MIGHTY SAMSON #3 On Sale MAY 25

Jim Kuhoric Gets a New Job

Congratulations to James Kuhoric, who will be joining Avatar Press as their new Vice-President of Publishing and Managing Editor at the end of the month. He’s leaving Diamond Comic Distributors, where he’s served in a number of roles for the last 16 years.

I worked with him for many years on getting The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide out to retailers on a timely basis, as well on a number of projects outside work.

There are lots of folks who know him as a writer instead of as a Diamond guy. He has written a lengthy and acclaimed run on Dynamite’s Army of Darkness and the hit Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash mini-series and its sequel for Wildstorm, and he created by the horror series Dead Irons and the all ages title Legendary Talespinners for Dynamite.

And yeah, he's "Award-Winning Jim Kuhoric," too. He won the 2006 Spike TV Award for “Best Movie to Comic Book” for Army of Darkness: Shop Till You Drop Dead and the 2009 ComicMonsters.com Horror Award for “Best Mini Series” for Dead Irons. He also won two Gem Awards for Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash. He has been nominated for three other Spike TV Scream Awards and a Bram Stoker Award (for Kolchak, the Nightstalker).

Along the way he also wrote Stargate SG-1 (Avatar), Battlestar Galactica (Realm Press, of which the less said the better, I think), and a number of other projects. We look forward to seeing what new things he'll cook up at Avatar.

Thanks, Jim, and good luck!

MIGHTY SAMSON #2 on Sale FEBRUARY 16, 2011 - PREVIEW

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2011 (May 7, 2011)

On Saturday, May 7, 2011, participating retailers across North America (and some around the world) will host Free Comic Book Day 2011. On that day, those retailers will hand our comic books from Archie, BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse, DC, Marvel, IDW and may others free of charge.

Among the free comics will be The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comics - Free Comic Book Day 2011, our latest effort.

Revised and expanded in reaction to retailer and reader requests! How do you collect comics? How do you take care of the comics you buy? How do you grade comics? How do you sell your comics? How do you evaluate their worth? From the team that brings you The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide come answers to these questions and more facing new collectors and experienced enthusiasts alike!

32 Pages, Full Color, Free

It's written by me (with help from Bailey Ball and some of our Overstreet Advisors), illustrated by Gene Gonzales, with photographs by Michael Solof, and designed and edited by Mark Huesman.

COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE #1 On Sale MARCH 2

Comic Book Marketplace returns with a special one-shot that spotlights the short, turbulent history of the Atlas-Seaboard line of comics, their unusual staying power in the minds of fans, and their surprising rebirth that started at the 2010 New York Comic Con and continues with three new #1 issues in March 2011.

This issue also ties directly into the new Atlas exhibit which opens in March at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum (Mike Wilbur and I are Guest Curators for the exhibit).

32 pages, Full Color, $3.99

The cover features The Scorpion from The Scorpion #1 by Howard Chaykin.

MIGHTY SAMSON #2 on sale FEBRUARY 16

Five hundred years after the end of the world, mutated monsters prowl the desolate wilds, and savage marauders from the wastelands of Jerz scourge the helpless N'Yark tribe.

Samson, the strongest man on Earth, defender of the N'Yark, singlehandedly invades the forbidding fortress of Terra, Queen of the Jerz. Ten thousand hardened Jerz warriors swarm to her defense. The odds for survival look grim. If only the Jerz had more warriors!

It's written by Jim Shooter and me, and illustrated by Patrick Olliffe!

And Comic Book Resources has a preview! Check it out!

MIGHTY SAMSON #1 On Sale DECEMBER 15

MIGHTY SAMSON #1 PREVIEW

MIGHTY SAMSON #2

Five hundred years after the end of the world, mutated monsters prowl the desolate wilds, and savage marauders from the wastelands of Jerz scourge the helpless N'Yark tribe.

Samson, the strongest man on Earth, defender of the N'Yark, singlehandedly invades the forbidding fortress of Terra, Queen of the Jerz. Ten thousand hardened Jerz warriors swarm to her defense. The odds for survival look grim. If only the Jerz had more warriors!

On sale February 16, 2011.

Written by Jim Shooter & J.C. Vaughn
Illustrated by Patrick Olliffe
Cover by Raymond Swanland

EXCLUSIVE BEDTIME STORIES FOR IMPRESSIONABLE CHILDREN #1 at VIRGINIA COMICON

Limited to 250 copies, the Virginia Comicon Exclusive edition of Bedtime Stories For Impressionable Children #1 will debut at the November 20-21, 2010 show in Richmond, VA.

