That's right. The company that until recently was best known for producing 10 variant covers for each month featuring the scantily cl ad Lady Death (not that there's anything wrong with that) has dramatically changed its image in a short period of time by landing two of the most creatively insane writers in the business - Warren Ellis and Garth Ennis - to do multiple titles for them.

Their biggest recent release is "Anna Mercury" and out of all their titles it looks to be their most commercial. For starters, an athletic spy with a flowing red mane and clad in skin-tight black leather isn't exactly hard on the eyes.

As issue No. 1 begins, Anna is engaging in standard spy stuff that wouldn't differentiate her from Marvel's Black Widow, another red-haired, black-leathered spy.

However, we eventually learn that on her world Anna is considered the best special agent - a "complete natural." This is driven home by an almost dialogue-free, near-cinematic five-page sequence showing her in action.

But Anna is far more than another "tough chick who kicks ass" when she confronts a colleague who - with echoes of "The Bourne Ultimatum" - has been ordered to terminate her because she had been out of touch for a week. She soon has the traitorous colleague by his stones (literally) while having him eat out of her other hand (metaphorically).

We jump from Anna's dominatrix-like behavior to the fantastic as she learns she has to stop a "lifter" (missile) that is set to launch and is aimed at a moon. If it hits, it will not only impact the moon but have negative consequences for the Earth as well.

The stunning cliffhanger, with Anna trying to find her way into the missile before she freezes, is a perfect lead-in to issue No. 2.

Red Sonja to the movies

The movie will reportedly be an origin story taking cues from comics as well as works by pulp novelist Robert E. Howard, creator of Red Sonja and Conan. McGowan says she will not be inspired by the widely panned 1985 "Red Sonja" movie with Brigitte Nielsen.

"Why put that in my head?" she asked.

'Spawn'-ing a sequel?

"I tell them the one non-negotiable point is that I write the first draft, I direct it and I produce it," he told the crowd. "That means they won't give me a huge budget but I can shoot this movie for about $10-11 million and have it look cool (and be) a tight, dark, suspenseful, creepy and cool movie."

Michael Turner dead at 37

While Comics Guy could fill up many columns with his accomplishments - including helping to create Top Cow's "Witchblade" - it is worth noting that Turner was that rare person who was as well-liked as he was successful. I have yet to hear anyone say a bad word about him.

Despite his illness, Turner was always smiling - he enjoyed life and what he did and he brought joy to those who met him or enjoyed his art. That, in a nutshell, is his epitaph. *

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