Safe House
Directed by Daniel Espinosa
Starring Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Shepherd and Robert Patrick
Release Date: February 10, 2012

Corruption at the top of any organization is a touchy subject for a director to be curious about. When done right, a film depicting corruption, like Polanski’s Chinatown or The Ghost Writer, is an impressive and immersive experience. Navigating through the hypocrisy and crookedness is an act of a polished director at the top of his craft who wants to enlighten audiences about reality, not entertain them. Swedish director Daniel Espinosa is introducing himself to American audiences with a hesitating and not so sharp portrait of corruption. He wants to exploit the supposed corruption occurring in intelligence units across the world, such as CIA agents and M16 agents. Instead of having a firm and confident command on a narrative structure that would get his point across, all of his energy is directed toward articulating sensational action scenes that reek of implausibility. Espinosa has an interesting foundation to build upon thanks to David Guggenheim‘s script. Coherency and logic, though, are neglected, and an overwhelming amount of dynamism is relied on to entertain audiences, dismissing words and dialogue for guns and fists of fury [...]

Doctor Who Classics, Series 4 #1
Written by Alan McKenzie
Original Art by John Ridgway
Colors by Charlie Kirchoff
Covers by John Ridgway and Charlie Kirchoff
IDW Publishing
Release Date: February 01, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Talk about a blast from the past. Doctor Who Classics Series 4 #1 is a republication of the original Doctor Who comic book series as first released in Doctor Who Magazine. Younger fans of the original television series who have viewed the DVD releases may recall some special features dealing specifically with these comic strips.

Classics Series 4 undertakes the interesting era of the Colin Baker years. During his time as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor, the television series was under threat of cancellation, an ever-increasing strain on budget availability, and a rising dissatisfaction from many fans as their criticisms of the John Nathan-Turner showrunner years would reach their peak [...]

Archie Archives, Vol. 4
Art by Bill Vigoda and Various
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: January 25, 2012
Cover Price: $49.99

Archie Archives, Vol. 4 is a strangely fascinating page from the history book of the typical teenager from Riverdale. Reprinting issues of Archie and Pep Comics, from 1944 and 1945, this is the books’ very early years, long before Kevin Keller and KISS. But things are far from bland: the art is almost exclusively from Bill Vigoda, the real life brother of Abe Vigoda, best known as Sal Tessio from The Godfather films. Like I said, it’s a little strange.

In this volume we see the ingredients that make up an average Archie comic still swirling around, not yet fully settled. On the surface everything is still the same, the stories hit all the same beats: Archie goes on a date or gets a new job or starts a new hobby… and then things go wrong with hilarious results [...]

Conan the Barbarian #1
Script by Brian Wood
Art by Becky Cloonan
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft
Covers by Massimo Carnevale and Becky Cloonan
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 8, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

I’ve been looking forward to Conan the Barbarian #1 ever since it was announced. Why? Because with the announcement of the book’s creative team, it promised something different for a Conan comic, and happily, it delivers. Big time.

Fans have been begging for Dark Horse to adapt the classic Robert E. Howard Conan story Queen of the Black Coast for quite a while now, and that has to be tricky for writer Brian Wood. Thankfully, he more than delivers on this fan’s expectations [...]

Star Wars: Crimson Empire III – Empire Lost #4
Written by Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley
Pencils by Paul Gulacy
Colors by Michael Bartolo
Cover Art by Dave Dorman
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 08, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

Now past the halfway mark, Star Wars: Crimson Empire III launches its acceleration to the incoming conclusion of the series. The fourth issue of Empire Lost finds Kir Kanos determined to stop the planned attack of Devian, warlord of a splinter element of the Imperial Remnant fixed on bringing both the New Republic and Grand Admiral Pellaeon’s Empire into his own demented grasp.

Empire Lost #4 kicks off in space, with a New Republic naval force under command of General Han Solo. We’re introduced to a subplot involving a character named Ndigo who is tasked with investigating the disappearance of the New Republic ship Endor, seen at the beginning of the first issue [...]

Too Much Coffee Man #2 Facsimile Edition
Written and illustrated by Shannon Wheeler
Boom! Studios
Release Date: January 25, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

At the center of Too Much Coffee Man #2 Facsimile Edition our hero faces off in a grueling gauntlet for survival against an exciting new villain to the bitter end.

But, really, that’s not what’s important at all. This is BOOM! Studios reprint of the original issues of Shannon Wheeler‘s cult classic which helped define small press early 90s comix, TMCM is a frumpy protagonist who’s drive involves coffee, loafing around, and not much else, while his nemesis is a Liefeld-parody named Cliche, and they throw old fashioned truisms at each other along with punches and bullets. It’s silly, enjoyable, and knows when to wrap up [...]

Key of Z #4
Written by Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert
Art by Aaron Kuder
Colors by Charlie Kirchoff
Letters by Johnny Lowe
Cover by Nathan Fox and Jeromy Cox
Evil Ink Comics/Boom! Studios
Release Date: January 25, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

I’ve read a lot of zombie-themed comic books, but I can honestly say that I’ve never read one quite like Key of Z, and I’m going to tell you right now, from the first issue to the last issue, this series is fantastic.

