The Black Library announced at their weekend event that they are producing a Horus Heresy Graphic Novel. The 100 page book has been written by Dan Abnett and will be illustrated by Neil Roberts. Abnett has said that he is “incredibly impressed” by the artwork completed so far, and that seems to have been a very British understatement. Roberts has promised that it will be like “holding a 500 Million Dollar Hollywood movie in your hands.”

Called Macragge’s Honour, The story takes place during the Battle of Calth and will feature demon-tainted villain Kor Phaeron being chased by Ultramarine forces. Like all new Heresy novels, it will be available in hardback form through Games Workshop retail outlets, before a paperback mass-market release three months later.

This will be the first in a series of books. Planned future releases include a Space Wolves/Thousand Sons story, told from the Space Wolves’ perspective. This will be written by Gav Thorpe and illustrated by Karl Richardson.

Other details from the event include the sad news that the regular open submissions window will be changed. The Black Library will ask for themed submissions, to fit specific anthologies and collections. Popular short-story e-magazine Hammer and Bolter will also close and be replaced by a regular short story release slot, every Monday.

More Time of Legends, Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 books are coming soon. Highlights include works called Baneblade and Skarsnik both by Guy Haley. More books from the Tau perspective will be available in 2013 as well and C.L. Werner will continue to produce thrilling books about the Black Plague.

More Horus Heresy novels are planned; the next one will be Betrayer by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, swiftly followed by an anthology called The Mark of Calth, which includes contributions from Dan Abnett, Graham McNeil, John French and Aaron Dembski-Bowden and will follow on from the novel Know No Fear. Upcoming anthology, Shattered Legions, will be about the survivors of Istvaan V whilst another anthology, The Silent War, will talk about the dirty trick both sides pull during the conflict.

The next full novel will feature the Ultramarines heavily, and is called Unremembered Empire, also by Dan Abnett. Nick Kyme will then produce the next book, called Vulkan Lives, and will feature the Salamanders. Novellas are also planned, including more Salamander action in Scorched Earth and Imperial Army action in Tallarn, which are also about ten million tanks. The adventures of the Raven Guard will continue in Gav Thorpe’s Corax and Rob Sanders will be writing a tale of resistance on Mars currently called Cybernetica.

Scripts for both the Space Marine Battles and Horus Heresy audio plays will also be coming soon. Regular plays covering the Space Marines are also planned and fans will be able to download new stories regularly and often.

Multiple audios are planned, including Wolf Hunt, which follows on from Outcast Dead, further plays featuring the space-knight errant Garro. Another play, called The Sigilite will involve the settings’ own space-Gandalf, Malcador, and is likely to tie into both the Garro plays and The Silent War anthology. Other planned audios include Gav Thorpe’s Honour the Dead (featuring giant robots hitting each other), Graham McNeil’s Thief of Revelations (featuring Magnus The Red and a terrible decision) and Nick Kyme’s Censure, which will star Aeonid Thiel, the heroic rogue from Know No Fear.

Finally, an audio book featuring Dan Abnett reading out one of his stories in his distinctive and flavourful manner is currently in the planning stages.

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