I love reading novels set in different times and places which is probably why I’m such a huge fan of Steampunk, science fiction, and fantasy. Dragonfly Warrior, Jay Noel’s first novel from 4 Wing Press, is a solid and enjoyable story set in an alternate Steampunk Asia.

Once upon a time, there was a world much like ours, or should I say numerous parallel worlds, each with a different evolutionary path. Some were similar to our own, while in others, the dinosaurs never died out and reptilian-like creatures rose to sentience; however, in one of these parallel worlds, World War II was not won by the atom bomb, but by the ability to traverse these alternate worlds and, thereby, laying waste to Earth and forcing the annexation of other worlds to survive. Thus began The Ascendancy, a political, military, and scientific agency bent on the domination of all useful parallel worlds.

Welcome to Parallel Man.

For those of you who don’t know, Steampunk World is a multi-cultural Steampunk anthology funded through Kickstarter from Alliteration Ink. I was one of the backers which is how I received the book.  It intrigued me, as most Steampunk is based in England, and I wanted to see how the rest of the world viewed this most peculiar and interesting genre of which I am a part. I’m glad I took the time to back this project.

Being a big fan of the Fox TV show Sleepy Hollow, I was pretty stoked to be able to review the first issue of the four-issue mini-series from BOOM! Written by Marguerite Bennett and illustrated by Jorge Coelho, they set up the story nicely by dropping us into the always supernatural world of Sleepy Hollow.

A Steampunk fantasy from Harper Voyager, The Clockwork Dagger is Beth Cato’s first novel in what will be a series in this universe. I was a little wary when I noticed that it was not only Ms. Cato’s first novel, but was 354 pages long. (Sorry, but all sorts of red flags go up in my head when I see long page counts on first books.)  Fortunately, Ms. Cato knows what she’s doing, as I quickly got caught up in the very rich and descriptive world she has created.

The past collides with the future in the ninth issue of Dark Horse’s Terminator Salvation: The Final Battle. Written by Joe Stracynski, this issue dives in with no preamble as John Connor carries the fate of the world on his shoulders. But, can he handle it?

The sixth issue of Where the Witches Lurk, written by Joe Pezzula and with art by Donny Ganakusuma, brings us to the final confrontation between Gina, Tina, and the Dark Witch.  In the previous issues, we saw the mysterious Apothecary Symthe help Officer LaMontague release his colleagues from the spell of the Dark Witch while Sarah, Tina, and Gina try to track her down while looking for their missing father.

Okay . . . having reviewed the last two volumes of this serious, I knew it was violent (which normally doesn’t bother me), but if you’re not prepared for it or don’t like it, this might not be the comic for you. Just saying . . .

I’m back to review Issue #8 of Dark Horse’s Terminator Salvation: The Final Battle. Previous issues spent time building up the new characters of Dr. Kogan, Simon, the three Terminators basking in the California sun, and serial killer, Thomas Parnell. Now, the story hits full stride as John Connor comes face to face with an unknown future for the first time.

Ever wondered what it would be like to be a normal person dealing with superheroes on a not-so-friendly basis? Stephen Stern and Matt Yuan, with art by John Yuan, take it upon themselves to show us the other side of life in a world dominated by superheroes in Serving Supes. Published by First Comics, the story is about two hapless twin brothers whose job is to serve court summonses on delinquent and bail-jumping superheroes and supervillains.