There aren’t many things left in this world you can get for $1, let alone something worth every penny of it. Buying a home pregnancy test at the dollar store (I’ve seen ’em!) is something you want to avoid. On the other hand, purchasing issue #1 of DC/Vertigo’s I, ZOMBIE is a buck well spent.

Getting sick of all those handsome, young, well-dressed, romantic, glittery, wimpy vampires that keep popping up as of late? Do you crave the good ol’ days when the best way to deal with creatures of the night was to stake them, not kiss them? Do you prefer crimson blood over glistening sparkles? Well, take Top Cow Productions’ five-issue miniseries IMPALER Volume 2, and call me in the morning. That is, if you can survive the night.

On this glorious day of celebratory drinking, there may be no comic-book character whom superhero geeks and horror fans alike would want to hang with more than Hellboy. He’s funny, outspoken and highly appreciative of Tecate, and thus the concept of a special “Hellboy heads to Mexico” issue (from Dark Horse) released on Cinco de Mayo sounds like a pretty sweet treat—and thanks to the ever-reliable Mike Mignola, it is. What’s more, it wonderfully goes above and beyond being simply just gimmicky and fun (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Truthfully, DEVIL (Dark Horse) doesn’t begin on a high note. In fact, the premise and first couple of pages of issue one come across as something we’ve all seen before. You’ll get the sense that while it’s done well and doesn’t shy away from splatter, it’s really nothing spectacular. Then it goes a little bit crazy, and even though it never ends up “amazing,” it settles nicely right under “intriguing and worth checking out.”

One of the great things about the undead is that you can tell a good zombie tale in just about any setting. Terminal Press evidently agrees, and has released ZOMBIEBOMB! DEAD NOT DEAD, a collection of short stories, pinups and more from myriad artists.

Zombies, zombies, zombies, zombies and more zombies. It seems like everyone and their mothers love the undead in this day and age. These days, anywhere you go, you can purchase something ghoul-related, including comic shops.

Wow.

Already being touted as a big issue, KING OF FEAR #4 blows away expectations and transcends “big”—pushing through to be only accurately described as epic.