Green Hornet, Vol. 2: Birth of a Villain
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Ronilson Freire
Colors by Marcio Menyz
Letters by Troy Peteri
Collection Cover by Paolo Rivera
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: November 26, 2014
Cover Price: $24.99

Green Hornet, Vol. 2 contains the final chapters of writer Mark Waid‘s excellent run with Green Hornet. That’s the bad news. The good news is, we got thirteen fantastic issues of The Green Hornet from Waid, and who knows? Maybe someday he’ll come back to the character.

95% of the time, Waid can do no wrong. OK, I’m sure he’s had his misses in the past, but I really can’t think of one off the top of my head. From the industry-changing Kingdom Come to The Flash to The Fantastic Four to Empire and beyond, he’s done it all, and done it very well. This book is no exception. What we get here is what The Green Hornet is SUPPOSED to be! I’m talking about what he was created for. Fighting crime, undercover, in the 1930s. Not some updated version where changes are made just for changes sake. You get the Green Hornet being a criminal in the presence of other criminals and the police, but secretly foiling sinister criminal plots and, in a very roundabout way, saving the day. The plot is fairly intricate, but not at any time confusing or misleading. Besides that, you’ve got pretty much everything in this volume. Romance, spying, mystery, intrigue, friendship, Nazis, and a really important lesson about legacy.

We have an exclusive first look at Tales of Honor #4, Top Cow Productions’ adaptation of the David Weber novel On Basilisk Station, the first in the Honor Harrington series. The comic version is written by Matt Hawkins with art by Sang-Il Jeong and Linda Sejic. There are two covers for this issue, one by Jeong, and the other by Patrick Tatopoulos.

You can check out the two covers as well as some preview pages from the issue below.

Rise of the Magi #2
Written by Marc Silvestri
Art by Sumeyye Kesgin and Mirka Andolfo
Colors by Betsy Gonia
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover by Stjepan Sejic
Top Cow Productions, Inc.
Release Date: July 9, 2014
Cover Price: $2.99

In the first issue of Rise of the Magi a young Asa Stone was sent from the world of Rune to Earth with a small vial of magic. The magic was scratched off the surface of the Orb, an object made of all the concentrated magic that exists in the universe.

Once arriving on Earth, specifically Times Square in New York City, Asa has to find a way to keep the magic safe from the monsters of Rune that followed him through the portal, while also trying to find a way back home.

Rise of the Magi #1
Written by Marc Silvestri
Art by Sumeyye Kesgin and Marc Silvestri
Colors by Betsy Gonia
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover by Marc Silvestri
Image Comics | Top Cow Productions, Inc.
Release Date: June 4, 2014
Cover Price: $3.50 (Digital $2.99)

Think back to when you were a kid and saw The Dark Crystal, or read The Hobbit for the first time. Can you recall that thrill of adventure? Do you remember the electric buzz of excitement you got as these fantastical worlds filled your imagination? If you’re looking for a way to capture the pure joy of wild, magical adventures once again, get yourself a copy of Rise of the Magi #1.

Our story begins with a young Asa Stone, who leads a quiet life in the world of Rune, where everyone has magic powers. Even Asa, though his only ability is fixing magic carpets. Not quite the skill set needed for a life of high adventure.

The 7th Sword #1
Created and Written by John Raffo
Pencils and Inks by Nelson Blake II
Colors by Dave McCaig
Letters by Troy Peteri
IDW Publishing
Release Date: April 23, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

What do you get when you cross a samurai with a planet that is constantly in the midst of civil war? Why, you get The 7th Sword #1, of course! On what appears to be a world somewhat akin to Dune, we have a warrior (now ronin) who was left behind with not much more than his sword and his wits. This is the first of seven issues that account for the actions of Daniel Cray and his deadly sword called a Malathane.

Having been left behind on Helios when the army with which he was serving retreated, Cray found himself doing odd mercenary jobs for survival. After an accident left him stranded and lost, he was rescued by a group living in the mythical ZenZion who think him the enemy. After the true villains attack, he finds himself defending this oasis…all the while still suspect. There’s a lot more to the story but suffice to say you’ll need to read it to stay on top of everything that’s going on here. This first issue is setting up the rest of the miniseries so it feels incomplete on many levels, but that’s to be expected, I suppose.