KISS #6
Written by Chris Ryall
Pencils by Wagner Reis
Colors by Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letters by Shawn Lee
Covers by Tom Jerman, Jamal Igle & Romulo Fajardo, Jr, and Sam Shearon
IDW Publishing
Release Date: November 21, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

KISS #6 is the conclusion of “Kiss Meets the Phantom” story arc. When we last left the guys they were…girls. But, they were fighting a bunch of robots at an amusement park run by an evil scientist. And you thought KISS was just four guys that made awesome music!

Chris Ryall started this story by turning everything we know about KISS on its ear. This issue, he continues to do so. KISS #6 is straight-out rock and roll action! I’m not kidding, this issue has more action in it than most comics have in six issues. Beyond that, it’s amazing how he can keep the characters of KISS grounded in the humans that they possess, while mixing in a slight dose of the personality of said humans. I’ve read lots of books by Ryall, but I have to say, he could write KISS for the rest of his life, and I’d read it every single month. Shocks and surprises come out of nowhere and he does a fantastic job wrapping up the arc, while at the same time moving the overall story further into unknown territory. And he throws in some really interesting stuff with the Destroyer and She. It’s a great ending to a very entertaining arc in this title, yet, in some ways, it’s just the beginning.

Wagner Reis is an artist who was BORN to draw hot girls. I don’t know if it’s luck or fantastic planning on IDW’s part, but this issue just happens to be filled with them. You’ve literally never seen KISS quite like this before. But, and I don’t want to spoil things, you DO get to see him draw KISS as they REALLY are, and he does just as good of a job with them, as he does with the ladies. Besides that, his artwork is superb. Fantastic looking pages, great backgrounds, awesome layouts, Reis is just a really talented artist and I hope we see more of him on this title.

Your trip to your local comic shop is NOT complete unless you grab this issue. It’s truly one of the most unique interpretations of KISS you’ll ever see.