Richard Gray Comic Reviews

Westerns and the Marvel universe were made for each other, having at least a sense of vigilante justice in common, and Gerry Duggan's recasting of familiar heroes in Western tropes is a joyous celebration of both.

It really is the Wild West as familiar faces get shot down, and the good guys and bad guys can be as clearly delineated as they like. Nik Verella's pitch-perfect art is gorgeously dust-covered and ridden off into the sunset by top-shelf colorist Lee Loughridge, a knowing mix of dime store funny book charm and a modern impressionistic view of the genre.

In many ways, 3 Devils is an ideal first issue, putting all the pieces in place to bring the two protagonists together and literally send them off down the road for their next adventure. It's also somewhat safe in its characterization for the moment, but nevertheless suggests that both of these characters are more than they initially appear. While Hampton only gives us the barest of hints as to what might be coming next, he does convince us that the focus of the book will be on the characters going forward, taking them from the familiar to something entirely new.

Alpha King is a difficult one to examine objectively: the story is absolutely bonkers and makes little to no sense, its a thinly-veiled piece of marketing for a beer, and there's at least one gratuitous shot of a cat's hairy testicles. All three of these things make it completely at one with the metal heritage it embodies, cranking the volume up way past eleven with art that is designed to punch you squarely in the face. This may all become a little clearer in the next issue, but for now it is probably best to finish off that six-pack, crank up the tunes and let this one wash over you.

A comic based on a beer of the same name is an unlikely prospect for success, but this metal-as-anything salvo from Brian Azzarello, Nick Floyd and Steve Bisley is a twisted and irreverent biker epic with a Lobo-esque lead who is anything but a hero.

A Voice in the Dark signals a new voice on the scene, one with a clear concept and a firm notion of what makes a rich story with a decent hook. While readers may certainly notice some nods not only to the aforementioned 80"s influences, but also more recent fare such as TV's Dexter, Taylor's strong cast of characters distinguishes this. It's early days yet, and we've only seen the initial incisions into Cutter's Circle. We're looking forward to taking a deeper slice in the months to come.

If you haven't given A Voice in the Dark a chance yet, now is a perfect time to jump on. With fresh blood on the campus lawn, Taylor provides an easy access point to his growing world of the delightfully grim town of Cutter's Circle. It's a world that beckons us to get comfortable, because the surprises it holds are only just beginning to bob above the surface.

Returning to the core story's strength of the anonymity of two killers conversing on live radio, Taylor builds up the tension nicely in this new arc that reveals a killer, but one that may not be alone in town.

A Voice in the Dark: Get Your Gun is a series reinvigorated, and remains a clever blend of 1980s black comedy and serial killer drama. The reveal of Zoey's counterpoint, if that is indeed who this new character is, marks a foil for an already interesting lead that challenges assumptions about comic book heroes. We hope that this is the first of many more ofTaylor's series, as things are starting to get hotter.

Baby Hulk deserves his own series, if for no other reason than the line "Hulk like bear. Him keep bear forever". We also never realised how much we needed to see Baby Galactus suckling on the moon.

A-Force is a title that would be on the top of the heap were it not for its Secret Wars origins. Just as Spider-Woman began to soar when it was divorced of the Spider-Verse tie-in, Marguerite Bennett and G. Willow Wilson's showcase for Marvel's strong top-tier female leads is precisely the team that the world needs right now - it's just hampered a bit by the fact we know their status quo on Battleworld is to be short-lived.

The ongoing enjoyment of this series is really going to depend on which characters get paired up, including next month's wacky three-way of Iron Man, Kitty Pryde and Lockheed.

Ben Oliver's art nicely compliments this change of direction in story, and there's also a nice little backup in which Sholly Fisch draws Morrison's background to the Captain Comet and Neo-sapiens story.

The final page promises we will see more of this character in 2013, and from this brief introduction, it will certainly take the book to interesting places under the guidance of new writer Andy Diggle, who joins Action Comics with #18 in March. Sook's art is also quite eye-catching, telling the story in a cinematic fashion, in keeping with Landis's sensibilities. A solid example of what an annual should do: provide some one-off stories while teasing things to come in the monthly title.

Three artists on the issue actually works out OK, with the panels feeling consistent throughout. It is just a shame that this issue, nor the story arc it belongs to, can claim the same.

Diggle's setting could just as easily fit within Mark Waid's Birthright origin universe as it does within the so-called New 52, handily drawing on traditional elements in a newish setting. The dichotomy between old and new is nicely demonstrated in Tony S. Daniel's ultra-slick modern interiors, especially the vision of Superman's outfit literally forming underneath his open shirt. It's an exciting story, and it is simply a shame that Diggle won't be going any further.

A real treat this month is a back-up story by Scott Lobdell and Philip Tan called "The World of Krypton". It deals with a younger Jor-El, and an assassination attempt on the science council during Krypton's pre-kaboom days. This intriguing plot will presumably play out over the next few issues, as we continue to plumb Superman's heritage in this new DC continuity.

Tony S. Daniel takes on scripting and art duties on the main story, based on a plot by Diggle, and Superman continues to punch things while his powers diminish under a faux red sun. It's an old-fashioned monster smack-down, which is fine, but we can't help but feel as though we've seen quite a few of those since the start of the Newish 52.

The unique approach to Adam.3 might not work all of the time, and is essentially a spin on a very traditional story, but it will undoubtedly have you thinking about it after you've put the book down. Kolins has created something new out of some clear influences, and it is undoubtedly a labor of love that has gone into producing it. There is enough here to warrant at least a second look, and a solid world to continue building upon.

The best reason to pick this up is for the art. Samnee brings a grounded feel to his run on Daredevil with Mark Waid, and the street-level fight between Supes and "bad guy" Leon certainly contains similar elements. It's also filled with iconic shots, as the Man of Steel comes rushing towards the reader, we almost feel as though he's about to burst through our screens. Plus: Superman punching himself in the face. 'Nuff said. If this is a sign of what DC's digital comics have to offer, then sign us up immediately for more of the same.

Afterlife with Archie is the Archie book for people who don't read Archie Comics, or perhaps the fringe group of horror fans that have always wanted to read an Archie comic. Peppered with references to pop culture, it's a genuine horror story and proof positive that a good Elseworlds-style mash-up doesn't require a line-wide reboot, but is simply a matter of taking two top creators and letting them run wild.

Bryan Hitch's art is dark and gritty, reminiscent of his work on The Ultimates. His final page on this issue might just be the most heartbreaking of the series, but this is only getting started. Climb on board with this series, as we have the feeling that this is not only going to be one of the bigger events of the year, but one of the best written as well.

While Bendis certain gets what makes these characters tick, especially under duress, we are itching to see them cut loose on something other than each other.

There are certainly moments of beauty, but the inconsistency is a little bit jarring, which is a criticism that could just as easily be levelled at this series to date.

On the surface, this is a fun piece of time travel/parallel universe capering, although somewhat reminiscent of Bendis's House of M and the Age of Apocalypse/X-Treme X-Men/X-Termination story arcs that have done it all before. More troubling is that this is no longer the Age of Ultron, the world Bendis spent half-a-dozen issues slowly building up with talk-fests that we still hold out hope will lead somewhere. Without warning we are in a third dimension, one that seemingly bears little relevance to what has come before

Now this is just getting silly. Or as Tony Stark puts it, "a Fantasia of insanity". Set entirely in the altered future brought about by AU Wolverine and Susan Reed killing Hank Pym in the past, where we also spent last issue, Bendis has begun to repeat many of the earlier sins in the series. He has merely transplanted them to a new setting.

By the penultimate issue of the series, with #10A.I. and #10U.C. notwithstanding, it strikes us that the series offers virtually nothing in the way of a hook anymore.

Of course, if Age of Ultron simply pointed the way to this and other spin-offs, it would be remiss to not notice that this is also an effective zero issue for Sam Humphries's Avengers A.I. However, unlike that predecessor, it managed to do so in a single issue and imbue it with more emotion in 22 pages than Age of Ultron managed in the ten previous entries. If this is a shape of Hank Pym to come, then an ongoing Ant-Man book with Mark Waid at the helm is something we should rise up and demand.

The issue is actually an engaging conclusion in and of itself, and is aimed right at that inner 12-year-old that wants to cheer at the climax of movies. However, that simply reminds us of the misplaced promise we invested in this often unwieldy series, one that lurched from scene to scene only pausing to pat itself on the head in self-satisfaction. Perhaps the most disappointing element to this final issue, and Age of Ultron generally, is that it didn't accomplish anything more than a gateway to a new title and era for the Marvel U. Effectively the flagship that will launch Avengers A.I., Guardians of the Galaxy #5 and Hunger over the coming months, this is what Avengers:X-Sanction was to Avengers Vs. X-Men. Or what Avengers Vs. X-Men was to half of the new Marvel NOW titles. The issue closes out with an ad for the supplemental part of this final issue, Age of Ultron #10A.I., reading "Submit to the beginning of Marvel's next evolution". What other choice do we have?

Akaneiro encourages us to go an play the American McGee game, and in that sense it has achieved its primary goal. Yet it does so because it creates such a rich and inviting world that one can't help but wanting to explore it in more depth.

In many ways, Aliens: Defiance feels like a greatest hits package from the first two Alien films, which is going to suit some just fine. At a planned 12 issues, it represents the longest planned Alien title from Dark Horse as well, the Predator crossovers notwithstanding. So bearing this in mind, this first issue only represents a small fraction of a larger whole. Even so, it's hard to see the unique spin that the series offers just yet, but the final page at least offers some enticing hints as to why we should follow the next few steps.

If Aliens: Fire and Stone doesn't completely soar in its first issue, it is only because it's burdened with necessary exposition. We can already see elements of the two existing series coming together, and there is enough intrigue here to keep us coming back for Alien v Predator: Fire and Stone and beyond. For now we can only echo some of the final words in this issue, and sense that there is "so much still hidden beneath the surface."

There’s still a lot to like in this debut issue, even if there’s not really a hook per se to maintain consistent reader interest. Told almost entirely without the appearance of a Xenomorph, save for a few silhouettes in the final pages, Wood and his art team show us a side to the Aliens world that is far more grounded than some of the cinematic entries. It’s almost like a prelude in this sense, an “issue zero” that promises a much bigger story that’s about to get underway in the second entry next month.

With the exception of the superbly emotional piece by Mark Waid and Mahmud Asrar, featuring a devastating moment between the Vision and Scarlet Witch, unless you have a particular affinity with any of these characters, there's just simply too little told too briefly here to base any financial decisions on.

The strength of this arc is not only in tying back into previous stories, but in also clearly defining what differing characteristics the two Hawkeyes possess and what what makes them stronger together and apart.

Tom Taylor's take on the "All-New" version of Wolverine has been superb to date, this is an excellent example of what he is best at.

While the issue itself does very little to push the story along until the final few pages of reveals, there's a solid bit of character development here, allowing new readers a chance to work out the dynamics of the different teams.

If this is an exemplar of the New DC Universe, then we are in for a hell of a trip. Ennis and McCrea effortlessly pick up fifteen years after the fact and running with the glorious insanity that is SECTION 8. This might be the only book we need.

This penultimate issue brings us to an unexpected, yet welcome place in the world of Section 8. It's hardly a case of 'too little, too late,' as Ennis has been delivering quality chuckles from the beginning. Yet what we see here is a book that is itself caught in a kind of limbo, wanting to be one kind of gross-out comedy that is equal parts pathos. The mix is almost there, and given the inevitable guest-star for the final issue (teased on the last page of this book), it might just be up, up and away before we say goodbye to these wholly unique characters.

