That's right, folks, she is back! From the pages of KICK-ASS to your frontal lobe, Hit-Girl has returned to punch you straight in the jaw in her very own miniseries. And before you ask, yes, she's just as foul-mouthed and adorable as ever. Hit-Girl is all about the trials and tribulations of the pint-sized former super heroine struggling to adjust to a normal life. No more high octane thrills, no more brain damaging car chases, just a nice, steady life of school, family, and cuddling with a teddy bear. Of course, no twelve year-old girl with a thirst for justice can possibly stay straight forever, and this comic treats us to a fantastic explosion of ultra-violence and mob war.

Cal McDonald is a hard living, hard drinking, son-of-a-bitch that takes no crap from anyone, living or dead. He'll take any case as long you pay, from finding lost dogs to exorcising ghosts. Unfortunately for him, it's usually the latter of the two. CRIMINAL MACABRE has been a staple of creator Steve Niles’ repertoire for as long as he’s been writing. His first appearance in 1990 has since spawned several limited comics series and three books, making Cal McDonald everyone's favorite supernatural detective. CRIMINAL MACABRE: THE IRON SPIRIT, is a new addition to the mythos, once again shoving Cal into the strange and unknown world of ghosts, ghouls, and grudges.

Welcome to London, England, where the sky is clear, the buildings are rigid like the Queen’s guard, and the upper crust of society has willingly turned itself into creatures of the night. This is an England where the elite are vampires and the shuffling masses of lower society are just that, shuffling masses of zombies. Such is the world of THE NEW DEADWARDIANS, a new monthly series from DC/Vertigo, a company that always continues to bring strange and fresh horror to the table. Set in post-Victorian England, THE NEW DEADWARDIANS adds new life to the ever stale zombie vs. vampire genre with a great mix of crime, horror, drama, and of course, a good, heaping helping of gore.

SPIKE: A DARK PLACE #1, just out from Dark Horse Comics, unleashes Joss Whedon’s breakout character into an exciting solo adventure. The brooding vampire with a soul finds himself looking aimlessly for any kind of fight. He will do just about anything to ignore the pain of a broken heart.

The ever-lovely, Rondo Award-winning Penny Dreadful, hostess of the popular PENNY DREADFUL’S SHILLING SHOCKERS, recently parlayed her TV success into her very own comic book title. PENNY DREADFUL’S CAULDRON OF TERROR, spawned in the dungeons of publisher Comic Book Divas, is (according to Ms. Dreadful) intended to be a one-shot title—but ya never know!

Putting vigilantism under a microscope, BEFORE WATCHMEN: RORSCHACH, DC Comics’ new prequel to Alan Moore’s classic saga (debuting tomorrow, August 15), is a darkly gritty and terrifically edgy read.

Considering they cost as much as a DVD and entertain for half as long, the question I always ask myself before buying a graphic novel is, “Would I reread it?” A sophisticated storyline, art that makes the eyes linger on the panels, and realistic dialogue with wit, humor and intelligence—those are the things that keep one coming back for more. Writer Magnus Aspli and artist Dave Acosta’s THE VESSEL OF TERROR (Markosia Enterprises) delivers on all these fronts, leaving the reader with an evil grin like that comic-perusing kid in the CREEPSHOW poster.