Onyx #1
Written by Chris Ryall
Art by Gabriel Rodriguez
Colors by Jay Fotos
Letters by Shawn Lee
Cover art by Gabriel Rodriguez, Ashley Wood, Charles Paul Wilson III, Alan Robinson, and Sal Buscema
IDW Publishing
Release Date: July 1, 2015
Cover Price: $3.99

At the end of Onyx #1 you’re going to hear a bit of a thud. That’s the mic dropping.

Writer Chris Ryall finally brings this labor of love to shelves of comic stores around the world, and boy, can you tell that Ryall loves this book. There’s some comics that I read where I can tell that the creators are just showing up to collect a paycheck, then they’re outta there and on to the their next project. Not so with Ryall and Onyx.

It’s the year 2083 and Earth has more than a few problems. Overpopulation. Lack of food. Lack of space. Oh, there’s also the small issue of an alien invasion, too. Thankfully, along comes the galactic warrior Onyx to help save the planet. Unfortunately for Onyx, the International Global Defense Corps isn’t that keen on Onyx and decide to try and put a stop to it.

Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms, Vol. 1
Written by Ed Greenwood
Art by Lee Ferguson
Inks by Sal Buscema and Marc Deering
Colors by Len O’Grady and Dee Cunniffe
Lettering by Shawn Lee, Tom B. Long, and Neil Uyetake
Cover by Tyler Walpole
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 15, 2013
Cover Price: $24.99

As a long time player of RPGs, I’ve borne witness to a lot of books and comics based on these games. Many are great additions to their franchise, while others are laughable and contribute nothing to the genre. IDW Publishing’s Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms is one of those that falls in between. With decent art and a mediocre story, it is entertaining but nothing remarkable when compared to others of its ilk.

The story starts off in Waterdeep, one of the dirtiest and most corrupt of all cities in the Realms. Two local thieves become involved in what appears to be a simple kidnapping but turns out to be more of a political scandal, though little is truly explained to justify the actions undertaken by the enemies of House Roaringhorn. Much magic and deceit follow closely on the heels of our two ruffians as they are forced into one calamity after another…even a rescue attempt. All in all, it’s a fun read, but definitely not memorable.

The Amazing Spider-Man #700
Written by Dan Slott, JM DeMatteis, Jen Van Meter
Pencils by Humberto Ramos, Giuseppe Camuncol, and Stephanie Buscema
Inks by Victor Olazaba, Sal Buscema
Colors by Edgar DelGado, Antonio Fabela
Letters by VC’s Chris Eliopoulos
Covers by MR Garcin, Steve Ditko & Marcos Martin, Humberto Ramos & Edgar DelGado, Oliver Coipel & Justin Ponsor, J. Scott Campbell & Edgar Delgado & Joe Quesada, Danny Miki & Morry Hollowell
Marvel Comics
Release Date: December 26, 2012
Cover Price: $7.99

This is IT, True Believer! The Amazing Spider-Man #700 is the LAST issue of Marvel Comics’ flagship title starring their most popular character. Now, I don’t want to incur the Twitter wrath of writer Dan Slott, so you won’t find any spoilers here, BUT you’ll get the nuts and bolts of if this issue is worth it or not.

Slott has been writing Spider-Man a loooooong time. And, like he himself stated, this story began way back with his earliest work on the title, about 100 issues ago. First, let me say, the lead up to this story has been pretty entertaining. Not mind-blowing, but very entertaining. This issue, however, does have some VERY mind-blowing moments. It’s a classic Spider-Man story that will have fans of the series recalling all of their favorite issues, as so many of them have been told at this king of break-neck, beat the clock manner.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #185
Written by Larry Hama
Pencils by S L Gallant
Inks by Gary Erskine
Colors by J Brown
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Editor: Carlos Guzman
Cover by Ron Frenz & Sal Buscema
IDW Publishing
Release Date: December 5, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #185 is the one hundredth and eighty-fifth issue of awesomeness. In a row. That’s a pretty good record, by any standards.

Writer and creator of the G.I. Joe that everyone knows and loves, Larry Hama, manages to do something that no other writer does: makes a completely believable, viable, military comic with soldiers dressed in the most RIDICULOUS outfits ever imagined. OK, so, everyone of my generation thought (and still thinks) that those fatigues are awesome, but, in reality, if any kind of soldier wore those clothes he would be shot and killed immediately. Probably by members of his own team. But, I digress. This issue continues the three main story lines and even introduces a couple more into the mix. PLUS-ZARTAN!!!!!! And, there’s a couple other surprise appearances that I won’t spoil for you. But, this is another solid issue of excitement and adventure that we’ve gotten since 1983 from this writer, and he shows no signs of slowing down. Thank God.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #182
Written by Larry Hama
Pencils by Ron Frenz
Inks by Sal Buscema
Colors by J. Brown
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Covers by Ron Frenz & Sal Buscema and Larry Hama
IDW Publishing
Release Date: September 26, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

As far as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #182 goes, it’s a pretty good comic. My only complaint is that despite having Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow on the cover, they are nowhere to be seen in the issue. Otherwise, the book is pretty great!

The Godfather of G.I. Joe, writer Larry Hama, still cranks out fantastic, believable, and militarily accurate stories today just like he did almost 20 years ago. This issue sees all the tracker specialist Joes go after the recently escaped Darklon. There’s a LOT more to that story, but for spoiler reasons, I won’t give anything away. Besides that you have Road Pig and Zarana dealing with a secret agent and Zartan looking to get back in the good graces of Cobra. What most impresses me about the story is the way Hama balances so many subplots so easily. You get just enough of each one to satisfy you, and each plot is moved along just enough to keep you looking forward to the next issue.