10 Of The Best Comic Book Covers Of February 2015

Is it seriously the end of the month already? The calendar can't be argued, so we may as well get our retrospection over with before moving on to March. Here are 10 of Castle Geek-Skull's favorite comic book covers of February 2015!

Batman Vol. 2 #39 by Greg Capullo

Number Ones - Ei8ht #1 Review

"One day, he wasn't in his time at all."

Rafael Albuquerque and Mike Johnson's Ei8ht brings us the story of a time travel mission gone wrong. Stranded and disoriented, chrononaut Joshua has found himself in quite a mess. It may seem simple at face value, but it's a strong enough premise to warrant checking out.

Harley Quinn Valentine's Day Special #1 Review

Pucker up.

Oh look, it's Valentine's Day. Since I'm going it alone this year, I may as well take the opportunity to indulge in a little "me time." I'll give you a moment to get your mind out of the gutter; I'm saying it's time to read some comics!

I may not be in the hearts n' kisses mood, but what the hell; let's see what Harley Quinn Valentine's Day Special #1 has in store!

Number Ones - Star Wars: Darth Vader #1 Review

Darth Vader — the icon of all icons — now has his own Marvel comic book series. The company may as well be printing cash. Despite having several problems with their main Star Wars series, I'm all in.

Star Wars: Darth Vader #1, let's see what you've got!

Marvel Star Wars #2 Review

Those crazy Star Wars.

Despite its occasionally clunky dialogue and inconsistent artwork, I felt Star Wars' return to Marvel Comics was a solid effort. At its best, the characters and overall tone were nearly perfect. If that level of quality can be maintained, the series would easily warrant a monthly purchase.

Now that the second issue is out in the wild, we may as well dive in to see how it stacks up. Let's grab a nice cool glass of blue milk and check out Marvel's Star Wars #2!

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #2 Review

For the record, she's riding atop Iron Man armor on the full cover. It's awesome.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 was one of the first comics I read this year, and I was immediately won over by its upbeat humor and lively visuals. It made far too great an impression to simply stop reading there. The second issue has finally made its way to shelves, and I'm seriously looking forward to whatever it has in store.

Alright, let's do this. Here's a look at Marvel's The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #2!

Number Ones - Cluster #1 Comic Book Review

Life sentence? Fight for your planet instead!

Boom! Studios' Cluster #1 is a new sci-fi action series wherein convicted criminals can serve the M.I.D. (Military Inmate Deployment) in place of a prison sentence. Doing so is no easy way out however. Fifteen years of strict rules, grueling physical training, and perilous war with unforgiving alien races await them.

Now, let's see how the beginning of writer Ed Brisson and illustrator Damian Couceiro's "Dirty Dozen in space" turned out!

Shotaro Ishinomori's Legend Of Zelda Comic Returns This May

Link, with the Pendant of Courage

Good news, everyone! Viz Media recently announced a reprint of Shotaro Ishinomori's classic Legend of Zelda comic originally seen in Nintendo Power! All twelve chapters will be available in a single 196-page volume set to hit shelves on May 5, 2015.

Wacky Wonders: Marvel Thanos Infinity Gauntlet Prop Replica Mug

Harness the power!

Does Castle Geek-Skull really need another feature? You bet it does, and I can't think of anything more perfect for the inaugural installment of "Wacky Wonders" than the Thanos Infinity Gauntlet Prop Replica Mug. This thing reaches glorious heights of "dumb" and I absolutely love it.

10 Of The Best Comic Book Covers Of January 2015

The monthly Spider-Man cosplay party is getting out of hand.

Near the end of my 2014 wrap-up, I decided to pick 14 of my favorite comic book covers of the entire year. Electing such a small number from 12 months worth of comics turned out to be quite a difficult task! Moving forward, I'd like to highlight at least 10 per month. For the first time on Castle Geek-Skull, here are 10 of the best comic book covers from January, 2015.

Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3 #13 by Olivier Coipel

Number Ones - Uncanny Avengers #1 Review

Say it three times fast: Uncanny Avengers Volume 2 #1 - "Counter-Evolutionary Part 1!"

Uncanny Avengers #1 is the start of a new volume showcasing the Avengers Unity Division in the aftermath of the AXIS storyline. While there are certainly more than enough thrown at us, there's a part of me that will always dig seeing characters come together in high-profile team-ups. Let's dive into the issue and see what's in store!

Number Ones - G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes Agent Of Cobra #1 Review

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While the larger than life Cobra Commander is likely the most well known G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero character, Snake Eyes isn't much further down the list. With nearly 100 different toy releases and a role in every iteration of the franchise, he's always been a central figure of its mythos. He escalated to leading status on "rule of cool" alone. This guy is a completely silent ninja commando with katanas, Uzis, and grenades strapped all over his pitch-black attire, and he just happens to have a pet wolf. Yeah, that sells.

