Anyone who reads comic books is familiar with the name Mark Waid, not only as a writer of one of the best series on the market, Daredevil, but also as a writer of many celebrated series such as Kingdom Come, The Flash, Fantastic Four, and many, many more. He is also an innovator in the world of comics, having worked as Editor-in-Chief of BOOM! Studios for a time before starting his own digital comics platform, Thrillbent.

Thrillbent recently made a change to their business model allowing readers to subscribe to every book Thrillbent releases for $3.99 a month, or readers can continue to buy issues individually. To celebrate this change, Thrillbent is offering new readers a free copy of Waid and penciller Barry Kitson’s series Empire, originally released in 2000. Empire tells the story of Golgoth, a classic megalomaniacal super-villain who has conquered the world before the first issue even starts. The series is an examination of the character and the world he has created for himself.

Thrillbent will also be home to the all-new second volume of Empire, which reunites Waid and Kitson to tell the continuing story of Golgoth and where he goes after the events of volume one. Chapter two of the new series is available now, and the series is just as intriguing and thought-provoking as it was the first time. You can also read the first chapter of Empire Vol. 2 for free right now.

I was able to talk to Waid about not just Empire, but also the future of Thrillbent, as well as what goes into writing Daredevil. You can see what he had to say and also some preview images below.

Dark Horse Comics has released a 7-page preview of Angel & Faith, Season 10 #1, which begins a new comic book season for the publisher’s continuation of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer expanded universe. Season 10, which is executive-produced by Buffy creator Joss Whedon, will be written by Victor Gischler with art by Will Conrad and colors by Michelle Madsen. Scott Fischer provided the cover for issue #1 (and it’s a truly gorgeous cover!).

Here below you can check out the 7-page preview and official solicitation for the 32-page full-color issue, which is currently available for pre-order, with a release date of April 2, 2014.

The Shadow: Year One #1
Written by Matt Wagner
Art by Wilfredo Torres
Colors by Brennan Wagner
Letters by Simon Bowland
Covers by Matt Wagner, Alex Ross, Chris Samnee & Howard Chaykin
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: February 20, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

The Shadow Year One #1 is the first part of the untold origin of The Shadow. Kind of. What I was expecting and what this book delivered are two VERY different things.

Author Matt Wagner is legendary in the comic book business, and rightfully so. His list of credentials are WAY too long for me to list here, and let’s face it, you know who he is. Thankfully, he’s his awesome self writing this book. When I first hear about this series, I pictured something much different. I was looking for a great story about how LaMont Cranston BECAME The Shadow: his training, his reasons for doing so, etc., sort of like a Batman Begins type story for this character. Instead, what we have is a Batman Year One type story. Cranston returns home from abroad to New York, and that’s where the book starts. It’s about him becoming the masked vigilante hero that we all know and love.

Each and every week “Let’s Go Red Wings!” MK2Fac3 and “Clap! Clap! Clap, Clap, Clap!” Henchman21 read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible”¦ theoretically. They look forward to some more than others, I mean, who doesn’t? So, let’s take a look into the depths of their pull lists, grab some comics, and we’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of May 2, 2012. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

Comics rule everything around me. So, in believing in the mantra of C.R.E.A.M., it is my pleasure to tell you about a vast array of new comic books that are coming out this week. There are a wealth of new creator owned books coming out from Image, while DC Comics guides into the Night of the Owls. Meanwhile, behind the facade of an innocent looking bookstore, your local comic shop lets Marvel showcase the latest installment of their comic about heroes fighting each other, while Dark Horse collects some shorts from Dark Horse Presents and Valiant returns! Yes, comics, indeed, rule everything around me. Hence, we offer upon you the readers, The GoD List.

Snarked #1
Created by Roger Langridge
Written and Illustrated by Roger Langridge
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, Matthew Wilson
Covers by Roger Langridge, Chris Samnee
BOOM! Studios
Release Date: October 5, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

All-ages comics are an interesting genre. A creator must be able to tell a story that can appeal to a wide age-range while also keeping it visually and thematically dynamic. More often than not creators try to use broad strokes to tell their all age’s story. If you are trying to make something for a broad demographic, why not use universally funny or silly concepts so everyone can appreciate it, right? But the issue is that while trying to capture these collectively “funny” or “childlike” themes writers often lose control of a story just they can throw in another gag. Luckily Roger Langridge‘s Snarked avoids this pitfall and tells a smart, quirky, and most importantly fun story that anyone can appreciate.