WOLVERINE: WEAPON X #5 is out today, which wraps up the first arc with explosions and sharks, and of course more laser claws and stabbity stab stab. There are big plans afoot for the ole Canucklehead, and this arc was just the beginning, laying the groundwork for what I hope will be the next few years worth of Wolverine stories. My first job in comics came in the pages of WOLVERINE, so me and the hairy little bastard go way back. I've written him several times over the last few years, from "Get Mystique" and "The Man In The Pit" to a kung fu mini-series and a barroom team-up with Spider-Man. And I've still got plenty of stories left to tell. In the book's second arc, kicking off in issue #6, look for guest appearances by Nightcrawler and Psylocke, as well as the introduction of crazy new villains like Dr. Rot, Nurse Fester, The Biter, Charlie Chainsaws and an oddball pair named Helter and Skelter. After that, make way for Captain America and the return of a certain killer cyborg from the future. And don't forget The Thing. I'm dying to do the story with Wolvie and The Thing. And beyond that... well, then things are gonna get REALLY crazy. You've been warned.

No SCALPED solicit this month. We're just trying to get back on schedule, after slipping a little bit with the current arc.


PUNISHERMAX #2
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by STEVE DILLON
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
“KINGPIN,” PART 2
An all-new ongoing series from the acclaimed team of Jason Aaron (WOLVERINE: WEAPON X) and Steve Dillon (PUNISHER: WELCOME BACK FRANK), two guys who were born to tell the exploits of Marvel's most brutal vigilante. Learn how mob bodyguard Wilson Fisk became the hard-bitten, brutal man he is today, as his plan to become the most powerful crime figure in New York springs into action. The rise of the Kingpin continues, though not if Frank Castle has anything to say about it.
32 PGS./Explicit Content ...$3.99


WOLVERINE WEAPON X #8
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by YANICK PAQUETTE
Cover by ADAM KUBERT
In the deepest darkest dungeons of the Dunwich Sanatorium, the true nature of this maddest of all madhouses is finally revealed, but will the answer come too late for Wolverine to salvage what's left of his sanity? And just what is Dr. Rot building with all of those brains?
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$3.99


GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN'S ON FIRE #5 (of 6)
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by ROLAND BOSCHI
Cover by GREG LAND
The battle against Zadkiel, usurper of heaven, nears its conclusion as the all-new Orb and all-new Vengeance enter the fray, leading an army of zombie bikers against an army of Gun Nuns, with Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch caught in the middle. Plus, Jaine Cutter versus the Son of Satan and the junior Anti-Christ, Kid Blackheart, makes his move.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory ...$3.99

Working on SCALPED #35 today, which will have this cover when it comes out in January. It'll be a good way to start the year off. Our big current arc, "The Gnawing," will end in December, and then with this single issue tale in #35 we'll take a deep breath, cleanse the palate a bit. This issue will focus on a couple of characters we've never seen before, and I'm working on finding a voice for them as we speak. I'm trying to decide what kind of records they listen to. Maddox Brothers and Rose? Sons of the Pioneers? Or maybe blues?

Next year, look for SCALPED to go places you probably weren't expecting. We're actually going a couple of places that I wasn't expecting, but once I thought of them, I knew there was no other way it could go. That's one of the most exciting parts of storytelling. When you put all the pieces together and suddenly they line up in a way you hadn't imagined. That'll be 2010 for SCALPED.

Got the document the other day that I sign to extend my SCALPED contract for another 12 issues, and this one will take us up through issue #48. Just seeing that number got me all excited, thinking about a fiftieth issue, thinking of how far the series had come, despite the odds being stacked against it. Makes me wanna say "thank you" once again to all the people out here who pick this book up, whether in issues or trades, to all the people who blog about it, to the retailers who hand-sell it, to all the people who bring their friends to see me at cons and talk them into buying the book. You people are awesome. SCALPED wouldn't still be here if it wasn't for you all going the extra mile.

Thanks again.

Newsarama has a piece up about LIBERTY COMICS #2, an anthology issue put together to raise money for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Click the link for preview pages from my story, a little caveman ditty called "The First Censor."

Due in stores September 30.

From Do Some Damage: An Inside Look at Crime Fiction:

"I continue to be blown away by SCALPED.

It’s a shining example of great comics, of what can be done with the medium that can’t be done with film, television or books...

First it’s worth noting that I came relatively late to the party. I actually flicked through the first couple of issues and….it didn’t grab me. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, I guess. After I heard the growing praise, I picked up the first trade, Indian Country, and it hooked me a little. I wasn’t fully sold on this being the best thing since sliced bread, but I enjoyed it and kept going. It’s now up to its fourth trade, The Gravel In Your Guts, and I’m hooked. I need it. Each time I think I have it figured out, it adds another layer or takes a new turn."

Headed to Orlando for another signing with my friends at A Comic Shop. Last time I was there, this happened:



God help us all this time.

This guy makes Billy Jack look like a pussy.