Cobra #21
Written by Mike Costa
Art by Werther Dell’Edera
Colors by Arianna Florean
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Editors: John Barber & Carlos Guzman
Covers by Antonio Fuso, Joe Eisma, Juan Castro & Simon Gough
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 23, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Sadly, Cobra #21 is the last issue of the series. But, in typical fashion of this book, it goes out with a bang and a boom!!!…and some unsolved mysteries.

Writer Mike Costa does just what he’s done with this title for years. He makes it awesome, plain and simple. Let’s face it, everyone thinks that their villains are the most interesting characters, but Costa PROVES it! There’s just about everything that there should be in a book about Cobra. Mysteries, betrayal, crime, etc. It’s hard to really put this book into any kind of genre. It’s part crime, part superhero, part drama. It’s basically a catch-all of everything that you love about comics. While you’d think there’s MORE than enough material to do a book about NOTHING but Cobra, Costa throws in a couple of fan-favorite Joes, that should make everyone happy. I’m sad to see this book go, but it’s been a great ride. Thank you, Mike Costa!

Smoke and Mirrors #3
Script by Mike Costa
Art by Ryan Browne
Illusions by Jon Armstrong
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Color Assists by Aaron Daly
Covers by Ryan Browne, Francesco Francavilla
IDW Publishing
Release Date: May 23, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Imagine, if you will, a world where magic is not just present, but is the primary means by which things are accomplished. Spells are used to make cars move, light up homes, and do pretty much everything for everyone. And like the oil companies of today, this world has its own businesses that enjoy the benefits of being on top and have no interest in changing the status quo. Smoke and Mirrors #3 gives us a bit of insight into the life of someone ripped from our world and suddenly dropped into this other, more magical, one.

Terry Ward is that tragic individual. A stage magician by trade, he is flabbergasted by the way things function in this new place. But as any good performer does, he manages to quickly adapt to the environment and begins to ply his trade. He spends his days in an out of the way marketplace pandering to the crowds. Things that we take for granted, such as the cup and ball trick or hidden coins, are wondrous to these strangers. Earning just enough to stay alive, he spends his time trying to stay under the radar, so to speak. That is, until a young boy named Ethan sees him perform.

Smoke And Mirrors #1
Script by Mike Costa
Art by Ryan Browne
Illusions by Jon Armstrong
Letters by Robbie Robbins
Color Assists by Aaron Daly
Covers by Ryan Browne, Fiona Staples
IDW Publishing
Release Date: March 21, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Who needs electricity when you can have magic?! The first few pages of Smoke And Mirrors #1 takes everyday knowledge and turns it upside down. Suddenly, science is pointless and magical charms are all the rage! But is something more sinister going on here? The game is afoot!

We open to see the spokesman for The Trade Circle giving a speech to a visiting class of children. It enables the reader to become quickly oriented into this altered world that exists with magic as its primary power source. The brief explanation jump starts the story and we watch as one of the students, Ethan, rocks the boat, so to speak. Prying too deeply into the business of The Trade Circle, he quickly finds himself in trouble. But it also ignites the spark that all children have, the spark of curiosity.

Cobra #8
Written by Mike Costa
Art by Antonio Fuso & Werther Dell’Edera
Colors by Scarletgothica
Letters by Shawn Lee
IDW Publishing
Release Date: December 21, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

Right now is a fantastic time to be a G.I. Joe fan (unless you collect the toy line). Although, after reading Cobra #8, it’s a better time to be a Cobra fan. The new Cobra Commander has been chosen and he means business. And, he’s not wasting any time.

You’ve got to hand it to writer Mike Costa. He makes being a bad guy look like a hell of a lot of fun. When I was a kid, I always wanted to part of the G.I. Joe team. My great fear is that kids reading the G.I. Joe comics today will see that being a member of Cobra is a lot more interesting, and in about 20 years, we’ll have thousands of young men starting up their own ruthless, terrorist organization. But I digress.

Transformers #31
Story by Mike Costa
Art by Casey Coller
Colors by Joana LaFuente
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Covers by Rik Alvarez, Casey Coller, and Trevor Hutchison
IDW Publishing
Release Date: December 7th, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

Transformers #31 was a very different change of pace issue. A nice retrospective on the Transformers legacy and at the same time, a nice story in its own right.

Mike Costa crafts a sentimental tale of reflection set millions of years in the future. Long gone are most of the Transformers that we know and love, except for a couple, and they spend the issue reminiscing about the days and battles gone by. This issue is a heartwarming, feel good tale of the history of the Autobots and Decepticons and their greatest battles.