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lloire14 · 8 years ago

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Guilt

I needed time to clear my head. Time away from everything that didn’t make sense. So, I headed back into the frigid arms of lady Ishgard. West Coerthas to be exact. Before I left though I sent word to Helene to meet me there if she fancied a hunt. I met up with her at Falcon’s Nest and after we got our things together we trekked out into the snow in search of steinbock.

It didn’t take long to find our prey. Knowing what vicious creatures they could be, I had Helene stand at the ready with sword and shield while I took aim. I guess I wanted to prove I was still a decent shot. That no matter how messed up my eye was after what the monks did to me, that it would not stop me. Luckily I’d already had practice at compensating and this time my aim held much more true.

We brought down our first buck, but it was small. Thin, as though it’d had trouble finding food. We moved on. The next one I grazed and it ran. Unusual. They typically turn to fight rather than flight. Finally Helene and I found a larger buck. We brought it down without too much trouble, but when we were fighting in off I saw it froth a bit about the mouth. Worried that it was sick, we left it and moved further north. We were set upon by another. Much more aggressive than expected. After we brought the beast down, I decided to check it out more thoroughly. We found out that it was in fact sick, just like the last one. I started to worry that something in the area was corrupted and causing the wildlife to grow sick.

Almost just as I had the thought, I started to feel it. There was a taint somewhere close. Calling Helene we rushed towards where I sensed it. Dozens of smaller creatures were swarming our earlier kills and ripping them apart. They too were clearly being influenced by the corruption. We brought them down. Luckily a passing Thaumaturge gave us a hand and eventually we were able to wipe out the lot of them.

I couldn’t leave without trying to track down the source of the corruption. If nothing else, if we found it, I could pass the information on to someone else to have a Conjurer come and deal with it. We pressed on further North. Helene for her part didn’t ask too many questions, trusting that I somehow knew where I was going. I followed the sickness I felt, the worse it got, the closer I knew we were.

We made our way across the snow fields, down cliff faces, and further North. Eventually, we came upon what I knew had to be the source. Two voidsent were making meals of some local wildlife when Helene and I came upon them. Luckily they were not so difficult to dispatch. With Helene drawing their attention, I was able to loose arrow after arrow into them. When they died though, I felt that familiar draw on my soul. It’s always the same. Like being pulled into a rip current, and drawn under water. Eventually I managed to get myself back under control and Helene and I went back for our first kill, then back to Night Blade’s manor.

When we got back, we left the kill to be dealt with later and went to my office there. She’d been patient, so after taking a bit of time to check on the voidsent we’d encountered, I explained to her how I had been able to track the voidsent. I had to tell her of my past, and why the void calls to me as it does. I also explained that I believed someone had called those voidsent to corrupt the land and explained that I would be passing the information along to the Ishgardian authorities. They aren’t dragons, I doubt much will be done, but I should at least try.

As we were talking though. Soren called me over the linkpearl. I have not felt so much anger in quite some time. Soren explained that he’d left Kessy, something I’d expected, but also that he’d tried to kill or be killed by Aeritria, and that he’d nearly died when Rath came to Aeritria’s rescue. I asked him where she was so I could check on her and told him to stay at the house. I just wanted to strangle the man. After all we’d been through trying to save her soul, that he would risk all of that, and his life. I need to stop writing about it. I’m getting angry again. Either way, I let Helene know I needed to go and we parted ways. I went out and found a Moogle willing to deliver a letter to Aeritria and sent her my linkpearl frequency and asked her to contact me.

It took a bit of time, but eventually Aeritria did contact me and we agreed to meet at my apartment. In a way, she was very much the Aeritria I remembered, but in other ways, she was not. She came in cautiously, worried that she’d be attacked again. I found out that not only had Soren attacked her when she was unarmed, so had Destiney’s cousin Lance. We talked at length and I tried to convince her not to seek revenge. To simply leave both Soren and the Order be and walk away. It seems that this Rath person may be doing her more good than Soren or I ever could. She explained that she was still trying to stay on the right side of the line. We agreed to not go into specifics, but she explained that she’d been taking out criminals of the worst sort. The kind that preyed on children. Who am I to judge someone for that when I indiscriminately kill Garleans. She asked me to get her payment from Soren and I agreed to try. He and I are not going to have a pleasant talk me thinks.

Aeritria left and I went back to the house. Soren was out again it seemed, so I went back to the apartment. It wasn’t too long after that in which I discovered where he had been. Ikara showed up and had it out with me over my attempts to test my own mortality. Guilt is something I had not felt for some time. I knew she’d be the one to make me feel that way. As much as I want to believe that my little sister would be fine without me. Can I truthfully say I believe that? That she doesn’t need me, if nothing else, as moral support? Knowing that we share a past, a hatred, and goal? I could not apologize truly for what I had done, so instead I just let her know I was getting better. That I was not doing that as much anymore. It was the truth. Somehow though, it felt weak.

Umi showed up while I was talking to her to discuss the materials we were going to sell. It was strange. I feel like I should have been more nervous about Umi and Ikara being in the same room than I was with her and Soren, but I wasn’t. Mayhaps I’ve told Umi enough that I’m not scared what she finds out anymore. For one like Umi, who sees with aether, Ikara looks like a raging bonfire. There wasn’t much to hide. We spoke a while more and Ikara asked that I craft her something to help with her powers. Afterwards she took off and I was left alone with Umi.

I refused to talk about anything serious. I wanted to go out and do things with Umi. To just spend time together and see how it felt. Nothing serious, just time. I’d gotten ahold of a few maps. We went out and tracked the treasures down. She seemed confused by my attitude about the whole endeavor. We were hunting down one of the magically triggered chests that could open a portal to where the real treasure lay. Unfortunately, we did not find one that day. So I offered to take her to my favorite place in the Hinterlands. We were already close, so we flew to the cave near Alexander’s resting place. There we sat and talked a while. She explained that she had a plan to deal with her sight. That she was going to try and heal it, learn to control it. I told her that I planned to conquer my fear of my magicks. We spoke more and after some time, she turned again to our relationship. I tried to say it in words. To explain what she was beginning to mean to me. She didn’t understand. She thought I cared for her as I would any other friend. I guess I had finally had enough going in circles with her. I did something I probably shouldn’t have. I kissed her. I should feel guilty about it. So soon after my breakup, it’s only been a few moons. She’s still with Joundi. I should feel guilty. I don’t. Still, I told her that I shouldn’t have done that and explained that I simply couldn’t think of another way to show her what I was trying to say.

Then she wanted to talk about my magic. She wanted me to try and confront them then and there. How does she talk me into these things? I agreed with little argument and then created a small pocket of snow around her, and then showed her the small flaming heart I’d learned to make before. We talked a bit about how it looked to her and about how it had looked to her before when I lost control. Afterwards she asked to give me a gift.

I have to ask what the gods expect of me here? How can she give me something like that and not expect me to fall for her just a bit? Is it just a bit? Twelve, I don’t know anymore. She called water, shaping it like a heart. Opposite the fire I’d made. Irony, or something else? Then she called wind, freezing the water to hold the shape. Finally, she breathed a bit of her own aether into it, sealing the spells and creating something that would remain so long as she lived. She gave me her heart and a way to always know that she lives. No walls I could build would withstand that. We talked a while more, then in true Umi fashion she turned about-face and began to chastise me for kissing her, claiming it was twice now and saying I had to be punished. She demanded cake for one, ignoring my protests that she’d kissed me the first time, and then for the second she drew close. I wanted to just kiss her again. To fight fire with fire since I felt like she were teasing me. Instead I simply reminded her that a punishment that was the same as the crime that earned it was foolish. She gave in and said she’d think of another later. We parted ways and I went home to try and craft something to hold her heart in. Something so that I could keep it close.

We met up again the next day. I went by her house to deliver the cake I’d baked for her as well as the stuffed moogle I’d made for her. I wanted her to have it so that she could practice seeing with her hands more. Instead of the simple wood that the nutkin had been, the moogle had fur and felt more life-like.

We agreed to hunt down more of the maps I had. We travelled around and sought out treasure. This time with bets to make it more interesting. The first two maps failed to find us a portal. I offered her double or nothing. That reminds me, she owes me dinner. After all, the third time’s generally the charm.

The portal opened and we went inside. The first room was filled with monsters left there to guard the riches. We brought them down and pressed on. I told her I would offer her a confession for each room we made it through, so I admitted to her that I thought she was beautiful. Then asked her which way we were going. She picked and we made it through the first gate. The second room’s beasts were a bit more of a challenge and we were both left catching our breathes. Being there with her, fighting as we did. I felt alive like I had not in some time. This time I confessed that I would want to ask her out were she single but I feared rejection. She seemed surprised that I could face death without fear, but a no was more difficult. She picked our direction again. I tried to ask her what she feared but she did not answer.

We got through the next gate and defeated the creatures beyond it. I told her that while I had that fear, I would conquer it if the opportunity came. We pressed on and entered a room that was filled with much more treasure and aether than the ones before. I could not think of any other confessions so we continued on. We were set upon by far more than we could handle and found ourselves overwhelmed. Something was triggered during our battle and suddenly and violently we were torn from the portal and returned to where we’d entered from.

I checked on her, and while unharmed she was obviously tired. We teleported back to Joundi’s home and got her sitting down. I went downstairs to make her soup. She called down after me and we spoke some. She mentioned moving back to Night Blade’s manor. I offered to have her stay with me if she preferred. She explained a bit more about the rift between herself and Joundi. She asked me something I thought strange. She wanted to know if I would look for her if she disappeared. Of course I would. I told her the same. She told me she had a confession, but she would speak on it over dinner. I finished making the soup and took it up to her.

As we spoke, she admitted that she’d considered giving up. I told her that I did not want her to. I know it was hypocritical, but I did not care. She explained just how weak and tired she’d been getting. I tried once more to get her to accept my proposal to bind her anima to mine. She refused, saying that she could not risk my life after meeting Soren and Ikara.

She made light of my feelings a bit, telling me that she were but a single female and that I could find others to fight for. Fool woman. Then she asked me if I truly believed I were willing to tie my anima to hers. She told me that our hearts would have to accept each other in them for it to work. I told her that I would. That I cared deeply for her. I almost said more. She admitted that she wasn’t sure that she was ready to truly live again yet. She has such guilt about her sister and is looking for forgiveness it seems. Finally, I made one different offer. That she take aether from me each night by her own hand, without the binding.

She agreed, on the condition that we did it at my place. I’m not sure if she was testing my commitment or not, but there was no way I would put what I wanted above her health. I agreed without hesitation and we left for my apartment.

She’s awfully cute standing in a nightgown with a stuffed moogle in her arms. I had to push those thoughts away though. I had to be strong. Even as we sat on the side of my bed and prepared to have her pull the aether from me, she still seemed worried for me and asked if I was sure. I finally convinced her that I was and we began. I’ll admit it is draining. Luckily I draw aether from the land for my spells. What she pulls I do not often use. Draining or not though, seeing some of the color return to her cheeks. To see life in her eyes again. I’d endure that and much more to see that.

I asked her to stay. She agreed. I laid down beside her, felt her lips brush against mine, and then I found sleep. I should feel guilty. I don’t.

#@helenestonefist #@sorenspath #@ikara-esho #@aeritria

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deromanus · 8 years ago

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The Empire is Burning: Chapter 1

The emperor was dead.

It was a newspaper headline, a reason for rejoicing or lamenting, a whisper on the lips of slaves and soldiers and farmers alike, it was a fact written in stone and in blood. And to me, it was a call. A fervent whisper on the wind, Come home. She is waiting for you. It’s time.

In a quiet mountain town somewhere in northern Dunbar, a town that resembled in all facets the one I had grown up in, but was not, I sat in a tavern and drank a tumbler full of warm whiskey and thought about our dead emperor. An assassin, they said. A spear-wielding tribeswoman from the tundra masquerading as a whore, brought to his bedchambers. She slit his throat from behind. I wondered what he looked like when he fell, if he was wearing that awful golden mask, if it cracked on the marble floors. I sipped my whiskey.

There were other men in the bar, farmers and bowers and viehzüchters, older men with their fresh-faced sons, men in flannels and jean overalls, yellow-eyed and vein-marked from the poison vapors of the Burning River. It was strange that the sweetwater of the river made things grow so perky and ripe, made the orchards bloom and the corn pop up tall and golden, yet it sank like foul sediment in the blood of the people who drank it, who breathed its venomous air. It was the cursed fruit that was the sweetest, and the poison tasted like the purest nectar.

Outside the mountains were that particular autumnal patchwork of browns and reds, sweeping golden fields and hills of fire. Down in the valleys, between jagged lines of split-rail fencing, cows and sheep milled about in the morning mist. The sound of a train’s whistle echoed down the mountain and mourning doves cooed on thatched farmhouse rooftops.

The batwing tavern doors swung open and Dr. Cale Montgomery stuck his head in, his face wind-burnt and red. “A’right,” he said with a curt nod to me. “I sent the tele on ahead. She’ll be waiting on us ‘round noon.”

“Did you get ahold of Morgan, too?” I murmured.

He nodded firmly. “You ready?”

I finished my whiskey and pushed the clouded brown glass back across the bartop.

Outside the wind put a chill in my bones. I tugged my greatcoat closer around my shoulders, lifting the collar to protect my neck from the frigid nip. Our caravan was parked outside and Cale was leaning against the front wheel, cigarette hanging idly from his mouth. The horse pawed the ground impatiently and shook her head.

“How far from here, you reckon?” I said.

Cale grunted and maneuvered the cigarette from one side of his mouth to the other without touching it. “Well,” he said. “Judging by the map, I’d say no more’n three hours. Aberforde is just about thirty miles from here.”

“And where is she meeting us?”

“Along the Pilgrimroad. We don’t even need to go into town. Unless you wanna, that is.”

“I ain’t gonna be accountable for this decision,” I said. “It’s unless you wanna. Your town, your sister, du ken?”

“Well,” he said, the word long and drawn out like he was tasting of it. “I don’t.”

“That’s settled, then. Now we’re just wasting daylight.”

We climbed onto the front of the caravan, in the rickety seat padded with moth-eaten quilts sewn by both of our mothers. The steel-banded wheels beneath us swayed and creaked. The horse shook her head, tossing her mane of sand-colored hair about in the wind.

Cale grabbed the cracked leather reins. “Come on, Earnshaw, y’up.”

The gravel and dead leaves crackled beneath the slow-turning wheels. The horse bobbed her head methodically. Off the main road we went and down a narrow mountainside path, pale red dirt and the sheer sloping face of the cliff below, sparkling with ochre. We came to a parting in the thick oak and maple, where the rhododendron and wild roses flourished, and the sky was vast and slate-gray beyond, falling like a cold blanket over the silhouette of the mountains, the distant violet curves like the outlines of slumbering giantesses.

I pulled my hat down over my eyes and looked away from it. It was too pretty, these wildlands, but I knew the dark shadow-places, the matas, the witch-woods, and the druid-cursed raths of the deep forest. This was a land with a beguiling face, but underneath was something sinister and ancient and smoke-whispered. There were demons in the hollows of the trees. It couldn’t be trusted, it couldn’t be loved. And yet I did, I loved it. It was my home and I had always loved it, wicked though it was. Beware the red parts of the forest, boy. Beware the wolf’s beckoning howl. Darning-needle, prick thine eye. Burning poker, stab thine thigh. Darkling, darkling, through the trees, something dreadful calls to thee.

We moved on and a grove of beech trees obscured my view of the mountain vista.

Miles into the far-off sky, I could see the fat, insectoid shape of a warship. It moved like a bloated corpsefly, shiny green exoskeleton reflecting off the sunlit moisture in the clouds.

“Seen more and more of those lately.” I shaded my eyes as I stared upwards. “I can’t tell which direction it’s going.”

“South.” Cale flicked his dead cigarette down into the dirt. “Must be going home. The same direction we’re going. To the Accursed City.”

I wrestled down some deep-bone surge of fear. We don’t speak of the city, the city will hear.

“And how long until then, you think? Till we reach the city.” I took my hands out from inside my gloves and rubbed the sore, cold-dry skin between thumb and forefinger.

Cale leaned back, looking up at the brim of his stockman’s hat. “Three days, may could be, if we don’t stop moving but to sleep and restock the water. The Pilgrimroad goes straight down, through the Redfaines, through the wastelands, following the Bösewicht. It’ll take us right to the foot of the city. Drop us at the front door.” The doctor was quiet for a moment, considering. He patted at the pocket of his chambray shirt where he usually kept his cigarette tin, didn’t find it, and gave up. “You really think you’ll find her there, huh?” he asked. “Seven odd years later.”

“I don’t except to see her just standing at the city gates, waiting for me. But I do expect there’ll be something to find. Someone who remembers her. Someone who might know where she’s gone.” Or, I thought, where she’s buried.

“What I don’t understand,” said Cale, “is why you waited so goddamn long. Sure, we were young when she went missing. And lots of shit’s been dredged up since then, what with Larrington, and your father, and your brother – ” He glanced askew at me, looked sheepish, and cleared his throat. “Anyway. But why only now? You coulda gone after we got out of the trenches at Larrington. You coulda gone after we finished at Kirkwell. You coulda gone in any of those years we spent wandering. But why only now that the emperor’s dead?”

“He was the last thing standing in my way. The last thing keeping me from finding her.”

