Dark Horse’s ‘Horrific’ Plans for The Future [SDCC 2012]

While the publisher's San Diego Comic-Con programming was focused on its various franchises like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dark Horse Presents, Star Wars and Bioware, Dark Horse made a number of new and returning horror comics series announcements throughout the SDCC weekend. Among them are new comics by Eric Powell, Kyle Hotz, Steve Niles, Christopher Mitten, Richard Corben, Mike Mignola, and even Aliens star Lance Henriksen, among others. We've got all the news and artwork below.

LANCE HENRIKSEN'S TO HELL YOU RIDE

Writers: Lance Henriksen and Joseph Maddrey

Artist: Tom Mandrake

Lance Henriksen is one of only two people (the other is Bill Paxton) to have been killed on-screen by an Alien, a Predator and a Terminator, and for that reason alone he deserves our attention. Co-written with Joseph Maddrey (Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film) and illustrated by the great Tom Mandrake (best known for his definitive run on DC's The Spectre in the 1990s) To Hell You Ride is about a flesh-melting plague that befalls a small town built over sacred burial grounds.

Dark Horse editors told me that horror icon Henriksen is in a big fan of comic books from way back, and was keen to work with the publisher because of its strong ties to the horror genre.

To Hell You Ride #1 goes on sale December 12, 2012.

BALTIMORE: THE PLAY

Writers: Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden

Artist: Ben Stenbeck

Lots of announcements for this acclaimed Mignola series about vampire hunter Lord Baltimore. First up is The Play, about "a mad playwright who puts on a Grand Guignol featuring actors that are real vampires. The evil financier of the play makes a bizarre discovery when he finds out that the playwright is a fraud and the true author is the disembodied head of a famous American author kept in a glass case." That goes on sale November 21, 2012.

Next up for Baltimore is The Widow and the Tank. This one is two stories, one about a widow whose husband returns from war as a vampire, and the other about abandoned tank that's home to a vampire who's been eating cattle and attacking the local people. This goes on sale February 20, 2013.

Finally there's Baltimore: The Inquisitor, which reveals the origin of Lord Baltimore's enemy, Judge Duvic. That goes on sale June 19, 2012.

CRIMINAL MACABRE/30 DAYS OF NIGHT: FINAL NIGHT

Writer: Steve Niles

Artist: Christopher Mitten

Steve Niles' two long-running series collide in this four-issue miniseries in which paranormal detective Cal McDonald runs afoul of Eben Olemaun, the vampire sheriff of Barrow, Alaska, where 30 Days of Night takes place. In an interview with Comic Book Resources' Daniel Glendening, Niles promised that only one of these two franchises would survive Final Night. Issue #1 goes on sale December 12, 2012.

EDGAR ALLAN POE'S CONQUEROR WORM

Adapted by Richard Corben

Self-explanatory! Dark Horse says Corben will be adapted more Poe poems in future issues of the anthology series Dark Horse Presents.

BILLY THE KID'S OLD TIMEY ODDITIES AND THE ORM OF LOCH NESS

Writer: Eric Powell

Artist: Kyle Hotz

In the world of Powell and Hotz, Billy the Kid was not killed by Pat Garrett but is actually muscle for Fineas Sproule's traveling freak show. In the new series, Billy and his crew head to Loch Ness to rescue one of their own from the clutches of Count Dracula. Issue #1 goes on sale October 17, 2012.

And in case you missed it....

HELLBOY IN HELL

By Mike Mignola

This is sort of impossible to talk about if you haven't read Hellboy: The Storm and The Fury, but the title is pretty self-explanatory. Issue #1 hits stands on December 5, 2012.