As the series comes to a close, Six-Pack at least remains convinced of his own heroism, but Ennis has already made his point about the futility of the never-ending superhero genre. "This is his world. His dream. Whichever," muses the narrative voice (or is it our own?) "As dreams go... well. I suppose you could do worse." It's rare thing that a comic book feels not only fully complete but deflating at the same time, with a character that appears to be wholly contented within and observably tragic end. As every comic book reader knows, the end of one book is merely the beginning of the next chapter of the endless story.

A fascinating world where Steampunk meets Cyberpunk, it is sure to please both crowds and draw in those who are in virgin territory.

Horton is laying enough groundwork for an entire ongoing series here, but readers are lucky to get all the Amala they can handle in this concentrated fun-sized series.

The worst thing that can be said about Amala's Blade is that there simply isn't enough of it to satiate our newfound craving for this character. Indeed, perhaps the only thing that disappoints about this issue is that it's the end of the story for Amala and her merry gathering of miscreants and mayhem. With any luck, Horton and Dialynas have more like this up their sleeves.

As controversial as Dan Slott's choices have been over the last few years, The Amazing Spider-Man has been given a new lease on life following Superior Spider-Man and the "Spider-Verse" arc. Which is why this issue, effectively an epilogue to the "Spider-Verse" event with everybody saying goodbye and setting up their new jobs, is something of an anti-climax.

This is in many ways a culmination and combination of Slott's Superior Spider-Man with a forward-thinking Peter Parker, and a renewed Prowler team-up that holds lots of promise for the future. Better still, a final tease indicates that Slott isn't done with his previous stories just yet.

Dan Slott's latest chapters on his epic Spider-Man saga are as frustrating at times as they are fun, and they are certainly a lot of the latter.

Dan Slott's current saga of a villainous Zodiac-themed cooperative seems to have been going on for a while now, and while this issue is very much a thrilling and jovially cheesy conclusion to that chapter, it's also one that's never had the same cache of the more classic Spider-Man villains to support it.

With a renewed media hype around Spider-Man, this is exactly the companion book the character needs right now.

This issue is fairly indicative of the lack of direction Dan Slott's Amazing Spider-Man has from month-to-month, drifting from a contrived fight between Spider-Man and Iron Man (with a Miles Morales cameo) and a far more interesting plot concerning Betty Brant investigating the identity of new "hero" Regent.

It's difficult to see what the overall plan is for The Amazing Spider-Man at the moment, pinging from international adventures to more local slugfests.

At this early stage, it is difficult to tell if this fun diversion from the seriousness of the last year will amount to anything that distinguishes it from the plethora of X-Men books already available on the shelves.

The remainder of the five-part weekly series promises to bring in even more folk heroes of the North Americas, some of which don't even have beards. Yet with an already fully-loaded complement of legends, it is difficult to see how this expansion won't simply compound the problems evident in this first issue. It's a shame, because this has such great potential to be a modern retelling of some of the best tall tales in America's history.

Americatown is an incredibly important story, and a one that is told at a cracking pace, but it doesn't always orient the reader in the process of world-building. For example, one never really gets a sense of the importance of the titular townships, how far the problem has spread or even enough information to fully comprehend the refugee's plight. Even the cliffhanger feels as though there was an intended significance that simply doesn't translate to the reader. So the trade-off between rapid-fire activity and exposition means the latter sometimes comes off second-best, but that's all the more reason to stick around and see how this turns out.

If it was an issue of Buffy, it'd feel like a backdoor pilot, but for now we're content to wait another month for the full debut to arrive.

Yet when all is said and done, Angry Birds/Transformers is fairly disposable, an ad built around a slender plot. One of the few saving graces that this isn't the last book of the series is that the next issue is being billed as "Age of Eggstinction" or "Over Hard", and if those quality of jokes are maintained throughout the four-issue mini-series, then we expect to be precisely as pun-ishing as this debut issue was.

Bears, robots, and would-be assassins aside, at its core Ant-Man is a human drama, the kind that Marvel does so well. It's terrific to see that despite several major characters now existing outside the confines of New York, the essence of that dichotomy remains. In fact, in the case of the Scott Lang version of Ant-Man, the "fish out of water" only serves to heighten this notion of the loveable loser, one that we will enjoy checking in with each month.

Spencer's skill is in spinning a yarn that is perfectly in keeping with both the event and the tone of his book to date, while also providing an easy access point for people jumping in from other places (such as the recent film).

There's maybe too much going on here, but the name of the game is fun and De Falco provides this in spades, with Domingues's art keeping it fresh and vibrant. One to dip into before the movie!

As the DC mothership gears up for Aquaman to headline a major film, and a new creative team in the form of Kelly Sue DeConnick and Robson Rocha dive into the pool, Aquaman/Justice League: Drowned Earth is a perfect ship to lead us there. Or as Wonder Woman puts it: "Whatever strange sea he's sailing, it's off the known map" in completely uncharted waters."

If, like us, this is your first journey with the dynamic duo, then it appears to be a terrific place to start. What is immediately disarming is just how funny this book is, filled with terrific dialogue, visual gags and spins on the comic format itself. The artwork is gorgeous to look at as well, perhaps making this Valiant's must-read debut of the year.

One of the most highly-awarded writers of the last few years (Mark Waid) and one of the biggest artists around right now (Fiona Staples) work with 75 year-old character, and the results have been revelatory.

In updating the formula, Archie is no longer just about the hijinks surrounding teen romance, but about the complex landscape that youth have to navigate in learning to become adults. The plots are not so much soap-operatic as reflections of the heighten sense of drama and immediacy that surrounds every moment of emotion as a teenager, and Waid has tapped into the psyche of the youth without having to pander.

Like Gotham Academy, the aim of Arkham Manor is one of pointing a microscope at a specific building in Gotham City, and potentially exploring all the hidden elements within. Unlike that book, this new title has yet to determine how it will be differing itself from any other Batman title, as this first arc has a very familiar "Bruce Wayne undercover" vibe to it. Yet if Duggan can pull the book away from Batman and focus on the manor as a character instead, there is the potentially here for this to be an intriguing new entry to the Bat-verse.

This is a bold marriage of art and story in a way that only comics can truly deliver on. If the uniqueness of comic books is that the reader is the third essential element, joining the dots between the otherwise static panels themselves, then Art Ops is partly about being caught in the middle of that experience. There are some promising ideas teased here that will hopefully pay off in the forthcoming issues, but for now it begins as an clever way of engaging the viewer with a discussion around art imitating life.

Nick Spencer and Ramon Rosanas' briefly interrupted Ant-Man run picks up eight months later with a few surprises, but spiritually carrying on the journey of this (mostly) down-on-his-luck hero.

The Astonishing Ant-Man always threatens to topple over into being a poor-man's parody of itself, but like the titular character, still finds ways of surprising us each month.

Written as a parody of the heist genre, complete with a "How to Do An Award-Winning Heist, in Twenty Two East Steps" playing out over as many panels, and artist Ramon Rosanas gets to have a bit of fun with every single one of them.

At the end of the day, it's a sweet issue, and one that ends with a vicious attack on one of the X-Men, perhaps undermining just how special this issue is. It doesn't break any new ground, but it certainly stands proud as an example of the diverse nature of the Marvel Universe, and the spirit of the original X-Men.

Titan Comics have taken the original 72-page albums and cut them in half for the American market. Given that the robust formatting of the European album offers way more bang for your buck than the U.S. floppies, this is a disappointing move. The story also frustratingly cuts off at an arbitrary point around the 36-page mark. Despite this, the story itself remains as strong as it did in its original format, and this release should ultimately earn these puppers a few more fans across the pond.

In the midst of all this seemingly never-ending Avengers Vs X-Men madness, Bendis delivers a story that is all about character. A single character, in fact. Focusing on Red Hulk, the issue is largely an internal monologue, laid out in a largely dialogue-less format that continues to play with the format, just as Bendis did with the Fear Itself issues last year.

Kathryn Immonen's Yuletide one-shot is a breath of fresh air, and sometimes silly but always joyful seasonal romp.

Of all of the events that are running this month, this one eclipses the others by miles.

Avengers A.I. arrives as a breath of fresh air after the often stale salesmanship of the event that got us here. The Age of Ultron is over. The Age of A.I. is now. So far, things are looking up for this new age.

Humphries uses this issue to quell any doubts as to whether another Avengers title was needed, populating his panels with a fistful of Datas looking for meaning. What we didn't expect with this title was how much humour would play a part in developing the narrative. Doombot is the comedy smash of 2013"s comic book slate, especially as his recently separated head threatens to return and destroy the Jefferson Memorial in Washington.

Now in its third issue, one of the quirkiest consequences of Age of Ultron remains one of the most pleasurable to read, and shows no signs of wearing its concept thin.

It's a capable diversion, but returning to the solid character foundations that DeConnick has been creating over the last year will be very welcome when this latest crossover is done.

The toughest thing about this issue is the knowledge that there are another five to go, and with Marvel NOW! coming in October, this is all simply a prelude to another event.

The stakes have been raised, and allegiances are starting to crumble, and Bendis knows this. A small victory is also a major setback, and we finally get a sense that this is going somewhere. Kubert's art is unsurprisingly epic, making this a visual treat at the very least.

Adam Kubert really steps up to the plate on the art too, matching the pace inch-for-inch and giving us some glorious splash pages this time around. It's still not perfect, but another three of these and the event will end much better than it started!

As a single issue, it's a great grudge-match, but it leaves far too many loose ends to satisfactorily wrap up the series.

More than anything, this first issue demonstrates DeConnick's continuing ability to bring humanity to the superhuman. It may be very much the first chapter in a larger story, but it is one that encourages us to want to spend a little more time with these characters.

In a year of goliath arcs and crossovers, this is just a nice one-shot for lovers of good character-driven superhero stories.

Zeb Wells has a very straightforward story about moving on, which is ironic given that this issue is wholly rooted in Spider-man (and Peter Parker's) past. The very personal story is one worth exploring, but Wells adds little to what we already know and nor does he bring anything other than a picture-postcard version of emotion to this snapshot of memory.

It is really difficult to make a judgment on a story based on the first issue alone, and Davis certainly has some worthy elements in play here. Yet Axcend fails to make a good first impression, pinging back and forth between ideas that are already well familiar to audiences. There's absolutely nothing wrong with formula if you are doing it exceptionally well, but so far Axcend just doesn't take it to the next level.

Gale reminds us in the back-matter that the danger of playing with a time travel story is that one can undo all the things that worked in the first place. Back to the Future thankfully avoids that by focusing on the specific moments we never got to see before. This first issue is a mixed bag, and the ongoing appeal is going to depend on the strength of the stories chosen for the next three issues. That said, fans will struggle to not find at least something they like in this, especially given that it is the closest we'll get to Bob Gale writing another series film - at least for now.

On the one hand, Bob Gale and Erik Burnham's slightly compressed version of game logic is a fun read, perfectly at ease in the existing Back to the Future world and true to the voices of the original characters. On the other, it's still an existing story being shifted into a different format, and so far it offers few surprises for those who have already dipped into the game.

A white-knuckle ride of a first issue, it is difficult to not get completely suckered in. Giving us just enough information to demand some more answers, it ticks all the boxes of a debut by inviting us to stay a little longer and find out how this (anti)hero gets out of peril.

Barb Wire is undoubtedly targeted directly at a specific demographic, and perhaps will work best for those who have been patiently waiting for the last two decades for more adventures with the lead. Otherwise it remains something of a bubble in time, a glimpse of what would happen if the dream of the '90s never died, but had to grudgingly accept the passing of time.

Despite its extended length, Barrier rips along at a pace, but never neglects the core characters who will carry us forward. Apart from being a compelling and beautifully crafted read, the 54-page debut issue comes at the bargain price of whatever you feel like paying for it. Of course, it goes without saying that if you want to keep seeing quality comics like this, a couple of dollars from every reader wouldn't go astray.