“But was he? You really think he was responsible, that he did something to her? How could he have, from all the way across the continent? And even then, he ain’t really gone. We’ve got an empress now. And the city – the city still belongs to the duchess. Nothing’s changed.” He had this sad, sympathetic look in his crystal green eyes.

I laughed, because the truth was that I had been afraid of the emperor. Not that I wasn’t afraid of the new empress or the duchess on her blackstone throne. But it seemed to me that now was as good a time as any to go back. If I were to be the prodigal son, here was the hour for my return.

“It’s just time,” I said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with his death. It’s just time to go.”

Cale shook his head at the winding road in front of us. “You’re a strange one, mousekin,” he murmured. “A strange one indeed.”

We rode on, and the meadowlarks cooed down at us from the branches. We were sloping ever downward, down the twisting red path, arcing across the mountain’s face. We began to see quivering fields of cotton and swathes of golden wheat. The cornstalks were dead this time of year, withered husks lining the highway. This was the foothills, and it was near here that we would find Aberforde.

In the early afternoon we came to a crooked signpost in the road. A raven was perched atop the arrow pointing to Aberforde. It blinked at us with eyes of chipped onyx, cocking its head to one side.

“An omen?” Cale wondered aloud.

The bird cawed once, accusatorily.

“Just a bird,” I said.

“It’s never just a bird,” he muttered, and turned the horse to the left, following the raven’s ominous glare.

Aberforde was half a mile down the road and as we approached the outskirts, Cale got fidgety. He took off his hat and smoothed back his sloe-black hair, rubbed at his unshaved chin. “It’s been such a long while,” he said.

“Two years ain’t such a long time.”

“It feels like it though, boy does it,” he muttered. “Sure feels like it.”

We slowed the caravan as we came upon the ridge overlooking the town in the valley below. It made me feel sick to my stomach standing up there and staring down, like I was looking at a dead dog I’d once loved. The town was quiet, the streets seemed mostly empty but for a few farmers carting their goods into market. The rusted bells in the old white chapel were silent. Far to the west side of town, through the marshes and down the causeway, was Cale’s father’s home, a grand black mansion sinking into the mud.

And just behind that mansion, right on the edge of the rye fields, there would be a little ranch house which, generations ago, belonged to an overseer and his family. But just a few years ago it was my family who had lived there, my father who was hofmeister, private tutor to the doctor’s children.

I could just see the misty outline of the manor, like a ship coming in with the fog. A dark house, a haunted house. There were many ghosts that dwelled in those rafters. Through the salt marches and the thick, treacherous muds, it sat a decrepit building, black as the old, rotted wood it was built from. Inside it would be only darker. The corridors creaked, rats scurried behind the faded wallpaper. Years of marsh winds and wet, salty air had weathered it. The walls were distended in places like a pregnant woman’s belly. The floors were cracked and bending, the finish was peeling. The windows were gray and clouded over. There was no electricity in the manor, even though the rest of Aberforde was wired. The halls were lit only by candlelight at night and from far away, it looked like a lighthouse on some ghostly shore.

There would only be a handful of servants in the place, one dour old butler and his wife, a ruddy-cheeked cook. There was a single maid, timid and mute since birth, who tended to the doctor’s wife and daughter.

It was a big house with lots of rooms and very few people to occupy them. It was always quiet, which made it all the easier to hear the ghosts. As I child I found them in all sorts of place, hiding under the massive oaken dining table with its feet like a lion’s, nestled in the dusty sconces of the basement, sleeping in the old graves in the yard, below the weeping willows.

Only my mother had believed me about the ghosts. When I told my father, he laughed and rattled off some lesson on physics and the impracticality of life after death. But they weren’t dead, they were still-living things that slunk through the shadows and sang lullabies in the dark corners. But my father did not believe that, either.

My brother must have believed me, at least a little, because it frightened him. If I annoyed him by talking about it he would shout at me or pinch my arm until I cried. Tycho was older and bigger and I was certainly more afraid of him than of the ghosts. But I could run to the basement to hide from him, because he was too scared to go down there. It was only my mother who ever went down into the basement.

The Montgomery children had not liked my ghost stories, either, though I doubted they believed them. My father was their teacher, after all. Cale was a stout and black-haired child, looking very much like his ursine father. His little sister, Keziah, was slim and fair as their mother.

There was once when I tried to show Cale the ghosts. Towards evening one night we were sitting in the library window, reading by candlelight. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a shape, black-and-burgundy, slinking through the bookshelves. It had horn-like protrusions coming from its shadowy head, like the minotaur in the storybooks my mother read to me. Gooseflesh climbed up my arms as I watched it sneaking through the library. I should have ignored it, but the desire to acknowledge it was like an itch at the back of my throat.

“See it, there?” I had said, talking Cale’s arm.

His green eyes were blank. “What are you talking about, Laertes?”

“There – crawling by the shelves. Don’t you see it?”

“You’re scaring me,” he murmured. “There’s nothing there.”

The creature turned to look at me. Its eyes were like fire.

I looked away. Tears burned in the corners of my eyes and I rubbed them away. Later in the night, cheeks tearstained and eyes puffy, I went down to the basement looking for my mother.

“What’s the matter, little one?” She pulled me into her arms. She leaned her head down so that her auburn curls, the same as my own, fell down over my face like a protective veil.

“Why doesn’t anyone believe me? Why can’t anyone else see them?” I sobbed against her chest.

“Oh, my little Achilles, I don’t know,” she said, rubbing small circles on my back.

“Can you see them, mama?” I whispered.

She was quiet for a long time. “No,” she said. “No, my dear, not anymore. But when I was as small as you, I could. I grew out of it, as I’m sure you will too. But I know they’re there. I believe you. I will always believe you.”

My mother lifted me in her arms, placing me on top of her alchemy table. I looked down at the variety of tools and containers, boiling beakers and clouded bain-maries. It must have all meant something to her, the bluish steam and the burning copper dust, the hot bowls of blood-colored water and the tins of blackish, ground plant material. It looked like a witch’s brew from a storybook, I thought. And perhaps this was why the people in the village hated her, why they called her a witch, why they threw stones.

“Do you know what alchemy really is, my love?” asked Sanna Carmody, nodding down at her table. “Some people will say it’s magic, but that’s not true. It’s only a form of science that is hard to explain. It’s about observing the world around us and using the energies that are imbued in things. Everything is connected by tiny little particles. Things we can’t even see. And yet we know they must be there, like invisible strings tying everything in the world together. So just because there’s something you can’t see or can’t explain, that doesn’t mean it isn’t real, or isn’t there. Never mind what your father may say.” She gave me a knowing wink and a wicked smile.

I smiled, but started to squirm, struggling to understand. “So…are they alchemy, then?”

“Perhaps,” said my mother. “Perhaps they’re the energies that help me perform my alchemy. Or the byproduct of the transmutations I do.”

“That would explain why there are so many in the basement,” I said.

She widened her eyes at this, but nodded. “Oh…yes. I suppose it would. Come with me for a moment. Let me show you something different.”

She led me up the stairs to the ground floor, but we did not stop there. We kept going up, up, up the main, spiraling staircase at the center of the manor, up the servant’s stairs on the fourth floor, through the large, dusty attic with the sewing mannequins and cracked mirrors in the corners and the old, broken furniture. Finally we came to a room I’d never been to in the manor before, a kind of domed observatory at the very top, where there was old stargazing equipment, telescopes and ancient nautical star-charts beneath a glass ceiling. Above us and around us was the night sky, pinpricks of white light on velvet.

My mother had always loved the sky. My father called her his angel, beloved of the stars, for the way she could wander on a clear night and stand in the starlight, pointing up to name each constellation. In the observatory, we looked up together and she whispered of their mythologies, of Orion, the hunter, the swordsman in the sky.

“Do all the stars have names?” I murmured, my eyes glazing over the dusty astronomy books and compasses scattered on a forgotten worktable. One of the Montgomerys, some time ago, must have loved the stars, too.

“I’m sure they do, though I only know some,” she said. “Some people believe that the heavens are a portal into another realm and that every star is the bright eye of a god. But the gods do like to keep their names secret. The patterns of the stars are used in alchemy, you see. So it must be some cosmic force that makes it so. Ghosts or gods or demons, it doesn’t matter. How else could the world have such perfect symmetry in all things? The ground and the skies, all magic, all divine in their roots.”

I thought of how my father had once showed me the tiny patterns on a leaf and how identical they were to the patterns of lightning crashing in the sky, that threading, veined design. I had seen the alchemical symbols, too, and how they were traced on the maps by the astronomers of old.

“It’s impossible to understand,” Sanna Carmody said. “But we can try.”

“How? If it’s impossible?” I asked.

She looked up at the stars with longing. I thought perhaps she wished she was out there, swimming through that dark sea, with the light of the stars to guide her, glowing orbs floating in the blackness, as she rode by on a shooting star.

“Everything has a soul, Laertes. This world, and all the others, and everything and everyone in them, has a soul. That is what connects us with all creatures, with all things. That’s the core of alchemy, of science. And it’s the soul we can’t understand.”

Sometimes, I imagined she made it to the stars, that if I had the ability to look far enough, I’d see her dancing through the rose-tinted constellations, holding hands with Orion, as the stardust fell into her hair.

As I grew older, I did not stop seeing the ghosts. And I felt other things, too, things that had always been there, but men were not meant to acknowledge. It was my goldblood, Cale thought, our ancient alchemical heritage from the gods and heroes of lore. It was like a snake, a horned and dragonish beast, coiled in the pit of me.

Cale touched my arm gently. I reached up and flattened his cowlick.

Then came a rustling in the brush. Hands parted the chokeberry bushes and out she stepped, smile delicate and faltering as the shivering dead leaves in the branches. She drew one finger to her lips and pointed up the path. Wordlessly, like a wandering ghost girl at the edge of the highway, barefoot in her old pink muslin gown, she walked ahead and lead us to a branching path in the road. It was just barely hidden by the shrubbery and clinging kudzu, narrow as a trail worn by the hooves of deer.

“Park that here, behind the trees,” she said softly. “So it’s hidden.”

Cale did as she instructed, directing Earnshaw off the main path and into the cool shadows of the trees. The horse balked slightly at the spindly branches scraping her neck and back, but she obediently moved forward until the entirety of the caravan was veiled by the trees.

We left Earnshaw and the caravan, dismounting and following Keziah Montgomery further into the woods, along a strip of rusted tracks, unused for generations. She stepped blithely, neatly over the winding roots and snatches of snakegrass, as this was a path she had tread many times before. Through the lacey canopy of the trees, a round stone structure became visible. The old Bell Gristmill, a place that had once seemed so terrible and dark to me, now benign and senile in the sunlight.

Keziah stepped around a rusted wheelbarrow and heaps of old grain-grinding equipment. The gristmill rose up like some ancient military fortress, a cathedral in the middle of the forest. But it was just a cylinder of old gray rock, crumbling, sinking in on itself. The entrance was barred by a sheet of scrap metal, which Keziah deftly hefted to the side. She ducked beneath the worm-rotted tinder beams fallen in the doorway and entered the mill. Cale and I followed suit.

Inside, between the jagged edges of broken metal and the sound of rats scurrying through moldy old grain sacks, the ruin was brightly lit, the sun spilling in from above like heavenly light. Keziah found herself a place amongst the weeds and vines, avoiding patches of snakegrass, and spread out an old quilt on the ground. She settled down, cross-legged, and patted the ground beside her.

“Does anyone know you’re here?” Cale asked quickly.

Keziah shook her head, black curls bobbing. “O’course not,” she said.

“Not even mother?” murmured Cale.

Keziah took a deep breath. “If I had told her, she woulda told the doctor. You know that.”

Cale looked disappointed. He kneeled on the ground and embraced his sister, pulling her into his arms. She buried her face in his chest and began to sob, wretched ugly cries punctuated by bouts of sniffling. When she was done with that she leapt to her feet and threw her arms around my neck.

“Oh Laertes, Laertes,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. I loved him so. I’m so sorry…”

Awkwardly, I patted her back.

Recovering quickly, Keziah nestled back onto the quilt and smiled brightly, her cheeks glistening with tears. “Okay, then!” she said, grabbing the picnic basket she had brought with her and unlatching the top. “I brought some good things. Cranberries mama and I canned last week and a loaf of bread we baked this morning. Oh, and here are some tarts, which I bought from the baker. Apple butter, some deer jerky, sausages, and cheese. And this.” She pulled out a brown bottle wrapped in linen and tossed it to me.

Rye whiskey, grown and bottled in Aberforde. She gave me a knowing wink.

Keziah passed around frosted bottles of cider and we sat down to eat. Cale had brought the radio from the caravan and he set it to the one crackly station we got up here, which only ever played spooky, lonesome mountain songs about meeting the devil at the crossroads and drowning your babies in a well.

“I’ll be leaving here soon, too,” Keziah said, licking the sausage grease from her fingers. “I got a job lined up at a hotel down the mountain. Mama’s friend owns the place. I’ll just be changing the sheets, sweeping the floors, that sort of thing. But it’s something. I know mama would like me to leave here. To go anywhere but here.”

“You be careful, though, a’right?” said Cale. “The rest of the world ain’t like Aberforde, where you’re the daughter of the man who owns all the land in sight.”

“I know that,” said Keziah, tucking her knees to her chest. “That’s exactly why the rest of the world is better than Aberforde. No one will know who I am.”

I could understand that sentiment well enough. It was why Cale and I had left, why we’d gone so far. To travel in countries and cities where no one knew our names.

Cale took his sister’s hand and squeezed it. “You’ll do good. Whatever you decide to do, you’ll do just fine.”

They looked so alike, brother and sister, that same raven-black hair, dark and slick as oil, those same verdant green eyes, savage and keen as the eyes of a hunting puma.

Through the static, the radio hummed out a few verses between a hollow-sounding guitar chord, She comes down yellow mountain, on a dark flat land she rides…

“So you’re going into the city?” Keziah asked nervously, her voice lowered to a whisper as if the trees themselves might overhear our conversation. “All the way down south?”

“Aye,” said Cale. “It’s not that far from here, really. But it’s not an easy journey.”

Oh they say she died one winter, when there came a chilling frost…

“And what are you gonna do there?” murmured Keziah, looking anxiously between us.

Cale glanced at me, as if seeking permission to answer. I gave an indifferent shrug.

“Laertes wants to find his mother.” Cale’s voice dropped to a whisper, as well.

Keziah turned her wide-eyed gaze on me. “Is that true, Laertes?”

By the dark of the moon I planted, but there came an early snow…

“Yeah,” I said, and busied myself with wrapping up some of the food and putting it back in the basket.

Cale watched me with wary eyes, watery glaze slipping off me and back to his sister. “He thinks he’ll find clues about what happened to her if we go there. But, o’course, there’s more in the Accursed City than just that…”

“They’re all there, aren’t they?” said Keziah. “All the boys.”

The children I’d once known, yes, the boys I’d loved as a child. They were there, alright, like blurry faces, charcoal smeared with tears. An old photograph, waterlogged and faded to sepia. I couldn’t see their faces. Ghosts without features, expressionless, blank as the rocks run smooth by the river current.

There's been a hoot owl howling outside my window now, for six nights in a row. She's coming for me, I know –

Cale switched off the radio. “We should go,” he said.

“So soon?” Keziah scrambled to her knees, reaching out for Cale’s shoulder as if to forcefully staple him back onto the ground. “But you just got here.”

“We gotta get back on the road if we plan on reaching the bottom of the mountain before midnight,” said Cale.

“Please,” begged Keziah, tears streaming down her cheeks again like the grail overflowing with blood. “Don’t leave me alone here.”

Cale drew her into his arms again, pressing his lips to the top of her head. “You’re a brave girl,” he said. “You’ve been doing it for nineteen years now, plenty of those without me. What’s a few more months, huh?”

She didn’t sob anymore, but the tears didn’t cease altogether, either. She refused to wipe her eyes, but stood pitiful and defiant in the sun-dappled gristmill, snot and salty tears running down her chin. “Take all that with you,” she said, motioning limply at the basket of food. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Thank you, Kez.” Cale took her face and kissed each wet cheek.

By late afternoon, we were on the road again. Keziah stood behind us on the path, watching the caravan rumble away, the horse picking up speed as her hooves trudged up red mud and coppery stones.

“You take care of my brother, Laertes Carmody, you hear me?” Keziah called after us. “He’s mad with love for you, so you watch out for him, and don’t go breaking his heart, or you’ll have me to answer to…!”

I leaned over the side with a grin, waving back at her. “You can count on me! I’ll bring him back in one piece, I swear it! Fare thee well! Grosgot!” I called.

She looked small in the distance, her hands falling from where they’d been cupped around her peach-colored lips. One white arm raised in a final gesture, as if reaching forward, fingers splayed.

I glanced over at Cale, whose face had just the slightest tinge of a flush beneath his hat. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” he muttered.

“What, that you need me to protect you?” I said with a musing, teasing smile. “Or that you’re in love with me?”

He tugged his hat further over his brow. “I should think the answer to that would be plenty obvious.”

I tilted back my head in a laugh, but felt the sound catch in my throat and the unfamiliar, unexpected sting of tears in the corners of my eyes.

