Athena Voltaire And The Volcano Goddess
Written by Steve Bryant
Art by Steve Bryant
Colors by Jim Nelson
Letters by Steve Bryant
Covers by Steve Bryant and Jim Nelson, Michael Allred and Jason Millet
Action Lab Comics
Release Date: February 8, 2017
Cover Price: $9.99

Pulp fiction lives! At least it does in Action Labs’ Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess. Imagine Raiders of the Lost Ark with Lara Croft as the heroine and you won’t be far off.

Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me #1 (of 5)
Print Edition | Kindle Edition
Writer: Devin Faraci
Artist: Vic Malhotra
Colors: Jason Millet
Letters: Christa Miesner
Cover A: Vic Malhotra
Cover B: Robert Hack
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Release date: August 31, 2016
Price: $3.99

When going through this week’s list of comic book releases to choose what I would review, I picked out Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me #1, but I hadn’t in any way connected it to the original novel, since the review file didn’t reference Thompson. I try to read as many comics as humanly possible every week and I liked the title, since it piqued my curiosity. Now, having prefaced with that boring lead in, I will tell you that as soon as I started reading this issue, it all snapped into focus for me. This was adapted from a book I had read over three decades ago and I remember thinking that I enjoyed the introspection so much that it had most likely darkened my very soul.

For you see, this comic book miniseries from IDW Publishing is based on one of the most influential noir books every produced. Set in a small Texas town in 1952, it has all the appeal of rustic Americana but beneath it all is a darkness that weaves through the lives of all its citizens.

Below you’ll find the solicitations information and cover artwork for all of Action Lab comic book titles that were released yesterday, June 8, 2016. Check out the new one here: Ghoul Scouts. The first issue sums up how I felt every camping trip would end up. I always expected the undead to be a larger issue than it is. Perhaps I watched too many horror films as a kid?

Archie Vs. Predator #1
Script by Alex de Campi
Pencils by Fernando Ruiz
Inks by Rich Koslowski
Colors by Jason Millet
Letters by John Workman
Standard Cover by Fernando Ruiz, Rich Koslowski, and Jason Millet
Variant Cover A by Eric Powell
Variant Cover B by Francesco Francavilla
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: April 15, 2015
Cover Price: $3.99

Wow, those Predators really get around. We know from the films that they treat our world like their own personal hunting lease. We’ve seen them fight virtually everything under the sun from Batman to Aliens to Tarzan, but nothing could have prepared us for Archie Vs. Predator #1! I saw this one in the lists and just knew I had to read it. And I bet you’re curious, too!

The setting is Riverdale as our buddy Archie and his pals debate on what to do on their Spring Break. Thanks to a miraculous windfall of Jughead’s, the group gets a free trip to a beach resort. The odd ducks out here are Cheryl and Jason, who seem bent on making life difficult for the teens.