This moving, charming graphic novel about a dog and a robot shows us in poignant detail how powerful and fragile relationships are. After a Labor Day jaunt to the beach leaves the robot rusted, immobilized in the sand, the dog must return alone to the life they shared. But the memory of theirfriendship lingers, and as the seasons pass, the dog tries to fill the emotional void left by the loss of his closest friend, making and losing a series of friends, from a melting snowman to epicurean anteaters. But for the robot, lyingrusting on the beach,the only relief from loneliness is in dreams.

From the creative minds behind your favorite modern-day comics ...In this unprecedented, behind-the-scenes guide, former Marvel editor and current IDW senior editor Andy Schmidt and his superstar industry friends give you the inside track on creating engaging, professional-looking comic books.Written for upcoming creative stars and comic book enthusiasts, The Insider's Guide to Comics and Graphic Novels covers the entire creative process from beginning to end, from fine-tuning a script to the nuances of camera angles, costume design and lettering. You'll learn not only how to emulate a camera pan, hit 'em with a splash page and shift into slow motion, but also WHEN and WHY to dip into that bag of graphic tricks for maximum impact.The real-world guide to creating great comics!Profiles and insights from John Romita, Jr., Neal Adams, Gene Ha, David Finch and John ByrneProfessional advice from top talents in the business, including writers Brian Michael Bendis, Geoff Johns and Tom DeFalco; inkers Klaus Janson, Karl Kesel and Mike Perkins; colorist Chris Sotomayor; and letterer Chris EliopoulosExpert instruction on every element of the creative process - writing, drawing, inking, coloring, page layout and scene design - and how they all work together

This deluxe hardcover collects Runaways Vols. 5-7, plus extras. In True Believers, it's an all-new beginning for the book that Wizard calls "the best original concept from Marvel in thirty years!" When a group of teenagers discovers that their parents are actually super-villains, they run away from home... but that's only step one! Now that the evil Pride is gone, nearly every bad guy in the Marvel Universe is trying to fill the power vacuum in Los Angeles, and the Runaways are the only heroes who can stop them! Plus: What does a mysterious new team of young heroes want with the Runaways, and which fan-favorite Marvel characters are part of this group? In Escape to New York, the Runaways embark on a coast-to-coast adventure, guest-starring Cloak and Dagger AND the New Avengers! When Cloak is accused of a crime he didn't commit by the heroes of New York City, the vigilante is forced to turn to the teenage Runaways for help. This story will take our teens to a place they've never been: NYC! And in Parental Guidance, the villainous Pride returns, but this all-new group isn't made up of the Runaways' evil parents. Who are these shadowy players, and what do they want with the Marvel Universe's next generation of heroes? Collects Runaways (Vol.2) #1-12 and the X-Men/Runaways one-shot.

The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense and their new team leader, a former corpse himself, moves into their new headquarters only to unearth a gigantic long-buried secret involving United States government covert experiments and Nazi scientists. Hellboy creator Mike Mignola teams with artist Guy Davis and co-writer John Arcudi to carve out a bold new direction for the B.P.R.D., while Abe Sapien, still reeling from the revelation of his former life as a Victorian scientist, meets his long-dead wife in their crumbling home by the sea. The strangest team book in comics gets weirder with this tale of the walking dead, madness, the Spear of Destiny, and a monstrous gateway to heaven.

The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense faces its worst tragedy ever as the war against the plague of frogs reaches a devastating new level. Heralded by a bizarre villain from the B.P.R.D.'s past, an ancient monster-god marches across the American heartland portending an end to the reign of men, and leaving a permanent mark on the Bureau. Hellboy-creator Mike Mignola continues his collaboration with artist Guy Davis and co-writer John Arcudi to unravel a tale that will leave the earth shaken and the B.P.R.D. shattered. This collection includes a sketchbook section chronicling Guy Davis's creation of the abominations unleashed in The Black Flame.

