Dark Knights of Steel #1 review

Doomed planet. Desperate scientists. Last hope. Medieval castle? And Jor-El and Lara alongside baby Kal? I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore in this limited series from writer Tom Taylor and illustrator Yasmine Putri. It looks like Olde England but we’re in The Kingdom of Storms, and as the last family of Krypton […]

The Human Target #1 review

Christopher Chance puts a target on his own back for a living, taking the place of men others would send to the grave. His latest client is businessman Lex Luthor, a man not short of enemies. So it’s an armour-padded suit and bald cap for Chance. While he survives the assassination attempt from a disgruntled […]

Podcast Plugtime – A World on Fire: An All-Star Squadron Podcast

One of the best series of the Eighties was All-Star Squadron. Roy and Dann Thomas’s love letter to DC’s Golden Age, it followed the heroes of the Forties from Pearl Harbor onwards as they fought Hitler and co on the Home Front – well, mainly. As well as the Justice Society of America, 7 Soldiers […]

DC Vs Vampires #1 review

And now, in the tradition of Injustice and DCeased, a new alternate continuity series putting heroes and villains in an apocalyptic scenario. Is there room for another so soon after the two earlier hits? On the basic of this terrific first issue, the answer is a big, ‘Too bloody right, there is!’ Otto Schmidt’s intense […]

Checkmate #5 review

Mark Shaw, leader of the rogue country Leviathan, has teleported the church being used by the new Checkmate group as a base from the US to Thailand. The spymasters, though, manage to escape via a portal to the basement of the Hall of Justice. Upstairs, the Wonder Twins show a new batch of Justice League […]

The Flash #775 review

It’s the long-awaited 775th anniversary issue! What’s that, you say? You’ve never heard of such a thing? Well, 75 is a third of the way to a number ending in 00, it’s a giant-sized issue… it must be a special occasion. Who needs a cover blurb, I know a party when I see one? And […]

Superman: Son of Kal-El #4 review

This month, as the cover shows, someone drops in unannounced on Jonathan and Martha Kent. Then, visiting grandson Jon gets through to new pal Jay. The Justice League prove pretty pitiable as guardians of the cornfield. The Kents define ‘sanguine’. And Wally West lends a super-speed shoulder. Or to put it another way, Jon has […]

Podcast plug: Meanwhile… in Justice League Quarterly #1

In the early Nineties the Justice League series was so popular that it birthed a number of spins-offs, including Mister Miracle, Martian Manhunter and, of course, Justice League Europe. My favourite, though, was Justice League Quarterly which, over 17 issues, gave us both solo and team tales of League members and allies. Of course, the […]

Retro review – House of Mystery #224

When I was a kid in the Seventies and Eighties, DC’s Mystery books were a regular part of my comic reading diet. With at least three shorts an issue, one of which was usually pretty splendid, plus the odd feature page and a lettercol – I loved lettercols! – they were good value, and often […]

Blue & Gold #3 review

It’s Michael and Ted vs a space princess in the latest issue of the long-awaited Blue Beetle/Booster Gold mini-series. The lady’s name is Omnizon, and she wants someone to take her to Earth’s leader. Of course, Earth doesn’t have one, with so many governments around the world. Instead of demanding the planet be handed over […]