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…

Baltimore: The Witch Of Harju #1
Story by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
Art by Peter Bergting
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Clem Robins
Cover by Ben Stenbeck with Dave Stewart
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: July 30, 2014
Cover Price: $3.50

Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden are at it again, collaborating once more to bring us another adventurous story in the life of their deadly vampire hunter, Captain Lord Henry Baltimore. First of a three-issue mini-series, but number twenty-one in the full series, Baltimore: The Witch Of Harju #1 begins as many tales do, in the middle. Why, you ask? Because that’s where the action is and this comic is loaded to the top with death and mystery.

Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder #2
The Mysteries of Unland
Created by Mike Mignola
Written by Kim Newman and Maura McHugh
Art by Tyler Crook
Letters by Clem Robins
Colors by Dave Stewart
Cover by Julian Totino Tedesco
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: July 16, 2014
Cover Price: $3.50

Woo hoo! That was my gut reaction to seeing Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder #2 was available for review. After having read the first installment of this five-issue miniseries last month, I had been waiting impatiently for this day to come. The only thing that makes this better is that I get the chance to let you know about it, too!

Picking up the morning following the events of issue #1, we watch as Sir Edward Grey conducts a thorough investigation of the area where he was assaulted. Skipping over details that allude to the supernatural, Grey explains the events to local authorities all the while quizzing them about the murder that originally brought him there in the first place. Learning that the victim had last been seen in the company of the local pharmaceutical mogul, he takes his leave to pursue that lead.

Lobster Johnson: Get the Lobster #3
Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Tonci Zonjic
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Clem Robins
Cover by Tonci Zonjic
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: April 2, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Nostalgia is a funny thing. It has a tendency to “color correct” our memories so that the way we remember things is pleasant or, at the very least, less painful than the actual events. I know guys who collect “antique comics” and have to listen to them ad nauseam describe how the storytelling is more pure and how the artwork, while less detailed, is more involved because the artists were “pioneers of the craft.” These assholes take Comic Hipsterness to a whole new level, and the crown prince of douche… is Todd. Don’t get me wrong, Todd is a relatively nice guy until you sit down and let him speak and last weekend that’s exactly what happened.

So this is the story of how Lobster Johnson kicked the comic hipster’s ass.

B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth, Vol. 6
Written by Mike Mignola & John Arcudi
Illustrated by Tyler Crook
Colored by Dave Stewart
Lettered by Clem Robins
Covers by Mike Mignola with Dave Stewart
Chapter break art by Ryan Sook
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: August 7, 2013
Cover Price: $19.99

Regardless of how well versed a comic book reader might be in the various comic book universes (DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, etc.), jumping into a new series can be a daunting challenge. Picking up an issue in the middle of a story arc can be just as challenging, if not outright frustrating. Mike Mignola, the creator of the Hellboy universe, has partially solved that problem by clearly demarcating the beginning, middle, and end of particular story arcs. It’s a major selling point Mignola and Dark Horse exploit smartly, but even then, the Hellboy universe can pose a significant challenge to hopeful new readers or casual readers. B.P.R.D. (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development), Mignola’s long-running Hellboy spinoff unfortunately falls into this category.

Mignola first spun off the B.P.R.D. into a standalone series more than a decade ago. Short story arcs and self-contained miniseries were the norm at first, but they’ve grown increasingly more complex and, some might suggest convoluted, since then. The latest standalone story arc scripted by Mignola and John Arcudi, B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth, began with the New World miniseries three years ago and shows no signs of wrapping up anytime soon. The latest trade collection, The Return of the Master, is far from a jumping-on point for new or casual readers (they should begin at, well, the beginning and work their way up). As the title implies, The Return of the Master involves the return of a familiar B.P.R.D. and Hellboy villain, possibly Rasputin, but possibly another villain (or villains) altogether.

The Strain: The Fall #1
Story by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Illustrated by Mike Huddleston
Letters by Clem Robins
Colors by Dan Jackson
Covers by E.M. Gist
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: July 17, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

The Strain is a series of vampire novels by visionary Renaissance man Guillermo del Toro (perhaps best known for directing tiny little films like the Hellboy series) and Chuck Hogan, who previously penned The Town. Last Fall we received news that a made-for-television series is being developed for the FX Network, now this month we are treated to the first issue for series two of the ongoing comic adaptation from Dark Horse Comics.

There is a government conspiracy, a really nasty virus, and a bunch of modern day folks trying to survive something so large and complex in scale, they cannot possibly understand all its implications yet. The clichés don’t even stop there. However, it’s due to the stellar writing that I am willing to walk this rather pessimistic and possibly predictable comic journey a few more miles. Thank goodness for del Toro and Hogan.