New Releases by Batton Lash

New tales for a beloved character...Join Shoeshine, Poly Purebred, and a rogues gallery of dastardly villains as we journey to a time when cartoons had heart and humor. Have no fear, Underdog is here!

The law firm of Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre take on a case in which a ghost is literally "grandfathered in" to a home inheritance: Grandpa has died but his ghost won''t leave the house, much to the chagrin of his son and daughter-in-law.

" Among the clients represented by Wolff and Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre are a fifth-generation vampire who aspires to Hollywood stardom, a werewolf who''s being stalked by a fan, and Troma''s Toxic Avenger. Along the way they encounter producers who want to make a movie about them, TV talk show hosts, and works of art that come to life."--Amazon.com.

Archie and his friends have forever been stuck in the latter portion of high school, but now, after many long years, the story of how "the gang" all met up is finally being told in this, the first edition of The High School Chronicles! This pioneering storyline brings us the beginning of the "eternal love triangle," the introduction of Mr. Weatherbee as principal of Riverdale High, the formation of Moose and Midge''s relationship (and Reggie''s subsequent schemes to split them up), and other Archie staples! So get your Homecoming dress, pack your brand-new backpack, and pick up your school map to find your way to the biggest Archie story of the year!

"Start off with a little ring-a-ding-ding from the new "King of Cool" Professor Frink, some harmless daydreaming from Bart''s pal Milhouse, some bedtime nursery rhyming with Maggie Simpson, and a bit of back-in-the-day reminiscing from Mr. Burns. Even a tyke-sized Homer tries his hand at some magical wishing, and Ralph Wiggum does a little role modeling. Then, Sideshow Bob goes slumming to exact his revenge, Bart sets about reinvigorating his favorite superhero comic magazine, and Homer thinks he''s seeing double when he discovers another brother from yet another mother"--Page 4 of cover.

Beware the creatures of the nightâe"They have lawyers! Alanna Wolff and Jeff Byrd have an unusual law practice: defending monsters and the supernaturally afflicted! This 160-page fully four-color trade paperback contains seven stories featuring the attorneys and some of their most bizarre clients. The lead story, Zombie Wife (aka: âeoeMy Husband Killed Me and Now He Must Payâe¦ Damages!âe ) focuses on Mary Lou Henderson, who has come back from the dead to sue her husband for âeoewrongful deathâe (he thinks heâe(tm)s gotten away with murder!). Other clients include the Medusa of Greek mythology, a man who releases his inner demon, a Wiccan who is offended by Halloween, and a a fifth-generation vampire who seeks fame in Hollywood.

Before they ruled Riverdale High, they were freshmen too! Go back to school with Archie, Reggie, Betty, Veronica, Chuck and Jughead and see how it all began! Find out what happens when Jughead finds true love! Watch as Betty & Veronica become accidental internet celebrities. Witness Reggie leaving the Gang for a new set of “Pals ‘n’ Gals.” See what develops as Chuck takes on the world of comic books for the very first time, and find out what exactly happened to Pencilneck G. Get the full story for the first time!

Stories feature: Sodd, the Thing called It, a swamp monster who''s bogged down in legal woes; Rosemary Austin, a wife who''s discovered she''s carrying Satan''s baby; Morty Fishburn, a comedian with his own personal laugh track; Benjamin, a guardian angel who''s being sued for not doing a good job; Ayn Wrice, a novelist with a horrifying secret; Roger Rizzoli, a corpse in trouble with the IRS; plus, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, Bigfoot, and Mavis, the intrepid secretary.

The Scrapyard Detectives solve the mysteries that affect their community, and learn valuable lessons about teamwork and diversity.

This graphic novel is the first in the Supernatural Law series. In these satirical and clever stories, attorneys Wolff and Byrd represent a couple who have wished badly on the monkey''s paw, encounter a house that is haunted every full moon, and deal with swamp monsters, zombies, werewolves, ghosts, several different Draculas, and more!

In 1979, Lash created the comic strip Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre, about two attorneys specializing in cases dealing with supernatural matters. Unlike Wolfram & Hart, the law firm with a similar clientele on the TV show Angel, Alanna Wolff and her partner, Jeff Byrd, have always been on the good guys'' side, and their exploits are comedies. Over time, Wolff and Byrd have migrated from one comics venue to another, and now star in their own comic book, Supernatural Law, from which the stories were collected for this paperback. The stories aren''t laugh-out-loud funny, but instead deal in quiet, gentle whimsy. The appealingly cartoony art maintains a light tone even in the more morbid scenes; the firm''s secretary looks as if she grew up in Archie''s Riverdale. Lash is overly fond of some of comics'' and soap opera''s kitschier clichEs. His characterizations tend to be one-dimensional; Wolff and Byrd have little personality and function as the straight men to a supporting cast of eccentrics. What''s most impressive about this book are the inventive concepts. In the title story, a man with an obsessively negative attitude visually transforms into a photo-negative version of himself. Lash parodies pop culture targets ranging from Stephen King and Harry Potter to other comics. The high point is a satire on Dave Sim''s Cerebus comics, which should delight even readers unfamiliar with the target. After a full quarter century, it''s remarkable that Wolff and Byrd''s saga still demonstrates such imaginative vitality.

Follows lawyers Alanna Wolf and Jeff Byrd as they take on the case of Buford, a teenage vampire brat.

Meet Alanna Wolff and Jeff Byrd, attorneys who represent that supernatural and the supernaturally afflicted. In this collection of stories from the law firms case files, Wolff & Byrd''s clients include: Dr. Life, Bugsy Renfield, Ygor, Martin Woodhull, Dekoo Kei and Barry Hopper.

"Freshman Year - The Missing Chapters: Jughead": For years, fans of Archie Comics have wondered what happened in the years before the fabled teens of Riverdale entered high school. How did everyone meet? Were the teachers always at the high school? Did all of Archie''s friends always live in Riverdale? Just when did the "eternal love triangle" first start? In the "Freshman Year" saga, originally presented in the pages of ARCHIE #587-591, readers finally learned the back-story behind Riverdale''s fabled cast of characters. But that wasn''t the whole story! Starting with this issue and running through four consecutive issues, writer Batton Lash fills in the blanks, giving readers an even bigger glimpse of what went on with Jughead, Betty & Veronica, Reggie, Chuck, and Pencilneck G. In this issue, we follow Jughead as his family moves out of Riverdale. What is life like in his new town? Can he make a friend as loyal as Archie? Who is Sadie - just a friend, or something more? You won''t want to miss the thrilling answers - reserve your copy today!

The Summer Before: Travel back in time with this five-issue tale that takes Archie and his friends back to their very first year in high school. It all starts with this poignant prologue which finds the gang wondering just what that first year will be like, while reflecting fondly on the past as well. Along the way, the gang must deal with the pending departure of one of their closest friends, as well as their bickering parents. And while the kids count the days until they enter their new school home, someone else is joining Riverdale High, too: Principal Waldo Weatherbee! All this, plus allusions to Captain Pureheart, The Man from R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., Veronica''s worldwide travels, and more!