Sheltered #3
Written by Ed Brisson
Illustrated by Johnnie Christmas
Colored by Shari Chankhamma
Lettered by Ed Brisson
Cover by Johnnie Christmas
Image Comics
Release Date: September 4, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99

“The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away.” — William Golding, Lord of the Flies

Sheltered #3 from Image Comics is out and its as frightening as ever. Writer Ed Brisson and illustrator Johnnie Christmas have released their latest chilling installment of the pre-apocalyptic thriller — delving deeper into madness.

Victoria and Hailey have been hiding in an underground bunker for two weeks since the massacre that took their parents’ lives. When Victoria quietly sneaks around Safe Haven in search of any form of communication device in order to contact the outside world, she’s subsequently found by Lucas, the leader of the murderous adolescents. Lucas tries to calm her down by explaining his reasoning behind the killings. He tells her that soon, a caldera — a massive volcano underneath Yellowstone National Park — will erupt, leaving the majority of North America in a volcanic winter that could last up to three years. In order to survive in the bunkers created by their parents, the kids needed to cut their group down to half its size.

Helheim
Issues #1-4
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Joëlle Jones
Colored by Nick Filardi
Lettered by Ed Brisson
Covers by Joëlle Jones
Oni Press
Release Date: June 12, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

When witches go to war, no one is safe. Oni Press offers up a dose of bloody mayhem in Helheim, a new epic ongoing series from creator Cullen Bunn and artist Joëlle Jones. In issues 1-4, a small band of Vikings struggle against savage invaders and beast men alike, while the looming threat of two opposing witches strangle all with fear.

The Viking named Rikard has died. Using his death to her advantage, Rikard’s lover, Bera the witch, has revived him, creating a Draugr “” a massive reanimated, grotesque monster forged with appendages from other dead creatures “” to do her bidding. Now shunned by his entire village, including his warrior father, the new Rikard is sent out by Bera to kill the followers of her rival: an old witch named Groa; however, when Rikard meets a kind young girl who not only shows no fear of him, but actually talks with and teaches him as though he were a regular man, Rikard begins to take matters into his own hands “” waging a new war against both powerful witches.

Comeback
Trade Paperback
Written by Ed Brisson
Illustrated by Michael Walsh
Colored by Jordie Bellaire
Cover by Michael Walsh
Image Comics
Release Date: May 8, 2013
Cover Price: $14.99

I love a good time travel story; especially one that can offer up a few unique aspects to said genre. Comeback is one such book. Written by Ed Brisson with art by Michael Walsh, Comeback combines an array of classic time travel notions mixed with original ideas into one captivating thrill of a ride.

Reconnect is a time travel organization that helps affluent individuals “” because this type of business does not come cheap “” to save loved ones; but there is more to the institute than even their own employees know. Two months after Kelly, the wife of an extremely wealthy man, dies in an automobile accident, he hires Reconnect to go back in time to save her life. Mark and Seth, Reconnect’s top two operatives are sent back to get the job done. While in the past, it is revealed to Mark through an email sent from present time that their mission has been compromised and to trust no one. Stuck in a previous timeline, their regular assignment quickly takes a fateful turn when the FBI “” both in the past and present “” gathers information about Reconnect to bring down their illegal operation. To make matters worse, someone whom Mark and Seth are both very close to might in fact be the FBI’s informant.

The Stereotypical Freaks
Written by Howard Shapiro
Art by Joe Pekar
Letters by Ed Brisson
Supersonic Storybook Production
Release Date: November 14, 2012
Cover Price: $11.95

Pro tip – The right rock and roll makes reading awesome comics more awesome. I discovered this when, as a much younger man and without thinking much about it, I happened to rock Pink Floyd’s The Wall while reading Batman vs. Predator. The drama heightened, the pacing slowed and then sped, and the violence got, in my mind, gorier. I swear, by the end I felt right in the middle of that climactic battle. For the next 5 years after that I had my disc-man blasting every time I thumbed through a book.

It’s a delicate alchemy, though – getting the right tunes to the right book – but when you get an experience as transplendent as listening to Green Day’s Insomniac with X-Men 2099 #21-25 with being 13 years old, then you know that it’s something you must explore.

Debris #1
Written by Kurtis J. Wiebe
Art by Riley Rossmo
Colors by Owen Gieni
Letters by Ed Brisson
Cover by Riley Rossmo
Image Comics
Release Date: July 25, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

Riley Rossmo has seen the not too distant future and apparently, it’s a mod, mod world. Everyone is running around in these minimalist Barbarella-type space age circa 1960’s catsuit ensembles. Some even have capes like some fantasy Norwegian ski commercial and the entire village seems to favor tonal blue. The landscape is dystopian all right, but forgets Mad Max post urban warfare. These fabulous-looking people are in an arid desert planet being stalked by giant biomechanical animal-type creatures that look like medieval transformers called names like Umbras and Avios. Junk covers the landscape like a blanket (hence the title). Scraps of metal and whatever else is left are used in all sort of inventive ways contraption-wise. But, instead of looking like a junkyard, the colors by Owen Gieni add to the otherworldly quality of this mysterious landscape. Instead of shiny cyber metallic colors this is a world of dusty and dingy pastels that look worse for wear and keep themselves from looking too babyish. Color is its own character here, with even the umbras bleeding a vibrant shade of violet. Intrigued yet?