It's terrific to see DC taking aim at younger readers with their new line-up, and there is a definite charm to Bat-Mite. Some of the references ("Trickle down economics at work!") will undoubtedly go sailing right over the heads of the younger readers, but there's enough one-liners to keep at least the smiles coming. It's a fine start for a limited series, although as yet shows no reason to be an ongoing. The real test will be to see how this performs with the younger audiences.

With a dose of Scooby Doo (literally in the case of the Shaggy-esque character Weed), this is a positively fun salute to all things DC across the Multiverse.

A lack of consequences also comes with a slight sense of disposability as well, and there is a very fine line being walked here. All-ages doesn't always mean for all tastes, and while previous issues in the series have been quite strong, this one doesn't hit the same heights. What Bat-Mite does retain in every outing is a sense of innocent charm from a bygone era of comics, although it's the kind of format that works best in bite-sized chunks.

There are some stories that don't flow into each other as readily as others, such as the far too convenient inclusion of the Gotham Academy kids for a bit of much-anticipated fan-service. Yet Batgirl Annual #3 is an innovative and original piece that showcases the best that the new DC talent have to offer. If you're looking for a way to inexpensively dip your toes into both Batgirl and Fletcher's other series, this is an excellent starter kit.

A book that continually demands our attention each month, the only frustration is that the final panel flags next month for a "Zero Year" tie-in (from Marguerite Bennett, no less), meaning yet another interruption to what has otherwise been a continuous operatic narrative.

Batgirl #25 mostly functions as a showcase for what is happening in the rest of Gotham while Batman figures out his plan of attack in his own titles. While we are itching to sink our teeth back into Simone's wonderful ongoing tale, Bennett at least uses the arbitrary confines of the "Zero Year" structure as an opportunity to flesh out what is already one of the most interesting leads in the current DCU.

While next month promises another interruption to the flow in the "Gothtopia" tie-in, perhaps a shiny happy interlude is exactly what Batgirl needs after all this darkness. Treating this issue as an end point in Simone's extended arc, it gives the character some modicum of redemption in the eyes of her father, and as was always the case from beginning, from Batgirl's own exacting standards as well.

Simone continues to find new depths to explore in the character of Barbara Gordon, a figure she has been playing with in some form or another for well over a decade. The success of this current incarnation of Gordon is in grounding her as a real person who just so happens to be dealing with extraordinary events. Simone leaves readers with a classic cliffhanger that takes Silver's villainy to new levels of psychosis, while adding to our own as we maddeningly enduring another month waiting for one of the best books in DC's current lineup.

Batgirl is exactly where DC needs to be right now, throwing off-the-wall scenarios at established characters, testing their mettle inside situations that are equally grounded in character and high-adventure. Simone is a master of this kind of storytelling, and along with Red Sonja and Tomb Raider, of crafting strong female leads that eclipse their male counterparts. This latest issue is no exception to that rule.

While it's terrific to see DC committing to a fresh and youthful take on characters, this one seems to be trying a little too hard to appeal to a demographic that they ironically portray as being far too distracted to be of any interest in comics anyway. It's one thing to make her more of an active young woman, it's another to shame her smarts. Batgirl has left its old audience behind, and so now we must quietly retire into the night with our Zimmer frames and boiled lollies.

Taking Batgirl in a new direction is one thing, but shaming her smarts is a disappointment to fans of the character. While her ultimate solution does make nimble use of a QR code (which people totally use, right?), this new Batgirl is a far cry from the one we've come to know over the last three years. As us older fans (in every sense of the word) wave kids off our lawn and return to our whittling, Batgirl has for the moment left us for a sassier younger model.

What may have begun as a cynical marketing attempt to attract a new demographic has evolved into something much more than that, and is perhaps even parodying the very audience that it will most appeal to. Which is why Batgirl has been such a success, balancing that fine line between talking to a younger audience in their own language while never making the mistake of condescending to them.

Batgirl #49 is partially an answer to critics who have been unkind to the neo-Batgirl, including this one who was incredibly skeptical at the initial change of direction. However, the DC Universe is vast and complex, and a Multiverse with infinite possibilities allows for the constant reinterpretation of those icons. In a primarily art-driven piece, coupled with the wonderfully wilful version of the character that Stewart and Fletcher have crafted at the center, this issue of Batgirl is a reminder that every single one of those interpretations is equally valid, and that the malleable nature and core principles of Barbara Gordon's personality are the reasons why she has been so enduring for the past 55 years.

After what felt like a fitting conclusion to the "New 52"/ "DC You" era of last month, Brenden Fletcher has the slightly more awkward task of slotting in his version of Batgirl into the pre-Rebirth world.

Batgirl: Futures End #1 falls short of recasting Barbara Gordon as a drug-fueled revenge junkie, so it never really breaks us away from the mold completely. It turns out that Banegirl had the Dumbo feather in her grasp the whole time, leaving us with a slight "afterschool special" vibe that isn't incongruous with the Babs we've come to know and love. With a "re-invention of Batgirl from the boots up" solicited for the next month, this issue is still a timely reminder that no matter how the character is repackaged to appeal to various demographics, strong female characters are ones that "make themselves a goddess." May Batgirl never leave us completely.

This first issue of Batgirl is a fun and engaging story, and is true to the previous take of the character, but it just feels like it lacks any major consequences. Indeed, the final panel suggests that this was simply the first episode in a series of international jaunts that lay ahead for the Batgirl formerly of Burnside. While there is much to be said for this version of the character, even with its many detractors and fans, it just needs more than a familiar pastiche and a change of locale to maintain ongoing interest from herein.

While it isn’t quite a classic union yet, the Benson sisters have pulled all the necessary bits together to build something that is. Like many of the other books being released under the "Rebirth" banner, much of the first arc is being spent reestablishing some of the good will lost during the "New 52" years. Batgirl and the Birds of Prey is unquestionably a step in the right direction, and we can’t wait to see what a fully-functioning team will look like.

If digital comics are to succeed in cutting through the digital morass and captivating mainstream audiences, there needs to be more of them like Batman '66. Like DC Nation has done for animated fare, this comic provides a lighthearted and easily accessible version of a familiar character that will be sure to please audiences of all ages. Whether it is nostalgia you crave or a chance to turn Batman's permanent frownupside-down, it is difficult to not have a giant goofy grin on your face while swiping your way through this innovative taste of the future of comics.

Tuning back into the same Bat channel as last week, the launch title of DC2 continues to offer an enhanced reading experience that is a joy to participate in. Keeping the story as simple and goofy as the 1960s television series works surprising well on the tablet screen, allowing the reader to push on through the adventure at their own pace.

While the issue may be a little exposition heavy at times, Batman Annual #2 manages to tell a compelling solo story while maintaining links to the main title. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in future issues.

While there is some action, particularly in the back half of the issue, this is a mostly character-based psychological drama, and a welcome one at that. Without actually featuring Batman in or out of costume, Tynion gives us some answers around the fine line between heroism and madness. As Bruce explains "what crazy is" to the Riddler, he sums up exactly what separates any version of Bruce Wayne from a villain, and exactly what kind of stuff he is made of at his core.

However, there is a certain sense of familiarity to this ending, a story that promised to be one of the most original in decades, yet failed to live up to its otherwise impeccable development. Buy this just to see the story through to the conclusion, some nice stuff between Bruce and Dick and perhaps for the future significance of this March character.

This is more than just a palette cleaner, prior to next month's #0 origin story and the return of the Joker in #13, but is rather an essential tale of the city which Wayne has fought to protect all of these years. We hope to see more of Harper Row in the future.

Giving the hardworking Greg Capullo a break this month, Andy Kubert delivers an awe-inspiring first half. Witness the shot of Batman taking down a perp in the glow of the Batmobile's headlights. Alek Maleev shifts the tone in the second chapter, delivering a more personalised art style that recalls David Aja (Hawkeye) and Paolo Rivera (Daredevil) in the best way. Snyder and Tynion continue to brove that great Batman stories can still be told in big a small forms.

Even more intriguing is the first part of a back-up story by the very talented James Tynion IV entitled "Ghost Lights", in which Superman and Batman team-up for a supernatural adventures that brings the Man of Steel to his knees. The artwork from Alex Maleev ensures that this is a gritty and frightening tale, the kind of horror story that would fit in nicely in a desperately needed horror anthology.

Concluding the two-part Clayface story brings to an end one less memorable arcs, or more accurately one that is merely treading water between "Death of the Family" and next month's "Zero Year" kick-off. Snyder gives us a new take on the shape-shifting Clayface, resulting in lots of voice-recognition hijinks and the villain coming awfully close to discovering Bruce Wayne's identity. The ultimate resolution is one that feels a bit of an afterthought, although Snyder can scarcely be blamed for not easily slipping a character as ridiculous as Clayface into a modern Bat-setting.

As a classic villain is introduced in the final pages of the primary story, we realise that "Year Zero" is not simply the origin of Batman, but of his entire world. Giving greater strength to the argument that present day Gotham is a a result of the escalation that started the moment Bruce Wayne put on the cowl, Snyder fans the flames on a city that is just starting to hot up. We can't wait to see them ignite and blow the powder keg sky high. This is essential reading for any Batman fan.

If you haven't had a reason to read Batman yet"what's wrong with you? Make this your reason.

While many of these villain's titles are simply de facto "Zero" issues by any other name, at least this one manages to neatly set up an existing headline villain for future appearances within the leading title. With Zero Year still raging for quite some time, it isn't too big a swing to guess that Mr. Cobblepot will feature in Bruce Wayne's formative years in the not-too-distant future.

Andy Clarke draws the Joker like we've rarely seen him before, expressive and emotional. Perhaps we've just forgotten after months of him running around without a face. Either way, Clarke shows some terrific versatility between the two time zones, with the flashback scenes truly nightmarish at times. It's surrealist and completely bonkers, but here they seem like admirable traits.

Putting to one side the immediate gratification of cool origin moments that "Zero Year" has thus far provided, any conclusion that this is leading may ultimately be a hollow one when contemplated for too long. While this story neatly keeps Batman in a holding pattern until "Forever Evil" expires, it has also killed any forward momentum that Snyder's otherwise excellent arcs have provided to date. Let's just hope that "Zero Year" doesn't live up to its name.

If "Zero Year" was about overcoming trauma and dealing recasting Batman's origin in a contemporary setting, then the start of "Endgame" sees Snyder pushing the other end of the spectrum. Batman might ultimately be confronting his own death, or at least brushing up against it, and with those closest turning against him, this is setting up to be a killer arc.

"Endgame" is about to rapidly expand and spill out into the other Bat-titles before it concludes, and this is a shame in many ways. Snyder's arc has been tense and tight so far, stringing us along just as the Joker has pulled Batman's chain. This is where Snyder's storytelling excels, in these focused pitched battles between the Dark Knight and enemies that can truly challenge his supremacy as Gotham's defender. Yet with only one issue of the main arc left, we're left on the precipice of a story that has not simply returned the Joker to comic book pages, but one of the best versions of Batman, as well.

It's always a risky thing when you change a formula that's been in place for eight decades, and Batman has seen this kind of change before. It's not the first "death" of Bruce Wayne, and it certainly won't be the last. Yet somehow Snyder, Capullo and the team have found a balance between radical change for change's sake and experimenting with something new, leaving the escape hatch open for what we can assume will be a return to something more familiar in the future.

As the issue itself suggests, there is little point in pondering whether this is Batman for too long. "You worry about Batman meaning something to people," argues Julia Perry/Pennyworth, "you'll go down fast. If you do it your way, the things you belive in, the things you stad for? Batman will stand for those too." The message from his crew is loud and clear: if Gordon is true to himself, Batman will stand for all of those things as well. Yet Snyder might be reassuring himself here, having rarely shied away from telling the kinds of Batman stories he has always wanted to tell. Even with the bombshell of a closing panel, which leaves us with perhaps the biggest mystery of them all, this issue of Batman is a statement on the Dark Knight, no matter who wears the cowl.