We rode on through the afternoon and into the early evening. The road was dotted with old forgotten things, memories and reminders of the dead. We passed old abandoned farm buildings, blanketed by crimped blankets of kudzu. Broken down trucks, so rust-dissolved and overgrown with greenery they’d become part of the landscape. Bikes forgotten in the forest by little boys sent off to war.

Little shrines dotted the path, knee-height stone altars where weathered stone depictions of the gods were perched, surrounded by the relics and offerings of the pilgrims, pale seashells and bent coins and wood carved into the shapes of an ailing arm or leg. And candles, mounds of candlewax, where pilgrims from a decade ago or a week ago had sat for a moment in the dark of the forest path and lit a candle for their chosen deity. Thousands of peaceful, desperate, hopeful moments of prayer and flickering candlelight and the deep, dark forest rising up like a castle wall behind it.

“I’ve seen shrines for every god and saint I can think of along this road,” I murmured. “Except for Silurian.”

“The God of Death doesn’t get a shrine,” said Cale. “Building a shrine, lighting a candle, invites an audience with that entity, right? No one wants an audience with Death.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I might have a few questions for him.”

But I had already seen the God of Death, had met him on a variety of occasions, in fact. And I knew I couldn’t ask questions of him, because he never spoke. Death had no mouth.

When the sun began to set, a fiery globe of liquid gold between the treetops, we took out the picnic basket and ate some more of the sausages and cranberries. I uncorked the bottle of whiskey and took a thirsty sip. It burned raw down my throat, like a gulp of icy, dry air. It made my lips tingle, my cheeks burn. “Want a swig?” I offered the bottle to Cale.

He shook his head. “All yours, mousekin.”

The trees grew thinner and the road seemed to be more level beneath us. The sky above turned to a particular shade of dusty rose as the sun disappeared behind distant violet hills. The bullfrogs began their croaking in the bushes and the cicadas screamed their night-songs.

“There’s the river again,” said Cale, tilting his head to the side. “Hear it? We’re almost down the mountain.”

Soon the moon unmasked her globular red face, dripping with that viscous carmine light. She looked angry, seething like a wound in the sky’s flesh, pulsating and hot.

We came around a bend in the road and passed through the last of the thick forest.

“By the gods,” murmured Cale, staring at the new landscape before us.

We had come to the wastelands. They sprawled like gray, diseased skin across the land. The velvet black of the horizon met nothing but the sickly bluish pallor of desert, the seam broken only by tufts of vile snakegrass. It was a pockmarked, hellish land, populated only by bandit troupes, ragged creatures mutated by the waters of the river, and the wandering, stumbling plague-stricken.

Cale paused a moment, took a deep breath, and reached into the side of his leather satchel. He took up a pouch of tobacco and began rolling himself a cigarette, spreading the blackish leaves onto waxed paper. But he also had a tiny, twisted packet of green powder, some of which he sprinkled over the leaves.

“Mescala,” he said at my curious look. “Figured it was appropriate. I know it’s not as strong as what you’d prefer, but you want some?” He rolled up the cigarette and offered it to me.

I crooked my finger at the half-empty pocket. “I’ll take it straight,” I said. “I hate smoking.”

He handed me the packet and I tipped the contents onto my tongue, knocking it back with a swig of whiskey. It tasted bitter and chalky, the unpalatable consistency and flavor of fine, powdery ash.

Cale lit his cigarette. The smell was more pleasant than the taste, a fragrance of dry earth and spice. The long stream of smoke spilling out from between his lips like a dragon’s breath was a curious green color, swirling against the black sky.

“I must say, doctor, I’m quite surprised you carry stuff like this around.” I smirked at him.

He gave me a wry look. “It has medicinal properties.”

“Mm. I’ll reckon it does.”

“We should ride on a ways, find some shelter, if we can, and turn in for the night,” said Cale.

The wheels of the caravan groaned sharply as we passed from the soft dirt of the mountain path to the coarse, cracked blacktop of the highway. The winding highways, passing through the wastelands like several interlocking serpents, hadn’t been tended to in millennia. The cement existed only in patches like isolated islands, connected by the faint ghosts of painted white lines in places.

We crawled along the highway for an hour or so. “I feel like there ain’t much chance of us finding shelter out here,” I murmured eventually, glaring out at the flat emptiness of the land.

“You’re probably right,” Cale acquiesced. “We can just stop here. But keep your gun close, there are bandits lurking all over the Outerlands.”

We parked the caravan in a roadside ditch where, hopefully, it would be hidden from a distance. After watering the horse and building a fire with the dry kindling we’d brought from the forest, we spread out our bedrolls and settled in for the night.

“Almost there.” Cale gave a heavy sigh and removed his wire-rimmed glasses, folding them and placing them carefully in a leather pouch beside his bedroll. “Just a few days more, and we’ll reach the city.”

“It scares me,” I murmured, “to think about.”

I fell back on my bedroll, pistol tucked neatly beneath my pillow. The sky hung over me like something black and breathing, watching me from above with its single crimson eye, its skin pricked with the silver of stars.

Cale brought out the radio. The signal was slightly better here than in the mountains. The speakers crackled out some melancholy fiddle tune, no words, just the sound of those lonely strings echoing over the mesas and through the ravines.

I slept beneath the moon’s enchanting eye and I dreamed of a witch.

_____________

The witch knew she was to be burned.

In the cold of the wintry forest a cart carrying prisoners of war rumbled up the mountain path. In the back of the cart, this knowledge of her fate kept the witch warm. Even as the snow drifted down to settle on her matted black hair and the numb, freckled skin of her arms, she felt tongues of warmth unraveling deep inside.

Most of the prisoners were like her, starving Ipagachians from destroyed villages, those that were too old, too young, or too rebellious – like herself – to be sold as slaves. Some would be taken to Cattalia to work in the copper mines until their backs gave out, until the sun dried them and the thirst drove them mad.

But they would not enslave the witch, would not put her to work. Because they feared her.

They chained her hands and feet and placed a spiked iron collar around her neck so that she could not move her head, could not fold her hands in prayer. They immobilized her, made her like cattle, a heifer to be taken to market or slaughtered for her tender meat. The pine needles fell in her hair.

Amongst the shivering, huddled grandmothers and squalling babes, there was another prisoner, another woman young and strong as the witch. She was not Ipagachian. By the darkness of her skin and the blue-black color of her hair, cut off at her shoulders, she was Gorgothian. She was chained like the witch. She wore a woolen black cloak with a cowl over her head, hooded and furtive. Even so, as the cart rocked and tilted, the witch caught occasional glimpses of her face beneath the cowl, and saw that her eyes were bound in bloodied cloth, blinded like a martyred angel.

The soldiers whispered about her. She was once a knightess of the old Gorgothian throne, now a rebel and an outlaw. The empress would pay well to have her rid of, and discreetly. She, like the witch, was to be executed today.

The cart rumbled on. The oxen snorted in the cold. One of the children sniffled miserably.

“They will not burn you, I’ll wager,” murmured the witch. She spoke in the language of the Gorgothians, which she knew well. She knew many languages well.

The knightess looked up, though she could not see behind the bandages.

“The Cattalians believe that the alligator blood of Gorgothians is flammable, like gasoline. Like the plague-stricken,” said the witch. “A silly belief. But they fear to set you aflame. Perhaps they will chop off your hands and feet and watch as you crawl about like a wounded animal, until you bleed out in the snow. They will take your head and their general will mount it on his wall. They adore such trophies.”

The knightess said nothing.

The soldiers drew the cart to a stop in the middle of a snowy grotto surrounded by the thickness of pine trees. They were shuffling about, the Cattalian soldiers, smoking and shivering in the cold. They were accustomed to sand, not snow.

They came for the witch, then. They took hold of her iron collar and pulled her to her feet, throwing her out of the cart. The spikes dug into the newly-healed wounds at her throat, opening them, smearing warm blood on her white neck and chest.

A pyre had been erected at the center of the grotto. A cross, like the one on which Jesus was mounted so many eons ago, staked in a pile of rocks and piled high with dry kindling. Christ was but an old god, forgotten by the centuries. No one cared to worship martyrs anymore.

“Undress her,” boomed the general, brown mouth twisted in lecherous glee.

The soldiers took her with their cold leathery hands and stripped the gray rags from her sore, scarred flesh. She stood naked amongst the wolves, but she was not cold, even as the frosty air struck her bare skin. For she was a priestess of the Moon-Mother, and the cold was servant to her whims.

“Get her up there. And bring the lizard down, let her get a taste of what’s to come,” said the general.

Soldiers lifted the witch up onto the rocks. They wrapped her chained wrists around the wooden arms of the cross. They used the collar to lock the back of her neck against it. While these machinations went on, she watched the Gorgothian knightess be led down from the cart and onto the stone ground. She did not lift her head as they walked her towards the center, as they braced her shoulders, made her stand to face the pyre.

Some of the prisoners in the cart murmured amongst themselves. Some, who had seen this all before, were silent and stone-eyed.

A soldier poured a bucket of pinesap over the witch’s head, drenching her white skin with it. Her hair clung in black sticky ropes to her chest. It felt like the birth viscera of some old, fishy beast’s belly, as if she’d just been born and entered the arid, cold world, yet to shed her caul.

“Witch!” shouted the general, his words carried on the winter wind. “You are accused of the practice of devilry and sorcery and the murder of seventeen Cattalian soldiers with your blasphemous magicks. How do you plead?”

“Guilty,” she whispered, her lips sticky with black tar.

“You admit to the murders and your knowledge of forbidden arcane arts?” he said.

Gooseflesh patterned her arms. The forest watched her amiably. “I admit to protecting my village when you raped my woman and slaughtered my children,” she murmured, voice heavy with the gravelly acid of fury.

The general had to step closer, lean in, just to hear her words.

“I admit to practicing the earth-magicks of my goddess in my divinely ordained right as a priestess of Kubaba…” she said.

“A false idol,” spat the general. “Under Nefehotep and Ishtal, the Blessed Son, worship of any other deity is strictly forbidden. This is written in the Code of the Cattalian Union, a law under which you are now bound. As has been decreed by God-King Kronos of House Naamunqar himself.”

“Kronos is not my king,” spat the witch. Her blood ran hot with her righteous anger. She felt as if she was glowing, the gleam of her goldblood shining through her translucent, crystal skin.

“That is heresy,” said the general, with eyes narrowed. “The lands of Ipagachi and all its peoples are now under the rule of God-King Kronos. You will give respect to his glorious name.”

“And if I do not? What will you do, burn me at the stake?” she whispered, and let out a hoarse laugh.

The general was becoming frustrated. “Light the fire,” he snapped. “Burn the witch.”

She looked outward as they stepped forward, the soldiers with their pitch torches, that black and acrid stench of burning pine smoke. They placed the orange flames at the edge of the kindling. It sizzled and popped.

In the grotto, the knightess was looking upward, towards the witch on the pyre. She could not see, not with those blood-stained bandages across her eyes, the wounds underneath. Even so, the witch felt her eyes.

“This witch is found guilty of crimes against the Cattalian Union, and the sentence is death,” growled the general. “Have you any last words?”

“I curse you,” she seethed, a smile wolfish and sharp-toothed peeling from her lips. The fire burned towards her, tickling the tips of her bare toes. “I curse your country and all its people. Your crops will be devoured by locust swarms, your water turn to blood, your women bear the grotesque children of demonkind. By my goldblood and by the Horned God Anaktoron, I curse you all!”

“Hurry up! Get more wood on that fire!” shouted the enraged general.

She felt the hairs on her legs singeing, the blisters forming. “And by my right as priestess of Kubaba, the Moon-Mother, I curse your king! I curse Kronos to die by the hand of one he loves and to be forever damned to the hellfire of Sheol-and-Abaddon! He will fall, as your beloved Ozymandias once did, and on that day, one of my people will stand over his mangled corpse and laugh!”

She could smell the burning of her own skin and hair. It was a sweet, singing pain.

“Silence the hellcat! Get more pitch on that fire!” crowed the general, red-faced.

Another bucket of pinesap was tossed onto the wood, bursting into tongues of flames. She screamed as it burned and her scream became a laugh, cackling and hellish, the cry of the wounded tiger.

I have played your game long enough, she thought.

The witch clenched her red, blistering fingers into fists, and her goldblood burned. There was a song in her, somewhere deep, far beyond the whispering taiga, and when she closed her eyes she heard the drumbeats of an ancient jungle, of blackstone and lost pyramids. She saw a pair of eyes, prismatic blue and ice.

The chains on her wrists and ankles crumbled to ash. The fire took them as if the metal were little more than sawdust, dissipating on the wind. The collar around her neck snapped open. The flames hit her blood and it turned to steam.

Through the smoke, the soldiers saw what was happening and they stepped back in horror, cowering. They watched the witch and her outstretched arm, covered in blood and burning pitch, and the long gray fingers that pointed to the Gorgothian knightess. Her chains and shackles, too, came undone.

The witch flicked her wrist. The general’s rifle was torn from his hands by invisible fingers and thrown into those of the knightess, stolen and swept away as if by the wind itself.

The outlaw knightess hesitated, feeling the hot steel between her palms. And then she reached up and tore the bandage from her eyes. They were eyes like portals, pink and silver starlight, and they were unharmed; a horrid, bloody gash ran down one eyebrow, over the bridge of her nose, and under her right eye-socket. But she was not blind. Oh no, far from it.

The knightess fired on the soldiers. They took up their own arms, but they were terrified. Terrified of the witch on the cross.

Her flesh aflame, the witch ran. She had no desire to stay behind and see how the gun battle played out. She ran into the forest, naked and in pain, and the pine needles stuck to the tar on the bottom of her blackened feet.

Because though she was a witch, she was still human. And she could be wounded. And she could die. The smoke in her lungs slowed her, made her cough and tremble and fall into the snow. She heaved and blood and black soot spewed from her lips. But she stood again, on the open blisters of her feet, and she ran again.

They would speak of her in the Cattalian camps. Of the witch, the tigress who escaped, who hunted in the woods, stalked them and carved out their livers for supper, drank their blood from their skulls.

When the moon came out, she collapsed in the light of her goddess. And she felt the cold of the snow beneath her. Her magic was fading, her goldblood cooling. She could make poultices for the wounds, draughts to ward off infection, she knew how – but she was too weak to even move. Her body ached and trembled.

And then there was a shadow over her. She had not heard the footsteps, the crackling of the pine branches.

“I followed your tracks,” said the knightess. “As the Cattalians will do, if you do not leave this place.”

The witch did not respond. Her lips were burnt and her throat was too dry to make a sound. Her head rested in a pile of pine needles.

“You did not need to save me,” said the knightess, kneeling before the dying girl. “You could have just as easily escaped and left me behind. So why? Did your goddess tell you to do it?”

The witch lifted one hand towards the moon; it fell and landed on the other woman’s knee. “So there will be…someone to remember my name…”

“What is your name?”

“Keda,” she said, her lips barely moving, “Mura’sada.”

“Keda Mura’sada,” repeated the knightess with a stiff nod. “I will remember.”

The knightess put down her weapon and pushed back the cowl from her head. She lifted her wrist to her mouth and bit down, tearing at the skin until it bled freely. With one hand she supported the witch’s head as she fed her, poured her goldblood across her lips.

To Keda it tasted sweet as honey. She moaned with the warmth that flowed through her chest, grasping for the arm, for that supple, life-giving flesh. Like drinking at a mother’s breast. Her body stung with a new pain, a gentle pulling, vibrating of the skin as her wounds, ever so slowly, began the healing process. Skin reweaving itself, sewn at the edges, regenerating. It tingled, effervescent, and boiled from her lips in a hot breath.

“It is not much,” said the knightess, panting as the life pulsed out from her, dragged on her heart muscles. “But it is all I can offer.”

The witch let go, desperately, falling back into the snow. She rolled onto her back facing up at the moon, blood glistening around her mouth.

The knightess stood, taking up her weapon. “Sunkawa Vorgas,” she said. “Remember my name, too.”

At the edge of the forest, she paused – looked back – hesitated.

And the witch laughed at the moon’s face.

#my odyssey #i'm sorry this is so long lol #also the story itself has been edited but i have no gone over it for grammar and syntax too much #that will be done when i finish this full draft #but please tell me what you think!!!!!

