GET JIRO! TP

Written by ANTHONY BOURDAIN and JOEL ROSE

Art and cover by LANGDON FOSS

On sale MAY 1 • 160 pg, FC, $14.99 US • MATURE READERS

Don’t miss this original graphic novel from Anthony Bourdain, renowned chef, New York Times bestselling author (Kitchen Confidential, Medium Raw) and star of the Emmy-winning hit travel show No Reservations and the new series The Layover! Cowritten with Joel Rose (LA PACIFICA, Kill Kill Faster Faster) this stylized send-up of food culture and society features spectacular detailed and dynamic art by Langdon Foss.

In a not-too-distant future of food-obsessed L.A., where master chefs rule the town like crime lords and people literally kill for a seat at the best restaurant, Jiro, a renegade and ruthless sushi chef arrives in town with strong ideas of his own. It’s a bloody culinary war of epic proportions, and in the end, no chef may be left alive!

FAIREST #14

Written by BILL WILLINGHAM

Art by BARRY KITSON

Cover by ADAM HUGHES

On sale APRIL 3 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS

Dating is hard for everyone in this standalone tale—but it’s especially tricky if you’re a gorgeous tree nymph from Fabletown. Princess Alder tells her tales of woe to Reynard the fox in a special issue written by FABLES writer/creator Bill Willingham and featuring the art of superstar Barry Kitson (The Amazing Spider-Man).

FABLES #128

Written by BILL WILLINGHAM

Art by MARK BUCKINGHAM

Cover by JOAO RUAS

On sale APRIL 17 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS

Bigby howls back to Castle Dark for a showdown with Prince Brandish for the hand of his/their wife, Snow White. Will anyone walk away alive?

DJANGO UNCHAINED #5

Based on the screenplay by QUENTIN TARANTINO

Art by R.M. GUERA and JASON LATOUR

Cover by FRANK QUITELY

1:25 Variant cover by TBD

On sale APRIL 24 • 48 pg, FC, 5 of 6, $4.99 US • MATURE READERS

Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Order Form for details.

• The latest chapter of the miniseries adaptation of the screenplay from the Quentin Tarantino film, with a cover by Frank Quitely!

• Based on the entire, uncut story, containing scenes that may not appear in the final film!

• It’s no holds barred as Django goes all out to save his beloved wife, Broomhilda!

HOUSE OF SECRETS OMNIBUS HC

Written by STEVEN T. SEAGLE

Art by TEDDY KRISTIANSEN, DUNCAN FEGREDO, DEAN ORMSTON and others

Cover by TEDDY KRISTIANSEN

RESOLICIT • On sale APRIL 10 • 752 pg, FC, $75.00 US • MATURE READERS

In this hardcover collecting HOUSE OF SECRETS #1-25, a story from VERTIGO: WINTER’S EDGE #1 and the 2-part FAÇADE miniseries, teenage runaway Rain Harper becomes part of a supernatural justice system in a haunted mansion. Five spirits known as the Juris summon people to judge them for their secrets. Acting as a “witness,” Rain must try to save the defendants from their sentences.

Retailers: This title is resolicited. All current orders are cancelled.

LUCIFER BOOK ONE TP

Written by MIKE CAREY

Art by SCOTT HAMPTON, CHRIS WESTON, JAMES HODGKINS, WARREN PLEECE, DEAN ORMSTON, PETER GROSS and RYAN KELLY

Cover by SCOTT HAMPTON

On sale MAY 29 • 392 pg, FC, $29.99 US • MATURE READERS

Cast out of Heaven, Lucifer Morningstar has resigned his throne in Hell for Los Angeles. Emerging from the pages of THE SANDMAN, the former Lord of Hell is enjoying retirement as the proprietor of L.A.’s most elite piano bar when an assignment from the Creator Himself threatens to change all that. Collects THE SANDMAN PRESENTS: LUCIFER #1-3 and LUCIFER #1-13.

SAUCER COUNTRY #14

Written by PAUL CORNELL

Art and cover by RYAN KELLY

On sale APRIL 10 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS • FINAL ISSUE

Arcadia finally learns the “truth” about the alien invasion—but what she chooses to do with that information will change the world forever! Don’t miss the FINAL ISSUE of this mind-bending series!

THE UNWRITTEN #48

Written by MIKE CAREY

Art by PETER GROSS

Cover by YUKO SHIMIZU

On sale APRIL 24 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS

In part 2 of “Orpheus in the Underworld,” Tom’s quest for Lizzie has hit a major hurdle, in that he no longer remembers who either of them is. But is it possible he’s already found her without even realizing it? And who holds the true power in Hades, where masks may hide anything—or nothing?

Click here for a gallery of covers for the above titles.

(The cover for FAIREST #14 by Adam Hughes)

Last month, we told you that the new Vertigo original graphic novel FABLES: WEREWOLVES OF THE HEARTLAND debuted at #1 on THE NEW YORK TIMES’ Hardcover Graphic Books Best Seller list. Today, we’re pleased to share with you that last week’s NEW YORK TIMES’ Graphic Books Best Seller lists featured yet another title from within the FABLES universe: FAIREST, VOL. 1: WIDE AWAKE.