Make no mistake: Snyder's current run with Jim Gordon in the role of the mechanical Batman is a superb shakeup of a familiar continuity. Yet as it touches on salient social issues, including police shootings of unarmed youths and disenfranchised quarters of society, this issue reminds us not just of why Snyder remains such a fan-favorite for the character, but what we have loved about the modern version of the Dark Knight for at least the last 30-plus years.

Tynion and Snyder will, of course, continue their association with the Dark Knight with Detective Comics and All-Star Batman under the Rebirth banner. While Snyder's Batman run has had its incredibly vocal fans and detractors at both ends of the spectrum, his legacy on the character has been ensured with the introduction of some worthy adversaries, and genuinely trying to do something different with an icon that often lends itself to repetition. Tynion, who has been involved in this run almost as long as Snyder, expanding the world with his work on Talon, ends this lengthy run with a stirring embrace of the Batman saga, and just as Bruce Wayne learns by the end of the issue, the best way forward is by honoring that past.

After some especially strong one-shots featuring this team-up in JamesTynion IV and Alex Maleev's"Ghost Lights" backup for Batman, the New 52 version of Batman/Superman proves that a mature and compelling union of these characters is possible in an ongoing series. It's early days yet, but Pak and Lee have laid the groundwork for a terrific exploration of what makes these characters tick. It will be interesting to see if the multiversity of the initial story arc can carry the emotional weight of the story they have set up so far.

A major tip of the hat has to go to DC for continuing to try something different with this book, but the corresponding wag of the finger comes in not making it more readily accessible to those new readers or people looking for an escape from the mainstream. We suspect that this will ultimately work best as a collected edition.

The joy of Batman/The Shadow is not just in the engaging story and the top-notch art that would make it a top pick on any given week. What Snyder, Orlando, Rossmo and Plascencia have created is a mystery wrapped in all those elements, one that draws you in with its flagship characters and holds you there with the promise of a rewarding riddle to be solved in future issues.

Yet Tomasi's requiem issue is as close to a perfect single issue as any you might find. If Batman #18 was caught between violent response and finding human connection again, then Batman and Robin #18 is the mournful silent scream of anguish.

Gleason's art is spot-on for this issue, balancing the insane darker moments with the levity of the fun-loving Carrie.

What's nice about this issue is that it continues to show Bruce's desperation in reconnecting to the son he barely knew, perhaps seeking to find the child that was lost in him.

It's terrific to see Tim Drake's Futures End story continued, and while it may be disappointing to some that McGinnis is out of the picture (at least for now) it is difficult to argue with a fast-paced action comic that dares to throw new and existing readers straight into a future world and ask us to come along for the ride and revelations, including a bombshell that is dropped on the final page.

For the moment, this is indicative of the rest of the issue: moments of outstanding brilliance surrounding by something that is still finding its feet.

There's some nice moments in the Wayne Industries boardroom, and it is great to see some of these characters such as Knight and Squire back on board. No sign of Batwing, but that can only be a good thing. We only hope the main Batwing title can be as discreet and quietly disappear for us. Frazer Irving fills in for Chris Burnham, and provides a similarly pleasing light take on these dark characters, while losing none of their edge.

What is amazing about this issue is that in rapid-fire panels, jumping through various points in Bat-history that Morrison has covered elsewhere, he manages to get to the heart of what makes Talia a compelling villain, love interest and here, an empathetic character as well.

Filled with the same offbeat humour that has characterised his work to date, and with wonderfully vivid art from Burnham, this also marks a turning point for Robin. Nightwing rather flippantly refers to him as "the new dead Robin", in front of Bruce no less, but that is what makes this book work. It also features, to our great delight, the return of BatCow, who seems to have been tended to by Alfred this whole time.

We are glad this book exists, but sometimes its a tough love. The twist at the end of the book is sudden, hence being a "twist", and gives us the hook for issue 5. Who knows if it will be linear, but we mostly hope not. Squirrel.

So as Morrison begins to bring his singular run with the character to a close, and threatens to leave capes forever, he really doesn't let up on bringing the weird.

Coming at a crucial time, this filler issue is a slice of the absurd and as frustrating as an ad break in the middle of a show's climax, taking us not only away from Gotham, but away from Batman completely.

If this ending is less than the sum of its parts, it certainly doesn't fail from a lack of ambition. Grant Morrison has left an indelible mark on the Dark Knight, and superhero comics generally, and we hope there is still a place for this off-beat Bat in the New 52.

This isn't essential reading for Morrison acolytes (especially given his lack of involvement) nor Batman fans, but there are certainly worse things to spend your money on.

While justice could barely be done in a capsule review, it is worth saying that there isn't an ounce of fat on this, as DC assembles another wonderful collection of writers and artists

Ultimately, this first volume doesn't do enough to distinguish itself from the 12 other Bat books on the market right now, making this less than essential reading.

The showstopper is Jim Lee's art, which has been of a very particular fan-pleasing style for quite some time, and it's wonderful to see him cut loose on a very different BD-inspired approach to pencil and inks, with the latter washes still feeling wet even in the digital format.

The creative team that has brought us the current arc of the Batman: The Dark Knight book almost give us Gotham by Gaslight here, but also surprising with a double-page spread showcasing the madness of the Hatter. It's a great example of the sometimes lost art of single-issue storytelling.

Those hoping for a comic book follow-up to the recent series, or even something continuing the prematurely aborted Caprica, may be disappointed to find that this is based on the original Glen A. Larson series from the 1970s. Yet it's still a great licence for Dynamite to keep exploiting, not least of which when sci-fi masters Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (collectively known as DnA) are aboard for their take on this series.

However, the book also follows many of the same tropes as familiar serial killer dramas, and there is a chance that this could be more Dexter than Mr. J. We'll definitely come back next month though.

Following the excessive exposition of Darwyn Cooke's Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 and the teen angst of Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1, Brian Azzarello's take on the hard-hitting Comedian filled us with the potential for hope. Sadly, despite some lovely art from J.G. Jones, Azzarello falls into the same traps that the rest of the series has so far, in explaining that which never needed an explanation.

Filled with humour, knowing references and a very self-aware style, Cooke is not the problem here, but rather the rules that come with writing in someone else's world.

Yet with three issues to go, Straczynski has already brought us to a place that could readily segue into to Alan Moore's masterpiece. It will be interesting to see if anything that happens from here is anything other that perfunctory.

The artwork is the reason to pick this one up, and is the only point at which Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1 can truly be called daring in any way.

Alan Moore may have rejected this series, and perhaps rightfully so, but his ideals remain intact in this issue.

Bill and Ted Go to Hell #1 is very much an introductory issue, and as such it's hard to fully get a sense of how good this really is. Given the cinematic leaning like watching the first 20 minutes of a film, and all the fun is going to be in watching Bill and Ted interact with the visions and mischief that will find them in the afterworld. Nevertheless, if you enjoyed the previous Bill and Ted's Most Triumphant Return series and can't wait around for Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves to star in a new film, then you could do a lot worse than this.

Given that the story has no real drive to get to the next stage, it's difficult to say whether this is worth coming back for a second outing. Fans will enjoy the stroll down memory lane, and it's fun enough that a monthly outing in this world wouldn't be without merit. Yet it may also benefit from being a one-shot, as there just simply isn't enough substance here to warrant a series.

BIZARRO is one of the most charming books released by DC in a long time. (Or should that be "BIZARRO am worstest most unfriendly book from DC in short time?") Not just perfect for kids, who will love the visual madness of it, but for adults with a pulse as well.

Bizarro is not going to appeal to all tastes, as there will be those looking for the tragic figure of Geoff Johns' B-0 last seen as the failed experiment of Luthor in the pages of Justice League. Yet if the Teen Titans can have their Teen Titans Go!, then Bizarro can happily coexist alongside the rest of the DC multiverse. Perhaps the only problem is that this series has a limited run, at least for now.

A punk-rock spin on Dazzler, but with edge. Put aside any prejudices or cynicism you may have about this reinvention. It's a punk (re)vision that is completely in the spirit of the character, with the right balance of ass-kickery and hooks to lure in new audiences. Put this one on your reading list immediately.

This is one of DC's most inventive books out at the moment, and this issue opens the narrative up to a literal world of possibilities.

Brenden Fletcher and Annie Wu's reinvention of Black Canary comes literally screaming out of the first page, and is relentless in its pace and excitement this month.

Make no mistake: Black Canary remains one of the most interesting books DC is putting out at the moment, and Fletcher's saga grows more intriguing by the month. It's not so much of it being a "rare misstep" so much as one weighted down by the necessity of launching into a new arc feet first.

Black Canary is a pleasing change of tone for a series that's now almost a year old, giving pre-reboot fans a taste of the old magic. While it's mostly an issue about D.D. finding out who she is outside the context of the band, there's a dynamic between that eclectic group of misfits that is sorely missed in this outing. Perhaps that is the lesson to be taken away here, that Black Canary works best as a character when she has equally strong characters to surround her.

Leaving us on an intriguing cliffhanger, the comic with its own fictional band continues to be one of "DC You"'s most interesting experiments until the very end.

Black Canary is about to embrace part of her legacy by co-starring in the relaunched Green Arrow, and Fletcher, Wu and Jarrell leave us in no doubt that they've restored the kick-ass history of one of DC's most powerful female leads. While it might be a shame that Canary no longer has her own series, having never made it past a dozen issues of a solo title, this perfect mashup of music and comics plugs straight into the mainline of everything that has made Black Canary an essential part of the DC Universe for almost 75 years.

A completely unexpected and wholly welcome addition to a revived genre, and like East of West, it opens a doorway to the weird through the the shopfront of the familiar. The real Ketchum's final words were reportedly, "Good-bye. Please dig my grave very deep. All right; hurry up," before being decapitated by his hanging due to the weight he'd gained in prison. Fortunately for this Ketchum, it seems that we've only just scraped the surface of what promises to be an original new series.

There's more than a little of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips in the DNA of Black Magick, a connection that Rucka has readily copped to during interviews, and how far that develops is yet to be seen. There's a planned thirty issues to this series, so it sounds like there is an end goal in mind. By the end of the first issue we are left with a mystery, and despite all the clues and hints and something more supernatural at play, there is very little but ephemera to make us want to pursue that any further.

Black Market is an noteworthy new title that legitimately has something new to say in the superhero world, even if it does cover some familiar ground. The only potential concern is that for a mini-series, Barbiere has already set up so many potential threads that we won't have them all resolved by the end of the run. Yet that's half the joy of discovery, and we are looking forward to seeing what Barbiere has in store for the rest of the run.

One of the most interesting things about the first chapter of Black Road is that it feels like a complete piece, so this leaves us with the dilemma of not having a mystery hook to latch onto for the next chapter. Nevertheless, the character and world that Wood and Brown have constructed here are well studied and feel as whole as this issue, and the chance to peel back a few more layer of Magnus - not to mention explore the fascinating tensions between the Norsemen and the Christians - is hard to resist.

In an all too familiar trend with recent post-event debuts, Black Widow aims to introduce a hard-drinking killing machine to readers, and for the moment doesn't seem to have much of plan of where to go from here.