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todaybharatnews · 4 years ago

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via Today Bharat WhatsApp forwards have hailed the curative properties of rasam, while brands are releasing products with the ‘immunity’ tag — but experts doubt their promises. In recent human memory, there’s never been more of a reason to stay healthy. The coronavirus pandemic has forced the world to reckon with what it means to be ‘vulnerable’ to a virus that manifests itself as a mild cold in some and a deadly disease in so many others. People believe that a strong immune response can be crucial to that distinction (even if it isn’t) — between March and July, Google searches for ‘immunity-boosting’ foods spiked in India, as the number of COVID-19 cases in the country and around the world grew. The search for ways to ‘boost’ immunity has led many to their kitchen cupboards and grocery store aisles, as rumours, WhatsApp forwards and newly-tweaked branding offer promises of a one-size-fits-all path to build immunity. However, they may be searching for a silver bullet that doesn’t exist. Drinking certain concoctions as a preventative measure, or simply to make you feel better when you have a cold, isn’t new to many Indian households. Haldi doodh (turmeric milk) has been exported to the west as a “golden latte” and kabasura kudineer, an herbal drink, has been promoted by the Tamil Nadu government in recent months. But fear and anxiety around COVID-19 has pushed people to seek protection in the form of familiar foods and spices. WhatsApp forwards have hailed the curative properties of rasam, while brands are releasing products with the ‘immunity’ tag, including cooking oils, chicken and ice creams made with turmeric, ginger and tulsi. Here immunity, There immunity, Everywhere immunity! pic.twitter.com/hjrHNQOtCc — Karthik (@beastoftraal) August 1, 2020 “How many of the immunity boosters in the marketplace actually do anything at all? And the short answer is none of them have provided any real evidence that they boost immunity,” said Dr Satyajit Rath, an immunologist with the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune. In one sense, these are just placebos, he said. But on the other hand, “I’m unhappy because that feel-good boost is based on an erroneous understanding of immunity.” Immunity is the body's response to foreign entrants seen as a threat, including bacteria, viruses, allergens and more. The immune system recognises particles called antigens as foreign, and reacts to them. However, the messaging around ‘immunity boosting’ products would lead you to believe that there is a simplistic and homogenous path to strengthening it. That, however, isn’t the case. Dr Satyajit Rath explained, “So the simplest interpretation of the idea of boosting immunity is that you make it much easier for these responses to happen. Now when you make it much easier for these responses to happen, the likelihood that they will happen, even when there is no trigger, goes up. And all these immune responses, while they do help the body in limiting microbial growth, they also cause tissue damage. Every time we have an immune response to, say, a zit, is an immune response to bacteria. And it is the immune response that is causing the inflammation. So you boost immunity and you’re as likely to cause inflammation as you are to help in limiting microbial infections.” “Boosting immunity makes it sound as though immunity is one thing. But it isn’t. It is a number of different responses that are sometimes useful and sometimes not so useful, depending on what the microbe is. An immune response that would be useful to limiting one virus may not limit a bacterial infection, for example,” Dr Satyajit Rath said. “So what exactly are the immunity boosters boosting? The whole notion only makes sense if immunity was one thing,” he said. Many of these new products rely on age-old ideas, but they can also lead to misconceptions around the idea of immunity. The official Twitter account of the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) tweeted a video in July to dispel some of the myths around food and COVID-19, such as ”Eating foods like garlic, bitter gourd, lemon or turmeric prevents or treats COVID-19.” “All these foods have antioxidant properties and they boost immunity but there is no evidence as of now that they prevent or treat COVID-19,” Dr Neha Bakshi, an assistant professor at the Department of Food Nutrition at Lady Irwin College, says in the video. The FSSAI also warns against excessive consumption of certain spices which could have adverse effects on the body. Brands and their ‘immunity-line’ Countries around the world are discussing new ways to keep safe amidst the virus until a vaccine is available, but in India, the idea of immunity often lies in traditional customs. Nidhi Sinha, head of content at Mintel India Consumer, which tracks consumer and marketplace patterns in India, said that since the pandemic started, there has been a surge in people looking for “immunity-distinct” products. And brands are happy to comply. Amul has launched an entire ‘immunity’ line, with star anise doodh, haldi ice cream and its “immuno chakra” ice cream with turmeric, ginger and tulsi. Mother Dairy also launched its own turmeric milk packs, ITC has a line of immunity juices, and Dabur’s Chyawanprash has recorded a high growth in sales. Even pre-existing products are being repurposed with an ‘immunity’ angle, such as water purifiers and tea brands. Familiarity and a sense of comfort is important to that messaging, Nidhi said. These brands aren’t introducing new elements to the consumers life, but rather taking traditions and customs that are known, and offering them in a different format. Dr A Sundaravalli, the head of department for Home Science at Mount Carmel College and convenor of the Nutrition Society of India for the Bengaluru Chapter, notes that using these ingredients in home remedies is not new, but the pandemic has changed the perception of them. “These foods which were in our tradition have come to the limelight. We have started giving them more importance because of COVID-19.” When her child was young, she would give him a concoction of karpuravalli leaves, cinnamon, cloves and salt as a preventative measure at the onset of a cough or cold. “Most of them, I could prevent from going to the doctor. Most of the time, not always.” While home remedies were always considered preventative measures, fear and hype may have pressed people into thinking of them as something more. “The fear factor should go from us,” she said. “Everything should be taken in moderation.”

#IFTTT #Today Bharat

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drink-n-watch · 6 years ago

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Zwischenzug

: An “in between move”, where a player, instead of playing the expected move, first inserts a move which the opponent must answer, before making the expected move..

I finished episode 11 of The Promised Neverland about 12 minutes ago It’s taken me this long to start writing the post because I had to sort through the unreasonable amount of screencaps I took. It’s like I wanted to hold onto the moment. I was anxious, scared, angry and then… But I guess I’m getting ahead of myself.

First once again, all my thanks to Crow for agreeing to take this strange and powerful trip with me. This is a series I’m sure glad I had a friend to watch with! A BOLD friend at that! I always have a mix of dread and excitement when Thursday comes around as you never quite know what The Promised Neverland will put you through next, but I always love talking it over with Crow.

The feeling’s mutual! Even more than usual, I was dying to read what you’d come up with for this episode! It’s no exaggeration to say that I spent half the episode with my jaw hanging open. I’m pretty sure my cat’s questioning my sanity!

I’ll be bold… but you already told everyone that! So let’s see where this leads!

this episode was entirely dark blue or blazing orange yellow. The rare full colour scenes really stood out

It’s been a tough couple of months for Emma and Ray but this week was a non nonsense, take no prisoners, leap forward in the narrative.

First we got the confirmation that neither Ray nor Emma had given up or changed their plans in any way after Norman’s…*departure*. Did you have any doubts Crow?

After the end of the the last episode? No. I trusted completely in Emma and Ray’s resolve. Looking back, though, I realize that I gave them too little credit. And I’d given them a lot!

yeah!

I liked how they used Ray’s tactical recap and explanation to Emma as a nice little cover to bring the audience all back on the same page before the final sequence begins. Once again we are truly reminded who Ray is and why he is such a great character. Ray has been planning this escape for years. And it was always meant for someone other than him. Once again, he calmly tries to talk some reason into Emma, but he gives up quickly. He does love her and his siblings, he just wants what’s truly best in a difficult situation.

We also get a glimpse of the petty childish Ray. Of the kid who’s been living in fear and oppression his entire life. Who’s buried countless brothers and sisters in his heart and carried it all by himself. The child who had to grow up way too fast so he held onto his resentment until the bitter end. Even his paltry lashing out is tactical and carefully planned!

we wouldn’t dare!

Ray who is lazy and uninterested in studies. Worked, studied and exercised all his life just so he could get this moment of tiny vengeance. Just so he could buy himself more time to plan out his siblings’ escape. It was simultaneously naive, silly and grand!

Seeing Ray’s will crushed by hopelessness put me in mind of Denethor, Steward of Gondor, broken by despair yet still powerful among mortals, as he stood in Rath Dínen, Faramir dying of fever behind him, and said, “‘Better to burn sooner than late, for burn we must. … And I? I will go now to my pyre. To my pyre! No tomb for Denethor and Faramir. No tomb! No long slow sleep of death embalmed. We will burn like heathen kings before ever a ship sailed hither from the West. The West has failed. Go back and burn!’

Yeah, last week I compared The Promised Neverland to Dune. This week, I’m comparing it to Tolkien’s The Return of the King. I really don’t have any higher praise to offer! Don’t forget Buffy! We did Buffy as well!!! Excellent point! Buffy for Emma, Lord of the Rings for Ray, and Dune for Norman. Solid combination!

wait…no…

I was devastated for Emma here. Watchin Ray stoically readying to sacrifice himself for the greater good, after giving her a picture of herself and Norman. How many friends does she have to lose? What was your read on it, Crow?

It was only in retrospect that I was able to think enough to realize what I was feeling. I realized I was saying “No no no no no” on Emma’s behalf, for exactly the reason you just said. She’s suffered enough; she can’t witness one of her best friends burn right in front of her!

And she acted just as Emma would act. But we didn’t know until later. This show…

Emma, I…I don’t know what to say…

It’s night time at the farm, we see Mother watching over the little ones before going to bed herself. We once again see the smallest child and I’m reminded how much she looks like Emma. I figure there aren’t that many breeders out there, maybe this kid is genetically related to Emma. The children all look rather different but a few could be blood siblings. Not that it changes anything but it still makes me wonder.

And she was so gentle to the kids! Just as a mother should be! Talk about feeling conflicted! Me, that is. She seemed completely at peace!

So the clock chimes in midnight and Ray bids his final goodbye as the orphanage is set ablaze. A devastated Emma is screaming her guts out for Mom who comes rushing in. Just as Ray had planned, she sends the children out while she tries to figure out a way to salvage Ray’s brain. Se yells for Emma to get out as well but Emma i already gone. What did you think of this scene Crow?

This is another scene that I can talk about only in retrospect. In that moment, all I could hear was Emma’s agonized scream. All I could see were the flames. Yet when Isabella turned to tell Emma to evacuate as well and Emma wasn’t there — that’s when I started to become aware of myself again. There was hope! There was yet some plan that I didn’t know. I hoped something would be all right, because right then, things looked really dark.

RRAAAYYYYY!!!!

Like you my brain was too engrossed in the moment to properly think. I sort of thought something was odd. It’s unlike Emma maybe or…something was off. I was morbidly staring at the screen fascinated and disgusted. But something felt uncanny. Obviously there’s more to the story. They can’t just kill all the kids here (although, respect if they have the guts for that downer!).

Respect, yes! But everlasting fury…

Well, maybe not everlasting, but I’d be quite cross for days.

I couldn’t put my finger on it right away. Mom’s tracking device showed Ray in the fire and Emma just around the corner but no one was there. Of course Mom soon found Emma’s ear in a bucket. But why do that, they have the device to disable the emitters. Why bother???

Talk about guts! Emma’s a kid! And yet driven by need, following a plan we only dimly perceived at the time, she freaking sliced off her own ear!

who cares about one ear – you have two!

When a smiling Emma reached the kids, short one ear, I felt the edges of my mouth strain a little from smiling. Of course, and then I saw Ray flabbergasted. For his plan to work, Mom had to believe he was in that fire, his emitter had to keep sending a signal from right there. Emma could probably have disabled hers but we are also reminded that who Emma is. She wouldn’t let a friend suffer alone and she would not hesitate to lose an ear to buy them a few extra seconds. And then the clock chimed midnight. I loved that audio cue for the flashback transition!

Even more, if Isabella saw a tracker disabled, she’d know instantly that they were escaping. Now, she had to spend the time to find the ear — minutes only, but precious minutes!

we didn’t see you much but good job Gilda!

Emma was at her most Emmaest this week. Catching the match mid flight with a quippy line at that. Calmly explaining to Ray that neither he, nor anyone else was getting left behind. Emma was a paragon of joyful strength and indomable hope. Even cynics like Ray and me couldn’t help but believe! I like this Emma!

“Emmaest?” I love that! She was definitely in Momma Bear mode.

Of course Ray was shaken, but a nice sharp slap brought him to his senses and then we got one of the best lines I’ve ever heard in response to a death seeker: Norman’s final message for Ray: – “You can die anywhere, it doesn’t have to be here. I’ll show you something cool so shut up and come with me!”

Remember in our last review when you said “Why do I ever doubt this kid?” No lie — that’s the first thing I thought of.

look how focused they are!

This is when The Promised Neverland played a particularly dirty trick by reminding us how awesome Norman is. Ray is strategic and determined. He learned and probably knows more than any of them. Emma is quick witted and flexible, she can adjust to any situation and seize it up in an instant. But the smartest had to be Norman. He had seen right through Ray months ago and just like I thought, he left something: Answers to most of my questions!!! I miss you Norman!!!

Norman is a genius, even compared to Ray. Not only that, he didn’t despair. Even after learning of the cliffs, even after foreseeing that he had to go to the gate to buy them time, he stayed in the game, thinking of their next moves, staying ahead of all of them. That’s what heroes do!

So we learn that not only had Norman figured out pretty much exactly what Ray was planning, but also how to play off that to make their escape plan work. We found out the kids DID KNOW the secret of the house and that’s why they were so incredibly sad to see Norman go. And he knew that they knew so… way to play it cool!

Remember back in episode 6 when you pointed out Emma, Norman, and Ray’s hubris for keeping the secret from Don and Gilda? Looks like the writers agreed with you! Finding out the other kids were in on the secret was an amazing moment!

and then?

Yay me! Norman left Emma some pretty detailed instructions, including faking her depression and staying away from Ray which allowed her to get everything ready completely under the radar. He even showed us what was in Krone’s box. A key (it looked exactly like Isabella’s, but I wonder whether it might unlock the side room Norman was led into) and a scalpel pen. She did find it in the hospital after all.

I have to say, Norman’s god-like intellect is straining credulity here. I was left as slacked jawed as Ray but I also didn’t care. I was happy to see him again, even if it was just a memory.

In the words of the immortal Miles Lane, “I’ll allow it!”

So the kids make i to the wall. We get a nice scene of Emma feeling Norman’s presence at her side and then I was sobbing a bit too much so I went to get some water which somehow ended up being wine…

Samuel Adams for me. Purely medicinal.

how?

All along, Ray is still in shock. And in this shock he suddenly notices that someone is missing.

PHIL!!!!! Was I right, wrong? Did he stay with Mom out of loyalty? Did Emma not notice him missing, cause you know she wouldn’t have left him behind no matter what…. What is going on here Crow? I miss Norman and I want Ray to be o.k. and I’m so proud of Emma!

Emma ruled this episode.

Of all of the astonishing moments in this episode, the instant that Ray realized someone was missing was probably the most impactful. My guard went up instantly when Ray asked who wasn’t there. Then we see Isabella maniacally deciding she would save her children, and just as she’s about to dash off, there’s little Phil. Grabbing her skirt. Effectively pinning her in place.

And my mind immediately went back to The Lord of the Rings, when Sam faced Shelob in Cirith Ungol, alone except for the still figure of Frodo. Armed only with a tiny sword, Elvish thought it may have been, against an ancient and dreadful power.

How much time can Phil buy for them? And at what cost?

I don’t know!?!

And how can there only be one episode left??? We just barely got out of the orphanage!

I’m half afraid to look forward to next week! Okay, more like 3/4s afraid…

For all the anxiety and grief his show has put me through, this episode left me with cold, raw and sharp hope. I’ve rarely felt this aggressively optimistic! And yeah, I’m scared too!

The Promised Neverland Episode 1

The Promised Neverland Episode 2

The Promised Neverland Episode 3

The Promised Neverland Episode 4

The Promised Neverland Episode 5

The Promised Neverland Episode 6

The Promised Neverland Episode 7

The Promised Neverland Episode 8

The Promised Neverland Episode 9

The Promised Neverland Episode 10

You know how I start taking unreasonable amounts of screenshots when I get really wrapped into a story?

The Promised Neverland Episode 11 – Zwischenzug Zwischenzug : An "in between move", where a player, instead of playing the expected move, first inserts a move which the opponent must answer, before making the expected move..

#action #anime #Collab #drama #episodic #Promised Neverland #suspense #wow

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erickmalpicaflores · 6 years ago

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Erik Malpica Flores Erik Malpica Flores recommends: The CW Teasers: THE FLASH Celebrates 100 Episodes, SUPERNATURAL’s Sam and Dean Join Forces With an Unexpected Ally and More |

What’s coming to the CW the week of December 2? THE FLASH will celebrate 100 episodes, the Winchester brothers will join forces with an unexpected ally on SUPERNATURAL, Lizzie and Josie celebrate their Sweet 16 on LEGACIES and more.

Sunday, December 2

SUPERGIRL 4.08 “Bunker Hill”: Nia (Nicole Maines) has a powerful dream about Agent Liberty (Sam Witwer) but refuses to look at it as a prophetic dream and pushes it aside. After noticing something is bothering Nia, Kara (Melissa Benoist) enlists Brainy’s (Jesse Rath) help, and the two try to persuade Nia to embrace her destiny. Meanwhile, Manchester Black (guest star David Ajala) pays Ben Lockwood a menacing visit. Kevin Smith directed the episode written by Rob Wright & Eric Carrasco.

CHARMED 1.08 “Bug A Boo”: While on the hunt for Jada (guest star Aleyse Shannon), Mel (Melonie Diaz) scours The Book of Shadows as Harry (Rupert Evans) and Charity (guest star Virginia Williams) cross reference them to find any clues that might lead them to this new demon. As if that isn’t enough, they discover that there is a Changeling Demon on the loose that puts one of the sisters in danger. Elsewhere, Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) signs up for a job helping to market a new dating app which could land her a summer internship. Macy (Madeleine Mantock) decides to go outside her comfort zone after a little encouragement from Maggie. Meanwhile, Mel is given a task by The Elders that she was not expecting. Ser’Darius Blain and Nick Hargrove also star. Vanessa Parise directed the episode written by Zoe Marshall.

Monday, December 3

ARROW 7.08 “Unmasked”: Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) stands by her recent decisions regarding her family. Meanwhile, Diggle (David Ramsey) and Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) continue to look into the Dante painting that Curtis (Echo Kellum) found. Alexandra La Roche directed the episode written by Oscar Balderrama & Beth Schwartz.

DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW 4.07 “Hell No, Dolly!”: With Rory (Dominic Purcell) and Ava (Jes Macallan) at odds, Sara (Caity Lotz) tries to come up with a way for them to get along, but all is put on hold when a new magical creature attacks the Legends. Constantine (Matt Ryan) is forced to confront his tragic past but it could have devastating consequences for the rest of the team. Meanwhile, Mona (Ramona Young) has a crush on someone she works with and gets some advice from Nate (Nick Zano). Brandon Routh, Tala Ashe, Maisie Richardson- Sellers also star. April Mullen directed the episode written by Grainne Godfree & Morgan Faust wrote the episode.

Tuesday, December 4

THE FLASH 5.08 “What’s Past is Prologue”: In the 100th episode, Barry (Grant Gustin) and Team Flash come up with a plan to stop Cicada (Chris Klein). However, the plan calls for Barry and Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) to travel back in time to gather some key necessities. However, Barry hesitates, concerned about his daughter seeing certain parts of his life. Meanwhile, Sherloque (Tom Cavanagh) takes his concerns about Nora to Iris (Candice Patton), and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) turns up a key asset in the fight against Cicada. Tom Cavanagh directed the episode written by Todd Helbing & Lauren Certo.

Wednesday, December 5

RIVERDALE 3.07 “Chapter Forty-Two: The Man in Black”: Fearful that he will be caught, Archie (KJ Apa) hits the road and ends up at a farm outside Riverdale, where he meets Laurie Lake (guest star Riley Keough). Meanwhile, after Alice (Madchen Amick) takes extreme measures to ensure Betty’s (Lili Reinhart) safety from the Gargoyle King, Betty finds herself up against a formidable foe from her past. Finally, after learning that La Bonne Nuit is in trouble, Veronica (Camila Mendes) makes a risky business decision that could cost her everything. Cole Sprouse, Marisol Nichols, Mark Consuelos and Charles Melton also star. Alex Pillai directed the episode written by Janine Salinas Schoenberg.

ALL AMERICAN 107 “California Love”: At an explosive homecoming dance, friendships in both Crenshaw and Beverly will be put to the test when decisions made by Spencer (Daniel Ezra) trigger an avalanche that drastically changes the course of several lives. Meanwhile, Billy (Taye Diggs) finds himself forced to spend some quality time with Grace (Karimah Westbrook) and defend his decision to marry outside of the culture. Meanwhile, Coop (Bre-Z) realizes that getting Shawn out of gang life may come at a steep price for her. Cody Christian, Monet Mazur, Greta Onieogou, Michael Evans Behling, Samantha Logan and Jalyn Hall also star. The episode was written by Nkechi Carroll and Michael Bhim and was directed by Don Wilkenson.

Thursday, December 6

SUPERNATURAL 14.08 “Byzantium”: When Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) join forces with an unexpected ally, the outcome will alter the course of two lives. Meanwhile, Heaven faces an attack from a dark force, driving Castiel to make an enormous sacrifice to make things right. The episode was directed by Eduardo Sanchez and written by Meredith Glynn.

LEGACIES 1.06 “Mombie Dearest”: As Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) and Josie (Kaylee Bryant) prepare for their long awaited sweet sixteen party, Alaric (Matthew Davis) finds himself preoccupied with the latest supernatural arrival – one that hits a little too close to home. Elsewhere, Penelope’s (guest star Lulu Antariksa) latest plan gives MG (Quincy Fouse) one last shot at impressing Lizzie on her big day, while an unexpected betrayal causes tensions to boil over between Hope (Danielle Rose Russell) and Rafael (Peyton Alex Smith). Geoff Shotz directed the episode written by Marguerite MacIntyre.

Friday, December 7

DYNASTY 2.08 “A Real Instinct for the Jugular”: Fallon (Elizabeth Gillies) recruits her mother’s help with wedding planning, only to realize that Alexis (Nicollette Sheridan) may have ulterior motives. Desperately missing Steven (James Mackay), Sam (Rafael de la Fuente) develops a complicated relationship with a member of the Carrington staff. Culhane (Robert Christopher Riley) discovers his dark side as he ventures into a new business partnership. Grant Show, Ana Brenda Contreras, Maddison Brown, Sam Adegoke and Alan Dale also star. David M. Israel and Francisca X. Hu wrote the episode, which was directed by Matt Earl Beesley.

CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND 4.08 “I’m Not The Person I Used To Be”: Greg (Skylar Astin) returns to West Covina, which forces Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) to question things she thought she knew about people she has loved in her life. Meanwhile, Valencia (Gabrielle Ruiz) and Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III) make some shocking discoveries while at their high school reunion. Vella Lovell, Pete Gardner, Donna Lynne Champlin and Scott Michael Foster also star. Rene Gube wrote the episode, directed by Stuart McDonald.

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aion-rsa · 8 years ago

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DC Comics’ July 2017 Solicitations

DC Comics has released solicitation information and images for new comics and products shipping in July 2017. When you’re through checking out these solicitations for new releases, be sure to visit CBR’s DC Comics forum, Batman forum, Superman forum or Wonder Woman forum to discuss these titles and products with fellow readers and fans.

DC Comics 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

DARK DAYS: THE CASTING #1

Written by SCOTT SNYDER and JAMES TYNION IV

Art by JIM LEE, ANDY KUBERT, JOHN ROMITA JR. and others

Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS

Variant cover by ANDY KUBERT

Variant cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.

The Joker’s surprise attack threatens to lay waste to all of Batman’s carefully laid plans. Will the Dark Knight be able to regain the trust of his closest allies, Green Lantern and Duke, and prevent the forces of darkness from consuming the DC Universe?! Will Hawkman’s warning stop our heroes from peering into the abyss?

The great comics event of summer 2017 is on its way, courtesy of superstar writers Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV with art by a master class of comics artists: Andy Kubert, Jim Lee and John Romita Jr.!

ONE-SHOT • On sale JULY 12 • 40 pg, FC, card-stock cover, $4.99 US • RATED T+

ACTION COMICS #983

Written by DAN JURGENS

Art by VIKTOR BOGDANOVIC and JONATHAN GLAPION

Cover by CLAY MANN

Variant cover by GARY FRANK

“REVENGE” part one! A beaten and battered Superman can barely hold his own against the revenge squad of his greatest foes—but hope rushes from the horizon as the Superman family arrives!

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

ACTION COMICS #984

Written by DAN JURGENS

Art by VIKTOR BOGDANOVIC and JONATHAN GLAPION

Cover by CLAY MANN

Variant cover by GARY FRANK

“REVENGE” part two! A battle of titanic proportions rages through Superman’s arctic fortress as General Zod reveals his ultimate plan by accessing the Phantom Zone. Superman’s family’s lives hang in the balance as “Revenge” concludes.

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

ALL STAR BATMAN #12

Written by SCOTT SNYDER

Art by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE and SEBASTIAN FIUMARA

Cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE

Variant cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE

Variant cover by SEBASTIAN FIUMARA

“THE FIRST ALLY” part three! When Batman discovers the truth about the man under the Nemesis mask, it could change everything between him and Alfred forever.

On sale JULY 12 • 40 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T

AQUAMAN #26

Written by DAN ABNETT

Art and cover by STJEPAN SEJIC

Variant cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON

“UNDERWORLD” part two! Enraged by rumors of Arthur’s survival in the slums of Atlantis, the ruthless King Rath orders the use of ancient Atlantean techno-magic to track down the Aquaman at all costs! But the ex-king Arthur can’t hide for long when his fate collides with that of a mysterious young woman on the run from Rath’s own secret police. Her name: Dolphin.

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC • $3.99 US • EACH RATED T

BATGIRL #13

Written by HOPE LARSON

Art by CHRIS WILDGOOSE

Cover by DAN MORA

Variant cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON

“BATS AND CATS”! When an innocent bystander close to Batgirl’s heart gets caught in between a feud between herself and Catwoman, what started as just another case could become direly important.

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

BATGIRL AND THE BIRDS OF PREY #12

Written by JULIE BENSON and SHAWNA BENSON

Art by ROGE ANTONIO

Cover by YANICK PAQUETTE

Variant cover by KAMOME SHIRAHAMA

“SOURCE CODE” part two! Oracle crossed half the criminal underworld in his early years—and now, he’s caused a black cat to cross the Birds of Prey’s path! Catwoman’s been waiting for a chance to get her claws on this guy for a while…but at this point, do the Birds even want to stand in her way?

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

BATMAN BEYOND #10

Written by DAN JURGENS

Art and cover by BERNARD CHANG

Variant cover by MARTIN ANSIN

“RISE OF THE DEMON” part five! Just as Bruce Wayne had feared, the experimental new Bat-suit has altered Terry’s mental state and turned him into a colder, deadlier Batman. Trapped in the lair of Ra’s al Ghul and surrounded by the League of Assassins, the suit may be the only thing that allows Terry and Bruce to survive. But at what price?

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

BATMAN #26

Written by TOM KING

Art and cover by MIKEL JANIN

Variant cover by TIM SALE

“THE WAR OF JOKES AND RIDDLES” part two! The Riddler and The Joker escalate their bloody feud, and the villains of Gotham City are forced to choose sides or be caught in the crossfire! It’s up to Batman to push himself to the limit and keep innocent citizens out of harm’s way.

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

BATMAN #27

Written by TOM KING

Art and cover by DAVIDE GIANFELICE

Variant covers by TIM SALE

“THE WAR OF JOKES AND RIDDLES” part three! The war has spread to every corner of Gotham City, and while Batman battles back the forces of Joker and Riddler, an unlikely criminal becomes the pivotal key to its potential resolution…but it could cost him everything.

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

BATWOMAN #5

Written by MARGUERITE BENNETT and JAMES TYNION IV

Art and cover by STEPHANIE HANS

Variant cover by J.G. JONES

“THE MANY ARMS OF DEATH” epilogue! In this special one-off issue with art by Stephanie Hans (Angela), learn the truth of what went down between Kate and Safiyah, which led to the future Batwoman having to leave Coryana for what she was sure would be forever!

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+

BLUE BEETLE #11

Written by KEITH GIFFEN and J.M. DeMATTEIS

Art and cover by SCOTT KOLINS

Variant cover by TYLER KIRKHAM

NEW STORYLINE! With an Earth-threatening menace behind him and Jaime now permanently back as Blue Beetle on his own terms, what’s a hero to do? Clean up the mess in his hometown, find places for his friends and family to live and deal with the latest super-menace to hit El Paso…the man called Ghostfire!

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

CYBORG #14

Written by JOHN SEMPER JR.

Art by WILL CONRAD

Cover by ERIC CANETE

Variant cover by CARLOS D’ANDA

“SINGULARITY AFTERMATH” part one! Mankind is dead! The world as we know it is gone! Welcome to Planet Anomaly, where all life takes the form of soulless cybernetic hybrids. But one spark of humanity remains deep within Cyborg’s robotic husk, and it’s the world’s only hope for restoration. Guest-starring Beast Boy!

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

DEATHSTROKE #21

Written by CHRISTOPHER PRIEST

Art by DIOGENES NEVES

Cover by RYAN SOOK

Variant cover by SHANE DAVIS

“DEFIANCE” part one! A new day has dawned for Deathstroke. Having emerged from the Speed Force a changed man, Slade Wilson takes aim at living a better life—a life in service of justice. But when the world refuses to accept the new Deathstroke, Slade recruits a group of young heroes to join him including including former Teen Titans, Kid Flash and Power Girl, his children, Rose and Jericho, and the bombastic Terra! But has Slade truly shed his villainous past? And what other shadowy forces are working against him? Find out as Deathstroke’s bold new direction begins here!

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+

DETECTIVE COMICS #960

Written by JAMES TYNION IV

Art by ALVARO MARTINEZ and RAUL FERNANDEZ

Cover by YASMINE PUTRI

Variant cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE

“INTELLIGENCE” part three! With Zatanna joining the ranks of Batman’s allies, there shouldn’t be any foe the team can’t take on…but does that include their teammate Azrael himself, who just might be cracking up?

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

DETECTIVE COMICS #961

Written by JAMES TYNION IV

Art by ALVARO MARTINEZ and RAUL FERNANDEZ

Cover by YASMINE PUTRI

Variant cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE

“INTELLIGENCE” part four! Batman and Batwing have thrown every technological trick they have at the powerful A.I. that the order of St. Dumas dubbed Ascalon…now there’s nothing left to do but pray!

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

THE FLASH #26

Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON

Art by HOWARD PORTER

Cover by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO

Variant cover by HOWARD PORTER

“RUNNING SCARED” part two! Barry Allen and Iris West witness a chilling vision of the future courtesy of the Reverse-Flash, who reveals the couple’s legendary romance will yield only darkness for the world of tomorrow. Now, Thawne forces The Flash to make a choice: spend forever alone or doom the future?

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

THE FLASH #27

Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON

Art by HOWARD PORTER

Cover by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO

Variant cover by HOWARD PORTER

“RUNNING SCARED” finale! Barry Allen and Eobard Thawne. Legendary enemies separated by centuries pulled through time itself to battle again and again. Until now. For one year The Flash has been building to this single epic moment: the ultimate showdown between The Flash and Reverse-Flash!

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

GREEN ARROW #26

Written by BENJAMIN PERCY

Art and cover by OTTO SCHMIDT

Variant cover by MIKE GRELL

“HARD TRAVELING HERO” part one! Unwilling to let another city suffer the same fate as Seattle, Green Arrow kicks off a new quest to hunt down the Ninth Circle across America! To stop disaster before it can happen, the (in)famously hot-headed Oliver Queen must mend fences with those he’s alienated in the past, starting with THE FLASH! The second epic year of GREEN ARROW REBIRTH begins here!

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

GREEN ARROW #27

Written by BENJAMIN PERCY

Art by JAMAL CAMPBELL

Cover by OTTO SCHMIDT

Variant cover by ESAD RIBIC

“HARD TRAVELING HERO” part two! Oliver Queen is a pillar of morality. A champion of ethics. The essence of truth. Or at least he thought so. The self-described people’s hero Green Arrow crosses paths with the Justice League’s real paragon of virtue, Wonder Woman, when his cross-country fight against the Ninth Circle puts both heroes’ muscle and mettle to the ultimate test.

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

GREEN LANTERNS #26

Written by SAM HUMPHRIES

Art by RONAN CLIQUET

Cover by MIKE McKONE

Variant cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO

“OUT OF TIME” part one! Ten billion years ago, Volthoom nearly wiped out the Guardians of the Universe. What power was able to stop him, and where did it go? Learn more about the history of the First Lantern as “Out of Time” begins!

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

GREEN LANTERNS #27

Written by SAM HUMPHRIES

Art by RONAN CLIQUET

Cover by BRAD WALKER and DREW HENNESSEY

Variant cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO

“OUT OF TIME” part two! Cast back in time, Jessica and Simon must survive on the savage Earth of ten billion years ago! With a single ring between them, can the Emerald Knights locate the first Green Lanterns?

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

HAL JORDAN & THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #24

Written by ROBERT VENDITTI

Art and cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER

Variant cover by KEVIN NOWLAN

“FRACTURES” part three! Secrets are out and battle lines are drawn. The partnership of the Green Lantern Corps and the Sinestro Corps begins to crumble before it explodes!

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, $2.99 • FC • RATED T

HAL JORDAN & THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #25

Written by ROBERT VENDITTI

Art and cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER

Variant cover by KEVIN NOWLAN

“FRACTURES” part four! In this extra-sized issue, it’s Lantern vs. Lantern as the GLC and Sinestro Corps duke it out over the murder of Sinestro Corps members. And a Lantern turns his back on their friends, embracing the darkness.

On sale JULY 26 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

HARLEY QUINN #23

Written by AMANDA CONNER and JIMMY PALMIOTTI

Art by JOHN TIMMS

Backup stories written by PAUL DINI and JIMMY PALMIOTTI

Backup stories art by BRET BLEVINS and J. BONE

Cover by AMANDA CONNER

Variant cover by FRANK CHO

“RED ROSES” part three! The tension between Harley, Poison Ivy and Red Tool hits the boiling point! Who’s gonna stay—and who’s gonna go? And in the backup story, “Harley Loves Joker” part seven, Batman is back on the deranged duo’s trail!

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

HARLEY QUINN #24

Written by JIMMY PALMIOTTI and AMANDA CONNER

Art by JOHN TIMMS

Backup stories written by PAUL DINI and JIMMY PALMIOTTI

Backup stories art by BRET BLEVINS and J. BONE

Cover by AMANDA CONNER

Variant cover by FRANK CHO

“THE PARENT TRAP”! Harley has faced every challenge even she could possibly imagine, but can she survive…a visit from her parents?! And in “Harley Loves Joker” part eight, the duo’s new headquarters comes with some unforeseen complications!

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

THE HELLBLAZER #12

Written by SIMON OLIVER

Art by DAVIDE FABBRI and JOSE MARZAN, JR.

Cover by TULA LOTAY

Variant cover by YASMINE PUTRI

“THE SMOKELESS FIRE” part six! Constantine finally gets what he wants—just in time to discover he’s a better man than he used to be. Maybe. But will that matter in the confrontation he and Marid have been building to?

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+

JUSTICE LEAGUE #24

Written by BRYAN HITCH

Art by FERNANDO PASARIN and OCLAIR ALBERT

Cover by BRYAN HITCH

Variant cover by NICK BRADSHAW

“AFTERLIVES” part three! Our heroes’ mission into the afterlife goes horribly wrong when the Demons Three trap the Justice League in a hellish realm where they’re haunted and tortured by the ghosts of fallen heroes, dead villains and innocent civilians whose lives they failed to save.