Visionary writer/artist Paul Pope presents a futuristic mystery of epic proportions set in a dark, dystopian world devoid of privacy and filled with government conspiracies, psychic police, holographic caller ID and absolutely no room for "secret identities."
In Gotham City, 2039, a federal agent is murdered and a contingent of Washington's top agents is hot on the suspect's trail. The Batman, a forgotten icon from the past, is wanted for the murder. Amid the chaos Gotham City Police Detective Gordon, grandson of the former commissioner, discovers that the man they are chasing shouldn't exist at all.

Suburban Seattle, the mid-1970s. We learn from the out-set that a strange plague has descended upon the area's teenagers, transmitted by sexual contact. The disease is manifested in any number of ways—from the hideously grotesque to the subtle (and concealable)—but once you've got it, that's it. There's no turning back.

As we inhabit the heads of several key characters—some kids who have it, some who don't, some who are about to get it—what unfolds isn't the expected battle to fight the plague, or bring heightened awareness to it, or even to treat it. What we become witness to instead is a fascinating and eerie portrait of the nature of high school alienation itself—the savagery, the cruelty, the relentless anxiety and ennui, the longing for escape.

And then the murders start.

As hypnotically beautiful as it is horrifying, Black Hole transcends its genre by deftly exploring a specific American cultural moment in flux and the kids who are caught in it—back when it wasn't exactly cool to be a hippie anymore, but Bowie was still just a little too weird.

To say nothing of sprouting horns and molting your skin…

Scott Pilgrim just turned 24, and things couldn't possibly be better! This means things are about to get infinitely worse. Suddenly, TWO of Ramona's evil ex-boyfriends are in town, and they're playing dirty. His band is in turmoil, and his own exes aren't making things any easier. And what's up with Ramona, anyway? She's been acting kinda weird ever since they moved in together. It's the SECOND LAST VOLUME of SCOTT PILGRIM: Scott's precious little life is coming back around to bite him in the butt, and it may not be pretty!

That's right, folks! Put down the video game controller! Skip that rehearsal for your band! Make whatever sacrifices you must to those comic gods you hold so dear! Just make sure you're ready because Bryan Lee O'Malley and Scott Pilgrim are back! Well, a couple months have passed since the last time we caught up with our intrepid hero, but what can change in a few short months? Well, not much has... Scott's still living with his roommate Wallace Wells. He's still playing in a mediocre rock band named Sex Bob-omb. And most importantly, he's still dating the lovely Ramona Flowers while working his way through the gaggle of superpowered, superstylish, superevil ex-boyfriends determined to take him down. But something is different. Don't look now, but Scott Pilgrim may actually be getting it together. And it's a good thing, too, because Scott is about to confront Ramona's most intimidating ex yet!
Winner of the 2008 Harvey Award for BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - ORIGINAL!

Ramona's third evil ex-boyfriend, Todd Ingram, is currently dating the former love of Scott Pilgrim's life! Envy Adams broke Scott's heart a year and a half ago. Now she and her evil art-rock band are back, and they're getting Scott's band to open a show two days from now! That's just enough time for Scott to fight Todd, keep Ramona happy, fend off demented ex-girlfriends, and practice that new setlist. Right?? Don't miss the latest chapter in the graphic novel saga The Globe and Mail calls "Canada's answer to Tank Girl!"

Does Scott and Ramona's burgeoning relationship have a future? Isn't Scott still supposedly dating Knives Chau? Who is Ramona's second evil ex-boyfriend, and why is he in Toronto? Who are The Clash At Demonhead, and what kind of bizarre art-punky music do they play? Who's their hot girl keyboardist, and what is Scott's relation to her? Why are they Knives Chau's new favourite band? Fights! Drama! Secrets revealed! The answers to all these questions and more!

Scott Pilgrim's life is so awesome. He's 23 years old, in a rock band, "between jobs," and dating a cute high school girl. Everything's fantastic until a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, rollerblading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties. But the path to Ms Flowers isn't covered in rose petals. Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends stand in the way between Scott and true happiness. Can Scott beat the bad guys and get the girl without turning his precious little life upside-down?