The journey of Blacksad is almost the story of America, told from the point of view of the people in the margins. While Blacksad: Amarillo may not be as politically ambitious in its commentary as previous albums, or at least not as overtly as the literal black and white themes in Arctic Nation, it doesn't have to be. Just as America was finding its own voice between the Second World War and Vietnam,Canales and Guarnido allow their lead some light before the darkness, and the narrative is necessarily more lightweight as a result. This is foreshadowed in the final gripping pages of the book, when both we and Blacksad come to the realisation that he can only take a break from the cycle of violence for so lo

While the bottom of the barrel has been scraped clean with this particular revival, Krul compresses something that originally spanned two dozen annuals down to a self-contained and far more focused story. It's a joyful throwback, one that leaves the creative team of plenty of potential opportunities to branch out into different corners of their own universe. Perhaps some of these 'New Bloods' will make their way into the world of DC's Rebirth, ensuring that the dream of the '90s is alive and kicking.

In the debut issue, Krul really gave us a sense of the world his characters inhabited, and it's disappointing that this issue is incremental in its progression. However, one gets the feeling that everything at the moment is a slow build waiting to explode.

Bob’s Burgers undoubtedly works best on screen. However, some knowing writing and a clean artistic translation makes this more than just a cheap cash-in on the success of the television series, albeit one that misses some of the best elements of the show that inspired it. As such, it seems unlikely that this book could have the longevity of the series, due to enter its fifth series next month. Now: is it only a matter of time before we get that Archer comic? Sploosh.

This joy of discovery is really the appeal of The Bounce, and the expectation that the unexpected is only a few pages away. Finding new takes on the superhero genre is becoming increasingly difficult, and while this first issue may not have the same impact as Casey's Sex, we get the same feeling that he is still setting us up to knock us down later.

A book where we can honestly say that we don't know what will happen next, and feel compelled to stick around and find out.

Ending on yet another cliffhanger, it is getting difficult to continually convince ourselves that the payoff will be worth a few months of water-treading frustrations. The Bounce began as, and remains, an intriguiging concept worth pursuing, but we can only follow it so far. It will be interesting to see if this arc begins to lead us somewhere next month.

Like the character of Joe Toomey, Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises is an affable throwback to the 1970s. Bruce Lee fans who also read comic books will actually find more it has more common with the comedic/espionage plotting of a Jackie Chan classic, but the combination mostly works. While this probably would have worked better as an extended one-shot, the mystery around Lee's return and the group behind it provides enough mystery to warrant at least a second look.

A startling original take on what could have been a standard concept doesn't alway work, but it can't be faulted for lack of imagination.

While some may feel that Buffy is just fine without a reboot, try thinking of this as a journey through the Buffy Multiverse (or Tuna Verse) where you know all the players but everything else is up for grabs.

Bellaire, Mora, and Angulo aren't just remixing a classic TV show but breaking it down to its component parts and rebuilding it for a generation who may not have a connection to the original. By the time we get to the powerful final panels of this sophomore issue, Bellaire has shown us that this Buffy the Vampire Slayer redux is not only welcome, but absolutely necessary for modern audiences.

There's an overwhelming sense of nostalgia that surrounds this issue, just as it does with much of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's collaborations.

Setting up just enough story elements to carry this series through several arcs to come, it is a strong start for a new direction.

Perhaps it is simply that up until now, Captain Marvel has been a very personal journey about one of Marvel's most interesting characters, and this issue demonstrates that there is a danger of her being lost in the noise.

Captain Marvel #1 leaves us on a cliffhanger that takes Carol in a very different direction to what has come before, and this rapid change of direction signals a creative team willing to take some chances. It also means that there's still some more exposition to come. After this kitchen sink approach to the first book in the series, it's evident that these creators have the core of the character down pat, and it will be great to see this team settle into something more focused.

Unless you are an Ultimate completist, give this one a miss but definitely tune in for the main event: it promises to be epic.

Picking up from the events of Age of Ultron and Hunger, this tightly packed issue kicks the series off with several bangs, whimpers and lightning bolts. It's light on plotting, with Mile Morales/Spider-man, the Ultimates and Fantastic Four helplessly throwing themselves against the jolly purple giant to no avail. Yet it has an epic grandeur to it that feel as though it is all headed"somewhere.

Cavalry: 50 Years of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a familiar albeit engaging foray into the crossover world between television and comics. Several references to "Doombots" mean that this doesn't sit entirely in a Marvel Cinematic Universe that is devoid of Fox-owned Fantastic Four characters, but nevertheless opens up the characters of the television series to a slightly larger world, even if it is in passing conversation. By no means essential reading for either fans of the TV series or readers of the S.H.I.E.L.D. ongoing, it's a rapid one-off story that is designed purely to keep fans of May happy.

There are plenty of great ideas here, which is exactly what a first issue should deliver, and it will be interesting to see if Niles can start pulling these strands into narrative in the coming months.

Niles has now given us any number of threads to follow, not least of which are several that have been dropped somewhere between the first and second issue. This has all the promise of a lengthy ongoing series for Image if the book can maintain this standard going forward. It's just crazy enough to work.

At this early stage, Civil War II suffers some of the problems that have beleaguered similar narratives in recent years, principally in seeing heroes all too quick to take sides against comrades on a possible future. Indeed, Bendis has set big goals for himself in the past with events built around time travel and alternate timelines, and this series is a variation on some of those recent themes. Yet this is also just the beginning of something much larger, and while it may seem at times like this is an extended version of the "zero" issue that preceded it, all the pieces are now in place for the "war" proper to commence.

Clean Room is a mystery from the start, one that has multiple paths laid out before us. Chloe's self-affirming "Let's see what f--king havoc a journalism degree can create" isn't just a cool line worthy of Spider Jerusalem himself, but a challenge taken on by Simone to see how far down the rabbit hole these notions go. A first issue that is equal parts thrilling and ominous, this has all the makings of an outstanding series.

Although this is undoubtedly not the Constantine of old, Lemire and Fawkes fundamentally get the character and infuse him with enough of his roguish charms to make him a sufficient bastard for this debut series. Instantly giving off a cinematic supernatural detective vibe, this first action-packed issues rips along at a great pace, throwing in just enough intrigue to make us want to see more in the second issue.

This terrific creative team brings a fresh new spin to CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER. While it is not quite the old school Vertigo title, it is also an evolution from the New 52 version, creating something almost entirely different and immediately arresting.

Constantine: The Hellblazer is a harder sell than most, because undoubtedly many fans of the classic Vertigo series will have been turned off by the lighter version that has been playing out over the last few years. This is a shame, because this current series comes close to that same darkness that inhabited earlier books, and while it may not capture the same magic of the original, it at least captures its spirit.

It's a filler issue in many respects, but a sharp journey through the darker side of the DCU, setting up a bigger confrontation awaiting the anti-hero.

Another case of an issue building us up for another chapter, but with plenty of mystical throw-downs to keep us entertained as we head to the finale.

Convergence will take over the entire DCU for the next few months, and like previous events, its tie-ins will form the basis of all releases. However, unlikely the recent Forever Evil, where the core title remained strong even if the tie-ins were sometimes lackluster, Convergence is off to an inauspicious start. The cynical view has been that Convergence is merely a placeholder for editorial convenience, and this water-treading issue really does little to dissuade folks of that notion. Ultimately, Convergence is a concept that literally has infinite worlds of potential, and one hopes that they live up to the promise of the #0 in the coming months.

It seems unlikely that Convergence will be remembered for much beyond bringing a few classic characters back, but perhaps that is all that it need to achieve.

Happy endings are a rare thing in events, especially when the last book the bear the name "crisis" was about evil triumphing. For a universe-ripping series, it's also a delight that this comes to a positive conclusion, and doesn't lead us straight into another event. Convergence ultimately feels more like it is brushing aside some bad blood. With this issue, a four-year experiment of the New 52 also comes to an end, and something else emerges in its place: DC You. DC has almost cast itself as the misguided villain in this case, drawing parallels with the errors of Brainiac. "Maybe the end is what it takes," remarks Telos knowingly, "to see your mistakes." There are, of course, several plot threads left dangling, including the true name of Telos that become a very minor sub-plot in the back part of the series. This is a new era for DC, and while it may not be the sweeping change that devotees were hoping for, it is a step in the right direction.

Perhaps it's due to a familiarity with this era, butCONVERGENCE: GREEN ARROW #1captures the mid-1990s Green Arrow in a literal bubble. While it would have been interesting to pull in a different periodof the character's history, this largely overlooked era serves as a perfect point for a much angrier Ollie and a more nave Connor. If you've not looked ahead at next month's solicitations, the reveal of Ollie and Connor's sparring partners is an interesting one as well, bringing together two competing '90s realities in the same book. Perhaps when the dust settles, the version of Green Arrow that returns will be something a little closer to this one.

LIke many of the second issues in these Convergence runs, CONVERGENCE GREEN ARROW lacks any real sense of resolution. The father-son angst that was set up in the first issue never really pays off, nor is it given any more attention other than a throwaway line in the final panel. This is disappointing, as Marx's set-up really makes us want to spend a bit more time with this group of unlikely characters, or at the very least explore the "what if" relationship between Ollie and Connor. As we've already had a taste of the future of Green Arrow with the post-Convergence Green Arrow #41, this may still be the last time we see the bearded Ollie outside of the back-issues.

Anybody who missed the old Harley Quinn will love the final pages, and the promise of next month's "Rabbit Season", but this first issue struggles to maintain interest and incorporate Convergence into the plot as well.

In some ways, these mini-series are aiming for classicism, but falling short in execution that is hampered by the "rules" of the event. While the scope of Convergence: Speed Force is much bigger than some of its contemporaries, it is still difficult to get too invested in sets of characters that by necessity may be wiped out by the end of this run. However, what Beddard has achieved is balancing these small inevitable stories up against something much bigger than any individual character. It will remain to be seen whether this particular Flash will prove to be more significant in the wider Convergence, but if history is a guide, there will be at least one Flash disappearing in a Crisis.

While the story is still leading to a confrontation with the Atomic Knights of Durvale, themselves an alternative future of a post-apocalyptic Earth, it packs in more heart and insight into the characters of this era than many of its contemporaries have done to date. Convergence: Legion of Super-Heroes #1 may follow a similar structure to all of the other event titles in this series, in that it is ultimately leading up to a confrontation, but how many of those have knights in armor riding around on the backs of giant dalmatians?

While ultimately heading towards the same type of confrontation that every other book in this event is mirroring, Jurgens at least uses the opportunity to pay tribute to the mythos of DC's most iconic character. It's as much a celebration of Superman and his relationships as it is an event tie-in, and marks itself as one of the stand-out entries in the line-up. In this sense, Convergence: Superman succeeds where some of the other books in this line have failed.

Like the best of these Convergence books, Convergence: The Flash is a love-letter to the DC Universe and a nod to the important role that The Flash has played in almost every Crisis across the Multiverse. It's not over yet, and perhaps the current Scarlet Speedster has a critical role to play in this Convergence.

Cutter has all the potential of pulling a dramatic twist out of its tool shed, although by the end of the first issue the first big twist is something we've seen in a score of 1980s slasher flicks. Yet giving the book the benefit of the doubt and assuming it doesn't go down the obvious route of revenge horror, it might just be worth a second visit next month, even if it's just to conclusively see where it is going.

For existing fans, there might be a lot here to love, but as a debut and a potential jump-on point, it’s the kind of issue that would get weeded out during pilot season. There’s undoubtedly some interesting concepts here, some that might even pay out over the course of a full arc. Although as the second issue since “Rebirth" there simply isn’t anything comic book audiences haven’t seen before. Those with only a passing knowledge of Cyborg’s origin will get little more that that in this nominal debut, except for the promise of a big ol’ robot fight in the next issue.

A final page twist makes this something a little more interesting than the premise that led there, but unless DC have got something sneaky up their sleeves, all this can hope to do is cheapen the decade of stories that Morrison built to lead us here.

The biggest crime of Damsels is that is just fails to engage in this first issue. While the world is an intriguing one, setting up concepts of outlanders and several monarchies at play, the plotting is too scattered for the reader to latch onto any single element. It may have been enough to concentrate on the 'fleeing redhead' storyline, unveiling her story over time, yet we get a whole lot of information at once. The artwork is purely functional, neither wowing or disappointing, which is really as much as can be said for this first issue.

