Crying Freeman, Batman, Silver Surfer

Crying Freeman Vol. 1
(Dark Horse; 408pgs B&W; $14.95)
(W: Kazuo Koike, A: Ryoichi Ikegami)

Yo Hinomura was a peaceful artisan until his kidnapping at the hands of the 108 Dragons, a Chinese Mafia gang who force the young man to become their brutal assassin. Although he cannot control his actions, he sheds tears for those he kills, earning him the nickname Crying Freeman. Dark Horse brings back the out-of-print six-volume action epic originally translated into English by Viz from 1989 to 1994, featuring an excellent, literate script by manga master Kazuo Koike (Lone Wolf and Cub) and gorgeously realistic art from Ryoichi Ikegami (Sanctuary).

Batman: Secrets #1
(dc Comics; 32pgs fc; $2.99)
(W/a: Sam Keith)

The gleefully demented creator of The Maxx begins his DC-exclusive contract with this five-issue miniseries. Secrets kicks off with a brutal fight between Batman and the Joker that’s caught on tape, bringing the Caped Crusader’s tactics into question.

Silver Surfer: The Rebirth Of Thanos
(Marvel; 224Pgs fc; $24.99)
(W: Jim Starlin, P: Ron Lim, I: Tom Christopher, John Beatty)

Marvel’s biggest space epic kicks off in this collection of the classic story arc that resurrected the malevolent Thanos and led up to the universe shattering Infinity Gauntlet. Starlin explores the cracks and crevices in Thanos’ warped brain like no other writer before or since, and Lim was born to draw the shiny Sentinel of the Spaceways.

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