. . by word . . by word. A young runaway named Rain finds herself submerged in Seattle during the dying days of the grunge scene. Taking refuge in a haunted mansion, she becomes witness to a court of five spirits working a terrifying brand of justice. Graphic novel f

    Over the years, many of the best artists in the industry have asked if they could do a backup story, just to get a chance to play with the characters and worlds Mignola has created. As Dark Horse gears up for the release of the 2004 Hellboy motion picture, we present this lavish colection of these stories. One of the most popular features in recent Hellboy books has been the sketchbook section, so we've asked these stellar artists to let us present some of their behind the scenes work in this collection. Some of the best writers and artists in comics team up to present stories of giant bats, demon children, jet packs, haunted circuses, and rusted-out spaceships. Old-fashioned pulp fun featuring one of the greatest heroes of modern comics.

    Howard's Conan the Barbarian exploded on to the comics scene. Writer Roy Thomas teamed with a young artist named Barry Smith, and together the two mapped out some of the most stirring and memorable Conan adventures to come along since those written by Howard himself. Over the course of their 24 issue run together, Thomas and Smith defined Conan for a generation of comics readers, and now those stories are collected in this series. Featuring completely remastered color and text corrections, and containing material not available for nearly thirty years.

    Rewritten by Gaiman for this graphic novel, these two ominous stories from the author's award-winning prose work Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions feature animals and people not being quite what they seem.In "The Price," a black cat like a small panther arrives at a country home and is soon beset by mysterious and vicious wounds. What is he fighting every night that could do this, and why does he persist?"The Daughter of Owls" recounts an eerie old tale of a foundling girl who was left with an owl pellet as a newborn on the steps of the Dymton Church. She was soon cloistered away in a local convent, but by her fourteenth year word of her beauty had spread -- and those who would prey upon her faced unforeseen consequences.

    Containing the black-and-white interiors and full-color covers of Primer #2 and Grendel #1-3 originally published by Comico, this handsome hardcover volume is an essential piece of comics history, presenting the earliest work of Matt Wagner, the legendary creator behind such acclaimed projects as Mage, Sandman Mystery Theatre and Batman: The Monster Men among many others.

    Soon his pursuit of the ancient treasure reveals a conniving spirit and undead guards. Dust from the desolate land meets blood, and a dark-hearted sorcerer brings forth strange abominations from this unholy mix. Only the cool head and cold steel of the Cimmerian can save all creation from the horror that awaits, and the blood-spattered conclusion will send shivers down the spines of even the most hardcore Conan fans!

    Their rollicking adventures in the fantastic land of Nehwon have influenced the work of some of the best in modern fantasy, including Michael Moorcock, Terry Pratchett and countless others.

    Vaughan (TV's Lost, Y: The Last Man) for a unique take on the man who's the best there is at what he does. Finally armed with long-lost memories from his past, Wolverine returns to one of his first battlefields to settle an old score in an all-new adventure with a shocking revelation about the man known as Logan. Collecting Logan #1-3, plus extras.

    Once you put on The Mask, you're a homicidal lunatic with a bad taste for bad jokes and seriously deranged violence. And nothing -- but nothing -- can kill you!When her boyfriend Stanley died, Kathy thought the weird mask had been lost forever. Now gangsters are dying like flies, victims of everything from comic-book bombs to crossbow shafts, and she knows that somehow it's back. Only Kathy can stop the rampage, but first she has to get around the gangwar erupting around her, the new Mask -- whoever he is -- and the worst bad-guy of all, Walter!

    Tells the tale of three aspiring comics creators with big dreams, small cash, and publishing rights to one forgotten Golden Age hero - The Escapist.

    But the power stops at the county line. Inside the afflicted area, something ancient and malevolent stirs and new monsters arise... The series concentrates on young Wyatt, an unlikely hero from the wrong side of the tracks as well as Sheriff Morgan (and his odd past) and town outcast Amanda. They'll have to combine their efforts to keep the county from imploding...or being eaten by mighty Cthulhu.

    After a tragic encounter with an artifact known as "The Dreamstone," infamous treasure hunter Fabian Gray was possessed by five literary ghosts and has been granted access to their unique abilities.Collects FIVE GHOSTS: THE HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY #1-5.

    His little foodie television program has since evolved into STARVE, an arena sport that pits chef against chef for the pleasure of their super-rich patrons. It's a stain on a once-noble profession, and Chef Gavin is ready to go to war to stop it. Two things stand in his way: his arch rival Roman Algiers, and his adult daughter Angie, who probably just wants her dad back and acting normal.

    Two years later, Dark Horse Comics released a direct follow-up to the events in the film. Years before any talk of a film sequel, the comics series took fandom by storm, selling hundreds of thousands of copies.Though the story was subsequently rendered noncanonical by the film Alien 3, the stunningly detailed art by Mark A. Nelson and the seminal script by Mark Verheiden (who went on to write The Mask, Timecop, Battlestar Galactica, Daredevil, and many other films and television shows) continued to grip readers' imaginations for years afterward. For the thirtieth anniversary of Aliens, Dark Horse is releasing an oversized hardcover edition of the unabridged and unadulterated series, in its original stark black and white!

    Bone Cover by Darwyn Cooke The first volume of the award-winning series is collected in trade paperback, featuring BATMAN/THE SPIRIT and THE SPIRIT #1-6.