Sturges is well on his way to building a full world here, and we're intrigued enough to want to see what comes next.

ou'll believe that J. Scott Campbell is actually doing the art on this one too, as Royle does a pretty good approximation of his style. Yet for the uninitiated, there will be a lot of head-scratching as people wandering in and out, Hartnell assuming that we will know what their significance is in the universe. For fans only.

Special mention needs to be made of Javier Rodriguez's colouring, as it makes Davis's artwork pop all the more. Regular readers can rest assured that Mark Waid will be back on board for the exciting but far less upbeat story in the pages of the regular book.

Samnee's art continues to impress, with some of the best depictions of what it is like to "be" Daredevil we have seen in years.

The ongoing strength has been in Waid breaking down exactly what is intriguing about the character and playing to its strengths. Simple as that. This month, Waid ponders what would happen if all of that was taken away, and that which makes Matt Murdock special " that is, his radar sense " was suddenly taken away.

We never have a bad word to say about this Eisner Award winning run on Daredevil, and the latest issue gives us no cause for concern.

For over two years, Mark Waid's Daredevil has consistently been one of the best books on the market. High praise considering the fine examples of comic bookery we see every week, but since the "stealth reboot" of the series in the pre-Marvel NOW! years, Waid has been building up the character of Matt Murdoch and not just his horned alter ego. Indeed, some of the issues of this run should and will be spoken of in the same reverential tones as Frank Miller or Brian Michael Bendis's runs.

For over two years, Mark Waid's Daredevil has consistently been one of the best books on the market. High praise considering the fine examples of comic bookery we see every week, but since the "stealth reboot" of the series in the pre-Marvel NOW! years, Waid has been building up the character of Matt Murdoch and not just his horned alter ego. Indeed, some of the issues of this run should and will be spoken of in the same reverential tones as Frank Miller or Brian Michael Bendis's runs.

Yet another perfect example of comic bookery.

This book continues to be the high water mark of storytelling in the Marvel universe, and if this introduction is anything to go by, then the next two years are going to be another magic ride.

While there may be slight echoes of a certain "Court of Owls" story from the Distinguished Competition, the parallels between the two are only that they are the finest examples of mainstream superhero storytelling of this century. So far.

In the hands of anybody else, the sudden appearance of an alien and the Silver Surfer in the gritty world of Daredevil would be classic shark jumping. Yet we take the leap of faith due to Mark Waid's flawless track record, and it's to his credit that this still plays like a 70's cop show.

Waid’s double-bluff in this issue gives resolution to the deceptive retcon of the previous issue, a trick he has pulled on more than one occasion in the past. Here it is even more effective, as Waid plays with our expectations to create something that adds something to the Daredevil canon, without sidelining the important message about postpartum depression. If it sometimes comes off as heavy-handed or wraps up to conveniently, it never feels like it diminishes the ultimate message of the arc. In the words of Matt Murdoch himself, “We should all fail so tragically.”

Yet it is the art team of Chris Samnee and colorist Matthew Wilson who are the standout heroes of the issue, transitioning seamlessly from the brighter opening (both tonally and graphically), to a mind-splitting 10-panel grid that shows each of the children testing the limits of Murdock's psyche. A magnificent piece of visual storytelling.

In this concluding chapter of the face-off with Purple Man and his Purple Children (with nary a Prince to be seen), "storytellers" Mark Waid and Chris Samnee bookend their tale with one of the most simple, effective and touching narratives on depression in recent comics.

The stylish finale is mostly an action climax, Samnee forever placing his stamp on the city of some of the most famous car chases with Daredevil actually behind the wheel. This alone should make it worth the price of admission, but it the double twist in the tale (the kind Waid excels at) that keeps this issue gripping until its heartwarming final panels.

As Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's Daredevil approaches its finale, they prove there is still room to shock, bringing Matt Murdock and the Kingpin face-to-face for a surprising deal.

Given that the current run of the ongoing Daredevil series has been consistently outstanding over the course of the last two years, it comes as a complete surprise as to how much this book was needed. It seems there is no such thing as too much Daredevil, especially when the quality is this high.

This isn't elseworlds, it's an in continuity canonical tale of Daredevil's last days. It's also a frightening vision, but impossible to look away from. We can't wait to see how it all comes together.

The beautiful 80-page volume is what comics were made for, exploring unseen worlds, introducing us to stories outside the mainstream and acting as a showcase for some of the best writers and artists in the business.

There's more chapters of "Trekker", "King's Road", "Bloodhound" and "Nexus", but there couldn't be a more perfect example of Dark Horse's ability to pick up future talent than the one-page story by 15-year-old Emma T. Capps. Simple and sketch comedy based in its approach, it still shows a sophisticated knowledge of structure and more importantly, a love of comics. It's great to see Dark Horse encouraging talent very early in a career. Who knows: one day Capps could be the next big thing, and this issue will be worth a fortune?

There's a continuation of Jane Espenson's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Love Vs. Life" story, tying directly into the Season 9 arc, more "Trekker" from Ron Randall and editor Mike Richardson's interesting adaptation of Andrew Vachss's "Underground". Yet the moment of zen brilliance is Patrick Alexander's "Steggy Wilmot and Spimps", a satirical bit of surrealism in which the idly rich Steggy is brought his morning pig by butler Spimps, creates a list of things he could buy (including Spimps' house and daughter) and is saddened when his Great Newspaper article about why pigs are sad fails to yield the fan-mail he desires. If that doesn't get you running out to buy this always terrific anthology, then nothing will.

Dark Knight III: The Master Race is so far exactly what one would expect from a book carrying this title, and perhaps that is what is holding it back from being great. It's a reminder of the greatest hits of Batman, a character that is necessarily defined by key moments in his existence. It sometimes seems that Batman has been mining the darker nights since the 1980s, although our era certainly lends itself to heroes that exhibit parallels the vigilantism of that earlier decade. It won't be until the subsequent chapters that we truly get to see if this is merely tipping a hat to a moment in time, or if it will break free and deliver a fresh and original playlist.

There's a scene in this issue where Carrie injects a large needle into Bruce's knee, and his mixture of pain and relief could almost capture the sentiments of the reader at this midway point in the series. Dark Knight III: The Master Race is not the messy rollercoaster that its predecessor was often seen as, but it isn't the groundbreaker this version of Batman once was either. At an elongated running time of eight issues, it also feels like a long walk-up to something wholly familiar as well, but with the surprises it has still managed to offer so far, it's hard to count the master out of the race just yet.

Several months and almost 20 issues into this event, Snyder has certainly kept the wheels of hopelessness spinning for what’s left of our heroes. As the second act of this potentially universe-changing saga comes to a close, there is a battle cry that heralds a sweeping finale. Yet having only moved inches since the end of the fourth issue, we’re left wondering how the light can possibly find its way back into the multiverse after all this darkness has permeated its shiniest of beacons.

In many ways, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an extended scene that feels like it was excised for running time at the start of the film, but it does provide a richer level of detail about this emerging world. This works best as a companion piece to the films, as it was intended, and is most likely to work even better when it is collected as one piece at the end of the run.

With Day Men, Steelfreeze might have just invented vampire mafia noir.

While a mix like this is typically difficult to sustain, and some of the characters might seem like complete non sequiturs if you're not familiar with their ongoing series, the Christmas theme makes this an excellent collection overall. It's a whirlwind tour through the DC Universe that highlights the core strengths of these heroes, wrapped up in an accessible and entertaining package. Which is what DC should be doing more of, and its unquestionably one of the best stocking stuffers for any self-respecting comic book readers this Christmas.

If this had a target audience, it is mid-1990s fan boys who yearn for a return to foil holographic covers. Let's hope that Deadpool sees himself as part of the Marvel Universe and ends this quickly.

This may have worked better as a one-shot, but the promise of a Thanos/Deadpool team-up in the next issue is worth another read.

It's hard to complain in a book called Deadpool Vs. Thanos when the bloodletting we crave fills frames in a frenzy of fists.

What we have with Death of Hawkman is a mystery, but not the one that the title leads you to believe. To Andreyko’s credit, it’s an incredibly accessible book, with no prior knowledge really required for either the Hawkman or Adam Strange bits. Whether this results in the comic book death that makes the world stop and shrug in unison is yet to be seen, but it’s off to an interesting if not wholly arresting start.

Image are knocking them out of the park this year with new debuts, and the new mini-series Debris is no exception.

Debris is a high-concept adventure story done right, and has the potential to be a massive crossover hit for Image, who really can't be faulted this year at all.

From the majestic rolling hills of green, to the roasting rabbit on a spit (something Maya is unable to identify), we view the familiar through the eyes of someone who is effectively a newborn in a strange land. One of the most compelling new titles of 2012, we just don't want this one to end.

Taking the four issues together, Debris is still one of the strongest and most original mini-series we've seen in a while. What will be especially good will be the inevitable trade collection, where all of this saga can be read in its cinematic whole. The lack of a prolonged ending should be a minor quibble, and perhaps it is simply that we didn't want this series to end so soon.

The narrow list of suspects for this apparent murder makes the piece all the more fascinating, but not as tantalizing as the possibility that none of the people we've met so far is the killer. Dept. H follows all the hallmarks of a classic Agatha Christie-style whodunit, but nevertheless manages to be shockingly original in its executive, characterization and the precise beauty of its artistic presentation.

From the vantage point of the end of this first issue, we have every reason to be excited about the subsequent chapter in this series. That there's already a cinematic quality to this book is probably indicative of why it has been optioned for a film, but it well and truly stands on its own legs. Taking familiar elements from genre stories and beyond, the combination of Lemire's character-driven narrative and Nguyen's coolly optimistic art makes this something truly unique.

This Detective Comics Annual tangentially references some of the events around the Batman universe at the moment, but is a mostly skippable event on the Bat-calendar. The character of Jane Doe is hinted at reappearing at a later date, and unless there is the off chance she becomes the next big villain for Batman, this is hardly a must-read.

Yet with bonus pinup pages by various artists " including some especially gorgeous work by Alex Maleev, Francesco Francavilla and Batman Incorporated's Chris Burnham " this is a fitting celebration of Batman's 900 issues as the world's greatest detective.

The premise is a solid one, although this patchy first issue makes us ponder whether the concept has legs to sustain a series.

Like the best high concept series, Gillen and Hans may have drawn us in with their core characters, but hold us here with the world that surrounds them.

A perfect jumping-on point for anybody not familiar with previous versions of Doctor Fate, or simply keen to find out what this cat in the golden helmet is on about. A storybook journey with some dark turns, it's mostly a lighthearted adventure from the days of matinee serials, and promises to be a ripping yarn.

Part romance and part mystery, the sense of foreboding Aaron drives home gives this ongoing series massive appeal.

There's a little bit of a swagger about this issue, self-assured that Stephen Strange is every bit the hero without his magic as he is with it. It's designed to make all of these characters as proudly epic as their spandex-clad Avengers friends. With a film due out in only a matter of months, Jason Aaron's take on Strange is becoming close to a definitive one, perfectly accessible to the layman while providing something new and exciting to reward those who have stuck with it.

If you don't feel like wandering outside of the main continuity of the ongoing series, it doesn't currently seem necessary to pick up a copy of Doctor Strange: The Last Days of Magic. Instead, it serves as an excellent introduction to the wider magical universe and some Marvel characters that may not be familiar to newer audiences. It also serves as further evidence that Aaron's skills as a writer don't simply lie in the ability to tell a good story, but rather in the ability to build a world around them.

