The Fury of Firestorm #17 review

In a week which sees Batman Incorporated #8 get all the publicity, I’m taking a moment to salute Firestorm, the Little Comic That Couldn’t. Couldn’t find enough readers to survive the latest culling of DC’s New 52 line. And that’s a shame, because despite being on its third creative team in 18 months, this one […]

Batman Incorporated #8 review

I think I’m safe to assume anyone reading this knows what happens this issue, DC having self-spoiled to the media a couple of days back. And if you hadn’t heard, I hope Chris Burnham’s cover here – don’t look! – gets the message across in a darkly elegant manner. Damian Wayne dies, slaughtered by his […]

Supergirl #17 review

You wait ages for a great Wonder Woman story to come along … and it shows up in Supergirl. Still, I’ve stopped expecting Kara to get a fair crack of the whip in the H’el on Earth crossover. She does get a fair crack of Diana’s magic lasso, as Wonder Woman fights to convince Kara […]

Vibe #1 review

DC’s ad campaign for this book has baffled me. ‘The unlikeliest hero’ proclaims the cover. ‘The League’s most unlikely member …’ yells the house ad. Yes, the original Vibe wasn’t a popular character when created for a 1980s JLA revamp – blame breakdancing and dodgy street slang. But that was the 1980s, and the character […]

Legion of Super-Heroes #17 review

The joke among longtime Legion fans when it was announced that classic artist and writer Keith Giffen was returning to the 31st century was, how long until he kills his hated Karate Kid yet again? Well, here he is, co-plotting with continuing writer Paul Levitz and no martial artists die. That’s the good news. The […]

Justice League of America #1 review

Five years ago, crooked scientist Professor Ivo and a shadowy figure plan a response to the appearance of ever more super-heroes. Today, a hooded figure is hunted to ground by what appears to be the Justice League, before escaping into a forest. Meanwhile, in Washington DC, US government security wallah Amanda Waller summons former League […]

Uncanny X-Men #1 review

They’ve been part of the All-New X-Men book since the first issue, and now Cyclops’ team of Magneto, Magik and Emma Frost get their own series, one Marvel is marketing as the lead comic in the franchise. Whereas Wolverine and the students of the Jean Grey school want to teach young mutants to live alongside […]

Katana #1 review

First off, I must declare a non-interest. I’ve never liked Katana. I found her obnoxious in the original Outsiders, equally unbearable in the team’s recent revamp and just plain unlikeable in the New 52 Birds of Prey book. It’s the last version who gets a shot at solo stardom in this new series, timed to […]

Batman #17 review

Last month’s Batman Family titles pointed towards a tragic conclusion to the Death of the Family crossover, as the Joker – apparently a fan of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? -brandished a dome-covered silver platter, some unseen atrocity beneath. This wrap-up opens with the revelation that there’s no single plate, but one for each of […]

Green Arrow #17 review

… or perhaps, Green Arrow #1, take three, what with this being the book’s second relaunch in its short existence. The new creative team is writer Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino, both of whom have proven able to negotiate the choppy waters of DC’s ongoing New 52 promotion and produce quality comic books with […]