Full details on upcoming DARK SHADOWS news strip collection

The DARK SHADOWS newspaper strips which ran from 1971 until 1972 are returning to print later this year, courtesy of Hermes Press.

Ken Bald and Stan Lee

The 224-page collection looks pretty exciting. Not only is it chock full of bonus material, but the Sunday strips are being reprinted in color for the first time. While the various DARK SHADOWS comics that have appeared over the years have featured some terrific artwork, Ken Bald's linework on the newspaper strip might the best of the bunch. It's reportedly Bald's favorite work of his career, which is no small statement given that Guinness World Records has crowned him as the world's "oldest comic book artist." The man has worked on everything from DOC SAVAGE to CAPTAIN AMERICA to DR. KILDARE.

DARK SHADOWS THE COMPLETE NEWSPAPER DAILIES AND SUNDAY has a projected release date of Sept. 9, 2014, on Amazon, and the book is now available for pre-order. The previous softcover, B&W edition of the newspaper strips, first published in 1996, is also available.

Here's the official statement from Hermes Press:

The iconic gothic romance vampire television series Dark Shadows was so popular and influential that it was adapted in numerous media. In addition to finding its way into 35 Gold Key comic books — all collected by Hermes Press in five hardcover volumes, Dark Shadows was also adapted into one of the most striking comic strips of the 1970s, running for only one year, from March 14, 1971 through March 11, 1972, with stand out, eye-catching artwork by seasoned comic book and comic strip artist Ken Bald.

Dark Shadows the Complete Newspaper Dailies and Sundays; artwork by Ken Bald; the complete one year run (March 14, 1971 through March 11, 1972) of the strip featuring all of the dailies and Sundays in full color. Essay by noted Dark Shadows scholar Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, documentary materials, examples of original artwork; 8.5 x 11 inches; landscape format; dustjacket and printed laminated cover; 224 pages; $50; available August, 2014.

Hermes Press’ new archival edition of the strip features all of the dailies and Sundays, in their original half page format, and in full color.