Kill Shakespeare – Past is Prologue: Juliet #1
Written by Conor McCreery
Art by Corin Howell
Colors by Shari Chankahamma
Letters by Chris Mowry
Standard Cover by Simon Davis
Subscription Cover by Adam Gorham and Shari Chankahamma
IDW Publishing
Release Date: April 5, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

Few comics turn the literary world into their own playground like this one, folks. In Kill Shakespeare – Past is Prologue: Juliet #1 the reader gets a dose of what happens when you deify a playwright. This is not your parent’s Shakespeare; not in any way, shape, or form.

Joe Frankenstein #1
Written by Graham Nolan & Chuck Dixon
Art by Graham Nolan
Colors by Gregory Wright
Letters by Chris Mowry
Editor: Tom Waltz
Cover art by Graham Nolan & Gregory Wright
IDW Publishing
Release Date: February 25, 2015
Cover Price: $3.99

Joe Frankenstein #1 tells the story of a young man with a hidden family past that he knows nothing about and the trouble that it causes when it catches up with him. I’m sure that from the title of the comic book, you might be able to guess just what that history is, but how it ties into the main character’s life is the really great part!

Kill Shakespeare: The Mask Of Night #3
Written by Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col
Art by Andy Belanger
Inking assistance by Adam Gorham
Colors by Shari Chankhamma
Letters by Chris Mowry
Edits by Tom Waltz
Subscription cover by J.K. Woodward
IDW Publishing
Release Date: August 27, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

The tension continues to build in the newest chapter of Kill Shakespeare: The Mask of Night. The famed pirate Cesario has lost control of his ship in a mutiny led by his former lover and first mate, Viola. She plans to ensure the crew’s safety by turning over Juliet and her fellow prisoners to the cannibal captain of the Lavinia, Lucius Andronicus. But it isn’t that simple. Among the prisoners is Shakespeare himself!

Kill Shakespeare: The Mask Of Night #2
Written by Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col
Art by Andy Belanger
Inking assistance by Adam Gorham
Colors by Shari Chankhamma
Letters by Chris Mowry
Edits by Tom Waltz
Subscription cover by J.K. Woodward
IDW Publishing
Release Date: July 23, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Continuing from where we left off last time, the masked captain Cesario faces the oncoming threat of capture from a pursuing vessel, and betrayal at the hands of his own crew.

With the Lavinia in hot pursuit, the crew of the Boreas are trying to escape its ever-looming presence. Cesario’s desperate plans to evade the ship are met vocal distaste. The crew wants to go with a plan that has a higher chance of survival, while Cesario wants to risk everything on a plan that will end with him returning Juliet to the Prodigals. His plan to gamble with their lives creates festering thoughts of mutiny among the crew.

Kill Shakespeare: Mask of Night
Written By Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col
Art by Andy Belanger
Ink Assists by Adam Gorham
Colors By Shari Chankhamma
Lettering by Chris Mowry
Edits by Tom Waltz
IDW Publishing
Release Date: June 18, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Adventure, intrigue, and swashbuckling are a few of the things that await you in the thrilling tale of Kill Shakespeare: Mask of Night.

We’re introduced to the masked pirate captain named Cesario. After a thrilling battle, we see the spoils of his latest plunder. Instead of gold or jewels aboard the ship, he finds prisoners trapped in a small room. And among them, Juliet Capulet. Shaken from their prior adventures, Juliet and her fellow prisoners are brought aboard. Wanting to seize the opportunity, Cesario decides turn them to the Prodigals in exchange for a full pardon.

But things may not go as Cesario plans, as he receive opposition from amongst his ranks.

Transformers vs GI Joe #0 Free Comic Book Day Edition
Written by Tom Scioli & John Barber
Art, Coloring and Letters by Tom Scioli
Production by Chris Mowry
Edits by Carlos Guzman
Cover Art by Tom Scioli
Cover Colors by John Burcham & Tom Sciolu
IDW Publishing
Release Date: May 3, 2014
Cover Price: FREE

Transformers vs G.I. Joe #0 Free Comic Book Day Edition is the FIRST book you should grab on Saturday, May 3rd when comic stores and libraries all over the country open for the thirteenth annual Free Comic Book Day. With HUNDREDS of other offerings, why should this be the one you grab first?

