1970s prison drama = check. Crime noir done to perfection = check. Death by comic book? Double check. Say what? Read the book congregation. This is a straight-forward, yet nuanced story that is well worth your time and cash.

Justin Jordan (The Legend of Luther Strode) continues to craft a fast paced story. His Dead Body Road is a page turner of a comic, a high adrenaline thrill-ride that starts slow, runs hot and ends high, wetting the appetite for more. Like a damn good comic book should, it leaves you breathlessly waiting for next month to hurry the hell up and get here already.

DHOKF #1 is not a bad book; it's more of an average debut with a few good fight scenes sprinkled throughout.

The highlight for me, where words and images really merged to make something special, was the one-on-one with the lead, Joe Thursday, and a talking cat. There were some fun interpretations of various types of dreams throughout this debut.

Overall, this was a fun issue with a couple of cool fight sequences, slight revelations, two mysteries in need of solving and enough introductions to whet the appetite for more to come.

Genesis redefines what life after death can mean. Imagine if one simple act of weakness could open a door allowing you to make all your hopes and dreams real. It is magical, spiritual, filled with wonder and tragic consequences, and the dangers of imagination left unchecked. I am going in for my second re-read and you need to pick this book up and get lost in the wonderful fairy tale nature it exudes.

As for the overall story and Romero's writing, the pacing is good and the dialogue comes off as natural. The Padre's problem with the comic, then, is that this story feels like an offshoot of some of his recent of the Dead films, complete with cardboard characters and predictable plot. It isn't a bad comic by any stretch; it's just a mostly boring one until its undeadly last quarter.

Serviceable art by Bagley, solid storytelling technique as usual. The last page reveal does work in terms of being shocking and different. It is sure to piss people off. The connections between characters were telegraphed and fairly weak. For me, it wasn't enough to elevate Hulk #1 above simply-average status. Call it: smashed.

Overall, while Iron Patriot #1 does have moments where the story almost seems too quiet, there is some solid character development here that leads into the final action scenes and another mystery.

For a new writer, Hitch handles things well, presenting us with a tight, focused story that is highlighted by witty interactions and some clever twists. I found the way he changed the tone and tenor of the dialogue " when we are supposedly watching scenes from a film to less cheesy real world (well as real as the speech of Hollyweird actors can get) talk " very well done. It really separated the "on-screen" happenings from the rest of the story.

On the art front, flat out, Eaglesham is a superstar. His storytelling and panel layouts are dynamic. From the quiet scenes to full on fights his art is just about as A-game as it gets. In short, this is a first issue that hits it out of the park.

Good story, good start, and a fresh change of pace from what has become the norm. This is one to watch for both old and young geeks alike.

This is a must-have read for all comic fans who love a little rough edge sci-fi fantasy.

Bendis does a nice bit of world building in this oversized first issue. The hooks are there and you'll want to come back to get deeper in this mob ruled world. To paraphrase fellow Dartmouth grad Michael Corleone, If you think you're going to get out, this book will just pull you back in.

Acua's art leaps off the page, as his use of movement and color is simply breathtaking " as if a painting came to life. The story is also Remender at his best: Desperate heroes up against the worst of odds. Those shades of other stories might turn you off, but here a good goddamn fun story trumps those feelings of same-old-same-old.