Star Wars: Legacy, Vol. 2 #1
Prisoner of the Floating World, Part One
Script by Corinna Bechko & Gabriel Hardman
Art by Gabriel Hardman
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettering by Michael Heisler
Cover by Dave Wilkins
Designer: Jimmy Presler
Assistant Editor: Freddye Lins
Editor: Randy Stradley
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: March 20, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99

In Star Wars: Legacy, Vol. 2 #1 we return to the universe created by John Ostrander and Jan Duursema based on George Lucas’ Star Wars universe. I have to admit, although I really liked the original series, I did stop reading after awhile, so I went into this series fresh, but filled with excitement.

Writers Corinna Bechko & Gabriel Hardman immediately brought me back to that “sub universe” of Star Wars that I loved so much. This is SO different that any Star Wars setting that we’ve seen in that past, that you almost don’t recognize it immediately as Star Wars. Thankfully, some of the trademarks fall into place rather quickly and you’re reminded of just where you are. There is a LOT of story in this issue, but not too much, and the whole premise behind it is pretty shocking, and no, you won’t get spoilers here. Sorry.

Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #5
Written by Corinna Bechko & Gabriel Hardman
Art by Damien Couceiro
Colors by Darrin Moore
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
Editor: Dafna Pleban
Covers by Gabriel Hardman & Charles Wilson III
Boom! Studios
Release Date: January 2, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm #5 is an interesting comic. Interesting, but not awesome. If you’re a Planet of the Apes fan, then you’re really going to like it. If not, it’s pretty much just an average book.

Writers Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman turn in a fine story, but honestly, if you’re not a fan of the Planet of the Apes franchise, it’s really not going to hold your interest. This is the first issue of this comic that I’ve read, and I feel no desire to go back and read the previous issues. Maybe the next time they start a new mini-series, I’ll take a look, but this comic is too far steeped in its continuity for me to really care. Now, I’m not being harsh on the writers, this comic just wasn’t for me. If I remove that from the situation, this is a very solid comic. It’s got some solid writing, it moves the story forward, there’s some shocks and surprises and some good action. So, if you’re all ready a reader of this title, you’re going to really enjoy it.

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.