This new horror anthology features three stories, including "One of Those Mother-Daughter Things" by yours truly, J.C. Vaughn, with Gene Gonzales (Tales of the Cherokee) and Mark Wheatley (Lone Justice, Blood of the Innocent) on art, "Life Stinks" by James Kuhoric (Dead Irons, Army of Darkness) and Joe Keatinge (PopGun), and "Madman / Dead Man" by Robert Tinnell (EZ Street, The Wicked West) and Rich Woodall. The host segments are illustrated by Michael Malbrough.

The covers are by Mark Wheatley (Cover A) and Jacob Jordan (Vampire, PA, Cover B). The sketch cover variant is by Wheatley.

In many ways, this is a dream project for me. Bedtime Stories was the first real attempt I made at writing a screenplay... as far back as high school. It represents that first time I have worked with Gene Gonzales and Mark Wheatley on the same project, and we have a lot of great creators working on stories for future issues.

MIGHTY SAMSON #1

Five hundred years after the end of the world, amid the ruins of a once--great city scourged by mutated monsters, marauders, and savage subhuman predators, the primitive N'Yark tribe ekes out a meager, fragile existence. But from among them rises a champion, gifted with prodigious strength -- a warrior who can strike dead the most fearsome beast and stand alone against an army. Singlehandedly, he holds at bay the ravaging barbarian hordes of Jerz, thwarting the dark ambitions of beautiful, ruthless Queen Terra. At stake is the future of the world. Mighty Samson is the last, best hope of humankind.

Jim Shooter (Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom, Magnus, Robot Fighter and Turok, Son of Stone) is the writer, I'm the co-writer, and Patrick Olliffe handles the art.

It's due on sale December 15, 2010.

It features a regular cover by Raymond Swanland and a variant cover by Mr. Olliffe.

VAMPIRE, PA #3 at the Printer

Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #3

Other than getting to read the script ahead of time, I don't have anything to do with Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom #3 from Dark Horse Comics, but it looks very much Jim Shooter and artist Roger Robinson really start clicking on this one...

And I'm sure that even Martha Stewart would think that's a good thing. Cover artist Michael Komarck rocks it, too.

VAMPIRE, PA #2 ON SALE SEPTEMBER 9

VAMPIRE, PA #2 is scheduled to go on sale on Thursday, September 9, 2010.

Don't forget, new comics day is Thursday this week due to the Labor Day holiday.

VPA #2 includes a brand new 8-page back-up story featuring the return of ZOMBIE-PROOF!

ZOMBIE-PROOF: ZOMBIE ZOO in PREVIEWS

An all-new one-shot, stand-alone story picking up from the back-up features in VAMPIRE, PA and the original ZOMBIE-PROOF mini-series...

It's on Page 290 in the September 2010 PREVIEWS and should go on sale in November.

The one-shot is by yours truly and Vincent Spencer, with a cover by VS and variant cover by Jacob Jordan.

VAMPIRE, PA #2 is at the Printer

As soon as I have an on sale date, I'll post it!

FAN - FANDOM ADVISORY NETWORK

PHOTOS FROM COMIC-CON 2010

Comic-Con International: San Diego (July 21-25, 2010) was a ton of work since it was the launch of the 40th anniversary edition of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, but it was also fun because it offered the chance to catch up with good friends.

Photo #1
Scoop photographer Michael Solof (right) and I had the chance to visit with our friend Ming-Na, star of Stargate Universe on SyFy (what was wrong with Sci Fi Channel I'll never know), who I've known since junior high and Mike's known since high school. It was a blast seeing her at the show, and it was funny getting stopped every 30 or 40 feet so folks could take pictures with her. It's cool when good things happen to your friends.

Photo #2
I did two signings (one on Preview Night and one on Saturday) with Insight Studios Group supremo Mark Wheatley (right) at his booth for Vampire, PA #1. We had about 100 advance copies on hand (it actually goes on sale in comic shops this week).

Photo #3
And though we work together just about every day, it was was the first time in a couple of years that I'd seen Bob Overstreet (center) because he lives in Mississippi. Mark Huesman (left) works in Timonium, Maryland (though I see him more frequently than I do Bob) and I work in New York. The online world makes so much possible!

There will be a LOT more photos in this week's edition of Scoop.