A fascinating mythology of horror and consequence, this epic masterfully combined intriguing literature with captivating art. THE SANDMAN COMPANION is an exhaustive guide to this legend. Revealing hitherto undisclosed information and behind-the-scenes secrets, this book features in-depth interviews, never-before-seen illustrations, character origins, and story explanations and analysis. Also including excerpts from the original proposal for the series, this handbook is the perfect complement to the Sandman graphic novels.

    Readers will learn the basic anatomy, fundamentals of storycraft and how the medium works as a means of expression.

    Did the Nazi Party help form the CIA? Did aliens form the Nazi Party? Are descendants of Jesus living in France? Is Jim Morrison still alive? The answers to these questions and many more may be found inside this book - or then again not.

    But the would-be Master of Quack-Fu will have his wings full hanging out with Spider-Man and waging "waaaugh" with madcap menaces like the Space Turnip, the Cookie Creature, the Beaver and Doctor Bong. Will that earn him a spot on the Defenders?COLLECTING: Fear 19, Man-Thing (1974) 1, Howard the Duck (1976) 1-16, Howard the Duck Annual 1, Marvel Treasury Edition 12, material from Giant-Size Man-Thing 4-5

    With more than 250 blueprints, 500 photographs and illustrations, and ten stunning gatefolds, Star Wars: The Blueprints is a deluxe volume that reveals the work of the engineers, designers, and artists who dreamed up the look and feel of the Star Wars universe. Best-selling author J. W. Rinzler explores the complex process of envisioning and creating the Star Wars films throughout this collection. Witness first-hand the technical expertise and jaw-dropping detail involved in every part of the process, from concept sketches to final scenes. Star Wars: The Blueprints showcases the transformation of careful technical drawings to now-iconic sets--the rebel blockade runner, the Millennium Falcon , the bridge of General Grievous’s flagship, Jabba the Hutt’s throne room, and many others. Meticulously researched and packed with gorgeous artwork and little-known details, Star Wars: The Blueprints tells the story of the brilliant minds and technical prowess that brought this extraordinary epic to life.

    Featuring the Black Cat, the Kingpin, Madame Web, Mary Jane, the Prowler and more! See Spider-Man's earliest battles with one of his deadliest foes! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #238-239, #244-245 and #249-251; and PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #43, #47-48 and #85.

    Now, pushed beyond the limit, he finds himself behind the eight ball with no clear way out, the people he calls friends slowly deserting him, and Hell's Kitchen gradually slipping out of control. The question is, when his back is against the wall, just how far will Daredevil go to get back what is his? And if you think Matt's life is going to start getting simpler after that, think again As he tries to find a way to move forward, a threat from his past begins to creep toward daylight. And with the post-Civil War fallout all around him, he finds himself fighting a battle on both fronts of his life: in the courtroom and on the rooftops of Hell's Kitchen.Collecting: Daredevil 82-105

    Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, the Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, the X-Men, Daredevil—these superheroes quickly won children's hearts and sparked the imaginations of pop artists, public intellectuals, and campus radicals. Over the course of a half century, Marvel's epic universe would become the most elaborate fictional narrative in history and serve as a modern American mythology for millions of readers.Throughout this decades-long journey to becoming a multibillion-dollar enterprise, Marvel's identity has continually shifted, careening between scrappy underdog and corporate behemoth. As the company has weathered Wall Street machinations, Hollywood failures, and the collapse of the comic book market, its characters have been passed along among generations of editors, artists, and writers—also known as the celebrated Marvel "Bullpen." Entrusted to carry on tradition, Marvel's contributors—impoverished child prodigies, hallucinating peaceniks, and mercenary careerists among them—struggled with commercial mandates, a fickle audience, and, over matters of credit and control, one another.For the first time, Marvel Comics reveals the outsized personalities behind the scenes, including Martin Goodman, the self-made publisher who forayed into comics after a get-rich-quick tip in 1939; Stan Lee, the energetic editor who would shepherd the company through thick and thin for decades; and Jack Kirby, the World War II veteran who'd co-created Captain America in 1940 and, twenty years later, developed with Lee the bulk of the company's marquee characters in a three-year frenzy of creativity that would be the grounds for future legal battles and endless debates.Drawing on more than one hundred original interviews with Marvel insiders then and now, Marvel Comics is a story of fertile imaginations, lifelong friendships, action-packed fistfights, reformed criminals, unlikely alliances, and third-act betrayals— a narrative of one of the most extraordinary, beloved, and beleaguered pop cultural entities in America's history.

