In 2015, a covert military intelligence unit sent a team of 20 agents and one special operative into a parallel dimension. Only one came back.

The purpose of their mission was classified. Now, out of options, MI-6 has recruited their most elite operative – codname: Ninjak – to follow the doomed mission’s sole witness – the mysterious occult specialist Punk Mambo – back into the dimension called Deadside…and bring her missing teammates home.

What will they find there? And who will be waiting for them?

Also unveiled today, Valiant has revealed the much-anticipated new design for Shadowman – the fallen hero at the epicenter of MI-6’s lost expedition into Deadside – by fan-favorite artist Clayton Henry (HARBINGER WARS). Unseen for more than a year, OPERATION: DEADSIDE will be the first step towards Shadowman’s long-awaited return to the Valiant Universe…but also presents a new series of challenges for the wayward guardian once tasked with protecting humanity from the horrors of Deadside’s nightmare realm.

“OPERATION: DEADSIDE is the first installment of an epic plan for Shadowman that we’ve been crafting behind the scenes for more than a year, and Matt Kindt and Doug Braithwaite have built one hell of a story to do it justice,” said Valiant Publisher Fred Pierce. “But it isn’t a horror story per se. In the vein of the best sci-fi action blockbusters like Aliens and The Abyss, OPERATION: DEADSIDE is an intense tale of humans pushed to the limits against an unimaginable foe at the edge of existence itself.”

Sounds appropriately creepy for a Shadowman tale. And each issue featuring the arc will have special glow-in-the-dark covers too, so this one is getting the full treatment from Valiant. And Operation Deadside is no mere way to get Shadowman back into continuity either, as the storyline is set to be a turning point for the whole of the world that Valiant has forged in its books.

We’ve already seen Ninjak’s badass otherworldly set of armor, which is still pretty awesome, but I have to mention her that I also really like the Shadowman design. Sure he’s less superhero-y than he’s looked in the past, but chances are that you wouldn’t look so great if you were trapped in the netherworld for any length of time either.

Operation Deadside kicks off in Ninjak #10, which arrives in stores and digital download shops on December 9th from the team of Matt Kindt and Doug Braithwaite.

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Comics based on films are nothing new for Dark Horse, a company that has made some of the biggest sci-fi and horror films  of all time into some of the most popular comic books around. this though, will be the first time that Avatar is headed to the format, and as you might imagine, it’s getting a full-court press. Director Jim Cameron himself made the presentation via a pre-recorded message at the Con, saying “For the past twenty-seven years, Dark Horse has been associated with my films The Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss. I am excited that between now and the release of the first sequel, Dark Horse Comics will be bringing you new adventures from Pandora—covering the time before, during, and after the events of the original AVATAR film.”

As for Dark Horse itself and Twentieth Century Fox, they’re all pretty excited to see what’s to come from the deal as well.

“James Cameron is one of the film industry’s greatest talents. His films, always on the cutting edge technologically, feature rich characters and amazing worlds, a fact reflected in AVATAR’s status as the all time box-office champion,” said Dark Horse president and publisher Mike Richardson. “We couldn’t be more excited about working with James and his team at Lightstorm to expand the breathtaking world of Pandora.”

“We’re excited to be working with our longtime partner Dark Horse Comics to expand upon the rich storytelling of the AVATAR universe, providing a whole new way for fans to interact. There are so many possible stories to explore and this is just beginning,” said Jeffrey Godsick, President of Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products.

Release dates for any books that are on the way are nonexistent at this point, but Dark Horse says that they’ll have more soon, so stay tuned. And in the meantime, scroll down to see that message from Cameron in its entirety.

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Jeff Lemire & Lewis LaRosa leap forward for The Analog Man in Bloodshot Reborn #10-coming in January!

Archer & Armstrong strike back in their own series from Rafer Roberts & David LaFuente-coming in March 2016!

