Green Hornet #19
Plot by Phil Hester
Script by Ande Parks
Pencils by Igor Vitorino
Colors by Ivan Nunes
Letters by Marshall Dillion
Covers by Phil Hester, Jonathan Lau, Brian Denham
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: November 2nd, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

Another great, great issue of The Green Hornet! This title literally keeps getting better with each issue. I never expected this title to take on its own mythos, let alone explore and develop it to this degree.

Writer Ande Parks is really hitting his stride on this title. This issue is largely the villains origin story and Parks manages to pull off something rarely done-make the reader care about and despise the villain at the same time. Parks does a fantastic job bringing real characterization to this book, and I hope that he keeps it up. On a side note, his writing here makes me all that much more excited for his The Lone Ranger comic launching in January.

Warlord of Mars Dejah Thoris #7
Written by Arvid Nelson
Art by Carlos Rafael
Colors by Carlos Lopez
Letters by Marshall Dillion
Covers by Joe Jusko, Ale Garza, Paul Renaud
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: October 5th, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

This is why we’re all lucky that comics are still being published. This story would NOT work in film, television, books, or any other kind of medium. But, it totally works in comic book form.

Arvid Nelson knows how to write a fun, exciting, suspenseful story specifically for the comic book art form. It’s action from first page to last, always moving, and cliffhangers abound in this issue. Hey, what’s not to love about scantily clad woman bouncing (and I do mean bouncing) around fighting, in chains and causing all sorts of mayhem? This is a genuinely fun, well-crafted action story with a GREAT last page shocker.

Danger Girl and the Army of Darkness #3
Written by Andy Hartnell
Art by Chris Bolson
Colors by Adriano Lucas
Letters by Marshall Dillion
Covers by Paul Renaud, Nick Bradshaw
Dynamite Entertainment and IDW Publishing
Release Date: September 8, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

Don’t you just love it when two great things come together? I’m not saying this is as good as a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup…mmm…chocolate and peanut butter…er, um. What I mean is this may seem like strange match, but it may well turn out to be a great combination. Danger Girl and the Army of Darkness #3 gives us a smattering of both the world of a Danger Girl and that of Ash.

This issue introduces the reader to Sydney Savage and a bit of her back story. We also get a lot of shots of her in her vintage black leather catsuit (no, I’m not complaining). So after we see how she became a Danger Girl we get to watch her infiltrate the facility where Ash is being held.

A Game Of Thrones #1
Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire
Based on the novel by George R.R. Martin
Adapted by Daniel Abraham
Art by Tommy Patterson
Letters by Marshall Dillion
Colors by Ivan Nunes
Covers by Alex Ross, Mike S. Miller
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: September 21, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

George R.R. Martin‘s books are iconic fantasy novels that I hold in the highest regard. A Game Of Thrones #1 was everything I could ever want in an adaptation…and more. Unlike the HBO miniseries of the same name, this comic book delivers a better depth of the book as opposed to trying to make it fit into segmented television programs. Not that I disliked the show, but it was a concise version of one of the greatest fantasy books I’ve ever read.

While it doesn’t quite match up visually to what my mind created while reading the original book, A Game Of Thrones #1 brings a certain depth that many comics are missing today. Through a combination of Tommy Patterson‘s art and Daniel Abraham‘s writing, we get a thorough view of the world of the Seven Kingdoms and beyond. From the quick justice of Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, to the sad straits of Daenerys Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone, we are shown both the beauty and the horror of this harsh world.