New Releases by Fred Van Lente

AT LAST — A SERIES WORTHY OF THE NAME GASTON! The unfairly maligned antagonist of Beauty and the Beast will be the first to tell you that he’s the greatest tracker in the land, a fact that has been confirmed by his totally unbiased sidekick, LeFou — and who would know better than these two fine, upstanding citizens? So when a nobleman offers a sizable reward for the return of his runaway horse, Gaston pursues the escaping steed with a single-minded focus — directly into the king’s private hunting grounds! Arrested for trespassing, Gaston faces a long stay in the royal lock-up — except that his obviously superior abilities impress the king’s wily advisor, the Comte du Soufflé, who has a dangerous mission that only someone as unthinkingly brave as the great Gaston would ever contemplate taking on. If he succeeds, he’ll be free to go — but when he finds out what he’s up against, prison might seem like the safer bet! Highly animated authors GREG PAK (Lilo & Stitch) and FRED VAN LENTE (Conan the Avenger) join forces with artiste extraordinaire MILENA CICCARELLO to finally bring readers the tale that they have surely been clamoring for with Disney Villains: Gaston — featuring appropriately adoring covers courtesy of CICCARELLO, LESLEY “LEIRIX” LI, TED BRANDT & RO STEIN, and WILL ROBSON!

The fairy-tale slasher reaches its terrifying conclusion! The chimes of midnight are about to strike. Princess-Detective Tanith has figured out the identity of the masked slasher called the Girl Without Hands and the reasons behind her bloody rampage—but is it in time to rescue her best friend, before they both Die Unhappily Never After?

The police have the Storybook Kingdom theme park in lockdown as they grill witnesses of the fairy-tale murders…but that just makes everyone trapped inside the next potential victim of the terrifying masked slasher known as The Girl With No Hands. Princess-Detective Tanith has been imprisoned in Storybook Jail, accused of The Girl’s crimes herself—can she escape in time to learn the hideous secret lurking in Rapunzel’s Tower?

The Bourne Identity meets X-Men in Bloodshot, an all-new origin story and a heart-pounding adventure featuring the popular comic book character from Valiant Entertainment. He wakes up in the middle of the woods with chalk-white skin, the ability to heal from any injury, and no memory of who or what he is. He is Bloodshot, and now he’s caught between the shadowy defense contractor that wants to capture him, and the underground network of dangerous psychics that want to destroy him. Now, Kalea, the young woman who found him, has a target on her back just for trying to help. To save himself and his friends, Bloodshot must stay alive long enough to unravel the mystery of his own identity—and deal with the real possibility that his own family are the ones who most want him dead.

Though her signature combination of psychological manipulation and brutal violence, Jennifer Blood has the Volk white supremacist prison gang and the Crooked Cross biker fanatics tearing at each other’s throats. But now that she has provided the spark to light the flames, the resulting conflagration may be too big to contain — and threatens to consume everyone Jennifer cares about! Trusted reporters FRED VAN LENTE (Marvel Zombies) and ROBERT CAREY (The Outsiders) deliver all the details in Jennifer Blood: Battle Diary #4 — featuring additional coverage from CAREY, JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER, and LESLEY “LEIRIX” LI!

The hit series returns, cuz you can’t kill a never-ending army of zombies... you can only hope to beat the $%&# out of them! Dynamite’s cross-company zombie crossover returns with even more undead mayhem! Evil Sonja and the Drakulonian sisters Vampirella and Pantha may have turned back the plague on Earth, but what happens when zombies from MARS start to invade?! Hear that cry in the jungle — that’s right, Tarzan has joined the insanity, and the Ape-Man has his hands full with ZOMBIE DINOSAURS in a lost valley! How does this incursion connect to Barsoom?!

Everybody’s favorite female assassin — created by comics author extraordinaire GARTH ENNIS (The Boys, Battlefields, Preacher, The Punisher, Hitman) — returns for an all-new tale of extralegal killing and ruthless vigilantism! Following the grisly events of Bloodlines, the woman known as Jennifer Blood finds herself involved with a new class of criminals. This one-woman bane of organized crime is supposedly dead and buried, and that’s exactly what she wants the world to think. Now, however, a visit to her original penitentiary gravesite puts Blood in the crosshairs of a vicious prison gang — one that has no idea of what’s about to hit them! Written by FRED VAN LENTE (Marvel Zombies) and illustrated by ROBERT CAREY (The Outsiders), Jennifer Blood: Battle Diary #1 also features killer covers from artists JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER, LESLEY “LEIRIX” LI, and REBECA PUEBLA!

