If you've ever wanted to get into the Mortal Kombat franchise but felt that the video games had far too much movement and interactivity for your tastes, then this comic series may have been what you've been looking for all your life. Diehards will no doubt add a couple of points to this rating, and they may be plentiful. However, as an entre to the series, it really only acts as fan-service, and no new fans are likely to be won over in the process.

"This journey has come to an end"but nothing has been resolved." Neal Adams could be summing up his own mini-series with that quote, a largely inconsistent retro story that ends on an incredibly nonsensical piece of comic bookery.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Green Arrow has been regularly frustrating since its reimagining in 2011, and so far Percy's tenure has only brushed the reader up against the greatness that this character always has the potential of displaying. The future doesn't seem quite as bright as it did at the end of the first arc, with the third arc hinting at a wolfy awakening for Ollie. This is definitely not the facial hair that fans are hoping to see. Where the character, and indeed Percy, work best is when they stick to the core values of the man behind the mask, but at this point is seems the shaft has strayed far from the center of the target.

As an anniversary issue marking 50 issues since the dawn of the "New 52," Green Arrow shows no signs of shaking the narrative confusion that plagued it in the initial issues. Still searching for a sense of identity, the addition of the horror genre and a half-hearted attempt at relevancy barely captures the spirit of modern politics, let alone the long history of political discourse that has been a part of Oliver Queen's adventures over the last three-quarters of a century. At this stage, we can only hope that DC's much-hyped "Rebirth" event manages to find the center of the target again.

Despite the excellent talent and wicked legacy of these stories, the lack of depth and lasting hooks ultimately makes it all feel a bit inconsequential.

After reading through this muddled mess of an issue, we weren't surprised to see Ann Nocenti's name attached, although in her partial defence, the character has never been terribly compelling.

ike a Trojan horse arriving in plain sight, the kicker for fans is that this issue ends with a final "Discover the truth about J'onn and Mars in Martian Manhunter." One has to wonder if there would be this overwhelming sense of feature-length advertising if the issue had dropped at the ended release date, following the end of the "Rao" arc. Released out of order as it is, there is no sense of urgency to the issue, and it's just a leisurely romp through the mind of a character that had only recently been fully restored to the DCU. Nevertheless, the next issue of Justice League of America will be highly anticipated as a return not only to the story that as captivated these last few months, but hopefully a return to form as well.

This issue is the first to deliver on the promise of the bigger story that will lead us into next year's Trinity War, but it is nothing more than exposition with a bit of uninspiring art behind it. What begins by covering the same ground as the FCBD book rapidly becomes a weighty, pseudo-biblical tale, plodding through a ton of explanatory text for what is otherwise a fairly straightforward story.

This is one of the most frustrating titles out from DC at the moment, because the Multiversal possibilities post-Convergence were literally endless. Yet instead we continue to get the secret origin of a character who didn't demand this much attention in the first place.

Indeed, the whole thing smacks of being a watered-down version to introduce new readers to a figure that should need no introduction. There's even a gaggle of girls who giggle over him and "wanna kiss him". Seriously. Prior toAnnihilation, Thanos starred in the excellent 12-issue titular maxi-seriesby Jim Starlin (to whom the issue is dedicated). The almost Western-focused leanings of that series, in whichThanos decides to atone for the destruction of Rigel-3 and meets Galactus, gave us insight into the fragility within Thanos before restoring him to his full power and sinister glory. Given the weak opening of this series, it is entirely possible that the Mad Titan will be seen as an emo outsider by its conclusion.

Any pretense of using his female lead as anything other than a male fantasy falls away in this second issue, robbing it of its impact or any chance of subtlety or character development.

Wynonna Earp has a solid, if wholly familiar, concept that is chomping at the bit to be something bigger than it is. Unfortunately for the forthcoming series, this book offers little hope of the setup being anything other than another variation on the "lone gun with a vendetta story," married with a procedural narrative we've seen countless times before.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

From his earliest days in the pages of More Fun Comics, World's Finest and Adventure Comics, Green Arrow has always been something of a pastiche: part Batman, partly Robin Hood, and partly inspired by the Western mythos. So it's interesting to see the Green Arrow of the 21st century still struggling with this identity crisis. Percy has some interesting ideas, and the notion of Green Arrow as a horror title is an intriguing one. Yet the problem lies ultimately in the execution, one where multitude of ideas could benefit from being pared back into a singular focus.

