I Love You, Dark Horse

The last few months have been an absolute emotional roller coaster. I was promoted at work to a job with more responsibility. I started at a new school to start finishing my Bachelor's degree. My long term boyfriend and I have parted ways, so I'm struggling to find my way in the single world. I started to reinvent myself or maybe find a part of myself that I thought I'd lost. My constant struggle with perfection was leaving me feeling drained as I strive to ensure I make straight A's. During all of this, I'd forgotten to keep the promise I made to myself to reduce my stress. Crafting fell by the wayside, I can barely remember the last book I read that wasn't required reading, I haven't blogged since September, and I can't recall the last time I sat down and wrote a poem. And to top it all off, Matt Smith is no longer the Doctor.

Finally, I have a little break from school and had the chance to realize that my obsessions, my passions, fuel me. Whether it's the new me or the old me, there are always some things that remain a constant and need to have a spotlight in my life, no matter how busy or stressed I get. As we start the new year, I think that is something we should remember, happiness shouldn't take a back seat.

One of my passions is Dark Horse Comics. 90% of my weekly order comes from Dark Horse. I usually don't even look at DC or Marvel anymore (unless I see a Skottie Young variant, but I can't help it, he's awesome). When I picked up my order for the month, I looked through to see what I had to look forward to and I literally squealed when I saw one comic in particular. (Yes, I squealed over a comic book, don't judge.)

Credit: Dark Horse Comics

Ghost #1

Cover by Terry Dodson

Story by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Chris Sebela

Art by Ryan Sook

Colors by Dave McCaig

Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft

In the long, long ago (I think 1993? Maybe?), I picked up a comic called Comics' Greatest World. Ghost debuted in that issue. Of all the comics I've lost, sold, traded, or ruined, this issue was one of the few to survive. I remember being enthralled with her story from the start. I loved the supernatural elements. I loved the idea of a superhero as an adult women, instead of the whole teenage superhero thing people seem to love. For quite a few years, I barely visited a comic shop and when I did, it was more about the action figures than comics. When I started frequenting the shop on a regular basis, I was excited to see on the shelf Ghost #0. I picked it up and remembered just how much I loved this story. The story continued in a 4 issue mini-series Ghost- in the Smoke and Din written by Kelly Sue McConnick and art by Phil Noto. Phil Noto also worked on one of my other favorite series, Angel & Faith, an off-shoot of the ever popular Buffy series. The art was absolutely beautiful and each and every issue, I wanted to buy two so I could frame the covers. After that story, I was super excited to see McConnick would be returning to write the new serial and I wasn't disappointed. It has a noir detective feel to it with demon fighting action. All centered around a girl stuck between two worlds with only some of her memories. The new issue is a great place to start. The summary page brings you right up to speed and you can jump right in without missing a beat.

Credit: Dark Horse

47 Ronin

Writing by Mike Richardson

Art by Stan Sakai

Coloring by Lovern Kindzierski

Editorial Consultant Kazuo Koike

Another amazing mini-series out of Dark Horse in 2013 is the Japanese national legend 47 Ronin. Anyone that is into samurai, Japanese history and legends, a beautiful story of loyalty, honor, and tragedy, accompanied by gorgeous artwork, must check out this book. In February, Dark Horse is coming out with a special hard cover edition that I must add to my library. Most of the issues are still available at Dark Horse through TFAW. You can also pre-order the hard cover edition for $19.99. The hardcover boasts "tons of bonus art and behind-the-scenes extras."

I have two weeks on break before it's back to school. There are so many crafts I want to do before I go back. Since it's January, it is time to start on Christmas presents. Soon, I'll be posting another perler bead tutorial, this time I'll tell you how to make a perler bead tissue box color in whatever design you can imagine.