You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. But, I’m gonna try…

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Vol. 1
Created by Wally Wood and Len Brown
Written by Phil Hester
Illustrated by Andrea Di Vito
Colors by Rom Fajardo
Letters by Shawn Lee and Chris Mowry
Cover by Jerry Ordway and David Baron
IDW Publishing
Release Date: March 11, 2014
Cover Price: $17.99

Welcome to the superhero team with the most improbable acronym in comic history. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Vol. 1 is a reimaging of the original 1960s comic of the same name by Wally Wood and Len Brown.

I’m not sure if Andrea Di Vito just erased the word balloons of the classic issues or exactly captured the look and feel of the original ’60s run. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents gives every impression, from the frame set-ups to the campy coloring of the team uniforms, that it is a painstakingly crafted throwback.

Black Dynamite #1
Written by Brian Ash
Art by Ron Wimberly
Inks by Sal Buscema
Colors by JM Ringuet
Story Consultant Jillian Apfelbaum
Letters by Chris Mowry
Edits by John Barber
Covers by Marcelo Ferreira & JM Ringuet, Jun Lofima & JM Ringuet, Six Point Harness Studios, and Jim Rugg
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 15,2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Black Dynamite #1 is the most entertaining comic that I’ve read in a long, long time.

Having never seen the film that this is based on, I had absolutely NO idea what to expect. But, the cover looked cool and I love anything that’s set in the ’70s, so I figured I’d give it a try. The story and dialogue that writer Brian Ash came up with had me actually chuckling out loud to myself. Not only that, but it had revitted to what was on the next page. And it just kept getting more and more outrageous! There’s several scenes that, even for a comic book, will leave you stunned in the “Oh my God, I can’t believe he did that!” vein. GREAT beginning to a story and a really great introduction to anyone who isn’t familiar with the character.

Doctor Who Omnibus, Vol. 2
Written by Tony Lee, Jonathan L. Davis, Matthew Dow Smith, Al Davison, Matt Sturges
Illustrated by Al Davison, Matthew Dow Smith, Blair Shedd, Kelly Yates, Brian Shearer
Colored by Lovern Kindzierski, Charlie Kirchoff, Phil Elliot, Al Davison, Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettered by Chris Mowry, Robbie Robbins, Neil Uyetake, Al Davison, Shawn Lee
Cover by Tony Lee Edwards
IDW Publishing
Release Date: October 23, 2013
Cover Price: $29.99

Doctor Who Omnibus, Vol. 2 is a massive collection featuring the tenth Doctor, as portrayed by David Tennant. It collects issues #1-16, as well as the 2010 annual comic, and an eleventh doctor story, “A Fairytale Life.”

Now, I’m a pretty big Doctor Who fan, and the tenth doctor is my favorite, but this collection largely fails to capture that Whovian magic I was looking for. I would have expected to have larger, more explosive stories in a comic because the special effects budget has no limits, but I found the majority of the stories were contained to a handful of “sets” and sometimes felt claustrophobic.

Mystery Society, Vol. 1
Created by Steve Niles and Ashley Wood
Written by Steve Niles
Artwork by Fiona Staples, Andrew Ritchie
Letters by Robbie Robbins, Chris Mowry, Shawn Lee
Cover by Fiona Staples
IDW Publishing
Release Date: October 2, 2013
Cover Price: $27.99

Volume 1 of Mystery Society takes you on a journey around the world in 160 pages. Nick and Anastasia Hammond, er…I mean Mystery (they had their name legally changed), are the leaders of the newly formed Society and are hell bent on righting wrongs and pretty much just saving the world. Of course, they have their faults. You can’t look that good and have that much money without some issues, right?

Nick is a bit overconfident, not to mention a tad impulsive. These two attributes tend to get him in trouble from time to time. Luckily he’s actually a pretty good superhero, especially when you add his wife, Anastasia, to the mix. She’s far more level headed and meticulous about the plans they make when setting out to solve a problem. The coolest thing about these two is their backstory. They inherited a bunch of money but before that they owned a bookstore (awesome, right?). And it was during those early years that they decided that, if given a chance, they would spend their time helping people. Add in some cool hideouts and gadgets and that is how the Mystery Society was conceived.