One could say that Concrete is the cornerstone of Dark Horse Comics' foundation. Paul Chadwick's creation first appeared in the pages of Dark Horse Presents #1, the company's first comic book, and Concrete was the first character to spin-off into his own comic from that anthology title, according to Dark Horse creative director and co-founder Randy Stradley.

"I don't think it's going too far to say that Dark Horse wouldn't be the company it is today if Paul Chadwick hadn't been here right from the beginning," says Stradley. "He helped set the standards for everything we've done, and he set them high. Paul showed that the important thing is not who or what a character is, but what a creator does with the character."

Concrete's deceptively simple, quintessentially "comic-book" origin (average guy Ron Lithgow is kidnapped by aliens who transplant his brain into a big, unearthly stone body and then leave) belies the depth of character and real human emotion with which Chadwick has imbued his creation. In his latest series, Concrete: Strange Armor, Chadwick takes a fresh and expanded look at Concrete's origin and includes for the first time many subtle, moving details that could only come from his pen.

"I like origin stories," says Chadwick. "People suffer, they change. Things are fresh and new. I have a new take on this one, and want it to be fresh, strange, and better."

Concrete: Strange Armor will take long-time readers to a deeper level of understanding, and will introduce new readers to one of comics' most interesting characters. The first issue will be arriving in comics shops December 17. This full-color comic will sell for $2.95.

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