But Kyle Baker's comic book version of King David renders that classic confrontation in 17 wordless pages, comprising one of the freshest, most suspenseful and thrilling descriptions of its subject that you are likely to find. King David is a biblically accurate, freewheeling, color-saturated biography of the boy who rose to become king of Israel. David begins the book as a scruffyDennis-the-Menace-like kid and ends the book as a vain, hunky womanizer; King Saul is a glam-rock tyrant; his son Jonathan is a skinny punk rebel. (When he asks to borrow Saul's chariot and the king asks, "Where are you going, Jonathan?" he shoots back, "Out.") Many parents will deem the book's bloody battle scenes inappropriate for young readers. King David's candor, however, is a virtue. This is real religious literature: it describes David's relationship with God in a style that's fully alive for readers today. --Paul Power

    The Battle for Gobwin Knob tells the story of obsessive strategy gamer Parson Gotti, who is magically summoned into a gamelike fantasy universe and forced to command an army in an all-too-real war.

    Now Gwenny, having stumbled across another bottle-shipped map, enlists the dubious help of a shipful of pirates, sets out to find the island, and her long-lost dad.Little does she realize that the Isle comes by its ominous name honestly, as the location of a secret school for executioners and torturers, where apple-cheeked youngsters are taught the finer points of extracting information from prisoners… and then putting an end to their lives in a wide variety of gruesome ways. And they’ve reached the point in their studies where theory should ideally give way to practice, so an influx of uninvited visitors comes as a blessing to the faculty.And yes, this story is a comedy. Albeit a dark one.For the first time in his career, Jason has enlisted a writer: Fabien Vehlmann. (Vehlmann has written a number of graphic novels for the French and American markets, including an installment of the legendary Spirou series and the three-volume Green Manor continuity, of which two volumes have been released in English.) Vehlmann has managed to interiorize Jason’s deadpan style and wit perfectly, creating a uniquely smooth and successful collaboration.

    The Complete Crumb Comics: The Early Years of Bitter Struggle is the first of a multivolume series, and includes previously unpublished strips created from 1958 to 1962. Crumb's earliest works, some written when he was as young as 15, range from an encounter with Dracula ("I didn't try to escape Dracula, my mind was consentrated [sic] on one thing . . . I was thirsty . . . very thirsty") to Nikita Khrushchev's 1958 visit to the U.S. ("Ever watchful guards stay with Khruschev during a refreshing hot bath."). Crumb aficionados and neophytes alike should rejoice in this classic collection of comic strips; sketchbooks; underground comics; dramatic and autobiographical strips; classic cartoon creations Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural; and a pithy, biographical preface by Crumb's friend Marty Pahls.

    During a mysterious encounter in the desert, Bethany, Nathan, Danny, Jack, and Jazz begin to realize that they have been locked in a shared fantasy-world. Now they must come to terms with the real world and their strange powers before their former captors track them down. Featuring a new painted cover by John Byrne.

    . . and how is it even possible? Prepare yourself for a Simpsons saga filled with Futurama! A Futurama fable suffused with the Simpsons! Featuring a plethora of pleasing plot devices including: evil brain spawn, lactose-intolerant space aliens, a giant ball of yarn, flying cars, mistaken identities, world domination, the brittle fabric of reality torn asunder, a comic book-collecting sentient planet, the Dewey Decimal system, self-eating watermelons, slave labor, space pirates, power-crazed vampires, super hero battles, unflattering underwear, mad science run amok, and much, much more! This is the epic story that you've been waiting for . . . a story so big, so ambitious, so sweeping that it can only be told in a 208-page, large format, slip-cased edition, complete with new material, supplemental stories, preliminary sketches, character designs, and a pin-up gallery featuring the talents of comics industry luminaries Alex Ross, Sergio Aragonés, Geof Darrow, Kyle Baker, Peter Kuper, and Bernie Wrightson, among others. It's a comic convergence on a reality ripping, time altering, space traveling, intergalactic scale! It's The Simpsons Futurama Crossover CrisisUncut and all comedy! First published in 2002 and 2005 as two two-part, comic book mini-series (Futurama/Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis and The Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis II), these four hard-to-find comics are collected together for the first time in a hardcover collection, encased in a die-cut slipcase, and packaged with a reprint of the very first Eisner Award-winning issue of Simpsons Comics from 1993. “Abrams’ initial release is a beautifully designed package, a glossy hardcover in a glossier slipcover, as bright and colorful as a grab-bag bin in a candy-store.”—The Onion AV ClubFrom Publishers Weekly Two classic animated series are brought together in a comic that offers many surprises, including how well it all works when transported to a new medium. Although both sources are the creation of cartoonist Matt Groening, the broadcast runs of each series referred to the other as works of fiction within their own universes, perhaps seeking to avoid the temptation of an attention grabbing crossover. And yet somehow this assemblage ably accomplishes just such a task while remaining faithful to the source materials. When Futurama's crew from the Planet Express delivery service become trapped in the fictional world of a Simpsons comic book, they must escape from Springfield. But shortly afterward they open a rift that brings the Simpsons characters into the Planet Express world, where the fictional characters must be rescued and returned to the pages of their comic book. Boothby's writing excels at letting each universe and the characters in them maintain their subtly distinct identities even when they blend. The overarching story for the book is designed to easily allow opportunities for affectionate references to comics, to science fiction, and to notable works of fiction. While the Simpsons comics included in the collection are not as strong, the crossover story takes what could have been a simple throwaway gag and instead crafts a funny, intricately detailed story. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

