The Occultist #1
Created by Mike Richardson
Written by Mike Richardson and Tim Seeley
Art by Mike Norton
Color by Allen Passalaqua
Letters by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Covers by Steve Morris, Paolo Rivera
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 2, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

I’ve got a confession to make here, I chose to review this comic based solely on the title. I love horror comics and when a book is entitled The Occultist #1, I immediately think of Lovecraft, Cthulhu, and the like. So I dove in with some preconceived expectations, most of which never presented themselves. But hey, can’t blame a guy for trying…right?

Now, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression here. This wasn’t a bad book, quite the contrary. It just wasn’t what I was expecting. The main character, Rob Bailey, is in possession of an ancient artifact called The Sword. He’s described as a “mild-mannered college student,” but that just made me think of a certain super man masquerading as a newspaper reporter. I assume this was done purposefully, sort of tongue in cheek you might say. But Rob is a young man trying to unlock the secrets to this cryptic power he has been given. He’s not flying around saving the world…he’s saving it one haunted house at a time.

In just a few short weeks R.I.P.D. hits movie theaters. Based on the insanely cool series by Peter Lenkov from Dark Horse Comics, R.I.P.D. stars the ‘dude’ himself, Jeff Bridges, and everybody’s favorite facetious faceman, Ryan Reynolds, as they police the afterlife for souls gone wild.

Thanks to our friends at Universal Pictures, we’ve got a sweet R.I.P.D.-themed prize pack to bestow upon one of our lucky readers, consisting of an R.I.P.D. shirt, notepad, and sunglasses… aaaaaaand $25 Visa gift card that you can use to see the film, and maybe even get yerself some popcorn & a drink!

One (1) winner will receive:

• One (1) $25 Visa gift card to see the film
• One (1) R.I.P.D. T-Shirt
• One (1) R.I.P.D. Notepad
• One (1) Pair of R.I.P.D. Sunglasses w/ Microfiber Cloth

R.I.P.D. in theaters July 19 in 3D

Prizing provided by Universal Pictures; Valued at $45

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The Answer #4
Story by Dennis Hopeless & Mike Norton
Written by Dennis Hopeless
Art by Mike Norton
Colors by Mark Englert
Letters by Crank!
Publisher: Mike Richardson
Editor: Patrick Thorpe
Assistant Editor: Everett Patterson
Designer: Adam Grano
Production: Christianee Goudreau
Cover by Mike Norton & Dominic Marco
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: April 24, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

The Answer #4 is a perfect ending to this great mini-series. It’s got everything you’d want. Except answers. No, not THAT Answer, it’s got plenty of him.

Dennis Hopeless turns in another great script from a story by himself and Mike Norton. Up until this point, things have been a little confusing about just what’s going on with The Answer, Devin, Chip, and the rest of the cast. In this issue, everything you thought you know gets turned on it’s ear. We get explanations and more importantly, more questions. It’s a great issue with some razor sharp dialogue, some great action, even more great mysteries and some classic humor.

The Answer! #3
Story by Dennis Hopeless & Mike Norton
Written by Dennis Hopeless
Art by Mike Norton
Colors by Mark Englert
Letters by Crank!
Cover by Mike Norton
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: March 27, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

While The Answer! #3 doesn’t really answer any questions (It actually brings up more questions), it’s a damn fine entertaining comic nonetheless.

Dennis Hopeless and Mike Norton have really done what they’ve set out to do: entertain me. Sure, along the way they’ll also entertain thousands of other people, but that’s just gravy. In this third chapter of the I wish it wasn’t a mini-series, all hell breaks loose as we go inside the pretty scary place where all the smart people work. But, who better to save her then The Answer? Of course, he’s got to save himself first, which may be easier said than done. This comic book is just plain FUN. Remember what that was like? When “fun” wasn’t a dirty word in the comics industry. Well, it shouldn’t be and that’s what this book is. From cover to cover, you’re going to do nothing but smile and be entertained at just how awesome The Answer is!

Hellboy in Hell #1
Story & Art by Mike Mignola
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Clem Robins
Cover by Mike Mignola with Dave Stewart
Designers: Mike Mignola & Gary Grazzini
Assistant Editor: Daniel Chabon
Editor: Scott Allie
Publisher: Mike Richardson
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: December 5, 2012
Cover Price: $2.99

Hellboy in Hell #1 was the first Hellboy comic that I’ve ever read. Ever. I have nothing against the character, is just seemed that it was one of those books that never interested me. That being said, what I found when I read this comic surprised me.

Mike Mignola packs a LOT of humor in this story, and frankly, I really wasn’t expecting that. Again, I’m not familiar with the Hellboy character or universe, so I didn’t know what to expect, but it sure wasn’t this. As a character, Hellboy is very tongue in cheek and quite a wise-cracking badass. Unfortunately, I found the story a little hard to follow. This is obviously aimed at Hellboy fans, so I’m sure I missed a ton of “in jokes” and references to past stories, but that’s OK. It’s an entertaining read with a couple of really good, funny parts to the story.