5 Sheep Comic Review: The Loose End by Dave Dwonch (from Titan Comics)

"The award-winning imprint Hard Case Crime presents a wacky story of guns, ganja and gambling from writer Dave Dwonch artist Travis Hymel."

 

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The Loose End
by Dave Dwonch
Illustrated by Travis Hymel
Publisher: Titan Books (US, CA), 2025
ISBN 1787746445, 9781787746442
Length 112 pages
Genre: Crime & Mystery, Action & Adventure
Steven Hollis is a mild-mannered scriptwriter with a love for risk and reward. When he gambles his way into debt, the Mob offer him a one-way ticket from under their thumb. All he has to do is kill the biggest Hollywood executive in the industry…

However, plans derail when a trip to Mexico City turns sour. A drug deal gone wrong sets the cartel on the hunt for a rag-tag group of actors, writers and executives as they have a no-holds-barred standoff!

If you’re a fan of cinema classics and a totally balls-to-the-wall action adventure, this is the book for you!

The Loose End graphic novel collects The Loose End issues #1-4.

Gonna start off with what I say in EVERY Dave Dwonch graphic novel review: Dave is talented, skilled and one of my favorite writers. I have never been disappointed with his storytelling.

My review of The Loose End could double as a movie review; reading it felt like watching an action release. I agree with the comparison to a Quentin Tarantino action movie script, but I'd like to add that it has Pulp Fiction humor. 

The Loose End covers all the action movie tropes. It even starts out with a car chase and the master-level use of the movie plot flashback technique (ex., Two days ago..., Two hours later...) to keep the story moving at warp speed to the end. Pulled into the story/action from the beginning, I couldn't put it down till I finished. And like all great stories, there are a couple of plot twists.

Big shout out to the artist. His style, panel compositions and the use of multiple color pallets to set the mood for each scene. 

The Loose End is an exciting adventure from start to finish, so buckle up, Buttercup!

Warp Speed Uss Enterprise GIFfrom Warp Speed GIFs

5 "Blink 182 thing" Sheep

 

SharonS

About the Author:
Linktree
Dave Dwonch has been a comics writer and artist for nearly two decades, penning titles like Jenny Zero (Dark Horse), Vamplets (Scholastic), as well as The Automaton and the Cyrus Perkins series under his Hellbrain imprint. Most recently he collaborated with Travis Hymel on The Loose End for Titan's Hard Case Crime line to rave reviews. He's also worked as a letterer and editor, most notably for the Eisner nominated series, Princeless.

About the Artist:
Linktree
Travis Hymel is an artist and illustrator living in Colorado. He has worked for clients such as Oni Press, Dark Horse Comics, IDW, Titan Comics, Devil's Due comics, and Action Lab Entertainment.

Check out Titan Comics 

 

Science Fiction: Cloud Hands: The Disclosure Files - Book One by Nancy J. Nelson + excerpt

I’ve actually seen UFOs!

Because I write science fiction, people often ask whether I believe in UFOs—and whether I’ve ever seen one. The answer to both is yes!

A few months ago, I paid $90 to attend a UFO-spotting event in Sedona, Arizona. We gathered in a park at the edge of town—ideal for sky-watching since Sedona is a “dark skies” community and the stars shine amazingly clear in the high desert. The organizer, Melinda Leslie, handed out military-grade night-vision goggles, told us where to focus—behind a mountain deep in Coconino National Park—and briefed us on what to expect.

The goggles intensified any light but didn’t provide clear outlines. With the naked eye, we could see nothing. Through the goggles, we saw shifting blobs of light—it was like looking at a drop of water through a microscope and seeing the swarming of amoeba.

Melinda explained how to identify what we were seeing by the strobe patterns: commercial planes flash differently from military ones. (There were plenty of military aircraft that night, but no commercial ones.) The lights weren’t satellites or drones, and she told us to watch for the steady, unblinking ones that suddenly “powered up,” glowing brighter for 15–30 seconds before dimming again, sometimes shifting to amber, red, green, or blue. Sometimes their movements made it look like whoever was flying them had figured out anti-gravity.

Sedona also has other strange stories. It’s a hiker’s paradise, but some hikers report being stopped by armed men in fatigues on certain trails—only for the same path to be clear the next day. Lockheed Martin recently bought a local cement plant and installed unusually tight security, and Blackhawk helicopters are often seen overhead.

Melinda believes all this points to a DUMB—a Deep Underground Military Base—in the area. She admits it’s hard to know whether these craft are extraterrestrial or advanced military technology, but at least three people have claimed to have worked there and claimed that humans and aliens operate side by side.

Personally, I hope that’s true. It would mean we’re not alone—and that the universe is full of other civilizations waiting to be discovered. But if it’s only the military, that means anti-gravity tech exists and is being kept from the rest of us.

Either way, it gave me great material. I even worked a secret underground base into my third book—so I’m pretty sure the $90 I paid is tax-deductible.

