Dark Horse Comics, publisher of the best-selling Star Wars, Aliens, and Predator trade paperbacks, has inaugurated a new program to allow consumers to preview these titles. Beginning in March 1996, Dark Horse Comics will issue special trade paperback preview comics. Each preview comic will contain the first chapter of a particular Dark Horse trade paperback, which will serve as an inexpensive introduction.

"As paper costs get higher, cover prices get higher -- this is particularly true of trade paperbacks," said vice president of sales and marketing Lou Bank. "These preview comics are the solution to this situation. Now, before a reader spends $17.95 on a collection, he or she can get a taste of the story for 99cents. Dark Horse is already the second-largest publisher of trade paperbacks in the industry. With this new program we hope to give the number-one publisher -- our respected competitor DC Comics -- a run for the money."

The first title in the program is the best-selling Star Wars: Dark Empire. The comic -- a 32-page, self-cover edition containing the first chapter of the collection -- ends with an ad directing the reader back to the comics store for the rest of the story.

"Sales on Dark Empire have been exceedingly strong since its 1993 release, with new readers jumping on board every month," Bank said. "This new introductory preview should increase that demand, pushing sales out of this galaxy!"

The Star Wars: Dark Empire Preview will contain the entire first chapter of the story, which consists of approximately one-sixth of the material in the collection, and will sell for 99cents. It will be available in comics shops in March 1996.