Incognegro: Renaissance #1
Written by Mat Johnson
Art by Warren Pleece
Letters by Clem Robins
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 7, 2018
Cover Price: $3.99

Of all the things I have written for this site, none have ever made me hesitate so much or so often. In today’s racially charged climate, it takes little to pit people against one another. Regardless of your position or stance in the political arena, this fact cannot be ignored. And while this comic book series is set almost a hundred years ago, it seems even more relevant today than it did even ten years ago. Incognegro: Renaissance #1 is, first and foremost, a murder mystery. But it being set in 1920’s New York serves to show the reader far more than just a homicide.

Dark Horse Number Ones
Written by Cullen Bunn, Matt Kindt, Gerard Way, Joelle Jones, Jamie S. Rich, Kurtis Wiebe, Mike Mignola, Jeff Lemire, Brian Wood, Sharlene Kindt, Dave Stewart
Art by Gabriel Ba, Joelle Jones, Dean Ormston, Matt Kindt, Mack Chater, Mindy Lee, Tyler Crook,
Colors by Laura Allred, Dave Stewart, Sharlene Kindt, Lee Loughridge, Leonardo Olea, Andy Cotnam, Tyler Crook
Letters by Tyler Crook, Dave Stewart, Crank!, Todd Klein, Marie Enger, Nate Piekos, Clem Robins
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: March 29, 2017
Cover Price: $6.00

Okay, first off, if I have to try to convince you to buy a comic that contains eight premiere issues for a measly six bucks then I might just have to reassess what I am doing here.

I have reviewed any number of these titles at different times and I cannot even begin to stress to you how great of a deal this is. Dark Horse Comics continues to amaze me with their marketing strategies. I can think of no better way to test out some new comics than with this compilation. Folks, I present to you Dark Horse Number Ones!

Frankenstein Underground #1
Story by Mike Mignola
Art by Ben Stenbeck
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Clem Robins
Cover by Mike Mignola with Dave Stewart
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: March 18, 2015
Cover Price: $3.50

I’m not sure that Shelley would have ever believed the legacy that her gothic novel would leave when she first composed it in the early 19th century. A dark and brooding tale, it has flourished with time and has seen consistent reworkings over the last century, though few show much originality. In Frankenstein Underground #1, however, we are given a chance to see what might have happened to the creature that Victor Frankenstein created almost two centuries ago.

Drifter #2
Written by Ivan Brandon
Art by Nic Klein
Letters by Clem Robins
Covers by Nic Klein and Becky Cloonan
Image Comics
Release Date: December 17, 2014
Cover Price: $3.50

In the first issue of Drifter, we’re introduced to Pollux after he crash lands on an alien planet. He’s taken in by a group of people living on the planet – some friendlier than others – and learns that while he has been unconscious for three days, he may have actually been on the planet far longer than that.

Drifter #2 adds to the mystery of how long Pollux has been on the planet, hints at what his life was like back home, and introduces some interesting alien creatures and other inhabitants of the planet that pose a severe risk to the small community.

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, Volume 9: The Reign of the Black Flame
Paperback | Kindle Edition
Story by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by James Harren
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Clem Robins
Cover by Mike Mignola with Dave Stewart
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: September 10, 2014
Cover Price: $19.99

I’ve always felt that I could count on Dark Horse Comics to give me unparalleled supernatural stories. I mean, no matter what is going on, they always have some of the greatest (and darkest) writers around. Hell, Lovecraft would have read these comics! My one gripe, though, is that it’s sometimes difficult to jump into a series because of all the back story and history that goes into their long running books. Take this one, for instance: B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, Volume 9: The Reign of the Black Flame doesn’t just have a lengthy title, it’s also got a metric ton of plot lines that have preceded this one. Which leads me to my problem…