#alpha grim amy

[dan2078]

I made a lil animation 'cuz nobody's home and that means no bed time (I now realize I could've finished my upcoming schoolwork instead.)

[000marie198]

Notice how the Grim bots look and fight very very similar to the OG characters.

Notice how The Grim is empty and lifeless

Notice how it seems almost as if it hasn't started forming yet

Remember The Grim being dubbed as a clean slate by Nine

Remember how he chose this place to be his world, his paradise, his home.

Notice that it belongs to him now to create it as he wants.

Remember that Grim has no one and has no counterparts or landmarks of the OG world

Remember how Ghost Hill blew up, destroyed from existence when Nine began to use the unstable prism to recreate The Grim.

Remember how the ghosts of Sonic's and Shadow's friends were also wiped from existence and floated away, the essence gone into the energy sucked away by the prism

Remember how much the Grim bots look and act like the OGs

Since the world of the Grim was claimed by Nine to create as he wants before it fully formed, and he created those bots to be his friends, the Grim Bots are the variants of this Shatterspace.

...

That wasn't the point of the post. This is the true point of the post:

There's no Tails amongst the Grim Bots.

By Nine's choice, Tails' variant doesn't exist in his world

[kindheart525]

Not to pry, but how would you imagine a Gwimbly X Troglor fankid in this au?(I know they're probably not dating but yea.) Is the Homunculus from S2/E5 up to anything? I actually created a Spamtopian Waitress x Oscar fankid for fun! :3

Hey anon I know who you are! (If you went on anon for any particular reason you can choose to reveal yourself in the notes if you want)

To be honest Troglor’s design looks complicated as hell so I don’t have any plans to do anything with him in the Dottieverse, though I can see the appeal of shipping him with Gwimbly. I have nothing in mind for Professor Psychotic’s homunculus as of now but maybe I’ll come up with something! I feel like I’m a bit more likely to be inspired to create a role for him than I am for Jason, but we’ll see.

I am brainstorming possibilities for a Grim x Gnarly kid and an Amy Pimling x Alpha kid! No promises at all but those are the pairings I’m most likely to take a crack at in the near future.

9/9/2024 Update: The homunculus has a role now lol

[shmilestprower]

Warning: The headcanons described have heavily detailed torture, graphic content, blood and abuse, including drug usage and mentions of murder/suicide are in here. So turn away if you're uncomfortable.

Final Boss Engaged.

Secret History Tails (The Final Boss/The High Chief)

The Final Boss Has Arrived.

"The Final Boss" Miles 'Tails' Prower (Secret History Tails)

Headcanons:

- Tails is the current ruler and heir to a eldritch, primordial, unhinged and nightmarish royal family and dynasty. The Prower royal family has it's name drenched in sadism, manipulation, perfection, conquest, murder, winning, succeeding, omnicide, sin, cover-ups, elitism, superiority, money, power, control, empires, corporations, businesses, abuse, fear, mutilation, genocide, blood, inciting wars, torture, being the alpha, tyranny, sacrifice, evil and indoctrination, alongside a totalitarian regime, wrath, envy and mass omnicide. Every atrocity possible.

- He became the current heir and ruler to the Prower royal family, after his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather Maximilian Von Prower, who was a self-centered misanthropic, eccentric and twisted warlord and murderer. Someone so depraved, cruel, power-absorbed and vicious, he was shot repeatedly, cut his hands off, mutilated to where he was still alive. And then, slightly burnt alive. Then, they lobotomized Maximilian and pulled his brain out, for a pack of rabid dogs to eat his corpse. Something Tails loathed entirely.

- Enjoys country, bluesy and Elvis Presley music. And will insult and mock people through concerts, some of these concerts are decorated with hanging heads from chains, literal intestines and hearts. And will use macabre jokes.

- As punishments for not listening, he'll chug a whole water bottle and spit in Amy's face.

- Whilst he was bullied, he began using their tactics against him. And repeatedly stalked them, along with having literally almost crushed one's head in, another bully believed he was the Devil Incarnate. After Tails justified himself.

- Amy is constantly emotionally mentally, domestically and psychologically abused. He also had cut out her flesh, hence her look in TSAA Part 4. And has physically abused her as well, for punishments.

- Knuckles, after POST-TSAK is his pet. And his enforcer, which works well. As he is a mass-murdering eldritch mechanical beast.

- Used a chainsaw to rip Blaze apart, as she watched her house be burned by Amy and Knuckles.

- Mildly autistic with somewhat epilepsy, and has mild ADHD. Along with a learning disability and a unique case of lupus. But he often harasses people, like repeated calling their phone.

- He has spies, mangled beyond comprehension but still alive. And yet in pain and suffering watching Mario's regime, and reporting everything back. And he was the real mastermind behind Harry Potter becoming a egomaniacal, perverted bully with a taste of hookers. The Wizards are slaves to him.

- Owns a entire slaughterhouse, where he sometimes uses for humans, alternate universe versions of himself, Sonic or other characters. He emotionally, physically, mentally, psychologically abuses them. Having driven one version of Sonic to commit suicide by hanging. As he constantly swears, cusses and was trash talking with profanity. Sells blood off as wine and the meat as extra-special.

- Can freely move between different levels and planes of reality and existence.

- He is a gourmet chef, and will cook humans. Feeding Knuckles, and reluctantly Amy.

- Is never seen around without Cosmo. Ever, at all. And if he is, he's stalking her or observing her from one of his, or his family's enterprises.

- He loves to spoil Cosmo, gifting her mamy gifts. Sometimes in really grim ways, like a bloody and somehow, still beating heart. He constantly spam texts her, constantly asking whether she is ok, where she is, what's she doing or if she's thinking about him.

- Is quadrupedal, sometimes and will cannibalize other foxes. Tearing flesh apart, or cutting it up, sometimes he will put foxes on meat hooks to prolong their suffering.

- Very indeterminate and knowledgable, as it is almost impossible to describe Tails, or his bloodline in a knowledgeable and comprehensible way.

- Supersedes everything above him including narratives and himself. Can warp reality, and is immune to anti-metaphysical fields. He also can alter events through time, Cream's neck was crushed by his boot and he skinned half of her face. Eating the flesh and muscle, saving her body and flesh for "special occasions". Being a immensely powerful entity.

- Has a highly aggressive, very active, strong and deadly local reality, specifically in the form of temporal and spatial distortions surrounding him. These distortions are occasionally accompanied by random, violent outbursts that may dramatically shift or damage local space and time. Spatial and temporal distortions are irreversibly fatal.

- Stole all of Sega's profits, to further expand and build his regime. Just because he's greedy and envious.

- He wraps one of his tails around Cosmo, like a snake. He's also masochistic.

- His bullies are currently in a pocket dimension, being tortured the same way he was. And how he manipulated Amy to kill Sonic.

- Smokes weed and drinks Tequila, pre-SHOSAT. Before inheriting Maximilian Von Prower's estate, he was at 4 mental asylums. And psychiatric wards.

- Gamer, able to bigger his empire and enterprises. Along with his mother company Miles 'Tails' Prower Enterprises whilst playing video games.

- Japanese-German, American and possibly European. Along with being fluent in every language, a master spy and master in espionage.

- His mother was The Isdal Woman, and his father was a BND agent who had been in and out of jail, and security prisons. He died in a gunfight with the National Guard and FBI agents.

- Cracked Eggman's head open,exposing his brain and torched him alive, Eggman is paralyzed. Having his spinal cord cut, Tails currently has him strung up by wire and cable by two fences. Whilst his flesh falls apart and blood leaks, some of which Tails drinks. Keeping Eggman alive.

- PURE EVIL. A cruel, vile, cold-blooded and ruthless monster.

- His chain around his neck came from his mother, so he cherishes it very deeply.

- Due to his unique nature, he is highly egotistical and has a superiority complex. Calling himself The Final Boss, as he sees himself as the ultimate ruler to his bloodline. Tails gloats about his family legacy, and himself. Being narcissistic, and megalomaniacal. Sometimes, he will literally enforce Amy to listen to his family's history, if she threatens his life.

- He is so extremely abusive, controlling, cruel and sadistic that he is naturally, genuinely actually and more evil than Dr. Eggman, being completely devoid of the sympathetic element. He believes sacrifices must be made to achieve power. Nothing is off limits for The Final Boss, from expelling his own family. To asserting himself as a fox who believes he has surpassed Sonic. He keeps a meat grinder where he often will chop his victims up, and will use the kitchen to process the meat. He also has made Sonic bleed. He knows he's a horrible person, but he doesn't give a shit.

- Amy has repeatedly seen hanging corpses in a meat locker, most victims are still alive. Tails often laughs. Even worse so, he has a cruel, sick, morbid and dark, twisted sense of humor. If it could be called that, such as him asking Amy if she liked what she saw about his victims. And he claims he's been meaning to "check back in' with Silver, implying he's ready to murder the psychokinetic hedgehog.

- He also treats Sonic and Amy less than friends and more of test subjects, as he calls them a series of fine specimens. As if they're just a line of cattle, he's been grooming and ready to slaughter at the right moment.

- With Cosmo, he is OBSESSIVE. She is a divine entity in his eyes, he will be outside her door. Or window, no matter the sun or the moon. Stalking her. He is just grateful to have her in his world, as he gives her all the affection. And doesn't treat her like she's cattle. He also likes to think he sees things, and himself in her.

- Uses lingo and idioms like "boy" and "riding off into the sunset".

- His tongue is a bioluminescent long tongue, and his saliva is constantly changing shape and coloration.

- Very flirtatious and alert, sometimes making out with Cosmo. Bisexual as fuck, he will make suggestive remarks sometimes. As he slowly tortures them, using different weapons.

- Easily irritated by Amy, seeing her only as that whiny daughter. Tails also has taken over his primordial and eldritch bloodline's estate, wealth and businesses. Creating his own, some businesses have mutilated corpses in boxes.

- He will kill anyone who has flirted or touched Cosmo, and sometimes he will rip their organs out. As he is extremely homicidal (he has over 300 charges right now)

- He takes great sadistic enjoyment in beating others. Viciously bearing others and being gruesome, bloody even, with a belt like a dog and beating "the piss" out of them savoring the moment and prolonging the torment, claiming this is what happens when they "fuck with The Final Boss". Tearing the skin, tearing the flesh, even demanding those who like Sonic more than him look at their so-called hero. He also demands no one touches his women. Being criminally insane. He is a power-hungry, money-hungry Corporate villainous overlord who uses his authority and influence over Amy to ensure she listens to him.

- Runs a illegal honey badger fighting ring, much to PETA and animal rights activist groups' disliking. The badgers are in a constant state of a berserk mode, insane and angry, because Tails feeds them drugs, from his drug empire. And cut-up honey badger.

- His relationship with Amy is more of a friend and friend or daughter and father relationship, he finds her easily annoying. But could listen to Cosmo all day.

- Knows every single aspect of Trevor Henderson's lore, Hello Neighbor lore, FNAF lore and Bendy lore. Will explain it to Amy every fucking time he gets.

- Amy is like his sadistic assistant.

- Has no fear, and will disrespect the dead. Because he doesn't believe in ghosts.

- His beach resort has a section where the "water" is actually just the melted and liquified remains of the family that used to live there and everyone who stood in his area. His guards there, are fucking Wendigos and Skinwalkers.

- Engages in deals and bets with dark web fanatics and black market individuals.

- Agent of Chaos, sometimes he will imprison a victim. Adding to their suffering, and toying with them. Sometimes peeling the skin away, or licking their sweat.

- Calls Sonic fans who think he's a coward or worse than Sonic "so entitled, obnoxious and brash." Remarking how some of them have sex, but they gotta pay cash. He is obsessed with making Sonic bleed, saying how there's some lines you just don't cross, and they all can kiss the ass of The Final Boss.

- Makes chili dogs and sandwiches out of his own kind, and victims. Condiments are blood. Mustard is included as well, Tails' favorite drink is Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 or '2017.

- Can shapeshift into literally anything he wants, like a squid-like Lovecraftian monster, a mass of energy and matter to a amorphous multi pointed star of a bright white material.

- He celebrates holidays way too fucking early, it could be only the 29th or 30th of November, and he's gonna have a fucking Christmas tree and the whole house set up. Ready for Christmas, it could be June 18th, and he's gonna be ready for Fourth of July.

- HUGE mama's boy, he calls his mother the protector of their family, the guiding force even when his father died. And a trail blazer, his immense respect and deep love for his mother goes so far where he visits her grave at Møllendal, Bergen. And he sees her, in his eyes and his heart. She was the real Final Boss.

- Has been to Hollywood, and is best friends with The Rock. As Tails looks up to, and idolizes him, seeing him as the brother Sonic never could be. To him, Sonic is deadbeat. And he is finally number one.

After all, if you smell what The Final Boss..

Is Cookin'.

[kainsword17]

Here is the whole character-roster for a made-up fighting-game I've come up for a squeal  to my CN-Fighter, a crossover fighting starting characters from some of Cartoon-Network's animated shows. The game idea will have some returning characters, along with some new faces, but it will feature a story involving the cartoon, Max-Steel (that aired on Cartoon-Network in case you're wondering).

Here's the basic story of the game idea: The Cartoon-Network is in danger again, this time it's under threat from then world-eating alien, Makino and his Ultralinks, so Max-Steel, the hero of that world, gathers up the heroes on the universe to help him fighting, however, Makino along with his herald, Miles Dread gathers up this world's villains to help them fight the heroes.

Returning Characters:

KO (from OK KO: Let's be Heroes!).

Ben Tennyson (from Ben-10).

Alpha-Girl Latifah (from Hero-108).

Gumball Watterson (from The Amazing World of Gumball).

Garnet (from Steven-Universe).

Fink (from OK KO: Let's be Heroes!).

Mao Mao (from Mao Mao: Heroes of Pureheart).

Terrorancula (from Ben-10 Omniverse).

Tootsie the Skunk (from Craig of the Creek).

Trickshoot (from Trick-Moon).

Nanini & Genesis (from OK KO: Let's be Heroes!).

Optimus-Prime (from Transformers Animated).

Hoss Delgado (from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy).

Dexter (from Dexter's Laboratory).

Sticks the Badger (from Sonic-Boom).

Orangusnake (from Mao Mao: Heroes of Pureheart).

Doctor Diablos (from Dexter's Laboratory).

Killer-Moth (from The Batman).

Rex Salazar (from Generator-Rex) (DLC).

Malware (from Ben-10 Omniverse) (DLC).

Major-Glory (from Dexter's Laboratory/Justice-Friends) (DLC).

Toiletnator (from Codename: Kids next Door) (DLC).

New Characters:

Max-Steel (from Max-Steel).

Blisstina (from Powerpuff-Girls 2016).

Blast-Link (from Max-Steel).

Madame Malin (from We Baby Bears).

Maltruant (from Ben-10 Omniverse).

Penny Fitzgerald (from The Amazing World of Gumball).

Brock Samson (from The Venture-Bros).

Unikitty (from Unikitty).

Meltdown (from Transformers Animated).

Secret-Squirrel (from Two-Stupid Dogs).

Miles Dread (from Max-Steel) with Dread Makino-Mode as the game's mid-boss.

Amy Rose (from Sonic Boom) (DLC).

Red-Action (from OK KO: Let's be Heroes!) (DLC).

Professor-Princess (from Transformers Animated) (DLC)

Metal Elementor (from Max-Steel) (DLC).

The Final-Boss of the game:

Makino (from Max-Steel)

[maguro13-2]

The Dark Picture ~ Origins of the Ink Demon : Operation Drawcia Pt.17 ~

"At the Doctor's Castle..."

"Stage 3 : Cryptic Castle..."

[Cryptic Castle by Jun Senoue Plays]

Seto : Oi, Master Grim!

Grim (Metal Sonic) : Seto! Glad that I finally made it!

Seto : You're just in time to be at the arrival at Cryptic Castle! This is the place!

Solva : Sorry, I'm late! But I'm not too late! I had to escape from whatever is inside of Cyberspace! I had to to protect the core program that connects the key to the cyberspace.

Disc-Chan : That's the core of the Internet, dingus.

Solva : Well, excuse me, prince-

Seto : Don't say a friggin' word.

Solva : Okay.

Eve : Listen up, everyone! No fooling around! We are here to raise the defenses of the castle! Let us open the door nice and easy!

*SMASH!*

Seto : You even had to say "Nice and Easy". Ah...Whatever, let's just set up the denfeses. There's gonna be a huge game watch on game night, what'll be soccer, football, or American football the NFL.

Solva : Well, I'm not into sports, but I'm always into sports enthusiast!

Amy : Oh thank goodness! Shadow, you...Eh? What's the reaper doing here. Haven't we met you here before?

Grim (Metal Sonic) : I am? I am Grim...Grim the Reaper, but I was originally Grim the Hedgehog.

Amy : Hey, you're that robot Metal Sonic that I saw back in the Mystic Ruins.

(an image shows Amy seeing Metal Sonic in Doctor Eggman's base at the Mystic Ruins)

Amy : You were there inside the capsule when you had the chance to escape with other robot you rescued before Sonic could destroy it!

Grim (Metal Sonic) : Yes, you are correct. What on earth are you doing at this castle away! Well after, Gemerl was stopped and we had to put the world together! It's been three months since the other Metal Sonic went rogue for a rebellious reason. Now that my hometown in Central City by those aliens, I had no choice but to find a new home.

Seto : Like the Amy's Room stage from Sonic Battle?

Solva : And don't forget about the Library stage in Central City too as well. By the way, what happened to Night Babylon and Central City?

Seto : They got destroyed...when the Black Arms arrived in Westopolis, that's also the first level of Shadow's game, so now both Amy's Stage, Club Rouge, and the Libray Stage from Sonic Battle have all been demolished by Black Doom's reign of terror, or should I say his 2000 year old reign of Terror, that's what literally happened during the Gizoid Incident. Since the Dreamcast Era was about to come to an end, Gemerl made Eggman to confess his stupidity to others for making robots do all the crime after Metal Sonic turned against on him. That's what got into these humans to start major conflicts against both hedgehogs and aliens.

Solva : So the inhabitants of Sonic's world were able to make Sonic Villains pay for their crimes against others, that's what those Chaos Emeralds meant as a warning from the Ancients in the past. The Emeralds weren't used for destruction they were used for good, that's why Tikal was trying to stop Chaos because the Ancients warned them about putting into Omnicide, that's why!

Cryptic Castle Guard A : Enemy attack!

Cryptic Castle Guard B : Get to your positions immediately!

Alpha Team Leader : (via radio) This is Alpha Team! We are currently under heavy fire! Hostages have been secured! I'm requesting backup for any assistance immediately! We need your help to activate all five lanterns to set up the defense line on all five sectors!

Grim (Metal Sonic) : Stay put! Tell Bravo Team that enemy hostiles are near the defense line and stay in your positions. Secure the perimeter and make sure to tell them not to let anyone get killed in the battlefield! These aliens must be eliminated and I will put an end to Black Doom's evil plan!

Alpha Team Leader : (via radio) Copy that! I will get ahead! All units! Prepare to open fire!

Grim : You all heard the men. Get those lanterns set up

(scene flips)

Seto : Huh? So this is a lantern! But how are we supposed to light up the defenses. This is going to be a real treat, but I am giving the Black Arms a trick to smell our feet!

Solva : Does anyone have a fire! To think off?

Eve : Sure! As Eve Neuschwanstein got this one in system, I have a little fire power to prove it. (holds a lighter)

Seto : Yeah, that will never work. This is how you light up a fighter. (uses fire technique to lit up the center) That's one! This should be a real trick-or-treating mission! If we like to trick-or-treat kids, then I will give them a trick out of them.

Solva : And I'll give them a treat to smell the feets.

Eve : And then we'll have someting sweet in our lives!

Cryptic Castle Guard : Hey, Pinky! We found one of the hostages was securing?

Amy : What kind of Hostages did you save? (cuts to cream with a towel wrapped around her) Cream? What was she doing here in the castle?

Cryptic Castle Guard: It appears one of your teammates that you disbanded has run off into the castle all by herself. I believe that Eggman had some minor details that her little friend have run off into the castle. But we don't know how these two wandered off and Gemerl was worried sick about her.

Amy : Gemerl, who did we forget?

Seto : You know the brother of that Gizoid, Emerl.

Amy : Wait a sec, Emerl that Gizoid that we carelessly killed have a brother? Eggman created another Gizoid from Emerl's previous data. Why didn't you tell me that before Sonic forcibly killed him?

Cryptic Castle Guard : Because of crimes we carelessly commited, we don't know how a Gizoid was able to find herself worried that Sonic killed his brother before by Eggman's fault and that causes Gemerl to be enraged and decided to turn on him.

Amy : And Cheese, you know Cheese the Chao, Cream's sidekick/friend. Do you know where did he wandered off to?

*BOOM!*

Cryptic Castle Guard : We haven't got much time! More enemy intrusion is coming up at sector C! We need Lantern #2 to lit up!

Seto : No biggies! Just leave it to me, the world's greatest Shinigami that puts evil to their knees!

Cryptic Castle Guard : Then hop to it!

(Scene slides)

Seto : (Lits up lantern with a fire technique) Okay! That's #3 I set up more of the defenses! Now to Lantern #4. You do know where Lantern #4?

Solva : Yeah, I don't think that Lantern #4 is outside the castle, it's inside the castle, but I reconsider that much of a threat of what's inside the castle.

Seto : What's inside the Castle?

(scene slides)

Seto : Are you serious? I have to lit Lantern #4 over there!?

Solva : Well this is where the last remaining defenses are.

Eve : Yeah, you should reconsider going there, but I'm gonna head out to the Underground Area to find out what the exit will be.

Solva : Uhh, Earth to Eve Neuschwanstein! That passageway to the exit is infested with a--

*Creature Shrieking*

Eve : (drops entrance) Oh my God.... (shivers in fear as her colors drains) What the hell was in there?!

Seto : A Giant Walker creature.

Eve : Why would there be a monster sleeping in the passageway! Do you know how dangerous that was! The Goal Ring was underneath castle while there's a giant monster that resides in the underground area of a passageway!

Seto : You sure that you don't exit the castle.

Eve : I'll...pass, thank you very much. I hope I will recolor self. Note to self, never go down that passageway.

Seto : (uses a small flame and throws to the lantern) Okay! Now for the last one. How hard can it be?

(Scene cuts)

Seto : Eh? This is quite a drop! But this is totally easy! *instant transmission* Okay! Last one to drop! (uses fire technique to lit up the last lantern) Lantern #5!

Cryptic Castle Guard : Oh thank you, Seto! You have lit up all five lanterns at the castle! Now Cryptic Castle can be finally protected from Black Dooms invasions! Look! (the Black Dooms retreating and being frightened are shown) The Black Arms are retreating! What a look on their faces! No candies for the aliens, now that's a good trick out of them and I'll certianly give you a treat.

Seto : Now they'll make us smell our feat and give us something sweet! All in a day's work, my friend.

Alpha Team Leader : (via radio) This is Alpha Team! Enemy Intrusion has finally stopped! The Black Arms have retreated and all defenses have been activated! Mission accomplished!

"later..."

[Mission Accomplished - Kenichi Tokoi]

Grim (Metal Sonic) : Seto.

Seto : Master!

Grim (Metal Sonic) : Congratulations on setting up the castle's defense line. I must've admit, you have some fire power to prove yourself that you are the true Shinigami that Japan needed the most.

Seto : Heh. Pretty cool! I did all the hard work to lay off Black Doom to handle someone else's messes, they've ran away to invade the city that you formerly lived In, Amy Rose.

Amy Rose : Well, I didn't feel like living in Central City, it was a nice place to live in since I don't know where to live.

Seto : Actually, you left Central City during the Sonic Advance 3 story incident. No wait, you left Central City during the Gizoid incident.

Amy Rose : You're right, I'm sorry I had to forget things like that.

Bravo Team leader : Lord Grim.

Grim (Metal Sonic) : Bravo Team. What did you have something in common?

Bravo Team Leader : I believe these two hostages have been hiding in the castle for hours!

Cream : They gave us a bucket full of candy and a lolipop at the gift shop.

Seto : Wait a sec, does Cryptic Castle even has a gift shop? So we've been protecting a castle that is a tourist attraction!? or is it just historical castle for tourists?

Solva : It could be both. It's just a castle, the doctor with an IQ of 3000 had to own some place who couldn't afford. Now then let's return to Hang Castle Immediately!

Seto : Yeah, I hope you like a feast for my needless girlfriends that are deathless in the real world.

Solva : Same here.

*Radio Buzzing*

Solva : Hello? What's going on?

Sonic : (via radio) Amy! Earth to Amy! Do you read!

Amy : Sonic is that you?

Sonic : (via radio) I got big trouble at the Naval Station after encountering with Eggman Nega! Blaze is after the Eggman I knew! And the real important story here is that, Blaze is at it again, I believe she had befriended with someone, there's gotta be a better explanation to hear this!

Amy Rose : Say what? (looks at Cream in disappointment)

Seto : You asked that cats and rabbits are what friends, I mean, Cats like someone is always at our limits! I'll be there! when I get the chance of heading to Altitude Limit Zone! Things are about to Get Edgy!

Solva : It's just "Get Edgy" Seto. We'll be there shortly! I'll be heading at Altitude Limit Zone. What is the Altitude Limit Zone! Let's head to Anubis first.

Seto : Got it!

Cryptic Castle Guard : Why don't you use that door over there, it'll lead you to Mirage Road, the Egyptian Gods are having an Ethno Circus over there! We look humble details that Hang Castle Security are trying to investigate Eggman Nega's recklessness.

Seto : Alright, thanks brother. Meeting Anubis is sound like a piece of cake.

Solva : Yeah, lead the way!

Seto : Next stop, Anubis's place.

Solva : I wonder how the Egyptian Death God holding up with the mummies?

Seto : You'll find out sooner than that.

Grim : Old friend Anubis. I haven't seen face in years, I've knew since the beginning of time, it'll be helping out others.

~ Mission 16 : Lighting up the Great Pumpkin ~

[kjissexy1994]

Words of Shakespeare Retro Edition: “You Ooze, You Lose!”

Today, I viewed one of my favourite martial arts movies of my childhood to celebrate the final day of 2021 which was “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie” released in 1995 by 20th Century Fox, Saban Entertainment and Toei Company, directed by Bryan Spicer and starring Amy Jo Johnson as Kimberly Hart (Pink Pterodactyl Ranger), David Yost as Billy Cranston (Blue Triceratops Ranger), Steven Cardenas as Rocky Desantos (Red Tyrannosaurus Ranger), Johnny Yong Bosch as Adam Park (Black Mastodon Ranger), Karan Ashley as Aisha Campbell (Yellow Sabretooth Tiger Ranger) and Jason David Frank as Tommy Oliver (White Tiger Ranger) , the main Power Rangers team from the second half of the second season of Mighty Morphin’ onwards.

The movie also contains appearances from Paul Schrier as Farcus Bulkmeier (aka Bulk), Jason Narvy as Eugene Skullovitch (aka Skull) the latter two cast regulars of the main show being the fan favourite civilian characters of the Power Rangers franchise as a whole and Paul Freeman as Ivan Ooze, An original villain exclusive to this movie as well as voice acting from Richard Steven Horvitz of Invader Zim, Grim Adventures and Helluva Boss fame as Alpha 5, Bob Manahan as Zordon, Barbara Goodson as Rita Repulsa, Robert Axelrod as Lord Zedd, Kerrigan Mahan as Goldar and Martin G Metcalf as Mordant, another original comic relief villain exclusive to the movie in place of Squatt and Baboo from the main show.

MINOR SPOILER ALERT

When the ominous entity known as “Ivan Ooze” (Freeman) awakes from his 2000 year slumber out of a mysterious purple egg found in a construction site at Downtown Angel Grove and destroys the Command Center and the Energy tube containing their mentor Zordon (Manahan) resulting in his life force being rapidly depleted, The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers must venture into a faraway planet known as Phaedos from the inhabitant Dulcea (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick) and obtain the new Ninjetti powers and Zords in order to stop Ooze from unleashing his “Ectomorphicon Titans” deep underground via brainwashing the parents of Angel Grove

and save their beloved guide Zordon before he expires.

“Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie “ that will warm the memories of millennials who grew up in the mid nineties watching the canon tv series as the film was released during the “RangerMania” fad of that period with the releases of action figures and various Power Rangers branded merchandise during the first three seasons of Mighty Morphin from 1993 to 1995 being the loose English adaptations of the Japanese superhero tv series Super Sentai with the core five Ranger suits being taken from “Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger,” Tommy the White Tiger Ranger’s suit being taken from the sixth ranger “Kibaranger” from “Gosei Sentai Dairanger” and the Ninjetti Powers, motifs and Zords being loosely taken from “Ninja Sentai Kakuranger,” however this movie is in its own canon, although the third season of the canonical Mighty Morphin would later adapt from the latter “Sentai” season with their ninja animal motifs, Giant mechs and monsters.

