The Bionic Man #12
Written by Phil Hester & Aaron Gillespie
Pencils by Ed Tadeo
Colors by Thiago Ribeiro
Letters by Simon Bowland
Covers by Alex Ross & Ed Tadeo
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 22, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

When reading The Bionic Man #12, pretty much two words came to mind. HOLY. SHIT. Now, I doubt if BOTH those words will make the final edit of this review, and to my editor, I apologize for them, but honestly, reading the whole issue, that is what I was thinking.

There are certain fights that you will always remember. The parking lot fight in They Live. The opening fight in Casino Royale. The News Team gang fight in Anchorman. Rocky vs. Drago in Rocky IV. The runway fight scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and now, Col. Steve Austin vs. Bigfoot. What we get from writers Phil Hester and Aaron Gillespie in this issue is basically a love letter/homage to those fights and from now on, The Bionic Man #12 will be known in years to come as “the one where he fights Bigfoot.” While I won’t go into spoilers, what starts off as another kind of story entirely turns into one of the best comic book fights that I HAVE EVER READ EVER. TWICE during the book I actually cringed, and that hasn’t happened since I was like 12.

The Bionic Man #11
Written by Phil Hester
Art by Ed Tadeo
Inks by John Lucas
Colors by Thiago Ribeiro
Letters by Simon Bowland
Covers by Alex Ross & Jonathan Lau
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: July 25, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Bionic Man #11 is the TRUE test of this series. The adaptation of Kevin Smith’s movie is over. The origin is done. From here on out, it’s brand new adventures and status quo for Steve Austin and friends. So, does the book still hold up?

First off, I can answer the above question with two words. Phil. Hester. It’s PHIL HESTER!!! OF COURSE it’s still going to be good!! I was very interested to see what would happen when Hester was allowed to create his own stories on this title – the result. Action, charm, heart, and one darn entertaining comic book. Some of the best comics that were ever written were HUMAN stories, they just happened to star a person that had a magic lasso, a magic ring, or could swing from building to building on a webline. This is exactly what we have here – a great story starring a man who’s part machine. After 10 issues of Steve Austin ripping other cyborgs limb from limb, stopping airplanes with his bare hands, and other feats of bionic proportions, it’s nice to see him with his family, and see how Steve Austin the MAN deals with the problems that they’re facing. A well thought out, heart-warming story and a refreshing change of pace from the last ten issues.