Shaper #4
Written by Eric Heisserer
Penciled by Ace Continuado
Inked Adelso Coronoa
Colored by Wes Dzioba
Lettered by Michael Heisler
Cover by Felipe Massafera
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: June 17, 2015
Cover Price: $3.99

“This is the game. The game is this – Eradicate the Shapers in twenty turns or less. Without time, they have no family, they have no strength. Without strength, their heart is exposed. That heart is Solace. Destroy it, and then will the game be won.”

In Shapers #4, the penultimate issue of Eric Heisserer‘s 5-part series, the heroes’ hearts are exposed, and the game seems to be coming to a close.

Ignition Vol. 1
Written by Various
Penciled by Various
Colors by Various
Edited by Andrew DelQuadro
215 Ink
Release Date: Available for Pre-Order
Cover Price: $29.99

So, there’s a review in here, promise, and it’s going to be about the new collection from 215ink called Ignition Vol. 1. The lede is just, as people who call writing a profession say, buried. First, I need a moment to qualify what I mean and give a frame of reference. So, sorry, but: you can always circumvent that by skipping to the end if you’d like.

There’s been something of a renaissance of creator owned content lately, with a bevy of titles being announced from creators like Grant Morrison, Steve Niles, Brian K Vaughan, and other industry heavyweights. Although artistic control has been a high profile issue in the comics world at least since the early 90s -what with the Creator’s Bill of Rights in 1988, and the creation of Image Comics in 1992- the past calendar year has seemed like something of a watershed moment for the publicity and frequency of creator owned projects. Every major publisher, I believe, has an imprint dedicated to these projects, and the whole thing smacks of a cash-in. That sounds cynical.