Siege #1 review

And here it is, the four-part series we’re told will end the reign of Norman Osborn in the Marvel Universe. In an echo of the event which ignited the Initiative – superheroes being blamed for the destruction caused by super-villains – the Asgardian Volstagg is tricked into unleashing godly forces to fry a stadium full […]

Blackest Night: Weird Western Tales #71 review

The cover boasts that this comic features Jonah Hex, Scalphunter, Super-Chief, Bat Lash and Firehair and yes indeedy, all are in here. But only Hex gets any real play, with the others being simply heart-hungry Black Lanterns. I have to say, though, that even as an infernal creature Bat Lash is damned dapper. The protaganist […]

JSA All-Stars #2 review

Liberty Belle and Hourman take on Icicle and Tigress in Turkey as they search for antiques and a killer. That’s the bare bones but writer Jen Van Meter gives us far more as the JSA’s husband and wife team get their own strip. We gain an insight into Jesse Chambers’ childhood and learn that Rick […]

Blackest Night: Suicide Squad #67 review

The Blackest Night event is pretty much the expected bloated crossover, but so far as one-off tie-ins are concerned, raising comics from the dead is a splendid idea. So here’s Suicide Squad #67, for which we’ve been waiting since 1992. With the Squad’s most popular member, Deadshot, running with the Secret Six these days, it […]

The Dare Detectives 1.1 and 1.2 by Ben Caldwell review

Reformed bad girl Maria Dare, hulking farmboy Toby Taylor and cynical bunny Jojo are the hottest crimefighting team in Chinatown. In these two fat digests they’ve lost their detective license but remain determined to fight the good fight, rescuing a crack team of chefs from the bewitching Madame Bleu and her gang – hardboiled pandas […]

Stay Dead by Steve Wands review

It’s always nice to see a comics creator add another string to their bow, and here’s crack letterer Steve Wands sticking to a single font for a stab at original fiction. His 14-bite short story, Stay Dead, is a zombie tale, though the word is never used. The young heroes simply refer to ‘dead things’, […]

Blackest Night #6 review

The Blackest Night event goes on . . . and on . . . but I can’t really complain as this is the core book. And Corps book, for that matter, as Green, Yellow and lots of other colour Lanterns gaze off the cover. They’re the newest New Guardians, apparently – there’s no reference to […]

Fantastic Four #574 review

Awhile back Social Services were at the FF’s collective throat, fretting that the Baxter Building was too dangerous an environment for raising Richards kids Franklin and Valeria. The team won that battle and seem to have gone on some sort of approved list as this month they take in family free mutants Artie and Leech. […]

Justice Society of America #34

Young Justice, the Doom Patrol, the Legion of Super-Heroes . . . If you’re a super-group in need of a home, the Justice League’s Happy Harbor cave is the place to be. Even the Injustice Gang have taken refuge under the stalactites. And now it’s the turn of the JSA, well, at least the half […]

Wonder Woman #39 review

Now here’s a heartening Christmas gift – the most satisfying Wonder Woman issue in ages. After last issue’s lamb to the slaughter impression, our girl gets her groove back, taking on a hell creature with guts and a grin. Writer Gail Simone provides the personality and artistic partners Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan bring forth […]