KISS #3
Written by Tom Waltz
Art by Casey Maloney
Inks by Marc Rueda
Colors by Joan I. Guardiet
Letters by Shawn Lee
Edited by Chris Ryall
Covers by Casey Maloney, Xermanico & Michael Gaydos
IDW Publishing
Release Date: August 8, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

KISS #3 is another AMAZING issue from the folks at IDW!!! The great thing about this book is that it’s a different title almost every month. You’re not sure where you’re going to end up when you pick up an issue. This issue is fantastic for a number of reasons, but most of all, because it’s a total 180 from the first two issues.

Tom Waltz get handed the reins for this arc, and first off let me say, if you’re not reading his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles title, you’re really missing out. That aside, his inaugural issue of KISS brings a totally different vibe than the first two issues, and that’s one of the great things. The other great things — KISS BARBARIANS!!!

Battle Beasts #1
Written by Bobby Gurnow
Art by Valerio Schiti
Colors by Claudia SGC
Letters by Shawn Lee
Covers by Dan Brereton, Ulises Farinas, and Valerio Schiti & Claudia SGC
IDW Publishing
Release Date: July 11, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

A comic book based on a toy line from the 1980s. Hmm. Who would’ve ever thought. Well, in Battle Beasts #1, IDW goes above and beyond to make a really good COMIC, not just another licensed book. They got some great talent, who put together a really cool story based on these little toys.

Writer Bobby Gurnow tells a great story about an alien race of…well..beast in a story LOADED with all sorts of fantastic axes, swords, shields, maces, and other weapons. A long anticipated “call” that they’ve been waiting for takes them to Earth, where all Hell breaks loose. Hey, YOU try going about your daily business with a giant grizzly bear in golden armor breathing down your neck! As much as I kid, this is a GREAT, fun, action-packed comic book. What could be just another “alien invasion” story turns out to be something a little bit smarter than 95% of them that I’ve read before, and it’s much better choreographed than any movie of this type that I’ve seen. It’s certainly worth your time of you have even the slightest interest in the sci-fi genre.

KISS #1
Written by Chris Ryall
Art by Jamal Igle
Colors by Rumulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letters by Shawn Lee
“She” Lryics by Harold Fraiser, Roget Roaime and Shannon Jones
Covers by Nick Runge, Jamal Igle, & Michael Gaydos
IDW Publishing
Release Date: June 13, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Did anyone really want another KISS #1? Yes, yes, we did. So here comes IDW to the rescue. The last couple KISS series have left bad tastes in fans’ mouths: The Image Comics KISS: The Psycho Circus and then the Kiss4K by…some company that went out of business. So, here comes IDW’s new KISS title and I think everyone’s expectation are not overly high, but luckily for us, this book turned out to be an awesome surprise!

Writer Chris Ryall has done what no other writer before him has done: turned out one hell of an entertaining KISS book with a story that is fresh and a completely original concept. He’s really captured the personas of what the members of KISS are on stage. There’s a fantastic narrative that runs through out the book, that’s really amazing. More importantly, this is a story that MAKES SENSE. It’s not just “KISS trying to get to the concert venue before it’s too late” (which would be a GREAT idea for a KISS kid’s comic), it’s a story of good vs evil. Well, kinda-good vs evil. OK, it’s a story of KISS vs. evil.

Rocketeer Adventures, Vol. 2 #3
Written by Dave Lapham, Kyle Baker & Matt Wagner
Art by Chris Sprouse, Kyle Baker, Eric Canete & Eric Powell
Inks by Karl Story
Colors by Jordie Bellaire, Eric Canete, Cassandra Poulson & David Stewart
Letters by Shawn Lee & Kyle Baker
Covers by Darwyn Cooke & Dave Stevens
The Rocketeer Created by Dave Stevens
Design by Chris Mowry
IDW Publishing
Release Date: May 30, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Rocketeer Adventures reminds me why I love comics. And why I’ll always love the traditional comic medium. No, I’m not one of those who hates digital. I have MORE than plenty of digital comics on my computer and 100% of the books that I review are sent to me via computer. But there’s something about holding a comic book in your hands. You get totally lost in the story and in the book itself. Cheers to IDW for putting together another fantastic issue of this series.

The first story in Rocketeer Adventures, Vol. 2 #3 is written by David Lapham with art by Chris Sprouse. It’s a great truth or dare type of story that really speaks to ANYONE reading it. The underlying message in the book is universal and applies to the audience. We can all find a piece of ourselves in this fantastic short story. It reads light, with no heavy moral issue, but when you get to the end, there’s a great “ah-ha” moment that will make you want to read it again. This is, by far, my favorite story in the issue.

Star Trek/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2 #1
Written by Scott & David Tipton with Tony Lee
Art by JK Woodward
Lettering by Shawn Lee & Robbie Robbins
Covers by JK Woodward, David Messina & Joe Corroney
IDW Publishing
Release Date: May 30, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

As the world’s first and foremost NON fan of Doctor Who, I went into Star Trek/Doctor Who: Assimilation 2 #1 expecting to like the Star Trek parts and hate the Doctor Who parts. Well, you learn something new every day, right? While I’m not going to go out and buy one of those weird R2-D2-like trashcan things from Doctor Who, I now have a different view of the franchise than I did before.

What I loved about this issue is that it starts off with NONSTOP action, something that’s not really the norm in the Star Trek universe, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun. This issue, the Star Trek part anyway, takes place in the Next Generation universe. Writers Scott & David Tipton, accompanied by Tony Lee, lay out a really interesting comic here. There’s two big A-List villains teaming up, but we’re not sure how or why – a nice mystery that will come into play later in the series, I’m sure. Then, we switch over to the Doctor Who half of the story. I found this surprisingly entertaining. Again, I know next to nothing about Doctor Who and I came away from this issue actually liking the character of The Doctor. Now THAT’S writing! If you can make a reader interested in a character that they had NO interest in, you’ve done your job and then some.