Dying Light 2. Stay Human. Set right before the start of Dying Light 2, and 15 years following the events of Dying Light, the story stars orphans Daud and Aisha. They were just children when the Harran Virus outbreak struck the world, and have known nothing other than the plague for their entire lives. Evacuated and found by Berg, they were trained to become Night Runners, to work together and steal for him as his influence grows among the Survivors. Reaching young adulthood, Daud and Aisha are finally sick of living under his thumb, hatching plans to run away together. When the secrets are discovered, Berg sells off Aisha to a rival. Forcing Daud on a harrowing journey to rescue his love, through the deadly Volatiles and utilizing the game's signature parkour. Writer Fred Van Lente is the perfect match for this official story, having penned hit comics such as Marvel Zombies and DIE!namite, joined by artist Adam Markiewicz. As they chronicle a thrilling and touching tale within the world that 17 million players have run, jumped, and fought their way through.

Put yourself in the mood for love...of delicious human flesh! Peter Cannon Thunderbolt has spent his entire life on a Himalayan mountain and his best friend Tabu is convinced to help him find a special someone, which is hard enough even in ideal conditions, but in the middle of a zombie apocalypse affecting all of Dynamite's heroes, it may be impossible! Or...is it?

Who are the cosmic beings known only as the Psi-Lords? And how will they change the course of the Valiant Universe? Four space explorers awake in an otherworldly prison known as the Gyre with no memory of how they got there. Sent by space agencies from across the Earth and gifted with strange new celestial powers, these spacefarers will have to work together to survive. And out in these star-flung reaches, they?ll have nothing but their wits to guide them. That, and a mysterious voice in their heads that tells them if they want to escape and find their way home there is one thing they must do? Find the Psi-Lords. New York Times bestselling writer Fred Van Lente (IVAR, TIMEWALKER; GENERATION ZERO) and stunning artist Renato Guedes (SHADOWMAN) team up for a brand-new, galaxy-bending adventure! Collecting PSI-LORDS #1?8.

Vampirella arrives on Mars but it may be too late for her and Dejah Thoris to save Barsoom...Things go from bad to worse as Earth Project: Zombiepowers spreads the killer virus throughout the globe...and Red Sonja and her mysterious companion may have the key to solving the plague, but first they’ve got to past an army of zombie gorillas. Did we say zombie gorillas? Yes, we said zombie gorillas.

Collects Marvel Adventures Super Heroes (2010) #4, Marvel Universe Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors (2014) #8, Free Comic Book Day 2009 (Wolverine: Origin Of An X-Man), Marvel Adventures Spider-Man (2010) #3. Feisty fun for the whole family with two of Marvel’s most popular superstars! Everybody loves Deadpool, right? Somebody ought to tell the Avengers! Can the Merc with a Mouth fast-talk his way out of a confrontation with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? At least Spider-Man can see Wade Wilson’s appeal - until a day in the life of Deadpool shows him a little something about power and irresponsibility. Wolverine’s keen to teach Spidey a lesson too, when he finds out the webhead is following him -and he is one tutor who makes sure you get the point! And what was Wolvie up to just before he first tangled with the Hulk?

A fast-break history of basketball--from its humble beginnings to its all-time great players--featuring engaging true tales from the court and vivid, dynamic illustrations. Whether it's millionaire pros facing off in an indoor arena full of screaming fans or a lone kid shooting hoops on an outdoor court, basketball is one of the most popular and widely played sports in the world. The Comic Book Story of Basketball gives you courtside seats to the history of hoops. It chronicles the sport from its beginnings in a YMCA in Massachusetts to its current status as a beloved international game for men and women of all ages. Learn the true stories behind the college game, the street game, the women's game, and the international game, with legendary players and coaches like Dr. J, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Steph Curry profiled throughout.

After an explosive escape from a cosmic prison, the team of amnesiac astronauts needs to find a way home! But where is the ship that brought them here in the first place? And just who are these Psi-Lords they keep hearing about? It?s a deadly scavenger hunt around the Gyre in search of a way back home, but this cosmic ring of decaying ships hides many threats within its aging walls!

Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #592-601 and Annual #36, Spider-Man: The Short Halloween, Dark Reign: Mister Negative #1-3, Amazing Spider-Man: American Son Sketchbook and material from Amazing Spider-Man Family #7. A truly Amazing era of Spider-Man continues - with the former Green Goblin in charge! First, Spidey goes all-out, "24/7" to mess with J. Jonah Jameson - as a new Vulture makes his high-flying debut! But Norman Osborn is policing the nation with his Dark Avengers, and Peter Parker doesn't like that one bit! Whose side is the armored American Son on - and what will Osborn's Dark Reign mean for Mister Negative? Spidey will go from one of his greatest enemies to another when Doctor Octopus makes a comeback - like never before! Plus: Daredevil, a wedding and the return of one of the most important people in Peter's life!

