Dynamite Entertainment October Bat/Fury solicitations

The solicitations below were posted on Dynamite's website earlier today.

The Black Bat #6
Writer: Brian Buccellato
Art: Ronan Cliquet

Detective Brody is on the move with the suitcase bomb. Will he plant it in the courthouse before The Black Bat finds him? The clock is ticking and all hope rests on the Black Bat's shoulders!

Miss Fury #7
Writer: Rob Williams
Art: Marcio Abreu

Trapped in a past that isn't her own, Miss Fury comes face-to-face with a version of herself who never found love, and it's a bloody, murderous revelation. Is this immoral figure who Marla Drake really is? Or has she grown through time into something better? And when the two Miss Furys cross swords, which one will survive?

Miss Fury Digital #2
Writer: Rob Williams
Art: Fritz Casas

The harrowing conclusion to Miss Fury's race through time! Find out what happens to our hero and her roving gang of Roman soldiers. Can they defeat Harmon, or will they be stuck time-traveling forever?

So what jumps out?

I think I remembered Brian Buccellato stating that he was only on board Black Bat for six issues, but he may have said that his first story was six issues long.  The solicitation does make it sound like the current arc is coming to an end, so I'll be looking forward to the solicitation for #7 with much curiosity.  Edit:  Buccellato confirmed to me on Twitter that his first storyline is actually 12 issues.  What a guy.  :-)

Speaking of departing talent, and for that matter, six issue stories, it seems Jack Herbert may be off Miss Fury.  Or perhaps Marcio Abreu is only filling in temporarily.  If not, what can we expect?  Here's a sketch that he recently posted on deviantart.

And Miss Fury Digital.  This one has been peculiar.  The first issue was actually solicited for August, yet there it is on Comixology at least two weeks early.  One would have assumed that the second issue would have been available in September then, but it's in the October solicitations.  And now, it's a 3-parter, apparently.

Peculiar, and unnecessarily confusing, but whatever.  More Miss Fury, for all of a buck, is a good thing.  Perhaps Dynamite is testing the waters with this digital-only stuff.

The Black Bat in All-Star Pulp Comics

I wish I was able to say more about this book.

I have long been unable to order from Indyplanet and at the moment, this is the only place from which Redbud Studios' All Star Pulp Comics can be had, either in print or digital form.

Here is a partial solicitation.

Standard Sized Trade Paperback
Black & White
Page Count: 58

Written and Illustrated by •Green Lama by Adam Garcia & Mike Fyles • Jim Anthony by Erwin K. Roberts & Pedro Cruz • Black Bat by C. William Russette & Wayne Beeman • The Blue Lady by Sean Taylor & James Ritchey III • The Rook by Barry Reese & Craig Wilson • Secret Agent “X” by Bobby Nash & Jeremy McHugh • Domino Lady by Percival Constantine, Rock Baker & Jeff Austin • Cover by Jeff Butler

There is a second issue as well. It also includes a Black Bat story but the solicitation does not indicate which writer tackled which character.  The writers of the Black Bat story in the first issue are not named in the credits to the second so evidently someone different handled the character.

If you're interested in the character and actually able to order from Indyplanet, then you may want to check these out.  Let me know what you think.  :-/

Black Bat by Bai Xau Li

I don't have much to add about this piece, simply because I first struggled to find the person to give proper credit to, then when I did, the page was written in Spanish. So here is the image, and if your Spanish is far better than mine, then by all means give it click to reach its source!

Dynamite Entertainment's September Bat/Fury solicitations!

So much for the double dose of Miss Fury in September. August's Miss Fury digital #1 was said to be the first of two issues, but the second is not solicited for September.  That whole thing has been unnecessarily complicated, for some reason.

As for the regular books, here they are:

The Black Bat #5
Written by Brian Buccellato, art by Ronan Cliquet, covers by Jae Lee, Billy Tan.

The Black Bat's loyalty to Carol and his mystery benefactors are put to the test when he is ordered to team up with a foe from his past. Also, Snate's suitcase bomb is on the move, putting hundreds of lives in danger!


Miss Fury #6
Written by Rob Williams, art by Jack Herbert, covers by Billy Tan, Ardian Syaf, Colton Worley, Sean Chen.

Miss Fury's journey through time has ended. But when she returns to "her" Manhattan, she finds that her lover, Captain Chandler, has disappeared. Did he ever exist at all, and if not, what does that say about her sanity? And how do the Crusades-era knights fit into the puzzle?