    - as well as a recovering Baron Zemo, who is out for their blood! Also, what happens when Atlas must contend with the mighty Hercules, who is out for revenge for injuries suffered in years past? Guest starring the Masters of Evil, the Avengers - and introducing the all-new Citizen V!Collecting: Thunderbolts 15-22, 0; Captain America & Citizen V Annual 1998; Avengers 12

    Here's your first look at the Star Wars of 25,000 years ago, before there were lightsabers, when the ties to the Force were new, and before the Jedi spread out into the galaxy.

    This new title collects the best Batman stories of all time, arranged according to era, and featuring appearances by The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, The Riddler and many others.Detective Comics #27 - "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate"Batman #1 - "The Legend of the Batman - Who He Is and How He Came to Be!"Detective Comics #83 - "Accidentally on Purpose!"Batman #49 - "The Scoop of the Century!"Detective Comics #211 - "The Jungle Cat-Queen!"Detective Comics #216 - "The Batman of Tomorrow!"World's Finest #94 - "The Origin of the Superman-Batman Team"Detective Comics #327 - "The Mystery of the Menacing Mask!"Batman #181 - "Beware of -- Poison Ivy!"Detective Comics #359 - "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!"Detective Comics #395 - "The Secret of the Waiting Graves"Detective Comics #442 - "Death Flies the Haunted Sky"Detective Comics #474 - "The Deadshot Ricochet"DC Special Series #21 - "Wanted: Santa Claus -- Dead or Alive!"Batman Special #1 - "The Player on the Other Side!"Detective Comics #574 - "...My Beginning...and My Probable End."Detective Comics #633 - "Identity Crisis"Batman #497 - "The Broken Bat"Detective Comics #711 -"Knight Out"Detective Comics #757 - "Air Time"Detective Comics #821 - "The Beautiful People"Batman (Volume 2) #2 - "Trust Fall""The Case of the Chemical Syndicate" (reimagining)

    THE MAN OF STEEL AGAINST THE DARK KNIGHT! Superman and Batman are usually allies, but when they do have to go toe-to-toe, it’s the ultimate battle of brains versus brawn! Can an ordinary man take down an opponent with the power of a god? Can even superpowers prevail against a tactical genius who is never less than ten steps ahead? From all-star comic talents Frank Miller, Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Jeph Loeb, Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo and more, these stories tackle the oldest fan debate in comics: Who would win—Superman or Batman?Collects BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS #4, BATMAN #612, BATMAN #35-36, SUPERMAN/BATMAN #32 and #78, and JUSTICE LEAGUE #2.

    Alone, that is. Spider-man is forced to turn to his deadliest foe for help, the being responsible for Carnage's creation--Venom! Join writer David Michelinie, penciler Mark Bagley and inker Randy Emberlin as they take you into the living nightmare of Carnage's rampage."Although Title page verso says "Originally published in magazine form as The Amazing Spider-Man #'s 344, 345, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363", it actually Includes only 2 pages from Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #344 & 345, and 1 page from both #359 & 360.The last 2 pages from Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #363 are also not included.

    First flight of the eagle2. Betrayed by Agent X3. Battleground: Paris4. Angels of Death, Angels of HopeRestoring Captain America to his original glory this four-part story details, and in some ways revises, the origin of Cap and chronicles his early days fighting in World War II.Beginning with a gangly Steve Rogers at the movies with friends, riveted by newsreels of the encroaching Nazi forces in Europe. Rogers signs up for the Army afterwards, so strongly does he react, but unfortunately he is deemed unfit for service. Luckily a top scientist and a general taps him for 'greater things' - a clandestine project, Operation: Rebirth.Making it through the testing program on sheer will alone he ultimately receives a treatment which turns him into a "Super Soldier." But will a Nazi assassin ensure that he'll survive the process?!If he can Rogers will have to try and fit in an Army where his identity must be concealed. There he'll meet James Buchanan Barnes, a.k.a. Bucky, a wisecracking teen who lied to get into the army. And Cap's fledgling attempts at "heroing" may send him winging his way to France, then Germany, where he'll come face-to-face with his arch-foe -The Red Skull- for the first time.Meant to capture the flavor of a 1940's serial in this series readers get to see a Captain America before he become the self-assured adventurer and leader of the Avengers. With supporting characters Bucky, Chester Phillips, Harmon Furmintz, Sgt. Duffy, Cynthia Glass plus a host of villains - Blitzkrieg, Master Man and of course Adolf Hitler.

    Octopus and the Vulture! Guest-starring Dominic Fortune and the New Mutants! Collecting WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #1-18 and ANNUAL #1-2, and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #268.