Garry Brown Cover

Stasis has not been kind to our crew in Dark Matter, awakened into turmoil and forced to find their instinctive knowledge or face death the crew raced into action. Issue 2 continues the escape from their mysterious attacker and plans of survival after being confronted with this blank slate. The issue brings a very rough ride for the crew, losing gravity at one point and their comfort as they confront a new world after a high-speed burst.

The issue rushes through in the same speedy pace as issue 1, the chase is on as they strive to escape attackers and find their own histories through the wiped logs of the ship. The art of the pages keeps urgency and the same high contrast styling and pauses as needed when even the crew are caught off guard in new revelations about their erased objectives. If you can’t hold on much longer for spoilers click below.

That’s all, and I left out a ton of goodies too!

There’s a certain cinematic or scripted drama to Dark Matter, it moves quickly and honestly feels like a blip in a time as you wait for more. I honestly hope this story can wrap up all the drama before this series is up, it has so much promise and yet it simply teases readers with little bits here and there in each issue. We’ve gone from near destruction in stasis to escape from an unknown enemy to a planet of survivalist  humans and now to the truth about all of the team… well almost all of them.

The art is crisp and clean, it emphasizes speed, stress, awakening without a hurdle, the speed of the strokes translates the urgency or situation with every line, the dialog personalised each character and brought them into their own in this issue. Showing that while they were a team, they’re very different and have their own agendas lingering underneath their amnesia filled awakenings. Anyone that felt hooked by issue 1 will feel the rush return with this installment, the tensions are high and the mysteries just keep getting worse. Who are they, what are they up to, what will they do with this clean slate on their plate, who set them up and who is behind this new pursuit? They’re working on all these questions and it just gets better and better.

If you desperately need a teaser check out Dark Horse Comics for the teaser pages to hold you for now. Alternatively, secure your copy from TFAW before it releases.

Release Date: February 8th, 2012

Story:	4.0/5.0
Art:	5.0/5.0
Dialog:	4.0/5.0
Overall:	4.0/5.0

Paul Renaud Cover

In this final installment of Invasion the action is in full force, gearing everyone up for the March release of Mass Effect 3. The issue starts us in the middle of the ongoing battle for Omega and never stops. The Illusive Man’s Colonel Ashe, General Petrovsky and their troops are now falling apart and dying left and right due to the team that has assembled under Aria’s command. General Petrovsky devises a plan that he is sure will work, but he underestimates Aria’s intelligence. Super angry and super determined, Aria refuse to back down and she devises her own plan. After a giant battle, a few history lessons and a lot of lives lost we are left wondering who will ultimately control the coveted Omega. I think it’s safe to say that Aria is a fierce opponent and will stop at nothing to get what she wants!

Like the previous issues of Mass Effect: Invasion, this one is full of massive amounts of action. Even though it is the same length as previous issues, it felt like it ended fast because of how gripping it was. As I was reading it I found myself fully immersed and really didn’t want it to end. This series has been an awesome lead up to the Mass Effect 3 game release and it will be fantastic to continue the story when the game finally comes out. The art, dialog and story are all top-notch and the ending was not exactly like I has expected which was a nice surprise. This series is a must read for Mass Effect fans, so if you haven’t picked it up yet I suggest you do before March.

Massimo Carnevale Cover

Story:	4.0/5.0
Art:	3.5/5.0
Dialog:	3.5/5.0
Overall:	3.5/5.0

Jenny Frison Cover

The life of a fledgling vampyre is never easy and this issue shows us what these students have to go through. “The People of Faith” is a religious group that believes that the House of Night school is an abomination. The thought is the children are stolen, marked and then cursed and the religious group will not rest until the school is destroyed. As Zoey watches the protest from her bedroom window she sees her parents (stepdad) and little brother. We then see a flashback of the day Zoey was marked and that her family did not support her. As she approaches the protest she reaches out to her brother who screams and jumps back. Understandably this upsets Zoey and she does something that she shouldn’t do! Her actions make her realize that her next Dark Daughters lesson is that of Circe.

This issue of House of Night is he best one so far. I love the Circe/Odysseus lesson and the little bits of humor sprinkled here and there. The dialog is great and the art again is fantastic. I really like that Zoey is a strong girl, even when she falters she admits her mistakes and keeps trying. Very often teenage girls are portrayed as ditsy, weak and mellow-dramatic but that is not the case here. Zoey’s not perfect but she is trying to do her best! This was a fun read and I recommend checking it out.

