Dynamite

Remember last week, when we talked about the Humble Bundle's collection of Pathfinder RPG books? Well, if you picked those up (and you still have another week to get on it if you haven't) and thought "Hey, I really enjoy this fantasy world of dragons and dungeons, not necessarily in that order, but I wish there was a way to experience it without all of this dice-rolling," then folks, we have the deal for you. As a compliment to the RPG offer, Dynamite, Paizo and Humble Bundle have put together a new bundle full of Pathfinder comics. Fifteen bucks gets you 33 comics (and counting), featuring work from Jim Zub and Pathfinder designer Erik Mona.

As much as Dynamite might be known for picking up a few unusual licenses, the upcoming Kings Quest series is not actually a comic book adaptation of the classic Sierra adventure game about wandering around, picking up everything you can, and then banging them together to see what happens. Instead, believe it or not, it's actually something better. Coming in May, Kings Quest is Ben Acker, Heath Corson and Dan McDaid's sequel to Jeff Parker and Marc Laming's Kings Watch that finds the classic King Features adventure characters --- Flash Gordon, the Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, Jungle Jim and a time-tossed Prince Valiant --- reuniting to take on an entire army. In space.

This week marked the release of Shaft: Imitation of Life, the second miniseries about the legendary private eye from Dynamite, and if you somehow missed out on the first series --- one of last year's best minis --- then here's a bit of good timing for you. This week's Humble Bundle features David F. Walker and Bilquis Eveley's Shaft: A Complicated Man. But it's not alone, either. For fifteen bucks, you can grab everything that's on offer, including Garth Ennis and Aaron Campbell's The Shadow: Fires of Creation, a collaboration between Neil Gaiman and Alice Cooper, and one of the most enjoyable crossovers in a long while, Django/Zorro.

The question most often asked of the ComicsAlliance staff is a variation of, “Which comic books should I be reading?” or, “I’m new to comics, what’s a good place to start?” The Wednesday deluge of new comic books, graphic novels and collected editions can be daunting even for the longtime reader, much less for those totally unfamiliar with creators, characters and publishers, and the dark mysteries of comic book shopping like variants, pre-ordering, and formats. It’s with these challenges in mind that we’ve created Best Comic Books Ever (This Week), an ongoing guide curated by the ComicsAlliance staff. This is where new comics readers and seasoned Wednesday shoppers alike can find our picks of the best books the medium has to offer.

Dynamite Entertainment has a pretty solid track record when it comes to Xena: Warrior Princess comics. Dark Xena was one of the most fun and entertaining mirror-universe stories that I've ever read, and the Army of Darkness crossover, a no-brainer if there ever was one, was exactly what you've wanted it to be since 1996. The thing is, both of those stories were almost ten years ago, and for most of the past decade, we have been living a dreary existence in a world without Xena comics. Until now! In April, Dynamite is launching a new Xena comic from writer Genevieve Valentine, recently of Catwoman, and artist Ariel Medel, with a story that's promising prophecies, amazons, and a battle against Julius Caesar.

Though Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn could be considered a soft reboot of the first film because so many events repeat, it's got enough going for it to make it one of the most memorable cult horror hits of the '80s. Evil Dead 2 not only led us to Army of Darkness, the quintessential slapstick horror movie every teenage boy loves to quote, but it also laid the real foundation for fan-favorite actor Bruce Campbell's career. Evil Dead 2 wouldn't have happened without Evil Dead, but without Evil Dead 2, Bruce Campbell would have just been that guy that shows up in Sam Raimi films as a friendly cameo, and we probably wouldn't have Ash vs. Evil Dead. Most importantly though, without Evil Dead 2, we wouldn't have a bunch of kick-ass toys of a dude with a chainsaw for a hand.

Unless you're the kind of traditionalist who knows that today is the day to send your true love four colly birds, the post-Christmas hangover is well and truly upon us. But doesn't that just mean that it's time to do something for yourself? Of course it does, and to help you with that, Comixology has kicked off a sale on Dynamite Entertainment's entire line, offering up over 2,500 comics to get for half off. But with that many, you might need some help narrowing it down, and if that's the case, I've picked out two of the best comics you can grab before the sale ends on Sunday, featuring two of your favorite cinematic heroes: James Bond and Shaft.

The question most often asked of the ComicsAlliance staff is a variation of, “Which comic books should I be reading?” or, “I’m new to comics, what’s a good place to start?” The Wednesday deluge of new comic books, graphic novels and collected editions can be daunting even for the longtime reader, much less for those totally unfamiliar with creators, characters and publishers, and the dark mysteries of comic book shopping like variants, pre-ordering, and formats. It’s with these challenges in mind that we’ve created Best Comic Books Ever (This Week), an ongoing guide curated by the ComicsAlliance staff. This is where new comics readers and seasoned Wednesday shoppers alike can find our picks of the best books the medium has to offer.

Robert E. Howard may not have created Red Sonja directly, but his inspiration for the she-devil with a sword Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith would craft for the Marvel Comics incarnation of Conan the Barbarian is undeniable. Since appearing in that comic back in the 1970s, Sonja's gone on to be a rather large part of the Hyborian mythos, expanding beyond mere guest-star in Conan tales into her own full-fledged adventuress. As one of the preeminent fantasy bad-asses, Red Sonja's always been able to find and inspire audiences no matter which publisher has been telling her tales. While she's been a staple of Dynamite's catalog as of late, there are surprisingly few Red Sonja collectibles on the market. There have been statues from time to time, but Sideshow Collectibles has been the leader of the pack when it comes to Sonja goods as of late. Already with one impressive Red Sonja statue under its belt, the collectible company has another in the works that shows a different, more detailed side of the crimson-haired warrior.

It doesn't matter if you're talking about Sean Connery or Daniel Craig. James Bond has a classic kind of cool that can't be denied. And while he's been put beside some ingenious gadgets, iconic weapons, and sweet cars, it's never been the toys that make the man. If anything, Bond has done more for product placement than it ever did for him. He's the classic case of women wanting him and men wanting to be him (but also men wanting him and women wanting to be him, let's be honest). Unless, of course, you're a megalomaniacal villain. Then he's the bane of your existence. In celebration of that love and the new franchise entry, we've hunted down some of the best art the fandom has to offer. From the classic Connery to the fresh Craig, we're happy to share some of the best fan artist renditions of the world's most beloved spy.