CRIMINAL Vol. 2 #2

Written by Ed Brubaker
Pencils and Cover by Sean Phillips

It’s the second of three standalone stories, as CRIMINAL’s new expanded format keeps the hits coming!
In previous arcs of Criminal we’ve met the man who killed him, and we met his only surviving son… now meet TEEG LAWLESS, thief, murderer, and all around bad mother-#@$%er. Fresh from two tours in Vietnam, Teeg arrives home in 1972 carrying the baggage of war, a drug habit, and an unpaid debt to a local mob boss that’s now long overdue. *“Before the Living End”* tells how he goes about finding a way out of his problems and back into the life of crime.

And on top of this longer-than-usual length main story, CRIMINAL now features an *expanded* back-pages section, as well – with articles by Brubaker and other top crime writers, from novelists to screenwriters to comic writers. These noir articles have become a popular piece of the CRIMINAL package, and are something that can only be found in the comics, not in any collections.
So don’t miss out on this second *standalone* issue of the most acclaimed crime comic on the stands!

DEAD OF NIGHT FEATURING MAN-THING #2 (of 4)

Written by ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SACASA
Penciled by BRIAN DENHAM
Cover by KAARE ANDREWS

Death has come to Citrusville, in the guise of four deranged army vets filled with bloodlust, with nothing to lose. When their paths cross with swamp-witch Jessica Cale, expect death and dismemberment...but whose? And how do Jessica's little brother Andy and his imaginary, red-eyed, green-skinned friend fit in? This radical re-imagining of the Man-Thing mythos continues, once again narrated by the keeper of the Tower of Shadows: Digger!

MARVEL ILLUSTRATED: MOBY DICK #2 (of 6)

Written by ROY THOMAS (BASED ON THE NOVEL BY HERMAN MELVILLE)
Penciled by PASCAL ALIXE
Cover by JOHN WATSON

Captain Ahab’s obsession with the sea beast that haunts his life increases as the Pequod sails around the southern tip of Africa. Crewman Daggoo thinks he sights Moby Dick’s spout, but they find a giant squid instead—a very bad omen. The ship then encounters a mysterious whaling vessel whose crew shriek that Ahab is a blasphemer for hunting the great white whale! All the signs point to doom for the Pequod and those aboard it, but Ahab will press on toward his frightful destiny despite the dire warnings.

MARVEL ILLUSTRATED: PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY #4 (of 6)

Written by ROY THOMAS (BASED ON THE NOVEL BY OSCAR WILDE)
Penciled by SEBASTIAN FIUMARA
Cover by GERALD PAREL

Artist Basil Hallward is horrified at what has become of his beautiful portrait of Dorian Gray. He feels hatred for the painting’s subject and confronts Gray in a rage. When Basil then disappears, a perplexed Dorian goes upstairs to cover his portrait—and finds one of the hands is dripping red! Dorian’s downward spiral of self-destruction accelerates, drawing in all those who encounter him!

MARVEL ILLUSTRATED: THE ILIAD #4 (of 8)

Written by ROY THOMAS (BASED ON THE EPIC POEM BY HOMER)
Penciled by
MIGUEL ANGEL SEPULVEDA
Cover by PAOLO RIVERA

The Trojan War intensifies! The Greeks suffer a massacre and are slowly recovering when the god Zeus rains blood on the Greek lines, panicking them! The Greek fortifications seem to hold—until the Trojan warrior Hector shatters one of the Greek gates with a hurled boulder!  The Trojans then pass through the gates, altering the course of the epic conflict! How many more will die to determine the fate of the woman Helen?

ANITA BLAKE, VAMPIRE HUNTER: GUILTY PLEASURES #9 (of 12)

Written by LAURELL K. HAMILTON
Adaptated by Jessica Ruffner
Pencils & Cover by Ron Lim
Variant Cover by BRETT BOOTH

Laurell K. Hamilton’s deadly vampire hunter continues on the trail of a brutal and mysterious killer, a trail which leads her through all parts of the Vampire society.  This time, Anita goes in for a personal meeting with the Church of Eternal Life, the vampire religion which promises to make you live forever and actually delivers.  But will the head of the church tolerate Anita’s accusations?  The comic adaptation of the first novel in the best-selling Anita Blake series continues here!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$2.99

MARVEL SPOTLIGHT: LAURELL K. HAMILTON/GEORGE R.R. MARTIN

Written by JOHN RHETT THOMAS

Marvel Best–Selling Authors Laurell K. Hamilton and George R. R. Martin – two titans of modern fiction – get their turn in this month's SPOTLIGHT! Hamilton's ANITA BLAKE: VAMPIRE HUNTER series of novels has been going strong since the early nineties, creating legions of fans with a passion for her unique brand of Midwestern vampire mythology. Martin's medieval fantasy THE HEDGE KNIGHT charmed fans of his massively popular epic A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE with the tales of young Dunk and his journey to knighthood. Both New York Times best-selling writers bring the depth and variety of their exciting literature properties to Marvel. Together, they've already achieved great things – but with what's coming in 2008, you haven't seen anything yet!

