Uncanny X-Men: First Class #1

One of the purest pleasures at Marvel over the last few years has been the X-Men: First Class series, telling new stories of the original gifted youngsters’ earliest years. Smart superheroing without the ‘everyone hates us’ business that came to infect the team after the Uncanny, nee All-New, All-Different (if you ignore Cyclops, Marvel Girl […]

Wednesday Comics #1 review

After the terrific 52, the turgid Countdown and the I’ve-still-not-gotten-through-the-thing-but-God-Rita-is-annoying Trinity, DC’s latest experiment in weekly publishing takes a traditional turn. Wednesday Comics, as its title suggests, is a throwback to the US comics section of old – full-colour, lavishly illustrated strips to be enjoyed by all the family. OK, so there’s no humour in […]

Marvel Divas #1 review

Take three former Avengers and one of Spider-Man’s most trusted allies and what do you get? A superhero Sex and the City that’s at least three years too late. I knew this book was to focus on our heroines – Hellcat, Captain Marvel, Firestar and Black Cat – in their everyday lives, but I didn’t […]

Justice League: Cry For Justice #1

Green Lantern Hal Jordan lays down the law to the Justice League, annoyed that the team isn’t proactive enough in terms of going after villains and ending their threat for good. He reminds them that as the local representative of the Guardians of the Universe, he is the law. And he’s going to step up […]

Secret Six #11 review

Ah, they’re an odd bunch, the Secret Six. Perfectly happy to maim and murder for money, but when it comes to the matter of slavery, qualms unexpectedly enter the equation. Last issue the team took the shilling of slimy Mr Smyth, Deadshot killed an escaping prisoner for him and now he explains his plans: to […]

The Last Days of Animal Man #2 review

Eating my words department: I had no interest in this mini series. DC has made continuity so much the be all and end all of their line that I saw no use for a short run set in the future of the DC Universe – if stuff in it comes to pass, I’ve been spoilt […]

Superman #689 review

As TV host Morgan Edge stirs up anti-Mon-El hatred, our hero leaves Metropolis for a world tour. He’s keen to see the sights before his predicted death from lead poisoning and en route meets not so much a ‘who’s who’ as a ‘who the heck?’ of DC’s international heroes. If they’re not unseen-for-years obscurities such […]

Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia #1 review

I’m old enough to remember the X-Men fighting villains who weren’t mutants, when they had time between adventures to play ball, go to the mall, even have romances with ordinary people. Then came the superb Days of Future Past story (Uncanny X-Men #141-141) and its success encouraged writer Chris Claremont to revisit the idea of […]

Gotham City Sirens #1 review

Gotham City Sirens? Gotham City Tarts, going by that admittedly nicely rendered cover. I suppose you can’t fault the honesty – cheesecake title, cheesecake images – but can we keep the levels down? Cover artist Guillem March plays it a little looser inside, getting very cartoony at times, which suited the debut of rubbish wannabe […]

Detective Comics #854 review

She’s the Batwoman . . . and she’s pale. Very pale. I suspect Kate Kane is wearing pancake make-up for her nights on the town, all the better to scare criminals, my dear. With ruby red lips, red wig stark against the black night, and that pale, pale skin, she’s a new ghost on the […]