Conan the Avenger #2
Written by Fred Van Lente
Art by Brian Ching
Colors by Michael Atiyeh
Letters by Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Cover art by Killian Plunkett
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: May 28, 2014
Cover Price: $3.50

WOW!!!! Comics don’t get much better than Conan the Avenger #2!!! It’s got EVERYTHING you could want or hope for in a Conan comic book.

I’ve enjoyed Fred Van Lente’s books in the past a great deal, but I had no idea he had such great ideas and stories for Conan in him. This is a Conan that we don’t get to see that often. Usually he’s fighting off other barbarians, pirates, or monsters, but here we get to see him tackle the spirit world. How can he kill something that’s all ready dead? The answer will surprise you! Beyond all this awesomeness, there’s a really great story, with just enough hopelessness for the character the reader believes that this might be the adventure he doesn’t walk away from, even though we know better. The villains are believable, and that’s what made me actually get nervous for Conan a couple of times. And, Van Lente throws in some pretty great “classic Conan” moments.

Captain Action Cat #2
Written by Franco & Chris “Zod” Smits, Art Baltazar
Art by Art Baltazar
Cover by Art Baltazar
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: June 4, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Captain Action Cat #2 picks up immediately after the whirlwind events of the first issue. Can Action Cat save the day? Can Captain Action Cat make it back home? BOTH of them?

The writing team of Art Baltazar and Franco have been around for a while always turn out some great stuff. But, when you throw newcomer Chris “Zod” Smits into the mix, the fun really heats up!! They have more going on in one single issue of a comic than some titles have in their entire run. This issue is PACKED with fun and adventuresome characters that are true to both the spirit of the book and who they “really” are. They’ve managed to find a logical way to combine THREE companies’ characters into one series. You’ve got everybody from Action Cat to Captain Action to Ghost to X, and they’ve ALL got something to do and a reason for being there. Besides being really entertaining, this comic is an honest to God page turner!! Fun Fact: Chris “Zod” Smits is the world’s WORST player of Scramble with Friends.

Big Trouble in Little China #1
Story by John Carpenter & Eric Powell
Written by Eric Powell
Art by Brian Churilla
Colors by Michael Garland
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
Covers by Eric Powell, Joe Quinones, Chris Weston, Terry Dodson, Emi Yonemura Brown, Joe Eisma with Chris Blythe, Gabriel Hardman with Jordan Boyd, Frank Cho with John Rauch, Adam Hughes, Chuck BB, Frank Cho, and Jimmy Giegerich
BOOM! Studios
Release Date: June 4, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

I’ve been waiting YEARS for Big Trouble in Little China #1, and the wait is finally over!!! Can this comic possibly live up to years and years of anticipation? Let’s take a look..

I’ve never read an Eric Powell comic, but if the rest of them are half as entertaining as this book is, I’m going to start. From a story by him and John Carpenter (director of the 1986 film), Powell brings back every man’s favorite every man, Jack Burton (played by Kurt Russell in the film). The book takes place about 5 minutes after the movie ends, and Powell shows us that the movie wasn’t really a special event for Jack Burton, it was just another day in his life.

Doctor Spektor #1
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Neil Edwards
Colors by Jordan Boyd
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Edits by Nate Cosby of Cosby & Sons Productions
Covers by Christian Ward, Francesco Francavilla, Phil Hester, Jae Lee, and Ken Haeser
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: May 28, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Doctor Spektor #1 is a whole lotta crazy. I mean a WHOLE LOT of crazy. Now, was it crazy good or crazy bad? Let’s take a look.

Going into this, I have to admit, I’ve never read a Doctor Spektor comic before in my life. But, I heard Mark Waid was writing it, so I wanted to at least check it out. Lemme tell you, I’m really glad I did. You don’t have to know anything about the character to enjoy this comic. In fact, I think if you followed the character before, that might hurt your enjoyment of this book. Waid gives us a Doctor Spektor that’s basically a reality TV star, but unlike the reality shows on TV now, this one’s actually a REAL reality show. If that makes sense. On camera, he’s a strong, fearless master of the occult, but behind closed doors, he’s a hot mess. I won’t go into any spoilers, but this is a REALLY interesting character, and if you removed all the monster fighting, I would still read this book, as Waid makes him an incredibly interesting and compelling character.

Flash Gordon #2
Written by Jeff Parker
Art by Evan Shaner
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Simon Bowland
Packaged & Edits by Nate Cosby
Covers by Marc Laming, Roberto Castro, and Ken Haeser
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: May 21, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Flash Gordon #2 finds Flash, Dale, and Zarkoff really out of their element, and that’s saying something considering that they’re on a whole different planet in a whole different galaxy!!!

This is a very big turning point for me. This is the issue that writer Jeff Parker turns the corner and gets his own “books.” He’s such a great author that now he’s among the select few writers for me who, when referring to a comic book, I would call it a “Jeff Parker book.” The story here is great. Imagine a fish out of water story in a fish out of water series!!! Now THAT’S talent!