From Sleeping Beauty to Rapunzul, to fan favorite Cinderella, FAIREST explores the lives of some of the loveliest ladies in their respective homelands told by a rotating array of today’s best storytellers and artists. 

Collecting issues #1-6 and written by FABLES ongoing series writer Bill Willingham with art by Phil Jimenez (Wonder Woman, The Invisibles) and issue #7 written by Matt Sturges with art by Shawn McManus, FAIREST VOL. 1: WIDE AWAKE tells the story of Sleeping Beauty. Cursed at birth by a fairy godmother, Sleeping Beauty, otherwise known as Princess Briar Rose, has been awakened by true love’s kiss. But Ali Baba, Prince of Thieves, doesn’t seem a likely candidate for knowing true love. So how did his kiss work? And why does the icy Snow Queen want her captured? Get ready to find out just who is the fairest of them all.

For more on FAIREST, check out THE NEW YORK TIMES’ ARTS BEAT BLOG’s accompanying post to last week’s Graphic Books Best Seller lists. To read the full Hardcover list, including THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, VOL. 1, FABLES: WEREWOLVES OF THE HEARTLAND, and Time Home Entertainment’s TOTALLY MAD: 60 YEARS OF HUMOR, SATIRE, STUPIDITY AND STUPIDITY, click here. And don’t forget to take a look at the full Paperback Graphic Book Best Seller list, featuring FAIREST, VOL. 1: WIDE AWAKE. Congratulations to all!

Bill’s ramshackle schoolhouse, built precariously…

ON THE LEDGE

From time to time I’m asked to critique the work of a new comics writer, often one who entertains hopes of writing for VERTIGO, sometimes for other venues. Time and workload permitting, I’m usually happy to do so, but one does get occasionally frustrated with the same beginners’ problems cropping up time and time again.

If there were a good book about how to write comics, full of the elementary blunders one should avoid, we wouldn’t have this problem. But although there are (literally) tons of great primers on how to write prose, and many more not-so-great ones, there isn’t a single primer that I know of on how to write comics.

Maybe I should write one, what with the copious free time I don’t actually have.

In any case, until such a primer is available, here’s one of my chief bugaboos, an oft-repeated rookie mistake that should never crop up anymore. Now that this semi pseudo tutorial is in print, no one is allowed to make this mistake from here on.

(The following is taken from a recent written critique, heavily redacted so as to disguise the story in question and spare the writer some embarrassment.)

Page One is fine. On Page Two, here are questions I have from the very first panel: Where is this taking place? Is it Earth? Is it some future society on some faraway world? Is it the past? Are these even humans in this panel? You started with the infinity of space, so your story could be about anyone and anywhere. Therefore you owe your artist answers to these basic questions right away. Immediately. Don’t make the artist have to go hunting for clues in the rest of your script. Even if you’re writing a mystery, you don’t make the script a mystery for whoever draws it. Clarity! Clarity is the only god of the page and panel descriptions (and you shall have no other god before it).

Based on the dialogue in the first panel of the second page, I’m going to guess they’re Japanese, since (redacted) seems a Japanese name. Did I guess correctly? Why do I have to guess at all? You need to reveal these things to your artist. What if he decides to make these frog people, because you didn’t bother specifying, and he feels like drawing frogs today?

(Later, on another page): Panel Four: Okay, this isn’t bad. Interesting dialogue. I’m sufficiently intrigued as a reader to turn the page. As the artist, though, I still hate you for not being clear on what you want. Remember, in writing one script you have to write two stories. The first is to your editors, publishers and readers. The second story is more personal. It’s only to one person in the whole wide world. In writing panel descriptions, you are writing to the artist – no one else. The best way to make an enemy of him is to leave out vital stuff that he needs to know, in order to have the slightest chance of doing even a crappy job – much less the lovely job you expect and/or hope for. Just because you can picture what you want in your head, it doesn’t mean you’ve successfully communicated it to your artist. Clarity! Panel descriptions are technical writing and, in technical writing the only thing that matters is, did you tell the customer how to properly assemble his very expensive stereo system? If you left steps out, he will have a very expensive pile of useless junk and will hate you forever.

The critique goes on, but my point is made. On some future date, in some future venue, I’ll talk about what it takes to craft an engaging story that readers will love while reading and not feel cheated at the end. But for now, if you know nothing else as a new comics writer, know that the story you tell your artist needs to be clear and detailed enough so that he knows what you want, what you need and what you hope for. Fail him and no power on earth can save the other story, the one you and he are teaming up to tell.

Go and sin no more.

Bill Willingham

DJANGO UNCHAINED #4

Based on the screenplay by QUENTIN TARANTINO

Art by R.M. GUERA and JASON LATOUR

Cover by FRANK QUITELY

1:25 Variant cover by IVAN REIS

On sale FEBRUARY 27 • 48 pg, FC, 4 of 5, $4.99 US • MATURE READERS

• The adaptation of the screenplay from award winning director Quentin Tarantino’s latest film continues!

