Confessions of a Comic Book Guy is a weekly column by Steve Bennett of Super-Fly Comics and Games in Yellow Springs, Ohio.  This week, Bennett looks at some recent comics of note.

First I completely forgot last weekend was the Chicago Comic Con, which is more than a little sad given how it was the first big comic book convention I ever attended.  Then I kept expecting comic book publishers to use the venue to make big announcements but finally I recalled it had been rebranded as Wizard World Chicago Comic Con and comic book publishers were scarce.  Reports indicate that an actual comic book convention took place somewhere amongst all of the actors, Playboy models and former wrestlers selling their autographs but the biggest "news" to come out of WWCCC (boy, do I hate typing that) was the inexplicable promotional appearance by former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.  Though I imagine he would have been happy to have appeared at the 2010 Boat, RV and Outdoors Show if it was being held that weekend.
 
I know last week I wrote that I generally don't review comics in this column, but every once in a while...
 
Here's a confession; though I can read all of the comics that I want for free there are still titles and publishers I pretty much ignore.  I still look forward to pouring through the latest Diamond Previews catalog every month in hopes of finding some new title that's as good as it is unexpected but I'll freely admit that I don't study the solicitations of publishers -- like Bluewater, Zenescope, IDW and Moonstone as closely as I probably should.  Which is the only explanation that I have for Honey West #1 slipping completely under my radar.  Oh, I remembered when Moonstone first announced they were doing a Honey West comic, mostly because I'm so old I actually remember the 1965-66 TV series of the same name, but after that I honestly didn't give it a second thought.  Then I actually read it.  It was so good that I blew past the credits but when I doubled backed I found that it was written by... Trina Robbins?  Not underground comix legend Trina Robbins, the woman who designed Vampirella's costume and created GoGirl?  Plus it was drawn by Cynthia Martin, a name I hadn't read in entirely too long but I'm happy to report that her artwork has improved considerably since the days when she drew Marvel's Star Wars and DC's War of the Gods (and that's really saying something).  And I'm happy to report together they've produced a story worthy of Ms. West, a 1960s period piece full of the meticulously researched period hair and clothes you'd expect from Trina Robbins.  But it also has action, suspense and an eye-scratching catfight between two heroically proportioned, gorgeous women in bikinis, if you like that sort of thing.  It only shipped last week so hopefully it's still available for reorder, because it's definitely something every comic shop should have and every comic shop retailer should read.
 
I've always been a little ambivalent about Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker's Science Dog, a character who usually only appears in Kirkman's Invincible as the hero's fictional comic book hero.  On the one hand I've got to admire the goofy high concept premise of a humanoid dog who acts like an anthropomorphic Tom Strong (and looks more than a little like Jan Strnad and Dennis Fujitake's Dalgoda; if you have no idea who that is look it up; it's worth the effort).  But on the other it's married to a fairly standard action/adventure storyline where the fantastic happens with such regularity our hero has developed a rather ho-hum  “if this is Tuesday that must be a death ray” attitude towards his adventures.  In the end what won me over was Kirkman's and Walker's unbridled enthusiasm for creating a comic like the ones they used to read starring a hero of their very own.  Science Dog Special #1 ships this week and is well worth a look.
 
And while there are entirely too many unnecessary Thor comics being published at the moment you really shouldn't confuse them with Thor: The Mighty Avenger by Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee.  Together they've done a remarkable job of creating a Thor comic that could be read by absolutely everyone, a reimagining of all the fun found in the early Marvel Universe set in a slightly more real (but not dismal) world.  It's written and drawn in a style that's clean, clear and simple but is in no way 'kidified' (you can safely put this into the hands of the average eight year old but its in no way Marvel Adventures Thor).  Both #1 and #2 have sold out, so naturally Marvel will be printing a one-shot titled Thor: The Mighty Avenger -- Double Rainbow, which reprints the first two issues of the series.  If you haven't been getting this one, here's your opportunity to catch up. 

The opinions expressed in this column are solely  those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.