Updated shipping information for Dark Horse comics and products being released beyond the week of 07/08/2009, provided by Diamond Distribution and our friends at Things From Another World.

Remember, when you order any of these titles, whether here or at your local comic book shop, NOW instead of waiting closer to the release date, you save money AND you save the time of hunting down the issue after it sells out. To find a local comic book shop, please browse The Master List of Comic Book & Trading Card Stores.

Click here for the complete DARK HORSE Extended Forecast

With MySpace dealing with significant layoffs, including its entire MySpace Comics staff, the ever-popular MySpace Dark Horse Presents has temporarily moved back to the mothership at DarkHorse.com.

This is fantastic news for Buffy lovers, as this issue includes something fans have been clamoring for: an entire story with artwork by regular cover artist Jo Chen! This is the first time Chen has done interiors for the series, and it’s a doozy, featuring the return of Angel and Spike! Sorta. You have to go read it. But with cameos from other past characters from the television series, you don’t want to miss this issue, and you’ll want to place your pre-order for MySpace Dark Horse Presents Volume 3 TPB riiiiiiiight . . . now. Okay, now.

But wait! There’s more! (^TM Billy Mays, RIP.) There are three other awesome short stories, including The Giant Man in Paris from Harvey Award-winner Matt Kindt (Super Spy, 3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man), Dreamstar, from Love & Rockets‘ Gilbert Hernandez, and Tickets from Mike Lawrence–a story that had me tearing up at my desk.

So head on over and check out the latest issue of MySpace Dark Horse Presents, and let me know what you think. Were Jo Chen’s interiors all you hoped they would be? Post your comments below!

Best Artist – Gabriel Bá for The Umbrella Academy

Best Colorist – Dave Stewart for The Umbrella Academy

Best Continuing or Limited Series – The Umbrella Academy

Best Anthology – Pixu #1, self-published and edited by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon (hardcover collection to be released by Dark Horse)

Special Award for Humor in Comics – Wondermark by David Malki

Special Award for Excellence in Presentation – Wondermark Vol. 1: Beards of our Forefathers

Congratulations to Gabriel, Fábio, Vasilis, Becky, David, Gerard, Dave, and all the other creators nominated!

To see the rest of the nominees, please visit www.harveyawards.org

Artist Tara McPherson is the latest to join our SDCC Autograph Card/CBLDF Auction event! She will be creating a sketch at San Diego Comic-Con that will be auctioned off by the CBLDF on July 25th, 7 p.m., at the San Diego Convention Center.

Unlike our other creators, there won’t be an autograph card made of this sketch, so your only chance to get your hands on McPherson’s sketch is to bid on it during the auction! You can check out the complete list of contributing publishers and artists here to start allocating your budget!

You don’t have to be a comic book publisher or artist to support the CBLDF’s goal of defending the First Amendment rights of the comics community. Click the links below to become and member and find out how you can become part of this important initiative!

SUPPORT THE COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND

SEE ALL PARTICIPATING COMPANIES & CREATORS

The creator of Usagi Yojimbo, everyone’s favorite rabbit Ronin, has joined our SDCC Autograph Card/CBLDF Auction event! That’s right, the legendary Stan Sakai has donated a black-and-white sketch in support of the CBLDF’s mission of protecting the First Amendment rights of the comics community!

Usagi Yojimbo celebrates its 25th anniversary this year! To celebrate, you’ll want to get your hands on one of the limited-edition autograph cards that we will produce from Sakai’s donated sketch and distribute at SDCC this year. The original artwork will be auctioned off at SDCC ‘09 by the CBLDF on July 25th, 7 p.m., at the San Diego Convention Center. Check out the complete list of contributing publishers and creators and start practicing your samurai moves now!

These special autograph cards are free, but they are extremely limited in quantity, so make sure to visit each creator’s (and publisher’s) booth right away to get yours! TFAW folks will also be giving away complete sets on the convention floor, so look for us and our smiling faces!