An original hardcover graphic novel that tells the story of one very dark night in Gotham City--from the creative team behind the graphic novel LEX LUTHOR: MAN OF STEEL.
The Joker has been mysteriously released from Arkham Asylum, and he's none to happy about what's happened to his Gotham City rackets while he's been "away." What follows is a harrowing night of revenge, murder and manic crime as only The Joker can deliver it, as he brutally takes back his stolen assets from The Penguin, The Riddler, Two-Face, Killer Croc and others.
Brian Azzarello brings to THE JOKER all the visceral intensity and criminal insight that has made his Vertigo graphic novel series 100 BULLETS one of the most critically-acclaimed and award-winning series in all of comics.

Comic art has finally reached acceptance as a legitimate and important art form in its own right, and is a source of inspiration for musicians, fashion designers, and Hollywood directors. In "Comic Art Now," some of its finest exponents are gathered together for the first time in a volume that reveals the diversity and rich talent that abounds in this visually thrilling artform. The book showcases the top contemporary comic artists, whether they are established professionals such as Bryan Talbot, John Cassady, Alex Ross, Sean Phillips, Chris Ware, Mike Mignola, Dave Gibbons, Brendan McCarthy, and Frank Cho, or hot new creators making waves in the industry, like Kaare Andrews, JG Jones, Jason, and Steve McNiven.

"Bone" is an international publishing sensation with hundreds of thousands of loyal readers and no end in sight to its growing popularity. Now, for the first time anywhere, see the homemade comics, sketches and grand plans that set this masterpiece of literary fantasy in motion. From there, take a tour through piles of promotional art, holiday cards and pivotal storytelling moments from the revolutionary self-published years, where "Bone" went from "the little comic that could" to an industry leader that changed the face of comics. Finally, revel in the wonder of "Bone" as a complete 1300-page graphic novel, a work for the ages, filled with comedy and tragedy and adventure for generations to come.

Acclaimed artist and autobiographical cartoonist David Chelsea and his hollow-headed pupil Mug together explore the many aspects of perspective, the art of rendering the visual effect of distance on objects. In an entertaining, step-by-step comic strip format, David and Mug demonstrate basic concepts of perspective by constructing vivid, spectacular landscapes and architectural interiors. Though designed with the beginning artist is mind, "Perspective! for Comic Book Artists" will also be useful to working professionals looking to brush up on their skills.

This illustrated book has no words at all – yet through creative and detailed artwork it reveals a poignant personal record of one person’s journey to a new land. The book is designed to look as if it has seen better times – a worn cover, pages which look aged. Through pictures, the narrative vividly expresses the sadness of leaving homeland and family behind, and the bewilderment and fear, as well as joy and kindnesses, experienced in encountering the unknown. The administrative hurdles of immigration, the strange customs of a different country, the unfamiliar factories, machines, animals – all are imaginatively portrayed in this graphic journal. There are powerful reminders throughout of the value of friends and the timeless story of those who seek a better future. Key stage 2 children will find this an engaging book but also one which links with work in history and religious education. This is definitely a book to have in any Year 6 collection.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RASL
Issue 1
We meet RASL, a dimension jumping art thief with a tattoo of a woman’s name (Maya) on his left arm, wandering in a desert battered and bloody. He recollects his memories on a job where he steals a Picasso painting (The Old Guitarist) from a tall house during a thunderstorm. After tagging RASL where the painting was and running from the police we learn he uses an immersion suit (resembling 4 airplane turbines) to enter “The Drift”, a place where he is able to travel to other dimensions.
He comes to a seemingly regular world and hides his suit, then visits a bar. He drinks and smokes heavily to recover from the pain of exiting The Drift, and goes to the jukebox. He notices that Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde album is instead credited to Robert Zimmerman on the title, meaning he has come to the wrong place. As he is about to leave, an eerie assassin with a lizard like face comes in and shoots at RASL; as he escapes his painting is shot.
Outside a chase and fight ensues, and RASL finds no I.D. of the man, and is startled to see a small rectangle block in the man’s wrist. He decides to go find a quiet place to meditate for a couple of hours (to be put in a more zen-like state of purity so he may enter the drift again). His final lines are “You can fix this. It’s never too late to fix it.” We then seem him out in the desert again.