The Raven and the Red Death
One-Shot
Written by Richard Corben
Illustrated by Richard Corben
Lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Cover by Richard Corben
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 30, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Readers like Edgar Allan Poe’s work for the way it makes them feel; for how it sucks them into his worlds and sneakily crawls under their skin. Poe’s tales and poetry — including both The Raven and The Mask of the Red Death — settle slowly and move along naturally, allowing mystery, wonder and thrill to develop in one’s mind before the real horror appears.

Dark Horse’s site describes Richard Corben‘s adaptation for Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven and The Red Death as “terrifying.” The only issue is, they aren’t scary. Corben utilizes his recurring character of “Mag the Hag” as a traveler who ends up looping through or walking in on the stories. Before I researched who Mag was, my only introduction to her was on the cover page (very nicely drawn by Corben) and on page one of the comic, where she interrupts the narrator’s musings in The Raven with the cheeky line: “The weather has put young Arnold in a melancholy mood, leading him to grimly narrate his own evening in verse.” Now, in casual conversation, this might be a humorous detail to note about The Raven, but in terms of the story, it disrupts any possibility of the reader getting involved or spooked at all.

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.

Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem #2
Written by Steve Niles
Illustrated by Dave Watcher
Lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: July 10, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Steve Niles and Dave Watcher pack even more punch into Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem #2 than they did with their breathtaking series launch. This second installment of the three-issue special from Dark Horse gets right down to business with the imminent threat of the German army swarming young Noah’s village in search of the Allied pilot who crash-landed there in issue one, and the story grips the reader tightly until the very last page.

The village is torn between holding their ground or fleeing in hopes of reaching the border before the Germans catch up to them on the road. Noah’s grandfather insists that they stay, keeping the ace up his sleeve that he has a magical backup plan in case things go sour, and the rest of the townspeople reluctantly agree.

Two enemy scouts arrive on a reconnaissance mission and begin searching barns for the missing pilot. When they find him, the pilot’s brash actions result in everything the villagers had hoped to prevent.

Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities
Vol. 3: The Orm of Loch Ness
Trade Paperback
Written by Eric Powell and Kyle Hotz
Illustrated by Kyle Hotz
Colored by Dan Brown
Lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Cover by Kyle Hotz and Dan Brown
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: July 3, 2013
Cover Price: $15.99

The twisted minds of Eric Powell (The Goon) and Kyle Hotz (Evil Ernie) have crafted a new tale of adventure starring their gruff and salty western hero in Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Orm of Loch Ness, the third volume in this brain-bending series from Dark Horse Comics.

Without even cracking the cover, and whether or not you’re familiar with the earlier books in the series, the title alone implies that you’re in for a wild (and strange) ride alongside one eccentric cowboy. Let go of any hold you have on reality right there at page one and let Powell and Hotz sweep you into their bizarre alternate history in which Billy the Kid works as a hired gun to protect a traveling freak show. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed that you did.

Captain Midnight #0
Written by Joshua Williamson
Illustrated by Victor Ibáñez and Pere Pérez
Colored by EGO
Lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Covers by Raymond Swanland and Steve Rude
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: June 19, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99

Captain Midnight, the war hero first introduced through a radio broadcast show in the late 1930s, has returned once again in a new ongoing comic book series from Dark Horse. In Captain Midnight #0, writer Joshua Williamson and artists Victor Ibáñez and Pere Pérez pull the Captain straight out of 1944 into the 21st century. Prepare yourself for a thrilling adventure that spans generations!

Jim Albright, the legendary Captain Midnight “” costumed hero of World War II “” has emerged in present time via a storm at the Bermuda Triangle. Almost crashing into a military plane on a routine run, the Captain bursts forth from his own plane, leaps onto the stranger’s plane, and forces the United States pilot to land on a Navy ship. Taken into custody but quickly escaping, Captain Midnight is now on the loose, apparently trying to complete his final mission from almost seventy years before. Hot on his trail are two U.S. Agents “” one a supporter who seems to have a familial tie to Albright and the other a clear skeptic “” trying to uncover the missing pieces to his last assignment, his disappearance, and who else may have been transported to 2013 as well.