A new Shadowman design is unveiled, as well as the first interior pages from Operation: Deadside-beginning in Ninjak #10 by Matt Kindt & Doug Braithwate!

Valiant and CGC team for Valiant x CGC replica variant series-a fun-filled new line of preproduction covers “encasing” your favorite heroes in 2016!

Valiant isn’t done yet.  Tomorrow sees the release of three big comics: Ninjak #8 by Matt Kindt, Stephen Segovia and Juan Jose Ryp, X-O Manowar #41 by Robert Venditti and Rafa Sandoval, and Unity #23 by James Asmus and Diego Bernard (kicking off an all-new arc featuring the long-awaited return of the Armor Hunters)!

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Headed up by he very talented creative team of Rafer Roberts and David Lafuente Archer and Armstrong are finally back starting next Spring. It’s been a while since the pair were featured in their own ‘solo’ book, even though both characters have been appearing here and there in other Valiant tales- some of which have been big time stories.

As usual too, this A&A run kicks off with -what else?- drinks. Well, a drink in a satchel actually, as Armstrong and his little buddy set upon a quest to recover one of history’s finest whiskey’s. And that booze just happens to be lost in… Armstrong’s bottomless satchel. Oh, and there’s also a mad god (Bacchus!) and plenty of bad guys to battle. It makes sense, trust me… sort of. Just read the pr statement and you’ll see.

“Archer & Armstrong are two of the most beloved characters not just in the Valiant library, but in all of comics period. But instead of being intimidated by the brilliant creators that preceded them – Barry Windsor-Smith, Jim Shooter, Bob Layton, Fred Van Lente, Clayton Henry, and Pere Perez, just to name a few – Rafer Roberts and David Lafuente are bringing a vital new energy to A&A that is unlike anything you’ve seen before,” said Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani. “This series is frantically action packed, hilarious yet heartbreaking, and absolutely gorgeous to look at, all at the same time. Rafer and David truly are a Valiant dream team and we can’t wait to share what they have in store.”

“Since he first made his Valiant debut with a short story in X-O MANOWAR #25, we’ve been huge fans of Rafer Roberts and, with A&A, he’s tapped into a brilliant high concept that is quintessentially Archer & Armstrong. Make no mistake: Rafer will be a major up-and-coming creator to watch in 2016,” said Valiant Editor-in-Chief Warren Simons. “Joining him is the always incredible David Lafuente – one of the most gifted artists in the industry and a phenomenal collaborator to launch A&A in a big, big way. Having David join Valiant exclusively is incredibly exciting and his work on A&A might just be his best to date.”

Meet Armstrong: Since the ancient city of Ur, this immortal adventurer has spent the last 7,000 years drinking and carousing his way through history alongside some of the greatest merrymakers the world has ever known.

Meet Archer: A sheltered teenage martial arts master and expert marksman that was raised for a single purpose – to kill the devil incarnate. Little did he know that this undying evil was actually Armstrong (he’s actually a pretty good guy…once you get to know him) and, since hitting the road together, the two have become great friends and even better partners.

Now: Archer is about to set off on his most dangerous mission yet – a quest into the mystic reaches of Armstrong’s bottomless satchel to liberate his friend and comrade from the clutches of the mad god Bacchus! (Okay, so, Armstrong went into the satchel himself to get a bottle of whiskey that he kinda misplaced and got stuck. It’s like the Amazon warehouse of arcane treasures in there…and he doesn’t exactly have a maid service.)

Imprisoned in Armstrong’s satchel for centuries, Bacchus now commands a legion of monsters, goblins and golems bent on escaping back into the world of man and enacting revenge on their captor… Can Archer single-handedly combat the godly embodiment of intoxication himself – and rescue his best buddy – without becoming lost amongst Armstrong’s endless repository of bizarre artifacts and historical oddities in the process?

