Hi, I'm Dara Naraghi, and I write comic books and graphic novels. Please check out my new website at DaraNaraghi.com.

On this site you can find the comics I self-publish under my own Ferret Press banner, including the PANEL anthologies created with the PANEL Collective of writers and artists. You can also find my graphic novels on my Amazon Author's Page.

No, it's not an acronym party. It's where you'll find my latest stories.

First up is my autobiographical short story "The Protest," in Dark Horse Presents #4, available September 21. Set in Iran, post-Islamic revolution, it's a tale of growing up during turbulent times, where timeless constants and unpredictable variables come into direct conflict. Victor Santos (Witch & Wizard) provides the art. Here’s the official solicitation, and a look at the two different covers for the book, by Fiona Staples and Geof Darrow:



"The hallmark anthology continues with another spectacular eighty-page issue! In this installment, stories by creators Howard Chaykin (The Chronicles of Solomon Kane), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), and Sanford Greene continue. Joined by exciting new shorts from Ricardo Delgado and Jim Campbell, Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse, and Filipé Melo, this issue is certain to have something for everyone! Plus, the first chapters of brand-new Beasts of Burden and Criminal Macabre stories! If that wasn’t enough, we’ve included another demented strip by Patrick Alexander and an exclusive interview with Geof Darrow!"

Next, you can find another short autobio story about Iran, religion, and a confused young kid in "The Conversion," available in the CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011. Artwork by Christopher Mitten (Wasteland). This anthology is a yearly fundraiser for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and features a ton of talented creators under covers by John Cassaday and Matt Wagner.



"Stand Up For Your Rights! Censorship is the ultimate form of bullying. Censors want to take away the power people have to think, speak, or create freely. In CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2011, Legendary Editor BOB SCHRECK gathers an all-star line-up of comics creators to stand up to those censoring bullies with 48 powerful pages of ALL NEW story and art about standing up for your rights! All proceeds from this book benefit the important First Amendment work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, who’ve been fighting censorship in comics for 25 years!

This year’s Liberty Annual includes incredible contributions, including all-new original stories by superstars J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI, FRANK QUITELY, J.H. WILLIAMS III, STEVE NILES, JUDD WINICK, MARK WAID, and CARLA SPEED MCNEIL. Plus, new tales featuring GRENDEL by MATT WAGNER, COWBOY NINJA VIKING by AJ LIEBERMAN & RILEY ROSSMO, and ELEPHANTMEN by RICHARD STARKINGS & SHAKY KANE. Plus a massive, and first ever color story from indy comics master CRAIG THOMPSON! Even Marvel and DC have stepped up to show their support all-new pin-ups including BATMAN by DUSTIN NGUYEN, X-MEN by GREG LAND, GREEN LANTERN by IVAN REIS, and THE AVENGERS by GREG HORN!

All proceeds from CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011 will benefit the important First Amendment legal work of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians and readers."

The trade paperback collection of my IT! The Terror From Beyond Space 3-issue mini-series is now available at book stores and comic shops everywhere. A "re-imagining" of the classic 50s sci-fi movie, IT! retains all the retro style and charm of the original, with just a few tweaks here and there for modern sensibilities. The collection is included in a flip-book format with Motel Hell, another MGM movie update (this one written by Matt Nixon).

"IDW and MGM pair up to thrill your optic sensors with dizzying drama and dread from the silver screen. First, in It!, the spaceship Challenge 142 nears Earth as it returns from a rescue mission on Mars, and it turns out they may have more in their cargo than the prisoner they suspect of murder. Then in Motel Hell, Vincent and Ida Smith have unsuspected thrills in store for the guests at their Napa Valley winery! Heads are gonna roll!"

The PANEL collective proudly presents the latest volumes of their popular themed anthologies: PANEL: Pulp (vol. 17) features 56 pages of good old fashioned pulp fiction, under 5 different covers.

"Like a ray gun to the face, like a shotgun blast from the past, like the deadly kiss of the Spider Queen - this is Panel: Pulp. The 17th installment of the long-running indie comics anthology takes on the fast fiction of the past and force-marches it into the 21st century. Whether you're on the interurban train after a three-martini lunch, on break from making dive-bombers to blast the Ratzis, or huddled under the blankets with a flashlight, this mag's for you."

This hardcover collection is vol. 2 in the Witch & Wizard graphic novel series, and collects another all-new, all-original series based on the characters and settings from James Patterson's best-selling YA book, Witch & Wizard.

Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland features the dynamic artwork of Victor Santos.