Despite the inherent challenge in revolving traditionally speech bubble-driven stories around a character that never speaks, it only makes sense to capitalize on his popularity by giving him a comic book of his own. The original Marvel run was even retitled G.I. Joe: Starring SNAKE EYES at one point. The five-issue Snake Eyes: Agent of Cobra story isn't the first time IDW Publishing has slapped his name onto one of the titles, either. I imagine copies would sell on marquee value alone, but the added "heel turn" is sure to grab a bit more attention this time around. The question is, how does it hold up as the first of a series?

The Marvel Universe Is "Coming To An End"? So What?!

"Time runs out. Everything ends. The Secret Wars commence!"

Some of you stumbling across this probably already hate me from the title alone. Hear me out!

One of today's hottest topics is Marvel's announcement that the upcoming Secret Wars event will bring the Ultimate and 616 Marvel Universes together. One of the most commonly reported phrases is that the "Marvel Universe is coming to an end." How dramatic!

Number Ones - Marvel Star Wars #1 Review

Dang ol' rebel scum.

Disney's big-shot acquisition shenanigans over the last few years have allowed Star Wars to return to the Marvel Comics stable. While the move from Dark Horse was understandably on the controversial side, I feel it's best to give new iterations of beloved franchises a fair chance. That's a big part of what Castle Geek-Skull's Number Ones feature is all about! As such, let's dive in and see what the new Marvel Star Wars #1 has to offer.

I've Been A Greg Capullo Fan Even Longer Than I Realized

I've seen this group shot almost every day for over 20 years.

Several years before taking notice of Greg Capullo's artwork in the pages of Spawn and Wizard Magazine's monthly "Krash Course" instructional features, I received this framed X-Men poster as an unexpected gift. It was hung proudly in my room where I admired it day and night, and I still have it all these years later. Behold:

Number Ones - The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 Review

Powers of both squirrel and girl.

With her partially squirrel blood and great disdain for injustice, Squirrel Girl is now set to kick the butts of bad guys everywhere in her own monthly comic. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 is a fun look at the titular character's attempt to balance the life of a superhero and fitting in as a regular college student. Author Ryan North sets an upbeat mood right out of the gate with our star bellowing a whimsical theme song as she beats down muggers.

This goes on for two pages. It's possibly the most toe-tapping opening to any Marvel comic ever.

14 of Castle Geek-Skull's Favorite Comic Book Covers of 2014

Batman #31: one of many beautiful comic book cover images from 2014.

Ever the rapscallion, Time did everything it could to keep me from enjoying comic books as much as I would have liked to in 2014. I'm far from out of the game entirely however, as I can confidently say that I kept up better than I have in a good while. I even finally got around to showing my face at Free Comic Book Day!

As I kept an eye out for the next must-have issue, tons of preview images fell before my smoldering gaze. The cover art is always front and center, and I often want everything I see based on the quality of the illustrations alone. Choosing a limited number of highlights is a daunting task, but please join me as I go through 14 of my favorite comic book covers of 2014!

Greg Capullo's Batman #31 cover proves yet again that the simplest layouts can be the most effective.

14 Unexpected Surprises from TV, Movies, Games, etc. In 2014

Surprise, Mr. Falcon!

In my attempt to keep up with pop culture goings-on this year, there were a lot of developments I never could have predicted. It seems awesome television announcements or crazy character appearances were turning up all over the place. Take my silken hand as I lead you down the path of 14 of my favorite unexpected surprises from 2014!

Community's "G.I. Jeff" lovingly parodied the 1980s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero cartoon, complete with corresponding action figure commercials.

FanArt Frenzy - 14 of My Favorite Pieces of Fan Art From 2014!

2014 Retrospective Edition!

As we prepare to say our goodbyes to 2014, I feel it's the perfect time to dip into the FanArt Frenzy well once more. Below you will find 14 of my absolute favorite illustrations from the year. You're here for pretty pictures, so let's skip the blabber and get right to it!

Three of my favorite Transformers designs: Galvatron, Cyclonus, and Scourge by Golby2

My Mother's Love Of Comic Books Helped Inspire My Own

A handful of my mother's funnybooks.

My mother was always a big kid at heart. As far back as I can remember, she collected toys, watched cartoons, and occasionally played video games. Her biggest hobby was a love of reading however, and she often read comic books between whatever novel might have caught her eye. She was a big fan of the DC Universe in particular, especially Superman. I have fond memories of visiting comic stores (and the comic sections of book shops) with her on weekends. Sometimes we even made trips up to the big city in our state just to see what issues we could find. Comics were at the center of a lot of really good times for us.

I'm not sure if my own interest in the medium started separately or not, but I know my mom's enthusiasm for comics clearly had an effect. They were always around, and I loved looking through them even before I knew what most of the words said. Rather than keeping me away from them, this was actively encouraged. I quickly formed interests in tons of characters that I still hold dear today, and I immediately took to drawing them in whatever rudimentary way possible. That ultimately lead to one of the biggest aspects of my creativity and overall identity.