SUPPORT THE COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND

SEE ALL PARTICIPATING COMPANIES & CREATORS

Buffy The Vampire Slayer #26 (Season 8)(Jo Chen Regular Cover), $2.99
Buffy The Vampire Slayer #26 (Season 8)(Georges Jeanty Variant Cover), $2.99
DH Capsule Assortment Madagascar Escape 2 Africa Figure Series #1, AR
DH Capsule Assortment Spider-Man Buildable Figure Series #1, AR
DH Capsule Assortment Spongebob Superball Series #1, AR
Fafhrd And The Gray Mouser TP (3rd Printing), AR
Goon TP Vol 8 Those That Is Damned, $15.95
Oh My Goddess TP Vol 12, $10.95
POP Wonderland HC Volume 1 Thumbelina, $16.95
Solomon Kane TP Vol 1 Castle Of The Devil, $15.95
Star Wars Invasion #1 (of 5), $2.99
Tokidoki Latte Die-Cut Journal, $14.99
Unbound Saga (One Shot), $3.50
Witchfinder In The Service Of Angels #1, $2.99

ComicList: Dark Horse Comics for Wednesday, July 1, 2009, by Charles LePage.

Now that you've read the list, subscribe via email or RSS, use the ComicList Printable Checklist, and catalogue your comics with Collectorz.com Comic Collector!

PLEASE NOTE- Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. Let me know if any of the names or numbers are wrong. To find a local comic book shop, please browse The Master List of Comic Book & Trading Card Stores.

Star Wars Legacy #37
Dark Horse Comics
Ostrander, Duursema & Parsons

Star Wars Legacy kicks off a new arc this month which finds Cade Skywalker and crew on Tatooine. Generally, I find stories that constantly return to Tatoonie to be rather unimaginative and I usually find opening issues of an arc to be rather boring and filled with elements that are merely setting up future actions. However, this issue falls into neither one of those trappings and is a very good issue. At some point I will stop being surprised at how great this series is issue after issue.

The comic is good because it has a complicated plot using many characters with a multitude of allegiances. At the heart of the story is Cade and his two pirate buddies. They are making their way through Sith Imperial ships and stealing cargo. They cash in the stolen goods on the remote planet of Tatooine to avoid detection. However, in this issue they find themselves stranded on Tatooine as their ship needs some repairs and money isn’t so easy to come by as they’ve over-supplied the locals with stolen goods resulting in dried up demand.

Ordinarily I can’t stand stories that rely on coincidence to weave a plot. The coincidence here being that Cade happens to need repairs, while out of money, stranded on the planet that every Skywalker seems destined to return to over and over again. However, it’s not the coincidence that seems out of place but the circumstances. Cade can’t locate the part he needs anywhere on the planet? No other dealer wants his stolen goods yet he had been selling his shipments to the same dealer over and over again? Wouldn’t another dealer be dying to get their hands on these goods if the same one had been buying all of them this whole time? It seems like Cade is just being stubborn which works very well for his character. I’m just not sure I’m buying all of this. It’s not bad, but I just find something to be missing for now.

The story hits on all cylinders when it deals with those that are tracking Cade. In the interests of a) not spoiling and b) not confusing something that needs to be read very carefully; I will keep this brief. Basically, the Sith Empire wants to find the pirates stealing their stuff. The Grand Moff tasked with this enlists an untrustworthy officer, a renegade pilot and a “trusted” bounty hunter. However, these folks involve various scum, like criminals and Tatooine locals to help their causes and agendas. In short, a lot of people are after Cade and their intentions and allegiances are not solidified one bit. These twists and turns in the comic make this issue much more than just set up.

The comic recalls several characters from previous arcs, some of which were very minor players. The story also continues to add complexity to Cade’s character. He seems to take a step forward but then take a half of step backwards. In this issue he seems to further withdraw from his pirate buddies, but he makes an attempt at being playful with them.

The art is tremendous. The comic bounces from planet to planet, character to character, race and race and nothing misses a beat. The art excels in some of the obscure scenery, such as the garden oasis on Tatooine. There is one small nugget on the very first page. It sure looks like a very familiar protocol droid getting blasted on the Sith Imperial ship. The art knows the universe, the characters and how to tell a great story.