    American Blood is the definitive collection of writer-artist Benjamin Marra’s provocative, self-published comics stories from the past several years, including “Gangsta Rap Posse,” “The Naked Heroes,” “Lincoln Washington,” “Ripper,” and “The Incredibly Fantastic Adventures of Maureen Dowd” (in which the controversial political columnist must fight off fanatic White House officials and Hezbollah commandos in time to file her most important column yet and make a date with George Clooney).

    There they discover a truth that neither expected, but both must come to accept. Previously published by D.C. Comics.

    THE BIG BOOK OF DEATH looks the Grim Reaper in the face and laughs, with tales of outmoded methods of execution, capital punishment, visits to famous cemeteries, body disposal, weird deaths and stupid murders and more.

    Owen’s spirited attacks on the greed and dishonesty of the capitalist system, and his support for a socialist society in which work is performed to satisfy the needs of all, rather than to generate profit for a few, eventually rouses his fellow men from their political passivity. Described by George Orwell as a piece of social history and a book that everyone should read, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is often cited as “one of the most authentic novels of English working class life ever written.” In this faithful graphic adaptation, creators Scarlett and Sophie Rickard craft a compelling fiction that paints a comprehensive picture of social, political, economic, and cultural life in early 20th century Britain that is still acutely relevant today.

    

    Reprints stories from Mighty World of Marvel, illustrated by Alan Davis

    Don’t miss a moment in the brutal adventures of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad’s battle against the Locust.From the Hardcover edition.

    A name synonymous with crime and violence. Hunter Rose. A name familiar with wealth and privilege. Two identities, one Devil. Acclaimed Grendel creator Matt Wagner crafts a series of tales that spotlights those the Devil has influenced and intimidated, a grim grimoir of punishment and revenge illustrated in stark black, white, and blood-red that brings together a virtual who's who of talented artists, including John Paul Leon, Tim Sale (Batman: The Long Halloween), Duncan Fegredo (Kevin Smith's Jay & Silent Bob), D'Israeli, Ho Che Anderson, C. Scott Morse, Bernie Mireault, Paul Chadwick (Concrete), Tim Bradstreet, David Mack, Guy Davis (Sandman Mystery Theatre), the Pander Brothers, Stan Shaw (Sunglasses After Dark), Jay Geldhof, Teddy Kristiansen, Jason Pearson, Mike Allred, Woodrow Phoenix, Troy Nixey, and Chris Sprouse. Also includes long out-of-print Devil's Vagary, illustrated by Dean Motter.

    Nothing has been added in the interests of sensationalism. What happened in the small town of Watseka, Illinois, between the years 1865 and 1878 may strain credibility, as well as shock. But it did happen...Mary Roth, a gentle, unassuming 19 year old girl, died suddenly on the night of July 5th, 1865, in the town of Watseka, Illinois. Her death was strange, but her life had been stranger. For several years she had been subject to sudden, unaccountable "fits" - sometimes horrifically violent, sometimes so chilling in their effects her parents thought her insane: she would speak in German, or in a man's bass voice, as if possessed... But death brought to an end her sad and disturbing case...Thirteen years later, in 1878, Mary Roth reappeared - in the living body of Lurancy Vennum...