Just as a tide of ignorance swells up and threatens to engulf the world, out of the ashes of the Great Library of Alexandria arises a hero, an educated fellow with fists of steel and a mind as sharp as a tack: public librarian Rex Libris. Follow the story of Rex, the tough-as-nails Head Librarian at Middleton Public Library, and his unending struggle against the forces of darkness. Wearing his distinctive, super-thick bottle glasses and armed with an arsenal of powerful weapons, he strikes fear into recalcitrant borrowers, and can take on virtually any foe — from loitering zombies to alien warlords who refuse to pay their late fees. Even the occasional infestation of rogue, public domain literary characters are dispatched with aplomb.

Rex Libris is a guardian of knowledge, defender of the Dewey Decimal System and the best hope for the future of civilization. His story is finally told in Rex Libris, the new comic book series by James Turner, author and illustrator of the philosophical tour-de-force graphic novel NIL: A Land Beyond Belief.

Rex, the unlikely combination of librarian and bounty hunter is a character whose potential for adventure is nearly limitless.  Rex is 2000 years old and his boss is Thoth, the Egyptian god of writing, so the series will be full of Turner's takes on history and mythology. Forays into space and battles with magical beings will take the series into the territory of science fiction and fantasy. And, of course, Rex will find his way into the very foundation of the librarian's calling: literature itself.

"I want Rex to visit Utopia, mix it up in one of Shakespeare's plays, hang out with Gulliver and track down killers with Sherlock Holmes," said creator James Turner. "Basically, have fun with anything old and in the public domain that isn't copyrighted up the wazoo."

But don't let all the classic books fool you. Rex Libris is first and foremost an action comic. Jack Kirby's work (whom Turner calls "the best action comic book artist of all time") and Hergé's Tintin were both influences in creating the look of Rex Libris. "I've wrung them flat through my graphic wringer," said Turner, whose distinctive, complex vector graphics in NIL drew much critical acclaim. "I want to experiment and have fun, and hopefully that sense of fun will come through to the reader in the final product."

SLG's editor-in-chief Jennifer de Guzman is confident that it will. "Smart just makes funny all that much funnier," she said. "James draws on such a huge warehouse of knowledge that Rex can find himself in almost any situation -- fighting demon samurai, hobnobbing with mythical creatures or  scaling the sides of space ships. Handling so many possibilities takes a lot of wit and skill, and, luckily, James more of both than anyone deserves to have."

Rex Libris is a black-and-white comic book, published quarterly. The first 32-page issue will be in stores in August 2005. It is available for pre-order now through Diamond Comics and other distributors. Visit SLG's website at www.slavelabor.com to see a preview.