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Platinum Grit. vol. 1: This is volume one of the online comic strip, Platinum Grit (http://www.platinumgrit.com/) following the misadventures of the well-meaning, but hapless Jeremy and his friend, secret love, and constant antagonist, Nils.  In this first collection, Jeremy has inherited a Scottish castle from his not-quite-dead-yet aunt and must vanquish his Highlander-esque cousin Dougal to keep it.  Also, aliens show up.  Oh, and Jeremy must alter his destiny by partying with the 12 signs of the Zodiac.  It’s as crazy as it sounds, though is also equally charming.  Artist and co-writer, Trudy Cooper, renders the characters with a manic Disney-like style that makes both Nils and Jeremy come to life in simple black and white layouts.  I personally can’t wait for volume two.

Hack/Slash vol. 5: If you’re not reading this comic, have never read this comic, or have never heard of this comic, then I feel extremely sorry for you.  It’s a classic high concept style pitch that seems to just keep getting better and better with each issue:  Cassie Hack is the daughter of the infamous slasher, the Lunch Lady and after the trauma of killing the undead creature that was once her mother, she sets off to hunt down and kill all slashers that roam the night.  Aiding Cassie on this quest is her loyal partner, Vlad.  Vlad is both fearsome and loveable depending on the situation and never leaves Cassie’s side.  Slashers, in case you don’t know, are basically the bad guys in horror films such as Freddy Kruger, Jason Voorhies, Michael Myers and Chucky the doll (who actually crosses pathes with Cassie and Vlad in volume 2).  This particular volume has a sordid publishing history.  Due to copyright issues (it features the classic horror character, the Re-Animator), the book had to be self-published and self-distributed by the comic company and thus the production quality of the book suffers.  The content, however, is still a cut above most of the horror movies being released currently.

Samurai: Legend:  Marvel Comics has partnered with European publisher Soleil to present a diverse line-up of imported and translated titles for American audience to enjoy.  Samurai: Legend is one of those titles.  I’m a true sucker for this genre of comics and besides having a complete set of Usagi Yojimbo, Dark Horse’s Samurai: Heaven and Earth vol. 1 and 2, and Sam Noir: Samurai Detective from Image, I can still never get enough of samurai-themed comics.  Samurai: Legend is possessed of breath-taking layouts and line work while the compelling story of Takeo the newly anointed samurai and his journey of discovery.  The book is well worth the price in hardcover format and I look forward to more collections involving this character.