Black Bat prose in "Domino Lady: Sex as a Weapon"

First Comics News revealed Moonstone Comics' October (already?) solicitations recently.  Here's an abbreviated version:

The Domino Lady: “Sex as a Weapon”
Interior Art: Ver Curtis
222pgs, Squarebound, 6” x 9”, $16.95

New printing of this long sold-out collection!

Nine all-new tales of one of the world’s first female masked crime fighters, by Nancy Holder, Chuck Dixon, CJ Henderson, Martin Powell, Ron Fortier, James  Chambers, Bobby Nash, Gail McCabe. Introduction: Mystery Writers of America Raven Award winner Joan Hansen!

Stunned and enraged by the murder of her crusading politician father, beautiful socialite Ellen Patrick becomes determined to bring her father’s killers to justice…at any cost.  A talented Berkley graduate, she knows that to truly fight the men who killed her father she must break all the rules.  Donning a distinctive white dress and a black domino mask, she becomes The Domino Lady, one of the sexiest –and most elusive—crime fighters of all time.

Guest-starring: SHERLOCK HOLMES, THE BLACK BAT , & AIRBOY!

I removed the cover artist's name because the cover itself was not displayed.  The one at upper right is from the original hardcover edition of the book.  Being that this solicitation is for a reprint, I'm not 100% that the same cover will be used.

I had written to Moonstone recently to find out which books featured their version of the Black Bat. I was told to expect the Black Bat "in the pages of the upcoming 'The Spider's Web' and 'Spider/Domino Lady'.

There already has been a Spider/Domino Lady book, but its solicitation says nothing about a Black Bat appearance therein.  Presumably, based on the wording of Moonstone's response, there's another such book on the way.

While it's good to see The Black Bat show up in various Moonstone books, I'd be more interested in seeing his own series continue.  That I know of, the second issue of his own has never been released and the story in the first issue was never completed. For those who may have missed it, here's an unused cover below (or if it was ever put in proper use, by all means someone draw my attention to it).

Miss Fury cover(s) reveal

When Dynamite's August solicitations first became available, the various covers for the fifth issue of Miss Fury were not displayed, oddly enough.

Here's one of them below.  You can click on it to be taken to the full solicitation to view the others.

I'm still unclear about the solicitation for Miss Fury digital #1 since it sounds very much like the story from the current book.

An all-new Miss Fury adventure never before seen in print! Miss Fury is back in time again! Or is she? Will Miss Fury be able to make it home for a nice long bath, or will she forever be transported? Find out now! This issues has all three digital chapters of Miss Fury in a new, never printed, super-sized collection!

There are a couple of extra details now though.  For one, it is now listed as being 40 pages instead of 32, so the claim of the book being "giant-sized" makes a bit more sense.  Also, it is now specified that the book is the first of two, so I guess we get a double serving of Miss Fury in September as well.  Good news!

The solicitations also offer an alternative cover to Black Bat #4, available to early subscribers.  It was done by Billy Tan.

The Black Bat by Ken Hauser

Artist Ken Hauser has worked on Dynamite Entertainment's Living Corpse series and he provides the rather ass-kicking pinup of The Black Bat below.

At first sight, I assumed it was meant to be a variant cover for a future, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  For one thing, most of the covers seems to be routinely done by the same handful of artists, and for another, the dimensions may not be quite right.

Nevertheless, a pretty awesome image.

"Origin of The (Five Star) Black Bat"

Since starting my primary blog, They Stand on Guard, early last year, I've found myself dealing with more small press publishers than I'd anticipated.  I didn't know that so many publishers included Canadian characters in their books and now I'm finding out how many versions of The Black Bat there really are.

The results of dealing with small publishers are usually very positive.  Supporting those who truly do what they do for the proverbial "love of the game" is in itself rewarding and it's clear that the support is appreciated.

Dealing with Five Star Comics has been as easy as I've ever had it.  I've commented on TSOG about how accomodating Red Leaf Comics has been in providing me with their product.  At least in terms of first impressions, Five Star is very similar.  After some quick e-mail back-and forth, Five Star and I worked out a price and shipping method and I had the three issues of their self-titled book in hand in a matter of days.  I wish it were always that simple.

And so on a windy, cloudy Friday evening at my cottage, I was able to read "Origin of The Black Bat" by the light of my wood stove.  A perfect setting for a moody story.

The Black Bat does not appear in the first issue, aside from the wicked back cover sketch displayed below.  His origin is the kickoff story in the second issue, the cover to which was posted here recently.

