Decades before the first manned flight to space, young kids and fascinated adults began to develop a love for not only the idea of exploring the heavens in sci-fi rocket ships, but also for the dreamy and imaginative toys that helped foster and fulfill those fantasies. In September, Dark Horse Comics and a talented team of writers pay tribute to this deep and abiding fascination with the release of an outstanding book that explores everything that's great about space toys -- Blast Off!: Rockets, Rayguns, Robots, and Rarities From the Golden Age of Space Toys.

Toy Ray Gun guru Gene Metcalf is already calling Blast Off! "the first truly comprehensive, and undoubtedly the best, book on space (toys)." This enthusiasm is due in part to the book's unique approach to sharing information. Neither a price guide, nor a "collectors only" tome, Blast Off! is a fun and detailed look at the origins of space toys, the people and companies who first made them, rare examples of classic toys, and the fascinating collections of toys that have been built from mankind's inherent love of space and its infinite possibilities. Blast Off! is a huge, full-color book, filled with page after page of full-color photographs depicting classic toys, vintage toy packaging, and never-before-seen collections of rare and exciting toys.

Mike Richardson, S. Mark Young, and Steve Duin comprise the creative team behind Blast Off! Richardson is the founder, president, and publisher of Dark Horse Comics, a well-respected writer (his Star Wars comic-book miniseries Crimson Empire is an all-time favorite with fans), and an experienced toy collector. Duin is an acclaimed writer and columnist for the Portland-based news daily The Oregonian who joined Richardson in writing the book Comics: Between the Panels -- an anecdotal, encyclopedic history of the world of comics. Young is a new-comer to the world of pop-culture research and documentation, but his background as a business researcher and professor at the University of Southern California -- along with his near-fanatic appreciation of space toys and collectibles -- made him a perfect fit for the creative team of this book. Noted futurist and best-selling science-fiction author Harlan Ellison wrote the book's introduction.

Explore the exciting world of outer space and the toys that it inspires with the September release of Blast Off!: Rockets, Rayguns, Robots, and Rarities From the Golden Age of Space Toys. Blast Off! is a full-color, 256-page hardcover book, available starting September 26 for the retail price of $34.95.