Ewan Paterson Comic Reviews

Time will only tell if the pairing's meant to be, but at least the journey there is shaping up to be an exciting one. With Dark Nights: Metal owning a more storied Batman, and with the main title playing up on his more dramatic elements, Bat-fans have been well and truly catered for. Here's hoping it continues.

Time will only tell how Dark Nights impacts the DCU going forward, but if the Murder Machine is anything to go by, then it holds some pretty massive changes in store. Be sure to keep the next tie-in, Batman: The Dawnbreaker, firmly on your radar.

It's been made abundantly clear these past few years that Snyder and frequent collaborator Greg Capullo are the team to beat when it comes to the Dark Knight. If anything, Metal has finally given them the space to flex all their creative muscles into this brilliant, Bat-tastic bonanza that fundamentally rewrites the genetic makeup of the DC Multiverse.

It succeeds in places, and it's brilliant to see an older Miles interacting with Pete during his college years, but it seems to forego the fact that we've already seen the character own his identity since his initial introduction. Irrespective of whatever Spider-themed struggles he's currently experiencing, Miles is Spider-Man just as much Peter is - a trip through time shouldn't have to serve as a reminder of that.

It's gorgeous, riveting, comes with a killer reveal near the end and exemplifies pretty much everything there is to love about DC at the moment. Everything is so grand and bombastic and yet so personal at the same time, and that's where Metal seems to thrive. To maintain that feel in both an event and a tie-in comic at that is particularly brilliant, not least because it subverts expectations, but also because it exemplifies the strength of both the GA and Bat-books at the moment.

Only time will tell if this truly is Marvel's reply to DC Rebirth but, if it is, then fans of the big two have plenty to be excited for. The industry needs a strong Marvel and, if Legacy can be the super soldier serum that rekindles our love for the universe, then more power to them.

Much like Oliver Stone's seminal 1986 war movie, the Platoon roots itself in the zeitgeist of America's long 1960s. Following a non-linear approach, in which a group of Castle's former squaddies are interviewed by an anonymous journo in the present, Ennis broaches many of the themes Stone did in his film, analysing Vietnam as a transformative event in the American psyche and one that would hold grave consequences for Frank Castle in particular.

Marvel are more than aware of the opportunities the Star Wars license affords them. If they could take Mace to another setting, or even just explore his roots in a non-linear fashion, then there's every chance the character could get a spin-off worthy of his fan favourite status. Sadly this one just isn't cutting the mustard.

The Wicked + The Divine is one of Image Comics' best and brightest series, and continues to be one of Gillen's finest works yet. It's funny, youthful, energetic, and despite the whole god thing, very very good at nailing the voices of its young cast.