Collects Marvel Adventures Spider-Man (2005) #33-36. The all-new, all-ages, all-action fun continues! It's wall-to-wall mayhem in the Mighty Marvel Manner with four original tales of everybody's favorite teenage wall-crawler! Featuring Doctor Octopus, the Green Goblin and Venom! Plus: Will Harry Osborn succumb to his family's evil legacy and don the guise of the Goblin?

Collects Fall Of The Hulks: The Savage She-Hulks #1-3 and material From Incredible Hulk #600-605. She's left her apocalyptic world for this one. Her mother was a heroine, her father a rampaging HULK. What path is the Savage She-Hulk called Lyra on, and why has it led her to add her might to the Wizard's Frightful Four? See how some of the toughest women in the Marvel Universe tip the balance of power in the Fall of the Hulks with this exciting story by Jeff Parker (AGENTS OF ATLAS, FALL OF THE HULKS ALPHA) and Salva Espin (INCREDIBLE HERCULES)

Boasting the dazzling art of Davide Gianfelice, Brian Ching, and Paul Azaceta, and featuring the Fred Van Lente-penned "Shadows Over Kush," Conan Omnibus 6: Savagery and Sorrow offers over 400 story pages of unforgettable exploits, bone-chilling darkness, and spellbinding imagination. The acclaimed Brian Wood adaptation of the Robert E. Howard's classic "Queen of the Black Coast" comes to its heartbreaking conclusion. Having found at long last his one true love and spiritual equal, the invincible barbarian Conan faces the one foe no warrior can defeat. But there will be little time to grieve, for death takes no holiday, and evil never dies!

Mystério, le Vautour, Silvermane, le Rhino, le Scorpion et les autres super-vilains de New York ne laissent aucun répit à Spider-Man. Derrière chaque adversaire vaincu se dresse une nouvelle silhouette, prête à frapper Peter Parker et ses proches. Au cours de sa carrière, l'infatigable justicier a toujours réussi à les vaincre. Mais lorsque leurs motivations ou leur identité changent, ces criminels deviennent plus difficiles à vaincre et surtout... beaucoup plus dangereux !

The medium is the message! Comics come in many forms, from all around the world. What better way to discover them than through a comic book? The bestselling, mind-blowing graphic history of our favorite medium continues--now focusing on specific regions of the world and their contributions to the comic book art form. The Graphic Novel! From its Swiss roots in 1835 to today's American bestseller lists, with crucial spin-offs in France and Belgium. The British Invasion! 2000 AD had a big impact in 1986, as creators from across the pond elevated storytelling to new heights, but the British tradition stretches back much further. Manga! Japanese artists also have a long history of graphic storytelling, but ninjas, mecha, and magical girls have taken the world by storm in recent decades, and those are only scratching the surface. Undiscovered territory! Comics and their characters are everywhere, for everyone! From the digital revolution to comic characters in film, comics have never been more widely available, or appealed to more diverse audiences. Now in color, with added features, including HerStory of Comics: spotlights on influential female creators and their impacts on the form.

Another challenge for THE GREEN HORNET, his aide KATO, and their rolling arsenal, THE BLACK BEAUTY! On police records a wanted criminal, THE GREEN HORNET is really Britt Reid, owner/publisher of The Daily Sentinel. Reid and Kato have traveled to Central City to participate in the futuristic World’s Fair, to get the skinny on the “Newspaper of Tomorrow,” a device capable of predicting headlines before events happen! But isn’t that a dangerous power for the press to wield… and say, who’s that blue-suited skulker in the shadows?

Collects Slapstick #1-6. Steve Harmon was an average teenager with an average job as your average clown, living in average New Jersey. But after being zapped by weird and mysterious extradimensional energy, Steve became Slapstick — a living, breathing cartoon character! Now, after joining — and then quitting — Deadpool’s Mercs for Money, Slapstick is striking out on his own! Sure, he’s gotta move back in with his parents, but he gets to team up with the Amazing Spider-Man and meet adorable (but deadly) little minotaurs, so there’s that! And when he embarks on a very personal mission, Slapstick will have to work with far stranger allies — like the War D.O.G.S., America’s Best Friends! But can these patriotic pups help Steve get to Dimension Ecch, where a throne of games awaits him?

As the story opens, nine comedians of various acclaim are summoned to the island retreat of legendary Hollywood funnyman Dustin Walker. The group includes a former late-night TV host, a washed-up improv instructor, a ridiculously wealthy “blue collar” comic, and a past-her-prime Vegas icon. All nine arrive via boat to find that every building on the island is completely deserted. Marooned without cell phone service or wifi signals, they soon find themselves being murdered one by one. But who is doing the killing, and why? A darkly clever take on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and other classics of the genre, Ten Dead Comedians is a marvel of literary ventriloquism, with hilarious comic monologues in the voice of every suspect. It’s also an ingeniously plotted puzzler with a twist you’ll never see coming!

