KISS #6
Written by Chris Ryall
Pencils by Wagner Reis
Colors by Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letters by Shawn Lee
Covers by Tom Jerman, Jamal Igle & Romulo Fajardo, Jr, and Sam Shearon
IDW Publishing
Release Date: November 21, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

KISS #6 is the conclusion of “Kiss Meets the Phantom” story arc. When we last left the guys they were…girls. But, they were fighting a bunch of robots at an amusement park run by an evil scientist. And you thought KISS was just four guys that made awesome music!

Chris Ryall started this story by turning everything we know about KISS on its ear. This issue, he continues to do so. KISS #6 is straight-out rock and roll action! I’m not kidding, this issue has more action in it than most comics have in six issues. Beyond that, it’s amazing how he can keep the characters of KISS grounded in the humans that they possess, while mixing in a slight dose of the personality of said humans. I’ve read lots of books by Ryall, but I have to say, he could write KISS for the rest of his life, and I’d read it every single month. Shocks and surprises come out of nowhere and he does a fantastic job wrapping up the arc, while at the same time moving the overall story further into unknown territory. And he throws in some really interesting stuff with the Destroyer and She. It’s a great ending to a very entertaining arc in this title, yet, in some ways, it’s just the beginning.

KISS #5
Written by Chris Ryall
Art by Wagner Reis
Colors by Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letters by Shawn Lee
Edited by Tom Waltz
Covers by Sam Shearon, Jamal Igle & Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
IDW Publishing
Release Date: October 24, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

KISS #5 is a game changer. Seriously, folks. It takes the whole concept of KISS and turns it on its ear. Two words, kids: KISS GIRLS. That’s right, you wanted hot girls, you GOT hot girls! Not to mention The Phantom of the Park!

Writer Chris Ryall takes everyone’s “favorite” movie, KISS Meets The Phantom Of The Park, and puts a WHOLE new spin on it. The basics are still there, like the evil Abner Devereaux and, of course, the amusement park. I can’t tell you what a refreshing change of pace this is, and Ryall proves with this issue that the sky truly IS the limit when it comes to this comic. So far, it’s been very enjoyable, going from different eras in time watching the group take on the henchmen of the evil Destroyer, but this issue he makes everything fresh and totally different. Don’t get me wrong, we all love the group, but it’s nice to get a total 180 once in awhile. This book is something that you’re going to want to read at least a couple of times – it’s that good – and you’re going to make sure that you don’t miss anything. Maybe it’s my love of KISS or my love of KISS Meets The Phantom of the Park movie (c’mon, it was fun), but I honestly can’t remember enjoying a comic this much in a long time.

KISS #1
Written by Chris Ryall
Art by Jamal Igle
Colors by Rumulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letters by Shawn Lee
“She” Lryics by Harold Fraiser, Roget Roaime and Shannon Jones
Covers by Nick Runge, Jamal Igle, & Michael Gaydos
IDW Publishing
Release Date: June 13, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Did anyone really want another KISS #1? Yes, yes, we did. So here comes IDW to the rescue. The last couple KISS series have left bad tastes in fans’ mouths: The Image Comics KISS: The Psycho Circus and then the Kiss4K by…some company that went out of business. So, here comes IDW’s new KISS title and I think everyone’s expectation are not overly high, but luckily for us, this book turned out to be an awesome surprise!

Writer Chris Ryall has done what no other writer before him has done: turned out one hell of an entertaining KISS book with a story that is fresh and a completely original concept. He’s really captured the personas of what the members of KISS are on stage. There’s a fantastic narrative that runs through out the book, that’s really amazing. More importantly, this is a story that MAKES SENSE. It’s not just “KISS trying to get to the concert venue before it’s too late” (which would be a GREAT idea for a KISS kid’s comic), it’s a story of good vs evil. Well, kinda-good vs evil. OK, it’s a story of KISS vs. evil.

Action Comics #900
Written by Paul Cornell, Paul Dini, Richard Donner, David S. Goyer, Geoff Johns, Damon Lindelof
Art by Pete Woods, Gary Frank, RB Silva, Ryan Sook, Brian Stelfreeze, Miguel Sepulvedo, Matt Camp, Jesus Merino, Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, Rags Morales, Ardian Syaf, Jamal Igle, Jon Sibal
Letters by John J. Hill, Rob Leigh
Covers by David Finch, Alex Ross, Gary Frank
DC Comics
$5.99
Release Date: April 27, 2010

Action Comics #900 is quite simply a celebration of everything great about Superman as a character. The issue, throughout most of the stories, is a showcase of Superman’s willingness to help and serve the human race primarily through self-sacrifice. Most of the recent anniversary episodes that we’ve seen, primarily through DC Comics, have been treated as anthologies with three or more short stories, one focusing on the end of a story arc, a couple of “untold tales,” and then one that starts the next story arc in Superman #700 and Wonder Woman #600; either that or a one and done story like Batman #700.

This book, on the other hand, focused more than half of its attention on the wrap-up of Lex Luthor’s Black Ring storyline by Paul Cornell and Pete Woods, and the return of Superman into Action Comics. Unfortunately, it also includes the recent Reign of Doomsday story arc, although in this issue it was a minor distraction, but still paled in comparison to the epic showdown between arch rivals Superman and Lex Luthor.