There is a glimmer of optimism that edges into this bookend chapter. After all, the issue begins with a literal rebirth, and mostly concerns Ollie's hope that the world can benefit from Doctor Miracle's cure. It's not the first time in the last five years that we've been led to believe the title can change for the better, but even in this super compressed format, it is one of the most hopeful arguments to date. Percy is the solicited writer for the post-Rebirth issues of Green Arrow, so maybe he has simply pushed Oliver Queen into the direction that he would like to see him take in the next part of his story. For now, the New 52 version of Green Arrow ends with some of the same uncertainties that it began with, but for the first time in half a decade, it does so with a target placed firmly in front of it, a less scattered sense of character, and more importantly, a beard on its face.

The pinup cover is the comic book equivalent of Alice's "Eat me" signs, and we all know how that ended up. This prequel is something of a double-edged sword, not offering anything entirely new, but perhaps providing some back-story for existing readers. It's not exactly an easy introduction to new readers either, although it certainly seems to be inviting them in with this origin tale. How far down the rabbit hole you want to go is entirely up to you.

Disappointing given the pedigree of all involved, and further proof that a winning team of heroes is a delicate balance to try and recapture after the genie has been let out of the bottle.

Kitty Pride is a wonderful new and dynamic Star-Lord, but with the immediate reintroduction of Peter Quill as the bored Spartax ruler, it seems like it is only a matter of time before those superficial changes fall back in line with a more familiar Guardians lineup.

Harley Quinn: Be Careful What You Wish For will test the Harley tolerance of all but the most dedicate fanbase. More than this, specials like this make us ponder who this character even is. Harley could quite happily be the fourth-wall breaking equivalent of Marvel's Deadpool, but in attempting to grab onto the all the audiences for the character from her 25-year history it ultimate ends up appealing to very few.

There is nothing about this book that couldn't have been told in the pages of the regular monthly title, and while fans will undoubtedly love the extra issues each year, it would have been much more pleasing to see a different creative team tackle their version of the character. At the bloated length of almost forty story pages, it is also difficult to justify the slightly higher price point for the sake of an extended version of the same creative team's stories. Yet with Suicide Squad due out in cinemas next year, the cult of Harley Quinn is only going to get stronger.

The unlikely combination of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and novelist Joel Rose brought us Get Jiro a few years back. Their latest collaboration is just as esoteric, and once against draws upon a Japanese tradition of storytelling. The start of an anthology series based around a series of kitchen nightmares, the creators eyes may have been bigger than their stomachs in this less-than-satisfying degustation of tales.

Yet this is ultimately an uninspiring and disposable first issue to a mini-series that seems unlikely to be essential to the bigger events of the Marvel universe.

It's just a shame that this first issue is so dialogue-heavy that is obscures the lovingly rendered art at times. There's some great one-liners though, and while the first issue may read like a wet-dream, there is the promise of comedic situations to come in future issues

At its core, Forever Evil is a solid concept, as evidenced by the strength of this week's main Forever Evil book, but tie-in issues such as this show the inherent weakness in stretching a good idea too thin. Sucking any of the life and momentum out of the threads Johns was playing with in "Trinity War" and the related arcs, Justice League, and by extension those books that relate to it, is now sitting very still and waiting for something to happen.

At the risk of coming off as a bit of a Grinch, The Adventures of Luna the Vampire takes a lot of work to love. The nonsensical stories and the simple conclusions will alienate large chunks of the audience, and the very specific form will mean that it will only appeal to a small section of the rest. Then again, the Grinch came around in the end, and maybe Luna the Vampire just needs to give us more to sink our teeth into.

As a one-shot, this could have been a killer action piece. Yet as the introduction to an ongoing, it offers new readers few reasons to invest time in these one-dimensional action-hero pastiches of an era in comics some of us are still trying to forget.

Straczynski is known for playing the long game, often taking years for arcs to fully play out. Yet like the former hero it depicts, Sidekick is fairly easy to dispose of once the final page is turned. If you are considering a career in costumed crime fighting, and a hero has already made you an offer, this might help you to think again. Sidekick does little to encourage a return engagement next month, failing to give us a reason to connect with the character or the world he inhabits.

This is a great series, but it's a shame that the character that the target audience would most identify with right now gets the equivalent of a 20-page Little Golden Book.

What ultimately redeems this issue is the very thing that hinders it as well. The final page is a cliffhanger so grandiose that it might have been lifted directly out of Adams' work in the 1970s, and the sixth issue is almost mandatory reading if one has made it this far into the series. Then again, perhaps this is written for such a niche audience that going in searching for modern conventions and speech patterns is folly. Maybe the best way to enjoy Superman: The Coming of the Superman is simply to go along for the ride.

