At 5 dollars, this is an investment for all abut the most ardent fans.

While Stine's writing is a throwback to an earlier era of disposable prose, German Peralta's artwork continues to shine. It's playful, and you can sense the almost child-like wonder her is when it comes to drawing the plethora of swamp beasts or the subtle facial tics of Man-Thing. It's a highlight of the issue.

If you dig the character, then this one to read. If you're more casual, then it's still worth your time, especially to check out the imaginative creature art.

The bottom line is, if you enjoyed Rogue One on the silver screen, you will find something to enjoy about this comic. On its own, it's a dependable translation, and as part of the vast Star Wars comics pantheon, it will hold a prominent place by its nature as an official film in the canon. I think that even casual fans will enjoy it at face value because its still a really great story, though I'm not sure it would be something that would want to wait issue by issue for. But, as a huge fan, I was excited, and am excited for the upcoming issues, especially to see how a certain scene (we all know which one!) is interpreted in all its slashing glory.

Here's the good news: The Guardians are in good hands. While the full extent of the franchise stewardship from the Duggan and Kuder is yet to be fully realized, I have no worries. While there may be a kink or two getting the plot into gear, a clunky line of dialogue here and there in this first issue, that's to be expected. But the last panels" something is definitely afoot (no spoilers here!). Looks like we're starting our summer comics reading off with a real winner.

Thankfully, I Am Groot is the beginning of something good. All the pieces are there story-wise, art-wise, and character-wise. Now the task is the new journey we're taking with some ink and paper friends. Fans of the movies and fans of the original comics will find much to appreciate with this issue. Time to blast up the jams on your old cassette tape deck and enjoy with a smile.

In sum, if you're looking for something to cleanse your palette of all the bad publicity that Iron Fist has been receiving, this is an excellent remedy. It is not perfect by any means, but it is fun and the start of what looks to be a great adventure. It'll be interesting to see where his journey takes him. It is certainly an exciting ride punctuated by bouts of sharp kung-fu fisticuffs and existential wandering.

Overall, what we have here with Luke Cage #1 is the consummate combination of solid scripting and inspired aesthetics. It's bound to be an enjoyable issue for old and new fans alike.

Overall, Nick Fury #1 is a welcome addition to the Marvel family of comics. It's not innovative per se, but it has a sense of retro adventure that shouldn't be overlooked. Even when there isn't progression, there still lingers old fashion super-heroics. And that can be a good thing.

While at first, it didn't seem necessary for Marvel to roll out another line of Darth Vader comics, the potential of this story is strong and I am interested to see where it leads us down the line.