Superman Family Adventures #9 review

Brainiac arrives on Earth and persuades Lex Luthor to team up with him for an attack on the Fortress of Solitude. Well, I say ‘persuades’ but in truth, he kidnaps Lex, putting him in charge of his shrink ray. Meanwhile, Metropolis is revelling in the super-efficient Brainiac tech that’s been popping up without explanation. Perry […]

Superman #16 review

As the Justice League tries to reclaim Superman’s Fortress of Solitude from him, H’el tells Supergirl his tale. He’d already given the bare bones, but now she gets a richer narrative of his beginnings as an astronaut sent into space by Superman’s father Jor-El in a bid to save Krypton’s people from dying with their […]

Hawkeye #7 review

What can a guy who shoots arrows do against a cataclysmic storm? Very little, as Hawkeye admits in this rush-release issue set against last October’s Superstorm Sandy. Clint Barton, though, can do his bit, helping neighbour Grills get his father out of his Rockaway Beach home and to safety. And junior Hawkeye Kate Bishop gets […]

Geek Girl #0 review and Mr Mash-Up #0 review

When Ruby Kaye lands a pair of hi-tech glasses invented by a brainiac student in a game of strip poker, she’s granted flight, super-strength, and – due to a flaw in the specs’ programming – super-klutziness! That’s the set-up for this indie comic by Sam Johnson and Sally Stone-Thompson, first published last October but back […]

Avengers #3 review

In which the expanded Avengers team reaches Mars, fights world transformers Ex Nihilo, Abyss and Aleph, and a Damascene conversion occurs. Said change of heart comes courtesy of new Avenger Captain Universe. I have no idea who she is – writer Jonathan Hickman doesn’t deign to tell us here – but she has a thing […]

Supergirl #16 review

We’re still in the Superman Family’s H’el on Earth crossover, with the Flash trying to rescue Supergirl from the influence of creepy Kryptonian H’el. Kara, though, doesn’t believe she needs rescuing. She’s bought H’el’s claims that together they can go back in time and rescue her homeworld and thinks that Superman is having his Justice […]

Legion of Super-Heroes #16 review

It’s Shrinking Violet and Chameleon Boy vs Validus as the search for the new Fatal Five continues. The pair visit prison planet Takron Galtos with colleague Lightning Lass to see if the giant with mental lightning really is still imprisoned in impregnable inertron, or if there’s been a bait and switch. Back on Earth, the […]

Young Avengers #1 review

High above the Earth, teenage Hawkeye Kate Bishop and Kree warrior Noh-Varr fight Skrulls who’ve interrupted a perfect morning after the night before. On Earth, shapeshifter Hulking borrows another hero’s identity to foil a mugging. In a diner, god of mischief Loki feasts with no intention of paying, while well-travelled powerhouse Miss America Chavez keeps […]

Superboy #16 review

In which Superboy, Superman and the Justice League fight to take the Fortress of Solitude back from Kryptonian con man H’el. At stake, the survival of Planet Earth. This is down the line superhero fun. I nearly typed ‘big dumb superhero fun’ but it really isn’t – writer Tom DeFalco is at his best here, […]

Batman #16 review

The Death of the Family crossover continues, with Batman wandering the corridors of Arkham Asylum, transformed into a twisted Bat-Castle in tribute to the Caped Crusader. A dance of death with guards and prisoners dressed as twirling Jokers and Batmen; blazing knights and nightmarish steeds; a tapestry of Batman’s adventures made of mutilated men. It’s […]