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.

Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem #1
Written by Steve Niles
Illustrated by Dave Watcher
Lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: June 12, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Fans of Hellboy, B.P.R.D. Secret Origins, and FUBAR should definitely straighten up and pay attention! The latest addition to the horror-and-mythology-meet-WW2 family – and arguably the most beautifully rendered of the lot – is Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem from Dark Horse Comics.

Set in Poland just before the German invasion, the story unfolds around a Jewish boy named Noah who watches all of the men in his village “” including his own father “” march off to join the Allied forces in an attempt to hold back the enemy. Noah stays behind with his grandparents and has only the regular radio broadcasts to keep him informed of the battles that are drawing closer every day to the peaceful countryside he calls home.

After the long wait for his father’s return to the village with no word of his condition, Noah and his grandfather brace themselves for news of his death. This moment of emotional bonding between the boy and the old man quickly takes a turn when an Allied fighter plane roars overhead and crashes just outside the boundaries of their village.

Each and every week, I, “I am Iron Man” Henchman21, and “Stop Saying That” Empress Eve read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible”¦ theoretically. Naturally, we look forward to some more than others. I mean, who doesn’t? So, let’s take a look into the depths of our pull lists, grab some comics, and we’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of May 8, 2013. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

I hope you all had a pleasant Free Comic Book Day, but there’s no rest around here. It’s another week and we’ve got another stack of new books for you to check out. This week has a whole heap of demons and monsters, with some good old fashioned mutants mixed in for good measure. But fear not, reading this week’s selections won’t make you a bad person. Quite the opposite, actually. The only thing that will make you a bad person is if you choose to ignore this week’s GoD List!

Chin Music #1
Written by Steve Niles
Illustrated by Tony Harris
Lettered by Bill Tortolini
Image Comics
Release Date: May 8, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99

Chin Music #1 from Image Comics is the tale of a man who skirmishes with mystical forces, mobsters, and law enforcement. Taking place in Chicago during Prohibition, this new series, written by master of comic book horror Steve Niles and illustrated by Tony Harris, has such a fascinating concept “” an idea that could easily fall apart if not handled correctly; and sure enough, Chin Music falls apart.

An unknown man is chased through the streets of a Middle Eastern country and forced to use his supernatural powers to fly into the air in one last attempt to escape. Outnumbered by and inferior to three cloaked figures with red, glowing eyes, the man’s flesh is torn off and he is cast out of the city. Crawling on the ground and near death, the man is almost run over by a vehicle. Ness, the driver of the car, gets out and attempts to help the dying carcass. Just before death, the man grabs Ness’ arm and transfers a massive burn to Ness’ wrist, revealing that he’s taken on the stranger’s abilities. Moving forward through time to Chicago, mobsters are rising to power, but someone begins to remove them from the equation; but where does Ness fit in here?

Transfusion, Vol. 1
Vampires vs. Robots
Written by Steve Niles
Illustrated by menton3 with Tony Moy
Cover by menton3
IDW Publishing
Release Date: April 30, 2013
Cover Price: $17.99

Transfusion Volume 1: “Vampires vs. Robots” by Steve Niles, with art by menton3, is a new horror publication from IDW that proves to be an intensely frightening story. The concept may sound sort of humorous, but it surely is not. The only Steve Niles book that I’ve read until now was 30 Days of Night, and let me tell you, the man still knows how to write a terrifying tale; only this time, vampires aren’t the only menacing antagonists.

In the future, only a small number of human strongholds remain due to a war with the robots that they had once created. The robots””and I mean giant, floating mechanical beings with human skulls protruding from their heads””scour the planet in search of any lingering people as they need human blood for fuel. Vampires””also in need of human blood to survive””are now at war with the robot menaces in order to preserve their own lives. William, a vampire born in 1976, is in charge of finding humans before the robots do, and bringing them back to his clan. In a sudden ambush, William’s vampire clan is slaughtered by a group of robots, but he is saved by two human women. Forming an alliance with his saviors, the three regroup with another vampire clan and plan to attack the robots head on. During their risky assault, William and the group make a startling discovery that could drastically change the course of their actions moving forward.