Hawken: Genesis
Story by Dan Jevons, Miles Williams, and Khang Le
Written by Jeremy Barlow
Illustrated by Francisco Ruiz Velasco, Alex Sanchez, Kody Chamberlain, Sid Kotian, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bagus Hutomo, Michael Gaydos, Federico Dallocchio, Nathan Fox, and Christopher Moeller
Colored by Grant Goleash, Derek Dow, Eddy Swan, Chad Fidler, and Logan Faerber
Lettered by Deron Bennett
Cover by Khang Le
Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: April 9, 2013
Cover Price: $19.95

Hawken: Genesis is a graphic novel based on the popular free online multi-player game, Hawken. While the game allows you to go to war, controlling a massive, robotic killing machine, Hawken: Genesis explores the origins of why you are fighting in the first place. Archaia Entertainment pulled together a solid team for this graphic novel with the story written by Jeremy Barlow and illustrations provided by a slew of fantastic artists.

“Come to Illal. Come to Paradise.”

Robert E. Howard’s Savage Sword, Volume 1
Written by Paul Tobin, Scott Allie, Mark Finn, Marc Andreyko, Joe Casey, Robert E. Howard, Jeremy Barlow, David Lapham, Joshua Williamson, Dave Land, Peter Doree
Art/Illustrations/Pencils/Inks/Colors by Wellington Alves, Ben Dewey, Greg Scott, Pop Mhan, Tony Parker, Fabio Cobiaco, Patric Reynolds, M.S. Corley, Sean Phillips, Tim Bradstreet, Tim Seeley, Robert Atkins, Rebecca Buchman, Michael Atiyeh, Dave Stewart, Grant Goleash, Michelle Madsen, Jose Villarrubia, Brian Miller, Hi-Fi Colour Design, Dan Jackson
Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: January 9, 2013
Cover Price: $17.99

Okay, first off, the individuals listed above were done so in the order in which their stories were placed in the anthology, subdivided by the type of work they contributed. No offense was implied towards any person who might have been placed incorrectly in this review. There, I’ve been about as politically correct as I can be. All characters are based upon the work of Robert E. Howard. This is, after all, Robert E. Howard’s Savage Sword, Volume 1.

R.I.P.D.: City of the Damned #1
Written by Jeremy Barlow
Art by Tony Parker
Cover by Dave Wilkins
Dark Horse Comics
Release date: November 28, 2012
Cover price: $3.50

The mini-series R.I.P.D.: City of the Damned is a prequel to the new movie R.I.P.D., which is currently set for release on July 19, 2013. The concept behind the story is that a select few who died are chosen to work for the “Rest In Peace Department.” The job is simple, chase down and kill any evil soul that’s managed to stay on earth longer than its supposed to have.

Roy Pulsipher dies and is asked to join the R.I.P.D. to find out why in the last century there hasn’t been any overflow of souls trying to hide on earth longer than they should. His partner is Crispin Mather, who from the looks of it, may have been a puritan and has signed on for another 100 years of service.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Enemy Within
Written by Jeremy Barlow
Art by Brian Koschak
Colors by Mae Hao and Marlon Ilagan
Cover Art by Brian Koschak
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 29, 2012
Cover Price: $7.99

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Enemy Within is a one-shot adventure set during the proceedings of The Clone Wars in the Star Wars universe, published under the Dark Horse Books format. With a mildly enjoyable storyline that focuses in on some new characters, this Star Wars comic is one some fans will be partial to, especially the younger readers among them.

The Enemy Within follows the story of a newly formed platoon of Clone Troopers, rashly rushed together by Republic Commander Griebs Kishpaugh. Lead by Clone Sergeant Banks, new to “boots-on-the-ground” combat, the group deploy to the planet Oznek in an attempt to undermine secret Separatist campaigns there.

As they arrive, their transport ship comes under crippling fire from battle droids near their drop zone area, causing their LAAT/i transport to crash. Behind enemy lines, the Clone Troopers press on with their mission, though it soon becomes clear that not all is what it seems to be, including the potential motivations for this Republic incursion.

Star Wars Omnibus: The Other Sons Of Tatooine
Written by Jeremy Barlow, Mike W. Barr, Paul Chadwick, Michael A. Stackpole, Randy Stradley, Rob Williams
Art by Brandon Badeaux, Christian Dalla Vecchia, Gary Erskine, Davidé Fabbri, Wil Glass, Douglas Wheatley
Colors by Michael Atiyeh, Chris Chuckry, Neziti Domenico, Davidé Fabbri, Dave Nestelle
Cover Art by Kilian Plunkett and Brad Anderson
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: April 3, 2012
Cover Price: $24.99

There have been countless additions to the stories in the Expanded Star Wars Universe over the last couple of decades, and Dark Horse has long touted some of the finest comic stories of the galaxy far, far away. However, very few come along that have the power and potential of being so good that it could be conceivable to imagine a film or television version of the tale. The compendium represented in The Other Sons Of Tatooine is one of these rare pleasures, showcasing some of the exceptional storytelling focusing on Star Wars.

The conception behind The Other Sons Of Tatooine is simple: to focus on the characters from Tatooine other than Luke Skywalker who have had major impacts on the in-universe history of the saga. The first, an obvious selection to adapt, is Biggs Darklighter, first performed by Garrick Hagon in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The second, a creation within the Expanded Universe, is Janek Sunber aka Tank – who does not appear in A New Hope, but is mentioned by Mark Hamill in the scene where the Lars Farm purchases the droids.