I’ve been following the creation of the series since 2010 when creators Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert first announced that they would be working on a zombie comic that would take place in New York City and encompass a lot of specifics from the area under the working title Subway Seriez, which is still used as the subtitle for Key of Z, as evidenced by the cover of issue three [...]

House Of Night #4
Story by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Script by Kent Dalian
Art by Joelle Jones and Jonathan Case
Colors by Ryan Hill and Jonathan Case
Letters by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Cover by Jenny Frison
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 8, 2012
Cover Price: $2.99

We return to the story of Zoey Redbird, a fledgling vampyre attending the Tulsa House of Night and learning to control her newfound powers. House Of Night #4 addresses the issues of overconfidence and vanity. When Zoey accidentally destroys something sacred to her goddess, she decides to concentrate on repairing the damage done and learning from the experience [...]

Boardwalk Empire The Complete First Season
Blu-ray l DVD
CREATOR: Terence Winter
DIRECTORS: Martin Scorsese, Timothy Van Patten, Allen Coulter, Jeremy Podeswa, Alan Taylor, Brian Kirk, Brad Anderson, Simon Cellan-Jones
WRITERS: Terence Winter, Lawrence Konner, Margaret Nagle, Timothy Van Patten, Howard Korder, Paul Simms, Meg Jackson, Steve Kornacki
STARRING: Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Aleksa Palladino, Michael Stuhlbarg, Stephen Graham, Vincent Piazza, Gretchen Mol, Paz de la Huerta, Michael Kenneth Williams, Dabney Coleman
HBO Studios
RELEASE DATE: January 10, 2012

TV has evolved to exciting heights with the arrival and ever-thriving world of no-restriction shows. Shows that are on pay cable channels and can be as gritty and realistic as necessary to tell their stories, often times getting away with more than most movies can even get away with.

We the TV-viewing audience are in love with these types of shows, and though there are many great options out there on various channels, no one does them quite like HBO. [...]

Jackass 3
Netflix Streaming
DVD | Blu-Ray
Directed by Jeff Tremaine
Starring Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Ryan Dunn, Wee Man, Mike Judge
Paramount Pictures
Originally Released: October 15, 2010

More than once I questioned why the hell I was viewing Jackass 3. Of course I’m familiar with the television series, though I’ve never really identified myself as being a part of the cult fan-base of the Jackass collective. Having said that though, Jackass 3 is a humorous detour from the usual suspects to be found on Netflix Streaming, with some excellent cinematography in places – though be warned: there are many numerous scenes with intent to disgust [...]

Hoax Hunters #0
Story by Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley
Art by JM Ringuet
Inks by John Lucas
Cover by Steve Seeley
Image Comics
Release Date: March 21, 2012
Cover Price: $2.99

There’s a lot to be said about Hoax Hunters. I could easily fall into the comparrison trap. You know, the one where the guys in the comic book store says “It’s Buffy meets Scooby-Doo meets Mad Men!”, but I’m not a big fan of that. Things need to be judged and sold on their own merit. That said, this comic does take a few modern day pop culture staples, and turns them on their ears.

Writers Steve Seeley and Michael Moreci have taken something that I normally would gloss over on the comic racks and turned it into something that I can’t wait to read. Without going too deep into spoiler territory, the Hoax Hunters are a group that goes out and investigates, let’s just say, suspicious activities. [...]

Dark Horse Presents #8
Stories by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, Evan Dorkin, Tony Puryear, Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin, Alan Gordon, Brian Wood, Martin Conaghan, Rich Johnston, M. J. Butler
Art by Duncan Fegredo, Jill Thompson, Tony Puryear, Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin, Thomas Yeates, Kristian Donaldson, Jimmy Broxton, Simon Rohrmüller, Mark Wheatley
Colors by Dave Stewart, Moose, Jesus Aburto, Thomas Yeates, Lori Almeida
Letters by Clem Robins, Jason Arthur, Ken Bruzenak, John Workman, Jared K. Fletcher, Jim Reddington
Creative Concepts by Tony Puryear, Erika Alexander, Robert Alexander, Thomas Yeates
Covers by Duncan Fegredo with Dave Stewart, Kristian Donaldson with Brian Wood
Back Cover and Spot Illustrations by Geof Darrow
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 1, 2012
Cover Price: $7.99

Dark Horse brings out their best and brightest talent for the 8th installment of their legendary anthology Dark Horse Presents. For anyone new to Dark Horse’s line of titles this anthology is a perfect jumping-on point. Dark Horse Presents #8 collects both new and old titles that accurately showcase the publisher’s diverse line of comics. Not every comic featured in the anthology is a hit, though. However, with stories from Mike Mignola and Brain Wood, Dark Horse Presents #8 is a collection worth picking up [...]

