Black Market #1
Written by Frank J. Barbiere
Art by Victor Santos
Colors by Adam Metcalfe
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
Covers by Victor Santos
BOOM! Studios
Release Date: July 16, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Ray Willis has a lot of hurdles in his life. His wife Shannon has Multiple Sclerosis and he works terrible hours at a funeral parlor. He likes his job, but he only stays because it (barely) covers the bills and his wife’s medication. Both he and his wife know that he’s too smart for the job he has, and could be doing so much more, but Ray feels trapped. One day, his estranged brother Denny comes around with a duffle bag full of cash and an offer Ray can’t resist. Denny works with a government sponsored program that is looking for a way to cure cancer, MS, and every other disease known to man. They just need to extract some DNA from the Supers – men and women with extraordinary powers. Ray goes along for the paycheck, and to do some good for the world, but Denny has … ulterior motives.

Five Ghosts #2
The Haunting of Fabian Gray, Part Two
Written by Frank J. Barbiere
Illustrated by Chris Mooneyham
Colored by S.M. Vidaurri
Additional Colors by Lauren Affe
Logo and Graphic Design by Dylan Todd
Cover by Chris Mooneyham
Image Comics
Release date: April 17, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99

Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray began as a Kickstarter campaign for a comic book mini-series from author Frank J. Barbiere and artist Chris Mooneyham. Thankfully, Image Comics made a wise move and picked this fantastic series up, giving the creators a chance to tell their story to a broader audience while granting readers the opportunity to get lost in the adventure. This is exactly what happened to me when I read issue #1, and I was equally pleased with Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray #2.

In March, issue #1 introduced us to Fabian Gray, a treasure hunter who had a misfortunate accident with an artifact that left him “haunted” by the ghosts of five literary characters. While gaining a channel to the ghosts’ abilities, Fabian wields these powers to his advantage while on various quests; however, the haunting aspect seems to come at random times, leaving Fabian both without his powers and temporarily incapacitated. These bouts include the voices of the ghosts screaming throughout his mind, and if that isn’t enough, there are evil forces at work that want to find and use Fabian for their own personal gain. (The second printing of issue #1 is out on April 17.)