The zombie classic returns in an all new series from the same creative team that brought you the acclaimed Deadworld: War of the Dead. The lepers have been slaughtered, the people who escaped the breeder pits head for the safety of New Washington, and now the zombies are under the control of Donna, the half-human/half-zombie hybrid. With King Zombie dead, she leads the zombies. Or does she? Deadworld, the long running, award winning, comic series that depicts the zombie apocalypse from a totally different perspective.

Dungeons & Dragons was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum for Play.

First published in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons has inspired many millions of gamers to create stories and adventures and has brought people together from all backgrounds to share those experiences. We are extremely proud D&D has been recognized by the Strong Museum, and we owe what the game is today to you, our fans. As stewards of D&D, we will continue to make great entertainment to inspire your creativity.

Nathan Stewart, Senior Director of D&D at Wizards of the Coast, was on hand in Rochester, NY to witness the induction ceremony and speak on behalf of Dungeons & Dragons. D&D means so much to so many people, but it is especially important to young people as they learn and grow.

Many of the works of Edgar Allen Poe, while considered classics of literature today, don’t often match up with modern literary sensibilities. It was somewhat surprising for me then, to come across Red Stylo Media’s The Twisted Poe Anthology, an excellent collection of seven original tales inspired by the works of Poe. Published in 2011, this collection does not consist of adaptations — retellings of Poe stories — but rather, a brand new batch of original tales in the same spirit as Poe’s work. All of the individual stories are available as digital downloads for 99 cents each; I have added links to the descriptions of those stories for convenience’s sake.

The first story, “Absolution”, is written by Jason Ciaramella and illustrated by Enrique “Zeke” Savory, Jr. Absolution is a tragic tale of loss and guilt inspired by Poe’s poem “The Raven.”

IDW returns to the popular world of Dungeons & Dragons!

MINSC AND BOO ARE BACK!

And things have never looked more dire, as mysterious forces draw the legendary ranger and his crew of adventurers to RAVENLOFT, the Realm of Terror… where they find themselves face to face with undead horrors in the land of eternal night!

Written by Jim Zub
Art by Nelson Daniel and Max Dunbar

Dungeons & Dragons: Shadows of the Vampire #1 is available now at DriveThruComics.com!

Visionary Comics, a production studio and digital publisher, is marking 10 years in the creative industry by announcing the hiring of two well-known industry execs and a retooled website as the first phase of a major expansion that will extend into 2016. Company leaders are calling the initiative “Visionary 2.0.”

“We’ve been working hard the last few months to move Visionary to the forefront of the industry and wanted to announce our first exciting changes at Tucson Comic Con,” says C. Edward Sellner, the company’s Chief Creative Officer. The eighth annual event kicked off at the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, AZ, on November 6, and wraps its three day run Sunday. Visionary execs made the exclusive announcements today at a panel during the popular show.

H. P. Lovecraft was born August 20, 1890 and the DriveThru sites (RPG, Comics, Fiction) are celebrating with a huge sale on hundreds of Cthulhu Mythos eBooks, audiobooks and other goodies.

We’ve gathered a list of some our favorite titles from each site here on Flames Rising…

A FAMILY AFFAIR!

When Judge Dredd comes face -to-face with one of his clones he knows that the rookie may well be his replacement one day. Old Stoney Face isn’t getting any younger and as he shows the new recruit around the streets of Mega-City One he reminisces about his dead clone brother Rico.

Out of respect for Dredd, the clone decides to take on Rico’s name but will he also share Rico’s fate?

Brothers of The Blood is another modern classic from writer John Wagner.

Normally, it can be difficult for me to talk about my day job and/or part-time gig as a freelancer here on Flames Rising due to any number of reasons. However, after learning so much over the past few years I wanted to start talking about various aspects of what I do.

Today, I want to address what it means to work with everyone…

There are thousands of active titles on the sites I manage for DriveThruRPG.com, DriveThruComics.com, and DriveThruFiction.com. I’ve had the pleasure of working with publishers and creators that are beyond awesome. I’ve also worked with publishers and creators who say and do things I disagree with in any number of different ways.

Dredd: Uprise #1

In the neglected sector of Mega-City One known as The Spit, tensions are reaching boiling point amongst the citizens as the shiny new mega-block Oemling Tower is being constructed for those that can afford to live in it.

As the Judges face running battles with rioters, the underground movement known as Uprise stokes the flames of dissent…

The Hero Initiative creates a financial safety net for comic creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work.

Since inception, the Hero Initiative has been fortunate enough to benefit over 40 creators and their families with over $400,000 worth of much-needed aid, fueled by your contributions! It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

DriveThruComics.com has partnered with more than 40 publishers including Top Cow Productions, Aspen Comics, Renegade Arts Entertainment, Valiant Comics, 2000 AD, Devil’s Due Entertainment, and more to offer up an amazing bundle of digital comics for only $20, with proceeds benefiting the Hero Initiative!

Pinnacle and Visionary Comics team up to bring you The Cackler graphic novel–a mystery almost 20 years in the making!

Stone stalks the High Plains seeking heroes to kill. The Cackler hunts the Weird West in search of a mysterious girl called Rachel. Both of these killers are stone-cold dead…Harrowed…and what they’re about to do kicks off the next era in the story of Deadlands!

Join us for a walk on the DEAD SIDE as we create two very different but linked projects that start us on the road for the 20th anniversary of Deadlands coming in 2016.

The Robin Hood of modern crime returns! He robs from the evil and heartless rich, and gives to the wronged and deserving poor – in the process, keeping a percentage for his own expenses. He doesn’t work for the law, the government, or anyone else. He is a lone wolf, an adventurer, a detective, a rogue, but always a gentleman!

