Flashpoint Beyond #1 review

In a world that shouldn’t exist, Batman Thomas Wayne has a mystery to solve. Did Aquaman have Barry Allen murdered so he couldn’t gain the powers of the Flash and change the world, returning the Flashpoint reality to the one Thomas Wayne never knew? One in which he and wife Martha, not son Bruce, died […]

Flashpoint Beyond #0 review

This is the comic I definitely wasn’t going to buy. The Flashpoint event of a decade or so ago wasn’t my favourite, being an extended imaginary story with shades of Nineties EXTREEEEEME! The idea of Thomas Wayne – the Bat-Dad who survived the event only to be killed in the recent Justice League Incarnate series […]

Stargirl Spring Break Special #1

It’s hard being a superhero when you’ve homework assignments to hand in. Courtney Whitmore isn’t the first teen heroine to learn this lesson, but it doesn’t mean she’s not feeling the pressure. Happily, while being Stargirl can cause problems, it’s also a release – what better way to express and exorcise frustrations than to blast […]

DC Universe Rebirth Reassessed!

Paul Hicks, Jeff Lester and myself discuss DC’s game-changing 80-page giant on the latest episode of Paul’s DCOCD podcast. That’s the show in which Paul, his brain befuddled by the neverending parade of DC events, gets his therapy by talking through things with guests. And this time it’s Jeff, from the always excellent Wait, What? […]

Dark Nights Death Metal: The Secret Origin #1 review

It’s the end of the world(s) as we know it. The One Who Laughs has created 52 dark parallel Earths and they’re invading Earth 0, where its heroes and villains, along with those of numerous destroyed worlds, are making their last stand. Well, I think that’s what’s going on – I doubt Dark Metal would […]

Batman: Three Jokers #3 review

It’s the conclusion to the long-awaited prestige format story in which Batman solved the riddle of the Three Jokers. He’s learned that there’s not one, but three Clown Princes of Crime; for years they’ve been sharing the job of making the lives of Gotham citizens miserable with their twisted sense of fun. The Joker who […]

Shazam! #14 review

BECAUSE NO ONE DEMANDED IT! He’s back. Superboy Prime, Last Son of an Earth long vanished from the multiverse, back to ruin another story. This current Shazam! series may not feature my favourite take on the Marvel Family, but it’s had its moments. Here, though, as he ends his lengthy story, writer Geoff Johns falls […]

Batman: Three Jokers Book 1 review

Bad luck comes in threes. Certainly, that seems to be the case when three atrocities are committed at the same time, with the Clown Prince of Crime witnessed at the scene of each. A popular comedian known for his loud Hawaiian shirts is murdered. The Moxon crime family is slaughtered en masse. And three John […]

Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 review

Eighty years of emerald entertainment! Well, if you ignore the eight years or so between the last Golden Age appearance of original GL Alan Scott and Silver Age successor Hal Jordan… but why be picky, it’s 80 years since Alan debuted in All-American Comics #16, sparking a heroic legacy that shows no sign of ending? […]

The Flash #750 review

Action Comics #1000, Detective Comics #1000, Wonder Woman #750… all recent 80-page giant celebrations courtesy of the marvel that is comic book maths. Now it’s the Flash’s turn and at last, an issue I can heartily recommend – six stories ranging from decent to superb, gorgeous pin-ups and, running though it all, a love for […]