Flash Gordon #1
Written by Jeff Parker
Art by Evan Shaner
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Simon Bowland
Edits by Nate Cosby
Covers by Gabriel Hardman, Jonathan Case, DeClan Shalvey, Marc Laming, Stephen Mooney, Ken Haeser
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: April 9, 2014
Cover A | Cover B
Cover Price: $3.99

Let’s be honest, I KNEW I was going to like Flash Gordon #1, but what I had NO idea about, was that I was going to absolutely LOVE it! Seriously, in one issue it’s all ready my favorite Flash comic since the 1980s.

OK, so you’re launching a comic series that is based on something that is, at it’s very core, FUN. Light-hearted. Lively. And, witty. So, your obvious choice? Jeff. Parker. The man who has written a ton of comics, none of which have made anyone want to shoot themselves in the head. He’s the guy who brought all the fun, charm, and wit out of the Batman ’66 TV show and put it into comic form! But, let’s stick to this book.

Eerie #3
Written by Landry Q. Walker, Jonathan Case, Gerry Boudreau
Illustrated by Troy Nixey, Jonathan Case, Wally Wood
Lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Cover by Jim Pavelek
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: July 10, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Eerie #3 from Dark Horse Comics blasts off with three new tales of “Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind” from Landry Q. Walker, Jonathan Case, and Gerry Boudreau. Unlike its recently-revived relative Creepy that’s taken on a shockingly modern feel, Eerie has held on to its vintage vibe in both story and artwork. This Golden Age atmosphere is crystal clear in the bizarre cosmic shorts of its latest issue.

Hunger (written by Landry Q. Walker and illustrated by Troy Nixey) tells of the plight of a benevolent alien who crash-lands on Earth and struggles to survive in an environment void of food. Upon making the discovery that human flesh satisfies his tastes, he struggles with the moral conflicts of devouring the race that he was sent to study. You can bet the tale takes a turn for the gruesome — in the best and most Outer Limits way possible.

The Creep
Written by John Arcudi
Art by Jonathan Case
Cover By Tonci Zonjic
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: April 24, 2013
Cover Price: $19.99

Heads up: The Creep is a bit of a downer. It’s a sullen and occasionally depressing crime mystery about Oxel Karnhus, a private investigator. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great story, just set The Creep aside if you’re having a bad day.

Oxel finds himself sucked into investigating a teen suicide case that the cops brushed aside. It’s a favor for Stephanie, an old flame from his younger days. Since they last saw each other, Oxel developed a case of acromegaly, a condition that causes body tissues to get larger over time. In Oxel’s case, his jaw grew crazy-huge like Rondo Hatton.

The Creep contains the full series which follows Oxel’s investigation into Curtis’ suicide. Apparently his suicide is somehow linked to his buddy, Mike’s suicide a few months earlier. These suicides lead directly to Jeff Brinke, Mike’s grizzly grandfather who took the boys out into the wilderness for some good, old fashioned outdoor activities. He was a role model for the kids and the woods gave them a release from the torturous existence of the image-conscious teenage world. Oxel digs into Jeff’s past and finds out that he has a past with mental issues and was admitted to a hospital at one point.

It’s cover preview time again with a five spot of covers from our friends at Dark Horse comics. Here is an exclusive first look at the covers for five books that will be released in February and April. Out in February is the issue #2 of Francesco Francavilla’s The Black Beetle (can’t wait for this series to come out!) Then in April we’ve got The Creep by John Arcudi (B.P.R.D., The Mask) and Jonathan Case (Green River Killer) with a cover by Tonci Zonjic.

Also in April are three volumes from Dark Horse’s manga line; Bride of the Water God volume 13, Oh My Goddess! volume 44 (I can’t believe this series has been going on for that long), and Gantz volume 27. Be sure to pre-order these and all the other fine books from Dark Horse comics.

Click on the images below for full-sized versions. Enjoy the covers!

The Creep #2
Written by John Arcudi
Art by Jonathan Case
Cover By Ryan Sook
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 10, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

Oxel Karnhus is a private investigator who’s looking into a teen suicide case that the cops brushed aside. His main reason for even taking the case is because the client, Stephanie, is an old flame from his younger days. Since they last saw each other, Oxel developed a case of acromegaly, a condition that causes body tissues to get larger over time. In Oxel’s case, his jaw grew crazy-huge like Rondo Hatton.

The Creep follows Oxel’s investigation into Curtis’ suicide which is apparently linked to his buddy, Mike’s suicide a few months earlier. The Creep #2 continues the investigation as Oxel visits Mike’s mom, Laura. Steph interrupts his visit with a timely phone call describing Curtis’ grizzly father’s visit to her house that morning where he debo’d her credit card and slipped out of town. This issue is a necessary cog four-issue mini-series that undoubtedly puts forward some vital clues — we just don’t know how it all fits together yet.

The Creep #1
Written by John Arcudi
Art by Jonathan Case
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: September 12, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

There are a few things to be said about comics that are relentlessly dark. On one hand, the soul-crushing bleakness of these comics makes them almost completely inaccessible to new readers. On the other hand, however, these are the types of comics that push the boundaries of what we have come to expect as comic book readers. The creators who pen these miserable tales seem to understand that moving readers is a matter of throwing them in the deepest darkest pit they can conjure. The Creep #1 has the makings of a deep and very dark pit — one full of crime, suicides, and slugs of whiskey taken in smoke-filled rooms.

Like any great pulp detective story, The Creep #1 starts in a cheap hotel room with an even cheaper woman. To say that this comic is brutally dark is in many ways a contradiction. When we think of modern gritty comics, books like The Walking Dead spring to mind. However, The Creep #1 in no way achieves grittiness through violence or shocking viciousness. Make no mistake this book is dark and gritty, but only by virtue of its uncompromising sadness.

House Of Night #4
Story by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Script by Kent Dalian
Art by Joelle Jones and Jonathan Case
Colors by Ryan Hill and Jonathan Case
Letters by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Cover by Jenny Frison
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 8, 2012
Cover Price: $2.99

We return to the story of Zoey Redbird, a fledgling vampyre attending the Tulsa House of Night and learning to control her newfound powers. House Of Night #4 addresses the issues of overconfidence and vanity. When Zoey accidentally destroys something sacred to her goddess, she decides to concentrate on repairing the damage done and learning from the experience.