Comics are great, no if ands or buts about it. But with the amount of new books presented to us every Wednesday, some characters get lost and forgotten. Here are three fun characters that you should check out!
CONCRETE – Dark Horse Comics 
Written and illustrated by Paul Chadwick for Dark Horse Comics, Concrete tells the story of a speechwriter named Ron Lithgow who goes on a camping trip and leaves it in a new, powerful, rock-like body that grants him super-human abilities, and later adopts the identity of Concrete to hide his mysterious origin from the public. With his new abilities, Concrete decides to travel the world and earn money by chronicling his adventures. Concrete’s stories have common themes like isolation and companionship and a fascination with nature and the human condition, and they also range anywhere from crime fiction to science fiction, so there’s something for every reader!
HERBIE – American Comics Group (ACG) 
An oldie but a goodie, Herbie is a comedy book following the misadventures of a strange, stoic child named Herbie Popnecker who gains fantastic powers from a variety of colorful lollipops. In one issue Herbie could be masquerading as his super hero identity, the Fat Fury, or he could be traveling back in time to get the tears of a dragon to power a rocket and beat the Russians in the space race, so there’s no telling what you’ll get with each issue! With appearances by Fidel Castro, JFK, and even the Devil himself, Herbie is definitely a book for fans of the weird and off-the-wall.
SANDMAN – DC Comics / Vertigo
Not the Spider-Man Villain or Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed series, the Sandman I’m talking about resides in a book titled Sandman Mystery Theatre, and follows the pulp noir adventures of Wesley Dodds, a less attractive, more schlubby version of Bruce Wayne who is plagued by violent, prophetic nightmares and moonlights as The Sandman, a gas-mask wearing detective who carries a gun that shoots a gas that makes criminals fall asleep and feel compelled to tell the truth. Each arc has a new monstrous criminal for Wesley to face against the backdrop of a New York City on the brink of World War II, making for an intense read. While there have been a few artists on the book, my favorite stories involve those illustrated by Guy Davis, who’s art has just the gritty feel that this sort of detective book needs.
Hopefully this list inspired you to pick up something new or just made you remember an old character you haven’t thought of in awhile. Either way, happy reading!
