Batgirl #7 review

Batgirl battles new reprobate Grotesque, whose unique selling point is that he likes the finer things in life. Except shoes … he’s a barefoot bad guy. The devil-masked foe’s not exactly dripping with charisma but as filler villains go, he’s entertaining enough. The real reason to buy this issue is a sizeable scene in which Batgirl […]

The Ray #4 review

The Ray is down and almost out. If he’s going to save girlfriend Chanti from the reality warping wannabe film director Thaddeus Filmore, Lucien’s going to have pull something big out of the bag. Which he does, unsurprisingly. What is surprising is the way he cleans up after the events of the last few issues, […]

Avengers Assemble #1 review

The movie’s not out yet, but here’s the comic tie-in. The idea is that this book features the Avengers seen in the film, but in the regular Marvel continuity. So while there’s a crowd shot featuring the likes of Wolverine, Spidey and Spider-Woman, the focus is on Hawkeye, Black Widow, Thor, Iron Man and Captain […]

Swamp Thing #7 review

At last. After half a year’s worth of Swamp Thing without Swamp Thing, the star of the show steps into the spotlight. It’s not a matter of Alec Holland embracing his destiny, so much as making his own future. Here’s Alec in a choose-your-own-adventure, with stunning board game layouts from artist Yanick Paquette. The trippy […]

Justice League International #7 review

The first word I ever learnt from comics was ‘ironic’. Reading handed-down Silver Age Superman family books you could barely get through an issue without a ‘How ironic (choke)’. That nutty phrase stuck with me to the extent that it almost became the name of this blog (on Earth 2, it is the name of […]

Night Force #1 review

There are dark corners in the DC Universe, areas so secret that even the mystical heroes doesn’t notice the evil that lurks there. But one man does. Baron Winters, master of Wintersgate Manor in Washington’s Georgetown, is ever on the alert. He claims an aristocratic heritage but some say he’s merely a jumped-up carny. One […]

Green Arrow #7 review

Take three girls. Three attractive, deadly girls. Triplets with massive assets. And never mind their brains, they’re stunning to boot – this is comics – and their blonde charms prove useful for getting Green Arrow’s attention. Along with hundreds of tiny arrows aimed at his head. Ann Nocenti gets her run as writer off to […]

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #9 review

Last issue, Stature died fighting Dr Doom. Now the question is, should the assembled Young Avengers, Avengers, X-Men and X-Factor allow Iron Lad to take Cassie’s corpse into the timestream in the hope that future medicine can bring her back? The answer leads to the brutal loss of another Young Avenger, a second going down […]

Legion: Secret Origin #5 review

The Legion’s first attempt to recruit Superboy in the 21st century is stymied when an unknown, powerful force reaches out and tosses their new time bubble back to the future. In the 31st century that same being is possessing United Planets security wallah Mycroft and ordering him to kill Legion benefactor RJ Brande. Having returned […]

The Shade #5 review

Anyone for a drop of La Sangre? Barcelona’s vampire heroine, previously seen in Shade writer James Robinson’s underrated Superman run, steals the show in this instalment of the 12-part Starman spin-off. Gentleman thief and occasional hero Richard Caldecott, the Shade, seeks out La Sangre to ask for her help with a family matter. But while she’s willing […]