What I loved about this movie was going back to my childhood even though I didn’t grow up with the original three seasons of MMPR, although my older brother had the remote controlled Dino Megazord (Daizyujin) from the first season as I mostly grew up with the Later Saban and early Disney era Power Rangers seasons (In Space to Ninja Storm/SPD) via renting VHS and DVDs (I miss those times in the late nineties and early aughts), as well as the movie being filmed in Australia being filmed mostly in Sydney and New South Wales with a plethora of famous locations and landmarks such as Darling Harbour, George Street, The Queen Victoria Building, Centerpoint Tower, White Bay Power Station, Sydney Showgrounds, The Kiama Blowhole at Bombo Quarry and last but not least, the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and the late Sydney Monorail service that gave Sydneysiders an easy way to explore the harbour city until it was sadly decommissioned In 2013 (still remains a memory for a young kid growing up in those days of the nineties). Additional scenes were filmed in Warner Bros Movie World on the Gold Coast, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

A few nitpicks of this movie were how clunky the ranger suits were (being based on the MMPR Action figures with the animal symbols on their chest as the suits in the real show were directly from the Sentai) as a few of the actors even complained from the back pain they sustained wearing them, the costumes of the four gatekeepers and puppetry of the dinosaur skeleton being laughable, the use of the cartoonish sound effects used during the Rangers’ fight with Ivan’s Oozemen and how extremely primitive the CGI was utilised in a pivotal scene, despite having a bit of a chuckle of the Ranger’s puns such as Tommy’s “I’ve got a bone to pick with you!” to the Dinosaur Skeleton creature and Billy’s “You Ooze, You Loose” after defeating one of Ivan’s Oozemen.

Despite how gratifyingly cheesy this movie was, it came out during the mid nineties and during the height of what seemed to be an unstoppable craze of the period for the young pre-teens at the time. The Power Rangers franchise is still going strong after nearly 30 years of seasons with the most recent season being Dino Fury and with Hasbro taking over the franchise from Saban Brands in 2018.

MMPR: The Movie also contains an impressive soundtrack from rock bands and pop groups such as Red Hot Chilli Peppers, SNAP, Devo, British pop duo Shampoo (for one of the cringeworthy one hit wonders of the nineties decade which is “Trouble” *shudders*) and of course Van Halen and their song “Dreams” coming from their 1986 album “5150” and the first album to feature vocalist Sammy Hagar. This was the first time I ever heard from Van Halen as a young whippersnapper and I’ve been a fan since of both the David Lee Roth and Hagar eras (except for the Gary Cherone period, God rest Eddie’s soul!) The movie also featured a souped up, rock orchestrated rendition of the main opening theme from MMPR To Power Rangers Zeo, “Go Go Power Rangers” originally composed by Ron Wasserman and composed of the “Power Rangers Orchestra” consisting of members from Mr Big, Guns N Roses, Pablo Cruise and sung by Kim Bullard. The latter opening theme would later be infamously rehashed from Power Rangers seasons Samurai to Dino Super Charge during the early years of the “Neo Saban” era when Saban brands bought the franchise back from Disney.

All in all, despite all the nineties cheesiness, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie” is such a classic for all nineties kids and millennials, young at heart and one of the most notable movies filmed in Sydney, Australia and with an action figure/superhero franchise that’s still kicking today with a second big budget movie based on the first season being in development by eOne and Hasbro and set to be released on Netflix in 2023.

I was also very glad to meet MMPR actors Johnny Yong Bosch, David Yost and Karan Ashley aka Adam, Billy and Aisha at Supanova in 2017 and 2018 respectively, they were very kind and easy going people who are still acknowledging the popularity of the franchise’s early years.

All I can say about this movie is… “MORPHINOMINAL!”

I give this movie a 7 out of 10!

That’s my review of the movie!

Until then, stay safe, stay amazing and happy trails!!!

K.J

[crusherthedoctor]

Sonic & Tails: Beyond the Stars - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Dunes of Intrigue

“...What do you mean it's all connected? In what way?”

That was the question Espio demanded to get an answer for, as befitting of the Chaotix’s mystery solving status. Eggman continued to share his prideful superiority in generous quantities for all to see, no matter how dirty of a look everyone else in the room gave him.

“It's a small world, don't you know,” he said in an upbeat manner, with another stroke of the famous 'stache. He still refused to make any secret about his enjoyment of the proceedings. “This big blue globe of ours may have so much to see, but when you get down to it, all the mysteries of life have a relation. Some more than others, perhaps, but always to an extent.”

“Stop speaking in riddles, breakfast bozo!” Vector cracked his fists. “Get to the proper details!”

Charmy attempted to mimic his partner by cracking his own fists, but he wasn’t quite able to master it. Espio stoically rolled his eyes, as he often found himself doing, through no fault of his own.

“We're still here, if anyone cares...” a depressed lion muttered in his cage. He was on his side, head on hand, resigned to the fact that him and the rest would probably have to wait some more before they were so much as acknowledged, let alone set free.

“If it involves Chao...” Sonic pondered, rubbing his chin all the while. “Then it involves... Chaos?”

Eggman paused... before letting out a sudden, bizarre cackle. He puffed his chest, rubbed his hands, and leaned forward dramatically to confirm the hedgehog's interpretation.

“No.”

Sonic blinked in utter confusion. He exchanged looks with Tails, then back to Eggman. What on earth was he trying to get at then?

“How about the Black Arms?” Tails randomly guessed.

“No.”

“Little Planet?”

“Nope!”

“The Gaias?”

“Noooope!” Eggman's merriment only grew with each incorrect answer.

Sonic stared at the ground dejectedly. He was struggling to think of any other potential candidate for the correct puzzle piece to Eggman's mystery jigsaw. He threw his hands in the air.

“...Babylonians?”

“Ha ha! NO!”

The doctor cackled once more, clapping his hands like a seal, and fist pumped the air multiple times in triumph. “Clueless! Completely clueless, all of you! You're not thinking big enough! This is how it feels to be me, surrounded by nothing but idiots 24/7! And here I was considering lending you another hint, but since you lost the game, it's time for... the penalty.”

Right on cue, a small quake began, which increased in intensity every couple of seconds. The heroes zipped their heads around as poles were knocked over, banners fell over, and even the cages in the arena opened up with how aggressive the quake was. The scared witless inhabitants immediately got out of dodge, as if knowing things would only get even worse if they stuck around... which, considering it's Eggman, they had every right to assume that.

Despite losing his prisoners, Eggman didn't seem to mind, as he was far too giddy at his visitors’ reactions to the rumbling... which eventually simmered down... and at last came to a halt completely. The anthros weren't stupid though, and every one of them, young or older, put up their dukes. Something was coming, but they didn't know what.

“Alright, what's going on?” Vector pointed a finger at the scientist. He snapped his jaws menacingly, ready for some Scrambled Eggman if need be.

The madman fiendishly kept his mouth shut, crossed his arms, and wiggled his eyebrows knowingly.

Then, calmly, he clicked his fingers.

As soon as he did that, the entire roof of the tent was violently ripped to shreds by an unseen force. Everyone struggled not to fall on their sides as an extreme breeze suddenly filled the ring, though the doctor avoided its pull or push by protecting himself with a purple plasma shield. His throne soon broke off from where it rested, as did the mini-thrones that Orbot and Cubot sat on beside him, and it floated in the air triumphantly as his enemies witnessed exactly what he wanted to share...

To their horror, an absolute behemoth of an airship was now floating directly above them. Far greater in size than the Wing Fortress, the Flying Battery, the Egg Carrier... any and every airship he had made in the past positively paled in comparison to the gargantuan scope of this grim monument to one's ego. A far cry from the reds he was prone to plastering over his modern ships, this one instead took on a jet black colour scheme, though there remained several red accents. It took on the general shape of a blimp, yet it remained armored with high-tech to the last detail. If you could even see them from the tent's smaller frame of view, four lengthy wings could be spotted, two on each side, at symmetrical angles, in the shape of curved blades. A twisted parody of the doctor's own face could be seen on the front end, in pristine silver steel, with glowing red holes for eyes.

And of course, countless cannons and engines were planted all over. Because when you're Dr. Eggman, the dial starts at eleven.

“Oh my god...!” Amy gasped, as she struggled not to fall on her behind with the gale force at work.

“What's THAT ugly thing!?” Charmy questioned. He flapped his wings as fast as he could to combat the wind.

“Ran out of resources, doc?” Sonic called out to his nemesis, feigning a lack of interest, though he had to admit it looked pretty fearsome. “What happened to all your armadas that I smashed up? No more cash to rebuild them?”

Eggman belted out even more jolly laughter, as he stood on his throne like a little boy playing make believe with his action figures. His throne floated directly in front of the ship's view, and he gesticulated wildly. “This time rodent, I'M the king of the wind! One is all I need! In exchange for quantity, I have more quality than you could ever know! It has all the power of the Egg Carrier-NO, all the power of the entire Eggman Fleet combined! Behold, my greatest flying fortress yet! THE EGG CLOUDBURST!”

He sat back down on his throne with much pride, not bothering to acknowledge that neither Orbot or Cubot were in fact inside his purple shield, and thus were likely to get sucked away. They were both hanging onto their own thrones for dear life. “And I didn't pick that name for no reason, boys and girls! With this baby, so long as it’s nearby, any destination's wind and seas bow down to me and me alone!”

“...Sorry, what?” Tails blurted out in absolute bewilderment. “Are you saying you can control the weather now?”

“That doesn't sound nice...!” Cream held tightly onto a banner, as her ears billowed in the wind, with Cheese holong tight onto one of them.

“You fool!” Espio cursed as he attempted to stick to a wall, to no effect on account of just how powerful the wind proved to be. “No mortal can control such forces!”

Even Sonic couldn't deny that Eggman's claim was not a light statement. “How is that even possible? Is that what you're using the crystals for, which AREN'T yours by the way?” Even as his life depended on not poking the proverbial tiger, he never ceased the opportunity to jam a pencil through the doctor's bluster.

“Hohoho, you think this is all I have to offer? As glorious as it is, this is merely an alpha-project of mine, a small teaser of what's to come in a future paved with my brilliance! I have even more fun surprises in store, and boy oh boy, I can hardly WAIT to show you them... but until then, have a free sample of my fully operational Cloudburst! TTFN, ta-ta for now!”

“Don't let go!” Orbot advised to Cubot, as they continued holding onto their small thrones while their creator flew away to head inside his new Egg Cloudburst. On the ground, everyone was trying desperately to hold onto something, anything, even each other... But it was no use. As the eyes of the Cloudburst glowed brighter, the gale force dialed it up a notch, becoming an outright hurricane in the process. One by one, they were sent tumbling and flying across the night sky, while the tent finally caved in and crumbled into pieces entirely.

“Ahhhh!” Amy screamed.

“Woahhhhh!” Tails cried out.

“Don't get sick...! Don't get sick...!” Lutrudis struggled.

“I swear I'll get his money...!” Vector echoed.

Sonic glared at the Egg Cloudburst for as long as he could still see it, and cursed the doctor as he too was sent flying. “You won't get away with thiiiiiiiissssssss...!”

---

“URK!”

“Eck!”

“FFUH!”

“Ungh!”

Each of our heroes landed right onto the ground in a tragic heap. Sandy ground, to be exact. Tails and Cream had some leeway in that they were able to soften their impact with their tails and ears respectively. The latter instantly checked her bag in a panic, but to her relief, not a single Chao was lost in the hurricane.

Amy was not so lucky, landing squarely on her posterior, and while Lutrudis managed to soften her own landing with her own tail, it was to a more limited extent. If there was any consolation to be had about all their landings, the sand itself was not rough at all. In fact, it was some of the softest sand one could find.

And Sonic?

Well, naturally, he landed face first.

He grumbled incoherently as his face was deep into the substance. Lutrudis and Amy quickly helped him up, and he gave a small, somewhat distracted salute to both of them... before abruptly spitting out some sand from his mouth.

“Yuck... Why does this-” He paused to spit out more sand. “Why does this always happen to me...” he asked to himself, as he tried valiantly to remove the taste. “You'd think I could land on my back just this once?”

“Now we're far away from where we were, thanks to that stupid ship,” Amy mused. She turned to her left and right, and soon realised not all of the group was with them. “What happened to the Chaotix?”

“Must have got sent flying someplace else,” Tails reasoned, as he directed his spinning namesake away from his friends so that when he was getting the sand out of his tails, they wouldn’t accidentally go in anyone’s eyes.

“Oh no, will they be okay?” Cream worried, with her hands clasped tightly. Even if she barely knew them, she'd hate to think they got hurt, or worse.

“Ah, don't worry about them Cream, they'll manage.” Sonic sniffed as he looked around, scratching the back of his head. Something that stood out to him was that due to the night time, the sand was not yellow or orange as he would expect, but rather a soft shade of pink, which complimented the deep purple sky nicely. Sonic had to admit that this desert was a pretty pleasing one for the eye, even if he still hated the taste of sand.

“This is pretty common anyway,” he added, still looking around. “I meet up with pals, we get separated, then I meet up with them again. Happens all the time.” He snickered to himself. “Who knows, by the time we regroup with them, they might have actually solved a mystery!”

“So anyway, where are we now?” he asked Lutrudis, the one group member who would be the most likely to have an answer. “You know, aside from 'the desert', which could mean anything.”

“I'm not familiar with these parts on a personal level, but I know it's not that far away from home.” She took a moment to snort out that one speck of sand from her nostrils, which caused her a bit of embarrassment due to realising it was a rather unflattering look. Still, she continued without a fuss. “There's a train system around here. I don't think it's been used in an awfully long time, but it'll make our path easier, I know that for certain. Though with all the dangers that might be out and about in such dry conditions...”

“Pfft, those dangers will be no danger at all.” Sonic stretched out his arms, ready to go out into the great unknown. “We've done swell so far, what's the worst that could happen?”

Lutrudis simply looked at him, then switched her view to the endless mounds of arid dust. It's not been all that easy for her, as evidenced by how she had previously been sent flying by a hurricane summoned by a giant airship. But their combined skills have proven to work wonders, and there was no reason to start doubting its effectiveness now. Not when despite everything, she felt oddly secure, even in the midst of all the danger.

“You coming?” Amy called out, knocking Lutrudis out of her thoughts. Everyone else had already started exploring. “As if we'd leave you behind!”

The horse stared at Amy thoughtfully. Maybe this was just how it felt to have friends to turn to...

---

Dune Borders Zone

Act 1: Dark Canyon

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Roller - “There's only one Sonic, so these armadillo bots have come to kill and replace. They come in two forms: blue ones are straightforward and roll around without a care, while the red ones have more advanced AI, and can block your attacks if they're too conspicuous. Uncouth ripoffs, so they are...”

Sol - “The desert is overwhelmingly blistering as it is, do we really need to start a fire? They'll keep their fireball projectiles close by, but if you get closer, they'll expand their range by a significant margin, creating a widening circle of fur-intolerant flame... but they’ll also leave themselves open. ~Oopsie~”

Scarabesque - “Atop the dusty cliffs will you find these wily beetles, who use their plethora of boulders to disrupt your progression. At least the boulders are made of steel, and not... what Eggman is full of.”

Cactinaut - “The latest and greenest innovation from the Orbinaut family, not only can they spread their spiked projectiles - a common courtesy with this model - they can also inflate their heads afterwards. Not to imply a lack of faith in your independent rationale, but don't touch them when they do that.”

Bulldust - “Predictably, these rowdy sorts come charging at you on sight. Less predictably, they can kick up sand to obscure your vision, therefore giving them more chance of making your internal organs particularly unhappy. Perhaps Amy should consider a change of wardrobe...?”

Deputy Pawn - “I question the validity of their promotion. These yellow gunners don't just play out the part with their bizarre strutting, they're actually halfway decent shots. I'd say they've had their six, but I’ll bet they’ve got six billion more to spare.”

The deserts in Viridonia are the epitome of vast, and as you'll discover, it's not exactly a static desert, shall we say. You'll see what I mean soon enough... if you can make it out of here alive. But what's a couple of Sand Hills for a tourist like you? This may be a Dusty Desert, but you've been through loads of Desert Ruins before, so as long as you don't lose your mind and stumble into the Mirage Road, you'll make it through the Arid Sands in one piece... something something Sandopolis.

And I mean it when I say vast. This area is truly huge. The empty fields of sand can be spooky in its own way, but that's not to say there's nothing of interest out in the open at all. The sandy terrain is broken up by a selection of gigantic purple mesas, and wooden windmills that are larger than life. While the moon is the only thing that can be found in the purple sky, its sheer size casts some much needed light onto the pink sands below.

The colour of sand is not the only oddity around here, though. What else can you see all around you? Well, you can see cliffs... lonely trees... watering holes... crystals...

Amy: More crystals?

Tails: Out here in the open?

Sonic: Grey crystals, just like in the mountain!

That's right Sonic, the dunes are packed with the grey variety of crystals. No doubt Eggman's robots are after these ones too, so do your bit and knock them out for even entertaining the thought. The mining areas out here likewise contain plenty of them, but because it's nighttime, their muted shine does little to dispel the shadows that cloud the mines. Shallow pools of water serve as your main light source indoors, aside from the rotating flames of the Sol units.

Not that the outside is any less dangerous. It's not a complete desert package without everyone's favourite desert-flavored obstacle... quicksand. And oh boy, there's a LOT of quicksand around these here parts. It pulls you in, and it pulls you fast. But don't bring out the blubbering hysterics, for there is a way out of the situation should you need it. All you have to do is tap the jump button rapidly, and you'll be out of there faster than you can sue me for giving your thumb a blister. Remember that quicksand is a lighter shade of pink, so that's how you can tell it apart from the regular, safer sand.

Also note that an easy way to avoid quicksand entirely is by skimming along the oversized bones you see spread around the wilderness. What sort of fantastic creatures do these bones mark the remains of? Who knows, but hopefully they won't be spinning in their grave at the sight of bite-sized hedgehogs and foxes running along them like it's a skate park.

When you're up on the cliffs, or inside the mines, you can use the rickety pulleys to get yourself around. Do be careful however, because not all of them work the same way. Some of them go slower, some of them go faster, some go left, some go right... and if you're really unlucky, they can fall apart halfway through. Know the risks, and make a bold leap if it comes to that. Aside from the pulleys, you can also use the rotating windmills to get through the desert extra quick, though you're hardly any safer, for the Deputy Pawns will make a boisterous effort to shoot you down from below, when they're not occupied with their harmonicas.

Halfway through, you'll get to explore an abandoned western town. Any trace of civilisation here is long lost, but the town remains tall and proud regardless... Even if the red paint is a little chipped on some buildings, and some doors are half broken, and Eggman's goons are going full method actor and shooting the place up in search for you and your bundle of friends...

The noose in the center of town is also kind of discomforting.

Cream: What's that rope thing over there?

Amy: Um... you'll find out when you're older... maybe...

Tails: Maybe it's a weight system of some sort?

Sonic: I wish it was, Tails. Yeesh...

Lutrudis: Probably for the best that I wasn't around in the old days...

Interestingly enough, you can tell how far you are into the level by where the moon is positioned. See, it starts off high in the sky as you'd expect, but we're slowly reaching the early morning period, which means the moon will lower that little bit more with the further you go on. Whenever it lowers, it can have the side-effect of temporarily blinding you, so if you want to avoid the blinding moonlight, then simply hide behind a mesa for a second.

Not too often that you see a moonset, is it?

Towards the end, the moon has disappeared completely, and in its place, an equally mesmerizing sun slowly begins to rise into view. But pressing matters are afoot, for you can see plenty of patches where crystals should be... but aren't.

Lutrudis: These ones have already been taken... but by who...?

Sonic: Someone fast, by the looks of it... Really fast... Hmm...

The end of the stage is marked by the presence of a single building, even grander than the empty town we saw earlier. It looks even older, and equally worn out, yet it's still standing. As you crack open the capsule to free the local critters, you can only wonder what's inside... if there is anything inside...

---

Act 2: The Badland Express

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Turbo Spiker - “You can't touch them while they've got that huge drill, but be patient, and it'll fire away and let you do them in... you'll need to then avoid the flying drill at the same time, though. How kind.”

Bomber - “The name is commendably honest, if only to compensate for its unoriginality. When it opens the dome on top, it dispatches bomb after bomb, and will not stop in the slightest until you put it down. They never run out, because defying us is apparently worth defying logic.”

Vultron - “Well... they fly, otherwise they wouldn't be effective bird-based bots. But they're also crafty, and enjoy confusing you with their fancy loops and daring maneuvers. Let's hope their choreography is the only thing they're killing.”

Coalision - “These miniature choo-choos store an endless supply of black coal, and they'll be glad to share it with you while it's still hot... literally. It's a waste to be sure, but that holds true for many of the doctor's career choices, doesn't it?”

Returning Enemies: Roller Cactinaut Bulldust

The title is a bit misleading, because if we want to get onboard the train, we have to go through the station first. Luckily, since it's seemingly abandoned, we won't have to worry about needing a ticket... Unless that's what the robots are after us for.

Anyway, you start off just outside the station, lit up by a row of tall lamps. By this point, the sun is still rising, so now the surrounding sand is given a lovely shade of deep red, with a redder sky to match. Too bad you'll be spending most of this level indoors then, eh? If you want though, you can take a quick peek at the books in the nearby info center, which mention in great detail the once proud history of our poor station. It also name drops the Great Oasis, which is apparently where the train would be headed for if it were still in business...

Unfortunately, since the station is abandoned, the interior has seen better days by comparison...

Sonic: This place could sure do with some of Amy's decorating magic...

Amy: I'll say! All this dust can't be healthy.

Lutrudis: If I've got enough spoons in me, I'll gladly lend a hand.

Try not to get too spooked in here, because with the creaky echoing of the oversized rotating gears, intertwined with the cobwebs and scrambled papers, it can be easy to get a heart attack at the slightest thing... and I don't just mean the prices.

Your enemies are all too aware of this, particularly the Coalisions, who love to make a beeline at maximum volume, which echoes throughout the station. The bombs ejected from the Bomber units also cause an echo, but at least it gives you an idea of where they are. It's brighter in here than it was in the canyon’s mines, but it can still be pretty dark, though the sunlight that shines through the windows and the occasional glass ceiling will get you through. And yet, even the glass here can become an obstacle, as the Turbo Spikers are fond of sending their drills through them to make a dynamic entry.

Despite mostly taking place indoors, there are still the occasional outside sections, which include the rooftops. The rising sunlight is at its most gorgeous here, so feel free to bask in the sun despite being in a rush in the context of the actual story. Rollers are especially plentiful up here, in red and blue. They can even gang up on you if they feel like it, so don't stay in one place for too long. They're easier to deal with if you're playing as Tails, since a tail swipe is sufficient enough to deflect them while they're in ball form.

You'll know you're nearing the end when you enter an old diner in the station. Sadly, it too has long since decayed, but the “employees” will still do all they can to serve you... literally. On a plate. To Eggman. The Vultrons love to poke through the windows in the diner, so be on the watch for them, lest their fancy maneuvering cause your eyes to start swirling. If it weren't for all the decay, Amy would find an appeal in the cutesy aesthetic of the diner.

And not long after, you'll finally make it to an outside chamber, where the titular Badland Express rests in all its rustic glory... You know, this level felt a bit short, didn't it?

Nevermind that, are those burn marks on the ground...?

Has someone visited here recently...?

---

“Well, this is it... ~ta-da~” Lutrudis made use of appropriate jazz hands to befit a proper introduction for what rested before the lady and her friends. A red locomotive with golden accents sat alone and isolated, and even though it hadn't been used in years, it looked surprisingly healthy for its age, moreso than the depressing station it was cast aside with. Both Amy and Cream looked as though they might as well have been in a candy store.

“Ooooooooh...” Amy let out.

“Ooooooooh...” Cream repeated.

“Ooooooooh...” Cheese completed the rule of three.

“Doesn't look half bad for a crusty old train,” Sonic rubbed his chin as he examined the entire vehicle. “And this will take us closer to home? Er, your home?”

“That's the idea,” Lutrudis inspected the locomotive herself with hands on hips, and her tail swished out of interest. “Unless its course has drastically changed and it takes us to the arctic or something, but I'm willing to estimate the unlikelihood of that.”

“Shall we get going then?” Amy anticipated, anxious to see what the train looked like from indoors. Her own tail wagged slowly in excitement. “I love a romantic train setting...”

“Hang on, aren't we technically kind of... stealing this thing?” asked Tails, with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. “Are you guys sure this is a good idea?”

His friends all exchanged looks with one another. Back, then forth, then back, then forth again. They returned their gaze to Tails without a word, all sharing the exact same blank expression.

---

“Good thing I learned how to do this,” Tails cheerfully quipped as he mastered the controls, and got the train rolling along without issue. “Or else this would be a lot harder.”

“Thatta boy,” Sonic ruffled his foxboy pal's head with a proud grin, to which the latter let out a humble chuckle as they walked into the next room. As it turns out, the Badland Express proved to be charmingly old-timey despite its lingering glamour. The dark green walls were filled up with muted diamond patterns, and the floor was softened by a comfortable red carpet. The curtains, sharing a similar shade of red to the carpet, were made of soft velvet, which Amy couldn't help but constantly brush inbetween her fingers, clearly enjoying the texture of it. Wooden banisters lacked any trace of dust, which in some ways was almost eerie, but they couldn't exactly complain. Even the seats were soft and snuggly, and they looked just as clean as the rest of the inside.

“So that's it then?” Amy asked Tails. “We're up and away?”

“Well, it's already moving,” he looked back at where the controls dwelled. “So unless something completely unexpected and unpleasant happens, we'll be totally fine.”

“...Yeah,” Sonic stated, out of slight concern. His eyes darted between different windows.

“Agreed,” Amy added. Cream simply nodded.

They all stood around for a few seconds, almost aimlessly so, until Tails piped up again. “Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think I could do with some shut-eye. I've barely had any since we arrived in Viridonia.” He looked back at the control room again. “Although... I guess I should stay awake to pay attention to the controls if something unexpected and unpleasant does indeed happen... But there won't be anything unexpected and unpleasant, surely... I mean, if I keep bringing it up, it won't happen, right...? I know how reverse psychology works...”

“Dude, chill. It's okay, you can go right ahead,” Sonic put a gentle hand on the fox's shoulder, and gave him a warm smile. “I'll stay up in case anything happens. You deserve the sleep.”

Tails looked up at his big bro, and slowly returned the smile in earnest. After all these years, the innocence in his blue eyes remained perfectly intact. “Thanks, Sonic,” he uttered gratefully, before he started looking around to find the nearest seat.

“I think I could go for a sleep too, to be honest,” Amy muttered groggily, as she rubbed both of her eyes.

“Me three,” Cream yawned as both herself and Amy sat down. This was followed up by Cheese letting out a yawn of his own. “And um, him four,” she added with a giggle.

“So...” Tails peeked at the window to remember the time of day. “I guess it'd be correct to say... Goodnight?... ...Good morning?... ...See you later.”

And with that, the orange fox instantly conked out on his seat as if he were inebriated, and the pink hedgehog and creamy rabbit similarly went into a fast snooze. Cheese snuggled up with his owner, and slept peacefully, as if sensing that no matter what struggles Eggman and his mechanical menaces would put them through from here onwards, everything would work out okay in the end. Once they were all asleep, Sonic made sure to carefully, quietly, move their bodies a little bit to ensure they were resting extra comfortably. He did this with all three of them, and he took an extra minute to slowly move Tails' namesake so that the three of them could lay their heads on them.

Satisfied with his work, he dusted off his hands, and gave his dozing friends one last look. As he watched them sleep, he realised how nice it felt to be on an adventure with the gang again. Not that he minded going out on his own by any means, but it had been so long since they were all together on a journey... Well, Knuckles wasn’t here, but luckily for them, they had someone to fill in his place...

He tried not to make too much noise as he tip-toed over to the table that Lutrudis was sitting by on her lonesome. Contrary to the rest of the group, she looked wide awake as ever, and her gaze was focused on the view from outside.

“Figured you'd be fast asleep as well.”

Her head briefly tilted left to acknowledge the blue speedster coming over to her, before it turned back to the window. “Eh, I'm not tired. My sleep schedule has a mind of its own, to my own chagrin.” She scoffed, albeit quietly so as not to wake her other friends up. “That's what this body does to you.”

Sonic looked at her silently for a couple of moments. Slowly, he took his hands off the seat he was standing behind, and sat down opposite of her at the table. He looked to his left, as if to find inspiration for a conversation starter. In the process, he took the time to admire the desert plains in all their vast glory. The sun was hiding behind several towering red mesas, but it wasn't enough to obscure the light completely. He didn't say anything at first, but after his brain focused on the endless red sand outside, a small burst of nostalgia sparked within him.

“You know, all this sand reminds me of my time in a book.”

“In a book...?”