The debut issue of Telos feels like an extended prologue to the series it actually kicks off at best, or a muddled collection of half-finished thoughts at worst. Telos has been imbued with the ability to travel through all of space and time, has been initially tasked with what appears to have all the makings of a heist story. There's still a long way to go, but it's hard not to feel disappointed that the promise of the DC You and this intriguing character has so far yielded something less than the sum of its parts.

This issue holds together a little better than the first, no longer treading dangerously close to Saturday morning cartoon territory. Genuine character traits are revealed in Thanos, and his transition from disenfranchised teen to galactic genocidal giant is a little easier to connect to. However, it has instead borrowed heavily from another genre, with this essentially being the story of the rise of a serial killer, not someone who will one day bring the galaxy to its knees in his mad pursuit for power. In other words, we've seen it all before.

There is a lot to be intrigued by in The Discipline, the most tantalizing thred being the physical transformation that Melissa will seemingly undergo, one that is teased in the opening pages. Yet before we can get to this, we must wade through a darkness that is oftentimes more disturbing than erotic, and troubling in its implications. Milligan isn't the first to use sex, magic and monsters as metaphorical playthings in the quest for fantasy, yet it must be recognized that The Discipline treads a very thin line between that and using the female lead as a plaything in the pursuit of story.

Sadly, the great Neal Adams' old-school style doesn't gel with modern comics, with Wolverine looking blocky and awkward, a lumbering giant rather than a killing machine. The rest of the art is fairly inconsistent, visuals often garbled. The series nevertheless has promise if you can ignore half-a-century of continuity, which is occasionally a good idea when fresh stories are needed.

The Movement is yet to earn this cache, as the characters are simply not likeable enough yet. Ranging from the militant to the just plain gross (the guy who controls and eats rats is either genius or a massive misfire, we haven't decided yet), it's a textbook example of how difficult it is to politicise a mainstream comic to the left, especially when the company selling it to you has a vested interest in corporatisation.

While the small screen format has created its own ways of trying to spice up repetition for the masses, Kirkman's method now seems to be "wash, rinse, repeat". This is undoubtedly deliberate, and was always a stated intention of the serialised format. However, as we face yet another showdown between two warring settlements, we feel as though we've seen this all before: Woodbury, the Alexandria Safe-Zone and now The Kingdom.

Edward Laroche's debut issue of a new series sets up a hell of a lot of elements, but that doesn't necessarily translate to a lot of story.

When Wayward does get moving, it cracks along at a pace. The new characters add new layers to the potential for this story, although it seems to have already sidelined the main bit of intrigue from the first issue, instead replacing it with an awkward bit of teen angst. It can be hoped that Zub addresses the notion of self-harm in more depth in coming issues, as it makes for a disturbing development as a segue between scenes.

Not to labor a point, but some may not get beyond the confronting elements of this issue, while others may just rightfully feel that after three issues we are yet to connect with any of the principal characters. The beefing up of the single-minded antagonist promises to push the momentum forward rapidly, although this issue may just be indicative that We Stand On Guard is struggling to find its own identity.

Unless you have already invested time in any of the three series it brings together, this is probably inessential.

Definitely not essential reading.

The series is careful to not take anybody important out of the Marvel 616, but the potential is here for some incredible fun over the coming months. For now, this is X-tremely disappointing.

The initial promise is lost as caution, and characterisation, is thrown to the wind. Dazzler acts like a bit of a dick for most of this issue, and rather than getting to know this new world, a bunch of 'stuff' happens until a convenient plot changer turns up to whisk part of the group off to somewhere or other. Do we care? We should, but for two months in a row, Greg Pak has failed to engage us with what should be a no-brainer of a title.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lemire has all the elements of a sharply original Green Arrow story working here, and it is entirely possible that they will wrap up in a future issue. For now, there are far too many moving parts for this to be enjoyable, detracting from the core of the character and altering the essence of a hero that has always been defined by his ability to make (and break) his own destiny.

Kreisberg and Sokolowski's run has to date felt like the TV show they would have written if they had access to all of the characters in the DC universe. With next month's Convergence event set to change the status quo, this issue of Green Arrow brings about its own kind of "convergence", updating the comic to a point where it could comfortably run concurrently with the TV series, complete with its own versions of Felicity, Diggle and a surrogate Thea. As such, if this does end the New 52 version as we know it, it's a logical conclusion, albeit one that treads familiar ground.

Nevertheless, this penultimate issue of the "New 52" Green Arrow is frustrated by some rushed pacing, now trying to reconcile several of those aforementioned narratives to bring this chapter of Oliver Queen's life to a conclusion, or at least a new beginning. The drama of the cliffhanger is undercut by the fact that there is a man standing in the room that can bring people back from near-death, coupled with a preview title that is virtually telling us how this is going to unfold. Even if it doesn't go that way, and Percy surprises us with the final curtain, it's a case of too little too late in this otherwise solid action issue.