• Django and Dr. Schultz take a big risk against impossible odds inside the stronghold of slave owner Calvin Candie.

• This is the only way to read the entire, uncut story, which contains scenes that may not appear in the final film!

FAIREST #12

Written by LAUREN BEUKES

Art and cover by INAKI MIRANDA

Cover by ADAM HUGHES

On sale FEBRUARY 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS

Rapunzel discovers that bloody vengeance will come back to haunt you. Frau Totenkinder and Bigby get caught in a war between Tomoko’s yakuza gangsters and Katagiri’s not-so-unassuming sumo school. There’s murder, mayhem, terrible compromises and unholy hairballs deep in the heart of a dark forest and in the frenetic streets of Tokyo.

FABLES #126

Written by BILL WILLINGHAM

Art by MARK BUCKINGHAM and STEVE LEIALOHA

Cover by JOAO RUAS

On sale FEBRUARY 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS

Marriage and family are the most important components of the community. It’s in the book. Go ahead and look it up yourself. The official charter of Fabletown laws hold little the government as a whole can do to interfere in family matters. Mostly this is a good thing. Once in a great while—like in this issue, for instance—it isn’t. Also, Bigby and Stinky continue their road trip, trying to catch the hint of a scent of the missing cubs.

HELLBLAZER #300

Written by PETER MILLIGAN

Art by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and STEFANO LANDINI

Cover by SIMON BISLEY

On sale FEBRUARY 20 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • MATURE READERS • FINAL ISSUE

It’s the heart-rending conclusion of “DEATH AND CIGARETTES”—and the end of Vertigo’s longest running series. John Constantine has escaped, cheated, narrowly avoided and even reversed death on multiple occasions over the past 25 years. Now, we will test whether the old boy has one more second chance in him. Don’t miss this epic, oversized special issue celebrating everything that makes John Constantine so bloody unique.

100 BULLETS DELUXE EDITION BOOK FOUR HC

Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO

Art by EDUARDO RISSO

Cover by DAVE JOHNSON

On sale APRIL 10 • 512 pg, FC, 7.0625” x 10.875”, $49.99 US • MATURE READERS

In this new deluxe edition collecting 100 BULLETS #59-80, the Houses of the Trust are warily circling each other, looking for the right angle to take in their impending war, while the remaining Minutemen continue to choose sides—and set up their own battle plans. Then, following Lono’s ascension to warlord for the houses of the Trust, players on both sides ready themselves for the endgame of their private war.

JOE THE BARBARIAN TP

Written by GRANT MORRISON

Art and cover by SEAN MURPHY

On sale MARCH 6 • 224 pg, FC, $19.99 US • MATURE READERS

Joe is an imaginative eleven-year-old boy. He can’t fit in at school. He’s the victim of bullies. His dad died overseas in the Iraq war. He also suffers from Type 1 diabetes. One fateful day, his condition causes him to believe he has entered a vivid fantasy world in which he is the lost savior—a fantastic land based on the layout and contents of his home. His desperate attempts to make it out of his bedroom transform into an incredible, epic adventure through a bizarre landscape

of submarine pirate dwarves, evil Hell Hounds, Lightning Lords and besieged castles. But is his quest really just an insulin-deprived delirium—from which he can die if he doesn’t take his meds—or something much bigger? Collecting the 8-issue miniseries!

SAUCER COUNTRY #12

Written by PAUL CORNELL

Art and cover by RYAN KELLY

On sale FEBRUARY 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS

It’s the run-up to election day, and Arcadia is racing to close the gap on her Republican rival. But meanwhile Prof Kidd’s life is falling apart, as he discovers the secret of the Pioneer Couple. Secrets are revealed, an election is won and lost, and several steps toward the truth are taken in Part One of the three-part tale “President’s Day.”

THE UNWRITTEN VOL. 7: THE WOUND TP

Written by MIKE CAREY

Art by PETER GROSS and RUFUS DAYGLO

Cover by YUKO SHIMIZU

On sale MARCH 20 • 144 pg, FC, $14.99 US • MATURE READERS

In this volume collecting THE UNWRITTEN #36-41, the War of Words is over, but the real world and the fictional world are both in turmoil, and the damage seems to be spreading. When a rash of mysterious disappearances catches the eye of young Australian detective Didge Patterson, it becomes apparent that the cult known as The Church of Tommy is involved. Can Tom Taylor heal “The Wound” before the real and fictional worlds crumble?

THE UNWRITTEN #46

Written by MIKE CAREY

Art by PETER GROSS and DEAN ORMSTON

Cover by YUKO SHIMIZU

On sale FEBRUARY 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS

Richie continues to help Didge with her inquiries, and the Corpse Harvest Killer strikes again—against himself! Enter Madame Rausch, with a surefire plan for stopping the rising body count. All that’s left to settle now is her price...

Click here to see a gallery of art for the above titles.

(The cover for DJANGO UNCHAINED #4 by Frank Quitely)