Take two aspirin and call us in the morning…because the all-new Archer & Armstrong’s first adventure is going to give the rest of the Valiant Universe a splitting hangover headache when their debut story arc, “IN THE BAG”, kicks off with a bang in A&A #1 – coming in March from all-star creators Rafer Roberts and David Lafuente!

Yeah that sounds like Archer and Armstrong all right. Nice to see ’em back in their own book where all this kind of insanity seems almost normal. The action starts up in A&A #1, on the stands and in digital storefronts this coming March.

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So two very different tales are on the way from Jensen, but both of them sound pretty freaking cool. Let’s start things off with Two Dead, as it’s the more grounded of the pair. Based in the real world, Two Dead follows a curious case that took place on New Year’s Day in 1947, and will feature artist Nate Powell of March fame.

And this is going to be one to keep an eye on, as Jensen was a crime reporter before he got into writing fictional tales for comics like Green Lantern Corps and The Flash for DC. But, while you won’t find any super-heroics here, you will find a crime most foul.

On a snowy New Year’s Day, 1947, in Little Rock, Arkansas, Police Chief O. N. Martin gunned down his lieutenant, Jack Deubler, and then killed himself. The threads of crime, conspiracy, violence, racism, and madness that led to this tragic true-crime case of murder-suicide are retraced in Two Dead, which follows in the footsteps of true-crime epics such as Green River Killer.

The second story from the author is a lot less grounded, but no less interesting. Cryptocracy goes deep into the conspiracy realm, and factors in a bunch of the most prominent conspiracy theories that actually are dug into and picked apart by researchers on a daily basis. In other words, there are quite a few people that truly believe that stuff like this happens and has happened in our world, and some of it’s actually pretty compelling.

Included in the book, and used as background of the series’ fictional (?) group of evil masterminds, are a set of theories and alleged happenings that anyone who’s ever looked into conspiratorial happenings should know- and a bunch of stuff that will appeal to pretty much anyone who loves comics, or just a good narrative. And this is world-changing stuff too.

So who is this group? Who are ‘They’? Well…

They were the gunmen on the grassy knoll.
They conducted the Philadelphia Experiment.
They found the ship that crashed in Roswell—and its pilots.
They allowed the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor. They faked the moon landing.
For ages, they have worked in the shadows, controlling the fate of the world. But now, they are being hunted.

Interested yet, because man, I am. Both comics are as of yet undated, but will be heading to the racks and digital download sources in 2016 at some point, so stay tuned.

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If you know Mezco’s One:12 Collective series of figures, which is really just kicking off, then you already know what to expect from this one- but I’ll say anyway that it’s freaking awesome. And if you’re a fan of Judge Dredd from 2000 AD comics, then you’re going to be happy with this release; I don’t think there’s much of a chance of anything else.

Basically, Mezco is working on a version of Dredd and his bike (the Lawmaster) from the comics, and they’re about as perfect a translation to the physical form as you can get in a whole bunch of ways. Much like the Batman (from The Dark Knight Returns) figure that was the first figure launched in the series, Dredd has a real cloth costume that’s actually scaled properly and looks ‘right’ (that’s the best way I can think of to put it), as well as interchangeable parts and accessories.

Then there’s the bike, the creation of which involved artist Ben Willsher. The Lawmaster has a full set of lights and sounds – for both the weaponry and the engines, and will also feature real rubber tires and (and I love this) storage for Dreadd’s cuffs. It’s just about as accurate and authentic as you can get, and it’s as impressive-looking as you can imagine as well. Just a look at it sitting in the display case at Comic Con had me wanting to grab it and add it to my shelf. It’s just so darned awesome.

If that sounds like something you might think as well, then you’ll be pleased to know that the box-set is pre-orderable right now via Previews magalog. Featured in the October issue, the Judge Dredd figure and the Lawmaster motorcycle won’t keep you wanting too much longer either, as it’ll ship in January of 2016.