It is only six pages long, but covers a lot of ground in regards to Tony Quinn's background and its impact on him on his way to adulthood yet still confounds him in some ways.  The art style makes it particularly interesting.  Both story and art are provided by one Matt Marshall.

The third issue concludes with a 13-page novelette, called "Evil Stalks The Black Bat" (by Terence E. Hanley, the gentleman who ensured I had these books in hand promptly), which builds on the material from issue #2.  There are a few illustrations, most of which are individual panels from the origin story.  There is one new one though, of The Black Bat firing his tricked out pistol (a Five-star customization) from a motorcycle as Manhattan burns around him.  Inserted right on the first page, it helps establish the setting in a story about The Bat seemingly being the only sane person in a city gone mad.

It doesn't appear as though The Black Bat will be included in the fourth issue of Five Star Comics, scheduled to come out in the fall.  However, the character is prominent enough in the publisher's promotion that there's little doubt he'll be used again at a later time.

I'll be keeping an eye open for that.  If you're a fan of Golden Age characters, they also incorporate a number of others, such as Silver Streak and Lady Luck and plan to bring Miss Masque in the next issue.

Makes one wonder about what they'd do with Miss Fury... ;-)

Dynamite Entertainment's August Bat/Fury solicitations!

Looks like Comics Continuum is the first place to find the Dynamite August solicitations (as pointed out by "ChastMastr" on the company's message board).  Let's isolate our flawed heroes and see what we have to look forward to that month:

THE BLACK BAT #4
Written by Brian Buccellato, art by Ronan Cliquet, covers by Jae Lee, Ardian Syaf.

When Black Bat finds himself trapped by police who are determined to take him in "dead or alive", he receives an assist from an unlikely source. Also, a look back at the night that Tony Quinn lost everything.

32 pages, $3.99.

MISS FURY #5
Written by Rob Williams, art by Jack Herbert, covers by Billy Tan, Joe Benitez, Colton Worley, Sean Chen

In a future New York that's been turned into a war zone by a flying V the size of Manhattan, the truth is finally revealed to Miss Fury. Has her time travelling been real or is she insane back in 1943? And who, exactly, has been manipulating her throughout? With only a dead Nazi scientist as her guide, it's time for Marla Drake to decide what she is willing to fight and die for.

32 pages, $3.99.

MISS FURY DIGITAL #1
Written by Rob Williams, art by Wagner Reis, Johnny Desjardins, cover by Jose Luis.

Digital first! An all-new Miss Fury adventure never before seen in print! Miss Fury is back in time again! Or is she? Will Miss Fury be able to make it home for a nice long bath, or will she forever be transported? Find out now! This issues has all three digital chapters of Miss Fury in a new, never printed, super-sized collection!

32 pages, $3.99.

MASKS VOLUME 1 TP
Written by Chris Roberson, art by Alex Ross, Dennis Calero, cover by Alex Ross.

Before Superheroes, there were Masks! The Shadow. The Green Hornet and Kato. The Spider. In 1938, these masked vigilantes operated outside the law, working independently to strike fear into the hearts of evildoers. But when the corrupt politicians of the Justice Party transform New York into a fascist state run by mobsters, when an oppressive regime grants jack-booted stormtroopers free rein to imprison, extort, and execute the innocent, when the law itself becomes unjust -- justice must be served by outlaws! Outnumbered and outgunned, the legendary vigilantes emerge from the shadows to fight, joined by Zorro, the Green Lama, Miss Fury, Black Terror, and the Black Bat! Nine renowned pulp heroes, brought together for the first time in an epic conflict of Law vs. Justice!

200 pages, $24.99.

I ususally like to include a cover from each of the Black Bat and Miss Fury books, but the Fury ones weren't on display.

I'm not certain I understand what the Fury digital book is all about.  A new story but "all three digital chapters" in a collection?  Where did these digital chapters come from?  The digital version of the comic includes script pages.  Do they mean that they compiled those with a new story?  If so, how is it "super-sized" when it's listed at the usual 32 pages?

Lastly, stoked to see Masks referred to as "volume 1".  I choose to believe that this means there's a second volume planned for down the road at some point, hopefully one in which the pulp Bat is more prominent.

"The Black Bat Chats with Carol Baldwin" by Danny Budge

Danny's blog (which you can reach by clicking on the image above) only has a few posts over the course of a few months in 2011.  I don't know if he still draws, whether professionally or as a hobby, but I thought the brief scene above was well worth sharing.  I'd like to see how Budge does with an ongoing story.