Anthology compilations are usually a crapshoot at best, so it’s a delight to discover a collection as rich, colorful and diverse as this. Rock stars, mythic beasts, superheroes, American history, horror and sci-fi explode across the pages, offering something for everybody without a dud in the lot. Summarizing the amount and kind of fun to be had is difficult, but highlights include the charming adventures of oddball rockers Sugarshock in an intergalactic battle of the bands penned by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and gorgeously drawn by Fabio Moon; Peter Bagge’s (Hate) hilarious Founding Fathers Funnies; the POV narrative of Adam Warren’s neurotic female superhero, Empowered; Steve Niles and Brian Churilla’s werewolf/vampire superhero duo, Scratch and Suck; a creepy Christmas yarn from Mike Mignola (Hellboy) and his B.P.R.D. creative compatriots; and Eric Powell’s the Goon handled in cartoony fashion by five different illustrators. A veritable buffet of exactly what makes comics good, this is a solid winner. (Oct.)
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Comic-book publisher Dark Horse teamed up with the Web site MySpace.com to produce the monthly online content and graphic stories that are reproduced in this anthology. Standouts include Joss Whedon and Fabio Moon’s “Sugarshock,” a story about an intergalactic rock band competing in a Battle of the Bands, and “A Circuit Closed,” by Ezra Clayton Daniels and Richard Lee, about a young girl with a mysterious device she uses to find her “connection.” There is an abundance of horror stories, which range from being screaming great fun to downright scary. “The Axeman,” by Haden Blackman and Cary Nord, the story of a jazz-loving serial killer, and “The Nocturnal Adventures of Scratch and Suck,” by Steve Niles and Brian Churilla, about the seemingly heroic capers of a werewolf and a vampire, have spooky twists readers will enjoy. Dark Horse has taken great care to reprint on paper the vibrant art and interesting stories that originally appeared online. This collection is recommended for fans of both online comics and the particular creators collected in this volume. Grades 9-12. –Kevin King

Public Domain Reprint from American Turf and Sport Digest.

I’ve pulled together and presented three separate articles about the famous Match Race betweenthe Champion racehorse BOSTON & the racemare FASHION that tell of the circumstances surrounding the race, the race itself & the recap of the race.

The article also depicts the chaos surrounding the event in terms of the crush of humanity trying to get to the Long Island track & near-riot the event precipitated.

The fourth volume of the online comics anthology MySpace Dark Horse Presents continues to bring you a wide range of genres and classic characters in the Dark Horse tradition. For the first time, Star Wars debuts comic content online with Dark Times: Blue Harvest. Our commitment to webcomics continues to shine with contributions from online-strip creators Chris Onstad, David Malki, and Kate Beaton. Eric Powell’s backwoods-charm-filled series The Goon is the subject of an “interpretation” from Gossip Whore Ann Romano. Plus, Joss Whedon teams with Season Eight cover artist Jo Chen for a special Buffy the Vampire Slayer story.

Variety is a major attraction of the 23 pieces selected from this publisher’s online smorgasbord for prospective comics buyers. The longest section features stories about three of Robert E. Howard’s larger-than-life, macho characters—Sailor Steve Costigan, Solomon Kane and Conan—prefaced with a wistfully vainglorious personal reflection by Howard himself. Otherwise, moods and styles vary wildly from one item to another. Cantankerous, violent humor from Evan Dorkin’s Milk and Cheese is not far from Jason Graham’s creepy kiddy story but also in the neighborhood of John Arcudi and Stephen Young’s gritty tale of the Old West acted out by talking beetles. Readers can jump from David Malki!’s surrealistic collages of 19th-century engravings to Francisco Ruiz Velasco’s occult trench warfare in the style of Warhammer; fans of continuing stories can catch a new episode of the Hellboy-related B.P.R.D. or the first independent appearance of Captain Hammer, nemesis of Dr. Horrible. If any of these fails to please readers, they can skip a few pages ahead and find something completely different. Dark Horse’s willingness to let creators try idiosyncratic projects is well and enjoyably displayed. (Mar.)
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In this volume you’ll find: The premiere of Zack and Joss Whedon’s superhero creation Captain Hammer, from the smash hit Dr. Hammer; an untold tale of The Umbrella Academy from Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba featuring the Kraken and Vanya as two rebellious teens, a unique look at Conan creator Robert E. Howard’s famous characters; the agents of Mike Mignola’s B.P.R.D. as they face off against a terrifying new foe; and a pair of smart and creepy passages from the ongoing tales of occult detective Cal McDonald via Steve Niles. It doesn’t stop there-this volume also features great stories from top industry talents like Tara McPherson, Evan Dorkin, Fabio Moon, Gilbert Hernadez, and Francisco Ruiz Velasco.

Encompassing established properties–tales of the Hellboy universe, the Whedon-verse (Buffy, Serenity, Dr. Horrible), Emily the Strange, and Stan Sakai’s always excellent Usagi Yojimbo–as well as less-familiar esoterica, this volume, like the previous ones, makes a great sampler for newcomers but still packs enough comic savvy smarts for the experienced. And it’s a particularly fine bonus to see such a sizable array of female creators involved. (Sept.) –Booklist –Booklist

The third volume of the online comics anthology MySpace Dark Horse Presents digs deeply into Dark Horse’s broad range of genres and iconic characters, including Stan Sakai’s award-winning Usagi Yojimbo and Rob Reger’s Emily the Strange. Mike Mignola plucks a character from the backdrop of his Hellboy mythos with the debut of Witchfinder, and Dark Horse presents the first new Creepy stories since that legendary anthology ended in 1983. Dark Horse demonstrates its commitment to webcomics with the hit online strips Achewood, Applegeeks, and others. MDHP Volume 3 is chock full of tremendous talent, old and brand-spanking new, all rounded out by new tales from Joss Whedon’s Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Doctor Horrible.