How awesome is this? One of the premiere writers in comics, Gail Simone, who’s best known for her work on DC series such as Batgirl, Birds Of Prey, Secret Six, and Wonder Woman, will be writing an upcoming relaunched Red Sonja for Dynamite Entertainment beginning this July, the publisher announced on Friday.

This is huge for a variety of reasons. Primarily, Red Sonja is one of those comics that unjustifiably winds up thrown in the pile of other comics with scantly clad super heroines – ones who aren’t necessarily presented in a positive light for female readers, with art and writing that rarely has a strong female voice or vision behind them. With Simone being one of the most outspoken and progressive voices in comics, however, a truly awesome, kick-ass, brutal lead lady will surely be within the pages of Red Sonja, especially without the restrictions of a major corporation-backed publisher.

For the past six years, writer/artist Ryan Browne has been hard at work creating one of the most fun, unique, and critically acclaimed web comics out there, God Hates Astronauts. And now it’s finally finished and ready to be delivered right to your door as a fancy 180-page hardcover collection, after a Kickstarter campaign to secure the funding necessary to actually print it.

Not satisfied with just sending his already done files off to the printer, Browne has went back and make some coloring tweaks and BRAND NEW lettering. He also got some fantastic creators to draw 18 two page origin stories for some of the characters in the book. Artists like Tim Seeley, Jenny Frison, Tradd Moore, Christopher Mitten, Zandor Cannon…the list goes on and on.

Continue below to see a Kickstarter video and an image of what the final product looks like.

Revival #7
Story by Tim Seeley
Art by Mike Norton
Colors by Mark Englert
Letters by Crank!
Edited by 4 Star Studios
Design by Sean Dove
Cover by Jenny Frison
Image Comics
Release Date: February 20, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99

After reading the last issue, I didn’t think Revival #7 could get any creepier. All right, I was wrong. WAY wrong.

Writer Tim Seeley does a great job of rewarding long-time readers, and that’s something that’s pretty rare in current comic writing. Yes, anyone coming into this issue might be a little confused at first, but they should be caught up and into the story by about the first third of the book. In this issue we get some pay off to a storyline that’s been running since the beginning and, of course, we get a couple more mysteries thrown into out faces out of left field. One of the things that I love the most is that Seeley is an artist himself, and he knows how to write for an artist. Sure, it’s an artist that’s sitting in the same studio with him, but I really think that’s a huge plus for the overall entertainment value of the book. This issue is packed with some great suspenseful moments, ones that you just don’t get in comics right now. Thankfully, they’re not the kind of “chainsaw busting through someone’s skull” moments, they’re more the “who’s behind that door” moments. Although, don’t get me wrong, there is PLENTY of gore for anyone who’s looking for it. PLENTY.

Revival #6
Story by Tim Seeley
Art by Mike Norton
Colors by Mark Englert
Letters by Crank!
Edited by Four Star Studios
Design by Sean Dove
Cover by Jenny Frison
Image Comics
Release Date: January 23, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99

Comics really don’t get more weird than Revival #6. And I mean that in a GOOD way. From cover to cover, the mysteries only deepen this issue, and, I’m enjoying it so much, that I don’t care that we haven’t had any of them solved yet!

Thank you Tim Seeley!!! This issue is, by far, my favorite issue yet of this series. What should frustrate me, doesn’t. I’m a big mystery buff, and by six chapters in we logically should start getting some clues to just what’s going on, but we haven’t (OK, we probably have, but just don’t know it) and that’s FINE because this book is so damned entertaining!!! Things keep happening! Shocking things! Scary things! Strange things! But, it’s SO good that you really do just end up getting lost in this comic rather than trying to figure out just what they hell happened, who did it, and how it’s all going to be revealed. This is a VERY entertaining comic book, folks. In my opinion, the best issue of Revival so far!

Revival #5
Written by Tim Seeley
Art by Mike Norton
Colors by Mark Englert
Letters by Crank!
Edited by Four Star Studios
Design by Sean Dove
Cover by Jenny Frison
Image Comics
Release Date: November 21, 2012
Cover Price: $2.99

Revival #5 continues the mystery in that small town of Wausau, Wisconsin. Usually comics with an ongoing mystery lose their momentum around the fifth or sixth issue, if they don’t offer a huge reveal. Does Revival escape that trap, or does is jump over it? Let’s take a look…

Writer Tim Seeley goes outside the box with this issue, and this series in general. What starts off as a mystery in a small town of people coming back from the dead, turns into a LOT more than just that. It’s really turned into a story of basic human survival and with some great characters that we’ve quickly come to love and care about. One of the things that impresses me most is one of the “b plots” that focuses on the officials at the CDC and the drama that’s going on in their lives. Not to be outdone at all, the main focus of the issue is the conflict between EM, a reporter named May and the evil Blaine Abel. There is a great deal of both action and story development in this issue. Seeley keeps revealing just enough of the mystery to keep us turning the pages, but not enough to reveal anything too quickly. Very well written issue.