Shifter
Created by Skip Brittenham and Brian Haberlin
Written by Brian Haberlin and Brian Holguin
Illustrations by Brian Haberlin, Geirrod VanDyke, Kunrong Yap and Chan Hyuk Lee
Letters by Francis Takenaga
Technology by David Pentz
Anomaly Publishing
Release Date: October 8, 2013
Cover Price: $19.99

Shifter is the newest offering from the creative team that brought us Anomaly last year. This huge graphic novel spans over two hundred pages and is more than just entertainment, it’s thought provoking. I found myself pondering how certain people and groups abuse the power they have over others, not to mention what I would do were I in the protagonist’s place.

We start off with Noah (which just so happens to be my nephew’s name), he’s just your average government employee that has a job flying drones to keep an eye on the environment. While getting ready to knock off for the day and head out to his bachelor party, he sees something that’s just a little off. After reporting it to his boss, he heads out for the night, not giving it a second thought. Everything seems normal when he gets up the next day for a nature hike, he even stops to help a couple of guys who are lost on the trail. Following an accident that leaves him half drowned and stuck in an underground cavern, he eventually makes his way to another cave that seems to be the legendary White Lodge that the Native Americans once held sacred. Above him hangs a sphere that abruptly pulls him inside and begins to interact with him in order to repair the damage done to his body.

The Dark Crystal, Vol. 1: Creation Myths
Written by Brian Holguin
Illustrated by Alex Sheikman & Lizzy John
Lettered by Deron Bennett
Prose Stories by Barbara Randall Kesel
Pinup by David Petersen
Additional Lettering by Dave Lanphear
Designer Fawn Lau
Concept, Character Designs, and Cover by Brian Froud
Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: December 28, 2011
Cover Price: $19.95

What I took away from The Dark Crystal Volume 1: Creation Myths was WAY different than what I thought I would, but it’s my own fault. I have fantastic memories of my mom and dad taking me to see that movie and I remember reading the comic adaptation until the cover fell off. While I was expecting to revisit that world and thoroughly enjoy it, which I did, but on a totally different level. The only problem — I haven’t seen The Dark Crystal film since 1982.

Moon Lake
Volume 1
CREATED BY: Dan Fogler
WRITTEN BY:Dan Fogler, Brian Holguin, Stef Hutchinson, Blake Leibel, Tim Seeley, R.H. Stavis, Nick Tapalansky
ILLUSTRATED BY: Brooke Allen, Tommy Castillo, Jim Daly, Alex Eckman-Lawn, Mark Englert, Josh Finney, Lizzy John, Scott Newman, Kat Rocha, Robbi Rodriguez, Jeffrey Zornow
Archaia Comics
PRICE: $19.99
RELEASE DATE: November 30, 2010

As far as comic books go I’m not quite as knowledgeable as many of our other fine reviewers here at Geeks of Doom, but I do like to work on that whenever I get the opportunity. So when the chance to check out a wild and wacky comic from actor Dan Fogler called Moon Lake came around, I was excited to take a peek.

The comic is a collection of short stories, and when I say “wild and wacky” I truly mean it. These stories are completely vulgar and graphic and oozing immaturity, and that can only mean one thing: comedic gold.

From sex-frenzied monkey-peoples at a sex-frenzied summer camp the week before kids arrive to werebears and psycho-killer cheerleaders stuck in a sunshine and rainbows dreamland to a warrior woman and a dinosaur — they’re all in here.