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, $2.99 US • FC, RATED T

JUSTICE LEAGUE #25

Written by BRYAN HITCH

Art by FERNANDO PASARIN and OCLAIR ALBERT

Cover by BRYAN HITCH

Variant cover by NICK BRADSHAW

“AFTERLIVES” part four! With the Justice League locked out of reality, the secret mastermind behind their predicament makes his move on the world of the living. Luckily (or unluckily), the JL is trapped in the afterlife with Felix Faust, who works with the heroes to fight their way out of limbo! The team-up no one saw coming kicks off in this extra-sized epic!

On sale JULY 19 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #10

Written by STEVE ORLANDO

Art by ANDY MACDONALD

Cover by IVAN REIS

Variant cover by DOUG MAHNKE

“CURSE OF THE KINGBUTCHER” part one! The Ray never thought he would go back to Vanity, but the citizens of America’s most depressing city have found themselves caught in the middle of a mystic feud between order and chaos. The mysterious force known as the Might Beyond The Mirror has been granting Vanity’s greatest wishes; disabilities are healed, romances are restored and hope is rekindled. But it’s not meant to be, as a ruthless Lord of Order will stop at nothing to destroy the city’s dreams.

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #11

Written by STEVE ORLANDO

Art by ANDY MACDONALD

Cover by IVAN REIS

Variant cover by DOUG MAHNKE

“CURSE OF THE KINGBUTCHER” part two! The JLA face off against the Lord of Order called Kingbutcher! In a battle that forces Ray Terrill to confront his own dark past in full view of his new teammates, the heroes struggle with the question of returning reality to its proper state or allowing the people of Vanity — including Ray’s estranged mother — to fulfill their fondest desires.

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

NEW SUPER-MAN #13

Written by GENE LUEN YANG

Art by BILLY TAN

Cover by PHILIP TAN

Variant cover by BERNARD CHANG

“THE ZERO ULTIMATUM” part three! Shanghai falls—and Emperor Super-Man rules the ashes! With an army of super-villains on the streets, the Justice League of China leads the movement to take the city back. New Super-Man’s head isn’t in the game upon discovering the shocking secret of his mother’s true identity, and Wonder-Woman has been transformed and Bat-Man is overwhelmed! It’s up to I-Ching and the New Flash of China to snap Kenan out of it and save Shanghai!

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

NIGHTWING #24

Written by TIM SEELEY

Art by MIGUEL MENDONÇA and MINKYU JUNG

Cover by PAUL RENAUD

Variant cover by YASMINE PUTRI

“BLOCKBUSTER” part three! Nightwing is trapped on a submarine, and in order to escape he must defeat the most lethal villains in the DCU, led by Tiger Shark! And if he can’t escape, Blockbuster will get what he wants: all of his criminal competition at the bottom of the sea, along with Nightwing!

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

NIGHTWING #25

Written by TIM SEELEY

Art by MIGUEL MENDONÇA and MINKYU JUNG

Covers by PAUL RENAUD

Variant covers by YASMINE PUTRI

“BLOCKBUSTER” part four! In this special oversize issue, the boardwalk is the heart and soul of Blüdhaven, and Tiger Shark and Blockbuster are willing to kill each other and whoever else stands in their way to rule it. Nightwing has to find a way to stop them both or suffer a Blüdhaven ruled by crime!

On sale JULY 19 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #12

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL

Art by DEXTER SOY

Cover by CLAY MANN

Variant cover by GUILLEM MARCH

“THE LIFE OF BIZARRO” part one! Bizarro’s final days are upon us! As Red Hood and the Outlaws rush home to Gotham City in an effort to save Bizarro’s life, a new threat is unleashed in the form of Solomon Grundy! Can the Outlaws stop Grundy’s rampage without their most powerful member? Who unleashed the monster in the first place? And can Grundy defeated in time to save Bizarro from certain death? Find out in the start of a brand new adventure!

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+

SUICIDE SQUAD #21

Written by ROB WILLIAMS

Art by GUZ VAZQUEZ

Cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA

Variant cover by WHILCE PORTACIO

“KILL YOUR DARLINGS” part one! Devastated by Rustam and his Burning World, the international conspiracy known as the People reveal themselves to Amanda Waller in a desperate move to secure their mysterious endgame for Planet Earth! Meanwhile, the walls tighten for Boomerang as Harley Quinn gets closer to discovering the traitorous murderer within Task Force X…

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

SUICIDE SQUAD #22

Written by ROB WILLIAMS

Art by GUZ VAZQUEZ

Cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA

Variant cover by WHILCE PORTACIO

“KILL YOUR DARLINGS” part two! Face to face with the Russian mastermind she’s been tracking since SUICIDE SQUAD: REBIRTH #1, Amanda Waller is horrified to find the Suicide Squad commanded by her own dark mirror, the enigmatic Direktor Karla, who’s surpassed the Task Force X leader in the one game she cannot afford to lose: control.

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

SUPERGIRL #11

Written by STEVE ORLANDO

Art by BRIAN CHING

Cover by ROBSON ROCHA and DANIEL HENRIQUES

Variant cover by BENGAL

“ESCAPE FROM THE PHANTOM ZONE” part three! Supergirl must quell the maelstrom tearing apart the Phantom Zone, as Batgirl faces down the Phantom King one on one. If they fail, they’ll be lost in the Phantom Zone forever!

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

SUPERMAN #26

Written by PETER J. TOMASI and PATRICK GLEASON

Art by SCOTT GODLEWSKI

Cover LEE WEEKS

Variant cover by JORGE JIMENEZ

“ROAD TRIP” part one! It’s been an emotional and physical rollercoaster for Superman, Lois, and Jon: the Eradicator, Dinosaur Island, Frankenstein and the Bride, Multiversity, Reborn and Black Dawn—a barrage of terror and horror! What does the family need right now? Yep, you got it…a vacation!

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

SUPERMAN #27

Written by PETER J. TOMASI and PATRICK GLEASON

Art by SCOTT GODLEWSKI

Cover by RYAN SOOK

Variant cover by JORGE JIMENEZ

“ROAD TRIP” part two! As the Kents’ family road trip takes some strange and unexpected turns that will reveal a foreboding threat reaching out to touch their lives, you can bet that their gonna need a vacation after their vacation!

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

SUPER SONS #6

Written by PETER J. TOMASI

Art and cover by JORGE JIMENEZ

Variant cover by DUSTIN NGUYEN

“TEEN TITANS TANGO” part one! Robin has a new member in mind for the Teen Titans, and—spoiler alert—it’s Superboy! But something sinister is at work, and Damian’s real motives for introducing Jon to the team are revealed to devastating consequences!

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

SUPERWOMAN #12

Written by K. PERKINS

Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA and ART THIBERT

Cover by KEN LASHLEY

Variant cover by RENATO GUEDES

“REDISCOVERY” part three! Superwoman has taken matters into her own hands, and has engaged in battle with the deadly Skyhook! The tragic origin of Crash is revealed, and the dark secret he carries has made him public enemy number one!

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

TEEN TITANS #10

Written by BENJAMIN PERCY

Art by KHOI PHAM and WADE VON GRAWBADGER

Cover by BRAD WALKER and DREW HENNESSEY

Variant cover by Paolo Pantalena

“BLOOD OF THE MANTA” part two! After learning he’s the son of the villainous Black Manta, Jackson Hyde is forced to join his father on a journey to find the ocean’s greatest treasure—a game-changing weapon that would spell disaster for anyone in Manta’s way. Meanwhile, Damian’s status as team leader is challenged by Starfire, who recruits Tempest to help track down their missing member! Will the Teen Titans find their friend before Black Manta gains ultimate power?

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

TITANS #13

Written by DAN ABNETT

Art by V KEN MARION and NORM RAPMUND

Cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT

Variant cover by DAN MORA

“JUDAS AMONG US”! As Omen begins her investigation into the identity of the team’s traitor, the Titans launch a full assault on H.I.V.E., who they believe hold the key to restoring Bumblebee’s broken mind. Meanwhile, tensions rise when Roy discovers Wally and Donna’s blossoming romance—which threatens to tear the Titans apart!

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

TRINITY #11

Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL

Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL

Variant cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ

“DEAD SPACE” part three! Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are in for the fight of their lives against the combined might of the Justice League and the mysterious alien force inhabiting their bodies and controlling the Watchtower! The trinity may have found a way to save their friends—but the cost is high, and time is running out!

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

WONDER WOMAN #26

Written by SHEA FONTANA

Art by MIRKA ANDOLFO

Cover by JESUS MERINO

Variant cover by JENNY FRISON

“HEART OF THE AMAZON” part one! Writer Shea Fontana (DC SUPER HERO GIRLS) steps in for a new story! Wonder Woman finally takes a moment to catch her breath and attend a friend’s wedding…but unfortunately, horror’s followed her even there!

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • FC • RATED T

WONDER WOMAN #27

Written by SHEA FONTANA

Art by MIRKA ANDOLFO

Cover by JESUS MERINO

Variant cover by JENNY FRISON

“HEART OF THE AMAZON” part two! Someone close to Diana is behind the most recent attack on her and her friends…but what has this person learned about her powers that she never even knew herself?

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • FC • RATED T

BATMAN ’66/LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1

Written by LEE ALLRED

Art and cover by MICHAEL ALLRED

In pursuit of the time-traveling criminal known as Universo, the super-powered kids from the 30th century travel back to the 1960s to enlist the aid of the “greatest teen superhero ever”—Robin, the Boy Wonder! But Batman’s hard-boiled nemesis Egghead has stolen one of their unattended time bubbles and taken off to the Legion’s own time period. Looks like Batman has to head to the far-flung future with one group of heroes while Robin stays in the swinging sixties with another. Holy time-travel paradox!

One-shot • On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED E

BANE: CONQUEST #3

Written by CHUCK DIXON • Art and cover by GRAHAM NOLAN

Sure, they may have had to team up to escape Damocles’ clutches—but Batman and Bane can’t keep their hands off each others’ throats for long! The question is, will Damocles be able to use that rivalry to his advantage?

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, 3 of 12, $3.99 US • RATED T

BATMAN/THE SHADOW #4

Written by SCOTT SNYDER and STEVE ORLANDO

Art and cover by RILEY ROSSMO

Variant cover by TIM SALE

Variant cover by DAVE JOHNSON

The Shadow must fight his way through Gotham City’s worst rogues in order to stop the Joker and the Stag from carving out Batman’s heart! But if he’s freed, will Batman be able to save the villains from the wrath of the Shadow?

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, 4 of 6, $3.99 US • RATED T

DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS #30

Written by MARGUERITE BENNETT

Art by CARMEN CARNERO, RICHARD ORTIZ and ANEKE

Cover by LAURA BRAGA

The original Bombshells lineup discovers how Killer Frost became a killer ice queen and end up tangled in the dangerous delusions of Hugo Strange. Then, as Faora joins the battle in Leningrad, she reveals to Supergirl what her origin is and how she is related to Faora.

On sale JULY 5 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST

DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS #31

Written by MARGUERITE BENNETT

Art by CARMEN CARNERO, LAURA BRAGA and ANEKE

Cover by ANT LUCIA

The sound of a metronome echoes through Leningrad’s streets, reminding people they are still alive…for now. Supergirl can feel her father is still alive, and joins Harley’s traveling circus, where Power Girl and Superman have now become part of the show! Then, it’s the return of Bunny Constantine as he and Zatanna fight Nazi-controlled mythical creatures in order to find Raven!

On sale JULY 19 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST

INJUSTICE 2 #5

Written by TOM TAYLOR

Art by BRUNO REDONDO and JUAN ALBARRAN

Cover by BRUNO REDONDO

Batman pays a visit to Ted Kord, beseeching him to become part of the team that rebuilds the world—not as Blue Beetle, but as Ted Kord, inventor and industrialist. But Batman’s not the only one who has designs on Ted. A trusted old friend pops in, as does someone else—someone with less noble intentions.

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+ • DIGITAL FIRST

INJUSTICE 2 #6

Written by TOM TAYLOR

Art and cover by MIKE S. MILLER

Get ready for the Origin of Supergirl! Jump back in time to see the early life of Kara Zor-el and the destruction of Krypton. Sent to Earth to be her infant cousin Kal-el’s protector, an accident delays her by decades. She’s met upon her eventual arrival by a most unexpected benefactor and learns a very different version of the story of Superman’s regime.

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+ • DIGITAL FIRST

THE KAMANDI CHALLENGE #7

Written by MARGUERITE BENNETT

Art by DAN JURGENS and KLAUS JANSON

Cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ

Variant cover by DAN JURGENS and KLAUS JANSON

After the explosive ending of the last issue, writer Marguerite Bennett and artist Dan Jurgens fly us to the land of the Polar Parasites and the malevolent Snow Wizards that control them. Alongside his new allies, the Bulldog Brittaneks, Kamandi must fight to survive the cold. Will Kamandi make it long enough to find new clues about his missing parents? Or will this frost bite back?

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, 7 of 12, $3.99 US • RATED T

THE WILD STORM #6

Written by WARREN ELLIS

Art and cover by JON DAVIS-HUNT

Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS

Variant cover by JASON MASTERS

Michael Cray, the world’s best professional killer, is going to get himself killed for refusing to assassinate an innocent. Angela Spica, whose only mistake was saving someone’s life, is discovering that her life is over forever, and that the people in this strange new world she’s forced to survive in…may not be people at all. Treaties have been breached. Secrets are being told. There’s a war coming.

THE WILD STORM will skip shipping in August and return in September!

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+

GOTHAM ACADEMY: SECOND SEMESTER #11

Written by BRENDEN FLETCHER, BECKY CLOONAN and KARL KERSCHL

Art by ADAM ARCHER, MSASSYK and SANDRA HOPE

Cover by KARL KERSCHL

“The Ballad of Olive Silverlock” part three! A terrible revelation sends Maps on a quest for answers at Wayne Manor! With Two-Face hot on their trail, Maps and Damian Wayne must work together to stop Olive’s rampage of destruction across Gotham City.

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

SCOOBY APOCALYPSE #15

Written by KEITH GIFFEN and J.M. DeMATTEIS

Art by DALE EAGLESHAM

Backup story art by JAN DUURSEMA

Cover by CARLOS D’ANDA

Variant cover by JILL THOMPSON

We finally catch up to the migrating monsters—and their destination is even more horrifying than anyone imagined! But before the gang can act, Scrappy-Doo and his pack of smart mutts show up with a heck of a grudge against Scooby. It’s two threats for the price of one! And, in the backup story, Scrappy strikes again—and someone pays the ultimate price!

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

LOONEY TUNES #238

Written by DEREK FRIDOLFS

Art by WALTER CARZON and HORACIO OTTOLINI

Cover by DEREK FRIDOLFS

Wile E. Coyote’s new Acme universal remote does more than just control his TV. It can slow, pause and speed up anything around it, and might be just the thing he needs to catch the Road Runner once and for all. What could possibly go wrong?

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E

MAD ABOUT TRUMP TP

Written and illustrated by THE USUAL GANG OF IDIOTS

MAD Dumps On Trump: A Brilliant Look At Our Brainless President is an all-out comedy assault on the most idiotic idiot to ever reach the White House (George W. Bush and visitors included)! In these 128 pages, President Trump is mercilessly mocked, relentlessly ridiculed and savagely satirized. The book features MAD’s sharpest satiric shots at “The Donald,” comically chronicling his rise from obnoxious businessman to really obnoxious reality show host to uber obnoxious “Commander-in-Tweet.” Please note: MAD will not offer refunds on this book when Trump is impeached!

This title also includes a new introduction by CNN’s Jake Tapper!

On sale JULY 5 • 128 pg, FC, 8.125” x 10.5” • $12.99 US

SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP #28

Written by SHOLLY FISCH

Art and cover by DARIO BRIZUELA

The gang uncovers a tale of their great-great-grandparents (and grand-dog!) in the old West. When monstrous rumors bring the Weirdness Wagon to town, will they find a fearsome beast, or just come face-to-scarred-face with the lawman Jonah Hex?

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? #83

Written by DEREK FRIDOLFS

Art by WALTER CARZON and HORACIO OTTOLINI

Cover by DEREK FRIDOLFS

Howdy partners! There’s a Wild West mystery to be solved by a crew of city slickers and their dog. Ya see, the cattle have skedaddled, and there’s a ghost in cahoots up in them there hills. Can our sleuths solve the mystery and send this yokel to the hoosegow? Or will these greenhorns miss the hoedown? Time to pony up. Giddy up, li’l Scooby, let’s go!

On sale JULY 12 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E

BUG!: THE ADVENTURES OF FORAGER #3

Written by LEE ALLRED

Art and cover by MICHAEL ALLRED

Backup story and art by JAMES HARVEY

Variant cover by AARON CONLEY

Forager’s latest tumble through time and space lands him in a rough wilderness. There he meets the muscleman Atlas, who himself has run afoul of Chagra, the mysterious figure that caused the reality shards that put Forager on this multidimensional trip to begin with. What happens when a Bug of New Genesis teams up with a legendary powerhouse like Atlas? It’s a story we could only call “Atlas Bugged”!

