Jackie vs. U.S. in Image/Top Cow’s The Darkness #3

ackie Estacado finds that even paradise can take its toll in Image Comics/Top Cow Productions’ The Darkness #3, now in stock and ready to ship from Diamond!

The bearer of The Darkness, Jackie’s first meeting with Dr. Kirchner was one hard to forget. Now fans will find out exactly what happened during that first run in. As if that weren’t enough to impress consumers, Jackie, a one-man army in his own right, must take on the U.S. Government and its army in a battle that will test the combative limits of The Darkness – if there are any.

Written by Phil Hester and illustrated by Michael Broussard, the 32-page, full-color The Darkness #3 is made all the more appealing with two great covers – Cover A from Dale Keown and Cover B from Stjepan Sejic! In addition, to accommodate those fans that may have missed the onset of The Darkness, be sure to also place reorders for The Darkness #1.

With this new series plopping Jackie into an exciting environment packing danger & mystery with the turn of every page, no reader that has picked up the previous two issues or enjoyed The Darkness’ appearances in other Top Cow series should pass up on this new chapter, so place your orders for it today and see the in-stock list for more great Darkness products!

Vigilante Justice Served in Marvel’s Punisher War Journal Vol. 3 HC

Frank Castle’s war on crime continues with the reintroduction of a classic, brutal and bloodthirsty character in Marvel Comics’ Punisher War Journal Volume 3: Hunter Hunted Premiere HC, which is available now!

Rising star writer Matt Fraction and artists Ariel Olivetti, Cory Walker, Scott Wegener & Howard Chaykin continue Castle’s diary of destruction in this new volume that collects Punisher War Journal #12-#17. When a bank job goes horribly wrong, the Rhino is forced to go to ground to avoid the cops and the Punisher. But as Castle looks to settle the score with an old foe, Kraven the Hunter is stalking the same prey, building himself the ultimate menagerie – a living, breathing super-human zoo! Thankfully, Spider-Man is along for the ride as the lone voice of reason. Plus, with World War Hulk in full swing, New York is shut off from the outside world with no one left to protect those left behind… except Frank Castle! While Mung the Inconceivable rampages through Manhattan, Frank and Clarke help a small band of refugees hold back his relentless onslaught.

Available for immediate delivery, the 152-page, full-color Punisher War Journal Volume 3: Hunter Hunted Premiere HC and related collections are easily marketed to Punisher lovers; secure quantities now for explosive profits!

DC/Vertigo’s Faker TP a True Hit

Eisner Award nominees Mike Carey and Jock turn a time of self-discovery into a very different quest for identity in DC Comics/Vertigo’s Faker TP, which is in stock and ready for delivery from Collector's World Store!

Faker begins with a wild party of college freshman preparing for their second semester. But when the party ends, one reveler, Jessie, discovers that her best friend has become an “un-person” with no identity in the school’s computers or among their once-mutual circle of friends. Against a time and place where people routinely begin to discover and craft their own identities, Jessie tries to unravel the mystery behind her friend’s “disappearance,” uncovering cruelty and deception while struggling with her own dark, suppressed memories.

A must-have for fans of Carey’s writing for Hellblazer, Crossing Midnight, God Save the Queen or Jock’s art on The Losers, the 160-page, full-color Faker TP is available for immediate delivery, so secure your copies today!

It's Awesome Baby...Newest Hall of Famer Signs With Donruss

Arlington, TX - Official at Donruss announced today that the newest member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, Dick Vitale, has signed his very first autograph agreement with the company. Donruss recently completed the signing with the enthusiastic Vitale, known for his catch phrases and high-energy commentary for ESPN.

"It's amazing that in the competitive basketball market you can still find someone this popular that hasn't had a certified autograph card," said Marketing Director Scott Prusha. "This is another FIRST for the industry and another way we are creatively providing content that nobody else has to make the Americana and Elite Extra Edition Series the most popular in the industry."