Cloud Hands: The Disclosure Files - Book One 
by Nancy Nelson
A grieving diplomat. Three teenagers. A secret worth killing for.

When Vicki Heywood accepts a quiet summer job watching over the teenage children of her former professor, she expects a peaceful reset. Instead, she finds herself in the middle of a deadly conspiracy involving covert alien technology and a powerful corporate conglomerate determined to control it at any cost.

The Partnership is not a rumor. It’s real, ruthless, and above the law.

And the aliens aren’t happy about it.

Suddenly on the run, Vicki must rely on her training, her instincts, and the fragile trust forming between her and the young people depending on her. As they uncover what the Partnership is really hiding, they realize they’re facing something far beyond politics or espionage—something that could reshape global power itself.

And the Partnership will stop at nothing to silence them.

Cloud Hands launches The Disclosure Files™, blending science fiction, geopolitics, and spiritual evolution. The series rips open the veil on power, control, and the weaponization of truth. As governments fracture and old powers cling to secrecy, it’s the youth who turn rebellion into revelation—hacking the system, rewriting the code, and igniting a movement that spans worlds.

The next frontier isn’t space—it’s us.

For fans of the X-Files and author Amie Kaufman.

Ages: 14+

Amazon

 

Prologue
I used to think this story was about me. After all, isn’t everyone the

star of their own life? It was only later that I realized we are all just

bit players in some ever-repeating, cosmic pattern—a fractal pattern

made up of love, hardship, desperation, joy, sorrow, and hope.

Let’s never forget about hope.

—Victoria Heywood

Excerpt from address to the UN

There was a little cluster of forget-me-nots arranged in a vase on the table in front of Vicki. They had been Beth's favorite flowers. Small and vibrant, so cute they made you smile. Just like Beth herself.

The waitress put a cup of coffee and a pastry before her, and the same in front of the man seated across the table. Kurt Martinsson—she had called him Professor Martinsson when he taught her senior business seminar a decade earlier—added some sugar to his cup before he took a sip. Well-built, dark hair with a touch of gray at his temples. He had aged well. His bespoke sports jacket, manicured nails, and expensive haircut suggested he was also doing well.

“It was kind of you to look me up, Professor Martinsson, especially after all this time. To be honest, I haven’t been getting out much.” She hadn’t been getting out at all. What was the point? Their parents had died in a car accident several years back, and now Beth was gone too. Per her request, there had been a closed casket; the chemo had ravaged her body and taken all her hair. There was no amount of makeup, no wig good enough, that could have fixed that.

“I heard about your sister, Vicki; I’m so sorry. I understand you left your position at the Department of State to look after her.”

Beth had argued against that. “I’m young and strong; I’ll be able to beat this—there’s no reason for you to leave the job you worked so hard to get. Mom and Dad were so proud that you became a diplomat—they wouldn’t have wanted you to give that up.” She had been wrong about being able to beat the cancer, but right that their parents had been proud. They would have been just as proud to see their youngest open up her own flower shop in a prime location in downtown Los Angeles.

“I took a year’s leave of absence when it became clear my sister’s illness was terminal. I have another four months before I either return to work or submit my official resignation.”

“So, you haven’t decided what you'll do?” Professor Martinsson cocked his head to one side and looked at her. He had finished his croissant. She hadn’t even started on hers.

“No, I haven’t. Every time I start thinking about it...” She looked down at her coffee cup. It was too hard to think. Too hard to think about the future or anything else. She had officially shut down Beth’s flower shop the week after her sister died, although it hadn’t been in operation for a couple of months before that. At Beth’s urging, her two part-time employees had both found other jobs, and the shop sat dark and shuttered. She supposed she should do something—make arrangements to sell the building or rent it out —but she just didn’t have the bandwidth.

“I have an idea that might interest you. I need to do a lot of traveling over the next few months. My two children are more than old enough to stay home by themselves—Brad is sixteen and Jessica is twenty-two—especially since there’s household staff. But I’d feel better if someone was around to keep tabs on them specifically.”

He paused, then casually asked, “You do still have a Top-Secret Clearance, don’t you?”

Vicki looked up from her coffee and stared.

.

About the Author:
website
Nancy Nelson retired after 25 years as a U.S. diplomat, during which she served in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Estonia, Canada, and Washington, D.C. She spent a few more years launching her kids and traveling the world. She now lives in California.

Movie Review: Roofman (2025)

Roofman
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Channing Tatum; Kirsten Dunst; LaKeith Stanfield; Juno Temple; Peter Dinklage

Genre: comedy, drama, crime
Running time: 2h 6m
MPAA rating: R
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures, FilmNation Entertainment
After escaping from prison, former soldier and professional thief Jeffrey Manchester finds a hideout inside a Toys "R" Us, surviving undetected for months while planning his next move. However, when Jeffrey falls for a divorced mom, his doAuble life starts to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.