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One of the greatest horror and sci-fi series’ of all time, Aliens has a rich history at Dark Horse Comics already, and there’s tons more on the way. Announced at NYCC 2015, there will at long last finally be an ongoing Aliens series that’ll be heading to comic book stores on a monthly basis. The book will officially be dubbed Aliens: Defiance, and will start with an all-star creative team including Brian Wood and Tristan Jones.

“Alien was groundbreaking when it first debuted, and has only grown in relevance and pop culture legend since,” remarked Wood. “Thirty-seven years is an impressive amount of time for any entertainment property to thrive, much less still top mainstream headlines and fuel speculation like it does. It’s an honor to be invited to add to that legend.”

In space, no one can hear you scream . . . Aliens: Defiance follows struggling Colonial Marine rookie Zula Hendricks as she goes AWOL to protect Earth from an unknown alien species.

“Few films are as timelessly terrifying and the fact that it continues to grip audiences and affect them beyond any of its successors and imitators (of which there are plenty) is the strongest testament to how truly transcendent everything that went into, and came out of, Alien is,” added Jones. “Being asked to be a part of something so defining, and so instrumental to the creative development of not just me, but so many, many others, is a lifelong dream come true.”

Aliens, colonial marines, and a kick ass writer and artist… Defiance should be a treat for fans when it hits stands on April 27th, 2016.

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“We’re very pleased to offer our line of single-issue comics digitally to fans across the world,” remarked Dark Horse president and publisher Mike Richardson. “Dark Horse Digital has been at the forefront of the digital-comics movement through our own app-development team as well as our digital storefront, but now our growing relationship with our digital-publishing partners expands the choices for our readers to choose the platform and format they like best.”

All your favorite Dark Horse comic books, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Halo, Aliens, and more, are now available on your favorite digital platform the same day the print versions hit comic shops.

“We are very excited to be on these new platforms,” said Mark Bernardi, Dark Horse director of digital publishing. “Now, along with the Dark Horse Digital website and apps, there will be several other places for fans to get their digital comics the same day that print versions hit stores. We think this expanded distribution will be a boon to Dark Horse fans as well as the creators and licensors we partner with to create the amazing comics we publish each week.”

So basically, if you’re a Dark Horse fan then this is some very good news- especially if you happen to reside in a place where getting the week’s newest reads isn’t the easiest. With almost 30 years of publishing power behind them, Dark Horse’s books are now available across five new platforms, and that means that you can find the latest issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Aliens, day and date with what’s in the comics shop, just about… anywhere.

So where can you get the good stuff? As of now, you can look for Dark Horse Comics on Apple’s iBookstore, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble’s NOOK, and comixOlogy- and I think  that’s… just about everything. And of course, don’t forget about the company’s official online storehouse at Digital.DarkHorse.com.

Now go get to reading!

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Thanks to a publishing error, we neglected to publish the list of IDW’s show offerings yesterday; in terms of panels, signings, and exclusives. So basically, much like with Dark Horse Comics, we’re just going to skip the opinions here and dive right into the list for today through Sunday, so that you can get to it and make the events that you want.

Oh, and the first one starts in about 45 minutes, so read fast.

Friday October 9^th

11:00 – 12:00 My Little Pony – Agnes Garbowska, Sara Richard, Jeremy Whitley, Tony Fleecs,                                                  Thom Zahler
12:00 – 1:00 The Rocketeer At War – Dave Bullock
1:00 – 2:00 Ragnarök – Walter Simonson
(*Check out the show exclusive variant!)
1:00 – 2:00 Junction True – Ray Fawkes
2:00 ­– 3:00 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Troy Little
2:00 – 3:00 The Story of My Tits – Jennifer Hayden
3:00 – 4:00 The Infinite Loop – Elsa Charretier, Pierrick Colinet
3:00 – 4:00 Boy-1 – H.S. Tak, Amancay Nahuelpan
4:00 – 5:00 Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Mike Johnson, Derek Charm
5:00 – 6:00 G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Larry Hama
(*Check out the show exclusive variant!)
6:00 – 7:00 Transformers – Andrew Griffith, Corin Howell, John Barber