Fans can miss Amy and Rory no more as this rollicking adventure kicks off in style. If you somehow miss out on picking this up, ensure you find a TARDIS to go back and order it in time. We're going forward to check out the next chapter!

Buckingham's art is gorgeous, and is almost photorealistic, completely capturing the likeness and essence of the three main characters. We look forward to seeing more of this series, although with Diggle off to more mainstream prospects in the near future (namely, the aforementioned Action Comics), we will see Witch Doctor's Brandon Seifert and Tank Girl's Philip Bond on the title next month. Geronimo!

George Mann's script is mostly self-contained, which is incredibly pleasing for the casual fan reader, but this story in particular could have used a few extra chapters to elongate the drama.

As we face the prospect of a long 2016 without any regular new Doctor Who episodes until Christmas, Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor goes a long way towards helping us forget this fact. Indeed, it helps us forget the fact that we aren't in 1977, and Tom Baker isn't still tripping over his own scarf and lowering his baritone to curse the menace of the week. Like the best Baker episodes, it finds the right balance between Gothic horror and lighthearted adventure, and is the start of a promising set of new stories featuring characters as we remember them.

Fans of Doctor Who have put up with some less than spectacular adaptations over the years, but there is nothing in Titan’s first major Tenth Doctor release that is remotely cringeworthy. Fully embracing the spirit of the series, all Whovians will find themselves shouting “Allons-y!” in anticipation of the next installment.

The slower pace of the first issue gives way to a barrage of technobabble from the Time Lord, as he and his companion Gabby flee from fear monsters, as writer Nick Abadzis perfectly capturing actor David Tennant's way of delivering a wibbly wobbly line at rapid pace.

A colorful and fun opening, it's just that it's difficult to reconcile with the ongoing BBC TV production.

DOOMED gets off to a promising start, taking a familiar set-up and infusing it with enough humour and enthusiasm to give us good reason to care about this new character. It's an outright fun book, and like many of the other debuts out this week, is willing to do something new with an existing idea.

In many ways, this is Men in Black or R.I.P.D for the unconscious set, but is written far more in earnest than either of those comedies. Like Ten Grand, Straczynski has taken an existing genre and set it on the path that sets his brain alight. We can only imagine what his dreams look like.

Greg Smallwood marks his first major break with Dream Thief, but that belies a talent that comes to the page fully formed, complimenting Nitz with an almost noirish crime style that isn't a million miles away from the stuff Sean Phillips is putting out in Fatale or Criminal. His art is clean and bright, using shadow and minimalist colour for maximum effect. TheAboriginalmask that gives Lincoln his Sandman-like abilities is part Australian indigenous and part wrestling mask, and instantly iconic. Indeed, there isn't much here visually that Smallwood hasn't touched, with his fingerprints to be found right down to the lettering. It's a wonderful fusion of art and clever storytelling, and we can't wait to see how the rest of the five-issue series pans out.

One of the biggest drawbacks of this kind of adaptation is getting something that is already whole in piecemeal chunks, and it is easy to believe that this may have been better served as a singular graphic novel release. All the other elements are here though, with rich visuals, a compelling narrative, and a non-linear story to draw us in for the trip.

Riley Rossmo's gorgeous art sells the world, beginning with something that is almost Japanese influenced as the protagonist has a vision in a pond, before emerging out the other side of a Western by way of Paris, Texas. Coupled with Karl Fan's amazing colours, which make maximum use of Rossmo's minimal frame fillers, it's the hook that keeps readers visually engaged enough to want to know more about this puzzle.

Perhaps Drumhellar is not designed to be read in the same way as a traditional comic book, and is more akin to a visual puzzle than a straightforward detective yarn. It certainly makes no immediate claims on the latter, short of a having a ronin "Constantine" type at the helm. When it isn't deliberately obfuscating, there's plenty of levity to be had in the interaction between the main players too. In fact, to change a single frame of it would be to alter what makes Drumhellar a bit special in the first place, but at least then it might start to make a little more sense.

Despite taking place on a parallel Earth, it remains an exemplar of how DC should be looking at their New 52 properties, stripping them down and rebuilding them from the ground up. The heroes may come out a little misshapen, and miss the odd part, but they are all the more intriguing for it.

Earth 2 is a title that in many ways has sat on the fringes of the New 52, with its continuity barely touching any of the other stories. As this new creative team takes over, it has proven to be the title's greatest strength, opening up a world of possibilities for the ultimate DC sandbox. It's time to take second look at Earth 2.

With false starts to be found in all corners of the New 52, Earth 2 has become a terrific example of how these reboots should be done, by taking the barest of essentials from what has come before, emptying out the box and building it back up again from the pieces that survive the fall.

Earth 2 could quite easily be the most frustrating book in the entire New 52. In the previous issue, Hawkgirl acknowledged that they all felt like they were meant to be a team, but weren’t quite there yet. So while this edge-of-the-precipice teasing has kept readers guessing since the beginning, the notion that this is still all part of an alternative Earth’s “Year One” is a bold move. However, with the Kryptonians poised to clash next month, one gets the impression that Taylor is set to sweep the old cobwebs away so he has unfettered access to the sandbox that he is currently building, demolishing and re-imagining sandcastles in.

Just as James Robinson, Tom Taylor and Marguerite Bennett excited by crafting something distinctly new in the sandbox, so too does Daniel H. Wilson. Elevating the notion of legacy superheroes to a global scale, this feels like a wild west frontier where anything could happen " and just might.

For a book called Earth 2: World's End, it seems to be going to an awful lot of effort to be keeping a mediocre event alive long past the self-imposed expiry date. These final weeks will see the title limp along to its inevitable conclusion, where if prognostications of doom are right, then any progress that this series does make will be all for naught anyway.

Make no mistake: this is dark and bloody territory. Yet it is also a rewarding and compelling read. It seems there is another Image title that will make four weeks seem like an eternity at least 12 times a year. Judging from the hyperbole around the web, a cacophony of praise that we've just happily added to, this series has a strong foreseeable future.

A compelling read that demands your full attention, East of West has now solidified the reputation it rightfully earned last month.

It would be very easy to label East of West as a bit up and down, but like some of the best long-form stories of the last decade (Y: The Last Man, for example) patience is the most rewarding virtue of them all.

Richard Corben's art, which earned him a place in the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame last year, is masterful. He brings his Heavy Metal aesthetic, honed through years of Eerie and Creepy, and creates something that is both entirely Poe and unmistakably his own.

Corben wholly makes it his own world by the end of the piece, not only giving us a twist on one of Poe's most chilling ends ("darkness and decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all") but loudly winking (is that physically possible?) at the reader while doing it.

Many of shortcomings of Edge of the Venomverse #1 could be overlooked if there was a hook for what comes next. Unfortunately, while the final moments tease Laura's first steps in a larger collection of worlds, there's no real incentive or threat to keep us interested. Where Spider-Verse kicked off with Morlun declaring that all spiders will die, there is no equivalent menace to the Multiverse present here. If the next few issues are to be a random series of symbiote encounters so be it, but the core story that starts in September may be of more lasting interest.

EI8HT is a stunning and evocative new series from one of the best artists working in the business. The compelling premise takes familiar tropes and turns them on their head, asking readers to trust in it. Given the cliffhanger ending and plethora of questions left unanswered, we're in for the long haul. Highly recommended.

It's a series that has the potential to change the way we look at the DCU, and not just because of it's ability to mess with canon. Here's hoping it maintains this level of momentum.

It's all two shades away from being a straight-up Scooby Doo episode, but people who find themselves in the common chunk of Venn Diagrams for classic cinema and crypt-keeper comic books will find a fun home here.

The cliffhanger to the issue is not dissimilar to a gimmick that was used at the start of this very issue, one that shows the limitations of their chosen form of transport. Yet it may also show the limits to the format of this book so far as well. While one of the strengths is definitely that it recognizes itself as a high-concept action piece, that dedication to a lack of exposition may ultimately hamper enjoyment down the line.

It was never meant to be incredibly deep, but there is a profundity to the simplicity of the premise.

Russell has already given us two of the best reboots of the last few years with The Flintstones and the sorely underrated Prez, and now he can add a third instant classic to that list. More than just a series of catchphrases and in-jokes, Russell and the art team have taken an easily mockable character and turned out one of the more compelling dramas of recent memory. This might be the first must-read of 2018.

It might not be quite up to scratch with the main series that inspired it, but it is nevertheless a worthy companion to one of the most essential pieces of comic literature in the last few decades. Working primarily as an adaptation of the video game rather than being concerned with the expansion of the source material, this gives Fables: The Wolf Among Us scope to tell some good investigative stories within a world that was well defined by others. It gives us hope that there will be many more stories to tell by different voices within this world for years to come.

Sturges manages to hold true to both the wider Fables universe as well as giving this the feel of a genuine period noir film, from the dialogue to the gritty crime scenes. You'd expect a story like this to be in sepia/black and white, and it is. Yet so effective is McManus's artwork that we were not even conscious of this fact until the final pages switch back to a colourful modern-day.

There's a whole world here waiting to be explored, and this iceberg's tip certainly warrants some further exploration. So whether Farmhand is to your taste or not, it will be impossible to feel ambivalent towards it.

If you aren't reading this book, take the week as an opportunity to catch up. It will be the best comic-related decision you'll make this year.

We are always several paces behind the main characters, which is an impressive feat given that Miles never quite feels as though he is sure what is going on. As Josephine promises to reveal more next issue, Fatale makes the month between issues an excruciating wait.

Hickman demonstrates that he already has a firm grasp on the cosmic, and these creepy opening pages really do give us the same tingle we felt all the way back in 2006 at the start of Annihilation. As the cover implies, we will probably see The Inhumans, the New Avengers, Dr Strange and a whole lot more before the saga is out. Cheung's art, accompanied by Mark Morales's inks, is nothing short of epic, from the dark landscapes of the intro to the promise of a galaxy spanning saga at the end of this 10-page teaser. After the very disappointing issues of Thanos Rising to date, this has finally got us excited about his reappearance in the Marvel cosmic universe

Contemporary conversations around abuse of power and privilege are far too important to be diminished by throwaway stories, and Female Furies comes dangerously close to undermining the positive progress the Me Too and similar movements have achieved. Falling far short of satire and just too plain weird to be take seriously as retro-flavored drama, if there is an intended audience here, it probably got lost in a Boom Tube along the way.

Fiction Squad is unmistakably fun, even if it is treading some more than familiar ground in the process. It's not a wholly original take on the genre, but given the nature of the material Jenkins is playing with, it doesn't have to be. Indeed, it flat out recognizes that all stories are borrowing elements from similar tales, so the comedy of recognition is something that it tries to work in its favor. It's the kind of concept that tends to work best in short bursts, and while this is solicited as a mini-series, it will be interesting to see if the narrative can sustain its core pun-damentals over the course of an entire series.

At a time when there is even more to be angry about in the world, from global politics to the division between rich and poor, Tyler Durden is needed more than ever. It is almost as if the character has been lurking deep within Palahniuk's unconscious mind for the last two decades, to return fully formed and ready to take over the world. A stunning major comics debut from the writer, and an amazing example of how comics can create an entirely new form of expression. Tyler Lives. Rize or Die.

Reading Palahniuk's Fight Club 2 in a serialized format is a curious approach, with those king hits of his that we've grown used to reeling from now given a comfortable distance from their consequences. While the temptation might be to trade wait and see how this all turns out in the end, the series provides a rare opportunity to see how Palahniuk's mind unpacks something as complex as the dual narratives running here.

Relying partly on your remembrance of the original work, as well as on the bits you only half-remember, it's entirely appropriate that the familiar face (or what's left of it) that turns up in this book is the very same one that Sebastian wanted to destroy because it was beautiful. Palahniuk might be talking directly to us with these final pages, indicating that if anybody is going to take the last few punches at the beauty that is Fight Club, it's going to be him.

