National Network for Equitable Library Service

They live as outcasts, hated and feared by the very humanity they protect. They are mutants, born with strange and wonderful powers that set them apart from the rest of the human race. Under the tutelage of Professor Charles Xavier, they are more than mutants. They are the X-Men. Magneto, the X-Men's oldest, deadliest foe, has taken over the entire island of Manhattan and declared it a haven for mutants.

Betrayed by Earth's heroes and exiled into outer space, the man-monster known as the Incredible Hulk has landed on the distant planet Sakaar, ruled by the tyrannical Red King. Sold into slavery, the Hulk becomes the Green Scar, the planet's mightiest gladiator! But his new masters get more than they bargained for when he forges a bond of brotherhood with his fellow fighters: crafty insectoid Miek, the horrific Brood, wise rock-man Korg, Shadow Warrior Hiroim, noble-born rebel Elloe, and her loyal guardsman Skee.

In 1994, Mike Mignola created one of the most unique and visually arresting comics series to ever see print: Hellboy. Tens of thousands have followed the exploits of the World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator in comics form and in prose. Now, fans of the comic can enjoy the world of Hellboy as seen through the eyes of some of the brightest creative lights in horror and mystery fiction.

It begins with the murder of a New York socialite. Following the trail of the killers, Spider-Man is soon confronted by one of his oldest, deadliest enemies: the Lizard. Once a respected scientist, Dr. Curt Connors created a serum that he hoped would regenerate the arm he had lost years before. But the serum did more than regrow his arm-it turned him into the savage, human-hating creature called the Lizard. Spider-Man pursues the Lizard from the concrete canyons of New York to the lush jungles of Mexico.

Professor X, the X-Men's founder and mentor, and Shi'ar Empress Lilandra have been forced to love each other from afar-he has to remain on Earth to lead the X-Men, and she must stay with the Shi'ar to run the empire. Now, Lilandra must turn to the X-Men for help against a threat to her domain-and possibly the Earth as well. Shi'ar scientists have learned of a creature that devours galaxies and is heading toward Shi'ar space.

Brian Timilty is running for mayor on an anti-superhero ticket, and the amazing Spider-Man is his biggest target. But Timilty is secretly the pawn of Tyler Stewart, a wealthy businessman seeking to take over New York's mobs. To ensure his success, Stewart hires two of Spider-Man's deadliest foes, Electro and the Rhino, and executes a plan guaranteed to keep the wall-crawler from interfering with his grand designs: He frames Spider-Man for a grisly murder! Forced into hiding, Spider-Man must find a way to clear his name without being shot on sight, for he is wanted dead or alive.

An investigation into a simple cellular-phone fraud leads both Peter Parker and his alter-ego, the Amazing Spider-Man, to a fiendish plot: using unique counterfeiting equipment and a devastatingly large stock-pile of bombs, someone plans to destabilize the world's economy and destroy several major cities. The mysterious corporation CCRC is involved in this plan-and they have caused trouble in the past for Spider-Man and for the alien symbiote Venom, who has sworn to kill Spidey.

When Kat Jamison retreats to the Blue Ridge Mountains, she's counting on peace and solitude to help her make a difficult decision. Her breast cancer has returned, but after the death of her husband, her will to fight is dampened. Now she has a choice to make: face yet another round of chemotherapy or surrender gracefully. Self-reflection quickly proves impossible as her getaway is complicated by a pair of abandoned dogs and two friendly children staying nearby, Lily and Nirav. In no time at all, Kat's quiet seclusion is invaded by the happy confusion of children and pets.

This exciting new anthology has over a dozen original tales starring the vicious foes of Marvel's superheroes: Greg Cox's chronicle of the Super-Skrull's conflict with the Avengers, Michael Jan Friendman's story of evil Loki's latest attempt to snare his stepbrother Thor, Adam-Troy Castro's tale of a mutant who brings Magneto and X-Men's Professor X together in a unique manner, Glenn Greenberg's pairing of Venom and the Absorbing Man in an unlikely jailbreak, plus stories featuring Typhoid by Ann Nocenti, Carnage by Robert Sheckley, Kang the Conquerer by Richard Lee Byers, Mephisto by Rober

In a surprise attack that killed many of her dearest subjects, Hail Bristol, empress of Indrana, has been captured by the Shen-the most ruthless and fearsome aliens humanity has ever encountered. As she plots her escape, the centuries-long war between her captors and the Farians, their mortal enemies and Indrana's oldest allies, finally comes to a head. When her captors reveal a shocking vision of the future, Hail must make the unexpectedly difficult decision she's been avoiding: whether to back the Shen or the Farians.