With the buzz around AFTERWORKS 2 growing, so has the anthology itself as Image Comics announces that AFTERWORKS 2 is expanding to almost double its original proportions, from the originally solicited 200 pages to THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY (360) pages. As an added bonus, the price will remain the same at only $24.99.

"We knew we were going to have a big book and as the word got out, more and more folks asked if they could join; of course we said yeah and before we knew it we were at 360 pages," explains Ted Mathot (The Incredibles). "Through the creation of the book I met some awesome artists that I didn't know previously. There's already talk of new contributors and people returning for volume 3."

As a collection of some of the top talent in the animation industry working at Pixar Animation Studios, AFTERWORKS 2 brings together an eclectic mix of artists and stories together into one astounding anthology. AFTERWORKS 2 is the latest in a series of successful anthologies from Image Comics, including FLIGHT and PUT THE BOOK BACK ON THE SHELF.

"Having worked in animation and comics for over 12 years now, AFTERWORKS 2 has afforded me a rare chance to sort of combine those two worlds," says Scott Morse (Noble Boy, Soulwind). "I finally get to see so many of my talented friends from the animation community produce some stories that are truly 'theirs,' work that is purely from their hearts. Every line is a mark of passion on the page for these people and readers are going to get a chance to experience some of the finest storytelling they've ever seen in comic book form. AFTERWORKS 2 is all about a pure love of comics from every person involved."

AFTERWORKS 2 (MAY061718) is available for advance re-order. It is now a 360-page full color book with a cover price of $24.99 and will be in stores on July 19th.

Image Comics has announced that following a lengthy delay, B. Clay Moore and Steven Griffin's HAWAIIAN DICK: THE LAST RESORT miniseries will finally conclude this July.

"HAWAIIAN DICK: THE LAST RESORT #4 is completely finished," said Image Comics' Executive Director, Eric Stephenson. "This series has been subject to numerous delays since it was first announced and we've received an unbelievable number of emails and phone calls about this book, so I'm truly pleased the last issue is finally done.

"And while it no way makes up for the lateness, this last issue is absolutely gorgeous. Steven has done a terrific job with this issue, bringing the whole series to a magnificent close. His approach to color work is nothing short of perfect -- there's a reason he's already received two Eisner nods for his work on this miniseries."

Series co-creator B. Clay Moore is elated to have the series wrapped up. "We've been making plans for future HAWAIIAN DICK projects for some time now, but obviously didn't want to announce anything until THE LAST RESORT was finished," said Moore. "This gives us a great chance to reset and work toward delivering more HAWAIIAN DICK on a regular basis, on a regular schedule."

Created and written by B. Clay Moore (BATTLE HYMN, Oni's LEADING MAN) with art by Steven Griffin, HAWAIIAN DICK: THE LAST RESORT is the second miniseries chronicling the adventures of Byrd – a down on his luck American PI in 1950s Hawaii. This time out, Byrd finds himself entangled in a gangland turf war for control of paradise. Hired to investigate the mysterious sabotage of a brand-new luxury resort, Byrd soon finds a smorgasbord of suspects, both human and inhuman. Torn between rival factions, Byrd can't rely on help from his friend, Detective Mo Kalama, who himself is being stalked by the very men who hired Byrd.

Originally scheduled for a 2003 before being pushed back to 2004, the first three issues of HAWAIIAN DICK: THE LAST RESORT garnered rave reviews from readers and reviewers alike and is currently being developed as a major motion picture by New Line Cinema. Frank Coraci (The Wedding Singer) has signed on to direct.

HAWAIIAN DICK: THE LAST RESORT #4 is available for order now and will go on sale July 12.

Blazing," "Masterful," "Compelling" and "Rich" are just some of the words being bandied about to describe STAGGER LEE, a graphic novel by Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix debuting this week from Image Comics.

STAGGER LEE tells a forgotten story from St. Louis' history: how a small-time criminal became the hero of a hundred songs by everyone from blues pioneers like Mississippi John Hurt and Furry Lewis to contemporary rock icons like Nick Cave and Beck. Like John Henry, Johnny Appleseed or Paul Bunyan, STAGGER LEE is a character of American folklore whose story evolved through oral transmission, a transformation of the news of the day into larger than life myth. On Christmas night, 1895, "Stag" Lee Shelton shot Billy Lyons dead in the midst of a heated argument over a Stetson hat, and inadvertently created a myth that continues to evolve to this day.

The graphic novel has been receiving heaps of advance praise from a wide variety of sources, including book critics, comic book creators and mass media.

There's a major buzz brewing over Image Comics' newest collaboration and the biggest shocker is it's not even a comic book! This summer, Image Comics will be partnering with Kitchen Sink, the Utne Award-winning "magazine “for people who think too much", in a new distribution venture.