“Yeah, the 1001 Arabian Nights... What, you're not familiar with that one?”

Lutrudis pulled up the arm of her long glove. “I'm familiar with the tale, obviously, but my knowledge of your time in it is unfortunately more limited, since you know... it's a book. It's considerably more challenging to locate records of what you went through compared to your other achievements.”

“Hmph, and I thought you were the Sonic Expert.” He grinned lightheartedly.

“Well then, perhaps you'd care to share the details, o brave adventurer?” She leaned her right elbow on the side of the window playfully, and rested her head in her hand. “I'd love to hear it. We've got plenty of time.”

“Err, actually, there's not too much to say in all honesty, heh.” He took a moment to adjust himself on his seat. “Just mostly me and a friend running after a genie.”

“An evil genie?”

“Unfortunately so. He had a few screws loose, that's for sure. Wanted to burn his world to the ground and remake it in his own style.” He scratched an itch inside of his right ear. “Kind of like Eggman, I guess.”

“All would-be conquerers do tend to feel similar after a while, don't they.” The horse's eyes looked to the side, at the desert fields. “Different flavors, but always the same greed... the same lust... gluttony... wrath...”

“Yeah... well, this guy did a bunch of uncool things,” Sonic continued, trying his best to not dwell for too long on what those things were, at least when it came to his ally from that journey. “Even turned a king into an undead husk.”

“Oh dear, really?”

“Yep. AND he cursed me with a fire spell. If I didn’t do as he demanded, the flame within would force me to kick the bucket.”

“Goodness...”

“I know, right? Guy was mental. But he wasn't free to be an evil dude for long. Because...”

“You came along?” Lutrudis couldn't help but add an affectionate ring to those words. “And made everything all better?” Her face lit up, and she didn't bother hiding her smile at the thought.

“You bet I did!” Sonic winked with two finger guns. “Sent that genie packing, literally! I beat him, humiliated him, sent him back in his lamp, never to be seen again. So the story could continue living, without his interference!”

“Of course it could...” Lutrudis sighed contently. She looked rather diffident, as if she wasn't all that sure on how to word herself. “You sure are a paragon to the people, aren’t you... a ray of light to everyone you meet...”

Sonic blinked twice, as the green equine's flowery compliments once again left him unsure of how to respond. If he wasn’t imagining it, he could feel his cheeks getting a little warm, and with possible hesitance, he let out a soft chuckle.

“So... you're just gonna believe all of that?” he asked jokingly. “Just taking my story about going inside a book at face value? For all you know, I could have made it all up.”

“Oh, I believe it. I utterly believe it...” The lady's expression grew even wider, as if the mere thought of Sonic doing his thing was enough to fill her with internal solitude. “There's so many crazy things out there, but so many beautiful things too. And you've stepped up to the plate no matter what comes your way, no matter how alien, or ancient, or ridiculous. So, when you say you went inside a book, to save another world from a corruptive influence... there's no doubt on my end.”

Her eyes opened up slowly, and they locked with the hedgehog's own. “It's hardly beyond your capacity, is it? You're like another world all on your own, in a strange sort of way... a world of majesty, and wonder...”

Her smile grew softer, and in time, so did Sonic's. The hedgehog failed to respond verbally to yet another kind remark, but deep down, he knew he didn't really need to say anything. His quills lowered, and he rested a single hand on the table, its distance not too far from her own. If it were to remain undisturbed, it's possible they could carry on with their quiet exchange forever.

Revealing herself to still be partially awake all along, Cream had secretly witnessed this scene for herself. Despite being half-asleep, her and Cheese exchanged delighted looks with each other at the display. They weren't necessarily sure what to make of it, but as far as they knew, their friends were getting along, and that was all that mattered.

As the rabbit turned back around, she noticed a closet that looked a bit ajar. Deciding to fix it herself, she quietly walked up to the closet, and grabbed the door handle, until her curiosity suggested she at least take a look inside to see if there was anything in there, after all these years of the train's disuse.

Alas, there wasn't much to write home about. Just some old-fashioned shirts, dresses, Metal Sonic...

Wait.

“AIEEEEEE!!!!!”

“What the-” Sonic stood up in an instant, as did Lutrudis. Amy and Tails likewise woke up just as fast at the sudden noise, and all of their eyes widened as Cream, now more awake than ever, stood in paralyzed fear at the sight of Metal Sonic standing right there in the closet, towering over the poor bunny like a cybernetic grim reaper. Not a moment too soon, the robot immediately raised a claw, ready to strike down at Cream and grab her bag of accompanying Chao in the process.

Sonic was predictably the first to react, and ran up to give his copycat an uppercut, which appeared to dislocate the robot's head... before it jolted back down as if nothing happened, complete with a hellish metallic clang. Thinking fast, even at the expense of her sensitive limbs, Lutrudis made a daring leap over a table and kicked Metal back into the closet before he could lay a finger on either Sonic or Cream, and instantly followed it up by putting one of her arrows through the door handles as a makeshift blockade. Picking Cream up by her side, she turned tail as fast as she could.

“I've got you, honey,” Lutrudis assured her friend. “But we must hurry, he won't be stuck in there for long!”

Lo and behold, mere seconds later, Metal's fist came shooting straight out of the wooden door, and his second arm used its strength to create an even bigger hole in the now ruined closet. He stood once more, stepping slowly out of the closet's remains, and not once did his gaze turn away from Sonic’s, who was standing directly in front of him, with his friends at his left and right.

“He's been on board this whole time?” Amy let out a disturbed glare. Her grip on her hammer tightened, as she was all too familiar with this machine. “That’s not creepy at all!”

“What's he spying on us for?” Tails wondered, his tails tensing up at the presence of Eggman's notorious exterminator.

“Let's hope he's not around long enough for us to find out,” Sonic muttered, as he directed a sneer at the peeping tom. “Nice of you to drop in, Metal! I'm the one you want, right? I'm the one you want to prove you're oh so superior to! So what are you waiting for? Wanna be Sonic? Come and get it!”

Metal stood still for what felt like forever, until he raised a single finger, and ominously waved it across his own neck. He then clenched his fists, and started marching through the hall, slowly, towards his eternal rival. As Sonic extended both of his arms to defend his friends, the metal menace started up his engine, ready to go...

---

BOSS: Metal Sonic

It was only a matter of time before Metal Sonic interfered with our affairs. He may be different from our regular, heroic, green eyed, sociable Sonic in a lot of areas, but if there's one trait he has in common with his organic counterpart, it's a ruthless level of persistence. This will become very obvious over the course of the encounter, so you better be quick on your feet for this one. You have no excuse if you're too slow, given who you are.

The unique thing about this match is that you'll be going through all the different sections of the train, as you do all that you can to keep Eggman’s top enforcer off your back. But it's also not merely an escape sequence disguised as a boss, because you actually have to make an effort to fight back at the same time. Amy will be your main assistance here, since Lutrudis will be occupied with keeping Cream and all the Chao on her person safe and far away from the mad robot... that, and someone has to make sure the train is going where it's supposed to while it's being terrorized by a killer machine. A train delay is the least of your worries.

You start off where you were in the previous cutscene, by the tables, and all you can do for now is avoid the lasers that come shooting out of Metal's chest. It's possible to use the tables for cover, but don't rely on them for too long, since with enough laser power on Metal's end, they will eventually break apart like tissue paper. If you want to fool around with him, you can spin dash under him as Sonic, or fly over him as Tails, though if you get too cocky, he can halt the proceedings by grabbing you and slamming you on the floor. Amusingly enough, you can actually throw broken table pieces at your opponent, which you'll want to do since although it merely annoys him, any brief distraction is everything here, and you'll be given time to properly damage him without getting swiped at by his claws. Pretty straightforward so far, right?

After four hits, Metal will change tactics by flying outside the train. What's he doing? Why, he's absorbing electricity from the nearby power lines! He's never done this before... not in his regular form. Granted, a power line may not be on the same scale as a living being, but wasn't he only able to do this vampiric business when he took the form of Neo Metal Sonic some time ago? Perhaps he's been given an upgrade by the good doctor... one that doesn't require an undignified appearance.

Let's not ponder for too long about it, because now Metal's lasers will cover two thirds of the ground, which is bad news for you due to how little free space there is on the train. He'll also throw in some new moves, namely charging straight at you, and firing one energy sphere after another, which have a tendency to home in on you. You'll want to get beside Amy during this, as she's quite good at knocking them away with her hammer.

By this point, you'll be chased through the different bedrooms, all of which are fortunately empty, but if you VERY QUICKLY search the drawers, you might nab yourself some ring capsules to help you out. Although be careful of a jump scare, for one bed inexplicably has a skeleton inside... Seems to be a recent skeleton too... was this Metal's doing...? Let's forget we ever saw it, and hope we don't end up the same way.

Tails: I think I'm too young to be seeing stuff like this...

Eventually, you'll end up in the engine room, which is filled to the brim with old pistons and gears. As you may expect, these count as obstacles, so try not to get crushed by them while you're focused on Mr. Lookalike. What you want to do here is time it so that a piston comes crashing down when Metal is underneath. He'll grab it effortlessly with his robotic strength of course, but in the process, he'll accidentally leave himself open for you to do your thing. A spin dash or tail swipe will do the trick in this case. This will get more difficult each time, as Metal proceeds to destroy the piston you used against him afterwards. So what happens when all the pistons are destroyed? With nowhere else to turn to, there's only one option... out the window.

You are now climbing the side of the train, and don't think the awkward position will convince the evil duplicate to go easy on you. Luckily, your climbing speed is fairly quick, though diagonal movement can be something of a minor inconvenience. Know the right times to go vertical and horizontal, and you should be golden. Where is Metal Sonic during this sequence? He's the camera apparently, as it switches to Metal's perspective as he fires his lasers at your climbing self. You'll also have to navigate carefully around more homing spheres at the same time, because you know what they say... so you don’t need to be told. Keep a cool head, and you'll get through without getting your tail(s) singed.

Finally, at last, you end up - where else - on top of the train. Metal isn't playing around here, and he makes that clear by pulling out a couple of grey crystals from that magical area that all anthros place their belongings when they don't have pockets. Seeing them in his hands is quite alarming, to be sure...

Sonic: So it was you who took them... bring it, faker.

Not wasting any time, the robot absorbs more power, this time from the crystals. His limbs shake violently, as if he were struggling to adapt to his new energy. A shadowy aura surrounds his body, which provides an eerie contrast with the sunrise behind him. His eyes light up brighter than ever, glowing with malicious intent, and he beckons his enemy to come forward with the back of his hand... Well, who are we to disappoint? Let’s show him what we’re made of.

In this final section, you run and hop along the roof, and you'll want to keep track of time here, because if you take too long, you'll reach the end of the train and have nowhere else to go. Metal will make a projectile of himself here, by zooming through here, there, and everywhere, with dark energy seeping from his being. He's also fond of whipping out his famous Black Shield here, and he can rev it up like your own spin dash. This has the side effect of ripping up the roof a fair bit, even creating a few holes in it. Jump at the right moments to avoid the holes, swerve at the last possible moment to avoid the zipping Black Shield, and when Metal is about to turn around to give it another go, quickly pounce on him like a man possessed. He'll bring out the lasers again at this point, which are now given a darker aura of their own, but you've got this in the bag.

Once you give him four more hits, the next cutscene will commence. Congratulations, you've bested the notorious Metal Sonic... for now...

---

Sonic and Metal Sonic were still on the roof, kicking and swiping away at each other as they both got closer to the front of the train. Tails and Amy ran as fast as they could to make sure Sonic wouldn't fall off the train entirely, but Metal wasn't making that easy for them by firing devastating lasers in the middle of his scuffle with the hero, all the while he was pounding Sonic's body into submission.

They soldiered on anyway, dodging the blasts left and right, until they managed to dogpile onto the robot themselves. Despite the three on one advantage, Metal was more than capable of taking all three of them on at once, and announced that in no uncertain terms by clutching Amy and Sonic by their heads. As he choked Sonic by the neck, he stared straight into Amy's eyes, as if to inject the same fear that he instilled in her during her youth on the Little Planet.

Before it could have any lasting effect however, Tails slammed down on Metal's head with both of his tails, and while he was rewarded with an eye laser for his troubles, Amy seized the opportunity to whack the droid on the side of his chest with her hammer. Regaining some of his energy once his neck was accidentally let go, Sonic then spin dashed Metal's body in the air not once, not twice, but three times. Yet the doppelganger recovered, and made a threatening beeline towards the one he despised above the rest.

While all this was going on, Lutrudis and Cream were at the controls, and they could see from the increasing amount of holes on the roof that things were getting serious... and that they also just had an idea. With a firm nod from both of them, they quickly looked all over at the controls. It went without saying that neither of them had driven a train before, so to say they were unqualified to drive would be something of an understatement. Luckily however, in this urgent scenario, there was only one thing they needed to do...

“Hold onto me,” Lutrudis said to Cream, which the bunny immediately obeyed, knowing what was about to happen. Lutrudis then called out as audibly as she could to her friends above. “Guys! Quickly! Grab onto the roof!”

Initially fearful as to whether they heard her or not, her doubts were put to rest by Sonic staring straight ahead, his eyebrows raising in realisation, and he soon repeated the equine's words to his teammates. He then planted his chest on the roof and grabbed onto two edges of the nearest holes, which was followed by Amy and Tails doing the same thing.

Metal Sonic, meanwhile, tilted his head, as if he were amused by their sudden action. But he got over it quickly, and slowly raised a claw to tear into Sonic's undefended back...

...that is, before he was abruptly sent flying off the train and out into the open desert at insane speeds, like a twinkle in the distance.

As the train itself grinded to a halt, the three on the roof hadn't quite grasped what just happened. Realising the coast was clear due to both the train stopping and Metal disappearing, they slowly let go of the holes, and looked all around them to make sure they weren't about to get a nasty fakeout from their enemy. As Tails and Amy took a moment to catch themselves, Sonic looked down at Lutrudis and Cream, who both grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry for the jolt,” Lutrudis muttered with a nervous shrug. “You okay up there?”

Sonic, not quite able to speak at the current moment, simply gave a half-dazed thumbs up. Cream couldn't help but giggle to herself at this.

“How much do you think this will cost in repairs?” Tails asked with a hint of dread, as he examined the sorry state of the entire train. Amy let out a shrug of her own, followed by a nervous laugh.

---

After Lutrudis reassured her friends that she would pay for the damages once Eggman’s activities were dealt with (assuming anyone found out about what happened to the train), they took a collective moment to analyse where they actually were now that the train had arrived at its one and only stop... and to say they were experiencing a mild form of culture shock would be accurate.

For although they were still in a desert, with the immense heat and intense sands that came with it, it was not at all like the one they had just been through. Far from the foreboding western cliffs and abandoned shanty towns, the tastes they were witnessing now were undeniably of the eastern variety. Even from afar, the streets were glittering, decked out in majestic blue carpets, and the tallest towers in view were purest white and gold. Townspeople were freely exchanging idle chatter with each other, a far cry from the lonely wilderness they had seen beforehand. And although they had spotted the occasional watering hole prior, here you could find water everywhere, including by the streets themselves. All completely fresh, at that. Shops of all shapes were also inviting their intrigue, beckoning for them to check out their contents.

And for that last detail alone, Amy was instantly smitten.

“Good timing, I think we could all use a drink,” Sonic suggested, fanning himself in the scorching heat.

“This place looks wonderful! Let's have a look around!” Amy bounced merrily, seemingly unaffected by the heat, as she clasped her hands together in excitement. “I love places like this! So full of culture! I wonder what dresses they have here?”

Not necessarily arguing with her insistence, Sonic marched on down to the exotic streets, his team following after. Of course, it didn't take long for them to split up. Cream stayed with Amy, and Lutrudis did the same with Sonic, while Tails went on his own. A grand total of five seconds ensued before Amy dashed inside a clothing shop in an adorably gleeful frenzy, with Cream being considerably more relaxed as she happily followed.

Even Sonic had to laugh at his friend's constant energy. He knew full well that she always had a taste for exquisite fashions.

He turned around, and instantly grew curious as to what Lutrudis was paying close attention to. Upon witnessing, he couldn't help but let out an impressed whistle. By the window, in three rows of ten, were a selection of identical silver necklaces, each of them customized with a different colour of jewel, and a simplistic pattern of the same colour. As far as he could see, Sonic could spot them in ruby, sapphire, emerald, garnet, amethyst... and a bunch more that Tails would probably recognise before him. He was reminded heavily of the Chaos Emeralds he was all too accustomed with... and all the other colorful minerals he had seen in his young life, including his friend's own crystals.

“They look gorgeous, don't they,” Lutrudis muttered dreamily, with adoring eyes. Not that she had any intention to buy any for herself, simply getting the chance to observe their beauty was enough for her. They were probably more deserving for someone else anyway.

“Oh yeah, definitely, they look stunning.” Sonic's eyes went to the sapphire necklace. “Heh, come to think of it, I bet that one would look spiffy on you,” he casually commented, and carried on walking with a carefree smile. Lutrudis looked as if she was caught off guard by his comment, and after a few frozen seconds of taking it in, she shyly fiddled with her ponytail.

As she got ready to follow the Blue Blur however, she immediately paused, and looked back at the necklaces, glancing up at the emerald and garnet ones in particular. She turned her head to Amy, who was far away in complete and utter awe at something else. Her focus turned to Cream, then back to Amy, then back to the necklace selection. Her own smile grew as she rubbed her chin in thought. They're a bit pricy, certainly, but it would be worth it...

Tails was examining a bunch of unique gadgets in a different store. All of them appeared to resemble clockwork animals... or at least he assumed they were meant to be animals, but they still looked pretty eye-catching all the same, even without taking their shiny coat of paint into account.

“Any you fancy?” asked the camel shopkeeper, as he drank his glass of water. He was clearly hoping the young fox would buy even one, not least because it would provide a fair bit of dosh.

“Just passing through,” Tails politely declined. “Where did you get these things, out of interest?”

“Oh ho, they're relics of a bygone era, my friend!” the camel boasted, as he alluded to what may or may not be an elaborate ruse. “The Ancients of Viridonia were very advanced in their time, you see.”

“Right...” The kid seemed unsure about the story’s legitimacy, but he wasn’t going to argue with the man. “Are those... crystals you have, back there?” he questioned, pointing towards the small hill of grey shinies behind the shopkeeper. The casual display of them in a shop was weirdly offputting.

“Oh no, not the genuine article, I'm afraid. They're merely... fantastically sculpted replicas. Definitely didn't pluck them anywhere, no siree.” He crossed his arms and nodded firmly, though his eyes betrayed him by shifting left and right.

“I see... well, see ya!” Tails happily waved farewell as he left the shop. Once he knew the fox was gone, the camel muttered to himself out of annoyance. Getting anyone to buy these gadgets was hard work these days.

Resigned to his job, he took another swig of his glass... then promptly spat the contents back out upon seeing a green robot standing beside him, with a katana right at his throat. Where did he come from...?

“Crystals. Now.”

Meanwhile, Sonic was walking around aimlessly, taking in the environment more than what there was to buy. It was typical that he recalled the Arabian Nights adventure to Lutrudis beforehand, because this scene made him reminisce all over again, to the point where he questioned whether this place or that tale came first. His mind went back to his guide of that world...

Shahra... Another friend he hadn't seen in a long time, but one that he nonetheless hoped was doing well. He knew for certain that she ended up better than she started, with her former partner no longer having any control over her.

The hedgehog frowned, as the memory of Erazor Djinn came flooding back to him. He only had to deal with him once, and he was grateful for that, lest he be continuously confronted by one of the vilest evils he had ever faced. He shivered in disgust at the memory of all that he did, whether it related to Shahra or otherwise, and he could only be thankful that the malevolent spirit was last seen in his lamp, in a pool of magma, never to be released again.

...Unless Eggman found out about him and used one of his lava-resistant machines, but he hoped that wouldn't happen. He's already doing enough as it is with all the mayhem he's sent the hedgehog's way in Viridonia. The last thing he needed right now was for Erazor to come back.

His frown deepened. Speaking of the doctor, his own actions were getting pretty concerning as well. His risks were still growing in scale, and his cruelty was still growing in scope...

“Hey there, blue boy.”

Sonic looked dazed for a moment as his contemplations were interrupted by another voice. He looked all around him to figure out where it came from, only to express surprise as he turned to a familiar face, who was currently relaxing in the shade on a carpet.

“Rouge?” He raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing here? Where’s your groupies?”

“Oh, they're busy with other things, dearie,” she casually announced, as she took out a small mirror to check her tufts of hair. “So I decided to spend some time over here, my home away from home. I mean, it's partly on business for G.U.N. as well, but that's the great thing about being me, isn't it? You can work and play at the same time.”

Her eyes went to Sonic, who was still kind of shocked to see her on her lonesone. “Why so surprised? With all the treasure around here, surely it'd be more of a shock if I wasn't here.”

“Well, yeah I guess, I just...” He sheepishly looked to the side. “It's been ages since I've seen you on your own.”

“Hmm, has it?” The bat continued adjusting her makeup without a care in the world. “I'm not handcuffed to them, you know. I have my interests, and they have theirs... although Shadow could really do with pursuing more of them.”

“And how has Knuckles been doing? Haven't seen him since the last time we all teamed up.”

“What, am I his caretaker?”

Sonic remained awkwardly silent, not sure what to say in response to the accusation. Rouge let out a light chuckle, and carried on.

“I'm kidding, he's doing fine. He seemed pretty pleased with his latest defense system for the Master Emerald... ~but let's see how long that lasts~”

The hedgehog turned his head slightly, and his suspicions arose. “You're not thinking about nabbing anything in THIS place, are you?”

Rouge mockingly put her fingers to her mouth, as if she were deeply considering it. “Well, who knows? We'll just have to see, won't we? Sure is a good thing I have money, right?”

Sonic paused again to take her words into account, before finally smirking at her joke. With all the tales that go on about her thievery, it made sense that they could be a little exaggerated sometimes.

“Besides,” she added. “Someone else is hard at work with the stealing around here. Believe it or not, but I’ve actually been attempting to track them down... and not just because I’m slightly bothered that they’ve been beating me to the punch.”

“Someone else...?” Sonic thought. Who could she be referring to? Metal Sonic?

As this was going on, Tails and Lutrudis came on over to where Sonic was, and it didn't take long for them to notice who he was chatting with.

“Hey, it’s Rouge!” Tails greeted. His own history with the bat may be something of a complicated and frankly weird one, but he was happy to welcome her regardless. Lutrudis likewise gave a little wave of her own, even though this was her first time meeting her.

“Oh, hey!” Sonic was all too eager to make the necessary introductions. “Rouge, this is Lootru-...Latrue-...Trudy. This is Trudy. Trudy, Rouge.”

“Another playmate of yours, hedgehog?” Rouge raised an eyebrow of her own, followed by another chuckle. She rested her chin on her hand. “My my, where do you get all of them?”

“...Pleased to meet you as well,” Lutrudis replied as she shook her hand. Her body language made it obvious that she wasn't quite sure what to make of Rouge, given the latter's somewhat mixed history, but she was willing to give her a chance, since she was aware that the batgirl had helped her friends out plenty of times before. “Liking what you see around here, I presume?” she asked to strike up friendly conversation, with her hands clasped behind her back.

“Truly,” Rouge answered. Her voice was dripping with bliss. “Believe me, this place is a treasure of its own.”

The horse looked a tad puzzled at her comment, but before she could ask for an explanation, Amy and Cream soon arrived. Both of them appeared to be incredibly overjoyed, and the amount of bags on Amy’s person did not make it a mystery as to why.

“We have GOT to come back here when Eggman's done with! You'll never guess what we found! So many dresses, so many hairpieces, even found a new bowtie for Cheese...!”

The pink hedgehog paused, as she acknowledged Rouge's presence. Her arms lowered a little, and her head shifted slightly away. While not wanting to be rude, she was certainly conflicted about this twist.

“Oh, hey Rouge,” she muttered with a somewhat half-hearted wave. Cream's wave was more enthusiastic by comparison.

“Hey,” Rouge said back. The pink girl's suspicions were not lost on her, but she didn't bother commenting on it.

As if sensing the potential awkwardness of the situation, Sonic quickly changed the subject, as he clapped his hands with much gusto. “Say Rouge, I know you don't normally hang with us, but uh, Eggman's doing his thing again and endangering the planet like always, and we thought maybe you'd like to help us kick him up the butt again for being a maniacal idiot?”

The bat let out an overly dramatic sigh, with a raised leg in the air, as she prepared to stand up and stretch her wings out wide. “Well, if you care that much about my assistance...” She fluttered her eyes at the blue one, to which he just sort of looked in the opposite direction, clearly used to this behaviour. She laughed, even as Amy proceeded to put her hands on her hips in mild annoyance.

“Go on then, I'm game. Might find that thief along the way, and I do love a good thrill, almost as much as I love my precious jewels... Almost.”

With a roll of the eyes, Sonic sped off further into the desert in search of more robots to bust open, with his friends - and Rouge - in pursuit. Seconds after they left, an oryx walked out of the building that Rouge had been resting beside, holding a sizable glass of fresh lemonade. Preparing to serve, he looked down at the carpet she was using, and quickly realised the carpet was now on its own.

His smile turned upside down... until he looked to his left, then to his right. Checking the coast was clear, he started gulping down the lemonade himself.

---

Act 3: The Great Oasis

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Clamer - “Resting by the oasis are these brightly colored clams, who just so happen to conceal a portable cannon. It's a risk to take them on while they have it out, but it's an unavoidable one since you'll merely bounce off their azure exterior otherwise.”

Skorp - “Now this is a vexatious one. They already have a good defense as it is, but not only that, they can sling their pointy tail in your direction, and considering how far it can reach, it's extremely easy to underestimate. I suppose even a maniac can make an effective design twice a day.”

Sandworm - “They're worms, and they come out of the sand... Yes, that's right, yes indeed. They do like to catch you off guard though, but with a keen eye, you can catch their shuffling through the substance.”

Swordsman Pawn - “These purple guards are full of showmanship, but those scimitars prove they can back it up. Their skills are as sharp as their blades, although they do like to goof off if left to their own devices.”

Neo Djinn - “Now the doctor thinks he can improve mythology! Goodness sake... They appear to have some control over the wind, as they can strike you down with lightning, or hit you hard with weaponized gust. Never had a foe like him, huh?”

Floatin' - “I'm not sure if anyone informed the doctor, but these are meant to help save lives. These flotation rings are essentially circular blades, and should you catch them while they're spinning, you might not have anything left to catch with.”

Returning Enemies: Sol

The previous half of the desert may have been sparse in civilisation, but this area more than makes up for it. Life is brimming everywhere in this exquisite landscape, and with the sun up well and high now, the sky is now a subdued mix of pink and cream. It's a more inviting sight than the canyon, so what are you waiting for? Head on down to the Arabian... Days!

In town, you'll find rooftops to climb, and just as many marketplaces to vandalise to your gamer's content. Indeed, you actually can interact with several of the fruits on the market, to the point where it's possible to use them as projectiles against Eggman's robots, just like in the Tricky Tropics. Though I imagine the dealers won't be too pleased that you’re messing around with their fruit like it's no big deal...

“Could you, uh, stop that please?”

“Hey, that's not yours!”

“How am I supposed to ship these to Sapphire Tundra if you're spreading them all around on the sand!?”

“I don't care if it's for 'hero business', the least you could do is PAY for it.”

The snazzy carpets won't be the only drop of blue you'll be seeing around here, for even in the center of town, there's a reason why this is known as the Great Oasis. Small river trails can be found along the perimeters, large fountains can be found aplenty, and specialised domed houses even come with minature waterfalls. Even within the bazaars, there are plenty of blue roofs and patterns along the walls, though if you take a closer look, you can see more specific patterns involving anthropomorphic creatures, with claws outstretched.

First there were the carvings in the Gleaming Meadows... then the carvings inside the mines of Zephyr Valley... now we have these patterns right here. What's the full story? It pertains to the Ethereal Zone, that much is obvious, but to what extent...

Anyway, if you think the streets have got more than enough aquatic brilliance, wait until you see the oasis itself. Bright green grassy patches surround the round lakes of healthy water, and the palm trees remain arched, as if to pay respect to the tranquility of this land... either that, or the coconuts they hold are really heavy. Marble pillars are free to traverse and knock over, and you can also find plenty of statues and monuments, which remain magnificent in scale despite the expected rust collected over the decades. These statues seem to resemble... something reptilian possibly, but it's hard to make out for definite...

Ironically, despite all this water, there's barely any underwater sections, although it is possible to have a swim for some Lightning Shields and other goodies. Or maybe you just want to admire the scene, as when you're underwater, everything has a turquoise sheen, and the schools of fish you can find come in many a healthy colour. Watch out for the Clamers though, they can hide under the water just as they can by the side of it.