This comic is a great opening to the arc using Tatooine because it stays away from the typical Tatooine territory, like wandering the desert or hanging out in a cantina. The story sets up multiple levels of betrayal and presents a story where every single character seems like they could turn on their superior or “friend”. This is a very good comic that relies on building characters and plot without the crutches like action or giant splash pages. I definitely recommend this comic.

4 out of 5 geek goggles

Updated shipping information for Dark Horse comics and products being released beyond the week of 07/01/2009, provided by Diamond Distribution and our friends at Things From Another World.

Remember, when you order any of these titles, whether here or at your local comic book shop, NOW instead of waiting closer to the release date, you save money AND you save the time of hunting down the issue after it sells out. To find a local comic book shop, please browse The Master List of Comic Book & Trading Card Stores.

Click here for the complete DARK HORSE Extended Forecast

Dark Horse Comics is currently seeking a motivated, creative and organized self-starter for the position of Comic Retail Manager in our marketing department. We are the largest licensed/creator owned comic book publisher in the world. In addition to comics, graphic novels and prose books, we have a full line of pop-culture products.

Position Objective

*To increase overall visibility and sales of Dark Horse products in the Direct/Comic Market by working in conjunction with Diamond Comics Distributor to service retailers in the worldwide market.

Primary Responsibilities

* Develop and implement strategic plans to increase sales of frontline releases through promotions and marketing programs.
* Develop and implement comprehensive backlist programs to control catalog inventory, while maintaining market equilibrium with respect to product value.
* Maintain regular and ongoing communication with the direct market retail community and distribution partners.
* Maintain positive customer service for the direct market retail community by responding to questions, inquires, and requests in a timely and supportive manner.

Associate Responsibilities

* Coordinate the development of collateral and the creation of programs by partnering with editors, creators, creative and production.
* Researches market trends with respect to pricing, sales velocity and inventory to facilitate recommendations and track program performance.
* Stay abreast of changes in the market and distribution environment to best serve the objectives of the organization and adjusts plans accordingly.
* Pursue and complete special projects as required.

Supervision

* Supervision of two customer service/sales associates.

Requirements

* Must have familiarity with the direct market and multi-tiered distribution.
* Must have experience with product management, from inception and costing, through to sales and inventory control.
* Significant experience with licensed products and branding preferred.
* Must be capable in MS Excel/Word and have familiarity with HTML coding.
* Must be organized, personable and articulate.
* Must be able to work within various levels of an organization.

For qualified and interested candidates, please send a cover letter, resume and salary requirements (a must) to:

Email: jobs@darkhorse.com, Attn. VP of Sales & Marketing.
Or Fax to: 503-654-9440, Attn.: VP of Sales and Marketing.
Or Mail to: Dark Horse Comics, Inc., Attn. VP of Sales & Marketing,
10956 SE Main Street Milwaukie, OR 97222.

I recently got to sit down and chat (via email) with Kevin McGovern, the artist for Scott Allie's newest project, Exurbia! Haven't heard of Kevin? That's because Exurbia is his big debut - working with Scott Allie, for the third-largest comic-book publisher in the country, Dark Horse Comics.

Jealous yet?

Exurbia is a crazy-unique comic, and it's gotten some positive response from folks like Gilbert Hernandez, who wrote, "Exurbia boldly continues and transmogrifies the type of lunatic stories that only comics can do with any justice. Try as films and TV might, here is the real stuff. Bravo and yikes at the same time."

Read on as Kevin takes us through his 13-year journey of bringing Exurbia to print!

TFAW.com: Hey Kevin, thanks for taking some time to talk with me today!

Kevin McGovern: Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity.

TFAW.com: So how did you get into drawing comics?

KMc: Like a lot of enthusiasts, I grew up with them. My parents kept our house well-stocked with cartoon collections: Peanuts; Charles Addams; Doonesbury; Bloom County and the like, plus we had a huge box of Marvel and DC comics. I didn't really start drawing until after I got out of high school and rediscovered comics in the late '80s and early '90s. But it was Scott Allie's Sick Smiles project that really got me going in earnest.

TFAW.com: How did you meet up with Scott Allie?