From the moment Kitchen Sink originally hit the stands in 2002, it established itself as a top-notch alternative press magazine. To get the partnership off to a booming start, Kitchen Sink #14, in collaboration with Image, will feature a twenty- page Amazing Joy Buzzards tale on top of KS's usual outstanding articles on everything from literature, art and film to sex, food, and God. As usual, KS 14 will also provide a platform for the best emerging artists and writers you’ll see this year.

"Over the last several years Image has undergone an extreme evolution," Executive Director Eric Stephenson explains. "Just compare a handful of titles such as Phonogram, Amazing Joy Buzzards, and Put the Book Back on the Shelf to what we did during our inception and it'll hit you over the head. Once it came time to plot our next stage of development the first thought we had was bringing Kitchen Sink into the fold."

"When Image proposed the partnership we quickly agreed," says Kitchen Sink Editor-in-Chief Stefanie Kalem. "Every issue of Kitchen Sink is unique. We always aim to publish fresh writing and art, so the magazine continually reinvents itself. We’re very excited to be working with a company that’s reimagining itself as well, and we are eager to take both Image and Kitchen Sink’s work in new directions. The comics world is catching wind of this collaboration, and anticipation is building.”

“We’ve carried Kitchen Sink since issue one,” Rory Root, owner of the world famous Comic Relief: The Comic Bookstore, proclaims. “As a forward thinking literary magazine with some fine strips and an Art Comic flavor to its illustrations, Kitchen Sink is a magazine that belongs on the coffee tables of fans of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern or the Believer across the country. I'm excited to see what the synergy of publishing with Image will bring.”

Kitchen Sink #14 (JUN061680) is available for order now with a cover price of $5.95 and an in-store date of August 9th. Further information on Kitchen Sink can be found here.

Dynamite Entertainment today released images and information concerning their July upcoming release of the MONSTER WAR Trade Paper Back!

MONSTER WAR was featured in a four issue cross-over with characters from the Top Cow Universe and is collected here for the very first time. The Classic MONSTERS – and who are about to be featured in the ARMY OF DARKNESS series as well as future Dynamite releases.

“MONSTER WAR was done at the outset of Dynamite Entertainment and we’re really pleased to be putting it all together in one trade collection,” commented Dynamite Spokesperson J. Allen. “Chris and Tom, along with Joyce and Vitor, put together a nice series and for anyone that may have missed it the first time around, now, you have no excuse!”

With GØDLAND nearing its first anniversary and Joe Casey and Tom Scioli's cosmic superhero series continuing to attract rave reviews, Image Comics has announced that a trade paperback collecting GØDLAND #7-12 will hit shelves in late July.

Written by Casey with art by Scioli, GØDLAND has received increasing critical acclaim following the release of the GØDLAND, VOL. 1: HELLO COSMIC! TP in January, attracting some of the most glowing reviews of any Image superhero titlle since INVINCIBLE. Despite rising initial orders, inclusion in Diamond's overship program and a commitment to overprinting, the first three issues have sold out and inventory on later issues continues to dwindle at an ever-increasing rate, making the GØDLAND, VOL. 2: ANOTHER SUNNY DELIGHT TP the ideal companion piece to the first trade for new readers.

With lettering and fine design by Richard Starkings and Comicraft, each issue of GØDLAND is carefully-crafted to be a unique comics experience and the trade paperback collections are no different. And in addition to representing the six-issue story arc running through GØDLAND #7-12, GØDLAND, VOL. 2: ANOTHER SUNNY DELIGHT will also include the GØDLAND short from last year's IMAGE COMICS HOLIDAY SPECIAL.

Image Comics today announced that Diamond has completely sold out of FEAR AGENT #4 by Rick Remender, Tony Moore, Mike Manley and Lee Loughridge.

A specially-priced trade paperback collecting FEAR AGENT #1-4 has already been scheduled and will be in stores on June 21; FEAR AGENT, VOL. 1: REIGNITION TP (APR061774) is available for order now.

Created by Rick Remender and Tony Moore, FEAR AGENT is the story of down and out alien exterminator Heath Huston, who stumbles upon an extra-terrestrial plot to commit genocide on humanity. Meanwhile, he is forced to chose between the bottle and resuming his roll as a peacekeeper... as the last Fear Agent.

"I think it's safe to say that many retailers continue to underestimate the demand for FEAR AGENT," said Image Executive Director Eric Stephenson. "Since the debut of FEAR AGENT #1 late last year, though, there's been a growing swell of interest in this title. People want this book."

"We want to make sure that everyone who wants in on the action with FEAR AGENT will have an opportunity to do so. So, we rush-solicited the first trade in an effort to make the story as widely available as possible, plus we priced it at a meager $9.99 in order to take away any price resistance at the counter," said Remender.

In a crossover of unprecedented proportions, MARVEL TEAM-UP #14 featured the first meeting of Invincible and Marvel's Spider-Man as the unwitting Invincible was plunged through reality after reality with only a hint as to how or why. At the end of that issue, Invincible returned home in search of answers, and with INVINCIBLE #33, those answers are finally coming!

