Wanna see me and Jorge Lucas do more RIPCLAW? Then head over to the Pilot Season page on MySpace and cast your vote. You don't need to be a member of MySpace to vote, and you can vote more than once, so knock yourself out.

It's my first full-fledged superhero work, it's out today and I'm anxious to hear what people think.

Due to some sort of printing error, my RIPCLAW one-shot didn't make it to stores this week, but look for it next week. Or if you're at Wizard World Chicago this week, you can pick up an advance copy at the Top Cow booth and even get Tony Moore to sign the cover (tell him I sent you).

Check out the earth-2.net podcat for an advance review ("Kudos upon kudos upon kudos," they said of the book). And there's an interview with Top Cow editor Rob Levin and I at Comic Book Resources.

It's a dark meditation on violence that ships next week, August 8, with art by Jorge Lucas and a cover by Tony Moore.

From the solicitations for August:

SCALPED #8

Written by Jason Aaron; Art by R.M. Guera; Cover by Jock

"Casino Boogie" part 3 of 6. The man known only as Diesel may be a force to be reckoned with – which Dash Bad Horse finds out firsthand in this issue – but things weren't always easy for this wannabe Indian brave.

Vertigo 32pg. Color $2.99 US Mature Readers On Sale August 1, 2007

WOLVERINE #56
Written by JASON AARON
Pencils and Cover by HOWARD CHAYKIN
Special double-sized issue! "The Man in the Pit"

Wendell Rayfield is a recently divorced, down on his luck ex-cop who's looking down the business end of 40 with no hope for the future and with demons from his past still haunting him at every turn. All he has going for him is his new job. A job that involves a very large machine gun, a hole in the ground, a certain hirsute mutant and several thousand bullets. We all know what damage Wolverine can do with his claws, but how dangerous can he really be when all he's able to do is talk? Wendell Rayfield is about to find out. Written by up-and-comer Jason Aaron (The Other Side, Scalped), with art by comic book legend Howard Chaykin (Blade, American Flagg!).
48 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99

RIPCLAW PILOT SEASON #1

What is Pilot Season 2007?
Pilot (noun): television show produced and filmed or taped as a sample of a proposed series. This Fall, Top Cow is launching 7 Pilot Issues starring fan favorite characters currently without a series. After all 7 issues have been released, fans will be able to VOTE online and pick 2 characters to get greenlit for their own all-new series in 2008. It’s up to you!

RIPCLAW PILOT SEASON #1
(W) Jason Aaron, (A) Jorge Lucas, (Cov) Tony Moore
Eisner nominated writer Jason Aaron (SCALPED, THE OTHER SIDE) joins up with artist Jorge Lucas (INCREDIBLE HULK, ANNIHILATION: RONAN) to unleash Top Cow’s resident badass in the first of eight special one-shots published under the Pilot Season 2007 initiative. The killer team is joined by intense cover artist Tony Moore (THE WALKING DEAD, EXTERMINATORS).
To kill the Yakuza kingpin called Boss Yamamoto, you’d have to fight your way through level after deadly level of his secret fortress, past an army of gun-toting thugs and sword-wielding assassins. No one has ever been foolish enough to try. Enter Ripclaw. The fan-favorite character returns to the spotlight as dangerous as ever and now fighting as if all hell is at his back.
Full Color 32 pages $2.99 pilot issue

Plus, August also brings the second volume of 24/seven, to which I contributed a story, and the first trade paperback of SCALPED, priced at only $9.99.