Every Wednesday, JP makes the after-work run to his local downtown comic book shop. Comics arrive on Wednesdays you see and JP, fearful that the latest issue will sell out, rushes out to purchase his copy. This regular, weekly column will highlight a particularly interesting release, written in short order, of course, because JP has to get his – before someone else does!
Dark Horse Presents #1
Written by: Various
Illustrated by: Various
Published by: Dark Horse Comics
I’ve always been a fan – and a collector – of anthology comics. Whether it’s Epic Illustrated or Heavy Metal (or Action Comics Weekly – anybody out there remember that one?), I love having one book in my hands that contains the works of a plethora of acclaimed writers and artists.
I was a regular reader of the original Dark Horse Presents as well, the very first release by the titular publisher, back in the summer of 1986. The popular DHP was where comic book and sequential storytelling audiences saw the serialized appearances of Paul Chadwick’s Concrete, John Byrne’s Next Men, Frank Miller’s Sin City and, of course, the first pairing of Aliens vs. Predator – works that have transcended the art form they were originally created for. The great efforts by both established and up and coming creators published within the pages of DHP lasted for nearly fifteen years and over 150 issues.
But don’t be melancholy over days gone by. No, rejoice, anthology fans! Today, at your local comic book shop, after a twelve-year absence, Dark Horse Presents is back! And it’s bigger and better than ever!
Boasting 80 pages of material (and a cover price of $7.99), the new incarnation of Dark Horse Presents returns Paul Chadwick (with a brand new Concrete story) and Frank Miller (with a sneak peek of Xerxes, the long awaited follow-up to his 300 graphic novel) to the anthology they helped make famous. They’re joined by industry legends Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin and Richard Corben among many others. Even science fiction star Harlan Ellison contributes to the glory of this compilation with a prose piece!
To make things even more special (and collectible), DHP #1 comes in three different versions containing three different covers by Chadwick, Miller (see above) and indie great, Paul Pope.
So make the Wednesday run this week! Splurge the eight bucks on DHP’s 80-pages of greatness and relish the magic that is the anthology comic book.