And remember, Tails is more suited for swimming than Sonic, since he has the distinct advantage of actually being able to swim. Though like always, it's far from impossible to explore under the blue as Sonic anyway.

Out of all the enemies here, the Skorps and Neo Djinns will be those ones, if you know what I’m saying. Skorps need no introduction or explanation, and I regret to inform you that the 3D plane has done absolutely nothing to diminish the obnoxiousness of their fiendish strategy. As for the Djinns, because they can attack in more than one way with their wind magic, it means they can attack you directly AND push you into other hazards. Doesn't help that they like to hang around with the faithfully stereotypical Swordsman Pawns.

When you reach a particularly large river, a cruise ship will be bobbing along it, known to all as the SS Sandline. It wouldn't be out here if it was meant to be ignored, would it? Hop aboard the cruiser, and pay no mind to the folks on board who are no doubt perplexed as to where you arrived from, and why you're here.

“Is that Sonic the Hedgehog? I thought he wasn't good with water...”

“Who cares about that? Get me his autograph, pronto!”

“Did he get in for free? I had to pay an extra 50...”

They'll have to wait for their autographs, because we're too busy avoiding the pack of Floatin' that managed to find their way on board without anyone noticing. They blend in by hanging on the walls outside, but their colours make them easy to spot in spite of that. As for inside the Sandline, there's not much that will kill you, but you're welcome to spin around the roulette tables, go for a splash in the jacuzzi, and swing along the chandeliers. Contrary to what your gut is telling you, they won't fall off, though they can go a bit wild with their directions if you swing on them for longer then necessary, so best to not spend too much time on them in any case.

The end of the cruiser is characterised by the use of a jacuzzi fountain, which will send you soarin' through the cloudless air like a free bird. During which, you're treated to yet another gorgeous view of the sky and the dunes alike.

Cream: It's so pretty out here!

Sonic: *pulls out a camera* Heh, this would make for a great group photo! Lean in, everyone!

Amy: What? Up here!?

Tails: Seriously?

Lutrudis: I hope my anxiety isn't showing...

Rouge: Be sure to get my good side, please.

The end of this stage is represented by a considerably emptier segment of sand, with little water to be found. This will last for a small while, with seemingly no progress made... but eventually, from a distance, you will start to spot some pools containing another liquid entirely. A black liquid, to be precise.

And along with that, a peculiar cavern system that appears to be part stone, part machinery, with a spider web’s worth of pipes poking in and out. Wanna bet our rotund arch-fiend has a hand in this?

---

Act 4: Petroleum Province

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Tunnelbot - “This machine was present during the regrettable destruction of Angel Island's ruins, wasn't it? Well, there's a bunch of them now, and they're equally as fond of using the rubble against you, alongside their twin hydraulics.”

Flybot 767 - “See those alarms on the ground? Please make an effort to not set them off, for if you do, you'll get a small handful of these divebombing fowl on your tail... Although, maybe we SHOULD set the alarms off, since that way we can bust them open and get their living batteries out...? I'd hate to leave those adorable critters inside their robotic cages...”

Spitlick - “I think this is based on the gila monster, but you never know half the time with these do-no-gooders. Pure venom in design and demeanour, they'll happily lob a blob of it straight from their mouths... Why doesn’t it melt them...?”

Motor Pawn - “Using their hot new rides, these red daredevils leave a brief trail of fire wherever their wheels take them. Almost makes up for their tacky leather jackets.”

Rock Golem - “What the... This isn't a robot at all! It's a creature made entirety out of arid stone! It doesn't appear to be sentient, yet it follows the doctor's commands... How...?”

Sand Demon - “This isn't a robot either! These... entities seem to emerge from the desert itself, with the desire to provide you a sandy burial. What on earth is going on here...?”

Returning Enemies: Sol Bomber Skorp Neo Djinn

Another immediate segue into the next act, and no surprise that Lutrudis has her bandana over her face for this one.

Eggman is no stranger to oil profiteering - after all, he's got an ocean of it to his name - but this facility is more complicated not just in design, but also in navigation. Sure, you have your expected pipes and catwalks, even sharing an identical purple and green colour scheme, but since this place goes in and out like a rollercoaster, it can be easy to get lost. Not only that, but quicksand has returned, this time a murky brown, so you'll have to avoid that along with the black pits of oil you see all around. Note that it's still very much possible to prevent yourself from sinking in either of them by constantly jumping, though in the case of quicksand, you'll have to be that extra bit faster.

Oil Ocean is not the only Eggman compound you'll be reminded of in this level. There are also gimmicks and even visual references based on the infamous Launch Base, which largely include its twisty tubes, its yellow and semi-arabic structures, and those irksome Flybot 767 models. Don't be fooled into thinking this is merely Oil Base however (Launch Ocean?), for despite the resemblance to both past zones, there's some original flair to be found as well. Not so much on the outside perhaps, but on the inside?

The interior sections are where this place gets very intriguing. You've got your hollowed out tunnels, your cavern railways, your palace hallways... hang on, palace hallways? For whatever reason, Eggman has decorated the inside as though it were an actual middle eastern palace, complete with golden elephant statues, cobra-shaped pillars, and exotic chambers. Why has he done this? Come on, you know the answer to that. Why does Eggman do anything?

Unsurprisingly, Neo Djinns can be found in heavy abundance in these areas, and while they don't hang around other robots as much in this stage, they instead hang around with other Neo Djinns. Try not to get caught inbetween their wind elemental antics, or else you could end up being the unwitting ball in a game of wind tennis.

Tunnelbots will also be all too happy to welcome you, by drilling the roofs above, in the hopes that the resulting debris will knock you clean out. As for outside, you'll have cylindrical, armored trains to deal with. It’s evident that their purpose is to transport the oil to wherever and whatever Eggman needs it for, so we might as well smash them up to reduce the amount by at least a little bit, although try not to get splashed by oil in the process. It won't kill you, but it'll make your movements rather sluggish for a brief period of time. Shouldn't it be seriously unhealthy for our heroes though? Shhhh, Sonic doesn't care about it, and neither should you.

Their cleanliness, on the other hand...

Sonic: Trudy's got a shower in her castle, right?

Tails: I hope so, this oil is kind of hard to get off.

Amy: This better not stain my dress too much...

Rouge: A high quality bath is in order, I reckon.

Cream: I think the Chao would appreciate being clean again too...

Lutrudis: It's unsanitary, but if it means putting a stop to the doctor's doings, then I'm willing to trudge through... And yes, I do have a shower.

Sonic: Whew, what a relief!

Lutrudis: *giggles* Surely you wouldn't seriously think I'd lack one?

Sonic: Well, no, but...

It's at this point that the Badniks will start using the oil against you. The fireball-toting Sols will use an old strategy of theirs by dropping their fireballs above their respective pool of oil, thereby setting the whole pool aflame, and Bombers will set off explosives that unleash unstable geysers of oil, which you can spot early on by paying attention to the cracks in the hard sand. If all this wasn’t enough, Motor Pawns love to leave their blazing trails near oil.

But as Lutrudis acknowledged in her Badnik Logs, some of our enemies here aren't Badniks at all. Or at least, not your typical Badniks. The jaguar-esque Rock Golems and snake-like Sand Demons are equally common here, and both of them will cause an extraordinary amount of trouble for you if you're not careful. Of the two, Sand Demons are the greater evil, since their tendency to hide in the sand itself makes them harder to spot before it's potentially too late. The Rock Golems are more straightforward, and will settle for pouncing on you with all their rock hard weight, but since they're big boys, it can still be somewhat hard to avoid them.

If you're not too preoccupied with them, you might spot an Egg Robo perched atop a single catwalk, paying close attention to your progress. Rouge recognises him right away... and so do you.

Rouge: There he is! There's the REAL thief you're looking for!

Sonic: Ugh, not THIS guy...

Shinobi: Hello.

After a polite wave, he'll then disappear as if he turned invisible... then he'll reappear on top of a different catwalk, as if he came out of thin air. A new trick in his ninja guidebook, from the looks of it. If Espio were with us, he might be impressed. For now, you'll have to chase down the lime green Hard-Boiled Heavy for a bit. Don't panic, it's not a true chase, there's no timer or anything. You just need to not die while you're following him. You can do that, right? Although with the increased amount of deserty beasts and oil fires, you'd be forgiven for kicking the bucket once or twice. (Three times is pushing it.)

Once you seemingly have Shinobi cornered, you know in your heart that he won't be going down without a fight. And that's very much true...

Shinobi: You, all pests. Interceptors will be vanquished. Observe, and despair. The guardian... shall rise.

...only, it's not him we'll be fighting today, as he mysteriously waves a single hand in the air, rhythmically. Puzzled at first, our heroes aren't sure what to make of it... until it becomes apparent that it's some sort of enchanting hullabaloo, and before even Sonic can react quickly enough to interrupt his routine, he's successfully summoned something real bad. REAL bad.

How bad, dare you ask? Out of the desert pit below erupts a tower of sand, chiseled into a muscled physique, and we see its full appearance in all its terrifying glory: a grimacing, multi-armed, weapon-wielding... thing. Is it a monster? A robot? A statue? It really doesn't matter for the time being, because all we're focused on is putting it back to sleep.

Amy: What the heck is THAT?

Rouge: You're asking me!

Sonic: Come down and face me like a true Eggman robot, ninja man!

Shinobi: No. Important matters to attend to. Your opponent lies here, today. Let battle, commence.

BOSS: Desert Goliath

And with that, Shinobi has left the scene as quickly as he was introduced. The disappointment is understandable, but don't worry, we'll see him again one day, and we’ll be ready. For now, we'll have to focus our attention on... this lovely fellow.

A desert-themed boss in the middle of a circular ring arena. This feels familiar, doesn't it? But since this guy has four arms, each with a weapon in hand, you'll have more on your plate here. And on top of that, each arm has a different weapon. Those weapons being: a scimitar, a cannon, a clawed clamp, and a morning star. The good news is that Rouge will frequently drop rings from the air to help you out. The bad news is everything else.

You can guess how each of the Desert Goliath's arms will operate here. When he uses the scimitar arm, he'll slash at the arena, creating two fiery shockwaves from both sides that you must leap over. With the cannon arm, he'll aim at three different areas and launch balls of green plasma energy. This is probably the hardest weapon to avoid due to how fast he is with it, and how fast he turns around, but you'll know where he'll fire away because there's a brief pause before he does it. Should he use the clawed clamp, he'll reel back the appropriate arm for a few seconds... then IMMEDIATELY make a grab for your character. Finally, with the morning star, he'll put the unique strategies aside and simply attempt to crush you into dust with it, a total of five times to be exact.

So what's our strategy then? It's not like there's a giant button on his head. No, there isn't, but there is a way. It'll require a few steps... and it'll also require good ol' Miss Hadeer to whip out her bow again. This time however, it's not the yellow crystals she'll be using... It's the blue ones.

First, notice that the arena includes six metal pillars, each of them sporting a circular pattern that just so happens to resemble a bullseye mark. When the Goliath uses the cannon arm, you'll want him to aim at one of these barriers so that the plasma will come right back at him. As expected, this alone will not hurt him, but it will temporarily paralyze him... and grotesquely, his chest will ever so slightly open, revealing a stone structure within that looks a lot like a heart. That's your cue to go, Trudy!

Lutrudis: Here I go! Time to... chill out!

With a launch from her bow, an ice crystal-imbued arrow will be fired straight at the monster's chest. She might miss on the rare occasion, but not as much as she would miss in previous boss battles, for her aiming is still improving even more as she grows used to the heat of battle. This will freeze the Goliath's “heart”, thereby immobolizing the entire beast even further through the power of video game logic. Well, it worked with Chaos aboard the Egg Carrier back in the day, didn't it? Waste no further time and strike that chest while its stone organ is encased in ice. You'll be rewarded with a pained scream from the titan, and the match will resume.

But that's not all there is to it, is there? Ha ha, you're getting savvy about this, aren't you. Sure enough, he'll predictably get more aggressive with each hit, he'll increase the amount of plasma shots, the amount of morning star slams, he'll get a bit faster each time... But then, after the third hit, he'll suddenly and jarringly change tactics completely, a fact that he makes apparent by sending all of you flying far away from the original arena. The Chao staying safe in Cream's bag are rather shaken by this.

Chao: Chaoooo!!!

Cream: Hold on, little guys!

Sonic: Jeez, this big lug needs a chill pill... and we've already given him three!

You land on your derriere on an open terrain, and after some rumbling in the sand, the Goliath will rise once more, letting out a furious roar despite not a single muscle moving on its stony, frowny face. Now he'll try combining the powers that his arms bestow upon him, often using the clamp to throw you onto the ground before slamming you with the morning star right after, or using sword slashes and plasma shots in unison.

And it's only getting from bad to worse, because a fifth arm comes bursting out of his back. Unlike the initial four arms, it doesn't resemble an arm at all, but rather a horribly mutated scorpion tail. This tail will be the absolute bane of your existence if you don't stay on guard, because it comes with a special kind of poison that - should you be unlucky enough to experience the full injection - will slow you down to 2006 speeds for a whole fifteen seconds. Not pleasant, to put it nicely.

You could use a little leeway here, couldn’t you? Well never fear, Rouge is on the job. You'll have to wait and avoid the Goliath's attacks for a while, but soon enough, using her bat expertise, she'll belt out a couple of sonar waves to distract the beast. It won't distract him fully, since he's got multiple arms to spare and all, but two of his arms will be swinging away at Rouge, leaving you with the other three to deal with. Which three arms remain your own problem is randomized each time, so cross your fingers that the scorpion tail isn't one of them. Since he's stretching out his body between you and Rouge, his chest will keep opening again without him noticing. Lutrudis doesn't even need to use her ice crystals now, since its rocky heart is already weakened and sensitive from all the prior freezing. Quickly bash it with all your might whenever the chest opens, and keep away from him at all other times. He'll get angrier and angrier, and predictably faster in the process, but you'll manage.

Three more times, and with a final ear-piercing scream, the titan will fall, crumble, and clutch the ground as he slowly sinks back into the sand. Looks like Shinobi's pet needed some extra lessons.

---

“So what was up with that thing?” Tails asked to the group, as they all took time to gather themselves after the confrontation. The fox's heartbeat was still thumping. “I don't remember the Heavies being able to do THAT.”

“I don't remember ANY of Eggman's junk being able to do that,” Amy added, still out of breath herself, resting on a stone wall nearby. “First a giant airship that can control storms, and now this... This is just getting crazier and crazier!”

“On top of sending Metal Sonic and the Heavies all after us... and that Wraith thing,” Sonic thought to himself, with a clenched fist. He didn't look pleased about their growing power. “It's like the Phantom Ruby... but it’s all real. And those bolt brains were bad enough already.”

“Maybe that Mr. Robot was using crystal power too?” Cream suggested. In all fairness, there was no reason to doubt it. The Chao poking out of her bag were at least relieved that the giant sand abomination was gone. Cheese, meanwhile, was hiding behind the rabbit's ear, still unsure as to whether or not the sand abomination really was gone.

“We can't afford to let them obtain too many,” Lutrudis firmly stated, after she caught her own breath with her hands on her legs. “As powerful as they are, an individual crystal isn't enough to summon a giant raging sand fiend, and I also suspect a single one cannot command the weather like it's nothing, though at least the latter seems to have limited range for now...” She briefly paused to fan herself. “We know the crystals can stack up or combine their abilities if used together, and it's possible that the more they have on them, the closer they are to getting a taste of the Ethereal Zone's true potential...”

The horse's eyes widened subtly, as another undesirable thought came to her. “And the only crystals we saw around here were grey crystals... the less potent ones. Yet they were able to power up Metal Sonic greatly. If they got their grubby mitts on colored crystals, and started stacking them up... mixed with Eggman's unique imagination... we cannot let that happen.”

“Funny you mention that,” Rouge raised a playful finger, with her other hand on her hip. “As it just so happens, I've gathered a few reports of what I've learned about them while I’ve been visiting.”

“Reports? For G.U.N?” Sonic questioned with much suspicion, as he placed both hands on his own hips. “For what reason?”

"Oh, you know, safety of the population, yadda yadda,” the spy replied, as if it were basic knowledge. She soon frowned at Sonic's tone. “Unless you expected something else?”

“Well, I wouldn't put it past them to have shadier motives...”

“They're not the same as they were back then.”

“They DID go after me like a bunch of crazies,” the hedgehog muttered with great distaste, eyes closed. “I still can't believe they mistook me for Shadow.”

“Look, they didn't actually mistake you for-”

“Don't care.”

A brief moment of silence ensued. Tails and Amy weren't sure how to address Sonic's lingering thoughts about the G.U.N. ordeal, and Cream barely knew anything about them anyway. At the same time, Rouge knew the hedgehog well enough to know deep down that he probably wasn't going to be convinced otherwise about the current state of the infamous military organization for the time being. And true, she couldn't exactly blame Sonic for feeling that way, but...

Lutrudis' eyes switched to and fro between Sonic and Rouge. With a deliberate clearing of the throat, she decided to break up the tension. “Well, if Miss Rouge is okay with the idea, how about we go back to my place and go over her reports there? We're a lot closer to my area now, thankfully.” She gently nudged Sonic with a wink and a cheeky smile, to lighten the mood. “You can finally get that shower you wanted.”

“Oh, sure!” Sonic perked up in an instant, and rubbed his hands in childlike glee. “I can't WAIT to be clean again!”

���The Chao could do with some breathing space too, I guess,” Amy motioned towards Cream's bag full of them poking out. The desert heat was doing a number on them. “They've been in there for a while now, poor things.”

“Fine with me,” Rouge agreed, with a casual shrug. “And don't worry, I won't take anything... important.” Another smirk couldn't help but manifest on her lips, as she glanced to her side at Sonic. "Lover boy has provided much entertainment already.”

“Whuzzat?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, before I forget,” Lutrudis switched her perspective to Amy, as they began marching back home, with the green one in front to lead them the way. “They might be a little messy thanks to the oil hijinks, but I found something for you while we were in town.” She looked down at Cream, who was nuzzling up against the horse. “You as well.”

“Ooooooh...?” Cream beamed brightly.

“Ooooooh...?” Cheese repeated.

Amy's intrigue was also clearly piqued. She smiled humbly at her friend's generosity. "You shouldn't have, really. But what is it?”

“You'll see,” Lutrudis smiled in return, and playfully winked, with a tap of the finger on her own forehead. “Just, uh, might want to clean them off first when we get back.”

---

In the middle of the barren desert, Heavy Shinobi appeared out of thin air once again. The round ninja glanced at the beautiful sight around him, yet its luster did not appear to enrapture him, so much as it was merely given acknowledgement.

As he stood on his own - or seemingly on his own - a mechanical claw came bursting out of the sand, followed by an identical claw. As they scrambled through the sand, creating a round pit in the process, the ominous figure of Metal Sonic slowly raised from the pit. He stared directly ahead, in the same direction the ninja was facing. His fate had left him visibly banged up, but he didn't seem to notice... or more likely, he just didn't care. Not when that accursed copy was on his mind, as it always, always was. He continued staring straight ahead, his body tensing up, with cold, bitter hatred coursing through his circuitry. He was down, but as long as the fake was out there, he would never be out.

Shinobi turned to Metal Sonic. He shared the latter's silence. With how stiff his own body language was, it was unclear as to what exactly his thoughts were on the robotic hedgehog... If he had any particular thoughts, they would have to be saved for later, as a third presence revealed itself.

“Well?”

Metal and Shinobi both looked up to see their master hover down in his famous hovercraft. Despite cleary knowing from Metal's dented state that Sonic and his friends were still alive and at large, Eggman's shining optimism shared throughout his Viridonian operations remained consistent even now...

“Crystals have been obtained,” Shinobi explained, as his scarf swayed seamlessly in the hot wind. “Weak crystals, but plenty. They are yours.”

“Greeeeaaaatttt,” Eggman replied in a jolly sing-song tone of voice, his grin refusing to falter even once. He turned to Metal, not fazed in the least by the latter's defeat. “Roughed up my boy, did they? Well don’t be glum, we'll get you into shape for Round 2 very soon. Perhaps you're in need of some practice with those crystals of ours... and we've got plenty of them now. They may have messed up my lovely refinery too from the looks of it, but there's no time to worry about such smalltime matters.”

He opened his arms at the sun, confident as ever. “The sun is shining on me, gentlemen. And it shall remain that way.”

“In addition,” Shinobi spoke up. “He has footage.”

“Footage...?”

He nodded his head towards Metal for confirmation, and without a word, the droid looked down at his chest. After a few seconds of charging up, it released another beam of light, a completely harmless beam this time around. Within Eggman's line of sight, a rectangle was formed from the light, creating the illusion of a screen. Said illusion became even moreso, when it began to play the promised footage... the footage that Metal recorded aboard the train... It didn’t take long to catch his interest... all of his interest... He leaned slightly back, and crossed his arms, as he kept watching.

“You came along? And made everything all better?”

“You bet I did! Sent that genie packing, literally! I beat him, humiliated him, sent him back in his lamp, never to be seen again. So the story could continue living, without his interference!”

“You sure are a paragon to the people, aren’t you... a ray of light to everyone you meet...”

“The tale that he mentions... could be of use,” Shinobi mused.

Eggman didn’t respond, despite the promising offer. While the talk about great and powerful genies may have caught his interest on any other day, his attention today was already taken...

“So... you're just gonna believe all of that? Just taking my story about going inside a book at face value? For all you know, I could have made it all up.”

“It could be worth looking into, sir,” the green robot mentioned again, though deep down, he had already subconsciously acknowledged that the doctor was completely uninterested. He did not give a single rudimentary thought to that aspect of the footage. He was captivated by something else entirely.

“It's hardly beyond your capacity, is it? You're like another world all on your own, in a strange sort of way... a world of majesty, and wonder...”

Eggman kept watching. His goggles were glued to the screen, as if it was of utmost urgency. Even after the footage ended, and the screen provided by Metal Sonic faded away, the scientist stayed perfectly still, taking a few precious seconds to contemplate exactly what he just witnessed. Because even though it was, by all accounts, a mundane conversation between two of his enemies...

“...Something's up,” he finally stated.

Shinobi turned his head to Metal, in what could be interpreted as puzzlement. When the blue robot predictably gave no verbal response, the Heavy returned his gaze to Eggman.

“I thought this was business as usual,” the doctor started, with his usual compulsive gesticulating. “Another pig to the stew. Fiery cats, telekinetic hedgehogs, chocolate-obsessed dog-imp... thingymajigs, now posh horses. Sure, why not. They overfilled ages ago, what difference is one more at this point? More for me to put down.”

He quickly sneered. “But there's a... look he shares with this one. I've seen that look. I see myself in the mirror every morning, I KNOW that look. And let me tell you, this is not like him at all...”

His Egg Mobile slowly turned 90 degrees to the left. The scientist rubbed the side of his head, as if he was still taking in his newfound information. And yet, he looked oddly invested, maybe even... excited...?

“Could it really be...” he continued, practically muttering to himself, as if there was no point to his two accomplices being there. “Never in my wildest predictions did I expect him to...”

“His habits do not differ to me,” Shinobi commented, as if to question what the doctor was getting at.

“No, not externally,” Eggman emphasized, as he leaned over with a clenched fist. “He ACTS the same as always, yes. Same stupid face, same stupid swagger, same stupid everything. ‘Hi, I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, please punch me in the face’. It's all the same... But it goes deeper than that. It's the little things, the details that the average joe wouldn't notice... But I'm not your average joe, and when I see that stupid smile curve a tiny bit differently, when I see his eyes grow ever so slightly, when I hear his cocky swagger grow lesser, even a tiny modicum... I don’t write it off as nothing.”

“Your initiative, sir?” the Heavy requested, as he slowly pulled out his frosty katana. His subsequent tapping of it against the palm of his hand made it not too subtle that he already had an idea in mind himself. “Suggestions on what to do?”

“Oh, we won't DO anything, not yet,” the doctor firmly answered, though the smug glee in his voice made it perfectly apparent that this was not in any way a benevolent decision. “We'll carry on as normal for now, and we'll let this little panto continue on for a while longer... see if my theory has merit. I've got a new surprise party to deploy, and that's plenty of time for you to brush up on those crystals, isn't it Metal?”

As still as a statue otherwise, Metal Sonic responded by projecting a miniature illusion of the organic Sonic into his own hand... before crushing the illusion slowly, digging his sharpened digits into it with violent intimacy, until it faded out of existence. He stared up at his creator the entire time, and although his expression remained the same, as it always did, his body subtly shivered, as if he were eagerly anticipating the next opportunity to brutalize the alleged copy.

Eggman's Mobile spun around clockwise in a perfect 180, as he continued to bask in his new revelation. The sunlight reflected in his goggles, making them appear pure white.

“And if it IS true - and it will be, because I'm never wrong - then oh... oh ho ho... this is gonna be sweet...”

A chilling laugh echoed throughout the desert.

---

Back to Chapter 5...

To Chapter 6-7 Interlude...

[captain039]

The girl with the bow

Daryl Dixon x reader

Summary: The journey through the season with reader insert

Warnings: Gore, some swearing mentions of deaths , slightly racist ima change his words because I feel very uncomfortable. spoilers if you haven’t seen it

Notes: Daryl needs more fanfics XD and ima provide and if no one doesn’t like it the can kiss my ass XP. Copying the episodes sort of changing a few things though

It all happened so fast the sirens then the news emergency broadcast, you rushed out with your little brother going for your phone to call your parents.

“MUM?” You called into the phone grabbing things.

“Y/n honey are you ok we’ll meet you as soon as possible at the centre ok?” She said scared but trying to sound calm.

“Yeah ok” You breathed out.

“I love you” You heard them both say.

“I love you too” You hung up going down into the garage grabbing your compound bow and other weapons from the safe. Your dad was always preparing for things honestly you thought he was delusional turns out he wasn’t so crazy. You drove with your brother to the high way only to be stuck in traffic no one was moving.

“Lorri?” You questioned seeing your old school friend.

“Y/n?” She said a smile on her face.

“What the hell huh” You said chuckling she nodded when planes flew over, bomb planes. You stared in horror as the bombed the city your parents were there. You held your brother close feeling him shake slightly.

“Oh god” Lorri muttered as you spotted someone walking over.

“We gotta go now” He said.

“What?” She asked confused where?

“Shane calm down please what is happening?” She asked as you watched the flames.

“I don’t know but something aint right” You wanted to smack him already what a dumbass. You went back to the car quietly back tracking when you saw a person coming to your car something wasn’t right though. You froze as it tried to bite someone making them scream in pain. That set a panic as you pushed your brother into the car turning back speeding back home. You told him to call your mum and dad but there was no luck. You smacked the wheel driving into the garage you locked every door and window.

“Y/n?” Your brother made you freeze as you nodded you had to be strong for him.

“Its ok come here” You sat on the couch with him ignoring the screams as you covered his ears.

“We’ll be ok” You whispered.

It wasn’t ok though the world went to hell these things walking around groaning and moaning like those in the movies Zombies, but it was impossible right? You tuned into the radio over and over only hearing the same broadcast. You stocked up rationing your food like your grandpa taught you. He didn’t teach you much only how to ration honestly. You paced around the house praying your parents were ok even though you saw the horrible truth. You frowned hearing a voice outside.

“HELLO?” You frowned moving a curtain seeing a man in a hospital gown holding his side. You grabbed your bow walking outside.

“Oi” You said as he turned to you, you instantly drew on him as he put his hands up.

“Rick?” You questioned.

“Y/n thank god” He said as you with drew rushing him inside.

“What’s happening?” He asked as you frowned.

“What happened to you first?” You asked.

“I was shot I don’t know I woke up in the hospital where’s my wife? Carl?” You slowed him down sitting him down grabbing him a drink.

“I saw Lorri heading to the refugee centre, but I don’t know, the world Rick it’s gone these Roamers own it now were just trying to survive” You said.

“Roamers?” He questioned you nodded opening the window a bit showing him the small group.

“What are they?” He asked.

“People well use to be now their flesh eaters” You said a shiver running down your spine. He ran his hands down his face he had no idea.

“Here ill get you some clothes just relax ok” You said he nodded as you fetched him some clothes. He stayed with you a week before he headed to the station grabbing guns and what not he was heading to the city.

“Come with me” He said in a hushed tone you looked over to your brother.

“Rick, I want to but Jacob” You said pointing to him.

“He’ll be fine please ill be safer with you and you’ll be safer with me” He said you sighed nodding slowly you didn’t have much chance here. You packed everything into your Black 4x4 jeep before heading off. You followed Rick until you made it to the city. You stopped a few miles out walking the rest of the way, you covered his back having your bow drawn it was always apart of you, from your grandpa also. There were to many they came from every corner before you had to jump in a tank. Rick shot his gun as you yelled covering your ears in pain. You huffed as Rick sighed.

“Well so much for surviving” You muttered he scoffed.

“Hey comphy in there” You froze hearing a voice over the radio.

“Hello?” Rick called.

