Comeback
Trade Paperback
Written by Ed Brisson
Illustrated by Michael Walsh
Colored by Jordie Bellaire
Cover by Michael Walsh
Image Comics
Release Date: May 8, 2013
Cover Price: $14.99

I love a good time travel story; especially one that can offer up a few unique aspects to said genre. Comeback is one such book. Written by Ed Brisson with art by Michael Walsh, Comeback combines an array of classic time travel notions mixed with original ideas into one captivating thrill of a ride.

Reconnect is a time travel organization that helps affluent individuals “” because this type of business does not come cheap “” to save loved ones; but there is more to the institute than even their own employees know. Two months after Kelly, the wife of an extremely wealthy man, dies in an automobile accident, he hires Reconnect to go back in time to save her life. Mark and Seth, Reconnect’s top two operatives are sent back to get the job done. While in the past, it is revealed to Mark through an email sent from present time that their mission has been compromised and to trust no one. Stuck in a previous timeline, their regular assignment quickly takes a fateful turn when the FBI “” both in the past and present “” gathers information about Reconnect to bring down their illegal operation. To make matters worse, someone whom Mark and Seth are both very close to might in fact be the FBI’s informant.

Mara #3
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Ming Doyle
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Image Comics
Release Date: March 6, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99

There’s this familiar feeling I got after reading the first two issues of the Image Comics series Mara that I couldn’t put my finger on, which is funny because the premise of the book – a beautiful athlete in the future competes in professional volleyball – has been praised for being unique. And it certainly is, but I realized that the book was reminding me of David Foster Wallace’s notorious tome Infinite Jest, the 1,100 page novel being set largely in a tennis academy where young people train to compete in a media landscape vastly different then the one we know. The novel and the comic also have a captivating protagonist with some sort of shameful secret and peripherally circling both of them are an array of bizarre human beings with their own askewed political agendas. Look, it’s far, far from a being a perfect parallel, like I said, but there’s just something there that brings it to my mind.

Now with Mara, things take a much different turn (let me quickly throw up a **SPOILER WARNING** for issues 1 and 2 for this upcoming paragraph)…

The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #1
Written by Roger Langridge
Art by J Bone
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Tom B. Long
Edited by Scott Dunbier
The Rocketeer created by Dave Stevens
Covers by Walter Simonson & Jordie Bellaire, Roger Langridge & J Bone, and James White
IDW Publishing
Release Date: February 27, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #1 is just about as close to a perfect comic book as you can get. Whether you’re a fan of this character or not, you WILL enjoy this great first issue and look forward to the rest of this miniseries.

First off, it’s nice to have a Rocketeer series that is NOT an anthology. Sure, those were GREAT, but it’s nice to dive into a deeper, flushed-out story, and believe me, there is PLENTY of story in this first issue. Writer Roger Langridge takes us back into the world of Los Angeles in the late 1930s, a simpler time if you will, but one that is NOT boring. In fact, there’s more going on 75 years ago than I bet there is in most people’s lives right now. Cliff has to deal with a couple of mad scientists, some gangsters, and of course, his very adventurous girlfriend, Betty. From first page to last, this book is pure fun and excitement!

Rocketeer Adventures, Vol. 2
Written by Marc Guggenheim, Peter David, Stan Sakai, Tom Taylor, Paul Dini, Walter Simonson, Dave Lapham, Kyle Baker, Matt Wagner, Louise Simonson, David Mandel, John Byrne

Art by Sandy Plunkett, Bill Sienkiewicz, Stan Sakai, Colin Wilson, Bill Morrison, John Paul Leon, Chris Sprouse, Kyle Baker. Eric Canete, Walter Simonson, J. Bone, John Byrne
Inks by Karl Story, Bob Wiacek

Colors by Sandy Plunkett, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dave Stewart, Serban Cristescu, Jordie Bellaire, Eric Canete, Cassandra Poulson, J. Bone

Letters by Robbie Robbins, Bill Sienkiewicz, Stan Sakai, Colin Wilson, Chris Mowry, Shawn Lee. Kyle Baker, John Workman, Neil Uyetake

Cover by Darwyn Cooke
Design by Randall Dahlk
Edited by Scott Dunbier
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 2013
Hardcover | Kindle

Somewhere, Dave Stevens is reading his copy of The Rocketeer Volume 2 and smiling, as you will be when you pick this book up. To say it brings honor and respect to the late Steven’s work would be an understatement. This is comic storytelling at its finest.

Womanthology: Space #1
Written by Bonnie Burton, Sandy King Carpenter, Alison Ross, Ming Doyle
Story by Alison Ross and Stephanie Hans
Art by Jessica Hickman, Tanja Wooten, Stephanie Hans, Ming Doyle
Letters by Rachel Deering
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Strips by Stacie Ponder
IDW Publishing
Release Date: September 19, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Well, this is what happens when a comic Kickstarter project makes a hundred grand. Back in August of last year artist Renae De Liz (IDW’s The Last Unicorn) put out her proposed Womanthology book, featuring a wide array of female writers and artists. Working off the theme of Heroic, it managed to make over four times its goal of $25,000, sending the message that there’s a strong demand for more venues where women can showcase their work in the field. IDW got the message loud and clear.

The sequel, Womanthology: Space, features stories about filling empty rooms with furniture and accutrements.

Wow, what a terrible joke… sorry – it’s a smorgasbord of rockets, alien planets, and journeys to the stars. Jumping from sub-genre to sub-genre (space drama to space parody to space horror, etc.) and art styles, this first issue shares a playfulness akin to your average Heavy Metal, with, naturally, the testosterone notched down a bit. Editor Mariah Huehner has curated a book showcasing women doing so much of what really talented men do well in comics.