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, 3 of 6, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

CAVE CARSON HAS A CYBERNETIC EYE #10

Written by GERARD WAY and JON RIVERA

Art and cover by MICHAEL AVON OEMING

Backup story written by MARK RUSSELL

Backup story art by BENJAMIN DEWEY and BRANDON BIRD

Variant cover by BENJAMIN DEWEY

Things aren’t just weird for Team Carson, they’re mega- weird, as their trans-dimensional adventure brings them to a world unlike any they have ever seen before (with or without cybernetic enhancement!), filled with sentient plant life and megafauna. Plus, a new installment of “The Wonderful World of Rocks with Marc Bartow” by Mark Russell (THE FLINTSTONES) and Benjamin Dewey (Autumnlands) and “Bane’s Coloring Corner” by Brandon Bird!

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

DOOM PATROL #7

Written by GERARD WAY

Art by MICHAEL ALLRED

Cover by MICHAEL ALLRED

Variant cover by NICK DERINGTON

How have you been, Niles Caulder? The Chief is back, and he’s ready to reshape the new Doom Patrol to be just like the old Doom Patrol—a prospect not everyone is happy with. But the team’s former leader hasn’t grown less manipulative in his old age, so nobody make any rash decisions. Pretty sure he’s up to something. Michael Allred (iZOMBIE, Silver Surfer) joins the team for this special issue.

RESOLICIT • On sale JULY 26, 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

MOTHER PANIC #9

Written by JODY HOUSER

Art by JOHN PAUL LEON

Backup story written by JIM KRUEGER

Backup story art by PHIL HESTER

Cover by TOMMY LEE EDWARDS

Variant cover by PHIL HESTER

As Mother Panic zeroes in on Remains, Violet’s augmentations continue to lock up, making her unbelievably vulnerable. Will she be able to defeat her mysterious nemesis in time, or will Dr. Varma’s warnings and predictions finally be actualized? Also includes the next installment of “Gotham Radio” by Jim Krueger (JUSTICE) and Phil Hester (GREEN ARROW)!

On sale JULY 26 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

SHADE, THE CHANGING GIRL #10

Written by CECIL CASTELLUCCI

Art by MARLEY ZARCONE and ANDE PARKS

Backup story art by LEILA DEL DUCA

Cover by BECKY CLOONAN

Variant cover by JILL THOMPSON

Following her encounters in Gotham City, Shade decides to head out west and check out Los Alamos, New Mexico, the one-time location of nuclear test sites, and also the setting of her favorite TV show, “Life with Honey.” But it’s been half a century since those bombs went off—and since “Honey” went off the air. So what kind of ghostly memories await Shade in the desert? Plus, a brand new “Life with Honey” backup story.

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

AQUAMAN VOL. 3: CROWN OF ATLANTIS TP

Written by DAN ABNETT

Art by BRAD WALKER, ANDREW HENNESSY, SCOT EATON, WAYNE FAUCHER and PHILIPPE BRIONES

Cover by BRAD WALKER and ANDREW HENNESSEY

Recovering and rebuilding after the “Deluge,” Aquaman finds himself locked in a ferocious battle with Warhead, a monster awakened during Atlantis’ war with the surface. Then, Deadwater makes an unwelcome return! Collects AQUAMAN #16-24.

On sale AUGUST 30 • 216 pg, FC, $19.99 US

BATMAN VOL. 3: I AM BANE TP

Written by TOM KING

Art by DAVID FINCH, DANNY MIKI, MITCH GERADS and others

Cover by DAVID FINCH

The man who has physically tested the Dark Knight like no one before is back to finally break the Bat for good. Can a battered, exhausted Batman fend off one of his greatest foes? Plus, catch up with Catwoman as she and the Dark Knight battle a collection of villains and plan for the future! Collects BATMAN #16-20, 23 and 24.

On sale AUGUST 30 • 176 pg, FC, $16.99 US

BATMAN: REBIRTH DELUXE EDITION BOOK ONE HC

Written by TOM KING and SCOTT SNYDER

Art by DAVID FINCH, MIKEL JANIN and others

Cover by DAVID FINCH

In the wake of DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH, Batman faces his most challenging foe ever—the idealistic hero known as Gotham, who wants to save the city from Batman himself! Then, in order to retrieve Psycho-Pirate and save Gotham Girl, Batman must recruit a team from Amanda Waller to break into the most impenetrable prison in the world and steal from one of the Dark Knight’s greatest foes…Bane. The next great Batman story begins here! Collects BATMAN: REBIRTH #1, BATMAN #1-15.

On sale AUGUST 30 • 400 pg, FC, 7.0625” x 10.875”, $34.99 US

CYBORG VOL. 2: DANGER IN DETROIT TP

Written by JOHN SEMPER JR.

Art by WILL CONRAD, PAUL PELLETIER, TONY KORDOS and SZYMON KUDRANSKI

Cover by WILL CONRAD

With a fearsome high-tech terror cell threatening to invade the country, Cyborg participates in the creation of an experimental cybernetic female counterpart—code name Variant—whose abilities might exceed his own! But when the process ravages her memories, Cyborg must retrieve crucial national security secrets from her mind before it’s too late. What’s on the line? Control of the nation’s most powerful nuclear weapons that could start a new world war! Collects CYBORG #6-13.

On sale AUGUST 9 • 192 pg, FC, $19.99 US

GREEN ARROW VOL. 3: EMERALD OUTLAW TP

Written by BENJAMIN PERCY

Art by OTTO SCHMIDT, ELEANORA CARLINI, GUS VASQUEZ, CARLOS RODRIGUEZ and JUAN FERRERYA

Cover by JUAN FERRERYA

In this volume, green arrows fly—and people are dying! But when the media and police point their fingers at Green Arrow, it’s up to Ollie and Black Canary to find the real killer of high-profile Seattleites. Their prime suspects? A who’s who of archers including Emiko Queen and a deadly Green Arrow villain not seen in years! Collects GREEN ARROW #12-17.

On sale AUGUST 2 • 152 pg, FC, $16.99 US

HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS VOL. 3: THE QUEST FOR HOPE TP

Written by ROBERT VENDITTI

Art by ETHAN VAN SCIVER, RAFA SANDOVAL and JORDI TARRAGONA

Cover by RAFA SANDOVAL and JORDI TARRAGONA

In the latest collection of the hit series, Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner are on a quest to find Saint Walker and restore the Blue Lantern Corps while Guy Gardner deals with a personal grudge. The events lead straight into “The Prism of Time” in which a mysterious time traveler threatens the future of the Green Lantern Corps! Collects issues #14-21.

On sale AUGUST 16 • 192 pg, FC, $19.99 US

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA VOL. 1: THE EXTREMISTS TP

Written by STEVE ORLANDO

Art by IVAN REIS, JOE PRADO, FELIPE WATANABE and others

Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

The new Justice League of America is here—and now, in these stories from issues #1-6 of the new series, they’re going to meet the Extremists—self-proclaimed saviors from another Earth, they thirst for peace, prosperity and total submission to the will of their leader, Lord Havok! How can the newly assembled JLA stop this group of misguided maniacs before the Extremists unleash their own unique—and dangerous—brand of law and order on our chaotic world?

On sale AUGUST 9 • 168 pg, FC, $16.99 US

SUPERMAN VOL. 3: MULTIPLICITY TP

Written by PETER J. TOMASI and PATRICK GLEASON

Art by IVAN REIS, JOE PRADO, RYAN SOOK, CLAY MANN, ED BENES, JORGE JIMENEZ, TONY S. DANIEL and SEBASTIAN FIUMARA

Cover by IVAN REIS and OCLAIR ALBERT

All around the Multiverse, Supermen are going missing— someone is collecting them! Joining forces, the collective of Men of Steel must find a way to escape their cells and defeat their captor. Plus, Superman meets Swamp Thing! Collects SUPERMAN #14-17 and ANNUAL #1.

On sale AUGUST 2 • 144 pg, FC, $16.99 US

WONDER WOMAN VOL. 3: THE TRUTH TP

Written by GREG RUCKA

Art and cover by LIAM SHARP

As Wonder Woman picks up the pieces of her shattered psyche in the wake of “The Lies,” Barbara Ann Minerva walks into the devil’s lair to defend her…or is she being led into a trap? And Diana, Steve and Etta come face to face with their newest foes—the deadly group known as Poison! But what do they have to do with the plot to unravel Wonder Woman’s life? Collects WONDER WOMAN #13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 and 25.

On sale AUGUST 23• 176 pg, FC, $16.99 US

BATMAN: ARKHAM — CLAYFACE TP

Written by BILL FINGER, LEN WEIN, MIKE W. BARR, DOUG MOENCH, A.J. LIEBERMAN and others

Art by BOB KANE, JERRY ROBINSON, SHELDON MOLDOFF, MARSHALL ROGERS, DICK GIORDANO, KEITH GIFFEN, KELLEY JONES, AL BARRIONUEVO and others

Cover by GUILLEM MARCH

Clayface, one of the most recognized villains in Gotham City, is the star in this new best-of collection featuring stories from Detective Comics #40, 298 and 478, Outsiders #21, Secret Origins #44, Batman #550, Catwoman #4, Batman: Gotham Knights #23 and 69-71 and Batman Villains Secret Files #1.

On sale AUGUST 9 • 280 pg, FC, $19.99 US

BATGIRL: STEPHANIE BROWN VOL. 1 TP

Written by BRYAN Q. MILLER • Art by LEE GARBETT, TREVOR SCOTT, PERE PEREZ and others

Cover by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU

Stephanie Brown is Batgirl—and now, she must learn to balance school and crime-fighting or face the wrath of Barbara Gordon! With guest appearances from Batman and Robin and villains like Man-Bat and Scarecrow, Batgirl steps up to the mantle! Plus, Batgirl must stop a nanovirus that will turn the citizens of Gotham City into mindless techno-zombies! Collects BATGIRL #1-12.

On sale AUGUST 16 • 296 pg, FC, $29.99 US

BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT VOL. 2 TP

Written by ALAN GRANT

Art by NORM BREYFOGLE, JOE STATON, STEVE MITCHELL, BRET BLEVINS, MIKE MANLEY, VINCE GIARRANO and others

Cover by BRIAN STELFREEZE

Follow Bruce Wayne through Gotham City’s underworld, a crazed carnival, the streets of London and even into the deep, dark recesses of the Batman’s mind in these 1990s stories! Collects BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #13-24 and BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT ANNUAL #1. In stories that tie into the “Knightquest” epic, Jean-Paul Valley, formerly known as Azrael, takes over as Batman to battle Scarecrow and more!

On sale AUGUST 30 • 352 pg, FC, $29.99 US

BATMAN: KNIGHTFALL OMNIBUS VOL. 2: KNIGHTQUEST HC

Written by ALAN GRANT, CHUCK DIXON, DOUG MOENCH and others

Art by VINCE GIARRANO, BRET BLEVINS, GRAHAM NOLAN, MIKE MANLEY and others

Cover by KELLEY JONES

The next movement of the “Knightfall” saga is collected for the first time in its entirety! In this volume, Jean-Paul Valley assumes the mantle of the Dark Knight and faces the Scarecrow, the Joker, Gunhawk and others! Collects for the first time all of “Knightquest” in a single hardcover edition including DETECTIVE COMICS #667-675, ROBIN #1, BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #19-28, BATMAN #501-508, CATWOMAN #6-7 and JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE #5-6.

On sale OCTOBER 25 • 888 pg, FC, $99.99 US

BATMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE VOL. 3 TP

Written by BILL FINGER, JOSEPH GREENE, DON CAMERON and others

Art by BOB KANE, JERRY ROBINSON, JACK BURNLEY and others

Cover by MICHAEL CHO

In these classic tales from the 1940s, the Dynamic Duo faces off with The Joker, the Conjurer, the Penguin, Two-Face, Tweedledee and Tweedledum and more! Collects BATMAN #8-11, DETECTIVE COMICS #57-65 and WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #4-6.

On sale AUGUST 30 • 384 pg, FC, $29.99 US

BATMAN/SUPERMAN VOL. 6: UNIVERSE’S FINEST TP

Written by PETER J. TOMASI and TOM TAYLOR

Art by ROBSON ROCHA and DOUG MAHNKE

Cover by YANICK PAQUETTE

The final days of Superman are here! Batman and Superman are working to prepare the world for the loss of the Last Son of Krypton, but nothing can prepare the planet for what’s to come. The superheroes will find friends and foes as they traverse the Earth in a desperate last attempt to save the Man of Steel! Collects BATMAN/SUPERMAN #28-32, plus never-before-published stories originally slated to appear in BATMAN/SUPERMAN #33-34 and ANNUAL #3!

On sale AUGUST 16 • 224 pg, FC, $19.99 US

WONDER GIRL: ADVENTURES OF A TEEN TITAN TP

Written by ROBERT KANIGHER, BRUNO PREMIANI, JOHN BYRNE and others

Art by ROSS ANDRU, BOB HANEY, NEAL ADAMS, JOHN BYRNE and others

Cover by NICOLA SCOTT and DOUG HAZLEWOOD

The adventures of Wonder Girl are collected for the first time! These stories include appearances by Wonder Woman, the Teen Titans and more from the pages of WONDER WOMAN #105 (1959), THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #60, TEEN TITANS #22, ADVENTURE COMICS #461, WONDER WOMAN #105 and 113, WONDER WOMAN: DONNA TROY #1 and WONDER GIRL #1.

On sale AUGUST 30 • 168 pg, FC, $14.99 US

DEADMAN BY KELLEY JONES: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TP

Written by MIKE BARON

Art by KELLEY JONES, VINCE GIARRANO, TONY DEZUNIGA and PABLO MARCOS

Cover by KELLEY JONES

Deadman has gone from supernatural hero to insane spirit of evil, and with a tide of demons threatening humanity, his true power can only be unlocked if he faces the secret within him that has driven him mad. Collects DEADMAN: LOVE AFTER DEATH #1-2 and DEADMAN: EXORCISM #1-2, plus stories from ACTION COMICS WEEKLY #618-621 and 623-626.

On sale AUGUST 30 • 272 pg, FC, $24.99 US

EARTH 2: SOCIETY VOL. 4: LIFE AFTER DEATH TP

Written by DAN ABNETT

Art by BRUNO REDONDO, VICENTE CIFUENTES and others

Cover by BRUNO REDONDO

Earth-2 is dead! Following a climactic battle with Ultra-Humanite and his super- powered army, a handful of the Wonders awaken in a twilight limbo. Are they the only ones to have survived? Has their desperate gambit to save their world ended in total disaster? In the wreckage, the surviving heroes have failed in their effort to save the world. As they struggle to accept the disaster they have caused, something in the phantom mist begins to hunt for them. In the Ghost World, no heroes can be allowed to exist. Collects EARTH 2: SOCIETY #17-22.

On sale AUGUST 9 • 136 pg, FC, $14.99 US

GRAYSON: THE SUPERSPY OMNIBUS HC

Written by TOM KING, TIM SEELEY and others

Art by MIKEL JANIN, STEPHEN MOONEY, CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO, ROGE ANTONIO and others

Cover by MIKEL JANIN

Collects all of Dick Grayson’s adventures as Agent 37 for the spy organization known as Spyral! Faking his death, and entering a game of cat and mouse, Dick must take down Spyral from the inside in order to save his loved ones. This omnibus edition collects GRAYSON #1-20, SECRET ORIGINS #8, GRAYSON ANNUAL #1-3, GRAYSON: FUTURE’S END #1, ROBIN WAR #1-2 and NIGHTWING: REBIRTH #1, with appearances by Batman, Superman and more!

On sale OCTOBER 18 • 792 pg, FC, $99.99 US

LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT: JIM APARO VOL. 3 HC

Written by BOB HANEY, MIKE W. BARR, GERRY CONWAY, CARY BURKETT, ALAN BRENNERT, ROBERT KANIGHER and others

Art and cover by JIM APARO

In these classic tales, the Caped Crusader crosses paths with Metamorpho, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Green Arrow, Swamp Thing and more. Collects Aparo’s art from THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #152, 154-178, 180-182, DETECTIVE COMICS #444-446, 448, 468-470, 480, 492, 493, 495-499, 501, 502, 508 and 509, plus BATMAN FAMILY #17 and THE UNTOLD LEGEND OF THE BATMAN #1-3.

On sale AUGUST 23 • 552 pg, FC, $49.99 US

LOONEY TUNES GREATEST HITS VOL. 3: BEEP BEEP TP

Written and illustrated by various

Cover by DAVID ALVAREZ and MIKE DeCARLO

Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Taz, Tweety Bird and all your other favorite Looney Tunes are at it again! Will Elmer E. Fudd ever catch that wascally wabbit? Will Wile E. Coyote finally catch the Road Runner? Will Pepé Le Pew get the girl? Don’t miss all the action with this third collection of the greatest adventures from the Looney Tunes! Collects LOONEY TUNES #47-53.

On sale AUGUST 23 • 144 pg, FC, $12.99 US

HARLEY’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK HC

Written by AMANDA CONNER and JIMMY PALMIOTTI

Art by JOHN TIMMS, AMANDA CONNER, MAURICET, NEAL ADAMS, DAVE JOHNSON, JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER, WILLIAM TUCCI and SIMON BISLEY

Cover by AMANDA CONNER

It’s the sensational team-up series in which Harley meets (and annoys) DC’s greatest heroes and villains! Harley meets up with Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Lobo and more! But can she keep up with beings of this caliber? Collects HARLEY’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK #1-6.

