The X-Files/Ghostbusters: Conspiracy #1
Written by Erik Burnham
Art by Salvador Navarro
Colors by Esther Sanz
Letters by Shawn Lee
Edits by Tom Waltz & Denton J. Tipton
Covers by Miran Kim, Dan Schoening & Luis Delgado, Joe Corroney & Brian Miller
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 22, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Going into The X-Files/Ghostbusters: Conspiracy #1 I was a bit nervous, because I’ve never watched the X-Files television series. So, I was a bit concerned that I wouldn’t understand what was going on. So, did it make sense to me? Let’s find out.

Thanks to regular Ghostbusters writer, Erik Burnham, I totally understood what was going on in this issue. He gives a great introduction to The X-Files characters, lays out their purpose in this crossover, and has it make total sense, instead of just a big mash-up of the two different properties. Not only that, he actually shows us a different side of the Ghostbusters’ life that we haven’t seen in the regular Ghostbusters title.

Conan the Barbarian #24
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli
Colors by David Stewart
Cover by Massimo Carnevale
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: January 22, 2014
Cover Price: $3.50

Conan the Barbarian #24 is one of the most heartbreaking comics that I’ve ever read. But, I didn’t find that out until the very end. A great penultimate issue to this series.

Writer Brian Wood delivers an issue that is emotionally charged on two levels: one is heartbreak, the other is ferocity, and both come across equally, simultaneously, and spectacularly. On the surface, it’s Conan taking on a bunch of, literally, wild animals. And, on a deeper level, it’s Conan taking on the death of the love of his life, Belit. About halfway through the battle you realize why exactly Conan is fighting so hard.

Doc Savage #2
Written by Chris Roberson
Art by Bilquis Evely
Colors by Daniela Miwa
Letters by Rob Steen
Covers by Alex Ross & John Cassaday
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: January 22, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

I didn’t think Doc Savage #2 could get any better than the first issue, but I was SO WRONG!! If the quality keeps up, this series could go on forever.

Writer Chris Roberson REALLY knows his Doc Savage. And I mean REALLY KNOWS HIS DOC SAVAGE! This new issue is set 10 years after the first one, and there’s some really interesting twists and turns in the ongoing story. What’s even more impressive is that this is a total standalone tale, but with the way Roberson tells it, it’s very evident that this is just one chapter in an ongoing arc. The writer introduces a lot of hallmark Doc Savage trademarks here, the Fortress of Solitude and Pat Savage, just to name a couple. This is one of the most solidly written comics that I’ve read in a while.

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.

Doc Savage #1
Written by Chris Roberson
Art by Bilquis Evely
Colors by Daniela Miwa
Letters by Rob Steen
Covers by Alex Ross and John Cassaday
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: December 11, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Straight from the good old 86th floor, the Man of Bronze has returned! This is a bold prediction from me, but Doc Savage is Dynamite Entertainment’s new Shadow. I see this title spanning multiple spin-offs and miniseries. Not because of any kind of over-saturation planning by Dynamite, but because it’s THAT good, and the character has THAT much potential.

I can’t imagine that writer Chris Roberson had it easy. Not only did he have to write a comic book, he had to write one that not only included mind-bending science, but 1930’s “slang” as well. Roll all of those up together and it had to be a pretty daunting task. But, thankfully, Roberson knows his way around writing comics. In Doc Savage #1, Roberson writes a very well crafted first issue, and, I can only assume, the first part of a storyline that is far from over. This is a great introduction to the world and characters of the Doc Savage universe, and, on its own, a very entertaining story.