The comics world is plagued by series created seemingly only in search of a lucrative movie deal — slick, high-concept books slapped together without much thought given to pedestrian issues like plot, character or dialogue. (Often, it works; this summer's wannabe blockbuster Cowboys & Aliens was born from a comics series optioned by Hollywood before the first issue's ink was dry.) That's why a sharp, smart action comic like Who Is Jake Ellis? is so refreshing. A mercenary

—Dan Kois