Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell
Hardcover | Kindle
Written by Paul Dini
Art by Joe Quinones
Colored by Dave McCaig
Letters by Sal Cipriano
Cover by Joe Quinones
DC Comics
Release Date: May 21, 2014
Cover Price: $22.99

Fishnets. Fishnets everywhere. That’s what I was expecting when I started reading Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell. Because come on, both of these lovely ladies are well known for their wardrobes. Turns out I was wrong, but I’m okay with that. What I got was a great story that showed the characters’ befriending one another in the past and how well they can work together in the present.

This isn’t your average DC Comics tale, my friends. Read on to find out what makes this one different.

The 7th Sword #1
Created and Written by John Raffo
Pencils and Inks by Nelson Blake II
Colors by Dave McCaig
Letters by Troy Peteri
IDW Publishing
Release Date: April 23, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

What do you get when you cross a samurai with a planet that is constantly in the midst of civil war? Why, you get The 7th Sword #1, of course! On what appears to be a world somewhat akin to Dune, we have a warrior (now ronin) who was left behind with not much more than his sword and his wits. This is the first of seven issues that account for the actions of Daniel Cray and his deadly sword called a Malathane.

Having been left behind on Helios when the army with which he was serving retreated, Cray found himself doing odd mercenary jobs for survival. After an accident left him stranded and lost, he was rescued by a group living in the mythical ZenZion who think him the enemy. After the true villains attack, he finds himself defending this oasis…all the while still suspect. There’s a lot more to the story but suffice to say you’ll need to read it to stay on top of everything that’s going on here. This first issue is setting up the rest of the miniseries so it feels incomplete on many levels, but that’s to be expected, I suppose.

Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk
DVD
Directed by Dave McCaig
Story by Damon Lindelof
Artwork by Leinil Francis Yu
Marvel Knights/Shout Factory
Release Date: September 10, 2013

The fine folks at Shout Factory, along with Marvel Knights, have come together to bring the 6-issue comic book miniseries of Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk to life and onto your TV screen with the Marvel Knights: Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk motion comic.

When the comic book series initially came out, I picked up the first couple of issues, mostly because I wanted to see what Damon Lindelof (Lost) would bring to the table. But as with many comic book titles, a series of delays turned this into a four-year run. But now I can see what I missed, and see it come to life without having to track down the rest of the print run.

Witchblade: Day of the Outlaws
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art by Nelson Blake II and Dave McCaig
Cover by Nelson Blake II and Dave McCaig
Top Cow Productions, Inc.
Release Date: April 17, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Though Witchblade has been an active title of Top Cow Productions since 1995, I’ve never actually read an issue before. I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t interested “” heck, the premise of a woman physically bonding with a supernatural, sentient artifact of great power sounds awesome “” I suppose that I just never got around to taking the leap.

This week, Top Cow has come out with a one-shot issue called Witchblade: Day of the Outlaws, written by Joshua Hale Fialkov and illustrated by Nelson Blake II and Dave McCaig. For a first-time reader like myself, this is a perfect place to delve into the mythos and get psyched about what’s come before and what lies ahead.

Netherworld
Written by Bryan Edward Hill and Rob Levin
Line Art by Tony Shasteen with Dennis Calero
Colors by Dave McCaig with Lee Loughridge
Letters by Troy Peteri
Image Comics | Top Cow
Release Date: May 23, 2012
Cover Price: $19.99

Crime noir comics are not usually my cup of Joe. It takes a unique twist on the hardboiled genre to capture my ridiculously short attention span. Image Comics/Top Cow’s Netherworld accomplishes just that, adding a supernatural flair to the typical dirty cop storyline. You’ll ponder this deceptively deep storyline well after its exciting conclusion.

Ray Parker is a former cop scratching out an existence as a bounty hunter. Two separate clients hit him up with jobs concerning the same person: a young woman named Madeline. Alexis wants Ray to find Madeline at a specified location and bring her to a second location. On the other hand, Cyrus Kane has less information and wants Ray to simply find Madeline’s whereabouts. Ray must use all of his instincts to decide on which path to take. Finding Madeline begins a violent, action-packed tale of discovery as Ray peels away the layers of his city and his role within it.