Hellboy Winter Special 2019

“The Miser’s Gift”
Story by Mike Mignola
Art by Mark Laszlo
Colors by Dave Stewart

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: January 15, 2020
Cover Price: $3.99

It feels a bit strange, writing a review of Hellboy Winter Special 2019 when it is 72 degrees outside, but that’s Texas for you, make no mistake. Putting the hell in Hellboy, in my opinion. But, be that as it may, this is one amazing one-shot comic. In true Dark Horse fashion, everything is a bit darker and twisted than what most other comic companies produce. And that, my friends, is why I love almost everything they produce!

Rasputin: The Voice Of The Dragon
Written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson
Art by Christopher Mitten
Colors by Dave Stewart
Cover by Mike Huddleston
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: November 15, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

Nothing brings to mind evil like the idea of Nazis. The righteous anger that flows at the mere mention of the name is true, especially in the world of Hellboy. But alongside that is another name that conjures up similar ire and fear: Rasputin. In Mike Mignola‘s Rasputin: The Voice Of The Dragon #1, we witness an allegiance form of the most diabolical sorts.

During a vicious xenomorph outbreak, terraforming engineer Derrick Russell leads a group of survivors onto a rickety mining vessel. They hope to escape the creatures overrunning their colony, but they’ll face horrors both in space and on the strange planet they crash on.

From critically acclaimed writer Chris Roberson and artist Patric Reynolds (Colder), Aliens: Fire And Stone #1 is the first issue in a blockbuster crossover event that ties directly into Ridley Scott’s 2012 film, Prometheus, as well as the Alien and Predator franchises.

Thanks to the fine folks at Dark Horse, we’re giving you a glimpse inside the first issue, which you can view here below. Aliens: Fire And Stone #1 is on sale September 24, 2014 and is available for pre-order now.

Doc Savage: The Man Of Bronze #5
Written by Chris Roberson
Illustrated by Bilquis Evely
Colored by Daniela Miwa
Lettered by Rob Steen
Covers by Alex Ross, John Cassaday
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: April 30, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

I’ve been a fan of the Man of Bronze for over thirty years, having discovered one of the books in a local used bookstore. Those pulp stories were like gold (or maybe just bronze) to me. I still feel like the character is the literary equivalent of comics’ Batman. A normal man with perfectly honed skills, strength, and intellect. So it should come as no shock that I asked to review Doc Savage: The Man Of Bronze #5 when I saw it in the review list. And being a long-time fan, I dove straight in. Here’s my take on this issue.

The Shadow #23
Created by Walter B. Gibson
Written by Chris Roberson
Art by Giovanni Timpano
Colors by Fabricio Guerro
Letters by Rob Steen
Covers by Alex Ross, Dean Motter
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: March 19, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Dynamite’s The Shadow is a retelling of the Walter B. Gibson stories best known from radio plays that starred, among others, Orson Wells. As a comic the stories take on a new life. I was a fan of the radio programs so I asked to see what this new Shadow might be. The cover art by Alex Ross is spectacular, invoking the period and sensibility of the 1930s around the start of WWII. I found the heavy-handedness of the line art by Giovanni Timpano to be evocative of the older comics I have seen like Sgt. Rock books from the ’70s.