JSA: All-Stars #17 review

It’s a quiet day at the All-Stars ranch when a gaudily garbed stranger appears among them, claiming to be a member. What’s more, The Prince announces to Judomaster that she’s his wife – or was, before reality changed. The Prince is, he says, the son of Regent, the world’s greatest hero, who once led the […]

Word balloon busting

Jimmy Quentin Trapp of the Heretical Jargon Podcast has asked me on the show this coming Saturday to talk comics. Well, I shall do my best. It’d be great if you tuned in, and maybe took part too – details here.

Herc #1 review

How do you hobble a demi-god? Marvel manages it by slapping this first issue with a whopping $3.99 price tag. Yes, there are eight pages in the back recapping Hercules’ long comics career, but none of it is necessary to enjoy Herc #1. Everything a reader needs is on the opening page – the legendary […]

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #5 review

Back from the future, Iron Lad helps the Young Avengers in their quest to restore the Scarlet Witch’s powers and memories. This involves a trip back to the day the Avengers Disassembled, the day Cassie Lang’s father, Ant-Man, died, I’m not complaining that previous issues have been character and action-packed, but it is refreshing to […]

Fear Itself: The Home Front #1 review

Civil War: Front Line; Secret Invasion: Front Line; Siege: Embedded – Marvel’s gotten into the habit of publishing side series to show us how the big events affect the man – or minor hero – in the street. Or perhaps they’re intended as an illustration of the law of diminishing returns, as each has proven less enjoyable, […]

Fear Itself #1 review

You know summer’s coming when the big events start to arrive. DC has Flashpoint on the way, but Marvel gets in first with Fear Itself #1, the first of seven issues and umpteen spin-offs and crossovers. It should be a risky strategy – if the reader buys into the central conceit, they’ll purchase dozens of […]

Justice Society of America #49 review

It’s been a long few months, waiting for the story that went with this cover. When it was solicited by DC I could barely type for laughing. Alan Scott’s new Green Lantern look is noted within the tale, the conclusion to Supertown, but incredibly, not one character tells Alan that he looks ridiculous. I get that […]

Action Comics #899 review

I’m almost ashamed to say it, but I’m proud of Lex Luthor. Yes, he’s a scumbag with no reverence for any individual life other than his own, but he’s our scumbag. A regular human, no super abilities but able to take on, and beat, beings of immense power. And that’s what he does this issue, […]

Jimmy Olsen #1 review

Now this was worth waiting for. Nick Spencer’s take on Jimmy Olsen debuted in Action Comics last year when the book was running a back-up strip. After four superb instalments as previously praised here, also here and here the Jimmy Olsen’s Big Week serial was curtailed as price and page count fell. Well, here’s the rest of the story along […]

Cyclops #1 review

Ignore the brooding intensity of the guy on Roger Cruz’s nifty cover, this isn’t some dark exploration of Cyclops’ character. It’s a fun side story from the early days of Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters in which our hero takes on, among others, Batroc the Leaper and the Circus of Crime. Scott Summers’ personality […]