The Viper Comics crew was driving home from Comic-Con International last summer when a discussion of Bigfoot broke out.

No, they didn't spot the hairy beast on the road from San Diego to Dallas. The talk stemmed from a longtime attraction that Josh Howard – creator of Irving-based Viper's flagship title, Dead@17 – has had to the legendary monster.

"I always thought I was alone in my fascination with Bigfoot," the Arlington resident wrote in an e-mail yesterday, a day before Josh Howard Presents Sasquatch ($24.95) arrives in stores.

The anthology is a monster of a book. Its 256 pages contain 31 stories with contributions from 44 creators. The tales range from the poignant (Benjamin and Marlena Hall's "Sasquatch" is about tolerance) to the ridiculous (Christopher Graybill's "The Yeti" is about how Santa Claus punishes bad kids).

"I was a little taken aback by the eagerness of everyone to participate," Howard said. "There was definitely no shortage of enthusiasm on this book."

•Dallas resident Jeff Seiler just got back from the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo. For the second year in a row, Seiler used the Ohio event to debut an issue of Cerebus Fans in Crisis . Issue No. 2 includes seven stories. Seiler says several local comics shops will have copies available.

•Image is releasing a collection of Truth, Justin and the American Way ($14.99). The five-issue series was co-written by Dallas resident Scott Kurtz. You may recall that Kurtz's online strip, PvP: Player vs. Player, won the 2006 Eisner Award for best digital comic.

•Speaking of the Eisner Awards, the 2007 nominations list is out, and two Dallas residents made the cut. Daredevil penciler Michael Lark and inker Stefano Gaudiano have been nominated for best penciler/inker team. Meanwhile, Kristian Donaldson was nominated for the best coloring award for his work on Supermarket, which he also drew.

Despite being bald, Dan's been mistaken for a sasquatch before.

Console him at dkoller@quickdfw.com.