Kiss #4
Written by Tom Waltz
Art by Casey Maloney
Inks by Marc Rueda
Colors by Joan I. Guardiet & Ester Sans
Letters by Shawn Lee
Edited by Chris Ryall
Covers by Casey Maloney, Michael Gaydos & Xermanico
IDW Publishing
Release Date: September 19, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

KISS #4 features the epic conclusion to the World Without Heroes story arc, and when IDW says epic they mean EPIC!!! It’s everything you want it to be and just a little bit more.

To sum up, in this story arc, we basically have KISS barbarians, which in and of itself, is pretty freakin’ cool. What makes it even MORE awesome is that writer Tom Waltz does a fantastic job telling the story! In just a few issues, he’s given the four “civilian identities” a LOT of character for the reader to absorb. Not too much, though, that it draws awesome from the KISS warriors. We get a little more of the Destroyer and Elder, and more of She, but the meat of the story is KISS’ battle with an out of control dragon and trying to save their village and their world.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13
Story by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz
Script by Tom Waltz
Art by Andy Kuhn
Colors by Ronda Pattison
Letters by Shawn Lee
Covers by Andy Kuhn, Kevin Eastman, and Valerio Schiti
IDW Publishing
Release Date: August 22, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

For those who have been following this latest incarnation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the series is likely a revelation. When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license was sold to Nickelodeon, there was a lot of consternation and wringing of hands among comics fans that the new series would be another cash-in aimed at children. Of course there’s still pleasure in seeing the characters you have grown with once again, but writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz have created something much closer to the original version, with enough tweaks that the series feels fresh and exciting enough to surprise you.

A lot of this work shows up in the turtles themselves. Their quirks — Donatello as the science geek, Leonardo the rigid leader, Raphael the hothead, Michelangelo the carefree bro — aren’t played up as such, but actually inform how each sees the world. They bicker and argue, not just for the sake of it, but because they disagree over how to handle a situation. Never before have they felt so distinct from each other and so fully realized as characters. When, for example, the turtles are presented with their own uniquely-colored masks, there’s a satisfying justification for it that helps build the themes of the story, and the differentiation feels earned. Elements like these are what makes the series fresh and familiar, and is the difference between reinterpretation and cash-in. Alright, sorry for gushing, now let’s get on to issue 13.

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!!!

After the Fire
Written by Tom Waltz
Art by Guiu Vilanova
Colors by John Alderink
Color Assists by Arto Heino, Joel Bartlett, Krista Schuhman, Leanne Fitzpatrick, Ron Kieser, Tom Rollinger & William Jones
Letters by Amauri Osorio & Tom Waltz
Title Logo by Gerry Kissell
Edits by Chris Ryall
Cover by Pintu
IDW Publishing
Release Date: July 11, 2012
Cover Price: $7.99

Debuting as an original digital graphic novel, After the Fire is being released in July as a print comic, and you should be VERY happy about that. For this review, I’m NOT going to get into the print vs digital dicsussion, but I do think the book will get a lot more exposure on the racks of comic book stores, and that’s a very good thing, because it’s one heck of a read!

Writer Tom Waltz, who’s KILLING it with his awesome Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series from IDW right now, writes a fantastic story of supernatural revenge, good vs evil, and just all-around awesomeness. This is a comic for people who love comics, and for people who would NEVER read a comic. Seriously, if you’re looking to get one of your friends into reading comics, THIS is the book that you’ll want to give them. It’s a truly unique comic, centering around a pair of cops who are hard-working, dedicated, upstanding officers (or so we think), who are the victims of a couple of corrupt officers in their department.

Ghostbusters #11
Written by Erik Burnham
Art by Dan Schoening
Colors by Luis Antonio Delgado
Extra Story by Tristan Jones
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Edits by Tom Waltz
Covers by Dan Schoening, Tristan Jones & Mike Henderson
IDW Publishing
Release Date: July 25, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

In Ghostbusters #11, the boys continue there cross country trek, this time stopping in Roswell, New Mexico. Hmmmmmm….strange things going on in Roswell? Who would’ve guessed that?

Erik Burnham hasn’t missed a beat in ten issues, and doesn’t miss one now. The characers on all dead-on, and it’s nice to see the boys in gray as fish out of water. These last couple issues have been killer with the guys going literally all over the country. While hometown heroes back in New York City, they don’t really get the respect they deserve around the rest of the country, which takes them by surprise, but they all have different, and funny, ways of dealing with it. This issue is particularly interesting as they come face to face with an FBI team that’s investigating aliens, and the old “they’re ghosts!” “NO! They’re aliens” debate comes into play. All in all, another excellent issue filled with classic Ghostbuster humor and heart.