KMc: At the time - this was in the early '90s - I was looking for any writers who needed artists to render their stories, so I checked in at a comic book shop in downtown Portland to see if the owner knew of anyone. Luckily, Scott had stopped by earlier that week to set up a meeting for anyone who wanted to work with him on Sick Smiles.

TFAW.com: What was Scott's Sick Smiles project about? Was this before he was at Dark Horse?

KMc: Sick Smiles does predate Scott's career at Dark Horse. It was his self-published foray into the horror genre back in the early '90s. He came to Portland, Oregon from Ipswich, Massachusetts with an armload of stories and the gumption to see them in print. It was pretty cool stuff, too; some of it very Lovecraft-esque, some of it straight-up horror. And, to his credit, he employed a lot of local, unknown artists to get the book out. It was a lot of fun to work with him on that project.

TFAW.com: What did you do for Sick Smiles?

KMc: I did the artwork for a few stories, the first Exurbia story being one of them, as well as a longer one later in the series. There were a couple of others I worked on; one was a vampire story, and the other one was about a girl who finds out that she's about to become her new landlord's main course.

My personal favorites were our "Men of the World" collaborations, which were about actual, sometimes very surreal, encounters with folks on the streets of Portland. I still get a laugh about the first one we did (which has some dialogue that's unsuitable for a general audience, otherwise I'd regale you with a ripping good anecdote).

TFAW.com: Can you set us up with an intro as to what Exurbia is about?

KMc: Gage Wallace, the main character, is mistakenly fingered as a terrorist who is blowing up buildings around town. He spends most of the story running around the city trying to clear himself, during which he runs into a host of Exurbia's eccentrics. Sort of like After Hours with a Terry Gilliam twist.

TFAW.com: Who is the Rat? What part does he play in this story?

KMc: The Rat is a wonderful character - he is Exurbia's holy fool; a spouter of drivel, which everyone thinks is the word straight from God's mouth. The key to Gage's salvation lies with the Rat, regardless of whether or not the Rat wants to be a part of it. For me, he was one of the most fun characters to work with.

TFAW.com: What is the setting of Exurbia? Is it in the future? Why is this town so crazy?

KMc: Scott wrote the most of story when I was still living in Portland, and because of that, it's tied to a very specific time of my life, so I decided to use my hometown as an inspiration for some of the key scenes. To me, Exurbia is sort of an alternate, early-to-mid-'90s version of Portland.

We never really discussed any specific time that the story takes place, although there are some clues that might put it somewhere around the turn of the century. For instance, not everyone has a cell phone or a personal computer, and Gage's television is definitely not a flat screen.

The craziness you mention is a result of the fact that the town itself about to fall apart at a sneeze, and that, in turn, affects the citizens' mentality. Sort of, "eat, drink, and go nuts, because tomorrow you may buried under your four walls."

TFAW.com: Exurbia is really different than anything Scott has created or edited - it's really different than anything I've seen lately, really. How would you categorize it?

KMc: Scott and I had a discussion one time about how Gage's character would fit perfectly into an Alfred Hitchcock movie; an average guy gets thrown into a situation that's way beyond his everyday experience and has to prove his innocence without much help from anyone. So, that would put it in the, what, thriller genre? Suspense?

If you know anything of Scott's career in comics, this story is really something very special. I think his audience is going to be greatly surprised by this facet of his storytelling talent.

TFAW.com: Exurbia is a comic that's been a work in progress for 13 years! Can you tell us about its evolution?

KMc: It has taken a while for this project to get where it's at, and a lot of that had to do with me and my comfort level with the artwork. This is actually my third (and, obviously, most successful) attempt at finishing the story; the direction of the artwork in the first two versions just did not sit well with me, so I stopped right at page 11 . . . both times. True story. That sounds a bit, I dunno, heavy handed, but it was very important to me to get it done right.

I'm extremely fortunate that Scott had the patience of a saint with me, because he rightfully could have given the project to another artist after my bailing on him twice.

TFAW.com: When did Exurbia come to Dark Horse Comics?