Saturday October 10^th

11:00 – 12:00 Killogy – Alan Robert
11:00 – 12:00 Tet – Paul Allor, Paul Tucker
1:00 – 3:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Kevin Eastman, Robert Rodriguez
(*Ticketed signing, see employee for details)
4:00 – 5:00 Skylanders – Ron Marz, David A. Rodriguez
5:00 – 6:00 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Troy Little
5:00 – 6:00 The Story of My Tits – Jennifer Hayden
6:00 – 7:00 Star Trek/ Green Lantern – Mike Johnson, Elsa Charretier
6:00 – 7:00 Judas: The Last Days – W. Maxwell Prince

Sunday October 11^th

11:00 – 12:00 Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Mike Johnson, Derek Charm
11:00 – 12:00 The Infinite Loop – Elsa Charretier, Pierrick Colinet
12:00 – 1:00 My Little Pony – Jay Fosgitt, Amy Mebberson, Jeremy Whitley,
                                       Tony Fleecs, Andy Price
1:00 – 2:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Caleb Goellner, Billy Martin, 
         Paul Allor, Cory Smith
2:00 – 3:00 Transformers – Livio Ramondelli, Corin Howell, John Barber

Don’t miss any of IDW’s panels throughout the weekend, either!

IDW & TOP SHELF: The Best Panel of All-Time
Friday October 9 | 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM | Room 1A10
This is the big one! Join IDW Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall, along with VP of Marketing Dirk Wood, and Editor Sarah Gaydos, along with a host of Special Guests, as they blow away a room full of shocked comic Fans. Comic and Celebrity Guests you won’t believe! Shocking announcements! Amazing prizes! Q&A! This one will have it all.

IDW Entertainment: 2016 Sneak-Peek
Saturday October 10 | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Room 1A24
Join IDW CEO & Publisher Ted Adams, along with the President of IDW Entertainment David Ozer and a host of Special Guests, as they discuss IDW’s move into the world of television. The recent announcements of Wynonna Earp and Brooklyn Animal Control took the entertainment community by storm, find out all about those projects and more! Announcements! Guest Appearances! Q&A! And maybe just a little never-before-seen footage…

Truthiness is Stranger Than Fiction: New Reality-Based Graphic Novels
Saturday October 10 | 6:45PM – 7:45PM | Room: 1A05
Sometimes comics can be the best medium to communicate about the real world — whether through science, autobiography, or wild adventures rooted in real experience. But working with “the truth” brings its own set of challenges… This fall, four of the industry’s hottest graphic novels are rooted in the real world. Now’s your chance to crack them open and see how & why. Featuring: Maris Wicks (the goofy and educational anatomy tour Human Body Theater), Derf Backderf (the raucous, stomach-churching garbageman tale Trashed), Jennifer Hayden (the riveting, funny, and wise cancer memoir The Story of My Tits), and Troy Little (the manic graphic novel adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas).

IDW: KIDS Comics and More
Sunday October 11 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Room 1A18
IDW loves comics as much as you do, so come find out what’s new for 2016! My Little Pony, Disney, Angry Birds, TMNT, Transformers, Skylanders and more! Want to learn how to make your own comics? Come prepared with questions for the Panel, including Editor Sarah Gaydos and marketing-marvel Rosalind Morehead; plus Writers and Artists of all your favorite all-ages books! Free comics for the kids!

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We missed publishing this one yesterday, so with Thursday’s schedule of events as goes Dark Horse being a complete wash, lets dig right in and get to the good stuff for today (Friday) through the last day of the Con (Sunday). And good stuff it is with a little of everything, and something that should appeal to just about every show-goer.

Scroll on down and bust out that calendar.

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