Since INVINCIBLE's 2003 debut, the world Robert Kirkman has shaped around the series' title character has become home to an ever-growing cast of colorful characters, but for all the foes Mark Grayson has faced, none have ever attained "arch-enemy" status. Only in the pages of MARVEL TEAM-UP #14 was an enemy beyond Invincible's control hinted at, which was exactly how Kirkman had planned it.

“When it came time to do the Invincible appearance in MARVEL TEAM-UP #14, I really wanted it to be something special,” explained Kirkman. “In too many instances, a crossover doesn’t mean a thing, and as long as I had a say, I wanted to make sure this story would affect INVINCIBLE for years to come.

Las Vegas, the city of sin, vice, and bright lights is about to explode in the new BOMB QUEEN vs. BLACKLIGHT 1-SHOT!

Coming hot on the heels of the sold-out BOMB QUEEN mini-series, this over-the-top satire is written by SCOTT WHERLE (Blacklight) and illustrated by Bomb Queen's JIMMIE ROBINSON!

This pyrotechnic one-shot opens on Bomb Queen and Blacklight finding themselves in Las Vegas for conventions (a weapons convention and a comic convention, respectively). The girls come to odds over 'The Intimidator,' a weapon so deadly, it's the only one of its kind and that's when the 'catfight' ensues.

Shadowline founder Jim Valentino says, "We wanted to see what happens when Shadowline's resident good girl, Blacklight, faces down Bomb Queen, whose mini-series placed her at the top spot for 'Baddest Woman In Comics.' Scott and Jimmie found a story that will have everyone howling with laughter and begging for more."

Fortunately, more Bomb Queen is on the way. Not only is BOMB QUEEN: WMD (WOMAN OF MASS DESTRUCTION) shipping this July, collecting the sold-out first BOMB QUEEN mini-series, but the one-shot will be followed this fall by a brand-new BOMB QUEEN mini-series, written and drawn by creator Jimmie Robinson!

Valentino warns, "Reports we get are that stores have not been able to keep BOMB QUEEN in stock and with a cover like this, forget about it, BOMB QUEEN vs. BLACKLIGHT is gonna fly off the shelves!"

BOMB QUEEN vs. BLACKLIGHT 1-SHOT (JUN061679) is available for order now from the August Previews catalog. It is a full-color book with a cover price of $3.50 and will be on sale at braver comics shops August 2nd.

Remember the first time a record sent a divine shiver down your spine or when a band changed the way you dressed forever? How does something that is just noises arranged in sequence do that? No one knows. It’s just... magic.

Music is literally magic - that's the premise behind PHONOGRAM, a modern dark-fantasy miniseries debuting this August from Image Comics.

The debut miniseries from award-winning journalist Kieron Gillen (Plan B, Busted Wonder), PHONOGRAM features artwork by Jamie McKelvie (LONG HOT SUMMER) and is already being dubbed "one of the few truly essential comics of 2006" by Warren Ellis, who added with caution: "Read this or lose."

"We want PHONOGRAM to move people as much as the things which inspired it – both the best pop records and the best pop comics – moved us," explains Kieron Gillen. "I just feel incredibly privileged for this to be my first book. If I die without ever doing another comic after this… well, I can’t really complain. If I only have five minutes on stage, these are the five minutes I’d want."

PHONOGRAM traces the misadventures of Phonomancer David Kohl as he hunts for whoever is interfering with his old patron, the long-dead Goddess of Britpop, Britannia. If he fails, history itself will be rewritten – and him entirely out of it. To do so the contemptuous Kohl must survive the most brutal corners of his world, while his mind is slowly being unravelled. Appropriately, the covers for the six-issue series are inspired by a handful of album covers associated with the Britpop boom of the mid-90s. Issue #1 pays homage to Elastica's self-titled freshman release, while subsequent issues will reference Oasis' DEFINITELY MAYBE, Blur's MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH, Back Grape's IT'S GREAT WHEN YOU'RE STRAIGHT, YEAH!, Manic Street Preachers' THE HOLY BIBLE and Suede's self-titled debut.

"When I read the script for PHONOGRAM I just thought 'He’s written a script for me to draw, even though he doesn’t know me'," says Jamie McKelvie.

"It’s my love letter to music," says Gillen. "It’s an honest letter – I’ve been shacked up with her for long enough to know EXACTLY what she’s like, but I’m still hopelessly in love with her. Songs have made me kinder, crueller, smarter, dumber, funnier, happier, sadder, better and worse, and PHONOGRAM is me and McKelvie telling you all about it."

PHONOGRAM will be available for preordering from the June PREVIEWS and the first issue of this black & white miniseries is in-stores August 2nd, 2006. For more information, plus downloadable posters, flyers and single-page narrative flyers called B-sides, please visit www.phonogramcomic.com