Dead Man’s Run #1
Written by Greg Pak
Illustrated by Tony Parker
Colored by David Curiel
Lettered by Josh Reed
Aspen Comics
Release Date: January 18, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

I love it when a single issue of a series excites me as much as a long form trade. First issues tend to be largely exposition, especially when dealing with brand new characters. How many times have you recommended a series to a friend by using the qualifier ‘Just wait until a few issues in, that’s when it gets going!’. It takes a skilled writer to both introduce and excite right off the bat, and that’s exactly what Greg Pak has done with issue one of Aspen Comics’ Dead Man’s Run.

Haunted City #2
Written by Chap Taylor and Peter Johnson
Art by Michael Ryan
Colors by Kelsey Shannon with Peter Steigerwald and Beth Sotelo
Letters by Josh Reed
Covers by Michael Ryan, Alex Konat, and Micah Gunnell
Aspen Comics
Release Date: February 1, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Haunted City #2, but whatever it was, I didn’t find it. In fact, I didn’t find much of anything here. Writers Chap Taylor and Peter Johnson kind of fall short on this issue. Having never read the first issue I went in blind, and even though I read the recap page, I didn’t have any idea what the book I was reading was about. Fast forward to the end of the issue, I still don’t.

Lady Mechanika #3
Created by Joe Benitez
Art by Joe Benitez
Colors by Peter Steigerwald
Aspen Comics
Release Date: December 21, 2011
Cover Price: $2.99

The third issue of a new comic is always difficult to accurately review. It’s often too soon to reveal any major plot twists, yet late enough to not be gaining momentum. This is the place that Joe Benitez‘s Lady Mechanika finds itself.

Lady Mechanika #3 is a building block in an overall larger picture. This issue introduces new villains and interesting developments, but offers little in surprising content. This is not to say issue #3 is not impressive, because it is. Lady Mechanika #3 is the initial stages of something that could become a very compelling storyline.

Dead Man’s Run #0
Written by Greg Pak
Illustrated by Tony Parker
Colored by Peter Steigerwald
Lettered by Josh Reed
Covers by Tony Parker, Peter Steigerwald, Micah Gunnell
Aspen Comics
Release Date: November 2, 2011
Cover Price: $2.50

When the first page of a comic has someone buying beer, you just know it’s going to be a good read. Dead Man’s Run #0 has just that…of course, there is way more to it than that. It’s the prison break from Hell, literally. Our main guide through this short ride is Captain Romero, a man who is definitely no saint. Many references to his past are made, but none explain it. Mysterious, ashen-faced female Wardens and demonic Generals also add to the Hellish scene that we witness within the City of Corruption, located under the Pyramid. Sadly, the story pauses just as it gets started…but we all expect that in issue #0, right?

Haunted City #1
Written by Chap Taylor, Peter Johnson
Illustrated by Michael Ryan
Colored by Kelsey Shannon, Beth Sotelo
Letters by Josh Reed
Aspen Comics
Release Date: October 12, 2011
Cover Price: $3.50

Paranormal comics usually aren’t my bag, but this one seemed different. A crooked cop, a Celtic goddess and children dying. Haunted City #1 brings all that to the story and a bit more. Best of all, not only is it a comic series but it will apparently transition into a feature film, a television show, and a video game.

The story is just getting started, obviously, but Chap Taylor and Peter Johnson spin one hell of an interesting tale. Secret police, female rabbis, drug dealers. A very populated first comic. And that’s not even including all the ghosts…it seems New York is an undead haven! The comic actually describes it as “the biggest haunted house in the world.” Even the bold lines of Michael Ryan‘s art is perfect for this series.