Z Nation: Sea of Death – Part 3 Specialist Israel Johnson and Private Edie Cutter find themselves caught between warring factions as the remnants of the U.S. Navy board the floating zombie fortress The Empress of the Seas to capture the food substitute Soylent Z. With the Captain and his notorious Crew distracted by the fight, Israel and Edie decide their best course of action is to steal the Soylent themselves, not realizing the Navy has a secret weapon they’re about to deploy. Meanwhile, in the depths of the ocean an all-new zombie menace begins to stir. Sea of Death is a prequel set in the world of Syfy's hit zombie series Z Nation, produced by The Asylum. Featuring Z Nation's signature blend of horror, humor and heart, Sea of Death is a six-issue miniseries from acclaimed writer Fred Van Lente (Marvel Zombies, G.I. Joe) and Craig Engler, based on the long running series Z Nation created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler.

Z Nation: Black Summer – Part Two! Specialist Israel Johnson and Private Edie Cutter find themselves trapped aboard the floating zombie fortress The Empress of the Seas as the world around them descends into starvation and chaos. Their mission is to retrieve the food substitute Soylent Z and bring it back to the survivors led by Charles Garnett in Fort Benning, but first they'll have to steal it back from the sadistic Captain and his Crew. From acclaimed writer Fred Van Lente (Marvel Zombies, G.I. Joe) and Craig Engler (Co-Creator of Z Nation), based on the long running series Z Nation created by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler, and produced by The Asylum.

Z Nation: Black Summer – Part One A prequel set in the world of Syfy's #1 scripted hit zombie series Z Nation, Black Summer is as bad as the apocalypse gets. A worldwide drought and famine when most of the surviving population dies and turns zombie. As the remnants of humanity cling to existence, fan favorite Charles Garnett returns to send a new team on a desperate new mission: Retrieve a possibly untouched cache of the food substitute Soylent Z from Galveston, Texas. But when mission leader Israel Johnson and his small team arrive in Galveston, they'll face a threat unlike anything ever seen before in the zombie genre. Featuring Z Nation's signature blend of horror, humor and heart, Black Summer is the start of a new six-issue miniseries from acclaimed writer Fred Van Lente (Marvel Zombies, G.I. Joe) and Craig Engler, based on the long running series Z NATION by Karl Schaefer and Craig Engler.

Based on the popular game series, Assassin's Creed: Templars Volume 1: Black Cross collects the first five issues of a brand new story arc exclusive to Titan Comics. Collecting the first arc of the brand new explosive Templars series, from the world of Assassin's Creed, Fred Van Lente and Dennis Calero offer a new perspective on the century-spanning feud between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order

Rocketing out of the pages of 4001 A.D...the present and future of ValiantÕs greatest heroes come together in four essential standalone chapters at the heart of the blockbuster comics event of the year! Blast two thousand years into the future as the never-before-told history of New JapanÕs dominion over Earth and the future fates of X-O Manowar, Bloodshot and Shadowman stand revealed. Then, witness the battle- scarred debut of the boldest new hero of this century or the next when War Mother makes her history-shattering debut! The future starts now as all-star writers Robert Venditti, Jeff Lemire, Jody Houser, Rafer Roberts, and Fred Van Lente join visionary artists Clayton Henry, Doug Braithwaite, Robert Gill, and Tomas Giorello to bring the Valiant Universe barreling into the 41st century! Collecting 4001 A.D.: X-O MANOWAR #1, 4001 A.D.: BLOODSHOT #1, 4001 A.D.: SHADOWMAN #1, and 4001 A.D.: WAR MOTHER #1.

Writer Fred Van Lente takes on the world's most famous barbarian! Conan and the former slave girl Natala wander the desert as the only survivors of a vast army. Finally they arrive dying of thirst to the unwelcoming and desolate city of Xuthal, where a mysterious horror lurks in the shadows threatening to take any who step within the city! As the inhabitants sleep under the spell of the Black Lotus, Conan and Natala must escape if they wish to live! This enthralling volume collects issues #13--19 of the Dark Horse Comics series Conan the Avenger.

Writer Fred Van Lente's incredible run on Conan reaches its epic conclusion! Taramis, the beloved queen of Khauran, was born with a twin sister, Salome--but by an ancient doom placed on their bloodline Salome's chest bore a scarlet half-moon birthmark: the mark of the witch! Left to die in the desert, Salome survived instead, and grew up to embrace her malevolent destiny . . . and now she's back, to take vengeance on all of Khauran! Featuring perhaps the most famous event in the Conan mythos, Conan's crucifixion, this spellbinding volume collects Conan the Avenger #20-25.