What better way is there to kick off the week than with some major, exciting news?

Earlier this morning, THE NEW YORK TIMES published a feature on Vertigo Comics. In addition to announcing that the New York Times bestselling series AMERICAN VAMPIRE will be returning this December, the article announced the following all-new, bold, and exciting series:

• HINTERKIND – Decades after “The Blight” all but wiped out the human race, Mother Nature is taking back what’s hers and she’s not alone … all the creatures of myth and legend have returned and they're not happy. After her grandfather disappears, Prosper Monday must leave the security and seclusion of her Central Park village to venture into the wilds to find him, unaware of how much the world has changed. An epic fantasy adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world, HINTERKIND is written by Ian Edginton and illustrated by Francesco Trifogli, and debuts this October.

• THE DISCIPLINE – Launching this December, THE DISCIPLINE is a dark, erotic thriller about a privileged young woman named Melissa who is thrust into a centuries old battle between good and evil. She begins an affair with a mysterious man named Orlando who opens her eyes to a sexually sinister world she never knew existed. Through this ritualistic seduction (“The Discipline”), Orlando unlocks Melissa’s inner power and then enlists her into a shadowy war that has been fought for centuries. THE DISCIPLINE comes to you from writer Peter Milligan and artist Leo Fernandez.

• DEAD BOY DETECTIVES - Spinning out of the pages of Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN, two dead British school boys star in their own monthly series and solve crimes in the 21st century with the help of a new female accomplice. Premiering in November, DEAD BOY DETECTIVES is written by noted British novelist Toby Litt with layouts and painted covers by Mark Buckingham (FABLES).

But that’s not all! In THE NEW YORK TIMES’ feature, it is mentioned that Vertigo will be launching six new series this year. Today, we can confirm the additional two titles that the revered imprint will be publishing later this year:

• SUICIDERS – Hitting the spinner rack this December, this new series marks the incomparable Lee Bermejo’s (JOKER; BATMAN: NOEL; BEFORE WATCHMEN: RORSCHACH) debut as an ongoing series comic book writer and artist. SUICIDERS follows the lies of two futuristic boxers – one on top of the world, the other trying to fight (and kill) his way there. Set in Los Angeles after “The Big One,” “Suiciders” is the wildly popular reality sport that contestants are literally dying to be a part of … and to be the best, you have to murder the best.

• COFFIN HILL – When she was 15, Eve Coffin summoned a darkness that had been buried since the Salem Witch Trials. Now Eve’s back to harness the evil that destroyed her friends and is slowly taking over the sleepy town of Coffin Hill. This is a series full of magic, madness and murder via a twisted family of New Englanders. Arriving in stores this October, COFFIN HILL combines the talents of artist Inaki Miranda (FAIREST: THE HIDDEN KINGDOM) with writer Caitlin Kittredge, a young, dark fantasy author whose writing includes the Nocturne City, the Black London, and the Iron Codex series of novels – which include the recently published titles Dark Days and The Mirrored Shard.

• THE WITCHING HOUR – Just in time for Halloween, this anthology-style one-shot collects short stories exploring witchcraft written and drawn by some of the most talented veterans and newcomers in the business – including Kelly Sue DeConnick, Cliff Chiang, Lauren Beukes, Emily Carroll, Matthew Sturges, Shawn McManus, Tula Lotay and many more.

And of course, how could you talk about all of the exciting projects on Vertigo’s plate in 2013 without discussing the highly anticipated SANDMAN prequel miniseries from writer Neil Gaiman and artist J.H. Williams III?

In their coverage, THE NEW YORK TIMES announced that THE SANDMAN: OVERTURE will officially launch on October 30. The miniseries will be published every other month, with a special, oversized issue (including interviews, rare artwork, and more) hitting stands in between the release of each new issue.

“The most peculiar thing for me about returning to ‘Sandman’ is how familiar it all feels,” Gaiman told THE NEW YORK TIMES. As for Williams’ art? “They are the most beautiful pages I have ever seen in periodical comics,” Gaiman continued. “I ask him to do the impossible, and he gives me back more than I asked for.”

Head on over to THE NEW YORK TIMES to read their full coverage. Meanwhile, in the gallery above, check out some covers and promotional art for the new titles debuting this October, and sound off in the comments section below about which ones you’re looking forward to most!