Roofman is beyond hilarious and also so heartbreaking, all mixed up into one compelling true story about a man just making his way in this world. Guy is a genius and yet so freaking stupid!!! I know he gets caught but watching it and hearing about him, his life, you are really rooting for this guy to outrun and outlast the law. So he took from the rich and gave some back to the poor. So what! He's a Robin Hood-type guy. Sure, he kept a lot of it, but he did some good as well. Plus, he's just living his best life!

I loved it, loved him, and enjoyed all the adventure and fun this one had to offer. It has lots of twists and so many moments where I was shouting "you idiot!!!!" but again, loved every moment. Watch until the end as they show the real-life people and stories from when this went down. I can't wait for Jeff to get out and I will sign any petition to bring him home now! 

Getting 4 and 1/2 M&M Sheep

 

 

 

 

KD

Stormveil (Divica Stormborn Chronicles) by Starr Z. Davies

We're celebrating the release of Stormveil: An Epic Fantasy by Starr Z. Davies! You can also pre-order the stunning special deluxe edition on the author's website!

Stormveil (Divica Stormborn Chronicles)
by Starr Z. Davies
Expected Release: Dec 1st
Genre: Epic Romantasy, Dragons & Mythical Creatures Fantasy
 Grumpy Assassin
Princess Espionage
Evil Imperial Overlord
Duty vs. Desire
Treason & Betrayal
Rich in Lore & Myths
Lost Prophecies
Ancient Dragon!
Touch Her & Die
Mythical Magical Discovery
War!
Multicast POV
Sword-Wielding Princess
Forbidden Magic

A storm is coming.

Bast Blackblade, dangerous assassin, made a promise to Aslyn. A promise that grows harder to keep with each passing day as she thrusts herself headfirst into the dangers of the Imperial Court.

Aethan wants to get back to Aslyn, but first he has his own promise to keep... to find and save her father. But when an unexpected turn of events leaves him on the brink of death, Aethan prays he will live to see Aslyn again.

Stormveil is a dark yet noblebright fantasy with rich characters, dragons, spicy romance, and deadly games. It's the second installment of Starr Z. Davies' brand new fantasy world of Divica Stormborn Chronicles.

Amazon

About the Author:
website
STARR Z. DAVIES is an award-winning author of more than 20 tales that span dystopian realms, epic fantasies, and echoes of forgotten histories. Dubbed the "Character Assassin," she weaves stories where heroes are tested by fire—both emotional and physical. From her woodland home in northern Wisconsin, she crafts worlds while surrounded by her greatest allies: a supportive husband, two imaginative children, and a curious menagerie of robotic pets. When not conjuring new adventures, she dabbles in home enchantments, swims like a siren, battles through video game quests, and devours books like ancient tomes of power.

IG: @s.z.davies @rrbooktours
TIKTOK: @starrzdavies @rrbooktours
Tags:
#rrbooktours #rrbtStormveilTour #epicfantasy#epicfantasy #fantasyromance #stormbornchronicles #romantasy #spicybooks #newreleasebooks #booktours

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Cheating Death (A SCYTHE Mystery) by Maxie Dara

In this witty and heartwarming second series installment (which can be read as a stand-alone), when a determined killer targets her adventurous twin brother, a risk-averse grim reaper will risk everything to save him—while also working to mend the rift that has come between them.

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Cheating Death (A SCYTHE Mystery)
by Maxie Dara
December 2, 2025
Genre: Supernatural mystery, humorous fantasy, cozy mystery

When a determined killer targets her brother, a grim reaper risks everything to save him in this delightful cozy mystery.

Nora Bird works for S.C.Y.T.H.E., which might seem odd for someone as terrified of death as she is. But ever since her parents died in an accident when she was six, she's been obsessed with avoiding risk, and what better place to learn how to cheat death than the company that employs the nation's grim reapers?

The work enables Nora to learn all about the myriad ways you can kick the bucket, which is comforting...until one day, a file crosses her desk with a name she recognizes. Her twin brother’s.

The twins haven’t spoken in six months, but Charlie is all Nora has left. Completely against her cautious nature, Nora steals the file and flees, racing to her brother’s house. She begs him to trust her that his death is imminent, and they hit the road (with his parrot, Jessica, who has plenty to say) in an attempt to evade both death and S.C.Y.T.H.E., whose sole mission of collecting souls has been disrupted by Charlie’s continued existence.

Alas, every time Nora saves him, a new cause of death appears in his file. Someone is determined to take Charlie out, and Nora will have to use everything she's ever learned about death to discover the culprit. 

Amazon 

 

Book 1 

About the Author:
Website
Maxie Dara is from a tiny, Hallmark movie-style town in Ontario, Canada where she works as a writer and actress, because rejection-heavy careers are her passion. She is also a two- time award- winning playwright. Maxie knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of seven, when she first fell in love with the written word. She also wanted to be a mermaid but has mostly focused on the writing side of things