KMc: I remember Scott and me pitching it to Bob Schreck at the San Diego Comic-Con, but I'm a little fuzzy on the date. I want to say it was '94. Bob was still with Dark Horse at that time and very supportive of our endeavor, but it wasn't picked up at that time.

TFAW.com: Your artwork has undergone a major transformation since Exurbia's debut in Sick Smiles. Can you tell us about that?

KMc: When I first started drawing pages for Sick Smiles, I was incredibly naïve about what all goes into comic book illustration. I liked to draw, but had no formal training - I didn't even know what materials to use. I was on a steep learning curve, so a lot was on me to go out and find the tools to improve my illustration skills.

After I moved to Seattle, I went to design school, where I learned more about composition, layout, character design, etc., and that was sort of the last piece of the puzzle to fall in place. I'm still learning, but I now have a few more tools in my bag to help me tell a story.

TFAW.com: What are your artistic influences?

KMc: How much space do you have in this blog? There's so much I can list. I really try to look at all types of media for influence; movies, cartooning, fine art, and literature as well as comics. I love Modernist painting and the New Yorker-style cartoons from the '50s and '60s, and I am finding a lot of inspiration in contemporary Chinese illustration, since many of those artists still use traditional ink and brush techniques.

TFAW.com: Exurbia has such a unique look to it - kind of like a postmodern Dennis the Menace or Calvin & Hobbes. How would you describe it?

KMc: When I began working on this version of Exurbia, I was showing the early pencilled pages to a group for critique, and many of the participants said that Gage had a Dennis the Menace quality about him. I can't say that I'm a big Dennis fan, but I love Calvin & Hobbes, and since we are the sum of our experiences, I'm not too surprised that that influence is there.

Gage is supposed to be a failed rebel, so his design was to have certain hallmarks of other rebel icons: for instance, he wears a white t-shirt and red jacket a la James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. I guess his hair could fall into a Dennis or Calvin category, but that wasn't a conscious decision. I just wanted Gage to a have distinctive hairstyle.

TFAW.com: I noticed that the buildings in Exurbia look like dominoes, and in the book, the city is on the verge of collapse. Was that an intentional allusion?

KMc: That was Scott's concept. He wanted a city that looked like it was going to fall apart at any give moment, which, in turn, had an affect on its citizen's collective psyche. The dice and domino structures captured the sense of something that would easily fall or tumble. It was a lot of fun to draw those decrepit, heaped-up modular buildings that have no architectural integrity.

TFAW.com: The Rat has a very distinct look - where did that come from?

KMc: The Rat came from a drawing I did for a friend's band that was putting out a 45 single back in the early '90s. Scott took one look at the sketch and exclaimed, "It's a rat . . . and he SMOKES!" which became our byline for the Rat. But where the floating ears and nose came from, who knows? I wanted him to physically be distinctive from the rest of the Exurbia cast.

It's weird enough he's a large, talking, rat ( . . . and he SMOKES!), but he's also a loner, an outsider, so his appearance really had to set him apart from the rest of the population.

TFAW.com: In many ways, this is your big debut title - what's that been like?

KMc: It's been a wonderful learning experience, especially having an industry pro like Scott for a creative partner. I'm a lot more comfortable with how I draw and what I'm capable of accomplishing. I'll be really excited when I'm holding the book in my hand. I can't wait!

TFAW.com: Do you have any advice for would-be comics artists?

KMc: I had an illustration instructor in school who told us to simply follow our passion and everything else will fall into place. I can't think of any better advice.

TFAW.com: What are your future plans? What would be your dream job in comics?

KMc: I think it'd be fun to put together a comic of all the little stories and sketches that I stashed away during this project. I'm also planning on taking some more art courses - I want to try my hand at painting again, which I've neglected while working on the book.

My dream job? To create the kind of books I enjoy reading; the ones where you discover something new with each reading.

TFAW.com: Thanks so much, Kevin! I'm looking forward to seeing Exurbia in print.

KMc: Thank you. I enjoyed our chat.

Make sure to check out our 13-page preview of Exurbia, as well as the exclusive preview pages in this post! Are you folks looking forward to Exurbia? Are there any prospective cartoonists out there? Post your questions and comments below!