"Whit and Wisty get the shock of their lives when a member of the New Order's inner circle, The One Who Bans Books, contacts them with a clandestine proposal: he wants their help in removing The One Who Is The One from power using an ancient book of the occult that holds a spell for stripping an individual of all their magic. Unfortunately, the book is in a heavily guarded N.O. bunker that's shielded against magic portals from Shadowland. But more importantly, can the Allgood siblings even trust this man who is willing to commit treason, or is his offer just an elaborate trap?"

The PANEL collective proudly presents the latest volumes of their popular themed anthologies: PANEL: Superstition (vol. 13), PANEL of Horror (vol. 14), PANEL: Movies (vol. 15), and PANEL: Sweet Sixteen (vol. 16). Click on the Books link above to check out larger images of the covers, and then drop on by the Store to purchase your very own copy.

I'm extremely excited to announce my first work for DC Comics! I have a short story in the DC Universe Holiday Special 2010 #1 anthology, featuring the character The Spectre. My story takes place in Iran, and revolves around Norooz, the Persian New Year. Be sure to have your comic shop save a copy for you. In the meantime, here's a look at the cover by Matt Haley:

"From the dawn of time (Anthro) to the far-flung future (Legion of Super-Heroes), sentient life has honored the winter holidays with celebrations and rituals as diverse as the universe itself! Join DC Comics – and a stellar team of writers and artists – to honor the vast and diverse holidays of the DC Universe in 6 tales of holiday cheer! Starring the aforementioned characters along with Superman, The Spectre, Jonah Hex, and Green Lantern John Stewart for a HOLIDAY SPECIAL like no other!"

The hardcover collection of Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland and the trade paperback collection of IT! The Terror From Beyond Space will be in stores in October. In addition, my Ghostbusters: Tainted Love one-shot will be collected along with 3 other holiday-themes one-shots in November under the title Ghostbusters: Haunted Holidays. You can order all of these fine books from your local book store, comic book shop, or Amazon.

The first in IDW's "Midnight Movies" re-imaginings of classic MGM movies, the IT! The Terror From Beyond Space 3-issue series retains the retro 50s sci-fi fun and feel of the movie, while updating the characters for modern sensibilities.

"MGM Midnight Movies launches with the first of three special series updating classic sci-fi flicks! Here, It: Terror From Beyond Space is retooled as a retro-1950s alien adventure. Returning from a rescue mission to Mars, the only survivor is suspected of killing his crew for their lifesaving rations. Until, that is, something starts moving in the cargo bay..."

This all-new, all-original 4-issue series is based on the characters and settings from James Patterson's best-selling YA book, Witch & Wizard.

Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland features the kinetic artwork of Victor Santos, with covers by Santos and Gabriel Ba.

"In a blink of an eye, their world has changed, with the oppressive New Order declaring all magic as evil incarnate! In this action-packed tale spinning out of best-selling author James Patterson's #1 novel, sibling teenagers Whit and Wisty Allgood use their newly discovered magical powers to infiltrate into enemy territory of the New Order to gain control of the mysterious inter-dimensional Shadowland."

My Valentine's Day-themed one-shot for IDW features the beloved Ghostbusters franchise. It shipped to stores in February 2010. Here's the official solicitation copy:

Ghostbusters: Tainted Love - Love is in the air - literally! - as Winston befriends an attractive woman with a ghostly problem in her apartment. But trapping the love-struck apparition proves to be more complicated than the Ghostbusters originally thought. Can Winston step up and save the day? Just how far will Peter go to find a date? And do Ray and Egon ever stop to think about girls, or is it always about trans-dimensional ectoplasmic anomolies with those two?

The amazing artwork on this book is provided by Salgood Sam. Be sure to ask your retailer to save you a copy.

These two trade paperback collections are on opposite ends of the spectrum:

The Absurd Adventures of Archibald Aardvark: Bullets, Booze, and Beelzebub (Image Comics) follows the zany noir adventures of Tinseltown's famous Archibald Aardvark. This book takes the classic animation of Fleischer Studios and kicks it out of a moving car in the middle of Roman Polanski's Chinatown. (More info and previews here).

Terminator Salvation (IDW Publishing) is the official prequel to the latest action movie, starring Christian Bale as John Connor. The story follows the human resistance fighters and spans the globe, from Terminator factories in Detroit to a uranium mine in Niger. (More info and previews here)

The latest volume of our small press anthology is now available for sale. The Columbus, Ohio writers and artists collaborative known as Panel present PANEL: 12 and Under, featuring all-ages friendly material, designed like your favorite Little Golden Book from your childhood memories. Drop by the Books section for a preview.