Shipped April 30, 2008

Crawl Space: XXXombies #4 (of 4)
Image Comics
(w) Rick Remender, Kieron Dwyer & Tony Moore
(a) Kieron Dwyer
FC 32 pgs w/ ads $2.99

XXXombies comes to an end and, for the most part, it delivered a good zombie tale-- full of gangsters, porn stars, wayward daughters, concerned fathers, naked women and flesh eating zombies, the staples of entertaining comics.

My only complaint is that in an interview about this series writer Rick Remender stated it was about a guy using famous movie star zombies to make twisted porn movies. This amused me, being the twisted individual that I am. But this only happens in the last couple of pages of this final issue. This is only a minor complaint. The rest of the series has been a fun, twisted ride. (Shane Hnetka)

3.5 of 5

DC Universe 0
DC Comics
(w) Grant Morrison & Geoff Johns
(a) Various
FC 32 pgs w/ ads $0.50

In an attempt to wash away the bad taste of Countdown and build some momentum towards its big event, Final Crisis, DC Comics created this stand alone issue, which is suppose to bridge the gap between Countdown and Final Crisis. It is, in actuality, a big push for all of DC's titles.

DC Universe 0 consists of one or two pages of sampler story followed by an advertisement for the actual comic. Each sample is tied together by a single narrative.

This is a lot like those free preview comics both Marvel and DC gives away from time to time, but this time around DC is charging fifty cents for the material. (They are charging a full dollar for the just announced second printing.) It seems shameless to me to try and push this as a comic when it's just a bunch of samples of Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds, Batman R.I.P., Wonder Woman, Green Lantern: Blackest Night, Final Crisis: Revelations, and then Final Crisis itself. The person narrating is supposed to be someone big who is returning from the dead, not that it's a secret anymore thanks to various forms of media.

Does DC Universe 0 get me hyped for Final Crisis? No, not really. (Shane Hnetka)

2 of 5

Jack of Fables #22
DC Comics / Vertigo Comics
(w) Bill Willingham & Matthew Sturges
(a) Tony Atkins & Andrew Pepoy
FC, 32 pgs w/ ads $2.99

I liked this issue of Jack of Fables because it's a departure from the ongoing storyline. We get a story from Jack's past. The year is 1883 and Jack is known as Jack Candle, dangerous leader of the equally dangerous Jack Candle Gang, robbers of trains, stagecoaches and banks.

We get a return to solid art from Tony Atkins and Andrew Pepoy, a motley collection of brigands from Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges, and an appearance by Fables mainstays Snow White and Bigby Wolf, the latter of which appears likely to stick around for the duration of this story. (Chad Boudreau)

3 of 5

Hellboy: Free Comic Book Day Edition
Dark Horse Comics
(w) Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Joshua Dysart
(a) Duncan Fegredo, Guy Davis and Paul Azaceta
FC, 28 pgs, FREE

The Free Comic Book Day Edition of Hellboy is probably one of the greatest things I've ever received for "free". (This excludes gifts, which aren't free. Someone has to pay for gifts.)

Admittedly, Dark Horse typically blows when it comes to Free Comic Book Day offerings. This year, however, they assembled the Hellboy / BPRD creative teams to produce three original short stories that add to the overall Hellboy mythos.

First up is "The Mole". It's a dream sequence of sorts. Taking place two weeks before the events of Hellboy: Darkness Calls, it is a chilling foreshadowing regardless of whether or not you've read Darkness Calls.

The next is "Out of Reach". It's a BPRD tale that adds a twist to recent events that occurred in that series. It also suggests some of what will follow in the upcoming The Warning.

Lastly, we get another look into the world of BPRD: 1946 as told by Joshua Dysart and Paul Azaceta. It's a quick tale involving Trevor Bruttenholm, but the real treat in is the horrific monster. "Don't fear the guardian! In time you'll become accustomed to its nightly visits."

There was a lot of good stuff offered on Free Comic Book Day, but this Hellboy offering was hands down the best of the bunch. (Chad Boudreau)

4.5 of 5