Dark Horse Number Ones

Dark Horse brings you eight complete first issues of series by top industry talents to introduce you to your next favorite read. Fantasy, mystery, sci-fi, adventure, and horror tales open the door to new storytelling worlds. Including Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba's Umbrella Academy #1, Mike Mignola's Hellboy in Hell #1, Joelle Jones and Jamie S. Rich's Lady Killer #1, Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston's Black Hammer #1, Matt Kindt and Sharlene Kindt's Dept. H #1, Brian Wood and Mark Chater's Briggs Land #1, Kurtis Wiebe and Mindy Lee's Bounty #1, and Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook's Harrow County #1.

From the tale of Lady, the mare who read a Duke University psychologist' s mind, to television palomino Mr. Ed' s hypnotic hold over Wilbur Post, the thirteen tales in Horse Show explore how humans have used, abused, and spectacularized their equine companions throughout American history. Wrestling with themes of obsolescence, grief, and nostalgia, Bowers guides us through her museum of equine esoterica with arresting imagery, unflinching intensity, and dark humor.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Dark Horse - A Story of the Flying U" by Bertha Muzzy Sinclair. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Gen. Larry O. Spencer, USAF (Ret.), was born and raised on the Horseshoe--a tough inner-city street in southeast Washington D.C. Both parents lived in the rural south under Jim Crow and "separate but equal" laws. Spencer's father was a career Army soldier who lost his left hand during the Korean War, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and worked two jobs. His mother completed tenth grade, had no driver's license, and was left alone during the week to raise their six children. The Horseshoe was a hard neighborhood where fights were common, and the school systems were second-rate. The expectations of living in an all-Black neighborhood were to be good at sports while shunning academic prowess. Spencer met those expectations: he struggled in school, but teachers who did not want to see him repeat their class would pass him to the next grade. That environment resulted in poor self-esteem and a bleak outlook for the future. Quite by chance, Spencer enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he continued to struggle with the racial turmoil of the 1970s. A senior non-commissioned officer saw promise in Spencer and guided him to obtain a college degree and apply for Officer Training School where he excelled. As a very young first lieutenant, he was assigned to a tough job in the Pentagon, but Spencer earned an early reputation as a fast burner. In 1990 he took command of a squadron that won accolades and awards for their performance during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Spencer went on to serve at the White House, and then successfully commanded a Group and a Wing before being assigned as the chief financial officer (comptroller) for Air Combat Command, the largest command in the Air Force. During that assignment, Spencer was promoted to brigadier general and was tasked to set up a new Directorate at Air Force Materiel Command. Spencer later returned to the Pentagon where he led Air Force Budget. He ultimately became the Air Force's thirty-seventh vice chief of staff, making him one of only nine African Americans promoted to four stars. Spencer concludes his historic climb with life lessons learned on his journey from the inner city to the Pentagon.

At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, California governor Robert Long got robbed. It's a tight race between Long and Senator Salmon Stanley for the Democratic nomination for president. When Stanley triumphs, Long's delegates walk out, the media has a field day, and Long and his team -- including ace political strategist Jay Noble -- pack their bags and go home, knowing that whether Stanley fought fair or not, it's the end of the line. Unless...Would Long consider running as an independent? Independent campaigns of the past, such as those of Ross Perot and Ralph Nader, have been more gesture than genuine threat -- but how might the Internet and modern communications technology change that? And are the American people so disgusted at the partisanship and gridlock of the two-party system -- in particular, is the right wing so fed up with the Republican Party -- that they would vote for an independent? Would Long even be able to get on the ballot in all fifty states? A lively cast of characters struggles with issues of their own: • Michael Kaplan, Senator Stanley's consigliere and alter ego, is a shrewd and ruthless campaigner -- but this time, has he gone too far? Can he avoid being indicted as scandal consumes the campaign? • Harrison Flaherty is the incumbent vice president and the Republican nominee for president. He is confident of victory, but there remain major obstacles to his inauguration -- some that he is aware of, some that he cannot foresee...and some that can kill. • Dr. A ndrew S tanton is a mega-church pastor and religious broadcaster whose millions of listeners (and their financial support) give him great influence in Washington. Vice President Flaherty wants and expects Stanton's support...but will Flaherty get it? • Rassem el Zafarshan is in the United States with a band of terrorists, unlimited financing, and only one goal: to create an act of terrorism so horrific that it will make Americans forget about September 11, 2001 -- and bring about war between the United States and Iran. And in this election year, he knows just how to do it. • Claire L ong, the wife of the governor, wants revenge against her husband's enemies, so she supports his presidential candidacy without question. But she has just one slight problem... • Jay Noble has met a beautiful young woman who loves him, and he gets a second shot at winning a presidential campaign, one more chance to go out on top. But as the campaign grinds on, he has to wonder: Did he pick the right horse? And is the woman just too good to be true? Author Ralph Reed's many years of political involvement at the highest levels have prepared him to identify and portray in fiction some of the most glaring problems in our current political system -- and to tell that story with characters so true to life that they could well be subjects of a news story.