Revival #1

Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Mike Norton
Company: Image Comics

Good horror is hard to come by in comics. Sure, we've got your zombies and your Cthulhu books, which don't get me wrong, is great. Classic, spine tingly, goose bump inducing, hairs rising up on the back of your neck...That kind of horror doesn't happen that often. Tim Seeley has been around in comics for awhile now. I first remember him from G.I. Joe back when Devil's Due was still publishing it. Then entered Hack/Slash, the horror comic with a heart of gold. That book, to this day, is a hell of a good time and ages like a fine wine, as it only seems to get better every time I pull it off the shelf. It was more comedy and fun situations than horror though, even with the occasional guest star from people like Chucky. With Revival, he's struck horror gold.

Skullkickers Vol 1: 1000 Opas and a Dead Body

Writer: Jim Zub
Artists: Edwin Haung & Chris Stevens
Company: Image Comics

Call me late to the party with this one. Part of that has to do with the tons and tons of comics that come out every week that seem to pile up on each other. Another part of it was that I never heard what the story in Skullkickers was actually about. No one came out and said, "Hey, this is Dungeons & Dragons distilled in a Hyperdrive and served with a chilled dose of sarcasm." If someone had done that, I don't think I'd be coming late to the game. Still, I'm glad that I came. From the foreword written by popular games designer Robin Laws, who does a solid job of summing up role-playing games and the themes that this book tackles, to the book's ability to cut through all of the bullshit and start with the words, "Who ever

Planetoid #1

Writer: Ken Garing
Artist: Ken Garing
Company: Image Comics

Space: Ominous, harsh, foreboding, horrific, and huge. These are all words that accurately describe such a place, and more often than not, the movies and books and comics that use it as a setting. Planetoid does the genre of Sci-Fi justice. Not only that though, it puts forth a first issue that begs you further and further into the tale. It is seductive and layered, fun and uninhibited.

And let's not forget cool.

In the same vein as Prophet, Garing smacks us upside the cranium with a tale of survival in a harsh and new world. He plays with concepts that, for fans of Sci-Fi,

Saga #1

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Fiona Staples
Company: Image Comics

There are a lot of reasons for fans to be excited in the land of comics these days. It's almost as if we've seen some sort of resurgence in creator owned properties and there's no doubt that people are out there, craving and hunting for the next book that's going to knock their socks off. When word first hit about Saga, the excitement that I felt was off the charts. There was no doubt that a bit of worry was mixed in there, but even the possibility of a failure couldn't sway me from the simple and awesome fact that Brian Vaughan was coming back to comics. The man is responsible for some of my more favorite series and he's one of the few writers that seems to tackle any and every genre with a sense of gusto. With Y the Last Man we got our

Thief of Thieves #1

Writers: Robert Kirkman & Nick Spencer
Artist: Shawn Martinbrough
Company: Image Comics

Ocean's Eleven, To Catch a Thief, and White Collar. These are just a few stories that feature bad boys and thieves that are suave and classy and are people we can ultimately root for as they rob the rich and the common man for various reasons. It's a trend that probably won't ever stop in the entertainment industry. With comics, the same trend exists. In standard superhero fare, we have Gambit. In the land of more realistic comics however, we now have Conrad Paulson to fill the particular void. So far, he's doing quite nicely.

Prophet #21

Writer: Brandon Graham
Artist: Simon Roy
Company: Image Comics

Go ahead and ignore the whole #21 that appears on the cover of this comic. Why? Because it's lying to you. Well, not really lying, more like fibbing. But in a good way, as instead this is a first issue, one that you can jump on and ride the crazy with. Let me reiterate the fact that you do not have to have read any of the Rob Liefeld drawn and written stories. In fact, I might just give a hearty, "Don't seek those out," but you know, I read them at the time and probably still have them in a box somewhere, so there's that. Still, Brandon Graham, the man behind King City and Escalators, brings a delightful and fantastical voice to the proceedings.

Fatale #1

Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips
Company: Image Comics

It seems that the dynamic duo of the comics world have readily identifiable names: Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Whatever they touch, they turn it golden. Fatale is no different. The story is very much in Brubaker's wheelhouse. The Noir elements and the Crime genre in general that has become his pedigree is front and center, just as it has been in his other titles, things like Criminal, Sleeper, and going a bit further back, Scene of the Crime. However, what makes Brubaker so memorable isn't just his ability to fashion a crime story, it's that he's able to fashion a story that entices and peaks your curiosity from page one, and from there sends you on an adventure that keeps you guessing and isn't the type to be forgotten.

The Strange Talent of Luther Strode #1

Writer: Justin Jordan
Artist: Tradd Moore
Company: Image Comics

To be completely honest, I had no idea what to expect with this first issue of The Strange Talent of Luther Strode. A friend of mine read a preview copy a while back and immediately stated that it was a "must read" title, one of those books that grabs you by the balls from the get go and gets you hooked quick and leaves you gasping for breath wanting more. I said okay, that I would most certainly give it a shot, even though it seemed like a book that wasn't really my cup of tea. It wasn't because of the super violence that I knew the book reveled in, nor was it the notion of a high school kid getting super powers. What it was, was the fact that we've seen these kinds of things tackled before and I was unsure of what, if anything, new that could be

The Red Wing #1 of 4

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Nick Pitarra
Company: Image Comics

Early on in his career, Jonathan Hickman was one of those writers that was a great idea man.  Books like Nightly News and Pax Romana and Red Mass for Mars had hooks that got under your skin, but the execution often times missed the mark.  One of the biggest issues was the wall of text that often assaulted the readers eyes and really took you out of the story.  That was then, this is now, as with things like Secret Warriors and Fantastic Four, Hickman has honed his craft to a fine point and really shown what he can do.  The ideas are still fantastic and off the beaten path, but the accessibility is so strong and the enjoyment levels are so high that for the moment, it seems that he can do no wrong.  But what about The Red Wing?  Did he finally manage to misstep and crash and burn?

Nonplayer #1 of 6

Writer/Artist: Nate Simpson
Company: Image Comics

Is Nonplayer the Avatar of the comics world?  From a visual perspective, that may be a fairly good analysis.  From a story point of view, Nonplayer removes a honed longsword from its sheathe, paints some war paint on its face, does a base jump off of a skyscraper and proceeds to go to town on said movie.

And let me tell you, it does goes to town.

This being Nate Simpson's first foray into the comics industry, it's a damn impressive opening salvo.  Previous to this he was working on video game concept art, and while I'm sure his work there was beautiful, the work that has been put into the pages of this comic is mind blowing.