Dick Vitale will make his debut in Donruss Americana II, set to release this summer. He is also set to make an appearance in the popular collegiate themed product, Donruss Elite Extra Edition. Vitale signed stickers as well as several of his catch-phrase notations on cuts including: "Its Awesome Baby" , "Dickie V" , "Mr. College Basketball" and "Dipsy Doo Dunkeroo".

Vitale's career started in the coaching ranks, first for the University of Detroit and then for the NBA's Detroit Pistons. After being released from his duties with the Pistons, he decided to take a job at a little known television station ESPN, at least until another coaching job became available. We all know where ESPN went and the 2008-09 seasons will be Vitale's 30th with the juggernaut.

Donruss continues to roll-out the announcements for these ground breaking programs. From firsts like Martina Navratilova and Mixed Martial Arts cards, to President George Bush. The Americana series includes names such as Hollywood legends Humphrey Bogart, James Dean, Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe, as well as pop-culture icons William Shatner, Burt Reynolds, John Travolta and Ashley Judd.

Donruss Americana series II will release in July and Celebrity Cuts will reach hobby shops in mid-April. For more information visit www.donruss.com.

Donruss Celebrity Cuts - New Release!!

ARLINGTON - Since Donruss announced the release of Celebrity Cuts, the industry has been on pins-and-needles anxiously awaiting details and information on the release. Who has signed? What new pieces of memorabilia has Donruss acquired? What creative insert will they come-up with that will be the next buzz? These are all questions the hobby has been asking as Donruss gets ready to release their second entertainment program in the past six months.

The wait is over and Donruss Celebrity Cuts will be live this week. Celebrity Cuts is the premium version of Donruss Americana, the monumental release that sold out the week it went on live.

Each pack of Celebrity Cuts has TWO Autograph or Memorabilia cards, three commons or parallels and one insert.
"We are extremely excited that the wait is over (for Celebrity Cuts)," said Donruss Brand Manager Ben Ecklar. "Nothing like this has ever been seen in the entertainment industry. The inserts Donruss has created over the years that have redefined the sports card industry will be making their debut here by some of the most recognizable Hollywood names in our history."

Donruss has confirmed several BIG names will be staring in the program including: George and Barbara Bush, Kathie Lee Gifford, Christina Applegate, Jerry Lewis, Mark Hamill and Quentin Tarantino. Returning for the sequel are Ashley Judd, Burt Reynolds, Buzz Aldrin, John Travolta, Ron Howard and Williams Shatner.

"We will announce a few other big names next week," adds Ecklar.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Commons Cards
Every card will be individually numbered, with the 100 card base set serial-numbered to just 499.
Multi-swatch cards featuring die-cuts from Hollywood Legends such as:
Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Jackie Gleason, James Dean, Jimmy Stewart, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen and more.

Movie Stars Featuring signed parchments with inscriptions:
Ashley Judd, Burt Reynolds, Carrie Fisher, Jerry Lewis, Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner and more.

H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D and O-S-C-A-R signed letters by:
Burt Reynolds, Christina Applegate, Debbie Reynolds, Ernest Borgnine, Leonard Nimoy, Mickey Rooney, Ricardo Montalban, Ron Howard, William Shatner and more.

ReCollection Collection Cards:
Including original from the 1967 Leaf Star Trek set signed by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy (including dual signed versions) and Dallas, Dukes of Hazard and the Andy Griffith Show. Each ReCollection Collection card is serial numbered to 10 or less.

Multiple signed cards featuring dual, triple and quad signed cards:
Combine autographs from multiple celebrities on one card. The entire Bundy family from "Married with Children" as well as Star Wars stars Billy Dee Williams/Carrie Fisher/David Prowse/Mark Hamill and George Takei/Leonard Nimoy/Walter Koenig/Williams Shatner.

Cut Signatures:
The Celebrity Cuts subset, after which this set is named, feature cut signatures of the stars of yesteryear. Autographs from Frank Sinatra, Jack Lemmon, Mary Pickford, Bette Davis, Vivein Leigh, Ginger Rogers, Joan Crawford, Loretta Yong and Gary Cooper. Combo Cuts containing two celebrity autographs such as George Burns/Gracie Allen, Charles Bronson/Yul Brynner and Bud Abbott/Lou Costello.

