John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction: Vortex #2
Written by Mike Sizemore
Pencils and Inks by Dave Kennedy
Colors by Pete Kennedy
Lettering by Janice Chiang
Edited by Sandy King
Cover Art by Tim Bradstreet
Storm King Comics
Release date: October 25, 2017
Price: $3.99

Vortex is the second story in Tales of Science Fiction, Storm King Comics’ new monthly anthology series developed by the Horror Master himself, John Carpenter, and his wife and collaborator Sandy King Carpenter. Vortex began last month bookended by quotes from Milton’s Paradise Lost, so obviously it’s a cheery story filled with pure happiness”¦ okay, no. Borrowing from a classic sci-fi premise, Vortex tells of a mining station in space in which the crew disappears forcing Captain Jake Dixon and crew to lead the rescue mission through a rift in space. Vortex is an 8-part story, so writer Mike Sizemore took his time to give our main characters proper introductions and motivations. It’s time to re-enter the Vortex, with issue #2.

Jenny Finn #1
Written by Mike Mignola and Troy Nixey
Art by Troy Nixey
Colors by Dave Stewart
Cover by Mike Mignola
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: November 15, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

Lots of tentacles and creepy storylines are a big win in my book. Jenny Finn #1 delivers both with a healthy heap of mystery added for the hell of it. If anything, this particular Dark Horse comic book has an even heavier Lovecraftian feel to it than most of Mike Mignola‘s works.

John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction: Vortex #1
Written by Mike Sizemore
Pencils, Inks, and Colors by Dave Kennedy
Lettering by Dave Kennedy
Edited by Sandy King
Cover Art by Tim Bradstreet
Storm King Comics
Release date: October 25, 2017
Price: $3.99

Earlier this year, the Master of Horror John Carpenter and wife Sandy King Carpenter began a new venture with their comics label, Storm King Comics. The project is a monthly anthology series called Tales of Science Fiction. Over the Summer, they released the first story Vault, a 3-part space thriller written by James Ninness. As the seasons change and Halloween approaches, it’s time for a new journey to begin. Tales of Science Fiction: Vortex is written by Mike Sizemore based on a story by the first couple of horror themselves and Sandy King served as editor on the project. The first issue of the 8-part series debuts today.

Ragnarok: Last God Standing Vol. 1 TPB
Story and Art by Walter Simonson
Colors by Laura Martin
Letters by John Workman
IDW Publishing
Release Date: October 25, 2017
Cover Price: $19.99

When someone mentions the name Thor these days, most folks immediately start thinking of a certain comic book superhero that has been in a few movies lately. If I were to speak the word Ragnarok, then those same people would think I speak of the newest film in that hero’s franchise. But trust me, Ragnarok: Last God Standing Vol. 1 is so much more than that.

In this story, Ragnarok is a thing of the past. Centuries before the start of our tale, the gods and their foes have waged their war across the nine realms and have managed to mostly kill one another off. Entire civilizations have fallen, leaving the survivors to suffer and do anything to survive. Powers still exist but they are far less prominent than before the end times.

Batman: White Knight #1
Batman created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger
Script, art, covers by Sean Murphy
Colors and cover colors by Matt Hollingsworth
Letters by Todd Klein
Asst. Editor: Maggie Howell
Editor: Mark Doyle
DC Comics
Release date: October 4, 2017
Price: $3.99

First, I’ll state the obvious: Batman: White Knight #1 looks spectacular.

Sean Murphy‘s style is tailor made for Gotham City and its inhabitants. In the action-adventure series Chrononauts, he showed his range, packing each frame with so much kinetic energy it burst at the seams — but it’s in the shadows where Murphy shines brightest. He was born to illustrate Batman.

At the moment there are a handful of artists at the top of the food chain — Adam Hughes, Greg Capullo, Rafael Albuquerque — and Murphy is among the very best. Not to be overlooked, Matt Hollingsworth adds a pitch-perfect color palate to offset Murphy’s darkness, and the results are stunning.