Transformers vs GI Joe #0 Free Comic Book Day Edition
Written by Tom Scioli & John Barber
Art, Coloring and Letters by Tom Scioli
Production by Chris Mowry
Edits by Carlos Guzman
Cover Art by Tom Scioli
Cover Colors by John Burcham & Tom Sciolu
IDW Publishing
Release Date: May 3, 2014
Cover Price: FREE

Transformers vs G.I. Joe #0 Free Comic Book Day Edition is the FIRST book you should grab on Saturday, May 3rd when comic stores and libraries all over the country open for the thirteenth annual Free Comic Book Day. With HUNDREDS of other offerings, why should this be the one you grab first?

You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. But, I’m gonna try…

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Vol. 1
Created by Wally Wood and Len Brown
Written by Phil Hester
Illustrated by Andrea Di Vito
Colors by Rom Fajardo
Letters by Shawn Lee and Chris Mowry
Cover by Jerry Ordway and David Baron
IDW Publishing
Release Date: March 11, 2014
Cover Price: $17.99

Welcome to the superhero team with the most improbable acronym in comic history. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, Vol. 1 is a reimaging of the original 1960s comic of the same name by Wally Wood and Len Brown.

I’m not sure if Andrea Di Vito just erased the word balloons of the classic issues or exactly captured the look and feel of the original ’60s run. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents gives every impression, from the frame set-ups to the campy coloring of the team uniforms, that it is a painstakingly crafted throwback.

Black Dynamite #1
Written by Brian Ash
Art by Ron Wimberly
Inks by Sal Buscema
Colors by JM Ringuet
Story Consultant Jillian Apfelbaum
Letters by Chris Mowry
Edits by John Barber
Covers by Marcelo Ferreira & JM Ringuet, Jun Lofima & JM Ringuet, Six Point Harness Studios, and Jim Rugg
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 15,2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Black Dynamite #1 is the most entertaining comic that I’ve read in a long, long time.

Having never seen the film that this is based on, I had absolutely NO idea what to expect. But, the cover looked cool and I love anything that’s set in the ’70s, so I figured I’d give it a try. The story and dialogue that writer Brian Ash came up with had me actually chuckling out loud to myself. Not only that, but it had revitted to what was on the next page. And it just kept getting more and more outrageous! There’s several scenes that, even for a comic book, will leave you stunned in the “Oh my God, I can’t believe he did that!” vein. GREAT beginning to a story and a really great introduction to anyone who isn’t familiar with the character.

Doctor Who Omnibus, Vol. 2
Written by Tony Lee, Jonathan L. Davis, Matthew Dow Smith, Al Davison, Matt Sturges
Illustrated by Al Davison, Matthew Dow Smith, Blair Shedd, Kelly Yates, Brian Shearer
Colored by Lovern Kindzierski, Charlie Kirchoff, Phil Elliot, Al Davison, Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettered by Chris Mowry, Robbie Robbins, Neil Uyetake, Al Davison, Shawn Lee
Cover by Tony Lee Edwards
IDW Publishing
Release Date: October 23, 2013
Cover Price: $29.99

Doctor Who Omnibus, Vol. 2 is a massive collection featuring the tenth Doctor, as portrayed by David Tennant. It collects issues #1-16, as well as the 2010 annual comic, and an eleventh doctor story, “A Fairytale Life.”

Now, I’m a pretty big Doctor Who fan, and the tenth doctor is my favorite, but this collection largely fails to capture that Whovian magic I was looking for. I would have expected to have larger, more explosive stories in a comic because the special effects budget has no limits, but I found the majority of the stories were contained to a handful of “sets” and sometimes felt claustrophobic.

Mystery Society, Vol. 1
Created by Steve Niles and Ashley Wood
Written by Steve Niles
Artwork by Fiona Staples, Andrew Ritchie
Letters by Robbie Robbins, Chris Mowry, Shawn Lee
Cover by Fiona Staples
IDW Publishing
Release Date: October 2, 2013
Cover Price: $27.99

Volume 1 of Mystery Society takes you on a journey around the world in 160 pages. Nick and Anastasia Hammond, er…I mean Mystery (they had their name legally changed), are the leaders of the newly formed Society and are hell bent on righting wrongs and pretty much just saving the world. Of course, they have their faults. You can’t look that good and have that much money without some issues, right?

Nick is a bit overconfident, not to mention a tad impulsive. These two attributes tend to get him in trouble from time to time. Luckily he’s actually a pretty good superhero, especially when you add his wife, Anastasia, to the mix. She’s far more level headed and meticulous about the plans they make when setting out to solve a problem. The coolest thing about these two is their backstory. They inherited a bunch of money but before that they owned a bookstore (awesome, right?). And it was during those early years that they decided that, if given a chance, they would spend their time helping people. Add in some cool hideouts and gadgets and that is how the Mystery Society was conceived.