Frank Frazetta (February 9, 1928 – May 10, 2010) was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for work in comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers and other media. He was the subject of a 2003 documentary. His interpretation of Robert E. Howard's creation Conan visually redefined the genre of sword and sorcery, and had an enormous influence on succeeding generations of artists in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. Frazetta was inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1999. These are the Howard stories the covers for which Frazetta made the artwork--certainly the most iconic ever done of a fictional character. A must-have for the serious comics fan. All HQ Minutemen scans.

The title says it all: thirty-six cool full-page posters featuring Marvel’s wisecracking web-slinger. HQ ArtNet-DCP scans.

Wizard Magazine's tribute to Marvel Comics' X-Men, in time for the mutant superhero team's 35th Anniversary. Everything any serious X-men fan needs to know, current up to that time of publication, plus a whole lot more.

Pulp noir meets vampire mythos meets pop Chinese folklore in Image's ongoing 8-issue miniseries Undying Love. Ex-soldier John Sargent is focused on finding a master vampire, the one who turned his girlfriend Mei into one herself. He's running out of time, since well-trained assassins are out to get Mei. It's non-stop action with bits of dark humor thrown in for good measure. The artwork is naturally shadowy and permeated with dark contrasts. Appropriately issue #1 was released on Friday, the 13th of May 2011. I won't be surprised if this comic finds its way into movie theaters in the near future--which is my way of saying its quite an entertaining mix of action, romance and horror. Not recommended for ages below 15. All HQ Minutemen scans.

Dynamite Entertainment's continuing publications of Roy Thomas' and Barry Windsor-Smith's enduring creation Red Sonja continues, in this five-part sequel to their previous Red Sonja: Wrath of the Gods. In that 5-issue miniseries, with the aid of Odin, the All-Father, and Thor, God of Thunder, Sonja battled Loki, the God of Tricks, and banished him from his kingdom of Wodinaz, to the fabled land of Hyboria. The story picks up from there, with Loki plotting revenge and his return to power, setting his sights on the kingdom of Vannaheim. A better-than-average outing on the Red Sonja mythos, with clever use of Norse mythology on the fantasy-sword-and-sorcery trope and of using miniseries in temporal sequence to establish continuity. Artist Sampere follows the established depiction of violence and gore, which is, naturally graphic. May not be suitable for all ages. All HQ Minutemen scans.

When it comes to space opera action, Edgar Rice Buroughs’ John Carter of Mars series led the way for all pulp fiction to follow. Many companies have attempted to bring the series to screen, and John Carter has appeared in comics a time or two as well. Dynamite Entertainment is the latest to tackle the character, and they’re taking the story and tweaking it just a bit. Note, however, that this is not an adaptation of Warlord of Mars, the third book in the Barsoom series, but rather a prequel to A Princess of Mars, the story that kicked off the 11-book series, and introduced readers to the Southern Civil War veteran John Carter. Writer Arvid Nelson does a fine job in this introduction and in the development of the storyline. Stephen Sadowski's kinetic artwork for the first 2 issues fit Nelson's approach, although I find his dark, heavy outlines a trifle disconcerting. And I suppose there's not much one can do in drawing identifiable faces with regard to green-skinned Martians. Lui Antonio who has drawn the third issue up to the present is doing much better. One of the more interesting passages in the source material is that John Carter finds himself and men of the Martians "nekkid" as the day they were born, and while Dynamite Entertainment won’t be able to get away with a lot of nudity in the series, Sadowski and in turn Antonio thus far managed to pull off the clothing optional aspect. Nelson also scripts the companion series Dejah Thoris with the same confident feel and here I'll do say that artist Carlos Rafael's Dejah Thoris would give Red Sonja or the Witchblade gals more than a run for our money. Surprisingly good. All HQ Minutemen jobs.