At a time when an overwhelming number of comic-book teasers consist of a cryptic phrase on black background, Dark Horse took a far more creative approach for Dream Thief, the upcoming supernatural-crime miniseries by Jai Nitz and Greg Smallwood. As you can see, the fun push for pre-orders comes in the form of a paper doll, above, and a papercraft figure -- "Zero Points of Articulation!" -- both of the comic's protagonist John Lincoln.

The comic, which debuts May 15, follows the thief as he becomes a vessel for vengeful spirits after stealing an ancient mask from a museum.

"Dream Thief has a lot of superhero tropes: there's a mask/outfit, there are non-traditional superpowers, there is a need for a secret identity, and there are incredible circumstances," Nitz told Comic Book Resources earlier this month. "So I think a non-comics reader might easily classify it as a superhero book. But it's a pretty straightforward crime story, and I think comic book readers will pick up on that. They've seen it all before from the cape and cowl set. It's my hope that Dream Thief strikes a new chord."