Lady Rawhide Lady Zorro #1
Written by Shannon Eric Denton
Art by Rey Villegas
Colors by Morgan Hickman
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Cover art by Mike Mayhew
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: March 18, 2015
Cover Price: $3.99

Lady Rawhide Lady Zorro #1 has some serious girl power going on, and it’s a whole lot of fun! Except for maybe The Lone Ranger and Zorro, I can’t think of two other characters from the Western genre that would make a more entertaining team up. Just be glad that Dynamite Entertainment decided to put this book out!

The Star Wars #1
Written by J.W. Rinzler
Illustrated by Mike Mayhew
Adapted from an Original Rough-Draft Screenplay by George Lucas
Colored by Rain Beredo
Lettered by Michael Heisler
Cover by Nick Runge
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: September 4, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

At first glance, the “The” in The Star Wars #1 looks like an unfortunate typo. After all, everyone knows (or should know) that the George Lucas-created Star Wars franchise doesn’t and never has carried an article before the title. It’s simply Star Wars. The “the” in this comic book series, however, isn’t a typo or mistake. It’s intentional. It’s the new eight-issue mini-series produced by Dark Horse Comics based on, as the cover proudly proclaims, Lucas’ “Original Rough-Draft Screenplay” for Star Wars (“Longer ago, in a galaxy even further away”¦” per the cover copy), as in the first screenplay Lucas produced on the long road (three years) between the release of American Graffiti in 1974 and the release of Star Wars three years later.

The Bionic Man #20
Written by Aaron Gilespie
Art by Rey Villegas
Colors by Thiago Ribeiro
Letters by Simon Bowland
Special Thanks to Phil Hester
Covers by Mike Mayhew & Ed Tadeo
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: May 15, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

The Bionic Man #20 picks up right where the last issue left off. We’ve got Steve halfway around the world, trying to stop the launch of a missile that could do some irreparable damage.

Aaron Gilespie is really hitting his groove on this title. He’s constantly gotten better and better at writing this book. In the past, his plots have been less than spectacular, but now they’re actually really interesting and entertaining. Combine that with some great dialogue for Steve Austin and you’ve got a very enjoyable comic. This issue in particular, might be his best yet. His portrayal of Steve is really well done, with all the classic hallmark humor, and intensity that Lee Majors brought to the role almost 40 years ago. Well done Mr. Gilespie!

All great scripts begin with a rough first draft. When the writer first puts pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard if you prefer – they use the initial draft of their screenplay to start working out characters and concepts that until then have existed only in their fevered imaginations. Rough drafts rarely come much rougher than George Lucas‘ original vision for what would become the movie that defined his career in cinema and made him a cultural legend, Star Wars.

Dark Horse Comics is adapting Lucas’ first draft of his blockbuster outer space adventure that launched a mammoth franchise into an eight-issue comic book miniseries entitled The Star Wars, the movie’s original title. Check out a page of artwork from the comic here below.

The Bionic Man #18
Written by Aaron Gillespie
Pencils by Rey Villegas
Colosr by Thiago Ribeiro
Letters by Simon Bowland
Covers by Mike Mayhew & Ed Tadeo
Special Thanks to Phil Hester
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: March 20, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

The Bionic Man #18 is another in a string of fun issues. One thing that I love is that this book doesn’t take itself seriously at all. Yes, it’s an action comic. Yes, it’s a super hero comic. But, it’s played tongue and cheek, and at the end of the day is really entertaining.

Aaron Gillespie turns in an actually quite thrilling script for this second part of the “Desert Deathtrap” storyline. Steve goes undercover, WAY undercover, in Jardan to take out an evil dictator. Gillespie goes a GREAT job when it comes to writing the spy game, and you’ll find yourself lost in the story really quick. Another one of the strengths in this issue is that it doesn’t read in 5 minutes. It’s a nice, meaty story with lots of detail and twists and turns. My only complaint would be that it’s a little lighter than I’d like in the bionics department. I mean, c’mon, he IS called the Bionic Man. If I wanted a straight-up spy book, I’d read something else. But, it doesn’t take anything away from the book, as I mentioned earlier, it’s really a quite fun and really enjoyable.