Doctor Who, Vol. 2 #14
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art by Matthew Dow Smith
Colors by Charlie Kirchoff
Lettering by Shawn Lee
Covers by Mark Buckingham, Charlie Kirchoff, and Matthew Dow Smith
IDW Publishing
Release Date: February 01, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Doctor Who #14 is the second part of an ongoing escapade entitled As Time Goes By. As the title and cover art suggest, the story finds the Doctor along with companions Rory Williams and Amy Pond in Casablanca during World War II. The concept is clearly influenced by the celebrated film featuring Humphrey Bogart, with the exception that the Silurians have shown up to cause trouble [...]

The Lone Ranger #2
Written by Ande Parks
Art by Esteve Polls
Colors by Marcelo Pinto
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover by Francesco Francavilla
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: February 1, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

In today’s comic book market, western comics are a hard sell. If you ask me, if more western comics were like The Lone Ranger #2, they wouldn’t be. In a time when every hero is almost a villain, and every villain is just a misunderstood victim, this book gives us a breath of fresh air — good guys vs. bad guys.

Writer Ande Parks really delivers in this issue. While this is the second chapter in the first arc of the series, it is, just like the first issue, basically a one and done, which is great [...]

Star Wars: Dawn Of The Jedi #0
Text by John Ostrander
Art by Jan Duursema
Cover Art by Rodolfo Migliari
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: Febuary 1, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

“Your Guide to the Dawn Of The Jedi era of Star Wars: It is an era of legend, an era before the discovery of hyperspace travel, before the foundation of the Old Republic, and before the philosophies of the Jedi and the Sith were codified. This is a tale of a great and mythic society, established and nurtured by powers unthinkably ancient and mysterious, on a collision course with an empire founded on darkness and death. These are the true roots of both the Jedi and the Sith Orders . . . the dawn of the Jedi.”

Issue #0 of the brand new Star Wars comic series Dawn Of The Jedi is not really a comic book. Instead, it is more of a text overview and an artistic preview of what is to come – and there is a LOT in this new series that will break a lot of ground in the Star Wars mythos [...]

Usagi Yojimbo #143
Created, Written and Illustrated by Stan Sakai
Cover Colors by Stan Luth
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: January 25, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

For going on 25 years Stan Sakai‘s Usagi Yojimbo has been taking its anthropomorphized rabbit Samurai protagonist on adventure after adventure through Edo-era Japan while maintaining a steady rhythm of excellence in both storytelling and cartooning. Usagi Yojimbo #143 is no exception.

We find our hero in a new town and quickly embroidered in a new exploit defending the poor and defenseless against the powerful and bullying. It’s pretty standard fare for many samurai stories, or westerns for that matter. Sakai, of course, makes it worth our while with his richly detailed recreation of feudal Japan [...]

Kill List
DIRECTOR: Ben Wheatley
WRITER: Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump
STARRING: Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring, Harry Simpson, Michael Smiley, Emma Fryer, Struan Rodger
IFC Films
RELEASE DATE: US: February 3, 2012 (limited), Available on VOD now; UK: DVD l Blu-ray

Sometimes filmmakers enjoy the art of implication, and sometimes they prefer to leave entire chunks of important information unshared, both allowing for an audience (or forcing them) to use their own creative juices to come to certain conclusions. The Coen brothers, for example, are quite renowned for this very thing at the end of their movies—though performed at a master-filmmaker level—but not even they always get away with it without facing some heavy scrutiny. [...]

Haunted City #2
Written by Chap Taylor and Peter Johnson
Art by Michael Ryan
Colors by Kelsey Shannon with Peter Steigerwald and Beth Sotelo
Letters by Josh Reed
Covers by Michael Ryan, Alex Konat, and Micah Gunnell
Aspen Comics
Release Date: February 1, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Haunted City #2, but whatever it was, I didn’t find it. In fact, I didn’t find much of anything here. Writers Chap Taylor and Peter Johnson kind of fall short on this issue. Having never read the first issue I went in blind, and even though I read the recap page, I didn’t have any idea what the book I was reading was about. Fast forward to the end of the issue, I still don’t [...]

Green Hornet Annual #2
Written by Mark Rahner
Art by Ronan Cliquet
Colors by Impacto Studios
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Cover by Phil Hester
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: January 25, 2012
Cover Price: $4.99

When it comes to comics relaunches can be hit or miss, but a few years ago when Dynamite Entertainment released their new Green Hornet series I started reading it and instantly fell in love with it. Green Hornet Annual #2 is a great annual one-shot story that not only gets readers caught up on what has been going on, but it’s a great jumping-on point for new readers [...]

Zombies vs. Robots: Pammi Shaw: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger
By Brea Grant
Kindle
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 18, 2012

The Zombies Vs. Robots comics were one of the first big hits for IDW Publishing. Naturally, they continued the story with mores miniseries with Zombies vs. Robots vs. Amazons, and then Zombies vs. Robots Aventure and ZvR: UnderCity. In UnderCity, the character of Pammi Shaw is introduced. She is also the “author” of the blog entries that comprise this short story, Zombies vs. Robots: Pammi Shaw: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger [...]