Percy's Green Arrow works best when it balances a self-awareness of the character's rich history wth wholesale tributes to the past, but within a contemporary framework of course. Yet this third chapter not only departs tonally from the two issues that preceded it, but it threatens to revisit ground that was covered as recently as Jeff Lemire's 2013 outing with the character. This current issue doesn't push far enough into new territory or uncover new aspects of the old, resulting in a solid but heavily familiar tale.

Robert Venditti's post-Geoff Johns run has been a worthy successor to the decade-long epic, and "Lights Out" was one of the highlights of the comic book event calendar. However, this fallout issue doesn't quite have the same impact of its immediate predecessor, although the rift it sets up is one that promises to pay off down the track.

Dan Abnett returning to write a Guardians book may be cause for celebration, but these aren't the galaxy protectors you're probably looking for.

At times it comes close to the spirit Jim Starlin or DnA's great runs, evoking some of the cosmic mysticism they both so frequently played with. Yet Guardians of Knowhere #1 this still feels like an imitation caught between two great depictions of these characters in other cosmic Marvel titles.

So many questions are still left unanswered, as is the nature of serial drama, it's just a shame that this particular story feels like its been stretched a bit too much in the center.

It's a series that often trades its own subtle flavors for perpetual motion, but it has all the necessary component parts if it would just slow down for a minute.

The best Archie crossovers have tended to be one-shots or incredibly limited series. Harley & Ivy Meet Betty and Veronica is evidence towards the idea that Riverdale visits work best in that format. It's difficult to see how this will stretch out for another two issues, but it's all in good fun after all. It might just be the antidote needed to the doom and gloom of the event crossover season that's right around the corner.

With four issues to go, there's still plenty of time for nuanced discussion of these topics, but that just makes this outing even more of a missed opportunity.

This series may leave us with a richer sense of these players, so it's just a shame that King's sense of pacing has kept us in arrested development for so long.

By the penultimate chapter of Hit-Girl, Millar has once again begun to run into the same problems he had with Kick-Ass 2: the inability to sustain momentum over the course of a fairly straightforward tale. With Hit-Girl, the problems are compounded by knowing how this chapter of Mindy's life is going to turn out, giving this issue in particular a sense of inevitability.

It's the calm before the final storm, but it's also a penultimate chapter (by way of an Avengers and New Avengers issue) that feels more like an epilogue.

Despite these narrative misgivings, there is certainly enough in this first issue of Intersect to warrant a second foray into Fawkes' world. While the fragments presented here are not enough to gain a complete impression, they certainly tease enough to want to see more pieces and perhaps even participate in assembling the full portrait.

An interesting introduction to the character, but probably not essential reading for long time fans.

The tent-pole of the DCU has always been one to keep going back to, simply because it is the book that has helped us better understand the world of the New 52. Now that we are well into this new arc, Johns has fallen back on the familiar, rediscovering the problem of putting all of the world's major heroes in a single book.

Pak gets dangerously close to diminishing some of Darkseid's power in this issue, but ultimately redeems it by reassuring us of his motivations. The art team does a solid job in representing both the new and old gods, even if the latter are not terribly visually interesting. It's a curious origin story, but not one that needed to be told to understand that Darkseid is a very, very bad man.

Ultimately, the issue doesn't bring us any closer to finding out what the current status of the "real" Justice League is, nor does it further the plans and schemes of the Crime Syndicate, save for the last few pages. It does, however, remain a solid piece of standalone storytelling, which would be terrific if we could take it as such. However, as part of a bigger piece of the arc, it certainly doesn't feel like essential reading.

The beauty of some of these "Futures End" titles is that they can wrap up character arcs well before their time, but its a mixed blessing. Both Captain Atom and the Martian Manhunter gain a sense of closure by the end of this issue, with the former's reminder of his humanity being particularly poignant. Yet as Martian Manhunter walks off like Shane into Mars' sunset, declaring that (like Poochie) his planet needs him, readers will be left wondering if this little foray was all much ado about nothing.

At the end of the day, readers may have a tough time buying into the idea that the Justice League of America could in any way be legitimate rivals to the all-star Justice League. Yet with an intriguing cliffhanger, and the promise of some interesting team dynamics to come, this is one that is worth a second look next month.