“Got yourselves in a mess ive got a plan run to the right and straight theres an alley way a few meters down ill meet you there now go” The mysterious voice you nodded at him as he huffed opening the hatch you pushed your brother out letting him run first following behind him. You met the mysterious man Korean? You think oh well you followed him up the ladder as they all huddled around your feet.

“I’m Glenn” He said.

“Rick, Y/n and Jacob” Rick said.

“Iven got a group come on this way” You followed the mysterious man leading you to a group of four.

“What the hell?” The blonde asked pointing a gun a Rick as you drew your bow.

“Wouldn’t do that” You said.

“Hey guys calm down we got bigger problems” Glenn said pointing to the shop doors the herd ganging up the glass slowly breaking.

“TO the roof come on” Rick called as everyone rushed to the roof as the glass broke. You panted slightly making sure your brother was ok.

“Hey, come on now man” A man said to another man on the roof shooting them.

“Piss off blacky” You froze glaring at the obvious red neck.

“Come on now none of that” Rick said.

“Who’s this?” He asked.

“Rick this is Merle” Glenn said sighing.

“Rick aye and who’s this little ray of sunshine” He said walking over to you, but you drew on him too as he put his hands up in surrender.

“Feisty I like it” He winked making you scoff.

“How do we get out of here?” Andrea asked.

“Make a run for it” You muttered.

“Are you insane?” She bitched.

“Apparently” You rolled your eyes walking over to the edge there were roamers everywhere.

“There’s trucks that use to be used for moving furniture anyway they always have the keys in them we get one we get out” You nodded at T-dogs plan. It was settled but the sewer was blocked so was the alley. You frowned thinking of something disgusting.

“What if we covered ourselves in guts and blood they wouldn’t be able to smell us” You piped up as everyone stared at you.

“That might work” Rick said. Killing the walkers out back you quickly dragged them in everyone looking horrified as Rick began chopping. Him and Glenn walked out and you couldn’t believe your eyes it was working that is until the rain. They had to run.

You watched scared when the disappeared you huffed.

“Stay here” You said to your brother running off.

“HEY” You ignored the group running outside you spotted your car you grabbing your knife running out as you finally made it in one piece. You Sped back along with Rick nodding at him as you honked at the Roamers with Glenn while everyone escaped. Glenn was smiling like an idiot as he whooped making you laugh following him. Finally, out of the city Glenn lead you to more of the group. Rick was frozen seeing his little boy and wife you smiled at the reunion. The man Shane had a grim look making you frown at him. You hugged your brother his face filled with worry.

“I’m ok champ” You said as he nodded. You wondered how these people made it honestly but then again you weren’t in place to judge. You made yourselves comfortable setting up camp. You smiled at the people this was a good group, but you soon learnt the truth Ed you would punch his face in if you could, beating that poor woman Carol. Merle had a brother Daryl a quiet man well sort of he used a crossbow making you smile to yourself liking him already. The group was good by the quarry a source of water and food for all. You kept to yourself helping around with cleaning and other things. Rick, Glenn, Daryl and Merle were heading out on a run he dropped the damn bag of guns. They weren’t back though by night as you got worried as did Lorri the camp got overrun you shot every ugly basterd you saw trying to protect the people. Rick and the others finally came back killing them off as a few people went down then Amy. You watched in horror at everyone crying killing the last one blood covering your clothes and face. Andrea didn’t move for the night you were worried sick about her.

Shane and Rick argued two alpha men trying to lead the group wasn’t working out so well. Everyone had to leave returning to the highway trying to fix the RV. Another horde came through sending everyone down under the cars as you breathed heavily not spotting your brother. You began to panic as the horde finally passed you looked around when Sofia ran into the woods Rick ran straight after her you saw your brother safe as you hugged him tightly looking out for Rick.

Sofia was gone missing sending her mother into a panic you calmed the woman as best as you could you had to find her.

“I have to find her you stay here with Dale ok ill be back by dark” You told your brother he hugged you tightly.

“Ill be fine ok” You whispered he nodded as you grabbed your bow heading out.

“Where ya going?” You turned to Daryl.

“I’m going to find that girl gonna stop me go to hell” You said he huffed.

“I’m going with you” you were shocked by his choice and nodded as you both headed out. Nothing no Sofia only one walker cutting it open was a joy, but you had to be certain. Daryl whistled to you pointing to the two figures only walkers you both shot one. Heading back, you shook your head in disappointment she cried walking away making you feel horrible. You watched your brother while he slept in the jeep you wouldn’t sleep not while she was out there. She was alive you had to believe it.

Tags:@jodiereedus22

[aion-rsa]

HBO Max New Releases: January 2021

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

It’s a new year and everyone wants to put the vile cesspool that was 2020 behind them. Thankfully, HBO Max is coming out swinging to make the transition out of the hellyear even easier. HBO Max’s list of new releases for January 2021 is positively packed with notable film releases and even a fun HBO Max Original or two.

For starters, Search Party season 4 will arrive to HBO Max on Jan. 14. This season of the show with a now-surprising lifespan finds Dory Sief in the thrall of a deranged stalker…right after getting off on murder charges. These Brooklynites lead such fascinating lives! The other major original or note is the HBO documentary Tiger, that premieres on Jan. 10 and will delve into the complicated history of golfing legend Tiger Woods.

The real story this month, however, are the movies. Perhaps emboldened by its success with Wonder Woman 1984, HBO Max is filling up its servers with as many Warner properties that it can find. The Dark Knight trilogy, Blade, Chinatown, The Exorcist, Mad Max: Fury Road, No Country for Old Men, and Pulp Fiction all arrive on Jan. 1. Poltergeist and Stephen King’s It (1990) make things spooky on Jan. 15. Then the month closes out with, quite simply, the greatest movie of all time: The Mummy (1999). The downside here is that some of these are limited engagements, with the aforementioned WW1984, Blade, Ocean’s Eleven, and more all leaving at month’s end.

Still, January 2021 will provide plenty of filmic fun on HBO Max. Here is the full list for your perusal.

HBO Max New Releases – January 2021

January 1 12 oz. Mouse, Seasons 1-2 42nd Street, 1933 All the President’s Men, 1976 Apple & Onion, Season 1B The Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman, 1974 (HBO) Batman Begins, 2005 Batman Beyond Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker, 2000 Batman: Bad Blood, 2016 Batman: Death in the Family, 2020 Batman: Hush, 2019 Batman: The Animated Series Blade, 1998 A Better Life, 2011 (HBO) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005 Dog Day Afternoon, 1975 Check It Out! with Steve Brule Chinatown, 1974 Codename: Kids Next Door The Color Purple, 1985 The Conjuring, 2013 Courage the Cowardly Dog Craig of the Creek, Season 2 The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, 2002 (HBO) The Dark Knight, 2008 The Dark Knight Rises, 2012 Dim Sum Funeral, 2009 (HBO) Ed, Edd n Eddy El Amor No Puede Esperar (Aka Love Can’t Wait), 2021 (HBO) Happy Feet, 2006 The Electric Horseman, 1979 (HBO) Escape from New York, 1981 The Exorcist, 1973 Flashpoint, 1984 (HBO) The General’s Daughter, 1999 (HBO) Gossip Girl Green Lantern, 2011 Green Lantern: The Animated Series Gremlins, 1984 Gremlins 2: The New Batch, 1990 The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Happily N’Ever After, 2007 (HBO) Happily N’Ever After 2: Snow White, 2009 (HBO) Happy-Go-Lucky, 2008 (HBO) He Said She Said, 1991 (HBO) Heaven Help Us, 1985 (HBO) The Infamous Future, 2018 Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, 2001 (HBO) The Jellies Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, 2020 Kong: Skull Island, 2017 Little Con Lili, 2021 (HBO) Loiter Squad Ma, 2019 (HBO) Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, 1983 Mad Max: Fury Road, 2015 Magic Mike, 2012 Mao Mao, Heroes of Pure Heart March of the Penguins, 2005 Margaret, 2011 (Extended Version) (HBO) Miracle On 34th Street, 1994 (HBO) Miss Firecracker, 1989 (HBO) Mulholland Dr., 2001 Mystic River, 2003 Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D, 2012 (HBO) No Country for Old Men, 2007 The Notebook, 2004 Ocean’s 8, 2018 Ocean’s Eleven, 2001 Ocean’s Thirteen, 2007 Ocean’s Twelve, 2004 Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, 1985 Piter, 2021 (HBO) The Producers, 1968 Pulp Fiction, 1994 Purple Rain, 1984 Ready Player One, 2018 Revenge Of The Nerds, 1984 (HBO) Revenge Of The Nerds II: Nerds In Paradise, 1987 (HBO) Revenge Of The Nerds IV: Nerds In Love, 2005 (HBO) Rollerball, 2002 (HBO) Se7en, 1995 Shallow Hal, 2001 (HBO) Snowpiercer, Season 1 A Star is Born, 2018 Superman: Doomsday, 2007 Superman: Man of Tomorrow, 2020 Superman Returns, 2006 Swimfan, 2002 (HBO) This Is Spinal Tap, 1984 The Three Stooges, 2012 (HBO) TMNT, 2007 Tom Goes to the Mayor The Trouble With Spies, 1987 (HBO) Underclassman, 2005 (HBO) V for Vendetta, 2005 Van Wilder: Freshman Year (Extended Version), 2009 (HBO) Walk Of Shame, 2014 (HBO) Warrior, Seasons 1-2 (HBO) Willard, 1971 (HBO) Worth Winning, 1989 (HBO) You Can Count On Me, 2000 (HBO)

January 2 The High Note, 2020 (HBO)

January 4 30 Coins, Series Premiere (HBO)

January 8 Patriot’s Day, 2016 Scream, 1996 Squish, Season 1

January 9 The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, Season 2 Ben 10, Season 4A The King Of Staten Island, 2020 (HBO)

January 10 Miracle Workers, Season 2 Tiger, Two-Part Documentary Premiere (HBO)

January 12 Against The Wild, 2014 Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti, 2016 Alpha and Omega 5: Family Vacation, 2015 Alpha and Omega 6: Dino Digs, 2016 Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World, 2015 Blue Valentine, 2010 Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, 2000 Earth Girls Are Easy, 1989 An Elephant’s Journey, 2018 The Escape Artist, 1982 Get Carter, 1971 Hecho En Mexico, 2012 Hellboy: Blood and Iron, 2007 Hellboy: Sword of Storms, 2006 Hellboy: The Dark Below, 2010 Jennifer Lopez: Dance Again, 2016 The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, 1976 The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, 2013 La Mujer de Mi Hermano, 2005 Leapfrog Letter Factory Adventures: Amazing Word Explorers, 2015 Leapfrog Letter Factory Adventures: Counting on Lemonade, 2014 Leapfrog Letter Factory Adventures: The Letter Machine Rescue Team, 2014 Leapfrog: Numberland, 2012 Lost and Delirious, 2001 Love and Sex, 2000 Lovely & Amazing, 2002 The Man Who Would Be King, 1975 Meatballs, 1979 The Men Who Stare at Goats, 2009 A Mermaid’s Tale, 2017 Mistress, 1992 Mother’s Day, 2012 Mud, 2013 Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki, 2016 Night is Short, Walk on Girl, 2017 No Eres Tu Soy Yo, 2011 Norm of the North: King Sized Adventure, 2019 Ollie & Moon, Seasons 1-2 Other Parents, Seasons 1-2 Pinocchio, 2012 Promare, 2019 Reservoir Dogs, 1992 Ride Your Wave, 2019 Righteous Kill, 2008 Sprung, 1997 The Spy Next Door, 2010 Tender Mercies, 1983 Thanks for Sharing, 2013 Turtle Tale, 2018 The Visitor, 2008 Vixen, 2015

January 14 Search Party, Max Original Season 4 Premiere

January 15 Stephen King’s It, 1990 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975 Poltergeist, 1982 Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Director’s Cut, Season 1 dubbed (Crunchyroll Collection) Real Time With Bill Maher, Season 19 Premiere (HBO) Roots (Mini Series), 1977 Si Yo Fuera Rico (Aka If I Were Rich), 2021 (HBO) The Wayans Bros

January 16 Eve Kill Bill: Vol. 1, 2003 (HBO) Kill Bill: Vol. 2, 2004 (HBO)

January 19 Everwood

January 20 At Home with Amy Sedaris, Season 3 C.B. Strike, Season 1 (HBO) C.B. Strike: Lethal White, Limited Series Premiere (HBO)

January 21 Gomorrah, Max Original Season 3 Premiere Looney Tunes Cartoons, Season 1C

January 22 The New Adventures of Old Christine Painting with John, Series Premiere (HBO)

January 23 Don’t Let Go, 2019 (HBO) Person of Interest

January 24 Euphoria Special Episode Part 2: F*ck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob, Special Episode Premiere (HBO)

January 26 Babylon 5 Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)

January 29 ¡Animo Juventud! (Aka Go Youth!), 2021 (HBO) The Little Things What I Like About You

January 30 The Mummy, 1999 (HBO) The Mummy Returns, 2001 (HBO) Pushing Daisies The Scorpion King, 2002 (HBO)

January 31 Axios, Season 4 Premiere (HBO)

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Leaving HBO Max – January 2021

January 7 War Dogs, 2016

January 24 Wonder Woman 1984, 2020

January 31 Ad Astra, 2019 After Hours, 1985 Akeelah And The Bee, 2006 All Is Bright, 2013 America, America, 1964 Anchors Aweigh, 1945 The Arrangement, 1969 Bee Season, 2005 Before Sunrise, 1995 Before Sunset, 2004 Best Laid Plans, 1999 Bigger Than The Sky, 2005 Blade II, 2002 Blade, 1998 Blood Simple, 1984 Bridge To Terabithia, 2007 Bright Lights, Big City, 1988 The Change-Up, 2011 The Children, 2009 A Christmas Carol, 1938 Crash, 2005 (Director’s Cut) David Copperfield, 1935 Days After Your Departure, 2019 Enemy Of The State, 1998 Everybody’s All-American, 1988 Father’s Day, 1997 Friday Night Lights, 2004 Get On Up, 2014 Guys And Dolls, 1955 High Society, 1956 Jeepers Creepers 2, 2003 Jeepers Creepers, 2001 Leprechaun 2, 1994 Leprechaun, 1993 Magnolia, 1999 The Man With The Golden Arm, 1955 Mars Attacks!, 1996 Martha Marcy May Marlene, 2011 Martin Lawrence You So Crazy, 1994 New Year’s Eve, 2011 (HBO) Ocean’s Eleven, 2001 Ocean’s Thirteen, 2007 Ocean’s Twelve, 2004 On The Town, 1949 The Pelican Brief, 1993 Planet Of The Apes, 2001 Risky Business, 1983 Semi-Pro, 2008 Some Came Running, 1958 Something Borrowed, 2011 Splendor In The Grass, 1961 Walk The Line, 2005 (Extended Version) When Harry Met Sally, 1989

The post HBO Max New Releases: January 2021 appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3oepkCv

[dan2078]

I'm sooo original, deeeefinitely hadn't done this rope-jumping format with a different set of characters from a different fandom... It's bad, but only because I don't feel like making it good, it was supposed to be an animation but for the life of me I CAN'T DRAW TAILS IN ANY FORM. So I just wanted to- get it out of my head before it ate my skull noodle. Thank you.

[000marie198]

These two moments are so freaking cool!

[diversegaminglists]

Gore, violence, and body horror warnings.

Still a WIP but fairly comprehensive.

Gore and violence:

7 Days to Die

50 Cent Franchise

Age of Barbarian Franchise

Call of Duty Franchise

Carmageddon Franchise

Counter Strike

Eternal Champions

Domina

Grand Theft Auto Franchise

Hatred

Hitman Franchise

Hotline Miami Franchise

Kingpin: Life of Crime

MadWorld

Manhunt Franchise

Medal of Honour Franchise

Modern Warfare 2

Ninja Gaiden Franchise

PAYDAY Franchise

Pharaonic

Postal Franchise

The Punisher

Sleeping Dogs

Soldier of Fortune

State of Emergency

Super Columbine Massacre RPG

Yakuza Franchise

Body Horror:

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

Agent USA

Alter A.I.L.A.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs

Ancient Domains of Mystery aka ADOM

Aquaria

Arc Rise Fantasia

Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance II

The Banner Saga Franchise

Beneath a Steelsky

Beyond Good and Evil

Black Rose

Bravely Default

Breath of Fire IV

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter

Command and Conquer: Tiberium Wars

The Crooked Man

Dawn of Mana

Demigod

Disgaea Franchise

Dragon Quest VII

Dwarf Fortress

Ecco the Dolphin

Edna & Harvey: The Breakout

Environmental Station Alpha

Epic Mickey

Evolva

Fallen London

Final Fantasy V

Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy XIII

Ghostbusters: The Videogame

Ghost Master

Guild Wars

Gynoug aka Wings of Wor

Hearthstone

Hello? Hell...o?

ICO

Iji

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

Kerbal Space Program

King’s Quest III

Kingdom of Loathing

Kingdom Hearts Franchise

Lands of Lore Franchise

Legend of Legeia

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Little Nightmares

The Longest Journey

The Lost Crown

Manic Mansion

Masters of Orion 3

MediEvil

Megaman Zero 4

Metroid Franchise

Minecraft

Monkey Island Franchise

MOTHER 3

Nexus Clash

Oddworld Franchise

Okami

One Night at Flumpty’s

Overwatch

Pandora’s Tower

Pikmin

Plague Inc.

Pokemon Franchise

Portal Franchise

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Trilogy

Prince of Persia (2008)

Psychonauts

Scott Pilgrim

Scurge: Hive

Shadow of the Colossus

Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri

Slenderman Franchise

Sonic Unleashed

Space Quest IV

Space Quest V

Spooky's House of Jump Scares

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords

Starcraft Franchise

Star Fox: Assault

Sundered

Sunless Seas

Super Paper Mario

Terraria

Time Splitters: Future Imperfect

TRON 2.0

Warcraft III

We Know the Devil

The Wick

WildStar

World of Warcraft

Xenoblade Franchise

Xenogears

Xenosaga Franchise

Cartoony violence/gore only:

Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior

Brain Dead 13

Deathspank Franchise

Dinocrisis

Haunting Starring Polterguy

Jade Empire

Smash TV

Super Meat Boy (It’s still pretty gross though)

Tomb Raider (Core Design)

Everything (gore, violence, and body horror):

Alien: Isolation

Aliens Vs. Predator Franchise

Alien Swarm

Alone in the Dark Franchise

Amateur Surgeon Franchise

American McGee’s Alice Franchise

Ao Oni Franchise

Aragami

Assassin’s Creed Franchise

Attack on Titan

Baldur’s Gate Franchise

Bastard Bonds

Batman: Arkham Franchise

Batman: Telltale Franchise

Bayonetta Franchise

Beyond: Two Souls

The Binding of Isaac (yes it’s cartoony but it’s also horrifying)

Bioshock Franchise

Blood Franchise

Bloodborne

Bloodrayne Franchise

Body Harvest

Borderlands Franchise

Brütal Legend

Bulletstorm

Bullet Witch

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

CarnEvil

Catherine

Chilller

Clive Barker's Jericho

Clive Barker's Undying

Clock Tower Franchise

Condemned Franchise

Corpse Party Franchise

Danganronpa Franchise

Dante’s Inferno

Dark Cut Franchise

Dark Souls Franchise

Darkest Dungeon

The Darkness Franchise

Darkwatch

Dead Island Franchise

Dead Space Franchise

Dead Rising Franchise

Demonbane

Destroy All Humans! Franchise

Deus Ex Franchise

Devil May Cry Franchise

Diablo Franchise

Dishonored Franchise

Doom Franchise

Dragon Age Franchise

Drakengard Franchise

Duke Nukem Franchise

Dungeons Franchise

The Elder Scrolls: Franchise

Eternal Darkness

The Evil Within Franchise

Evolve

E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy

Fable Franchise

Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy

Fallout Franchise

Farenheit: Indigo Prophecy

Fatal Frame/Project Zero Franchise

Fate Franchise (The visual novels, not the RPG)

F. E. A. R. Franchise

Five Nights at Freddy’s Franchise

Gears of War Franchise

Genji Franchise

God of War Franchise

Godhand

Grim Fandango

Gyossait

Half-Life Franchise

Halo Franchise

Harvester

Haunting Ground aka Demento

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

Heavenly Sword

Heavy Rain

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Higurashi: When They Cry

House of the Dead Franchise

Illbleed

inFamous Franchise

INSIDE

Jurassic Park: The Game

Kara no Shoujo (The Girl in the Shell)

Killzone Franchise

The Last Door

The Last of Us

Left 4 Dead Franchise

Legacy of Kain Franchise

The Letter

LIMBO

Lollipop Chainsaw

Mad House

Mass Effect Franchise

Messiah

Metal Gear Solid Franchise

Metro Franchise

Mica: Apoptosis

Michigan: Report From Hell

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Franchise

Mortal Kombat Franchise

Nanashi no Game aka The Nameless Game

Nightmare Creatures

Ninja Gaiden Franchise

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

No More Heroes Franchise

OFF

Oni

Onimusha Franchise

Outlast Franchise

Overlord Franchise

Painkiller Franchise

Parasite Eve Franchise

Penumbra Franchise

Persona Franchise

Phantasmagoria

Planescape: Torment

Prototype Franchise

Quake Franchise

Resident Evil Franchise

Resistance Franchise

Risk of Rain

Robinson's Requiem

Rule of Rose

Saw: The Video Game Franchise

Saints Row Franchise

Saya no Uta

The Sexy Brutale

Scorn

Silent Hill Franchise

Sin and Punishment

Siren Franchise

Shadowman Franchise

ShadowRun Franchise

Shin Megami Tensei Franchise

Skullgirls

Snatcher

Soul Calibur Franchise

South Park: The Stick of Truth

Splatterhouse Franchise

Stubbs the Zombie Franchise

The Suffering Franchise

Surgeon Simulator

Survival Crisis Z

System Shock Franchise

The Thing

Theresia: Dear Emile

Thief Franchise

Thrill Kill

Timeslaughter

Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics)

Traffic Department 2192                                                                               

Trauma Centre Franchise

Twisted Metal Franchise

Umineko: When They Cry

Undead Knights

Vampire: The Masquerade: Redemption

Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines

Vindictus

The Void

The Walking Dead Franchise

Warframe

Wax Works

Weird Dreams

the white chamber

The Witch’s House

The Witcher Franchise

Wolfenstein Franchise

X-COM Franchise

Xenonauts

Yume Nikki

Needs More Research:

Amy

[momscookingthebooks]

About 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Ten:

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Tessa Bailey, Lexi Blake, Larissa Ione, Laurelin Paige, and introducing Jenna Jacob and Sierra Simone.

Six Dark Tales. Six Sensual Stories. Six Page Turners. ROUGH RHYTHM: A Made In Jersey Novella by Tessa Bailey  Band manager James Brandon never expected to find the satisfaction he’d been chasing, let alone stumble upon it in some sleezy Hollywood meat market. Yet the girl’s quiet pride spoke to him from across the bar. But after losing the grip on his dark desires that one fateful night, James has spent the last four years atoning for letting her down. Rock band drummer Lita Regina has had enough of James’s guilt. She wants the explosive man she met that night in Hollywood. And she’ll stop at nothing to revive him.  DEVOTED: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella by Lexi Blake  Amy Slaten has devoted her life to Slaten Industries. After ousting her corrupt father and taking over the CEO role, she thought she could relax and enjoy taking her company to the next level. But an old business rivalry rears its ugly head. When Flynn Adler realizes the woman he’s falling for is none other than the CEO of the firm he needs to take down, he has to make a choice. Does he take care of the woman he’s falling in love with or the business he’s worked a lifetime to build?  Z: A Demonica Novella by Larissa Ione  Zhubaal has spent decades searching for the angel he loved and lost nearly a century ago. Not even her death can keep him from trying to find her. But as time passes, he’s losing hope… As an emim, Vex has always felt like a second-class citizen. But if she manages to secure a deal with the Grim Reaper she will have earned her place in the world. The only obstacle in the way of her plan is a sexy hardass called Z. Soon it becomes clear that they have a powerful connection rooted in the past…  FALLING UNDER YOU: A Fixed Trilogy Novella by Laurelin Paige  Norma Anders has always prided herself on her intelligence and determination. She climbed out of poverty, put herself through school and is now a chief financial advisor at Pierce Industries. She’s certainly a woman who won’t be topped. Not in business anyway. But she’s pretty sure she’d like to be topped in the bedroom. Unfortunately most men see independence and ambition in a woman and they run. Then the most unlikely candidate steps up. Boyd, her much-too-young and oh-so-hot assistant surprises her one night with bold suggestions and an authoritative demeanor he’s never shown her in the office.  CRAVING HIS COMMAND: A Doms of Genesis Novella by Jenna Jacob  Mercy O’Connor—known as Symoné at Club Genesis—craves the chance to experience true surrender. The only problem is, she’s set her sights on sexy, commanding Sir Justice, who studies her with his dissecting, arousing stare…but never offers to show her his ropes. If Kellan Graham let himself believe in love at first sight, Symoné would own his heart. After having his life ripped apart, he’s spent years inventing ways to resist simple lust, but each time this beautiful submissive turns her pleading eyes to him, she ignites a complicated conflagration of desire Kellan can’t fight.  AMERICAN QUEEN by Sierra Simone  It starts with a stolen kiss under an English sky, and it ends with a walk down the aisle. It starts with the President sending his best friend to woo me on his behalf, and it ends with my heart split in two. It starts with buried secrets and dangerous desires…and ends with the three of us bound together with a hateful love sharper than any barbed wire. Every Dark Nights tale is breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic. 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/2sS8xbH

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/1001-Dark-Nights-Bundle-Ten-ebook/dp/B073WDH3LT/?tag=1001darnig-20

Amazon CAN: https://www.amazon.ca/1001-Dark-Nights-Bundle-Ten-ebook/dp/B073WDH3LT/?tag=1001darnig-20

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/d/1001-Dark-Nights-Bundle-Ten-ebook/B073WDH3LT/?tag=1001darnig-20

About the 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Ten Authors:

Tessa Bailey – Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans and laptop, driving cross-country to New York City in under four days.

Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.

She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband of eight years and four-year-old daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.tessabailey.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TessaBaileyAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mstessabailey

Lexi Blake – New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. She began writing at a young age concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.lexiblake.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexi.blake.39

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorlexiblake

Larissa Ione – Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

Author Links:

Website: http://larissaione.com/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialLarissaIone

Twitter: https://twitter.com/larissaione

Laurelin Paige –Laurelin Paige is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Fixed Trilogy. She’s a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.

Author Links:

Website: https://laurelinpaige.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurelinPaige

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurelinPaige

Jenna Jacob – USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Jenna Jacob lives out her happily-ever-after in Kansas with her Alpha husband, adult children, and animal babies. When she’s not pounding the keyboard she’s likely riding a Harley, camping and fishing, reading, or cooking. Dubbed the “Goddess of Gravy” by Lexi Blake, Jenna enjoys tantalizing the taste buds of family and friends with her famous fried chicken dinner.

But don’t let her conventional innocence fool you. Jenna has been involved in the BDSM lifestyle for over twenty years. With experience and knowledge, she delves deep into the emotional psyche of strong Dominants and sassy submissives with her Doms of Genesis series and The Doms of Her Life series (co-authored with Shayla Black and Isabella LaPearl).

Her works have been called: savagely beautiful, captivating, and emotionally riveting.

A hopeless romantic, Jenna paints a softer picture with her contemporary romance: Sky Of Dreams. A lover of life and laughter, she sets her zany sense of humor free in the romantic comedies: Sin On A Stick and Wet Dream.

No matter the genre, you’ll want a box of tissues handy, Jenna tugs hard on the heartstrings. 

Author Links:

Website: https://jennajacob.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjennajacob

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jennajacob3

Sierra Simone – Sierra Simone is the USA Today bestselling author of American Queen and Priest. She's a former librarian who spent too much time reading romance novels at the information desk. She's also a 4th degree black belt in kenpo karate, a narcoleptic, a former living history interpreter and is licensed to perform marriages in exchange for beer.  She lives with her husband, two kids and a big, brown dog in Kansas City. You can also email her at thesierrasimone@gmail.com.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.authorsierrasimone.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSierraSimone/

Tumblr: http://thesierrasimone.tumblr.com/

[aion-rsa]

Marvel Comics Solicitations for July 2017

Marvel Comics has provided CBR with covers and solicit information for product shipping July 2017. Discuss these solicitations here on CBR’s Marvel Comics forum, Spider-Man forum, or X-Books forum and share with fellow fans what titles spark your interest.