On sale AUGUST 2 • 256 pg, FC, $29.99 US

HARLEY QUINN BY KARL KESEL AND TERRY DODSON DELUXE EDITION BOOK ONE HC

Written by KARL KESEL

Art by TERRY DODSON, RACHEL DODSON, CRAIG ROUSSEAU, PETE WOODS and others

Cover by TERRY DODSON and RACHEL DODSON

Terry Dodson and Karl Kesel’s original run on HARLEY QUINN is now in hardcover! In these tales, Harley must do without her beloved Mister J’s “calming” influence and take on the world on her own. From jailbreaks to shopping sprees to her origin story, this book is jam-packed with over-the-top action! Includes appearances by Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Catwoman and more. Collects HARLEY QUINN #1-8.

On sale SEPTEMBER 6 • 216 pg, FC, $29.99 US

ABSOLUTE JUSTICE LEAGUE: ORIGIN HC

Written by GEOFF JOHNS

Art by JIM LEE, SCOTT WILLIAMS, GENE HA, CARLOS D’ANDA, IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS

For the first time, Geoff Johns and Jim Lee’s stellar run on JUSTICE LEAGUE from the dawn of DC: THE NEW 52 is collected in DC’s Absolute Edition format! First, Batman discovers an evil that requires him to unite Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg for the first time as the Justice League! Then, find out who has joined the team after its origin! And why does Green Arrow want to join their ranks so badly? Plus, someone is out to get the Justice League, and he is determined to show the world how mortal these godlike beings really are!

On sale SEPTEMBER 27 • 360 pg, FC, 8.25″ x 12.5″, $99.99 US

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE DARKSEID WAR SAGA OMNIBUS HC

Written by GEOFF JOHNS, PETER J. TOMASI, FRANCIS MANAPUL and others

Art by JASON FABOK, JIM LEE, FRANCIS MANAPUL, PHIL JIMENEZ, FERNANDO PASARIN, SCOTT KOLINS and others

Cover by JASON FABOK

The Justice League originally united to stop the forces of Darkseid from destroying Earth! Now the ruler of Apokolips is back, but this time he’s set his sights on the world-shattering Anti-Monitor. Will the combined might of the Justice League be enough to protect Earth from becoming collateral damage as gods fight? This new title collects JUSTICE LEAGUE #40-50, a story from DC COMICS DIVERGENCE #1 and the DARKSEID WAR specials starring Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, Lex Luthor and Shazam!

On sale OCTOBER 11 • 512 pg, FC, $75.00 US

JUSTICE LEAGUE: AN ADULT COLORING BOOK TP

Art by JIM LEE, JASON FABOK, BRYAN HITCH, GEORGE PEREZ, NEAL ADAMS, MIKE SEKOWSKY and others

Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS

The World’s Greatest Heroes unite in black and white in this new adult coloring book! Featuring the art of top talents including Jim Lee, Jason Fabok, Bryan Hitch, George Pérez, Neal Adams, original Justice League of America artist Mike Sekowsky and many others!

On sale OCTOBER 11 • 96 pg, B&W, $15.99 US

TEEN TITANS: EARTH ONE VOL. 2 TP

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art and cover by ANDY MACDONALD

After months on the run from the twisted project that created them, Cyborg, Terra, Beast Boy and Garth are near the breaking point, barely surviving on what they can steal, squatting in the ruins of an abandoned subdivision. But as they reach their lowest ebb, their creator, Dr. Niles Caulder, is ready to make his move…and they’re about to learn that they weren’t the only kids to go through Caulder’s twisted process! There are more children with powers out there, and unlike our heroes, they were raised to be the living weapons Caulder wants all his Titans to be!

On sale AUGUST 16 • 144 pg, FC, $16.99 US

THE NEWSBOY LEGION BY JOE SIMON AND JACK KIRBY VOL. 2 HC

Written by JOE SIMON and JACK KIRBY

Art by JOE SIMON, JACK KIRBY and others

Cover by JOE SIMON and JACK KIRBY

In these 1940s tales from STAR-SPANGLED COMICS #33-64, the scrappy inner city boys known as the Newsboy Legion work together to stop crime in their home of Suicide Slum. Watched over by adult hero the Guardian—a.k.a. policeman Jim Harper—the Newsboy Legion battle crime through their own newspaper reporting, taking on crooked politicians, slum lords, fifth column agents and more.

On sale AUGUST 2 • 368 pg, FC, $49.99 US

NEW TEEN TITANS VOL. 7 TP

Written by MARV WOLFMAN and GEORGE PEREZ

Art by GEORGE PEREZ, STEVE RUDE, DICK GIORDANO and others

Cover by GEORGE PEREZ

From the retirement of Robin and Kid Flash to the birth of Nightwing and the introduction of Jericho to the ultimate betrayal of a Titan—“The Judas Contract” riveted readers during its initial run in the 1980s, and it still has fans talking today. This new title collects TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #42-48 and TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #3.

On sale AUGUST 23 • 224 pg, FC, $19.99 US

SIXPACK AND DOGWELDER: HARD-TRAVELIN’ HEROZ TP

Written by GARTH ENNIS

Art by RUSS BRAUN

Cover by STEVE DILLON

When John Constantine comes calling, Dogwelder finds himself face to face with destiny as the truth about his powers and origin suddenly seem to lie within his grasp. Could his journey of discovery be just what Sixpack needs to snap Section Eight out of its funk? Now the pair are off on the road trip from hell, leaving a trail of mayhem (and empty bottles and canine corpses) from Gotham City to Egypt to outer space. This title collects SIXPACK AND DOGWELDER: HARD-TRAVELIN’ HEROZ #1-6.

On sale AUGUST 16 • 144 pg, FC, $16.99 US

SUPER POWERS TP

Written by ART BALTAZAR and FRANCO

Art and cover by ART BALTAZAR

Aw yeah, the World’s Greatest Heroes are back in a new all-ages tale—except for Batman! Superman helps out by cleaning up in Gotham City, where he discovers a clue that sends Wonder Woman into space to locate the lost Caped Crusader. Her journey brings her a step closer to Batman, but can she uncover the truth behind his disappearance? It’s not going to be pretty—it involves Darkseid and Apokolips!

On sale AUGUST 9 • 136 pg, FC, $12.99 US

SWAMP THING: THE BRONZE AGE OMNIBUS HC

Written by LEN WEIN, DAVID MICHELINIE, GERRY CONWAY, MARTIN PASKO, BRUCE JONES and others

Art by BERNIE WRIGHTSON, NESTOR REDONDO, TOM YEATES, JAN DUURSEMA, TOM MANDRAKE, STEPHEN BISSETTE, JOHN TOTLEBEN. MARK TEXEIRA and others

Cover by KARL KERSCHL

The Swamp Thing faces a plethora of monsters and the uncaring savagery of his once-fellow men in these original stories! This giant hardcover collects HOUSE OF SECRETS #92, SWAMP THING #1-24, SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #1-19 and SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING ANNUAL #1.

On sale OCTOBER 4 • 928 pg, FC, $99.99 US

WILDSTORM: A CELEBRATION OF 25 YEARS HC

Written by BRANDON CHOI, J. SCOTT CAMPBELL, WARREN ELLIS, CHRISTOS GAGE and others

Art by JIM LEE, SCOTT WILLIAMS, J. SCOTT CAMPBELL, BRYAN HITCH, PAUL NEARY, DUSTIN NGUYEN, BRETT BOOTH and others

Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS

In 1992 Jim Lee changed the course of comics history with the founding of WildStorm Productions, which would revolutionize the business and launch the careers of so many top creators. Now, the WS crew is back to celebrate 25 years of WildStorm with new short stories of the imprint’s greatest heroes by their classic creative teams, including WildC.A.T.s by Brandon Choi and Jim Lee; the Authority by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch; Gen13 by J. Scott Campbell; WildCats by Christos Gage and Dustin Nguyen; Backlash by Brett Booth, and more!

This new hardcover also includes a massive pinup gallery featuring new art by WS alumni including John Cassaday, Tim Sale, Adam Hughes, Carlos D’Anda, Adam Warren, Tony Harris, Lee Bermejo, Ryan Benjamin, Neil Googe, Fiona Staples, Cully Hamner and more, plus behind-the-scenes material that will blow your mind, and epic reprints of some of WildStorm’s greatest stories! This new hardcover is a must-have for old fans and new readers alike!

On sale AUGUST 23 • 240 pg, FC, $29.99 US

AMERICAN WAY: THOSE ABOVE AND THOSE BELOW #1

Written by JOHN RIDLEY • Art and cover by GEORGES JEANTY

It’s been a decade since the Civil Defense Corps was exposed as a fraud created by the U.S. Government for propaganda purposes. While most of the heroes who survived the catastrophe have retired or disappeared, the New American still carries on, trying to keep communities safe amid the social turmoil of the 1970s. But with the nation split in two over civil rights and the changing political landscape, this isn’t easy. Some of the American’s former colleagues are on opposite sides of the law: Amber Waves joined a group of domestic terrorists, while Missy, a.k.a. Ole Miss, has thrown her hat into the political ring. As the ground shifts beneath his feet and new threats arise, which side will the American choose?

This sequel to the hit miniseries by the original team of writer John Ridley (Oscar-winning screenwriter of 12 Years a Slave and creator of TV’s American Crime) and artist Georges Jeanty (Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight, Serenity: No Power in the ‘Verse) moves the story forward in history, factoring in how real-life events might be affected by the presence of superheroes, and how those events change the heroes in turn.

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 6, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

ASTRO CITY #46

Written by KURT BUSIEK

Art by BRENT ANDERSON

Cover by ALEX ROSS

The final chapter in the Broken Man’s century-spanning revelations about Astro City, music, rebellion, heroes and the threat of the Oubor. The Broken Man is mounting a defense—but does it stand a chance, or is it as cracked as he is? Featuring Honor Guard, the First Family and more, in a story that sets the stage for everything that is to come for Astro City.

On sale JULY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T

EVERAFTER: FROM THE PAGES OF FABLES #11

Written by DAVE JUSTUS and LILAH STURGES

Art by TRAVIS MOORE

Cover by TULA LOTAY

The Shadow Players are fractured and under siege by some of the Lone Star State’s darkest legends! Connor spills his guts to La Llorona, Bo tries not to get rammed and Peter bites off more pain than he can swallow while he searches for ancient artifacts! Meanwhile, back at Plano South, the rest of the crew gets an education from the mysterious Kara Bass in this arc’s pulse-pounding penultimate chapter!

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

SAVAGE THINGS #5

Written by JUSTIN JORDAN

Art by IBRAHIM MOUSTAFA

Cover by IBRAHIM MOUSTAFA

New York has succumbed to chaos. Devastating attacks by Black Forest have brought the city to its knees. Abel and Kira are trying to quell the situation, but it’s hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys in the confusion, so not only do they have to contend with Cain’s goons, but local law enforcement and scared citizens alike. Amid all the violent disorder, Abel begins to realize Cain’s real target is much bigger—and potentially deadlier—than anyone imagined.

On sale JULY 5 • 32 pg, FC, 5 of 8, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS

THE LOST BOYS TP

Written by TIM SEELEY

Art by SCOTT GODLEWSKI

Cover by TONY HARRIS

The stakes are raised in this nostalgic and unstoppable sequel to the ’80s cult classic vampire film, The Lost Boys. Santa Carla, California, is on edge. The eccentric coastal town and haven for the undead was finally returning to “normal” after its last supernatural scuffle left the local coven’s head vampire dead and gave newcomers Michael and Sam Emerson a housewarming both violent and bizarre. Now the brothers must team up with militant vampire hunters Edgar and Allan Frog when a new gang of ruthless, stunning, life-sucking nightcrawlers known as the Blood Belles emerges to collect Michael’s love interest and their lost sister, Star. Collects THE LOST BOYS #1-6.

On sale AUGUST 9 • 144 pg, FC, $16.99 US • MATURE READERS

UNFOLLOW VOL. 3: TURN IT OFF TP

Written by ROB WILLIAMS

Art by MIKE DOWLING, SIMON GANE and JAVIER PULIDO

Cover by MATT TAYLOR

It’s the conclusion to UNFOLLOW in these tales from issues #13-18! First, learn how Akira plans to defeat Larry Ferrell’s 140 experiment and move the world toward peace. Then, the last survivors of the original 140 meet for a final showdown with Larry Ferrell! And what will become of Rubinstein’s mask when it returns home?

On sale AUGUST 2 • 144 pg, FC, $16.99 US • MATURE READERS

JUSTICE LEAGUE MOVIE STATUES: BATMAN, CYBORG AND SUPERMAN

The World’s Greatest Heroes unite on the big screen for the first time this November in the Warner Bros. feature film Justice League! Now, DC Collectibles captures the likenesses of BATMAN, CYBORG and SUPERMAN in these spectacular new statues!

BATMAN—12.75″ high Sculpted by Alterton

CYBORG—13″ high Sculpted by Alterton

SUPERMAN—13″ high Sculpted by James Marsano

Limited Editions of 5,000

Each statue sold separately

Each $150.00 US

On Sale NOVEMBER 2017

Allocations May Occur

WONDER WOMAN BRACELETS WITH LASSO AND TIARA PROP REPLICA

Sculpted by JOE MENNA

Three of Wonder Woman’s most recognizable accessories in her battle for justice—her tiara, bracelets and lasso—are united in this exciting new prop replica. Celebrate Wonder Woman’s new movie with this amazing tribute to the Amazon Princess!

Limited Edition of 5,000

Measures Approximately

14.50″ high x 10.50″ wide x 10.50″ deep

$300.00 US

On Sale NOVEMBER 2017

Allocations May Occur

BAT-SIGNAL PROP REPLICA

This exquisite metal prop replica of the Bat-Signal will light your night! This powerful Bat-Signal comes with three Bat symbols: one inspired by the Batman movies, one “Knightfall” symbol and a traditional symbol from the pages of the Dark Knight’s comics. Comes with USB cable, removable power adaptor and LED light source.

Limited Edition of 5,000

Measures Approximately 12.75″ high x 9″ wide x 8″ deep

$300.00 US • On Sale NOVEMBER 2017

Allocations May Occur

DC ICONS: THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN ACTION FIGURE 2-PACK

“The Death of Superman” epic grabbed headlines in 1993, and the story remains one of DC’s most memorable. Now, DC Collectibles commemorates it with a new action figure 2-pack that includes two interchangeable Superman heads, snap-on heat vision and punch-blast effect, two displayable sound effects captions plus a battle base with a tattered-cape flag!

DOOMSDAY—7.1″

SUPERMAN—6.1”

$75.00 US

On Sale NOVEMBER 2017

Allocations May Occur

DCTV: THE FLASH — KID FLASH ACTION FIGURE

From the hit CW series, it’s Wally West, a.k.a. Kid Flash! This young hero comes with extra hands and an extra head without his familiar mask.

KID FLASH—6.69”

$28.00 US • On Sale NOVEMBER 2017

Allocations May Occur

DCTV LEGENDS OF TOMORROW: THE ATOM ACTION FIGURE

DC’s own Legends of Tomorrow are here in a new DCTV action figure series! The Atom includes alternate hands and energy blasts.

THE ATOM—7″

$28.00 US

On Sale NOVEMBER 2017

Allocations May Occur

DCTV LEGENDS OF TOMORROW: WHITE CANARY ACTION FIGURE

DC’s own Legends of Tomorrow are here in a new DCTV action figure series! White Canary appears with her own battle-lance plus two sets of alternate hands.

WHITE CANARY—6.74″

$28.00 US

On Sale NOVEMBER 2017

Allocations May Occur

DC ICONS: BATMAN REBIRTH ACTION FIGURE

As seen in the DC REBIRTH: JUSTICE LEAGUE ACTION FIGURE 7-PACK, the Dark Knight is back in a new solo action figure featuring his appearance in DC’s smash-hit Rebirth titles!

BATMAN—6.25

$28.00 US • On Sale OCTOBER 2017

Allocations May Occur

DC ICONS: SUPERMAN REBIRTH ACTION FIGURE

As seen in the DC REBIRTH: JUSTICE LEAGUE ACTION FIGURE 7-PACK, the Man of Steel is back in a new solo action figure featuring his appearance in DC’s smash-hit Rebirth titles!

SUPERMAN—6.25

$28.00 US • On Sale OCTOBER 2017

Allocations May Occur

DC BOMBSHELLS VIXEN STATUE

Sculpted by AMY SHARPE

Her claws may be hidden by those evening gloves, but make no mistake—Vixen is dangerous! She’s also the latest Bombshells statue designed by Ant Lucia!

Limited Edition of 5,000

Measures Approximately 10.55” Tall

$125.00 US

On Sale NOVEMBER 2017

Allocations May Occur

DC DESIGNER SERIES: BATMAN BY ANDY KUBERT MINI STATUE

Legendary writer/artist Frank Miller returned to Batman with DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE, teaming with superstar artist Andy Kubert! Now, the DC Collectibles statue based on Kubert’s rendition of the Dark Knight is back in a new, miniaturized edition!

Limited Edition of 5,000

Measures Approximately 7” Tall

$80.00 US • On Sale SEPTEMBER 2017

Allocations May Occur

The post DC Comics’ July 2017 Solicitations appeared first on CBR.

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