The next Pa Kent

The latest death of Pa Kent has been getting a lot of attention, with Jonathan hailed as the person who made baby Kal-El the man he is today (poor Ma Kent gets scant credit). He’ll be back in a reality rewrite or two, but until then, who’s the number 1 Dad at DC Comics? Alfred’s […]

Thor: The Truth of History

The current incarnation of the Thor book, by J Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel, can’t be faulted in terms of vision. JMS has his notion of how Thor should be treated in the 21st century, and Coipel has diverged from the Marvel bible to make the god of thunder look more Scandinavian than previously. And […]

Superman: New Krypton Special 1

Kicking off the big storyline that will integrate Superman, Action Comics and Supergirl, Superman: New Krypton arrives with a bang. An emotional bang, as Smallville says goodbye to Jonathan Kent, who died in the latest Action Comics after an encounter with a Brainiac bomb. The book’s opening scene was sad, but I was distracted by […]

Final Crisis 4

Evil has won and the heroes of the DCU are organising to take back the world. Not the biggest heroes as, refreshingly, Superman and Batman are MIA and Wonder Woman is batting for Darkseid’s team. So it’s up to a few members of the JLA, JSA, Metal Men, er, those Chinese fellas with complicated names […]

Amazing Spider-Man 574

Oh dear me. This is a stunt comic. This is Marvel’s tribute, according to the final page, to the ‘men and women who serve, have served and will serve in Iraq and Afghanistan with bravery and honor’. God bless Marvel for trying to do a good thing. But I wish they’d think these things through […]

Final Crisis: Submit

At last, a big change courtesy of Final Crisis – Black Lightning has his hair back. Suits him, too, as does the role he plays in this issue of inspiration to a deadbeat villain. Said deadbeat is the current holder of the Tattooed Man title, whom Wiki assures me I’ve read about previously, despite my […]

Amazing Spider-Man 573

Whoa, a little heavy on the brow, nose and jaw there, Mr Romita. Norman Osborn looks less like the Green Goblin than the Pink Platypus. Cover apart, John Romita Jr provides first class pencils this issue, as he has in the other five parts of New Ways to Die. Kudos, too, to inker Klaus Janson […]

Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge 3

And so the first Final Crisis spin-off mini winds up. The Rogues’ quest for revenge against teen clone speedster Impulse for persuading them to kill Bart Allen concludes. And it isn’t pretty. It is pretty entertaining, though, with tons of excellent character moments for Captain Cold and company, a turning point in the life of […]

Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds 2

As a massive fan of the Legion, it’s safe to say I’ve been looking forward to the continuation of this Final Crisis semi-tie-in. And it doesn’t disappoint, being a fast-moving romp across the 31st century in the company of colourful, powerful heroes and villains. It does take awhile to get the Legions of three continuities […]

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen 1

It’s been a few years since Jimmy Olsen had his own title – well, three decades – so as a card-carrying member of the Fourth Estate, I’m glad to see him get another shot at glory. The cover illustration is a rich confection, courtesy of Ryan Sook, but it’s too retro for this comic, with […]