Meet Snake Ganning, who had “connections”. His superior was TheManWhowas Clever, and The Saint didn’t like dirty crooks who were also clever.

So, Simon Templar seeks to bring a drug smuggler to justice. In this story, Templar is shown in the process of establishing his reputation as a crime buster working with a team ofmysterious individuals (akin to Robin Hood’s Merry Men). Patricia Holm, Templar’s love interest and fellow adventurer appears as well.

We’ve gathered a ton of awesome Horror and Dark Fantasy (and a few other genres too) deals from around the web. So many cool titles to explore, a little something for everyone…

The 13th Age (Pelgrane Press), Changeling: the Dreaming 2E (White Wolf), The Strange (Monte Cook Games), Ghosts of Albion (Eden Studios), Fantasy Craft 2E (Crafty Games), and Complete KOBOLD Guide to Game Design (Kobold Press) PDFs are all $4.99 each in PDF format for today only at DriveThruRPG.com!

As revealed exclusively at the Hollywood Reporter, New York-based comic book publisher Valiant Entertainment today announced that they are adapting their award-winning comic book series, ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, into a feature film. Valiant has partnered with the Sean Daniel Company (THE MUMMY, BEST MAN HOLIDAY, MGM’s upcoming BEN-HUR) for the production and has funded a script from writer BenDavid Grabinski. The film will be produced by Sean Daniel, Jason Brown, and Dinesh Shamdasani.

ARCHER & ARMSTRONG is an action-adventure/buddy comedy colliding a drunk, delinquent immortal who has given up on saving the world and the idealistic young man who needs him for a globetrotting quest to stop history’s oldest conspiracy from toppling modern civilization.

DriveThruComics.com, the first digital comics retailer, announced today that it has teamed up with Rebellion and Mongoose to offer an amazing deal on Judge Dredd titles including comics, eBooks, and an RPG in support of the Hero Initiative charity.

“We’re happy to have this chance to help out a great cause like Hero Initiative,” said Matt M McElroy, Director of Publishing for DriveThruComics.com. “The Judge Dredd titles that Rebellion and Mongoose have in this Bundle are a must-have for fans new and old.”

Hey there fans of Flames Rising! I gotta tell you, I was pretty excited about diving into issue #3 of the Dept. of Monsterology. So far the issue has been well written, possesses some good, witty dialogue, and the artwork has been spot on in setting the feel and tone of this pulp-supernatural series. Issues 1 & 2 were interesting rides while building up to some serious trouble for both Team Challenger and Team Carnacki. Things were already going downhill for Carnacki by the end of issue #2, and trouble loomed on the horizon for Team Challenger. So how does issue #3 fare?

Valiant Entertainment is proud to announce that it has partnered with Catalyst Game Labs to produce role-playing and tabletop games featuring Valiant’s award-winning library of comic book superheroes. The partnership will lead off in mid-2014 with the release of the Valiant Universe RPG—Valiant’s first-ever role-playing game, designed for the Cue System (the Origins and ENnie awards-nominated system first published in Catalyst’s 1950s Rockets/Rayguns/Robots RPG, Cosmic Patrol). Subsequent releases, spotlighting a wide array of Valiant properties, will follow in 2015 and beyond.

The edge between superhero and villain has never been sharper. In the Valiant Universe RPG, players will immerse themselves in a dark and gritty world where every mission and every battle has deadly consequences. Whether playing X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Shadowman or even the all-powerful Toyo Harada—or any of dozens of characters—Valiant’s most fearless heroes will unite for the first time in a roleplaying game, allowing you to join their stories and create new ones! Whether you’re a longtime fan or brand new to the Valiant Universe, this is the only source you’ll need to bring Valiant’s leading characters to life in a fantastic superheroes setting!

A small group of American soldiers in WWII, lead by General Patton must stop the Nazis from weaponizing supernatural creatures of myth.

Operation Penumbra: Vol. 1 takes place in North Africa in March of 1943. The U.S. Army has just suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel and the German Afrika Korps during the Battle Of Kasserine Pass. Following the defeat, General George S. Patton (“Ol’ Blood and Guts”) was brought in to turn the Army around and make it the world class fighting force it once was.

“Officially, it’s the Department of Cryptozoology, Mythological Studies, Parapsychology and Fortean Phenomena. But to the rest of the students and staff at the Dunsany College, baffled by the cloak of secrecy that surrounds the Department and its affairs, it has another, more dismissive, name: The Department of Monsterology. Their brief: to investigate the dark and unexplored corners of our world – the places we’ve forgotten, lost or believe to be mythical. And to study those things that may still be lurking there.”

Looking at the cover of “Dept. of Monsterology” from Renegade Arts Entertainment, I knew right off the bat that it had potential. The color palette is minimal and bleak, with plenty of blackness and shadows mixed in to compliment the mysterious tone of the comic.

SENT ON A QUEST BY THE EARTH GODDESS TO DESTROY THE BLOOD GOD, Slaine has now been reborn in the time of the Normans as Robin Goodfellow, King of the Greenwood. But first he has to seek out his beloved Niamh (herself reborn as a Christian nun called Marian), so together they can learn the secret name of the beast which will allow Slaine to destroy it as the Lord of Misrule!

This epic saga of Slaine by writer Pat Mills (Nemesis the Warlock, Flesh) includes artwork digitally updated exclusively for this volume by Clint Langley (A.B.C. Warriors, Ghost Rider) as well as the stunning fully painted art of Greg Staples (Judge Dredd) and Jim Murray (World of Warcraft, Batman/Judge Dredd: Die Laughing).