Satanic Hell, Vol. 1
Written by Grigoris Douros
Art by Kevin Enhart with Newel Anderson
Colors by Jimmy Kerast
Letters by E.T. Dollman
Covers by Kevin Enhart, Jimmy Kerast
Alterna Comics
Release Date: March 23, 2016
Cover Price: $9.99

I want to be forthright here, I only chose to review this comic because I thought the title was the verbal equivalent to exhibitionism. With a title like Satanic Hell, Vol. 1, your expectations are pretty narrowed. The fact that it was based in Texas? Well, that was just icing on the proverbial cake since I live in the Lone Star State, too.

The story is about a time in the not too distant future where things in Texas have gotten so bad that the local and state governments have been privatized. And in Texas, the wealthiest folks also happen to be the clergy. With millions of followers tithing weekly and having diversified their financial holdings, the fundamentalist churches in Texas found themselves able to actually purchase the rights to govern the entire state. having taken that bold step, they began to change laws and rules, ensuring that their ways were the only legal ways. Free will is a thing of the past, people are rated according to their attendance of religious services. In effect, the idea was to create a heaven on earth. Unfortunately, even heaven has a dark side.

Howard Lovecraft and the Three Kingdoms
Series Created by Bruce Brown
Written by Bruce Brown and Dwight L. MacPherson
Art by Renzo Podesta and Thomas Boatwright
Letters by E.T. Dollman
Cover by Rob Corless
Arcana Studios
Release Date: October 21, 2014
Cover Price: $29.95

How often do you see an H.P. Lovecraft or Cthulhu comic that’s made for all ages? Not too often, that’s for sure! But that’s exactly what Howard Lovecraft and the Three Kingdoms delivers to the reader. It’s a trio of tales that brings the darkness to children and adults alike! Do I have your attention now? Read on to find out more!

As I said above, there are three different stories within this graphic novel, all humorous and highly entertaining. The primary character is a young Howard Lovecraft (you probably deduced that from the title) and, as many are, he is a curious, adventurous boy. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the most stable home life since his father was sent to an asylum. But it is because of that fact that he is exposed to the dark forces that permeate these tales.

Ignition Vol. 1
Written by Various
Penciled by Various
Colors by Various
Edited by Andrew DelQuadro
215 Ink
Release Date: Available for Pre-Order
Cover Price: $29.99

So, there’s a review in here, promise, and it’s going to be about the new collection from 215ink called Ignition Vol. 1. The lede is just, as people who call writing a profession say, buried. First, I need a moment to qualify what I mean and give a frame of reference. So, sorry, but: you can always circumvent that by skipping to the end if you’d like.

There’s been something of a renaissance of creator owned content lately, with a bevy of titles being announced from creators like Grant Morrison, Steve Niles, Brian K Vaughan, and other industry heavyweights. Although artistic control has been a high profile issue in the comics world at least since the early 90s -what with the Creator’s Bill of Rights in 1988, and the creation of Image Comics in 1992- the past calendar year has seemed like something of a watershed moment for the publicity and frequency of creator owned projects. Every major publisher, I believe, has an imprint dedicated to these projects, and the whole thing smacks of a cash-in. That sounds cynical.