Release Date: January 11th, 2012

Story:	3.5/5.0
Art:	4.0/5.0
Dialog:	4.0/5.0
Overall:	4.0/5.0

In the last issue of The Occultist we saw a man who appeared extremely paranoid, going so far as having guests go through a body scanner before being able to enter his home. We soon learned that this man was not at all paranoid, in fact, the precautions he took were not enough. We saw his brutal demise, which is now where the latest installment of The Occultist begins. The cops are investigating the horrendous scene and Rob is off in another dimension. Rob is trying to reason with the bounty hunter that took him and Detective Melendez to this other realm right before they were killed. Just as Rob is making some headway with the bounty hunter he is again sucked back into the previous realm where his girlfriend is being held captive by the big scary monster. There is a lot going on in Rob’s life and he is just beginning to have a clear understanding of how everything works. He has very little time to figure out how to save his girlfriend, himself and for all intents and purposes the world! Will he be able to do it and will the Sword help him?

This is the last issue until Dark Horse Presents #11 and the initial storyline is wrapped up nicely. There will undoubtedly be new questions and adventures when the series returns, some of which have already been introduced in this issue. I enjoyed this 3 part series very much, but maybe it should have been a 4 part series so the wrap-up didn’t feel as rushed (not in terms of content or quality, it just felt hectic). Regardless, it was a fun ride and I will definitely be looking forward to and reading the next installment.

Release Date: January 11th, 2012

Story:	3.5/5.0
Art:	3.5/5.0
Dialog:	3.5/5.0
Overall:	3.5/5.0

This issue begins with the bad guys still searching for General China’s elusive mask. We are introduced to the new man in charge of retrieving the mask for the “Noble” ruler. The new man in charge, Don Barrabas, is a Dhalsimesque (Street Fighter fans know) mute warrior type. We learn of his life and that since his birth he has been “different.” Terrified of him, his family decides cruelty is the only answer (who here is really demon spawn?) After years of torture he rebels and understandably hurts those who have hurt him for so many years. This of course did nothing for his popularity and he was yet again judged and banished. Taken in by the ruler, Barrabas (for his own gain undoubtedly) now does the ruler’s dirty work, including getting the mask and killing all those associated with it. Completely unaware of the hell that is coming their way, Orchid, Simon and the rest of their small crew are heading out in search of help. Before they reach their destination tragedy strikes and everything changes. Orchid however, is finally on board and that will be bad for anyone she considers an enemy.

After each issue of Orchid I believe it has gotten as good as it’s going to get and then the next issue comes out and I’m blown away. You feel so deeply for these characters (even some of the bad guys) that when bad things happen to them it’s heartbreaking. The tale of revolution and uprising never gets old. The dialog, story and concept are some of the best I have ever read, it’s so complex and compelling that I don’t want the issue to end. The art is phenomenal and really encompasses the feelings that each character would be feeling in their particular situations. If you can’t tell, I highly recommend this issue and the series as a whole, if you haven’t begun to read this yet, what the hell are you waiting for?

Release Date: January 11th, 2012

Story:	5.0/5.0
Art:	4.0/5.0
Dialog:	4.5/5.0
Overall:	4.5/5.0

Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie are back at it, once writers for Stargate, they’re now pushing forward with a new experiment of Dark Matter. Six passengers are in stasis in a bleak ship with their vitals fading and the darkness closing in.  Suddenly a break hits and they’re thrown out of their sleep into the void inside their ship. They not only have to face the unknown of their environment but the mystery of their own past lives as they are clueless to their origins.

The duo creates an air of darkness  that sends a chill down the spine, from the first pages there’s an unsettling feeling on the ship. As new characters are introduced the tension remains as no one knows who they are or where they’re at. In a sense it’s space madness on the verge of release, but instead of keeping it so simple they’ve managed to throw in a few twists. The result of the twists makes memory issues the least of their concern as they plow right into conflict.

The art is solid, Garry Brown delivers a great environment from the start, we get space as a murky void filled with stars, a ship of ambient lights and raw hallways. So often there’s magical lighting everywhere in a ship making it crystal clear, in Dark Matter it’s like riding on the bare minimum to get by. Stylistically the rapid strokes create shadows and depth add to the darkness in the scenes and the tension in the air. The color palette rides with just enough saturation to let the story meld with the art and drive home a great sense of immersion.

Dark Matter touches on paranoia and a massive sense of unknown, anyone who might have questioned if Mallozzi and Mullie had fallen off their game can rest easy. The story delivers and I’m trying so hard not to spoil the goodies within, if you’re unsure I would say check out the preview pages out when they reach Dark Horse Comics for a dose of this new 4 part adventure.

