It’s Tuesday and that means BULLET REVIEWS!!! Quick looks at recently released comics. If you’re having a light week, maybe something here will catch your attention (or save you money)! This week: Conan The Barbarian #5, Grim Leaper #1, Marvel Zombies Destroy! #3, The Massive #1, and The Strain #5
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #5 (Dark Horse Comics)
There is a lot of narration in this book. I’m not a regular reader of this series, indeed this was the first time I’ve ever read a Conan comic book, but I can say that while regular readers may be turned off by the large amount of narration in this issue, I for one found it refreshing. They say every comic book is someone’s first and this is a fine example. Conan is travelling with pirates now and is working to take over the city of Messantia because his pirate lady love Belit wants it, for specific reasons that aren’t spelled out clearly here. While the motivation may be foggy, the excitement and entertainment in this issue aren’t. In order for her to carry out her plan, all Conan had to do was get arrested and executed. She shows up with an interesting offer that allows Conan to fight for his freedom, and create a distraction to make it easier for her to achieve her goals. In the process we get treated to a fantastic fight between Conan and a beast of a man. This series is certainly one that fans of Immortals, 300 and, well, Conan the Barbarian should check out. I may not read it on a regular basis, but at least now I know why Conan comics have been around for as long as they have! -Skott Jimenez
GRIM LEAPER #1 (Image Comics)
Some people will tell you that Image Comics is slowly becoming the next powerhouse in the industry, and I have to say I find it hard to argue as Image has pumped out yet another outstanding series. Enter Grim Leaper #1, a romantic comedy that is so insanely charming you won’t be able to put it down. In the first issue we meet Lou, who has been cursed. Every time he dies he jumps into a new body. He does very unusual things with this gift, including going to his own funeral and other “activities”. Because of this ability he can continue to be the same person he always was: a lonely, self-sufficient nobody who drifts through life without a care in the world. The man with zero ambition is about to discover the meaning of life (sort of?) as he meets a girl named Ella who also shares this curse. The two hit it off amazingly and there is chemistry like never before, as someone finally knows what Lou goes through every single jump. Just as things start to look up Ella is hit by a bus and killed. As Lou realizes once again he is alone, he decides that there is only one thing to do: find Ella once again. The only problem is she could be anybody. Written by Kurtis J Wiebe and Illustrated by Alusio C Santos, this first issue did not disappoint. When the press release hit a few months ago, I said that I was looking forward to it. As you can probably figure out, I appreciate Wiebe not letting me down. -Nick Furious
*Grim Leaper #1 has sold out at the publisher and a second print has been announced! Check out the awesome cover for
the second print and go to the Official Grim Leaper Facebook page (tell them Comic Booked sent you!) to see a sneak peek at Grim Leaper #2 out this week in comic shops everywhere, and come back next week to check out Nick’s Bullet Review of it!*
MARVEL ZOMBIES DESTROY! #3 (Marvel Comics)
Love them or hate them, this new Marvel Zombies series is the most fun we’ve had with this concept in a long time! We find that the main reason Howard The Duck wanted Dum Dum Dugan on the team was so that he could impersonate his zombie self and stop the Zombie Nazis from invading any other realities. It’s a good plan and probably would have worked if the Zombie Asgardians hadn’t taken notice of what is happening. This is everything that made Marvel Zombies a hit from day one. It’s got the action, characters and dark humor that have become traditions in this series. Pretty much the only thing missing is the over the top gore. But that’s a minor thing when compared to the hilarious covers by Michael Del Mundo. They are just as fun as what’s inside and I cannot wait to see the cover for the next issue! Marvel Zombies Destroy! is more than making up for Marvel Zombies: Supreme, which was a total snorefest and is best left forgotten. If you were a fan and wandered off because you got bored with this franchise then you really should take a look at this series. Peter David and Al Barrionuevo are doing a great job! -Skott Jimenez
THE MASSIVE #1 (Dark Horse Comics) 
Brian Wood is one of the finest character writers out there. He could make you love a Nazi, I swear. For some reason, he kind of left that out of The Massive. Don’t let that change your mind about reading it though. Even though the characters just don’t seem to hook you, everything else is mesmerizing. The story alone makes you want to never put it down. This is not your typical Brian Wood work, as the story takes precedence over the characters. Wood hasn’t exactly let me down, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt that the characters will get a bit more development time in future issues. The concept is simple. The world has gone to hell as the weather undergoes unnatural climatic responses (Due to war. Go figure). Our story is told through the crew of the Kapital, as they execute their mission to find the Massive, a ship that has abruptly gone missing. As the search progresses, we see that the seas are plagued with pirates and deadly marauders with no sense of moral code or ethics. This issue has been compared to the likes of Waterworld and other apocalyptic disaster movies. I completely disagree. These aren’t people looking to save Earth. These are people looking to save a freighter ship with forty people aboard. This is a rescue mission that has the potential to be epic. -Nick Furious
THE STRAIN #5 (Dark Horse Comics)
First let me say I’m not a vampire person. While I do enjoy the occasional bit of Dark Shadows (The ORIGINAL Not the Tim Burton abomination) and other classic vampire tales, for the most part I’m a zombie guy. The Strain, however, is an interesting look at vampires. This is, so far, the only issue I’ve ever read and I have to say it’s pretty good. The series itself is an adaptation of the Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan trilogy by the same name. Vampires are taking over and there doesn’t seem to be very much anyone can do about it. In this issue we meet an old man in jail who notices two friends, one very ill, and begins to tell his story. We go back to 1937 and find the Nazis being jerks as they always are. We focus on the old man, who is young in his tale, and who, as a Jew is placed in a concentration camp. He is able to survive mostly due to his artistic abilities. During the night a thing comes into the camp and kills some of the weaker people there, while during the day the Nazis running the camp makes their lives hell. Abraham, the man telling the story, decides to take matters into his own hands and ends up learning more about the monster than he ever expected! I’m just going to leave it at that, except to say that if this series is something you’ve been curious about then this is the issue you should check out. While it’s part of a larger story, it works as a standalone issue very well. As someone who isn’t a big follower of vampire stuff, there is enough here to make me curious about what is going on. Well done and worth a read! -Skott Jimenez
And that wraps up another week! Let us know what you think about these books. Do you agree with our Bullets? Disagree? Now’s your chance to speak up! We have that comment section below just for that reason, you know. Hey, check out those links on the left! Share Bullet Reviews on Facebook, Twitter (#BulletReviews), Google +, Stumble Upon, Digg, and Pinterest (that little ‘Pin It’ thing you see right below)! The more you share the more you can say you were here! How cool is that?
