The Flash #800 review

‘A celebration of Wally West’ is what the copy atop Taurin Clarke’s slick cover illustration promises, and while this anniversary issue doesn’t always keep the focus on the third hero to ride the thunderbolt, it’s a cracking anthology. Most recent writer Jeremy Adams kicks off the issue with a villain tale, but for once it’s […]

Lightning round reviews – Avengers #1, Cyborg #1 and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #15

Some weeks it’s tough to find something to look at here. Very occasionally, though, the shelves are packed. I’ve done three reviews already this week, but have a few stray thoughts on other new issues, so here we go. AVENGERS #1 We’ve not had an Avengers #1 for a few years, and after the latest […]

Shazam! #1 review

‘With one magic word… Shazam!‘ With the return of the 1970s tagline, and a cover unapologetically acknowledging Captain Marvel’s long comic book history, writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora declare that they’re going back to basics. The World’s Mightiest Mortal isn’t throwing magic lightning bolts around. He’s not turning every second person into a […]

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #13 review

Where’s Metamorpho? That’s the question on Dan Mora’s unusual cover, with its animation vibe – I can just hear the Hanna-Barbera running sound effects as Superman and Batman, complete with wildly flapping utility belt, run across the world, searching for the Element Man. Below, Metamorpho grins as he lives his best life. Someone who isn’t […]

Batman Vs Robin #5 review

The Lazarus Resin has stopped falling from the sky. The threat of King Fire Bull is over. Earth’s sorcerers have seen their power restored. But not everything is back to normal – the Devil Nezha, who sparked the whole Lazarus Planet business when he took over Damian Wayne, has a new berth. Oh. Dear. Nezha […]

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #12 review

Supergirl and Robin go on a date. There a monkey on the loose. That’s all it takes to spark one of the best DC comics we’ll get this year. Writer Mark Waid is a master when it come to depicting superheroes with personality, building off classic characterisations and adding insights that, while logical, haven’t been […]

Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1 review

A magical soup is spewing into Earth’s weather systems, threatening disasters while changing the powers of superheroes. That’s the elevator pitch for the first issue of DC’s latest event, the launchpad for several new series and directions. Behind the enchanted storm is the Devil Nezha, and while he’s almost a spent force this issue, his […]

Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1 review

‘I’m looking for the man who murdered me’, Flash Barry Allen tells Kid Flash Wallace on the splash page. The line makes for a dramatic opening, but it’s a tad defused when, a couple of pages later, we get this. I admit, I can’t remember how Barry came back from the dead about 15 years […]

Superman: Kal-El Returns Special #1

Superman has returned from his epic adventure on Warworld and touches base with family and friends. This double-length comic tells some of those stories. We’ve seen Superman’s reunion with wife Lois and son Jon elsewhere, so who’s next? Why, his best hero chum, of course, Batman. Clark drops by Gotham City to have breakfast… but […]

Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1 review

The heroes of Earth 0 are battling dozens of supervillains. I can barely remember why. Something to do with Crisis on Infinite Earth straggler Pariah’s plan to bring back the Infinite Earths. At this point in DC’s current event the worlds are back (again… it’s a long story Dark Crisis writer Joshua Williamson has chosen […]