Onyx #1
Written by Chris Ryall
Art by Gabriel Rodriguez
Colors by Jay Fotos
Letters by Shawn Lee
Cover art by Gabriel Rodriguez, Ashley Wood, Charles Paul Wilson III, Alan Robinson, and Sal Buscema
IDW Publishing
Release Date: July 1, 2015
Cover Price: $3.99

At the end of Onyx #1 you’re going to hear a bit of a thud. That’s the mic dropping.

Writer Chris Ryall finally brings this labor of love to shelves of comic stores around the world, and boy, can you tell that Ryall loves this book. There’s some comics that I read where I can tell that the creators are just showing up to collect a paycheck, then they’re outta there and on to the their next project. Not so with Ryall and Onyx.

It’s the year 2083 and Earth has more than a few problems. Overpopulation. Lack of food. Lack of space. Oh, there’s also the small issue of an alien invasion, too. Thankfully, along comes the galactic warrior Onyx to help save the planet. Unfortunately for Onyx, the International Global Defense Corps isn’t that keen on Onyx and decide to try and put a stop to it.

Wraith #5
Welcome To Christmasland
Created & Written by Joe Hill
Art by Charles Paul Wilson III
Colors by Jay Fotos
Letters by Robbie Robbins
IDW Publishing
Release Date: March 26, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Wraith #5 is”¦ well it’s another in a very strange story that really feels like it should be enjoyed while partaking in a hallucinogenic substance”¦ or it was written while enjoying some. Wraith continues the journey into Christmasland as we see what Manx’s little psychotic children get up with a sex criminal and discover a little more about how one can escape this perpetual Noel Hell.

I’ll be honest with you all, I didn’t have high hopes for this book, but it did grab my attention and kept it. The art is unique and while it’s not what one would consider high quality by mainstream standards, it’s absolutely fitting for the book. Manx’s children are drawn in a way that will fuel nightmares, and the sporadic blood splatter that Charles Paul Wilson III and Jay Fotos have devised is downright jarring at times. I’ll never look at an ordinary pair of scissors the same way again, I promise you that.