com for a chance to see your letter in The Black Beetle: No Way Out.

“Francavilla delivers the pulp noir that suits his style perfectly.”—Comic Book Resources

Look for The Black Beetle #0 on comic store shelves everywhere on December 19, 2012.

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Celebrated, mercurial, enigmatic, and influential are a few words that have been used to describe legendary comics creator Steve Ditko. Co-creating Spider-Man and Doctor Strange with Stan Lee are only a couple of achievements earned by Ditko in his storied career.

Since his Marvel and DC days, Ditko has produced a litany of fiercely independent, wildly creative works; many of which are collected here in this large-format, oversized, full-color hardback for the first time! The Creativity of Steve Ditko, designed by the Eisner Award-winning Craig Yoe features essays by Paul Levitz, Mike Gold, Jack Harris, Mikal Banta, and Amber Stanton.

Yoe, who credits Ditko comics as what inspired him to be in this field and is one of the few people that has been invited to the creator’s studio says, “Yoe Books’ very first offering was The Art of Ditko. Over two years and many books ago, it was enthusiastically received. Now I’ve endeavored to make this our best book yet. I am thrilled with the über-creative comics we present here and the original art, much of it unpublished. And the nearly one dozen never published photos of the elusive artist make this a Ditko fan’s dream come true. This is going to be a must-have but very controversial book! Bring it on!”

Hitting shelves July 25th, The Creativity of Steve Ditko also touts a myriad of unpublished art, sketches, and photos of the legendary creator. For fans of Ditko, comics history, or simply art itself, this is an IDW and Yoe Books experience that is not to be passed up.

Find Yoe Books’ online at http://yoebooks.com and http://www.youtube.com/theyoetube.

Nickelodeon and IDW Publishing have also recently announced the launch of an all-new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book app exclusively for iTouch, iPad and iPhone. The app includes the complete Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic collection, including the ongoing series, “micro-series,” one-shots, and many original black and white classics on digital platforms. Additionally, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series is now available through IDW Comics and comiXology mobile apps for Android, Kindle Fire, and more.

“We’re thrilled to be continuing our partnership with IDW; their expertise in comic book development is unsurpassed,” said Paula Allen, SVP Global Publishing, Nickelodeon Consumer Products. “We’re very excited to have our comics available to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans digitally via this new app.”

“From day one, TMNT’s comic book re-launch has been met with outstanding support and excitement from fans of all ages and we at IDW couldn’t be happier,” said series writer Tom Waltz. “This is definitely a much-beloved property that has evolved in so many fun and interesting ways over the years, in so many different media markets, and the leap to digital just seems another fitting step in that ongoing evolution.”

“IDW is very excited to launch this series,” said IDW CEO and Publisher Ted Adams. “Fans have been demanding to read IDW’s TMNT collection digitally since IDW published the first issue. This is an excellent way for people to catch up on the entire series.”

Since the 2011 launch of Nickelodeon and IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book partnership, comic enthusiasts and fans alike have enjoyed the vivid new stories and high quality print editions of the beloved classics featuring the work of talented new creators like Dan Duncan and co-creator of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comics can be found in the stand-alone TMNT Comics app, IDW’s Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, app – IDW Comics, and on the Web at read.idwpublishing.com. The series is also featured in the Comics by comiXology platform for iOS, Android, Web and Kindle Fire. TMNT digital comics are only available at this time for US readers.

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From C2E2′s Artist Alley E13: Globetrotting aviatrix Athena Voltaire battles Nazis, occult science, and mythical creatures against the backdrop of the pulp era. And now she’s coming in for a landing with Sequential Pulp Comics.

Copublishers Sequential Pulp Comics and Dark Horse Comics are pleased to announce their plans for writer/artist Steve Bryant’s 1930s heroine.

“Steve and I share a common love for all things pulp and for telling great stories. His character, Athena Voltaire, could not be a better fit for our line of graphic novels,” said Sequential Pulp president Michael Hudson. “These stories will have a beginning, a middle, and a true end to them, giving the reader a complete and fulfilling experience. The art and the writing are masterful. I can’t wait to see how Steve and his team develop this wonderful property as we move ahead.”

“I can’t think of a better home for Athena Voltaire than the Sequential Pulp imprint. Their commitment to adapting genre classics and creating new pulp icons is second to none,” said Bryant. “To be published through Dark Horse is the cherry on top. Hellboy, B.P.R.D., Buffy, Battlepug—they put out some of the best comics on the stands today. I’m flattered and humbled to see my book added to such a prestigious line!”

Athena Voltaire launched as a part of the Modern Tales family of webcomics in 2002 and was nominated for a Best Digital Comic Eisner Award in 2005. The feature was also included in St. Martin’s The Year’s Best Graphic Novels, Comics and Manga (2004 edition).

In addition to covering representational rights, the exclusive print and digital publishing agreement calls for an omnibus edition containing remastered versions of the previously published Athena Voltaire material followed by new adventures, including two graphic novels and an illustrated prose anthology.

With titles scheduled into 2015 and beyond, Athena Voltaire is sure to continue to please its existing fan base, as well as those who will be coming aboard through this relaunch. Anyone who enjoys pulp, classic adventure stories, and modern comics will fall in love with this heroine who is unlike any other in comics today.

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