Conan the Barbarian #10
Script by Brian Wood
Art by Declan Shalvey
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft
Cover by Massimo Carnevale
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: November 14, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Conan the Barbarian #10 is one of the strangest Conan comics I’ve ever read. It reveals a whole different level of the Conan character that I’ve never seen before. And that is, complacency. Something that’s rarely if EVER seen in a Conan comic. I’ll be honest, it was a little unsettling to see Conan the Barbarian…happy.

Writer Brian Wood continues his excellent run on this title with the first chapter in a new storyline, titled “The Death.” We find Conan happily living on a pirate ship with his love, Belit, going from port to port, raiding other ships, and basically carrying on a pirate’s business as usual. What’s odd is that for the first time, we see a calm, satisfied Conan, one who’s not out for revenge or on a hell-bent quest for revenge, a mystic artifact, or a rescue mission. It’s a little odd to see him in this mood, but it totally works, and is a pleasant surprise. And just because Conan is “happy” it doesn’t mean he’s turned into a softy. When the swords come out, he’s still the badass barbarian that we all know and love. This issue has some great surprises, as well as a heavy dose of mystery and character development.

Dracula World Order
Written by Ian Brill
Art by Tonci Zonjic, Rahsan Ekedal, Declan Shalvey, Gabriel Hardman
Colors by Stephen Downer, Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Josh Krach
Cover by Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire
Ian Brill (Independent)
Release Date: June 22, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

As a huge vampire geek I notice the undead and bloodthirsty seem to fall into three main categories within pop culture. There is the vamp with lots of deep feelings who sweats being us hard enough to eternally attend high school, or to get a soul so they can date humans, the hyper-sexualized type who makes us feel less dirty since we are merely humans under their superior thrall and therefore cannot be held accountable for our own actions, or the last and rarest variety: the monster in the night who believes the living are a delicious snack food or a means to an end. Dracula World Order strongly subscribes to the latter school of thought and while it expresses lofty ideas about the current state of political/economic affairs, manages to be a bloody good bit of gory fun as well.

By The Canadian Titan

28 Days Later #8
Written by Michael Alan Nelson
Art by Declan Shalvey
BOOM! Studios
Price: $3.99
Released Date: March 17, 2010

If you are a fan of anything zombie related, especially 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, then look no further than the 28 Days Later comic book series. If you were wondering what happened to those lone survivors between those two movies, then this is your chance to have the story laid out. BOOM! Studios along with writer Michael Alan Nelson (Fall of Cthulhu) takes this into his own hands and gives us a powerful conclusion to the story in these final pages to give us an “on the edge of our seat” read. With the help of Declan Shalvey‘s art (Frankenstein – Classical Comics), you are sure to have your mind blown.

No guts, no glory (pardon the pun) are definitely words to live by, but also words to caution. What would you do if you had one machete and a gun with only nine bullets remaining? Selena and Clint find out real quick what they are going to have to do in order to survive the chaos in the world they once knew and do whatever it takes to save their friend Derrick, no matter what the cost.

28 Days Later #7
Written by Michael Alan Nelson
Art by Declan Shalvey
Colors by Nick Filardi
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
BOOM! Studios
Release date: February 24, 2010

28 Days Later is one of the movies responsible for the sudden re-emergence of the horror film, so I’m surprised that that it took BOOM! Studios so long to come out with a comic book series set in post-apocalyptic Britain, where a virus that creates an irrational homicidal rage in those who come into contact with the blood of infected has shattered civilization. In 28 Days Later #7 we find the American Clint, his hired guide Serena, and their injured friend Derrick way-laid by an armed group of fellow survivors. Clint is desperate to find medicine for Derrick but the band, led by a frumpy middle-aged woman named Kate, are too concerned with their own survival to assist strangers. Kate informs them that there is a pharmacy in the village near their encampment, and they can find the medicine they need there. Unfortunately, Kate has ulterior motives for sending them into the village.

Many would be surprised to pick up a copy of 28 Days Later and find that there isn’t a single appearance by the Infected, but that’s one of the strengths of the comic. Writer Michael Alan Nelson chooses to use conflict and tension between the surviving humans as the major story driver, teasing us with the possibility of the Infected. Like a good magician, you never use your best trick right away.