Marvel Solicitations – Last Six Months

Product shipping June 2017

Product shipping May 2017

Product shipping April 2017

Product shipping March 2017

Product shipping February 2017

Product shipping January 2017

SECRET EMPIRE #6 (of 9)

NICK SPENCER (W) • LEINIL FRANCIS YU (A)

Cover by MARK BROOKS

Variant Cover by J. SCOTT CAMPBELL

Variant Cover by LEINIL FRANCIS YU

Hydra Hero Variant Cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO

Villain Variant Cover by DAN MORA

Action Figure Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER

The unworthy, the untrusted, the unstable — this is their day! BEWARE THE SECRET EMPIRE!

40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SECRET EMPIRE #7 (of 9)

NICK SPENCER (W) • ANDREA SORRENTINO (A)

Cover by MARK BROOKS

Variant Cover by J. SCOTT CAMPBELL

Hydra Hero Variant Cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO

Villain Variant Cover by DAN MORA

Action Figure Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER

It was foretold by Ulysses, it’s haunted Spider-Man’s nightmares for months, and now the moment has arrived: It’s time for Miles Morales to kill Captain America! Unless Natasha…

40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SECRET EMPIRE: BRAVE NEW WORLD #3 (of 5)

PAUL ALLOR, ETHAN SACKS, MAGDALENE VISAGGIO (W) • BRIAN LEVEL, SEAN IZAAKSE (A)

COVER BY PAULO SIQUEIRA

Estranged from the planet he’s duty bound to protect, Kevin Conner, A.K.A. STARBRAND wrestles with the weight of his destiny… Meanwhile on Earth, the citizens of New York City find themselves trapped and a traitor in Atlantis could bring an end to Namor’s truce with Hydra!

Starring J. JONAH JAMESON, STARBRAND and THE INVADERS.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SECRET EMPIRE: BRAVE NEW WORLD #4 (of 5)

PAUL ALLOR, KARLA PACHECO, AMY CHU (W) • Brian Level, Alex Arizmendi (A)

COVER BY PAULO SIQUEIRA

Misty Knight undertakes covert mission to protect the liberty’s of those HYDRA would see oppressed.–but has she taken on more than she can handle?

Take a behind-the-scenes look at life in the Mutant Homeland with a special tour from New Tian’s elite.

And below the surface, the fight for Atlantis takes a turn for the worse.

Starring MISTY KNIGHT, EMMA FROST and THE INVADERS.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

CAPTAIN AMERICA: SAM WILSON #24

NICK SPENCER (W) • JOE BENNETT (A)

Cover by ELIZABETH TORQUE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

No more prevaricating! No more hesitation! Sam Wilson is back in harness as Captain America — to lead the fight against his ultimate foe!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS #19

NICK SPENCER (W) • JesUs Saiz (A/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Steve Rogers has won over the hearts and minds of the people — save one! Unfortunately, that one is the person closest to him, the one he cares about the most. And so Sharon Carter has a fateful decision to make…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

AVENGERS #9

MARK WAID (W) • MIKE DEL MUNDO (A)

Cover by ALEX ROSS

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

The most loved Avenger of all has now shown his true colors — and the Avengers will have to put their allegiances to Steve Rogers aside and fight the good fight! But for one Avenger, that fight is very far away indeed! Trapped in a nameless land, a timeless time, can Thor find her way back to the here and now in order to return to the struggle?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SECRET WARRIORS #4

MATTHEW ROSENBERG (W) • JAVIER GARRON (A)

Cover by TRADD MOORE & MATTHEW WILSON

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

After narrowly surviving their battle with the X-Men, the Secret Warriors have to get back to New Attilan to use what they have learned in the fight against Hydra…but Hydra won’t make that easy. As the danger grows, so does the distrust among the Warriors. Karnak is clearly making plans of his own. But why? With Hydra breathing down their necks, the team is tearing itself apart, and the clock is ticking on their plans. But first Quake must be ready to lead the Secret Warriors into a confrontation with her father, the Hydra commander, MISTER HYDE!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

CHAMPIONS #10

MARK WAID (W) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

The Champions are put to the ultimate test. This is no small-town problem they’re facing — it’s up to them to help right an entire world turned upside down!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #30

DAN SLOTT (W) • STUART IMMONEN (A)

Cover by ALEX ROSS

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Otto Octavius is back, but he’s not returning to his old ways… No, this time, he’s THE SUPERIOR OCTOPUS! And he’s allied himself with Steve Rogers and Hydra! What does Ock have planned for Peter and Parker Industries? Nothing good for Spider-Man, that’s for sure!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

DEADPOOL #33 & 34

GERRY DUGGAN (W) • MATTEO LOLLI (A)

CoverS by DAVID LOPEZ

Issue #33 – Secret Comics Variant Cover by SCOTT KOBLISH

Issue #33 – X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Issue #34 – Secret Comics Variant Cover by SCOTT KOBLISH

It’s not easy living under a Hydra government. Especially when you accidentally sided with them. Yeah — Deadpool messed up pretty badly this time.

PLUS: Deadpool vs. Agent Preston for the fate of Ellie!

32 PGS. (EACH)/Parental Advisory …$3.99 (EACH)

DOCTOR STRANGE #23

DENNIS HOPELESS (W) • NIKO HENRICHON (A/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Strange, Fisk and company take the fight to the person running New York City…BARON MORDO!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

OCCUPY AVENGERS #9

DAVID F. WALKER (W) • GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA (A/C)

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Walk tall. Shoot straight. Die with your boots on.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

THE MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL #7

MARGARET STOHL (W) • MICHELE BANDINI (A)

Cover by ELIZABETH TORQUE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Captain Marvel makes her last stand against the Chitauri fleet’s onslaught! But with Alpha Flight all but out of commission, things look grim… Can Carol and her band of sisters TURN BACK THE CHITAURI?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

U.S.AVENGERS #8

AL EWING (W) • PACO MEDINA (A/C)

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Squirrel Girl and Enigma continue the fight against HYDRA’s forces in Europe! Meanwhile, in a deep, dark cell, Roberto Da Costa is dying by degrees as his M-Pox runs out of control. Can Dr. Toni Ho save them both…or will she follow her father’s legacy to the end?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

UNCANNY AVENGERS #25

JIM ZUB (W) • KIM JACINTO (A)

Cover by R.B. SILVA

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

Manhattan is under siege! In order to survive this endless night, the Avengers must face darkness without and darkness within.

40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

X-MEN BLUE #7

CULLEN BUNN (W) • CORY T. SMITH (A)

Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS

VARIANT COVER BY DAVID LOPEZ

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

How will our intrepid heroes react to this new world order? Will MARVEL GIRL, CYCLOPS, ANGEL, ICEMAN and BEAST be overwhelmed by HYDRA? I really hope not!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

X-MEN BLUE #8

CULLEN BUNN (W) • CORY T. SMITH (A)

Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

EMMA FROST! She’s back…and badder than ever.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

X-MEN GOLD #7

MARC GUGGENHEIM (W) • KEN LASHLEY (A/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

When Manhattan is besieged, the X-Men open their doors and repurpose their school as a safe haven for any human or mutant in need of sanctuary. But little do they know that one of the humans they’ve welcomed in is the all-new X-CUTIONER! And he’s about to make the Xavier Institute the last place mutants want to be…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

X-MEN GOLD #8

MARC GUGGENHEIM (W) • KEN LASHLEY (A)

Cover by ARDIAN SYAF

SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!

The Xavier Institute is on lockdown. But the X-Men haven’t succeeded in keeping danger out. Instead, they’ve just locked themselves inside with it. Can the X-Men stop the all-new X-CUTIONER before he claims any more of their number?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

GENERATIONS OVERSIZED VINYL POSTER BY ALEX ROSS

FOC 6/05/17, ON-SALE 7/05/2017

62×48…$39.99 • 5960605400-88711

RETAILERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE 1 FREE FOLDED 20×36 PAPER POSTER PER ACCOUNT!

ASTONISHING X-MEN #1

CHARLES SOULE (W) • JIM CHEUNG (A/C)

Variant Cover by ARTGERM

Variant Cover by JOHN CASSADAY

Character Variant Cover by TERRY DODSON

Villain Variant Cover by DALE KEOWN

REMASTERED VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Action Figure Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER

ONLY THE X-MEN CAN SAVE US! An ancient evil is attacking the world’s most powerful minds. It will have them by the time you finish this sentence, and a moment later, it will have us all. A band of X-MEN discovers the truth behind the threat, but there is no time left. PSYLOCKE, OLD MAN LOGAN, BISHOP, ARCHANGEL, FANTOMEX, ROGUE and GAMBIT will attempt to save a world that hates and fears them. Why? BECAUSE THEY ARE THE X-MEN.

From blockbuster writer CHARLES SOULE and joined by a roster of superstar artists beginning with JIM CHEUNG. ASTONISHING X-MEN. It’s the X-book you need.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

SPIDER-MEN II #1 (of 5)

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • SARA PICHELLI (A)

Cover by Sara Pichelli and Justin Ponsor

Variant Cover by Daniel Acuña

Connecting Variant Cover by Jesüs Saiz

VARIANT COVER BY KADIR NELSON

VARIANT COVER BY JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO

VARIANT COVER BY TBA

THIS IS IT, TRUE BELIEVERS! The moment five years in the making is finally here! The first time Peter Parker and Miles Morales met ended with a question — WHO IS THE MILES MORALES OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE?! Now that the Miles you know and love is with Peter in the Marvel Universe, you’re finally going to get that answer to who the OTHER Miles Morales is! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg as Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli bring you the next heart-stopping adventure for both Peter Parker and Miles Morales!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE AGAIN #1 & 2 (of 5)

CULLEN BUNN (W) • DALIBOR TALAJIC (A)

Covers by DAVE JOHNSON

ISSUE #1 – Variant Cover by MICHAEL WALSH

ISSUE #1 – Variant Cover by PEPE LARRAZ

ISSUE #1 – VOLUME 1 VARIANT COVER BY TBA

ISSUE #2 – Variant Cover by SALVA ESPIN

Remember the time Deadpool went a little TOO crazy and killed the entire Marvel Universe? Well, this isn’t that. This is a DIFFERENT time. Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Dalibor Talajic (A.K.A. the creators behind DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE) have reunited for ANOTHER tale of Deadpool taking out all of your faves in the most horrific ways possible! It’s gonna hurt him more than it hurts you…and you’re gonna love it!

32 PGS. (EACH)/Parental Advisory …$3.99 (EACH)

MARVEL’S THOR: RAGNAROK PRELUDE #1 (of 4)

WILL CORONA PILGRIM (W) • J.L. GILES (A)

THE INCREDIBLE HULK’S MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE DEBUT!

BRUCE BANNER has been trying to put the past behind him as he learns to control the powerful beast inside him. But as GENERAL ROSS continues to hunt the fugitive Banner, it’s only a matter of time before the HULK will smash! Join us for part one of our lead-up to 2017’s cinematic event Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok with this brand-new comic adaptation of the smash hit The Incredible Hulk!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

MARVEL’S THOR: RAGNAROK PRELUDE #2 (of 4)

WILL CORONA PILGRIM (W) • J.L. GILES (A)

HULK VS. ABOMINATION! GENERAL ROSS’ obsession with the HULK will have dire consequences…including the emergence of a powerful villain that may prove too much for his forces…or the Hulk! It’s a showdown in New York City, and the next step on the road to Ragnarok!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

MIGHTY THOR #21

JASON AARON (W) • RUSSELL DAUTERMAN & VALERIO SCHITI (A)

Cover by RUSSELL DAUTERMAN

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

THE ULTIMATE TEAM-UP! The Queen of Cinders sets the realms ablaze — and even the combined might of three Thunder Gods may not be enough to put out the flames! But the all-new Ultimate Thor has a shocking secret. Can Thor trust her newest ally to have her back as Malekith’s army grows and the War of the Realms reaches Asgard’s doorstep?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

HULK #8

MARIKO TAMAKI (W) • GEORGES DUARTE (A)

Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER

“LET THEM EAT CAKE” PART TWO! As Jen struggles to use her HULK persona in a constructive fashion, an innocent person must contend with an unlikely transformation of their own… Will their paths cross? Of course they will! It’s like you’ve never read a comic book before or something.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ULTIMATES 2 #9

AL EWING (W) • TRAVEL FOREMAN (A)

Cover by CHRISTIAN WARD

The Eternity War ramps up — as the Maker and the High Evolutionary join forces! They have an ultimate plan for the Multiverse…but whose side are they on? Meanwhile, Galactus gathers his forces against the Dark Celestials…for the final battle!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

INFAMOUS IRON MAN #10

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • ALEX MALEEV (A)

As the impossible task of redeeming himself to the universe begins to overwhelm him, the truth about Doom’s reincarnated mother is revealed!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #9

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • STEFANO CASELLI (A)

COVER BY DANIEL ACUÑA

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Riri Williams strikes out on her own as her idealism is put to the test by a world she does not understand yet. How far is Ironheart prepared to go to do what she knows is right?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ZOMBIES ASSEMBLE #0 (4 OF 4)

YUSAKU KOMIYAMA (W/A) • Adapted by JIM ZUB

Cover by KIICHI MIZUSHIMA

VARIANT COVER BY DAVID NAKAYAMA

VARIANT COVER BY NIC KLEIN

You’ve seen Earth’s Mightiest Heroes face off against a raging zombie virus — now, go back to the beginning in this special prelude issue of the epic manga adaptation! The Avengers risk their lives to make the world a safer place for all, oftentimes suffering severe injury and great loss. When Tony Stark faces a more personal threat — one leveled against Pepper Potts — the risk is too great to ignore, and he’s forced to act fast. What lengths will Tony go to in order to keep Pepper safe? Iron Man is an important part of his life, but can he figure out a way to replace the armor and step away from being an Avenger, if that’s what it takes? There are some things more menacing than monsters.

48 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

SPIDER-MAN: MASTER PLAN #1

ROBBIE THOMPSON (w) • NATHAN STOCKMAN (a/C)

Variant Cover by RON LIM

Variant Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI

CRIME DOES PAY! Everything’s going perfectly for PETER PARKER…he’s got some time off and landed tickets to the hottest Broadway show in town…which means there’s another shoe ready to drop somewhere…

Join everyone’s favorite web-slinger in an all-new story against his classic foe THE CRIME MASTER!

Also including a special reprinting of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2, featuring the first appearance of THE VULTURE!

40 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$3.99

PETER PARKER: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #2

CHIP ZDARSKY (w) • ADAM KUBERT (a/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Variant Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS

A tech-crime ring is tightening around Spider-Man. If Ironheart will stop beating him up, she may be able to help him zero in on the source. And who is the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent showing up at Peter’s door with more info on Spidey than anyone should have?

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

EDGE OF VENOMVERSE #2 (of 5)

CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS (w) • IRENE STRYCHALSKI (a)

Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA

Variant Cover by RON LIM

A PINK NIGHTMARE! The wall-breaking wunderkind we call Gwenpool gets ahold of the VENOM SYMBIOTE and turns into a sword-slinging, web-swinging master of disaster! But it won’t all be fun and games when Gwenpool comes across something huge… something that will directly lead to the Venom event of 2017!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

EDGE OF VENOMVERSE #3 (of 5)

SIMON SPURRIER (w) • TIGH WALKER (a)

Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA

Variant Cover by RON LIM

THE SYMBIOTIC SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE! Robbie Reyes was just an average, ordinary super hero with a flaming skull…right up until he found himself bonded with a dangerous extraterrestrial symbiote! Don’t miss the first daring drive of the HOST RIDER!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

VENOM #152

MIKE COSTA (W) • GERARDO SANDOVAL (A)

COVER BY Francisco Herrera

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

“THE LAND BEFORE CRIME” CONTINUES! Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote are reunited, but something’s wrong! The symbiote can’t contain itself within Eddie’s veins and has started seeping out of his pores as he sleeps. To make matters worse, Stegron is aiming to turn all of New York into dinosaurs by sunrise…and Venom is DINNER!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

BEN REILLY: SCARLET SPIDER #5

PETER DAVID (w) • MARK BAGLEY (a/C)

Ben Reilly is back in the blue, and right on time for his big showdown with Cassandra Mercury and her strongman, Slate! But Mercury and her minions aren’t the only people who have it in for Ben. Kaine does, too, and he won’t stop until he brings Ben in…dead or alive!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #9

GERRY CONWAY & RYAN STEGMAN (W) • RYAN STEGMAN (a/C)

MJ’s Regent-tech suit has been acting up and sapping spidey-powers from Peter, so she went and got herself a biological upgrade. Something black and white and terrible all over… With MJ bonded to the Venom symbiote, will she give in to its villainous urges?

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #19

JOSHUA CORIN (w) • WILL ROBSON (a/C)

The adventures of your favorite duo in comic books continue, and this time Spider-Man and Deadpool have decided NOT TO BE FUNNY ANYMORE?! What could have possibly driven our two heroes to take the funny outta their own funny book? And just what the heck has SLAPSTICK got to do with it?!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SPIDER-GWEN #22

JASON LATOUR (W) • ROBBI RODRIGUEZ (A/C)

“Predators” Part 4! Gwen’s relationship with Matt Murder-dock is coming to its natural end…but is that end also Gwen’s not-natural death?

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

SPIDER-MAN #18

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (w) • OSCAR BAZALDUA (a)

Cover by PATRICK BROWN

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Spider-Man finds out that Hammerhead isn’t so funny after all. The NYC crime-land gang war is heating up, and Miles is getting a little too involved. This won’t end well.

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

SPIDER-MAN 2099 #25

PETER DAVID (w) • WILL SLINEY (a)

Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA

Spidey and his allies have pinpointed the precise date and time of the event that stranded Miguel O’Hara in the past — and left 2099 in shambles! Once THE FIST is defeated, the timeline will be set right. But is this new Spider-Man here to help or do harm? Miguel’s fight for the fate of the future comes to a climactic end!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

ROYALS #5

AL EWING (W) • JONBOY MEYERS (A)

COVER BY KRIS ANKA

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Deep in the ruins of the Kree homeworld Hala, THE SECRET is revealed! Who — or what — are THE PROGENITORS? What is their connection to the Terrigen Mists? And how much does Marvel Boy know…?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MS. MARVEL #20

G. WILLOW WILSON (W) • Marco Failla (A)

Cover by VALERIO SCHITI

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Kamala Khan’s older brother is in danger and she’s determined to help him at all costs — but to rescue him she’ll need help. But who can she trust when Jersey City is more divided than ever? It’s becoming clear that this unrest in J.C. might be more personal than Kamala ever considered…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

BLACK BOLT #3

SALADIN AHMED (W) • CHRISTIAN WARD (A/C)

VARIANT COVER BY BILL SIENKIEWICZ

PRISON BREAK! The prisoners revolt! But are Black Bolt and his unlikely allies simply pawns in a bigger game? Plus: Death’s Head! Is he there to help…or hunt? And who — or what — is the warden of this strange place? Whatever it is, the Jailer knows only penance and fear. And soon, so will the Silent King!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #21

BRANDON MONTCLARE (W) • NATACHA BUSTOS (A/C)

GOOD GIRL GONE BAD! The Omni-Wave Projector (the very device that bent time and space to bring Devil Dinosaur to the present) is on the fritz, so when Lunella and Devil return home, things are not quite as they remember… Why is everyone afraid of them? What happened to Yancy Street? And who exactly are DEVIL GIRL AND MOON DINOSAUR?!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

DEFENDERS #3

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • DAVID MARQUEZ (A/C)

VARIANT COVER BY W. SCOTT FORBES

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

The Punisher strikes! With the mean streets of Marvel more dangerous than ever what could possibly make Frank Castle turn on his fellow vigilantes? Don’t they all want the same thing? Another dangerous chapter of the hottest new team in all of comics. Brought to you by the same people that gave you Miles Morales and Invincible Iron Man!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

DAREDEVIL #23

CHARLES SOULE (W) • ALEC MORGAN (A)

COVER BY DAVID LOPEZ

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

JEN WALTERS ENTERS THE SCENE AS “SUPREME” CONTINUES!

MATT MURDOCK’S risky move is garnering attention……and not everyone sees it in a positive light… It’s a battle on two fronts as Matt defends his new legislation and DAREDEVIL comes under attack!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

DAREDEVIL #24

CHARLES SOULE (W) • ALEC MORGAN (A)

COVER BY DAVID LOPEZ

KINGPIN TRIES TO CRUSH MURDOCK’S “SUPREME” MOVE!

It’s the fight of MATT MURDOCK’S life! KINGPIN and LEGAL on one side, the jury on the other, and DAREDEVIL caught between it all! And if the Daredevil survives the letter of the law, he’ll still have to deal with…TOMBSTONE! The penultimate issue of “SUPREME”!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

IRON FIST #5

ED BRISSON (W) • MIKE PERKINS (A)

Cover by JEFF DEKAL

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

THE EPIC CONCLUSION OF THE TRIAL OF THE SEVEN MASTERS!

Danny has reached the end of the gauntlet, but is this also the end of the Iron Fist? It’s Danny versus Liu-Shi’s most deadly master…THE WOLF!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

JESSICA JONES #10

BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (W) • MICHAEL GAYDOS (A)

Cover by DAVID MACK

Variant Cover by Martin Simmonds

The mysteries of Maria Hill. Ousted by the world peacekeeping task force she dedicated her life to, Maria Hill has no choice but to turn to Jessica Jones to help her find…the last secrets.

32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

THE PUNISHER #14

BECKY CLOONAN (W) • MATT HORAK (A)

Cover by DECLAN SHALVEY

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

LIGHTS OUT! A blackout hits New York City…but this is no ordinary blackout. Character is what you are in the dark! And we’ve got some baaaad characters! No lights! No camera! All action!

32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

LUKE CAGE #3

DAVID F. WALKER (W) • NELSON BLAKE (A)

Cover by RAHZZAH

Variant Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO

BIG TROUBLE IN THE BIG EASY! Why is everybody trying to kill Luke Cage??? And where did they get the weapons to do so?! With supplies of “the cure” running low, Burstein’s former subjects are growing dangerously unstable!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE SORCERERS SUPREME #10

ROBBIE THOMPSON (W) • NATHAN STOCKMAN (A)

Cover by JAVIER RODRIGUEZ

The Sorcerers go to the future to try to save Wiccan’s life!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

AMERICA #5

GABBY RIVERA & KELLY THOMPSON (W) • RAMON VILLALOBOS (A)

COVER BY JEN BARTEL

Variant Cover by KEVIN WADA

ALL THEY WANNA GET IS… A LITTLE BIT CLOSER! Reunited at last! Former Young Avengers Hawkeye and America team up to take on a new threat! When a case spins out of control, semi-legal 100% legit private investigator Kate Bishop calls the one person she knows will have her back. But is this one too big to punch her way out of?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

BLACK PANTHER AND THE CREW #4

TA-NEHISI COATES (W) • BUTCH GUICE (A)

Cover by JOHN CASSADAY

LUKE UNCAGED! In the wake of the death of his close friend and mentor, community pillar Ezra Miller, Luke Cage sets out to stop the siege on the streets of Harlem. And he’s not the only one — Black Panther, Misty Knight and Storm all have a stake in the fight for Harlem’s future. But in order to save that future, they’ll have to uncover the dark truth of Ezra’s past…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

BLACK PANTHER #16

TA-NEHISI COATES (W) • CHRIS SPROUSE (A)

Cover by Jay Anacleto

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY JAMIE MCKELVIE

Kirby 100th Anniversary Variant Cover by JACK KIRBY

FULL COVER CHARGE! Club Fenris is the most exclusive nightspot in New York City…even a king has trouble getting in! T’Challa needs to get into VIP no matter what Piledriver and Thunderball say about the guest list… Still, without the Wakandan gods looking over his shoulder, there’s no telling what trouble T’Challa will get into…

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

GWENPOOL, THE UNBELIEVABLE #18

CHRIS HASTINGS (W) • GURIHIRU (A/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Gwenpool is no stranger to trouble in the Marvel Universe. But now, it seems the Marvel Universe is after her. Whose secret identity did she blurt out this time?!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MONSTERS UNLEASHED #4

CULLEN BUNN (W) • DAVID BALDEON (A)

Cover by R.B. SILVA

THE NEW INTELLIGENCIA : REVEALED! What if you were an 11-year-old boy who suddenly had the powers to bring giant monsters to life simply by drawing them? And what if you brought five brand-new monsters to life as instant friends and teammates for a new super hero team? And what if someone ELSE wanted those monsters for themselves? What if it was a whole group of people? Bad people, even?

Find out what KID KAIJU and his amazing team of monsters — AEGIS, MEKARA, SLIZZIK, HI-VO and SCRAGG — will do when the NEW INTELLIGENCIA comes calling!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

HAWKEYE #8

KELLY THOMPSON (W) • LEONARDO ROMERO (A)

Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO

Hawkeye’s investigation takes a dark and surprising turn as a face from her past resurfaces… And Kate can’t help but wonder: Does this case go back further than she knows? Back to the beginning? One thing’s for certain, solving this mystery could unravel everything Kate holds dear…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

NICK FURY #4

JAMES ROBINSON (W) • ACO (A/C)

DEEP BLUE SEA! NICK FURY goes undercover and under the sea to uncover a HYDRA spy in ATLANTIS! With a limited air supply and time running out, it’s a quick dive-and-surface mission… That is, if he can evade ATTUMA’S wrath! Take a deep breath, and submerge yourself in THE DEEP BLUE SEA CAPER!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SILVER SURFER #13

DAN SLOTT (W) • MICHAEL ALLRED (A/C)

Once upon a time, a strange device scanned the Silver Surfer and found him the one being who was his “most important person in the universe,” Dawn Greenwood. And, it turned out, he was her “most important person in the universe” too. This is the story of a love that ended before it started, and began after it ended. But is it a love that can outlast the universe? Because the universe is about to go away. For real.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #22

RYAN NORTH (W) • ERICA HENDERSON (A/C)

When Doreen Green and Nancy Whitehead enter a mysterious programming competition, they don’t suspect that the prize for winners will be…an all-expenses-paid trip to the SAVAGE LAND! Yes: THE SAVAGE LAND! Also known as “a mysterious tropical region of Antarctica that we discovered is actually populated by DINOSAURS”! In the Marvel Universe, I mean. In OUR universe, the only thing ever discovered in that region was a note from Robert Scott’s doomed expedition to the South Pole (he arrived there weeks after his competition, Roald Amundsen, got there first), which read in part, “This is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have labored to it without the reward of priority”! The story of those Antarctic expeditions is fascinating, but OURS IS PRETTY FASCINATING TOO, plus it has Squirrel Girl AND dinosaurs in it!! So maybe read up on the other ones but definitely check out our comic right away.

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

VISION: DIRECTOR’S CUT #2 (of 6)

TOM KING (W) • GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA (A)

Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO

A bonus-packed encore presentation of one of the decade’s most celebrated Marvel titles! The Vision created his family to be normal — but this isn’t normal! A house attacked. A daughter dying. An old, dead friend screaming out in pain. And that’s just the beginning! It’s the Android Avenger as you’ve never seen him before.

Collecting VISION (2015) #3-4, plus extras.

80 PGS./Rated T+ …$6.99

THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP #7

JEREMY WHITLEY (W) • VERONICA FISH (A)

Cover by Elsa Charretier

In the fallout from the attack on G.I.R.L. by the Red Room, lives and the future of the lab hang in the balance. Nadia is lost, drifting and unsure how to move forward. Now, there’s only one heroine who can save the day and that is… THE WASP! Janet Van Dyne is on the scene to save the day. But the Red Room is not done yet. Can Janet take on the superhuman bounty hunters who have been contracted to retrieve Nadia and Ying?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #5

GERRY DUGGAN (W) • CHRIS SAMNEE (A)

Cover by AARON KUDER

Variant Cover by CHRIS SAMNEE

Star-Lord has been sailing the radio waves of the galaxy for years, keeping up with the one piece of Earth he could never quite leave behind. Guest artist Chris Samnee joins writer Gerry Duggan to check into Peter Quill’s sonic conquests!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ALL-NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #6

GERRY DUGGAN (W) • AARON KUDER (A/C)

As if the Guardians didn’t have enough trouble keeping off the radar of the Nova Corps, they’ve now run afoul of the Fraternity of Raptors! Can’t a space hero get a break?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

THANOS #9

JEFF LEMIRE (W) • GERMAN PERALTA (A)

Cover by MIKE DEODATO JR.

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

The God Quarry. None who enter have ever returned. Now, it’s Thanos’ turn.

32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: THE TELLTALE SERIES #1 (OF 5)

FRED VAN LENTE (W) • Salva Espin (A)

Cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA

VARIANT COVER BY RON LIM

GAME VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE

An all-new prequel to the interactive episodic game Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series! A group of cultists have taken over the planet Titan, turning it into a proverbial hive of scum and villainy, all worshipping its most infamous native son, the cosmic tyrant Thanos! Luckily for the Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s also the target of their newest heist! Hired by a mysterious buyer, our band or ragtag misfits will have to get in and get out without being sliced and diced by a planet full of crazies. Easier said than done! Join Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket and Groot on an action-packed, laugh-filled adventure that’s not only being created in conjunction with Telltale, but also leads directly to the new smash hit game!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

I AM GROOT #3

CHRIS HASTINGS (W) • FLAVIANO (A)

Cover by MARCO D’ALFONSO

Groot and his new friends go off on a quest to get home! But will Groot realize there’s a traitor in his midst? And how will he react when he meets some very familiar-looking strangers?