The halfway point to Fight Club 2 highlights one of the concerns some have had with the story since the beginning, in that receiving the information piecemeal diminishes the overall impact of the story. To date, the method of delivery has delivered us a gripping series of reasons to believe that Palahniuk has been the master of his own creation's destiny, although this might be the first time that he shows some of the contempt he has for what that creation has become as well.

Since Fight Club 2, Palahniuk has gone deeper down the self-reflective path with his 2018 novel Adjustment Day, his Vonnegut-esque exploration of the fringes that holds up a middle finger to haters and lovers alike. So if the opening to Fight Club 3 isn't as explosively in your face as its predecessor, and we don't learn a whole lot that we didn't know at the end of Part 2, one suspects it's only because Palahniuk is getting warmed up.

Chuck Palahniuk's writing, especially his comic book work, hasn't always made literal sense. It doesn't have to. Yet even the most diehard fans will still be left head-scratching after this issue.

Like the best pulp adventures (although using 'pulp' here is really only to describe the inspiration), we simply accept that these mystical happenings are the norm in Fabian Gray's world. It's not done with irony like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen either, it simply delivers a rip-roaring adventure that gives us more questions about the nature of Gray's "tragic encounter" years ago. Equally dazzling is Chris Mooneyham's distinctive vintage style, that captures the spirit of the pulp adventures that inspire it, raising it to the epic proportions of Alan Moore's Tales of the Black Freighter.

While the entire saga will undoubtedly work wonders in a collected format, it is almost worth getting it every month simply for Chris Mooneyham's idiosyncratic artwork. Mooneyham's style conjures up visions of pulp book covers from the 1930s through 1950s, and maybe even takes the odd visual cue from Indiana Jones every now and then. Perhaps not a point to jump on at, but certainly one that will encourage you to go back and seek out the first two issues.

Our advice is to either go out right now and pick up all five issues if you haven't done so already or pick up the trade collection in September. Either way, you'll be wanting to get onboard for the ongoing series, as this could handily rival Fatale for Image's top book with a retro charm.

Had this issue dropped earlier in the series, eyelids would barely be batted at the fun breather it provides from the often elongated sagas of decompressed storytelling. Yet with a looming "crisis" hanging over the DCU, and months of hints that Wally West is set to take up his fated mantle, this feels too comparatively lightweight for a series that has been building for something for so long. With an issue to go before "Rebirth," there's still a chance to see some of that promise come to pass, particularly given the monumental turn by the end of the issue.

In some ways, this story is just a massive tease for Flash War event coming up in a few months time. Yet it's also a story that's been well over a year in the making, concentrating on the pre-Flashpoint Wally West and his return to the world.

The Flash may not be the earth-shattering debut that the "Rebirth" kick-off had initiated, and while there are no big reveals in the first issue out of the gate, it's nevertheless a solid and reliable version of the Scarlet Speedster. The hints are all there for bigger things to come, including the cliffhanger ending, but the contrary to the title, it seems we may have to wait through a more measured pace before we get to them.

That final cliffhanger is potentially something that avid readers will have seen coming a mile of, but the beauty of Williamson’s world-building is that it still feels kind of exciting to get to this point anyway. Even if the story pieces seem somewhat familiar, they are being put together with panache, and after three-quarters of a century that’s an impressive enough feat for a character.

The Flash #20 is very much a fill-in issue in many respects, adhering to the formula of following a secondary character for ad adventure where all's well that (mostly) ends well. Yet with a reveal of new foe on the horizon, even if it disappointingly indicates another speedster villain, Williamson has put some new pieces on the board. However, it is all merely a chance to pause for breath before next issue's Batman tie-in and what is sure to be the most talked-about crossover of the year in "The Button."

The biggest problem with the issue is that the cliffhanger ending undoes some of the impact of the previous issue. On page and screen, there's been an overreliance on speedster villains for the last few years, and the spectacular end(s) to one of them in "The Button" gets seemingly reversed (get it?) in a single panel. It's why the Joker has recently been kept out of the comic books for a year or so at a time. Even so, this is a solid issue that hits the ground running and rarely lets up.

In all of his various forms, Barry Allen has a penchant for turning his feelings inward, so it's with some degree of cheer that Williamson manages to round out this particular tale on a note of hope. That's a pretty nice anniversary gift for the character and readers alike.

As the latest arc in The Flash comes to an close, the past is very present in the narrative, but a wholly satisfying conclusion is achingly just out of reach.

The finale to "The Price" crossover with Batman is full of surprises, but perhaps the biggest is the levels of introversion Joshua Williamson weaves into the majority of this issue.

It's this sense of despair that has us treading cautiously into this grim territory. Johns has given us the solid foundations of an epic event, just as he did with "Trinity War" before it. Yet this has a familiar feeling to it, and it's almost like starting over after coming so close to something that felt like a conclusion to two years worth of questions. With villain origin stories popping up all across the line, perhaps a New Dark 52 is on the horizon.

With about a dozen tie-ins or related issues to Forever Evil over the next month, the event occasionally feels that it is spread a little too thin. Staging an event with the complete absence of any major heroes is a risky move, but for the most part the characters present are compelling and likeable. As the threads slowly come together, we just hope this leads to a satisfying conclusion and not more questions.

Forever Evil has had to contend with the major problem of being a superhero book completely devoid of superheroes, and this issue shows what kind of energy returns to the series when one of those heroes returns. Indeed, even the return of a familiar villain (and sometimes hero in the form of Sinestro) provides more gravitas than a whole syndicate of criminals from another dimension. The saga is now headed in the right direction, so fingers crossed that it can maintain this momentum until the series concludes in a few months' time.

While this may have been better off as a Steve Trevor one-shot, with little evidence so far that there's enough material here to sustain an entire mini-series, it is one of the first main "Forever Evil" tie-ins to give some glimmer of hope that there's a plan to get out of this thing.

A welcome change from a Villain's Month that told us very little about a post-hero world, this series has the potential to create a major power shift in Gotham or simply be a curious distraction.

Following the story of a group of thieves who "never wanted to rule the world" has instantly become one of the most engaging aspects of the "Forever Evil" event, and DC would be wise to consider this team for their own standalone title outside of the confines of The Flash following this crossover. It has the potential to be as fun as Gail Simone's Secret Six and fill in a big gaping hole in the current publication line-up that we didn't know was empty until now.

While the rest of "Forever Evil" grapples with the bigger questions of the whereabouts of the Justice League, the moon being shifted out of its orbit and general villainy, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion focuses on a compelling set of characters at the heart of the maelstrom, and is all the more rewarding for it.

It is far too early to see exactly how this is going to turn out, and the pieces don't all fit together quite yet. This is possibly a good thing, as there isn't a sense of inevitability just yet either. Brandon has undeniably built an intriguing world from each of the entries so far, and there are enough hooks to enable some further digging, even if none of them are particularly robust by themselves at the moment. Either way, Graham's big picture thinking is something that is refreshingly welcome, and a positive sign of things to come.

The six-issue mini-series has a lot of promise, and even though there is a familiar set of characters already at play, it's a slickly-told version. Frostbite doesn't so much demand your attention as casually invite you in to sit by the fire for a while and warm your weary eyes. As one of the characters in the book notes, an artificial warmth is only noticeable when you step away from it, and this pilot doesn't yet give us much of an indication of whether there is true warmth to be had from the series. We think we know enough of this narrative to say that, for now at least, ice will suffice.

In many ways, this is the comic that Michel Fiffe has been working on for his entire career.

The story is the kind of barrel-scraping monotony we came to expect from a simpler time, with Gambit being "bored" not really enough of a motivation to keep this book sustained over one issue, let alone a whole story arc. Mann's art is serviceable, and at times quite handsome, but he doesn't really have anything to work with in Asmus's underwhelming story.

In the back-matter to the book, Mackiewicz describes his book as an “attempt to process real world horror, centuries of it, magnify it through genre, and learn from it.” In this sense, we have something akin to Scalped but with a more genre-specific edge to it, one that is yet to reveal the full depth of its twists and turns. A terrific new debut that feels all at once highly topical and timeless.

At $7.99, there's a lot of value here for a 100 ad-free pages in a nice cover, but only if you don't have the first three issues. For newbies like us, we know who we're gonna call for future Ghostbusters issues.

The post-credits scene in Ghostbusters (2016) teased a connection between these universes, and while the book doesn't immediately deliver on this, Burnham brings us something that finds the ley-lines between the original films, his comic book universe and the 2016 movie. Indeed, it's the kind of crossover can only be achieved in this medium, with original cast members having left our mortal coil far too soon. This is a fun start to a promising series, and one that will be irresistible to fans.

If you've never picked up a Ghostbusters comic, but have always wanted to give them a go, this is a great place to start.

Of course, Neil Gaiman's The Dead Boy Detectives star in a story by Toby Litt with layouts by Mark Buckingham (Fables), and the various styles from dark to cartoony make this one of the book's centrepieces. It will continue on in the next Vertigo anthology, whenever that may be. We just hope we don't have to wait another year!

As the first issue in a limited series, this looks like it will be one worth sticking around for.

It’s difficult to box Gideon Falls into a single genre at this early stage, but it begins with a frantic search and ends in blood. It’s a thriller, it’s horror, it’s literary, and it’s also something truly unique. With this new creator-owned series, we see two exemplary artists who share an unspoken symbiosis articulating that bond through sequential storytelling.

One of the more original books of the year has the difficult task of following an outrageous first issue, and it doesn't alway live up to the task.

Most of this feels like an excuse for some blood, tits and mayhem Avatar style, presented in some fairly functional art from co-plotter Mike Costa. Best to let sleeping gods lie.

The new age of Vertigo continues to go from strength to strength as writer Zoe Quinn brings her video game aesthetics to one of the most original comic books of the last few years.

Perhaps the best way to describe the debut issue of Gotham Academy is that it's a pilot. It doesn't manage to avoid familiar tropes entirely, indeed it relies on them at times as a kind of cultural shorthand. Awkward cafeteria encounters, crazy old headmasters and even cameos from local famous billionaires all tick the right boxes, but it's hard not to get caught up in the sheer enthusiasm of the issue. Kudos where it's due should go to DC for trying to do something new with the Batman family of books, an impressive feat after 75 years and literally thousands of issues about Gotham City. If this is a mark of where the 'new' New 52 is going, then the Bat-Signal is shining a little brighter this week.

The artistic attempts to keep us on our toes is shared by the narrative, which almost feels as though it reaching a conclusion several times before catching us off-guard with an added twist. This has all the promise of a rich and layered series that invokes new levels of intrigue each month, so it will be interesting to see where this goes when it returns in the new year.

Grayson is a promising new direction for one of DC's oldest characters. It's the kind of changes that make their way organically into a long-running comic book, ones that can only happen once some history is behind them. It's a dichotomy that sits outside the New 52, but wholly encapsulates the best bits of it as well. Dick Grayson: Super Spy? It just might work.

As the book spends a fair bit of time carefully introducing a familiar villain to long-time Green Arrow readers, this seems more like a set-up for future events than an origin story.

Prior to Flashpoint, Green Arrow was one of the essential reads of the DCU, yet J.T. Krul's storytelling ability failed to translate into the new and younger vision of Oliver Queen. Nocenti's arrival barely helped matters, failing to recognise that going full throttle around the world is no substitute for character development, something Arrow's writers (especially Krul, Mike Grell and Judd Winick) had always been in tune with.

Tolibao is the fourth artist on the series in the last 12 months, which is perhaps another reason why this title can't find its way, and it simply doesn't suit the character. The final page promises an origin story next from Judd Winick, before the "Chinese adventure continues" in #13. We know which one we are looking forward to.

With the story problems still evident after a year, crossovers are just smacking of desperation at this point.