World War Mob #1
Written and Created by Vito Delsante
Art and Color by Giancarlo Caracuzzo
Letters by Vito Delsante
Covers by Michael Manomivibul
New Paradigm Studios
Release Date: January 8, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

What a lot of folks never read about, with regards to the second world war, is that the Allies solicited help from every group they could. This included the organized mob, who had lots of ties to their homelands. World War Mob #1 explores this through the eyes of five men from different families who find themselves under orders to do the unthinkable.

The first few pages are a black and grey flashback of how life was for these men as children. The only exception to this monochromatic color scheme is when blood is shown. The red in these frames is stark in contrast and emphasizes the violence and desperation of their early years, where survival was more important than anything else. Jump forward to World War II and we see that same violence in full color as our Mafioso protagonists are shown fighting Nazis.

Argent Starr
Written by Lyn T. Byrd and Altemus
Art, Lettering and Design by Altemus
Color by Lyn T. Byrd
Krel Komix
Release Date: September 2013
Issues #1
Issue #2
Cover Price: $3.99

What a wild ride this series is…I received both issue one and two of Argent Starr and read them back to back. As a matter of fact, I read them twice just to make sure I could give this a proper review. There is a lot of information in these two comics, creating a very fast paced, albeit confusing, story. No, let me rephrase that. The first issue confused me but the second one brought it all into focus. Allow me to explain further.

The first issue starts off with professional gambler (and polymorph) Rey Zyten arriving in New Vegas, Nevada to make a little money and hide out for a while. We are also shown super-thief Lazarus Stern stealing an artifact we soon find out is called the Cardinal Stone and that it is so powerful that it can destroy entire planets. Plus, there is Argent Starr who comes with his own bodyguard and talking cat. It is disjointed to the point that it feels like the reader is being bombarded with so much data that it becomes difficult to process. That said, after reading the second issue, so much more becomes clear.

Zoe: Out Of Time
Issue #1 Kindle Edition
Issue #2 Kindle Edition
Written by J. Michalski and Alexander Lagos
Illustrated by Derlis Santacruz
Colored by Oren Kramek
Lettered by Antonio Rojo
Cover by Derlis Santacruz
Official Website
Release Date: May 25, 2013
Cover Price: $0.99

If you had easy access to a time travel device, where would you go? This is a question that I’m sure many have pondered, but in Zoe: Out Of Time, Zoe Black goes to a time in which many of us remember very well: the ’90s. From the minds of J. Michalski and Alexander Lagos and art from Derlis Santacruz, comes the clash of two timelines with music at the forefront and love at the heart.

Stealing her father’s handheld time travel device known as the Kronos Traveler, Zoe Black travels from 2050 Los Angeles to 1990 Los Angeles to meet the love of her life: grunge-rock musician, Trent Darrow. With the Kronos Traveler missing, Zoe is stuck in 1990, but at least she’s in good company, as Trent Darrow and his Rebel Lion bandmates take her in; but as Zoe and Trent begin a relationship and the Rebel Lions are signed to a major record deal, someone very close to the group is hashing out some dastardly plans that involve killing Zoe.

Pariah, Missouri
Written by Andres Salazar
Illustrated by Jose Pescador
Colored by Andres Salazar
Lettered by Andres Salazar
Cover by Jose Pescador
Decade Brothers Studios
Release Date: July 17, 2013
Cover Price: $20.00

A western. A horror. A western horror. Yes, please. Andres Salazar and Jose Pescador began with a Kickstarter campaign and finished with the first volume in a series of graphic novels called Pariah, Missouri. Find out my thoughts below.

Hiram Buchannan isn’t as he seems. To the public eye, he’s a high-class gambler from out of town with a penchant for cheating; but in reality, Hiram has been sent by the powerful Mr. Pinkerton of Chicago to protect the town of Pariah, Missouri from evil of any sort. When Pariah’s town marshal is murdered, followed by the deaths of two orphan boys, Hiram has a hunch that two mysterious traveling theater entertainers who waltzed into town just a few days prior have something to do with it. Gathering a rag-tag team of individuals with special abilities — some of the paranormal variety — Hiram and his crew will stop at nothing to uncover the truth behind the heinous crimes and make sure that it never happens again; unfortunately, it seems as though there are some other evil forces at work within the town that are beginning to take notice of Hiram’s antics — and they are not too thrilled.

Hackers of Fate
Written by Simon Petersen and Agnette Hjerl
Art by Simon Petersen
Graphic Design by Pixilotta Productions
Cover by Simon Petersen
Pronto Comics
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Cover Price: $3.00

Hackers of Fate is a one-shot comic that takes place in a dystopian alternate universe, beginning in the year 1999. Crime has taken over the city and even the military has left, building a wall around the city to keep the gangs in. An Asian Mega-Corporation, called New Sun, has come in and started to rebuild–including a government and instituting a police state.

This is all told to us by our main character, a nameless data courier, who proceeds to narrate the rest of the story to catch us up to the current which is where the book ends. He meets a girl who appears to have no record in the system, but who has escaped from the New Sun headquarters. Together they form a bond, and a plan to bring down New Sun.