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!

Popeye #1
Written by Roger Langridge
Art by Bruce Ozella
Colors by Luke McDonnell
Letters by Bruce Ozella
Covers by Bruce Ozella, Jules Feiffer and Bud Sagendorf
IDW Publishing
Release Date: April 25, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

He’s been everything from a comic character to a movie star. He’s had about a half dozen cartoon series, including one with his son, and his famous theme song will get stuck in your head for days if someone else even whistles a few bars of it. That’s right, everyone’s favorite sailor man returns to comics in Popeye #1!

A BIG thanks go to writer Roger Langridge for making a VERY fun comic book. It’s classic Popeye. Adventure at sea, fighting with Bluto, spinach. Everything that you want to see in a Popeye comic is here to enjoy.

Comics have a deep history with the western genre. For many years weekly books were filled with hard-talking, quick-shooting cowboys and vigilantes. Needless to say, it is a form that is constantly being reinvented for new and interesting content. Nate Cosby (Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, Pigs) and Chris Eliopoulos (Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius, Misery Loves Sherman) have taken the western in an entirely new direction with their new comic Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse.

Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse tells the story of Boyd Linney, a 10-year-old bounty hunter who is on a hunt for his very own family. Cow Boy also features four western short stories from Roger Langridge, Colleen Coover, Brian Clevinger & Scott Wegener, and Mike Maihack.

I was fortunate enough to be able to talk with Nate and Chris about the origins of Cow Boy, as well as what it was like pitching the story of a child bounty hunter to publisher Archaia Entertainment.

Cow Boy: A Boy And His Horse
Written by Nate Cosby
Art by Chris Eliopoulos
Addtionial stories by Roger Langridge, Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener, Mitch Gerags, Colleen Coover, and Mike Maihack
Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: March 28, 2012
Cover Price: $19.95

Most all-ages comics try to avoid the hard, harsh realities of growing up. The idea is to typically remind readers that being young is supposed to be full of wonder and magic. Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos take the alternate road in their graphic novel Cow Boy: A Boy And His Horse. The story’s main character, Boyd, is a 10-year-old bounty hunter on the hunt for his own criminal family. Growing up just got a little harsher. Cow Boy: A Boy And His Horse is a beautifully written and illustrated graphic novel that reminds us that sometimes our parents are not always good people.

Snarked #2
Written and Illustrated by Roger Langridge
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg
Kaboom! Studios
Release Date: November 2, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

Snarked by Roger Langridge returns this week with its second issue. It’s an issue full of character development and surprising revelations that was a joy to read.

It is usually around its second issue most comics prove if they are going to continue in greatness or if its creator used all of their artistic brilliance in the first issue. Langridge luckily beats the sophomore slump with Snarked #2 and continues to take us on an unforgettable journey with a cast of charming and lovable characters.