Release date: January 11, 2012

Story:	4.0/5.0
Art:	4.5/5.0
Dialog:	4.0/5.0
Overall:	4.0/5.0

Massimo Carnevale Cover

Omega’s defenses are down, unmanned and vulnerable, it seems that everyone and everything is using this opportunity to gain control of Omega.  Colonel Ashe and his men, at the direction of the Illusive Man, are now hoping to act fast and take over Omega before anyone else has the time to regroup and step in.  Aria is still imprisoned by Oleg and is unable to use any of her powers to escape.  After an important conversation with Oleg, Aria proves that she is not just physically powerfully but also mentally powerful.  She succeeds in planting seeds of doubt in Oleg’s head about the Illusive Man and Oleg’s loyalty to him.  Even though she is imprisoned in such a way that her powers are stifled, she is still a badass and manages to find a way to escape.  As Aria makes her way back to Omega we learn that Colonel Ashe and his crew have pissed everyone on Omega off so bad that they have successfully made all the warring groups come together in unity to destroy the Cerberus crew.  Will they succeed under Aria’s direction or will the Illusive Man come out on top?  We will find out in the next and last issue of this series!

This issue is very good, I enjoyed it a lot more than the last issue.  There is more action and the dialog moves along at a better pace.  The dialog and story progression also helps to make many of the characters, like Oleg and Ashe, deeper and more interesting.  The art, as always, is great; however, a little more facial detail might bring the emotions that the characters are feeling to life just a bit more.  This issue is definitely recommended but if you are new to the series, do yourself a favor and start with #1, jumping into the series in the middle would be impossible to follow!

Paul Renaud Cover

Release Date: December 21^st, 2011

Story:	3.5/5.0
Art:	3.5/5.0
Dialog:	3.5/5.0
Overall:	3.5/5.0

With the Plot of Aquilonia’s tyrannical leader dethrone…Conan continue’s his adventures but not without helping himself of a few pounds of  the royal palaces gold……

Conan: Road of Kings #11 Has our Cimmerian hero on his way to Messantia through cattle-scow transport.Once reaching  Messantia conan ask’s for direction to The Black Stag tavern, where he plans to rest and fill his belly while walking through the alley Conan see’s two strangers trying to mug what looks like a solider who turns out to be Ivanos, a companion of his during his adventures as a seamen. they have brief conversion about  the events that took place during that time and together they make way to the tavern After a  few drinks Ivanos introduces Conan to Shandi who’s a waitress at the tavern, Conan ask’s Ivanos if Argos is still looking for mercenaries to which Ivanos informs him that his lack of armor will not help him.

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

This issue  is a bit slow in the action department and understandably so with the Aquilonia story coming to a conclusion you would figure an issue or two would be slow as another story develops, Road of kings #11 gives you glimpse of whats to come in the next issue which is good, With Ivanos introduce and the problem he has place upon himself  I’m interested on how its going to play out. As far as the art Mike Hawthorne picks up where Dan Panosian left off and does a solid job.

Release Date: December 21, 2011

Story:	4.0/5.0
Art:	5.0/5.0
Dialog:	4.0/5.0
Overall:	4.0/5.0

Titles included in this mix:

• Transformers
• Star Trek
• Doctor Who
• G.I. Joe
• 30 Days of Night
• Templesmith
• True Blood

New and old purchases through comiXology will sync to the designated app allowing you seamless integration of your existing collection to these apps. On top of that, IDW will launch digital releases on the same day as their print releases to make sure that people will not have to wait to read their favorite series. Pricing will remain full cover price value though for new comics. No further comment is out about old releases.

comiXology is really taking over the landscape, with options available on all major platforms and it being bundled with the Kindle Fire they’re taking the lead for ease of access to your favorite reads. I wouldn’t mind having a dedicated Doctor Who app or other specifics on my phone, hopefully they do something similar for Android in the future.

The beginning of this issue of The Occultist is a bit confusing, but as the story progresses it all comes together quite nicely.  Rob and Detective Melendez are out (although she’s still unsure why and how she’s there) narrowly missing death at each turn and we begin to see the Sword has taken the wheel and Rob’s more or less just along for the ride.  To say that Rob has a few enemies is an understatement, there seems to be an endless amount of baddies looking to get to him (the Sword) first.  Added to the price that has been bestowed upon his somewhat clueless head is that he is also trying to keep Detective Melendez AND his girlfriend safe, failing at the latter.  As Rob tries to juggle understanding his new role and maintaining some semblance of his previous life, we really get a sense of just how hectic his life has become. We learn that Rob is different from previous people who the Sword had chosen, he’s not a power-hungry psycho, rather, he’s just a normal college kid who has experienced particular circumstances.  It seems that the flashback to his childhood plays a major role into why he was chosen.

I really enjoyed this issue.  The Occultist has a lot of action and is very fast paced.  There is so much going on and so many characters that you really have to pay attention.  The dialog and story progression are excellent, as is the art.  An entertaining read and a definite recommendation.  Transforming monsters, a bounty hunter with a conscience, clueless college kids, this comic really has it all!

Release Date: December 14, 2011

Story:	4.0/5.0
Art:	3.5/5.0
Dialog:	3.5/5.0
Overall:	3.5/5.0