Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me #1 (of 5)
Print Edition | Kindle Edition
Writer: Devin Faraci
Artist: Vic Malhotra
Colors: Jason Millet
Letters: Christa Miesner
Cover A: Vic Malhotra
Cover B: Robert Hack
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Release date: August 31, 2016
Price: $3.99

When going through this week’s list of comic book releases to choose what I would review, I picked out Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me #1, but I hadn’t in any way connected it to the original novel, since the review file didn’t reference Thompson. I try to read as many comics as humanly possible every week and I liked the title, since it piqued my curiosity. Now, having prefaced with that boring lead in, I will tell you that as soon as I started reading this issue, it all snapped into focus for me. This was adapted from a book I had read over three decades ago and I remember thinking that I enjoyed the introspection so much that it had most likely darkened my very soul.

For you see, this comic book miniseries from IDW Publishing is based on one of the most influential noir books every produced. Set in a small Texas town in 1952, it has all the appeal of rustic Americana but beneath it all is a darkness that weaves through the lives of all its citizens.

Kingsway West #1
Written by Greg Pak
Art by Mirko Colak
Colors by Wil Quintana
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover by Mirko Colak and Wil Quintana
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: August 24, 2016
Cover Price: $3.99

I’m a long time fan of westerns. I grew up watching The Lone Ranger, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, and the like. The concept of man living so close to nature and constantly at odds with both his environment and other humans appealed to me for some reason. Later, my attention turned to fantasy novels and role-playing games but the love of a good story set in the Old West was always there. So when someone comes along and mixes the two, I’m always down for a good a read. Kingsway West #1 is most definitely trying its best to find a place in my heart.

Read on and I’ll tell you why!

Blood & Dust: The Life & Undeath Of Judd Glenny #1
Written by William R. Martin and Adam J. Orndorf
Art by Roy Allan Martinez
Colors by Raymund Lee
Letters by Kel Nuttall
Covers by Brett Weldele, Roy Allan Martinez
Action Lab Comics
Release Date: August 3, 2016
Cover Price: $3.99

Vampires. Every few years they resurface in the literary world. Though to be fair, they really haven’t gone away this time. There’s something about them that really piques the interest of large percentage of readers, myself included. Mine stems from reading early Anne Rice books, but I find most of what’s produced these days to be lacking in originality and versatility. Mind you, I did say most. Blood & Dust: The Life & Undeath Of Judd Glenny #1 is certainly an exception to the rule. Please allow me to elaborate further.

Battlestar Galactica #1
Written by Cullen Bunn
Art by Alex Sanchez
Colors by Daniela Miwa
Letters by Sal Cipriano
Covers by Alex Sanchez, Butch Guice, Michael Adams, Juan Doe
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 3, 2016
Cover Price: $3.99

In The Beginning is a great title for this particular issue. Battlestar Galactica #1 takes us back to the original series’ characters and their quest to find the legendary thirteenth colony known as Earth! But this is a tale that takes place between the episodes, exploring new territory. Quite literally!

This premiere issue starts off in crisis mode. An unexpected turn of events forces our “ragtag fugitive fleet” to take action most desperate. But as survival is their main objective, Commander Adama orders the others to follow closely as they all attempt to brave what few others would!

Mycroft Holmes #1
Writers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld
Artist: Joshua Cassara
Cover A: Joshua Cassara & Luis Guerrero
Cover B: Rod Reis
Cover C: Typographic Variant
Cover D: Paul McCaffrey
Cover E: Blank Sketch Variant
Publisher: Titan Comics
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: August 3, 2016

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He’s one of the greatest basketball players the NBA has ever seen. He’s a 19-time NBA All-Star. He’s a six-time NBA MVP. He is, as they say, a living legend. His influence, undoubtedly, spreads far and wide. He used that influence to make an impassioned speech for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in Philly last week. But only one week prior, he graced the stage at another convention — San Diego Comic-Con, where he was promoting Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook, his new comic book miniseries from Titan Comics set in the universe of his 2015 novel Mycroft Holmes.

That’s right. Novel. Comic book. Mycroft Holmes, as in the older brother to the world’s greatest fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. Superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is on it.