In Volume One meet Julius Chancer, the adventurous assistant to historical-researcher Sir Alfred Catesby-Grey, as he embarks on a quest to find the mystical rainbow orchid — an extraordinary flower last mentioned by the ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus and steeped in legend.The Rainbow Orchid is an ambitious blend of classic storytelling and cinematic artwork in which adventure, historical drama and legend are seamlessly intertwined.

    Untreated, they fester and grow into the diseases of fear, uncertainty and hopelessness. Unaided, the law is blinded by bureaucracy and bound to a justice bent toward the protection even of the criminal. The face of a kinder and gentler nation is destroyed, carved into a harlequin's mask; a grim skull. And the wielders of the scythe laugh, secure in the knowledge that their crimes will go without punishment.They are wrong. In the urban jungle, there is one who stands alone and apart; one who lives not for the law, but only to see justice done. The Punisher reaps a different harvest.Once, he was Frank Castle, loving husband and father. A tour in Vietnam had shown him what war was. Part of him died there, but a precious part stayed alive, determined to return to the family he loved, and the peace and freedom that was his America. Part of him held on to live, until his family died in a hail of mob gunfire, victims of the wrong place and wrong time.Daily, criminals greedily cut their portions from the souls of the weak and weary, the foolish and the frightened. One man senses how the guilty feed like parasites on the heart of the American Dream. One man hears when evil laughs at the law. One man sees clearly that the most powerful criminals have placed themselves above the law. One man has become their judge, their jury.One man has become their Punisher.

    Quickly becoming the underworld's most feared assassin, she terrorizes her targets with a seemingly inexhaustible lust for bloodshed. In service to the Kingpin, Mary sets her deadly sights on Daredevil, the heroic protector of New York's notorious Hell's Kitchen.With the Man Without Fear at her mercy, can she bring herself to strike the fatal blow? Collects Daredevil Vol. 1 #254-257, 259-263.

    “Eggman” Robotnik and the rest of the cast of the comics and SEGA games in this first-of-its-kind Best of Sonic the Hedgehog graphic novel collection! After nearly twenty years of comics, specials and mini-series, Sonic the Hedgehog has hundreds of great stories to his name. Through the laughs and thrills, the action and adventure, the highs and lows, some stories stand out among the rest. Join us as the Archie Comics Sonic Team picks their favorite stories from the history of the series and presents them in this thematic must-have collection! Included in this collection are "Mecha Madness" (featured in Sonic Archives 10 and Sonic Select 2), chosen by writer Ian Flynn; the finale to "Endgame" (featured in Sonic Archives 13), chosen by artist Patrick Spaziante; "Order from Chaos" (from Sonic the Hedgehog issues 168-169) chosen by artist Tracy Yardley!; and "Future Tense" (from Sonic the Hedgehog issue 215), chosen by artist Jamal Peppers. Don't miss out on this collection of the best Sonic stories to date, chosen by the most popular Sonic creators!

    Written and edited by Archie Goodwin, with artwork by such industry notables as Gene Colan, Frank Frazetta, John Severin, Alex Toth, Al Williamson, Russ Heath, Reed Crandall, and Wally Wood, it featured war stories in both contemporary and period settings, unified by a humanistic theme of the personal costs of war, rather than by traditional men's adventure motifs. As one letter-writer in the third issue put it, “Do you seriously expect to make money with a war magazine that publishes nothing but anti-war stories?”While most stories took place during World War II, they ranged in settings from the 18th century to the present-day. Some dealt with historical figures, such as Revolutionary War general Benedict Arnold and his pre-traitorous victory at the battle of Saratoga, while “Foragers” focused on a fictional soldier in General William T. Sherman’s devastating March to the Sea during the American Civil War. “Holding Action,” set on the last day of the Korean War, ended with a gung-ho young soldier, unwilling to quit, being escorted over his protests into a medical vehicle.What proved to be the most controversial were stories set during the then-contemporary Vietnam War, particularly the classic short “Landscape,” which follows the thoughts of a Vietnamese peasant rice-farmer devoid of ideology, who nonetheless pays the ultimate price simply for living where he does. While writer Goodwin evenhandedly portrays the North Vietnamese Army’s brutal summary executions of village officials, and a well-meaning U.S. Army fatally bludgeoning its way through the village in a counterattack, the story caused key distributors to stop selling the title.Fantagraphics is proud to present a deluxe, hardcover edition, magnificently printed and bound, of these stories, superbly reproduced from the original printer's film negatives.Nominated for a 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award: (Best Archival Collection/Project: Comic Books).

    -- p. [4] of cover.

    A new era of greatness begins for the most unlikely team of all! From a 'Night of the Town' to the 'Day of the Death Machines', Power Man and Iron Fist - Heroes for Hire - face the Living Monolith, El Aguila, the Maggia and more! This collection guest-stars the Uncanny X-Men and the Daughters of the Dragon!

    The second volume of Darwyn Cooke's Eisner Award-winning new SPIRIT tales collects issues #7-13 of the ongoing series, and includes short stories by some of comics' biggest names!

    Known for his moody, shadowy illustrations, Colan was a natural fit as artist on Batman when he came to DC in the 1980s. His run of stories in the pages of both BATMAN and DETECTIVE COMICS included appearances by some of Batman’s greatest foes, including Man-Bat, The Monk, Rupert Thorne and more.

    Before Paul Crocker was head of Special Section, he was an agent in the field. A run of bad luck is dogging him across Europe. His attempt to extract one political refugee from Berlin met with failure, and when he is immediately sent to perform a similar assignment in Prague, he is determined to succeed at all costs. Leaving his new wife and the quiet home life they dream of behind, Crocker commits himself to the double-edged world of espionage once and for all.

     The deadliest agent in the Marvel Universe has finally gotten out of the spy game! The Black Widow's not asking much — just a life of her own. But an assassination attempt provides a harsh reality check, kicking off a string of international killings that leads Natasha Romanoff back to a Russia she can barely recognize. Whoever said you can't go home again never reckoned with the Black Widow! People may say that she's a traitor, a murderer or worse. But one thing's for sure — the Black Widow is not to be crossed! The last man foolish enough to do so paid the highest price, but his powerful friends will ensure that Natasha doesn't get off easy - and not even Nick Fury can protect her this time!

    Is his deadly adversary an old foe with a grudge to settle, a new face of evil or something completely different?

    Remember the good old days when Spidey's life wasn't very complicated? When evil scientists like the Jackal sought to destroy him? When Gwen Stacy showed up on his doorstep, suddenly alive? See the original clone saga unravel as Spider-Man tries to keep up!

    In the second story which happens quite a few years later, he’s married and a poor husband, worse even, a poor lover, until Alexandra plots to gain him back. Cloak and dagger with romantic bravura! And you thought he didn’t have it in him. Art by Eisner nominated Blain (Isaac The Pirate, Gus) and story by legendary Trondheim and Eisner nominated Sfar (Rabbi’s Cat).

    Nº1 of a grand new picture paper.