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

ROCKET #3

AL EWING (W) • ADAM GORHAM (A)

Cover by MIKE MAYHEW

Variant Cover by ADAM GORHAM

Rocket in the hoosegow! He’s doing bird in the toughest stir in the sector — the brutal space prison they call…the Colon! It’s a living hell with no exits and a tailor-made punishment for every inmate — and if Rocket can’t break out in one night…he’ll get broken out? Wait, what? How does that work?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

WEAPON X #5

GREG PAK (W) • MARC BORSTELMANN (A)

COVER BY SKAN

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

“WEAPONS OF MUTANT DESTRUCTION” PART THREE! The mysterious new director of the reformed Weapon X program has assessed the data from their latest Adamantium cyborg attack and the results look good… They are ready for the next stage of their plan to eradicate all of mutantkind! Warpath and Domino follow leads into a remote part of the Midwest…but what vicious secrets will they find hidden in a sleepy gated community?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #21

GREG PAK (W) • ROBERT GILL (A)

Cover by STONEHOUSE

“WEAPONS OF MUTANT DESTRUCTION” PART FOUR! With deadly Adamantium cyborgs on the loose picking off seemingly unconnected targets, Amadeus must keep his wits about him to uncover the mystery behind the new Weapon X program. But how can he maintain his cool against the most savage threats he’s ever faced? Meanwhile, Weapon X scientists are closer than ever to perfecting BATCH H… Guest-starring OLD MAN LOGAN, SABRETOOTH, WARPATH, DOMINO and LADY DEATHSTRIKE!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

WEAPON X #6

GREG PAK (W) • MARC BORSTELMANN (A)

Cover by SKAN

“WEAPONS OF MUTANT DESTRUCTION” PART FIVE! BATCH H is finally ready for a test drive… Its targets? Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike, Domino, Warpath and the Hulk! With a genetic cocktail of the most powerful enhanced beings on the planet coursing through its veins, how can anyone stand a chance?!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

OLD MAN LOGAN #26

ED BRISSON (W) • MIKE DEODATO JR. (A/C)

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

LOGAN IS ON THE HUNT! Determined not to let history repeat itself, LOGAN takes matters into his own hands and hunts down the HULK GANG! But he’ll need the help of an OLD FRIEND if he wants to stay on their trail… And will a miscalculation on MAESTRO’S team give Logan the advantage he needs…or seal his fate?

32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #22

TOM TAYLOR (W) • LEONARD KIRK (A)

Cover by Leinil Francis Yu

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

WOLVERINE IN SPACE! Following the events of “IMMUNE,” WOLVERINE teams up with the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY to hunt for answers about the devastating events that unfolded on Roosevelt Island. How did that alien child know who LAURA KINNEY was? Where did she come from? Wolverine has no idea what she’s gotten into…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

CABLE #3

JAMES ROBINSON (W) • CARLOS PACHECO (A)

Cover by DALE KEOWN

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Variant Cover by CHRIS STEVENS

A DANCE WITH DEATH! CABLE finds himself in ancient Mayan civilization facing down a futuristic death trap! But who will rear their head as an unlikely ally? Ancient history and future tech clash as the mystery behind CONQUEST’S deadly plan is at last revealed!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

GENERATION X #4

CHRISTINA STRAIN (W) • AMILCAR PINNA (A)

Cover by TERRY DODSON

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

Taking it upon themselves to catch the assailant who’s been attacking mutants in Central Park, the Xavier Institute’s “Lovable Losers” go on the hunt for the culprit. But they aren’t prepared when the trail leads them right to Generation X’s most formidable foe… EMPLATE returns! Only she isn’t the same monster they once knew…

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

ICEMAN #3

SINA GRACE (W) • ALESSANDRO VITTI (A)

Cover by KEVIN WADA

Iceman heads home to visit his folks! But they aren’t too pleased with their son’s latest news… And to make matters worse, a gang of revenge-seeking Purifiers comes calling! Will Iceman survive this family dinner? Or the throwdown with militant mutant-haters that follows?

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

JEAN GREY #4

DENNIS HOPELESS (W) • HARVEY TOLIBAO (A)

Cover by DAVID YARDIN

VARIANT COVER BY JUNE BRIGMAN

X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE

After an adventure with Namor, the Sub-Mariner, Jean Grey is more determined than ever to escape her predecessor’s fate and when the Phoenix comes for her, she will BEAT THAT BIRD DOWN. And to learn how to go toe-to-toe with a god, she’ll seek out training from a god… Enter: ODINSON!

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MARVEL UNIVERSE ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VS. THE SINISTER SIX #11

Adapted by Joe Caramagna

THE NEW SINISTER SIX – PART TWO! SPIDER-MAN must protect those dearest to him from DOC OCK and his new SINISTER SIX when they attempt to retrieve the dreaded HYDRA ISLAND!!

32 PGS./All Ages …$2.99

MARVEL UNIVERSE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #20

Adapted by Joe Caramagna

SPARTAX WAR – PART TWO! THANOS has come to SPARTAX and now the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY must unite with THOR and his all-star guard in order to save PETER QUILL!

32 PGS./All Ages …$2.99

STAR WARS #33 *

JASON AARON (W) • SALVADOR LARROCA (A)

Cover by MIKE MAYHEW

Star Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by David Lopez

Action Figure Variant Cover by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER

The Hero of the Rebellion & the Princess of the Revolution! Luke and Leia finally get some time alone. Unfortunately, it’s stranded on a desert island.

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

DARTH VADER #3 *

Charles Soule (W) • GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI (A)

Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL

Variant Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli

Vader sets his sights on a Jedi who’s avoided Order 66…a Jedi Master who’s long lived in seclusion…a Jedi more powerful than any Vader has faced before…

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA #9 & 10 *

KIERON GILLEN (W) • Kev Walker (A)

CoverS by KAMOME KAMIYAMA

Issue #9 – Star Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Reilly Brown

Issue #10 – Star Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by TBA

Aphra’s back with a brand-new plan that’s guaranteed to pay! There’s just one teensy problem… It involves surrounding herself by some of the galaxy’s biggest baddies. And they don’t like Aphra’s tricks!

32 PGS. (EACH)/Rated T …$3.99 (EACH)

STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE ADAPTATION #4 (of 6) *

JODY HOUSER (W) • EMILIO LAISO (A)

Cover by PHIL NOTO

Jyn Erso brings the news of the Death Star plans to the Rebellion… It seems her father built a way for the superweapon to be destroyed! But when the Rebellion refuses to help, Jyn is left only with a small crew of soldiers to fight. The Star Wars story continues!

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

STAR WARS: POE DAMERON #17 *

Charles Soule (W) • ANGEL UNZUETA (A)

Cover by PHIL NOTO

Star Wars 40th Anniversary Variant Cover by Paulina Ganucheau

Black Squadron is back in action! And this time they’re on the lookout for some new recruits for the Resistance! Poe Dameron’s first encounter? Turns out to be a mysterious person from Jess Pava’s past…

32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

SPIDER-MAN: CLONE SAGA OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC

Written by J.M. DEMATTEIS, TODD DEZAGO, DAVID MICHELINIE, TERRY KAVANAGH, MIKE LACKEY, HOWARD MACKIE, TOM DEFALCO, EVAN SKOLNICK, TOM LYLE, TOM PEYER, MARK WAID & MORE

Penciled by MARK BAGLEY, DARICK ROBERTSON, ANGEL MEDINA, DAVE HOOVER, PHIL GOSIER, TOM LYLE, PAT BRODERICK, GIL KANE, JOE ST. PIERRE, TOD SMITH, SAL BUSCEMA, CLAUDE ST. AUBIN, STEVEN BUTLER, ROY BURDINE, STEVE LIGHTLE, ROGER ROBINSON, KYLE HOTZ, KEVIN WEST, PATRICK ZIRCHER, RON LIM, SHAWN MCMANUS, KEN LASHLEY, JOHN ROMITA JR. & MORE

Cover by SAL BUSCEMA

Spider-Man, the Scarlet Spider and Kaine hurtle toward the truth! As Peter Parker goes on trial, both Spider-Men are shaken to the core by revelations about their identities. And when the Jackal’s plans unfurl, the New Warriors are drawn into the fray. But will an invasion by Venom’s race put everyone’s agenda on permanent hold? Ben’s lost years and history with Kaine are revealed, Peter makes a dramatic decision, and Spider-Man’s world changes — for good!

Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #402-406 and SUPER SPECIAL, SPIDER-MAN (1990) #59-63 and SUPER SPECIAL, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #225-229 and SUPER SPECIAL, WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #126-129 and SUPER SPECIAL, VENOM SUPER SPECIAL, NEW WARRIORS (1990) #61-66, SPIDER-MAN: THE JACKAL FILES, SPIDER-MAN: MAXIMUM CLONAGE ALPHA and OMEGA, SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED (1993) #10, SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP #1, SPIDER-MAN: THE LOST YEARS #1-3, and SPIDER-MAN: THE PARKER YEARS.

1,288 PGS./Rated T …$125.00

DEADPOOL & X-FORCE OMNIBUS HC

Written by FABIAN NICIEZA & MARK WAID

Penciled by GREG CAPULLO, MAT BROOME, TONY DANIEL, ART THIBERT, DARICK ROBERTSON, DWAYNE TURNER, ARON WIESENFELD, JOE MADUREIRA, IAN CHURCHILL, KEN LASHLEY, RICK MAYS & MORE

Cover by GREG CAPULLO, IAN CHURCHILL & KEN LASHLEY

The Merc With a Mouth and the Mutants on a Mission! With Cable thought dead and Xavier’s pacifist dream behind them, the young members of X-Force carve out their own aggressive destiny, taking on threats like S.H.I.E.L.D., War Machine and Magneto! But Cable’s bombshell return reveals the answers to long-standing mysteries — and draws Deadpool into the fray! What is Cable’s true identity? Is Stryfe really dead? Who was Deadpool’s former boss Tolliver, and what is the secret prize in his will? Can Deadpool defeat Juggernaut and Black Tom Cassidy to claim it? Plus: An all-new Mutant Liberation Front rises! Romance blossoms between Deadpool and Siryn! Arcade strikes! Moonstar returns! And who is X-Treme?!

Collecting X-FORCE (1991) #19-31 and ANNUAL #2, CABLE (1993) #1-8, DEADPOOL: THE CIRCLE CHASE #1-4, DEADPOOL (1994) #1-4, NEW WARRIORS (1990) #31 and NOMAD (1992) #20.

872 PGS./Rated T …$100.00

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE INCREDIBLE HULK VOL. 11 HC

Written by LEN WEIN

Penciled by HERB TRIMPE & SAL BUSCEMA

Cover by GIL KANE

Hulk is the strongest! Why? Because it’s hard not to be when you go from strength to strength with artists Herb Trimpe and Sal Buscema! Trimpe defined the Incredible Hulk in an artistic tenure stretching from 1968 to 1975. When Sal Buscema took over the reins, not only did the series gain a great talent, but one that, unbelievably, would have a tenure longer than even Trimpe’s! Add to that Len Wein writing some of his greatest Hulk stories, and you’ve got a bona fide Marvel Masterworks! The adventures include Hulk smashing his way through the Mole Man, the Gremlin, the Shaper of Worlds, Doc Samson, the Abomination…and, of course, the never-ending military machinations of Gen. Thunderbolt Ross!

Collecting INCREDIBLE HULK (1968) #184-196 and material from GIANT-SIZE HULK (1975) #1 and MARVEL TREASURY EDITION #5.

272 PGS./Rated T …$75.00

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE INCREDIBLE HULK VOL. 11 HC — VARIANT EDITION VOL. 252 (DM ONLY)

272 PGS./Rated T …$75.00

UNCANNY INHUMANS VOL. 2 HC

Written by CHARLES SOULE

Penciled by CARLOS PACHECO, KIM JACINTO, R.B. SILVA, ARIO ANINDITO & KEV WALKER

Cover by RYAN STEGMAN

War is hell for the Uncanny Inhumans! First, CIVIL WAR II rocks the Marvel Universe, and the Inhumans are central to the conflict! As one of their own is blessed — or cursed — with the ability to predict the future, disastrous events are set in motion, and tensions between Inhumans and humankind reach a boiling point. Meanwhile, Maximus the Mad seizes the moment to make matters worse! Then, fresh from that conflict, the Inhumans go to war with the X-Men — in a battle that only one side can survive! And in the depths of Black Bolt’s Quiet Room, a plan is hatched that will decide Inhumanity’s future…and shadowy forces move against Queen Medusa in the wake of her battle against Tony Stark. Big changes are coming for the Inhumans!

Collecting UNCANNY INHUMANS #11-20 and ANNUAL #1.

264 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99

BLACK PANTHER: WHO IS THE BLACK PANTHER? PROSE NOVEL

Written by JESSE HOLLAND

Cover by TODD NAUCK

During the last 10 centuries, as European colonial powers spread throughout the continent, the African nation Wakanda stood alone — an unconquerable land inhabited by undefeatable warriors and filled with incredible technology. T’Challa — latest in a lineage of warrior-kings — is Wakanda’s Black Panther, endowed with enhanced speed, strength and agility, and a suit made of indestructible Vibranium, the metal that secured his country’s future. Now, outsiders have returned to plunder Wakanda’s riches, including its store of the rare metal. Leading the assault is Klaw, an assassin with T’Challa’s father’s blood on his hands. Klaw brings an army of super-powered mercenaries, hell-bent on raining death and destruction on this pristine land. Even with Wakanda’s might and his own superhuman skills, can T’Challa prevail against this massive invasion? An all-new Black Panther novel based on Reginald Hudlin and John Romita Jr.’s groundbreaking tale!

304 PGS./No Rating …$24.99

MARVEL Graphic Comic Boxes – GENERATIONS

Welcome to the Marvel Age of Comic Boxes! Store your treasured collection in sturdy surroundings every bit as exciting as the issues inside! Featuring action-packed illustrations on all sides from some of comics’ finest artists, Marvel’s Graphic Comic Boxes will star all your Marvel Universe favorites – continuing with Secret Empire! Preserve your comic collection with Marvel Graphic Comic Boxes!

Inside dimensions – 15-1/2” x 7-5/8” x 10-7/8”…$9.00

X-MEN GOLD VOL. 1: BACK TO BASICS TPB

Written by MARC GUGGENHEIM

Penciled by KEN LASHLEY, ARDIAN SYAF & R.B. SILVA

Cover by ARDIAN SYAF

SPECIALLY PRICED FIRST VOLUME!

In the wake of war with the Inhumans, the X-Men are at a crossroads. Where do they go from here? Luckily, one beloved X-Man has the answer! Xavier’s dream comes full circle as Kitty Pryde returns to lead the team into a golden future! Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rachel Grey and Old Man Logan renew their mission to protect a world that hates and fears them as the next chapter in the saga of the X-Men begins! But a revamped Brotherhood of Evil Mutants isn’t far behind — and when their rampage through New York City begins, some surprisingly familiar faces will be among their ranks! Who has turned their backs on the X-Men…and why?

Collecting X-MEN GOLD (2017) #1-6.

144 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

X-MEN BLUE VOL. 1: STRANGEST TPB

Written by CULLEN BUNN

Penciled by JORGE MOLINA, MATTEO BUFFAGNI & JULIAN LOPEZ

Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS

SPECIALLY PRICED FIRST VOLUME!

Like a bolt from the blue, the original five X-Men reunite — like never before! And this time, Jean Grey is in charge! Cyclops, Iceman, Angel and Beast follow her into action, bringing mutant criminals to justice and restoring a heroic sheen to their team. But how well can they do that when their new mentor is their one-time archenemy? That’s right — Magneto has joined the original X-Men! And not everyone can put old rivalries aside. The X-Men encounter the new Marauders, Mister Sinister and the delights of Madripoor — but with tensions rising, can the team come together to be a cohesive force for good? Or will ulterior motives and personal quests derail the entire enterprise? At the end of the day, who can be trusted?

Collecting X-MEN BLUE #1-6.

144 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

WEAPON X VOL. 1: WEAPONS OF MUTANT DESTRUCTION PRELUDE TPB

Written by GREG PAK

Penciled by GREG LAND & MAHMUD ASRAR

Cover by GREG LAND

For years, the Weapon X program engineered the deadliest mutant killers on the planet. Now it’s back, under the control of a shadowy new director — and it’s out to eradicate Homo superior, not recruit them! Weapon X has unleashed an army of cyborg killers, and among its targets are Old Man Logan, Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike, Domino and Warpath! But the key to achieving the Program’s master plan could be none other than Amadeus Cho, the Totally Awesome Hulk! What is the sinister secret of the mysterious new “Batch-H” experiment? The worlds of Weapon X and the Totally Awesome Hulk collide — and the results will be explosive! The stage is set for an incendiary epic that could only be called “Weapons of Mutant Destruction”!

Collecting WEAPON X (2017) #1-4 and THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #19.

112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN VOL. 4: IVX TPB

Written by JEFF LEMIRE with MARC GUGGENHEIM, GREG PAK & CULLEN BUNN

PENCILED BY ERIC KODA, VICTOR IBANEZ & ANDREA SORRENTINO WITH WITH KEN LASHLEY, IBRAIM ROBERSON, LEONARD KIRK & GUILLERMO ORTEGO

COVER BY DAVID YARDIN

Extraordinary X-Men versus Uncanny Inhumans! The X-Men have learned that the Terrigen Mist — the source of the Inhumans’ powers, but lethal to mutants — has reached an irreversible saturation point. Earth is on the verge of being rendered uninhabitable to mutantkind. And now the X-Men see no other option than to strike against the Inhumans to ensure their own survival. But one X-Man doesn’t take the decision lightly. Storm has literally led her teammates through hell and back, but will she command them in battle against their longtime friends and allies? What will war mean for Forge, Old Man Logan, Magik and Jean Grey? And if the X-Men come out the other side, what will be the cost? One Extraordinary era ends as another begins!

Collecting EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #17-20 and X-MEN PRIME.

128 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99

UNCANNY X-MEN: SUPERIOR VOL. 4 — IVX TPB

Written by CULLEN BUNN & ANTHONY PIPER

Penciled by EDGAR SALAZAR, KEN LASHLEY & ANTHONY PIPER

Cover by KEN LASHLEY

The X-Men confront the Inhumans in the most uncanny conflict of all! Since the discovery that the Terrigen Mist — the key to unlocking an Inhuman’s hidden potential and powers — is lethal to mutants, the X-Men and Inhumans have been locked in a cold war. But now things are heating up, and about to boil over, as the X-Men are forced into drastic steps to ensure the future of their species! But when Magneto goes too far, what will be the repercussions of his dramatic actions when the battle ends? When she left his team, Psylocke vowed that if Magneto stepped out of line, she would end him. Is she about to make good on that promise? Plus: A dead X-Man returns, and so does Domino!

Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN (2016) #16-19 and ANNUAL #1.

128 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99

ALL-NEW X-MEN: INEVITABLE VOL. 4 — IVX TPB

Written by DENNIS HOPELESS, SINA GRACE & REX OGLE with MARC GUGGENHEIM, GREG PAK & CULLEN BUNN

PENCILED BY MARK BAGLEY, PACO DIAZ, CORY SMITH & ANDREA BROCCARDO WITH KEN LASHLEY, IBRAIM ROBERSON, LEONARD KIRK & GUILLERMO ORTEGO

Cover by MARK BAGLEY

Since the discovery that the Terrigen Mist — the key to unlocking an Inhuman’s hidden potential and powers — is lethal to mutants, the X-Men and Inhumans have been locked in a cold war. But as the Terrigen seeps into the earth and reaches an irreversible tipping point, the X-Men are spurred into action to ensure the future of their species! For Jean Grey, that means taking out the Inhumans’ deadliest weapon: Karnak! But when Cyclops learns the truth behind his adult counterpart’s quest to destroy the Inhumans, there’ll be hell to pay! As the dust settles on the war, the original five X-Men will be reunited once more — but will they walk into their all-new future together or apart? Plus: Date night for Idie, and Dani Moonstar returns!

Collecting ALL-NEW X-MEN (2015) #17-19 and ANNUAL #1 and X-MEN PRIME.

136 PGS./Rated T+ …$17.99

MAN-THING BY R.L. STINE TPB

Written by R.L. STINE

Penciled by GERMAN PERALTA, DANIEL JOHNSON, CHRISTOPHER MITTEN, KATE NIEMCZYK & MORE

Cover by TYLER CROOK

Marvel’s melancholy muck-monster as you’ve never seen him before — courtesy of beloved author R.L. Stine (Goosebumps, Fear Street)! After so many years of somber silence, Man-Thing has found his voice — and taken Hollywood by storm! But when an ancient evil threatens his old swamp stomping ground, Man-Thing will have to choose between his new life and celebrity, and the world he used to call home. An old ally pays a visit, but everything else is out to get Man-Thing — including crocodiles, bats and mosquitos, oh my! Can the balance of the swamp be restored, or will the cause of this calamity be beyond Man-Thing’s control? Plus: Bone-chilling bonus horror tales from the master himself, R.L. Stine! Reading this will give you goosebumps…but beware — for whoever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing’s touch!

Collecting MAN-THING (2017) #1-5.

112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

STAR WARS: DARTH MAUL TPB *

Written by CULLEN BUNN & CHRIS ELIOPOULOS

Penciled by LUKE ROSS & CHRIS ELIOPOULOS

Cover by ROD REIS

Raised on hate, fear and anger — steeped in the ways of darkness — and trained to kill! Darth Maul’s time as apprentice to Darth Sidious has long been cloaked in shadows; now, at last, his tale of revenge is revealed! It’s a story of rage unleashed as Darth Maul prepares for his first encounter with the hated Jedi. But when a Jedi Padawan is captured by sinister forces, why is Maul so determined to find her? And what’s the role of the band of bounty hunters that includes Cad Bane and Aurra Sing? Get to know the galaxy’s deadliest Zabrak like never before!

Collecting DARTH MAUL #1-5.

112 PGS./Rated T …$16.99

NOVA VOL. 1: RESURRECTION TPB

Written by JEFF LOVENESS & RAMON PEREZ

Penciled by RAMON PEREZ

Cover by RAMON PEREZ

Richard Rider is back! And when he makes his roaring return to the Marvel Universe, it changes everything for Sam Alexander! How will the young Nova cope with his predecessor’s unfathomable homecoming? Is Earth big enough for two Nova-helmet-wearing protectors? Strap in, True Believer, you’ve never seen a Nova book like this before! Action meets romance as Sam goes on a date with the new girl in school, while Rich reconnects with an old flame: the Guardian of the Galaxy called Gamora! But all the while, the truth of Rich’s time in the Cancerverse is festering in the background — and it is dangerous! It’s the comeback you’ve all been waiting for — but will it be a happy ending, or a terrifying new beginning?

Collecting NOVA (2016) #1-7.

160 PGS./Rated T …$19.99

THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP VOL. 1: UNSTOPPABLE! TPB

Written by JEREMY WHITLEY

Penciled by ELSA CHARRETIER

Cover by ELSA CHARRETIER

SPECIALLY PRICED FIRST VOLUME!

Nadia spent the entire first half of her life a captive of the Red Room, but now this teenage super scientist is spreading her wings! Hank Pym’s daughter has a lot of time to make up for, and she’s determined to change the world. With Jarvis at her side, she’s on a mission to bring together the brightest girl geniuses of the Marvel Universe — starting with Lunella Lafayette, the miraculous Moon Girl! But Nadia didn’t count on evil scientists, man-eating giant rats or Devil Dinosaur — or the lethal lady wrestlers known as the Grapplers! And even as Nadia’s recruiting drive continues, the Red Room is on her trail — and they’ll pull out all the stops to get her back! Can the geniuses of G.I.R.L. find a way to save Nadia from being dragged back to the bunker?

Collecting THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP #1-4 and ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS #14.

120 PGS./Rated T+ …$12.99

THE MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL VOL. 1: ALIEN NATION TPB

Written by MARGARET STOHL

Penciled by RAMON ROSANAS & EMILIO LAISO

Cover by ELIZABETH TORQUE

Behold the mightiest, fightiest super hero around! Carol Danvers has been to the depths of outer space and back, but that still hasn’t prepared her for her newfound status as the greatest there is. She returns to her helm as Alpha Flight commander with the world cheering her on — but has Captain Marvel become someone she no longer recognizes? She’d rather focus on the job, so when her crew discovers that a shady character is hunting for alien-refugee children, Carol jumps on the case. But an elusive enemy draws closer to destroying everything she and her Alpha Flight teammates have sworn to protect! Oh, how the mighty will fall! New York Times-best-selling author Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures, Black Widow: Forever Red) makes her comics-series debut with a blockbuster Marvel story!

Collecting MIGHTY CAPTAIN MARVEL #0-4.

112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

SLAPSTICK VOL. 1: THAT’S NOT FUNNY TPB

Written by REILLY BROWN & FRED VAN LENTE

Penciled by DIEGO OLORTEGUI & REILLY BROWN

Cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA

Steve Harmon was an average teenager with an average job as your average clown, living in average New Jersey. But after being zapped by weird and mysterious extradimensional energy, Steve became Slapstick — a living, breathing cartoon character! Now, after joining — and then quitting — Deadpool’s Mercs for Money, Slapstick is striking out on his own! Sure, he’s gotta move back in with his parents, but he gets to team up with the Amazing Spider-Man and meet adorable (but deadly) little minotaurs, so there’s that! And when he embarks on a very personal mission, Slapstick will have to work with far stranger allies — like the War D.O.G.S., America’s Best Friends! But can these patriotic pups help Steve get to Dimension Ecch, where a throne of games awaits him?

Collecting SLAPSTICK (2016) #1-6.

136 PGS./Parental Advisory …$17.99

BULLSEYE: THE COLOMBIAN CONNECTION TPB

Written by ED BRISSON & MARV WOLFMAN

Penciled by GUILLERMO SANNA & ALEC MORGAN

Cover by DAVE JOHNSON

He’s a ruthless hitman who never misses, a deadly foe who can turn any object into a lethal weapon! So why is the Marvel Universe’s most dangerous assassin heading to Colombia to take aim at a drug cartel? Find out as Bullseye takes charge! But as the body count rises, the bull’s-eye falls on…Bullseye! Teodor and the Black Knife Cartel flip the script, ensnaring the lethal assassin in a no-win situation — and Joy wants the joy of killing Bullseye all to herself! If he doesn’t find a way out of Colombia, this will be his last job! But when S.H.I.E.L.D. comes a-callin’, will that increase Bullseye’s odds of survival — or finish him completely?

Collecting BULLSEYE #1-5.

120 PGS./Parental Advisory …$15.99

DEADPOOL: WORLD’S GREATEST VOL. 8 — ’TIL DEATH DO US… TPB

Written by GERRY DUGGAN, CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS & JOSHUA CORIN

Penciled by SALVA ESPIN, IBAN COELLO & SCOTT KOBLISH

Cover by REILLY BROWN & JIM CHARALAMPIDIS

You’ve never seen marital problems like this! It was a whirlwind romance — Deadpool traveled across the world with Shiklah, fighting all sorts of threats at her side and finally married her as a way to thwart the evil vampire lord Dracula! But the honeymoon is over, and reality has set in. Wade’s bride is a demon succubus, the queen of a monstrous kingdom hidden beneath Manhattan. So when this monster metropolis declares war on the surface world, Deadpool’s loyalties are divided between his husbandly duties and the role he’s crafted for himself as a hero. Can Spidey and the Mercs for Money help him decide whose side he’s on? Brace yourself for a domestic dispute that’s really going to break some things up!

Collecting DEADPOOL (2015) #28-29, DEADPOOL & THE MERCS FOR MONEY (2016B) #9-10 and SPIDER-MAN/DEADPOOL #15-16.

136 PGS./Parental Advisory …$17.99

CAPTAIN AMERICA: SAM WILSON VOL. 5 — END OF THE LINE TPB

Written by NICK SPENCER with LARRY HAMA

Penciled by DANIEL ACUNA & ANGEL UNZUETA with PAUL RYAN

Cover by DANIEL ACUNA

When Steve Rogers could no longer wield the shield, Sam Wilson stepped up as an all-new, all-different and very much all-his-own Captain America. The public was divided. And when a reinvigorated Steve returned to share the mantle, the protests grew louder. Sam just kept fighting on, the only way he knew how. But is the world big enough for two Caps? And as Sam is pulled into the shocking events of Marvel’s next big event, will he — and the world — have to choose? At the end of the line, there’s no way out! Plus: The classic first appearance of Sam’s controversial pal, Rage!

Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA: SAM WILSON #18-21 and AVENGERS (1963) #326.

112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS VOL. 3 — EMPIRE BUILDING TPB

Written by NICK SPENCER

Penciled by JAVIER PINA, JESUS SAIZ & MORE

Cover by DANIEL ACUNA

He’s a hero. An Avenger. A living legend. The Sentinel of Liberty. Mankind’s greatest threat? It’s the story that shocked the world — and you won’t believe where it’s going next. In the aftermath of war, Tony Stark and Carol Danvers turn to the one person they can trust: Steve Rogers, Captain America. Uh-oh! And when Zemo returns, can the new Masters of Evil be far behind? The secret story of Cap in World War II is told! The full extent of Madame Hydra’s string-pulling is revealed! But only one man can lead Hydra into a new age of dominance and superiority — and the Red Skull believes he is that man! But Captain America has other ideas — ideas that will change the landscape of the Marvel Universe!

Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS #12-16 and CIVIL WAR II: THE OATH #1.

152 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99

SILK VOL. 3: THE CLONE CONSPIRACY TPB

Written by ROBBIE THOMPSON

Penciled by IRENE STRYCHALSKI & TANA FORD

Cover by HELEN CHEN

Silk is drawn into THE CLONE CONSPIRACY! And with a variety of folks mysteriously dead no more, she’s about to face a Spider-Woman who’s come back from the grave! New U has made J. Jonah Jameson’s dreams come true. First his late wife, Marla, was returned to him, and now his adopted daughter, Mattie Franklin, is alive again as well! It should be a time for celebration, but Cindy Moon is feeling anything but festive — especially since her boss’ entire resurrected family is setting off her spider-sense! And since Mattie used to be Spider-Woman, what will she make of Silk? The situation seems destined to bring heartbreak — but if Cindy Moon can survive that, then Bobbi Morse, a.k.a. Mockingbird, may have an interesting proposition for her. Is the world ready for…Silk, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?!

Collecting SILK (2015B) #14-19.

136 PGS./Rated T …$17.99

MIGHTY THOR VOL. 2: LORDS OF MIDGARD TPB

Written by JASON AARON

Penciled by RUSSELL DAUTERMAN, RAFA GARRES & FRAZER IRVING

Cover by RUSSELL DAUTERMAN

The legend continues with Thors new and old! Loki spins a special ages-old tale of a young Odinson in action against a hulking great enemy. You wouldn’t like this Viking when he’s angry! But what incredible impact will this yarn from the past have on the present? Prepare for corporate espionage, Marvel-style, as some of the world’s most powerful and evil conglomerates go to war — with Thor caught in the middle! And as if Roxxon and the rest aren’t enough trouble, Jane Foster must contend with a new enemy: S.H.I.E.L.D.! Whose side is Agent Roz Solomon on? Worse still, millions of lives will depend on the God of Thunder saving Roxxon’s evil executive, Dario Agger! All this and…Exterminatrix and Silver Samurai?!

Collecting MIGHTY THOR (2015) #6-12.

160 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99

UNCANNY AVENGERS: UNITY VOL. 4 — RED SKULL TPB

Written by GERRY DUGGAN

Penciled by KEVIN LIBRANDA, PEPE LARRAZ & RODRIGO ZAYAS

Cover by STEVE MCNIVEN

The Avengers’ Unity squad is on the verge of collapse after debilitating wars with Ultron and the Hand. Exactly the wrong moment for the Red Skull to strike! When the Skull springs his trap, Avengers Mansion will become a house of horrors! As the Avengers are tortured by their own worst fears and past failures, what sacrifices will they be forced to make to break free of the Red Skull’s diabolical deathtrap? Rogue attempts a bold gambit! Deadpool gets help from a few pals! And it’s lights out for one team member! Not everyone will finish on their feet as the final fate of Charles Xavier’s telepathic brain is revealed! But which classic Avenger will return?

Collecting UNCANNY AVENGERS (2015B) #18-23.

136 PGS./Rated T+ …$17.99

DOCTOR STRANGE/PUNISHER: MAGIC BULLETS TPB

Written by JOHN BARBER

Penciled by ANDREA BROCCARDO, DOMo STANTON & Jason Muhr

Cover by MICHAEL WALSH

The Master of the Mystic Arts and the One-Man War on Crime unite their unique talents! When mafia demons strike, it’ll take the combined skills of Doctor Strange and the Punisher to stop them! But does this mean Stephen Strange will adopt Frank Castle’s lethal ways? Or will the Punisher learn some new tricks? The Sorcerer Supreme works on being a little more grounded, while Frank expands his worldview in surprising new directions. But with monstrous mobsters on the rampage, this mismatched pair have their work cut out for them! The very different worlds of two of Marvel’s most unique characters collide, and the fate of New York is at stake!

Collecting DOCTOR STRANGE/PUNISHER: MAGIC BULLETS #1-4.

128 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99

DEADPOOL VS. THE PUNISHER TPB

Written by FRED VAN LENTE

Penciled by PERE PEREZ

Cover by DECLAN SHALVEY

Frank Castle has an unstoppable will — a powerful drive to punish those who do wrong, rooted in the tragic killing of his family. Wade Wilson has an unstoppable mouth — an unthinking knack for annoying everyone around him, rooted in thinking he’s funny. Both men, however, are among the deadliest on the planet. And when they find themselves in disagreement over the criminal known as the Bank, they’re in for one of the most brutal fights of their lives! Can Frank kill Wade over and over without dying once himself? Or will Wade bug Frank until he welcomes death? When the shells all hit the ground, will anyone truly win? (Besides the ammunition manufacturers, that is?) It’s the Merc With a Mouth against the Gunman With a Grimace!

Collecting DEADPOOL VS. THE PUNISHER #1-5.

112 PGS./Parental Advisory …$15.99

INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN TPB

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

Penciled by ALEX MALEEV

Cover by ALEX MALEEV

The award-winning creative team that turned Daredevil’s life upside down sets its sights on Iron Man! But who is Tony Stark? Since learning he was adopted, this question has cast a shadow over his life. Now, it’s time to uncover his true legacy — a journey that will carry Tony into new directions as both a man and an armored adventurer. Alongside unlikely quasi-ally Doctor Doom, Iron Man will discover answers to questions he never knew existed! But as a new international crime boss beats him at every turn, can Tony unravel the mystery of his past before deadly history repeats itself? Revelations will send him reeling — and even if Iron Man makes it out alive, his new standing in the Marvel Universe might be the death of him!

Collecting INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN #1-7.

160 PGS./Rated T+ …$24.99

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: MOTHER ENTROPY TPB

Written by JIM STARLIN

Penciled by ALAN DAVIS

Cover by ALAN DAVIS

Two celebrated talents take on the Guardians of the Galaxy! The Guardians owe everyone on Knowhere money, so they’re forced to do a job for the local police. But that causes them to run afoul of Pip the Troll and a mysterious entity known only as Mother Entropy — and that’s when the fun begins! Mother Entropy puts Pip and the Guardians to the test, to determine which of them will rule on her behalf in this plane of reality! But where does everyone’s favorite Titan, Thanos, come in? And how about Gladiator and the Shi’ar? The final test will involve — what else — a no-holds-barred brawl at Starlin’s Bar! Who will be the last Guardian standing to face a monstrous villain all on their lonesome?

Collecting GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: MOTHER ENTROPY #1-5.

136 PGS./Rated T …$17.99

ROCKET RACCOON: GROUNDED TPB

Written by MATTHEW ROSENBERG

Penciled by JORGE COELHO

Cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA

Rocket is grounded…literally! Along with his fellow Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket has found himself stuck in the last place he’d ever want to be: the backwards, no-class pit of a planet called Earth! It doesn’t matter how…it doesn’t matter who or what gets in his way…he’s just gotta get off this mudball! Right now! But that’s easier said than done, as Earth is a world filled with distractions — like Kraven the Hunter! Investigating poor, defenseless creatures being slaughtered in New York City, Rocket goes on the hunt — and finds a hunter! Will Rocket end up stuffed and mounted? Or locked up in a S.H.I.E.L.D. prison? Will his quest to escape Earth be sidetracked for good? Find out as the growling Guardian becomes Earth’s bitiest hero!

Collecting ROCKET RACCOON (2016) #1-5.

112 PGS./Rated T …$15.99

THE UNBELIEVABLE GWENPOOL VOL. 3: TOTALLY IN CONTINUITY TPB

Written by CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS

Penciled by MYISHA HAYNES & GURIHIRU

Cover by GISELE LAGACE

Gwen Poole continues to make friends and influence people across the Marvel Universe! But what will Marvel’s heroes and villains make of Gwen and her bizarre perspective on the world they live in? First up, Gwen gets hired to save a small town from a vampire! It’s high stakes, but all is not as it seems. Then, her gaming skills are put to the test when she’s captured by Arcade, and thrown into…a world of fantasy roleplaying?! After that, Gwen will need a vacation. We hear L.A. is nice! Gwen heads to Hollywood, where she encounters Kate Bishop (the real Hawkeye), Ghost Rider and…dwarves?! Plus: Things get festive back home — but something’s wrong with Christmas, and only Gwenpool knows it! Prepare for an unbelievably merry mix-up!

Collecting UNBELIEVABLE GWENPOOL #11-15 and material from GWENPOOL HOLIDAY SPECIAL: MERRY MIX-UP.

160 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99

SPIDER-MAN 2099 VOL. 6: APOCALYPSE SOON TPB

Written by PETER DAVID

Penciled by WILL SLINEY

Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA

Spider-Man 2099 has learned the location of the Fist — the extremist anti-government offshoot of the Hand that put his fiancée in a coma — and he’s ready to mount his attack! But it turns out he’s not the only one investigating the radical group. Elektra Natchios, Marvel’s deadliest assassin, has her own reasons for hunting these terrorists. Can Miguel trust this mysterious newcomer, or is she yet another obstacle in his quest for vengeance? And even if Spidey and Elektra team up, the Fist has upped the ante — calling in an ancient evil to help them bring about the end of the entire world! If that weren’t bad enough, how about Electro 2099? Or Man Mountain Marko? How can the future Spider-Man prevent certain doom when Armageddon is written in the cards?

Collecting SPIDER-MAN 2099 (2015) #17-21.

112 PGS./Rated T …$15.99

DEADPOOL 2099 TPB

Written by GERRY DUGGAN

Penciled by SCOTT KOBLISH

Cover by SCOTT KOBLISH

Nothing can prepare you for the Deadpool of the year 2099! Leap decades into the future to discover the legacy of the regenerating degenerate. There’s a new Merc, with a new Mouth — but who is she? What could make her want to inherit a codename from Wade Wilson? And are there still chimichangas in 2099? Some or all of these questions may be answered — and new ones will be posed! Find out if there’s a Zenpool 2099, catch up with one of Wade’s old teammates and choose your side in a battle for the right to be Deadpool in this collection of sci-fi shenanigans from the world of tomorrow!

Collecting DEADPOOL (2015) #6, #12, #19 and #25.

112 PGS./Parental Advisory …$14.99

SPIDER-MAN: REVENGE OF THE GREEN GOBLIN TPB (NEW PRINTING)

Written by HOWARD MACKIE, ROGER STERN & PAUL JENKINS

Penciled by ERIK LARSEN, JOHN ROMITA JR., JOE BENNETT, LEE WEEKS, RON FRENZ, MARK BUCKINGHAM & CHARLIE ADLARD

Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.

The Green Goblin takes to the skies once more! As the mentally addled Norman Osborn battles to strengthen his fragile grip on reality, he summons the will to once again plague the life of Peter Parker in one of the greatest Green Goblin stories of all time! And Osborn has more on his mind than revenge: He wants Parker as his heir! The timing couldn’t be worse for Spider-Man, who’s grieving the loss of a loved one. Plus: Spidey must survive a showdown with the Spider-Slayer, a squabble with the Squid and an encounter with the Enforcers! But whatever happened to Mary Jane?

Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1999) #20-29 and ANNUAL 2001, SPIDER-MAN: REVENGE OF THE GREEN GOBLIN #1-3 and PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN (1999) #25 and #29.

440 PGS./Rated T …$39.99

SPIDER-MAN: THE COMPLETE CLONE SAGA EPIC BOOK 5 TPB (NEW PRINTING)

Written by EVAN SKOLNICK, TOM DEFALCO, TODD DEZAGO, J.M. DEMATTEIS, HOWARD MACKIE, MIKE LACKEY, TOM PEYER, MARK WAID & TERRY KAVANAGH

Penciled by PATRICK ZIRCHER, STEVEN BUTLER, DARICK ROBERTSON, ANGEL MEDINA, PAT BRODERICK, GIL KANE, ROY BURDINE, SHAWN MCMANUS, SAL BUSCEMA, KEN LASHLEY, PHIL GOSIER, TODD SMITH, KEVIN WEST, CLAUDE ST. AUBIN & ROGER ROBINSON

Cover by SAL BUSCEMA

The saga of Peter Parker and Ben Reilly takes a dramatic turn! Venom’s true origins are revealed as his entire race of Symbiotes invades the planet! And as Mary Jane enters the final stages of her pregnancy, will Peter decide to retire his red-and-blue threads once and for all? Plus: Will Ben Reilly join the New Warriors? Guest-starring the X-Men and Black Cat, and featuring the threats of the Hellfire Club, the new female Doctor Octopus, Venom, Carnage, Lizard, D’Spayre and the young Vulture!

Collecting NEW WARRIORS (1990) #62-64, WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #128-129, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #405-406, SPIDER-MAN (1990) #62-63, SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED (1993) #10, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #228-229 and SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP #1; and material from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN SUPER SPECIAL, SPIDER-MAN SUPER SPECIAL, VENOM SUPER SPECIAL, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN SUPER SPECIAL and WEB OF SPIDER-MAN SUPER SPECIAL.

488 PGS./Rated T …$39.99

SIF: JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY — THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TPB

Written by KELLY SUE DECONNICK & KATHRYN IMMONEN

Penciled by RYAN STEGMAN, VALERIO SCHITI & PEPE LARRAZ

Cover by JEFF DEKAL

One of Asgard’s greatest champions fights her way to true warrior’s glory! When her gleaming homeland comes under attack, the sword-wielding Sif leads the battle charge — but her no-holds-barred zeal may be the very thing that brings its walls crashing down! Are the Nine Realms ready for Sif…the Berserker?! When Sif finds herself on an unsuspecting Earth, with no patience for peace, she starts putting out fires with gasoline! Just ask the Superior Spider-Man! Controlling her rages won’t be easy — particularly when a certain hammer-wielding, space-faring ex shows up! Can Sif and Beta Ray Bill get beyond their fiery past and rekindle the flame? Or will a cosmic crisis snuff it out forever? Get to know Sif like never before!

Collecting SIF #1 and JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (2011) #646-655.

248 PGS./Rated T+ …$29.99

CAPTAIN MARVEL: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HERO VOL. 4 TPB

Written by KELLY SUE DECONNICK, WARREN ELLIS & KELLY THOMPSON

Penciled by DAVID LOPEZ, LAURA BRAGA & PAOLO PANTALENA

Cover by DAVID LOPEZ

Stellar combat and Secret Wars! Captain Marvel’s time as an astronomical Avenger has seen her face off against some of the worst the galaxy has to offer, not least the Haffensye Consortium! They’ve been tracking Carol and Tic for weeks — and now they’ve finally caught up! Carol Danvers barely survived the last time she squared off against the Haffensye — is there any chance she could be so lucky again? Then, when the Multiverse ends, there is only Battleworld. And in the domain of Hala Field, the elite Carol Corps are the best of the best, who will take down anyone and everyone who threatens their Captain! Riding with them takes guts, guile and a whole lot of grit — so get ready to aim high, fly, fight and win!

Collecting CAPTAIN MARVEL (2014) #12-15 and CAPTAIN MARVEL & THE CAROL CORPS #1-4.

184 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99

RUNAWAYS VOL. 5: ESCAPE TO NEW YORK TPB (NEW PRINTING)

Written by BRIAN K. VAUGHAN

Penciled by TAKESHI MIYAZAWA, ADRIAN ALPHONA & SKOTTIE YOUNG

Cover by TAKESHI MIYAZAWA

The team’s lineup changes forever! When a dangerous alien invades Los Angeles, the Runaways’ own Karolina Dean may be the only hero in the Marvel Universe who can stop him — but at what cost? Plus: The Runaways embark on a coast-to-coast adventure, guest-starring Cloak and Dagger and the New Avengers! When Cloak is accused by his fellow heroes of a crime he didn’t commit, the vigilante is forced to turn to the teenage Runaways for help. This story will take our teens to a place they’ve never been: New York City!

Collecting RUNAWAYS (2005) #7-12 and FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2006.

168 PGS./Rated T+ …$14.99

S.H.I.E.L.D.: HYDRA REBORN TPB

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL, ELIOT R. BROWN, BOB SHARP, GREGORY WRIGHT & BARRY DUTTER

Penciled by M.C. WYMAN, GERALD DECAIRE, DON HUDSON, PAUL ABRAMS & JOHN HEEBINK

Cover by JIM CHEUNG & PAUL RENAUD

Director no more, Nick Fury is a plain ol’ Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. — but that won’t stop him from calling the shots! And there are plenty to be fired, because Baron Strucker has a new vision for Hydra…and S.H.I.E.L.D. As Strucker strikes and Fury faces treachery and betrayal from within his own ranks, he reunites with the Howling Commandos and Captain America — as well as a few faces he never thought he’d see again! And it all builds to a cataclysmic confrontation with Hydra that will usher in a whole new era for S.H.I.E.L.D. — and reveal the group’s definitive secret origin! Plus: Nick crosses paths with Luke Cage, investigates a murder and flashes back to the Cold War. But how does a decades-old adventure affect the here and now?

Collecting NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (1989) #36-47 and FURY (1994) #1.

352 PGS./Rated T …$34.99

HEROES FOR HIRE BY ABNETT & LANNING: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TPB

Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING

Penciled by BRAD WALKER, ROBERT ATKINS, TIM SEELEY, KYLE HOTZ & RENATO ARLEM

Cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE

“Hello hero, are you for hire?” With those words, Misty Knight enlists streetwise vigilantes to tackle the jobs no other super-team will. When she calls, people listen — including Falcon, Black Widow, Ghost Rider, Silver Sable, Moon Knight and Paladin! But while Misty takes control, the Puppet Master might be pulling strings of his own. Can Iron Fist and Punisher help her uncover the truth? The events of Fear Itself and Spider-Island call for some serious street-level do-gooding; luckily, Misty’s little black book is crammed full of costumed contractors like Spider-Man, Black Panther, Satana, Shroud and Daimon Hellstrom! But when the manipulative Purple Man unleashes his Villains for Hire, she’ll need a whole new recruitment policy: fight fire with fire!

Collecting HEROES FOR HIRE (2011) #1-12, SPIDER-ISLAND: HEROES FOR HIRE and VILLAINS FOR HIRE #0.1 and #1-4.

416 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99

WOLVERINE BY DANIEL WAY: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 2

Written by DANIEL WAY & JEPH LOEB

Penciled by STEVE DILLON, KAARE ANDREWS, SIMONE BIANCHI & JON PROCTOR

Cover by JOE QUESADA

Continuing Daniel Way’s blistering run — with a blockbuster assist by Jeph Loeb and Simone Bianchi! Completely shattered by recent revelations, Wolverine must now ask himself some hard questions: Can he continue on his quest? Should he? Logan finally remembers who he was, but who — and what — is he now? The answers involve Madripoor, Jubilee, old foes Cyber and Omega Red, and the deadly debut of Daken — the son that Wolverine never knew he had! Learn Wolverine’s secret history with Black Widow, and gasp as a savage showdown with Sabretooth draws the manipulative mastermind Romulus out of the shadows! Plus: Ask “what if?” tragedy had turned Logan away from the path of the Wolverine — and on to that of an even more punishing vigilante!

Collecting WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #6-15 and ANNUAL #1, WOLVERINE (2003) #50-55 and WHAT IF: WOLVERINE.

480 PGS./Parental Advisory …$34.99

PUNISHER: SUICIDE RUN TPB

Written by STEVEN GRANT, CHUCK DIXON, LARRY HAMA & MORE

Penciled by HUGH HAYNES, GARY KWAPISZ, JOHN BUSCEMA, VAL MAYERIK & MORE

Cover by MICHAEL GOLDEN

Frank Castle stars in an explosive epic so big it took three titles to contain it! When the Punisher undertakes his most extravagant hit of all — collapsing an entire skyscraper on a group of crime bosses — he ends up dead himself! Or does he? With a vigilante vacuum on the streets, a host of psychopathic killers lays claim to the Punisher’s crown — and iconic chest symbol! Take your pick from the skull-masked Hitman, jaded cop Lynn Michaels, postal worker Desmond Kline, media-savvy author Dean Swaybrick or British Frank-ophile Outlaw! Bullets fly as the pretenders take on criminals and each other, learning the hard way that to step into Castle’s shoes is virtual suicide. But amid all the chaos, will the one, true Punisher make his return?

Collecting PUNISHER (1987) #85-88, PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL (1987) #61-64 and PUNISHER WAR ZONE (1992) #23-25.

344 PGS./Rated T …$34.99

PUNISHER MAX: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 6 TPB

Written by JASON AARON, JONATHAN MABERRY, ROB WILLIAMS, VALERIE D’ORAZIO, PETER MILLIGAN, CHARLIE HUSTON, DAVID LAPHAM, JASON STARR, JASON LATOUR, MEGAN ABBOTT, NATHAN EDMONDSON & SKOTTIE YOUNG

Penciled by ROLAND BOSCHI, LAURENCE CAMPBELL, JUAN JOSE RYP, SHAWN MARTINBROUGH, DALIBOR TALAJIC, CONNOR WILLUMSEN, MATTEO BUFFAGNI, FERNANDO BLANCO & MIRKO COLAK

Cover by ESAD RIBIC

Frank Castle’s relentless war on crime continues! It’s Christmas, and the Punisher is checking off names on his naughty list! Frank gets creative to snuff some snuff filmmakers! In the United Kingdom, he takes on Earth’s hardest soldiers, the SAS, and unleashes his war wagon against a biker gang! But when a hitwoman releases a lurid tell-all, will the Punisher be her salvation, temptation…or damnation? Plus: Stories from the murky world that exists in the Punisher’s shadow, starring an opportunistic psycho, a frantic father, a mild-mannered accountant and the young son of one of Frank’s victims. When the Punisher is involved, there are rarely any happy endings.

Collecting PUNISHER MAX X-MAS SPECIAL, PUNISHER: NAKED KILL, PUNISHER: GET CASTLE, PUNISHER: BUTTERFLY, PUNISHER: HAPPY ENDING, PUNISHER: HOT RODS OF DEATH, PUNISHER: TINY UGLY WORLD and UNTOLD TALES OF PUNISHER MAX #1-5.

376 PGS./Explicit Content …$39.99

NEW AVENGERS BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 7 TPB

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS

Penciled by NEAL ADAMS, MIKE DEODATO JR., WILL CONRAD, MICHAEL GAYDOS, CARLOS PACHECO, MICHAEL AVON OEMING & MORE

Cover by MIKE DEODATO JR.

Brian Michael Bendis concludes the epic saga of his New Avengers — and they go out fighting! First, the return of Norman Osborn pits the team against an even deadlier and more dangerous team of Dark Avengers! But even that can’t prepare them for a world-rocking war with the X-Men! Will Luke Cage join the battle, or choose to stay with his wife and child? As the situation goes from bad to worse, Iron Fist must seek the secrets of the Phoenix! Three of Earth’s Mightiest will be taken captive, but no jail can hold them for long — or can it? And when all looks dark, can the Illuminati succeed where the Avengers failed? Anyone who gets out alive will face an era-ending mystical force too big for even Doctor Strange to handle!

Collecting NEW AVENGERS (2010) #16.1 and #17-34.

440 PGS./Rated T+ …$39.99

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE — THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 2 TPB

Written by CHRISTOS GAGE & DAN SLOTT

Penciled by STEVEN KURTH, HUMBERTO RAMOS, RAFA SANDOVAL, JORGE MOLINA, MAHMUD ASRAR & STEVE UY

Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS

In the wake of the Skrull Invasion, the public has lost faith in the Initiative! What a time for Reptil to make his mark on the Marvel Universe! As storm clouds gather, the members of the black-ops Shadow Initiative must abduct one of their own — who has defected to Hydra! But Norman Osborn’s Dark Reign changes everything. Where Camp Hammond once trained future Avengers, Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. now trains tomorrow’s Dark Avengers! The new principals are Taskmaster and the Hood, and they’re registering villains as heroes and spreading Norman’s empire across the nation. But those who once made up the Initiative aren’t about to let this happen. Hunted by the law, hidden from sight, a Resistance has formed — and its members are out to stop H.A.M.M.E.R. by any means necessary!

Collecting AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #20-35, AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE SPECIAL and AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE FEATURING REPTIL.

456 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99

AVENGERS EPIC COLLECTION: OPERATION GALACTIC STORM TPB

Volume #22 in the Avengers Epic Collections

Written by BOB HARRAS, ROY THOMAS, DANN THOMAS, MARK GRUENWALD, GERARD JONES, LEN KAMINSKI & TOM DEFALCO

Penciled by STEVE EPTING, DAVE ROSS, GREG CAPULLO, RURIK TYLER, JEFF JOHNSON, STEPHEN JONES, PAUL RYAN, PAT OLLIFFE & RICHARD LEVINS

Cover by STEVE EPTING

The Kree/Shi’ar War! When two of the galaxy’s most ancient and powerful races clash, it’s up to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to play cosmic peacekeeper! With Earth in the crossfire, the Avengers are drawn into the conflict — and end up as alien invaders on war-torn worlds of wonder! Assemblers East and West are embroiled in an epic too big for even two Avengers titles — one that will shake the team to its very foundations! Super heroes from three galaxies clash in a war filled with incredible action — including Thor vs. Gladiator of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard — and the Avengers will face repercussions that will haunt them for years!

Collecting AVENGERS (1963) #345-347, AVENGERS WEST COAST #80-82, QUASAR #32-34, WONDER MAN (1991) #7-9, IRON MAN (1968) #278-279, THOR (1966) #445-446, CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #401 and material from CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #398-400.

488 PGS./Rated T …$39.99

THOR EPIC COLLECTION: IN MORTAL FLESH TPB

Volume #17 in the Thor Epic Collections

Written by RANDALL FRENZ, TOM DEFALCO, RON FRENZ, ROY THOMAS & MORE

Penciled by RICH YANIZESKY, RON FRENZ, GARY HARTLE, TONY DEZUNIGA, MIKE MIGNOLA, RON LIM, HERB TRIMPE, AL MILGROM & MORE

Cover by RON FRENZ

To spare a life, Thor makes the ultimate sacrifice! With the fate of his friend Eric Masterson in the balance, Thor steps in — and finds himself once again bonded to a mortal form! But which deadly foe will bring about such dire straits? Could it be Quicksand? The maniacal Mongoose? A new Executioner? Or as an untethered Asgard drifts into the Negative Zone, Annihilus? As a new era begins for Thor, another legendary hero returns: Zounds, it’s Hercules! It will take the combined might of these godly friends, plus She-Hulk, to face not one but two Dooms! In another heavyweight bout, Thor takes on the Juggernaut — with the New Warriors lending a hand! Plus: The High Evolutionary! Doctor Strange! The Thing! Tales of Asgard! Beta Ray Bill! And Ulik joins the Wrecking Crew!

Collecting THOR (1966) #401-418 and ANNUAL #14.

488 PGS./Rated T …$39.99

DEFENDERS EPIC COLLECTION: ASHES, ASHES… TPB

Volume #7 in the Defenders Epic Collections

Written by J.M. DEMATTEIS with DON PERLIN & STEVEN GRANT

Penciled by DON PERLIN with SAL BUSCEMA & AL MILGROM

Cover by BRENT ANDERSON

The Defenders face threats Satanic, Seussian and everything in between! Marvel’s greatest non-team will take you on adventures made with their own special brand of action and interpersonal drama, topped by a heaping helping of the absurd! In this Epic Collection, the Defenders battle the cosmic Over-Mind, the alternate-Earth Squadron Supreme, the fan-favorite Elf with a Gun, the Avengers, and even themselves! Patsy Walker’s relationship with Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan, will flower, while classic Defenders — Hulk, Namor and the Silver Surfer — will return! Out of it all, the New Defenders — featuring Iceman, Angel, Beast and Moondragon — will rise, and nothing will be the same. Same as it ever was!

Collecting DEFENDERS (1972) #110-125 and AVENGERS ANNUAL #11.

440 PGS./All Ages …$39.99

AVENGERS #9 BY ROSS POSTER

FOC 6/12/17, ON-SALE 7/052017

24×36…$8.99

*Star Wars © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Text and illustrations for Star Wars are © 2017 Lucasfilm Ltd.

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