2008 Donruss Americana Celebrity Cuts officially releases April 25th and retails for $150.00 per collectors box.
For more information Donruss Americana Celebrity Cuts (including case hits), visit: http://www.donruss.com

Image Explores Seedy Underbelly with Nixon’s Pals GN

Fan-favorite writer Joe Casey looks at the hidden underbelly of the Los Angeles super-villain scene with Image Comics’ Nixon’s Pals GN, which is in stock and ready to ship from Diamond!

Casey teams with illustrator Chris Burnham to introduce fans to Nixon Cooper, a parole officer for some of Los AngelesCounty’s best and brightest super-villains. This colorful cast of parolees is hanging on by their fingernails in the morally bereft underbelly of L.A. But who has it worse: the criminals struggling – and failing – to walk the straight and narrow, or Nixon himself, doing his best to keep up with these people? The 120-page, black-and-white graphic novel presents a crime story unlike any fans have seen before and comes loaded with extra features.

A must-have for fans of Casey or those readers interested in a ground-level look at super-heroics, the Nixon’s Pals GN is available for immediate reorder so place your orders today!

Pigeons from Hell Flies High at Dark Horse

Horror master Joe R. Lansdale brings one of author Robert E. Howard’s darkest and most widely read stories to Dark Horse Comics’ horror line with Pigeons from Hell #1 , the terrifying start of a four-issue limited series which is available for reorder now from Diamond!

Illustrated by comic newcomer Nathan Fox with Dave Stewart, Pigeons from Hell combines the timelessness of a Howard story with the talents of contemporary prose and comic best seller Lansdale. The story takes readers to a damned house in the Deep South... a house with a sinister past that’s said to cast a deadly shadow upon all who enter, a house where enormous flocks of pigeons are seen flying out of it with every sunset. Are they simply birds, or damned souls in flight from the depths of Hell?

The 32-page, full-color issue should inspire the many readers of both authors to investigate this chilling project based on a tale that’s been called “one of the finest horror stories of the 20th century” by Stephen King, so place your orders today and make sure your shelves are stocked!

Heroes Face Bleak Future in WildStorm: Armageddon TP

It could be the end of the world as they know it unless heroes of the WildStorm Universe find a way to stop it in DC Comics/WildStorm’s WildStorm: Armageddon TP , which is now in stock and ready to ship from Diamond!

An event that incorporated Midnighter, Tranquility, Stormwatch: P.H.D., Gen 13, Wetworks and Wildcats, the six-issue Armageddon event from writer Christos N. Gage and artists Neil Googe, Talent Caldwell & several others is offered in this Earth-shaking TP. Six WildStorm heroes are granted a post-apocalyptic vision, prompting the question: now that they’ve seen the results, can they stop the cause?

Featuring some of the most popular heroes from the WildStorm Universe and impacting the future of DC’s innovative imprint as a whole, this 144-page, full-color TP should be highly sought by many avid WildStorm readers, so place your reorders for it now!

Bonds 762 Home Run Ball Sells For

The record-setting Barry Bonds 762 home run ball was sold Saturday in an online auction at scpauctions.com for $376,612, including buyer's premium, to a collector who elected to remain anonymous.

Bonds' sent a 99-mph fast ball thrown by Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenezt into the Coors Field bleachers, and the record books, on Sept. 5, 2007. Boulder resident Jameson Sutton, 24, retrieved the ball from a three-man scuffle and placed 762 in a safety deposit box until coming forward on March 13. At the time, Sutton did not believe he had Bonds' final home run ball, expecting the slugger would hit another home run in the last three weeks of the 2007 season and thinking Bonds might play in 2008. Due to a serious illness in the family, Sutton decided to sell the ball with SCP Auctions.

"I am happy with my decision to sell the 762 ball and wish the new owner the best," Sutton said. "I'm especially proud to help my family pay some of the medical costs due to my father's illness."

