Following close on the heels of plans to relaunch the A1 anthology in June, Titan Comics has announced the release of the first A1 Annual in October.  The 176-page color and B&W anthology will retail for $22.99 and feature a true "Who's Who" of comics talent from the past 70 years.

Originally distributed by Atomeka Press (see "Titan Teams With 'A1' Publisher Dave Elliott"), A1 debuted in 1989 and ran for six issues, culminating in 1992.  A stand-alone issue #0 was, however, released in 2004.  With talent ranging from Barry Windsor-Smith, Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell, Dave Gibbons, and Ted McKeever, to Brian Bolland, Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean, Dean Motter, Glenn Fabry, Peter Milligan, and Brendan McCarthy in the first issue alone, A1 was nominated for the Best Anthology Eisner Award in 1992.

The forthcoming A1 Annual includes contributions from authors such as Ron Marz, Matt Wagner, Dave Johnson, Tom Raney, Rufus Dayglo, Andy Kuhn, Dave Dorman, Mark A. Nelson, W.H. Rauf, and others.  Illustrating the anthology will be artists Jim Steranko, Dave Wilkins, Sami Basri, Alex Horley, Tom Raney, Brian Smith, D'Israeli, Garrie Gastonny, Mark A. Nelson, Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau, Garry Leach, Dave Johnson, Barnaby Bagenda, Sakti Yuwono, Dave Dorman, Steve White, Kai Lim, Andy Kuhn, Philip Tan, Rhoald Marcellius, Michael T. Gilbert , Sunny Gho, Doug Braithwaite, and many more.  The A1 Annual will also feature two covers, including a Diamond exclusive by Steranko and Lau.

Inside the A1 Annual is a diverse showcase of comics talent and professionals who traverse generations.  First up are Joe Simon, Jack Kirby, and Al Williamson's "Island in the Sky," "Tales of Old Fennario" written and drawn by Sandy Plunkett, "Terror of the Lesbian Nudist Colony" written by Scott Hampton and Mark Kneece and illustrated by Hampton.  Following these tales, Alan Moore collaborates with Michael T. Gilbert, William Loebs, and Darcy and Kevin Horn on "The Riddle of the Recalcitrant Refuse," Bill Sienkiewicz writes and draws "Emily Almost," and A1 founder Dave Elliott pens "A Question of Priorities," with art by Toby Cypress and Sakti Yuwono.  Elliott also teams with Barnaby Bagenda and Jessica Kholinne on "Origin of Evil."  Further contributions feature Rufus Dayglo's "Solid Gold Death Mask," Madeline Holly-Rosing and Emily Hu's "The Boston Metaphysical Society," Norman Felche and Alex Sheikman's "The Odd Ball," and Mark A. Nelson's "Where the Gods Are."  Lastly, the A1 Annual rounds out the cast with Dave Johnson's "Raging Rod" and Dominic Regan's "Little Star."

--Nathan Wilson