LORDS OF AVALON: SWORD OF DARKNESS #2 (of 6)

Written by KINLEY MACGREGOR
Adapted by ROBIN FURTH
Art & Cover by Tommy Ohtsuka

A pawn in the war between light and dark, Seren seeks her freedom and refuses to be used. As Kerrigan and Morgen le Fey fight over her possession, her only hope lies in Kerrigan's humanity--that is if he has any left in his demon's heart.  The battle for the world continues to rage in issue 2 of Sword of Darkness, Marvel’s adaptation of Kinley MacGregor’s (a.k.a. Sherrilyn Kenyon) best–selling novel.

HEDGE KNIGHT II: SWORN SWORD #6 (of 6)

Written by GEORGE R. R. MARTIN
Adapted by Ben Avery
Pencils & Cover by Mike S. Miller

A dispute over water during a drought started small, with one of the Red Widow’s peasants being cut by one of Ser Eustace’s knights. But that small cut serves to open old wounds from the Blackfyre Rebellion, forcing Ser Duncan to put his ideals of knighthood to the test when he learns a dark secret about his lord, Ser Eustace. But blood must pay for blood, and Dunk has sworn his sword to Ser Eustace regardless of his past transgressions. Now, Dunk must do battle with the Red Widow’s castellan, Ser Lucas Inchfield, as the Sworn Sword rushes toward its bone–crushing conclusion in classic George R.R. Martin style.

OMEGA: THE UNKNOWN #6 (of 10)

Written by JONATHAN LETHEM & KARL RUSNAK
Pencils & Cover by FAREL DALRYMPLE &
PAUL HORNSCHEMEIER

Twin funerals deepen and darken the saga of young Alex Island and his mysterious protector, Omega The Unknown. Also in this issue: Alex goes to college! And we get a glimpse of some genuine panels from the comic-within-a-comic, The Unparalleled Mink, by a special guest artist.

WAR IS HELL: THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE PHANTOM EAGLE #1 (of 5)

Written by GARTH ENNIS 
Penciled by HOWARD CHAYKIN
Cover by JOHN CASSADAY

Set against the grim backdrop of Word War I, mysterious aviator Karl Kaufmann arrives on the western front dressed outlandishly and at the controls of his own plane. Overconfident and full of romantic ideals, he has come to fight and kill the Hun. But soon Kaufmann confronts staggering loss and witnesses violence on a scale he has never imagined. In the process, he learns the harsh truth of conflict: war is hell. Written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Howard Chaykin.

KABUKI: REFLECTIONS #10

Written by DAVID MACK
Art by DAVID MACK
Cover by DAVID MACK

This square-bound art book acts as a tie-in to the DVD documentary on Mack’s work, THE ALCHEMY OF ART: DAVID MACK from Herovideoproductions.com.
REFLECTIONS #10 features details and commentary on never-before-seen art and stories – including Mack’s new children’s book THE SHY CREATURES, handmade books and paintings from the DVD. Also featuring step-by-step art techniques, and loads of art and extras you’ve never seen before. Ever wonder how David Mack does his artwork? How his pages and covers go from sketches and drawings to finished art? How he uses models and figure drawings? It’s all in here with lots of extras!

KICK-ASS #2

Written by MARK MILLAR
Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.

Sickening violence...just the way you like it. The most screwed-up superhero comic of all time continues in what's sure to be the most exciting launch of 2008. What would happen if you tried to be a super hero? What would happen when an ordinary man in a latex suit comes face-to-face with the criminal underworld? Read about super heroes like you've never seen them before and feel happy that you are living here right now when this book is being published. Your grandchildren will only envy you. Comics just don't get better than this.

POWERS #30

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art & Cover by MICHAEL AVON OEMING

"THE REDEMPTION OF DEENA PILGRIM"
She's murdered in cold blood. She's broken every law she's sworn to protect. She's contracted a virus to which there is no cure. Can the life of Deena Pilgrim be redeemed? And at what cost?