Sutton and his family have created an LLC to handle proceeds of the sale of the ball, 50-50 with his parents. Money his parents receive will help defray the costs of Sutton's stepfather's battle with cancer.

SCP Auctions is no stranger to Bonds' memorabilia, having sold home run balls No. 755 and 756 for $186,750 and $752,467, respectively, on Sept. 15, 2007. In August 2006, Bonds' 715th home run ball, making him second on the all-time home run list surpassing Babe Ruth, sold for $220,100 at auction.

McNair Retires. What Next for Ravens?

By Dan Hitt

One of the most popular Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Houston Oilers players of all time retired this week. Steve McNair will be remembered most by fans as the guy who took the new version (the Titans) of the old Oilers to the Super Bowl for the first time and came within a yard or two of sending the game into OT.

He'll likely be remembered by collectors, though, as a small-college player who actually lived up to the draft-day hype to justify the early collector, and investor, speculation in his cards.

But with McNair stepping aside, who will replace the veteran at the helm for the Ravens? Who should collectors set their card-loving sights on now? The short answer may appear to be Troy Smith, since he's the young future star in waiting. After all, collectors have seen enough of Kyle Boller, right? Even the most novice fans realize he's not the future at starter, so Smith must be the guy. We need to start buying him up like crazy, right?

Hold your horses. There is plenty of speculation that the McNair retirement throws the Ravens right into the middle of the pursuit for Matt Ryan or some other top QB in the draft. Or the Ravens could give strong consideration to a veteran QB if draft day doesn't produce an answer.

Either way, we'll find that out in about a week. Until then, we strongly suggest holding off on going full steam toward Troy Smith cards until the dust settles.

UD Inks Sizemore, Kemp and Bynum

You win some, you lose some. Days after losing a number of baseball legends, Upper Deck demonstrated its leadership in the field of modern stars by signing exclusive deals with MLB standouts Grady Sizemore and Matt Kemp and NBA up-and-comer Andrew Bynum. Terms of each deal are different, but they all provide autograph collectors with ample opportunity to secure authentic signatures in upcoming products.



"These three athletes represent another coup by Upper Deck in terms of seeking out and securing some of the most collectible athletes in their respective sports," said Tim Muret, Upper Deck's vice president of Sports Cards and Memorabilia.

Sizemore, Cleveland's starting center fielder, is a terrific talent who collected 174 hits including 24 home runs last season as he helped the Tribe get to within one win of the 2007 World Series. He also earned his first Rawlings Gold Glove award in 2007 after posting a .995 fielding average. UDA's contract calls for Sizemore to sign a wide assortment of baseball items including authentic game model Indians jerseys (home white, away gray and alternate blue) for $429.99 each, framed jerseys for $629.99, framed 16" x 20" photos for $349.99, bats at $274.99, batting helmets for $249.99, and mini-helmets, baseballs and 16" x 20" photos, $199.99. Products should be available in June.

Kemp, the Dodgers up-and-coming outfielder, collected 100 hits in just 98 games last season as he hit a robust .342 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI. His exclusive contract with UDA calls for him to sign the following lineup of baseball keepsakes: authentic Majestic Dodgers white home jerseys, $279.99; framed jerseys, $479.99; Rawlings Big Stick bats, $179.99; regulation-sized Dodger batting helmets, $159.99; inscribed baseballs, $129; regular baseballs, $99.99; and Dodger Stadium "At-Bat" 11" x 16.5" photos, $89.99. Kemp's products have been signed and will be available shortly.

Bynum, the Lakers' third-year center, averaged 13.1 points and 10.2 rebounds in 35 games this season. His efforts helped his team claim the Western Conference's Pacific Division crown with a 57-25 mark. He will sign Lakers jerseys for $399.99, Spalding basketballs for $299.99, and framed and unframed 8" x 10" and 16" x 20" photos for prices ranging from $169.99 to $299.99. His unframed products will be available in early May.