Emilio Estevez is one of those creatives most closely associated with an era and his famous family. His father and brother have much more celebrated careers than he but Emilio has shown more talent than both. He is both a director and actor whose resume proves how gifted his vision as each movie he directs is, is markedly different from the other. A feat neither of his famous family members have been able to accomplish.

I love his work in both Young Guns movies and his start in Breakfast Club remains iconic. It is some of his other movies like Judgement Night, that despite its B movie formula is both fun and tense. As I always wondered if someone injected some supernatural elements into that movie, how much better it would have been?  In the third issue of Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle, the timetable gets tighter as the body count rises, and Harry is running out of options on how to stop this evil.

We find Harry and Will running from a possessed devil dog, one that causes carnage throughout downtown Chicago, and one that Harry has to put down before it causes any more damage as he uses his wand to take it down. As they go back to Will’s lab, they find a few of her coworkers killed by one of the gorillas who were under the control of Watson, as Harry uses his memory powers to uncover how the massacre occurred. As we soon find out just how Watson has amassed her powers and just how dark is her black magic. By the end of the issue, Harry gets caught in a trap by Watson, one which he regrets not seeing.

Overall, an issue with wall to wall action which leaves readers on the edge of their seat. The story by Jim Butcher is well-paced and intelligent. The art by Ardian Syaf is gorgeous. Altogether, an issue that proves that sometimes when you think you are on top of your game, you may still be a few steps off.

Story: Jim Butcher Art: Ardian Syaf
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

As a child, I remember the first time I saw Cujo. I’d heard from an older cousin just how scary Stephen King’s books were and how it would stay with you for days. I remember how she told me how Salem’s Lot was the scariest book she read. She had her own misgivings about the movie and the miniseries, but she said they were pretty much the same.

 Then I watched Cujo and the way me and my cousins saw stray animals became something completely different for our adolescent minds. We were instantly scared of strange animals, even if they were domesticated. That movie has left such an imprint on our minds 36 years later, that when I do see a dog, the name, “ Cujo” comes to mind every time. In the second issue of Dresden Files: Welcome To The Jungle, we find Harry fighting a whole zoo who’s being controlled by an evil entity.

We find Harry and Will running from a pack of leopards, who back them in a corner and where Harry notices something mystical emanating from their eyes. His instincts lead him to the zoo’s veterinarian’s office, Dr. Watson, where he uncovers traces of blood magic, something he doesn’t hold the knowledge of. He eventually returns to his abode and discovers through speaking with Bob, his spectral guide, exactly what Watson is. By the issue’s end, Harry and Will, armed with this new knowledge, depart to confront her.

Overall, an engaging issue which displays Jim Butcher’s innate skill to blend genres as the heat gets turned on this issue. The story by Butcher is intense and well characterized. The art by Adrian Syaf is gorgeous. Altogether, an issue that proves Butcher’s genius and Syaf’s brilliance.

Story: Jim Butcher Art: Adrian Syaf
Story: 9.6 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

In today’s popular media, the mainstreaming of geek culture has made the world more wondrous and open-minded. For a time, JK Rowling’s name and books captured the world’s imagination. Never has a series of books in my time been celebrated more than these epic tomes that Rowling produced at a rapid pace. So, when the Harry Potter books ended, the world came to a collective hush momentarily.

She eventually continued her work in this world by taking it stateside when she wrote Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It took the world she introduced in Harry Potter and put in an urban setting, leading many to believe this had been the first-time audiences got to see wizards in a city landscape. But as most avid urban fantasy readers like myself have known, writers like Jim Butcher have been putting wizards in this world for years and much better than Rowling could ever do. In the first issue of the graphic adaptation of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files: Welcome To The Jungle, we find our protagonist in the midst of a city on the edge and magic is the reason for all the chaos.

We’re taken to the Chicago Zoo, where a murder under bizarre circumstances, has the police on high alert because of who the victim is connected to. As we meet Harry Dresden, an outcast wizard who’s also a private detective and has a penchant for finding the supernatural sources of his client’s aggrievements. Before long, Harry is called to the crime scene, one where we see the Chicago PD has both its skeptics and believers when it comes to magic,  and it just so happens, his biggest champion is Lt Murphy, who has seen firsthand what Harry’s abilities can yield. Harry begins his investigation, where he sees that many things about this case is very odd and reminds him of a previous battle he had with a once close confidant. By issue’s end, whatever black magic has powers over the animals at the zoo come for Harry.

Overall, an excellent debut issue of this smoldering detective whose keen ability to discern is what makes him both brilliant and powerful. The story by Butcher is action-packed, smart, and penetrative. The art by Adrian Syaf is simply breathtaking. Altogether, a story that proves that urban fantasy has always been in good hands, especially with Butcher’s deft touch.

Story: Jim Butcher Art: Adrian Syaf
Story: 10 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.3 Recommendation: Buy