Concrete

Formerly Ronald Lithgow, Senate aide, speechwriter, and the least dynamic of men. But when he had his pudgy, soft body exchanged for on enormously powerful and encrusted with a tough outer covering, he chose to use the opportunity to become an adventurer. His plan: to mount expeditions, dare great things - and write about them to earn his way. His reach often exceeds his grasp, however. Things tend to go wrong for Concrete...

Only Concrete could conceive of it! Only Concrete could hope to succeed! Only Concrete could have such bad luck! See why Amazing Heroes call Paul Chadwick's Concrete "...a great comic...one of the pick hits of 1987."

The Origin Story Everyone (except Harlan Ellison) Has Been Waiting For! Recovering from his disasterous attempt to swim the Atlantic, Concrete tells Larry the true story of how he became Concrete.

The final revelations about Concrete's origins, Concrete against the Army, and a man in a moose mask. What more do you need? This season's hottest series reveals all "In the Glare of the Lights".

Concrete becomes a bodyguard for a death-obsessed rock star. Not even MTV ever gave you anything this wild! "An Armchair Stuffed with Dynamite," by Paul Chadwick.

When the Boreson family writes a hard luck letter to Concrete, he responds with action: He agrees to work a season on their farm, bringing it into viable condition. Concrete's strength and indefatigability are a great help, and his co-signing of a loan is no less. But it isn't so easy: Larry gets involved in a romance that threatens to create hard feelings, the neighbors resent the special help the Boresons are getting, and there's something very strange about the Boresons themselves. It's up to Concrete to figure out just what their secret is...

One morning Concrete wakens to discover that all is not well--he has two mysterious knobs growing from his forehead! At first there are some amusing attempts to disguise his condition from the public, but when Concrete's bumps turn into horns Larry and Maureen take drastic action--forcing Concrete to starve himself. The situation worsens and Senator Douglas is called in when reporter Tawny Hill (last seen in issue #2) makes a surprise visit.

Concrete announces that he has received permission to go on a trek in Nepal--to the Everest region. The condition being that he carry the cable and assist in the construction of a new suspension bridge along the way. The journey is a long one and filled with difficulties. When they finally arrive at the northernmost point neat the Everest base camp, Concrete reveals to Larry and Maureen that he plans to climb Mt. Everest--solo. You won't want to miss this cliff-hanging adventure that continues into issue #9.

"Everest: Solo." That's Concrete's plan anyway. But, in typical Concrete fashion, his plans go awry and his climb is hampered by an avalanche , the discovery of a body (which just may be that of missing explorer George Leigh Mallory) frozen in glacial ice, and a kidnapping attempt by Soviet agents!

It's time for another great issue of the most acclaimed comic in years! Concrete and Paul Chadwick were nominated in virtually every category they were eligible for in the recent Golden Apple Awards, and they have been nominated for four Harvey Awards categories--"Best Writer", "Best Cartoonist", "Best Continuing Series" and "Best New Series"! This issue promises to be one of the most talked about yet: Someone close to Concrete dies.

Part man, part...rock? Over seven feet tall and weighing over a thousand pounds, he is known as Concrete but is in reality the mind of one Ronald Lithgow, trapped inside a shell of stone, a body that allows him to walk unaided on the ocean's floor or survive the crush of a thousand tons of rubble in a collapsed mineshaft...but prevents him from feeling the touch of a human hand. These stories of Concrete are as rich and satisfying as any in comics: funny, heartbreaking, and singularly human. Depths, the first in a series of new collections reprinting the classic early Concrete stories along with never-before-collected short stories, includes the Eisner-nominated "Orange Glow" and "Vagabond," Paul Chadwick's autobiographical account of a cross-country hitchiking trip.

Big as a boulder and strong as an ox, he's Concrete, seven-feet of stony celebrity. That he's a government-created cyborg is the cover story, but in truth he's the mind of one Ronald Lithgow trapped inside a rocky shell of alien origin. Possessing powers allowing him to scale the highest mountain unaided or peel back the roof of a car like a pull tab, he is yet denied the simple human pleasures of fragile flesh. The return of Paul Chadwick's award-winning Concrete has ushered in a resurgence of interest in the acclaimed series that Harlan Ellison called "...probably the best comic being published today by anyone, anywhere." This value-priced volume collects Concrete issues #6-10; Concrete Color Special, the short stories: "World Beneath the Skin" and "Brighter," and a gallery of hard-to-find Concrete illustrations.

When you're seven-feet plus of walking, talking stone, you're bound to draw the media spotlight, especially when you live in Tinseltown. Concrete's celebrity status is sometimes a pain in the buttress . . . but it does bring the occasional paycheck gig. When the producer of a low-budget science-fiction film approaches Concrete to use his prodigious strength to help save money on the film's FX budget, the siren call of Hollywood draws Concrete like a moth to a flame . . . a seven-thousand-dollar-a-week flame, that is.

Standing in the shadow of celebrity has its ups and downs, as Concrete's personal assistant, Larry Munro, knows all too well. But there are darker places than any shadow, as Larry learns the hard way when he is taken hostage by a psychotic gunman who forces Larry to be his chauffeur on a road trip destined to end in disaster . . . unless Larry can muster the courage to act. The return of Paul Chadwick's award-winning Concrete has ushered in a resurgence of interest in the acclaimed series, and Killer Smile is Chadwick's darkest Concrete work, a harrowing tale Frank Miller called ìedge-of-your-seat suspense, full of unpredictable twists and turns."This value-priced volume collects Killer Smile plus bonus short stories. • This volume contains Killer Smile #1-4, short stories ìUnder the Desert Stars,"ìFour-Wheeled Sleeping Pill,"ìKing of the Early Evening,"ìEnough World,"ìFamily Night,"ìAmerican Christmas,"and ì100 Horrors.î

Being a celebrity has its benefits . . . and its costs. Due to his status as the world's most unusual travel writer-being a thousand pounds of walking, talking rock will do that-Concrete is approached by a group of radical eco-warriors to see firsthand and write about their efforts to save old-growth forest. What begins as a lark soon turns into a harrowing struggle, and Concrete must decide whether to dispassionately observe or to join these people who would risk anything, even life itself, to save the planet. Called "the best comic being published by anyone, anywhere,"Paul Chadwick's critically acclaimed Concrete is at once rousing fantasy and grounded reality, as thought-provoking and challenging as it is entertaining. Think Like a Mountain collects the 1996 Parents' Choice Award winning series along with bonus short stories, some collected here for the first time. • This value priced volume collects Think Like a Mountain #1-6; short stories: "Like Disneyland, Only Toxic," "Stay Tuned for Pearl Harbor," "A Billion Conscious Decisions," "Objects of Value," "Steel Rain," various "A Sky of Heads" stories

A troubled man seeking spiritual renewal in the wilderness experiences a wholly unexpected rebirth-as a walking monolith, half a ton of animate stone able to perform astonishing feats of strength and endurance but forever denied many of life's fundamental pleasures. As Concrete, Ronald Lithgow becomes an overnight celebrity and the focus of dark government operatives desperate to keep the secret of his metamorphosis from the public. Concrete must struggle with the loss of his humanity while discovering, perhaps for the first time, what it truly means to be human.