Comics have become pretty flashy these days...you can read them digitally on your ipad, kindle, phone, etc. The printed pages are slick, the colors are alive and the packaging is top grade. There’s movies, tv shows, toys, and numerous other ways to engage with the product. It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that at the heart of all this, it’s still comes down to lines of black ink on plain old white paper. Here’s a page of SCALPED 56 (on sale 2/29) that shows exactly what I’m talking about...see the defiant look on Dash’s face in panel 2, the light/shadow on Red Crow’s face in panel 3, the uneven lines of the bricks, the rust spots on the jailhouse doors...there’s a lot of life in these simple drawings. Thanks for reading. peace and hair grease, will dennis

The 25th annual Anthony Award nominees were announced today. Vertigo leads the 2011 BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL category with three nominees:

Best Graphic Novel
Sickness in the Family - Denise Mina – Vertigo Crime
Beasts of Burden – Jill Thompson/Evan Dorkin – Dark Horse
Richard Stark's Parker, Vol. 2: The Outfit –Darwyn Cooke - IDW Press
The Chill - Jason Starr – Vertigo Crime
Scalped Vol 6 - The Gnawing - Jason Aaron – Vertigo
Tumor - Joshua Hale Fialkov/ Noel Tuazon - ARCHAIA STUDIOS PRESS

The awards are named after Anthony Boucher, a book reviewer and early champion of the mystery genre. The winners will be announced at the 2011 Bouchercon World Mystery Convention in St. Louis on the morning of September 18th.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

For the full list of nominees and more information about the Anthony Awards and the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, please visit www.Bouchercon2011.com.

This landmark fiftieth issue features two special stories, one detailing the long bloody history of scalping and scalphunters, and the other spotlighting the founding of the Prairie Rose rez as seen through the eyes of Dash Bad Horse’s ancestor, His Many Bad Horses.

Don’t Miss this all-star celebration of all things SCALPED, written by Jason Aaron and featuring art by R.M. Guera, Dean Haspiel, Denys Cowan, Igor Kordey, Jill Thompson, Timothy Truman and a cover by Jock.

SCALPED #50 hits stores June 29.

And we’re excited to share that SCALPED VOL. 7: REZ BLUES hit today’s NEW YORK TIMES Graphic Novel Paperback Bestseller list at #3!

HELLBLAZER—Save the Date

You’re invited to the wedding of

John Constantine and Epiphany Greaves

1.19.11

Exclusive first look at inks from issue #275:

cover by Simon Bisley

Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Stefano Landini

iZOMBIE

I asked author Chris Roberson to give us a rundown of what’s happening in the world of iZOMBIE this year and here’s what he had to say, “The second storyline of iZOMBIE has just gotten started, and all of the characters and plotlines from the first arc are just starting to collide. Once this second arc wraps up, we'll have a spotlight issue featuring a surprise guest artist, and then dive right into the third arc, which features ghostly pulp avengers, undead spies, teen Frankensteins, and more.” And artist Mike Allred is super excited about what’s ahead, “I get to draw all this! Comic book heaven in a world of monsters.”

SCALPED

Jason Aaron starts 2011 back on The Rez with a new storyline called Running to Stand Still. Red Crow is facing a new challenger for tribal leadership, Dash is hunting down his mother’s killer and much more. Check out the cover of issue #45 by Jock and here’s an exclusive first look at an interior page by R.M. Guera.