While this isn't the most groundbreaking or revelatory of the one-shots released in this series to date, it is still a solid character-based approach that gets to the heart of what this event is really about. After all, if absolute power is said to corrupt absolutely, the exploration of what that same power does to already corrupt is just as interesting.

While not having the instant hook of the Image's sci-fi stablemate Saga, there is nevertheless some intrigue here.

For the 80th anniversary of the company, Marvel has once again revived the anthology series that bears the company's name. It's a mixed bag, with two of the three stories focusing on the Second World War.

Interestingly, Bunn and Vost split the writing between Venom and Scarlet Spider/Kaine, resulting in very different styles for the very different characters. Medina's clean art gives this event series an easily accesible shop-front, mirroring a cinematic layout, with enough splash moments to satiate the fanboys and girls.

Portacio's art is solid, capturing the gritty 'reality' of this neo-noir world, albeit nothing spectacular either. We'll come back to this one next month and see how the world is doing.

The introduction of a new anti-villain/anti-hero might give the series a bit more direction at this point, but it is worrying that it has taken well over 80 pages to get here. At the end of the day, we are still suckers for Marvel's cosmic universe and will see this through to the bitter end. We hope there's a creamy and sweet centre.

A difficult jumping on point, THE OMEGA MEN aims high, but also asks a lot from the audience for a debut issue. A little homework is required in advance of reading this issue, not least of which is the 8-page preview Marvel released last month. One to watch, although we're just not sure why yet.

Much of this issue is a build-up to something that never pays off, and there is a confrontation still brewing. While Hill and Hawkins do a good job of maintaining that tension for much of this issue, the immediate payoff seems a little bit of a cop-out. Perhaps it is simply because the first half of this series to date has been so superb that deviations feel poor in comparison, but Postal is still at its heart a book with a unique view, and works best when that view is allowed to take center stage.

This book is unquestionable gorgeous to look at, but it also definitely has the scope of a mini-series. Damian Wayne was always more interesting when defined in relation to his father, a relationship that made up most of Morrison's run. Cut off from that, it becomes just another story about yet another resurrected Robin.

With two issues to go in the arc, we feel no closer to the conclusion than we did at the end of the previous chapter, even if the stakes are higher than even for one of the increasingly forgotten heroes of Spider-Verse.

While there are a few geek thrills to be found in the alternate versions of our favourite characters, this one-joke concept may have been best served by a one-shot rather than a four issue limited series.

The shock revelation of another gender-swapped hero will come as not surprise to readers of the Battleworld tie-ins, but at least it promises to launch this second volume of Spider-Gwen in a new direction.

The basic premise of Spider-Man 2099, in which the hero must fix the future and return home, is a tried-and-true formula that remains compelling. David's final pages may have been telegraphed earlier in the issue, but nevertheless offer the impact and impetus Miguel needs to go forward into a intriguing arc. However, the technical skill and superficial enjoyment aside, it still leaves the book with the self-identified problem of being yet another spider on a familiar web, and this setting can only last for so long.

All the pieces are there for this to be back on track as a winning series, it just needs a stronger focal point.

While not quite tying in with main event, short of a throwaway line from Norman Osborn about Doctor Doom being his god, Spider-Verse remains a mostly entertaining chapter in an otherwise inconsistent (so far) multiversal event. However, with several chapters still remaining in this mini-series tie-in, there's still a wealth of threads to explore on this always fascinating web.

An interesting multiversal premise that makes good use of the strong trio of women Marvel has run with over the last year, but that event doesn't feel as though it has quite started by the end of this issue.

It may be slightly contrived, but it does serve to build a bridge between the film universe and the comic world. Definitely a book for the fans.

This special's subtitle, "The Phantom Limb," is more than likely a tongue-in-cheek reference to The Phantom Menace, but it also refers to the sense of loss droids feel when their memories are wiped and only fragments remain. While Star Wars: C-3PO is undercut by setting itself up to tell the non-story of Threepio's arm, the underlying themes are the most interesting aspects of the story, and it's just a shame that more time wasn't spent contemplating them outside of this limited format.

A ghostly final scene is pure Star Wars, and it seems that this narrative shift is in keeping with the bigger story the expanded comics series is telling at the moment.

A rare slip for the otherwise exceptional series of Star Wars books to date, and despite being a mini-series, Lando #3 just feels like it is spinning its wheels a little bit.

It's a fun story, but it's hard to top the quality being produced in the flagship Star Wars Marvel title at the moment, especially as it barely escapes the gravitational pull of Endor's moon.

Unlike many of the post-Secret Wars reboots, Sam Humphries' Star-Lord is quite literally a new beginning. Which is actually part of the problem here, in a tale that updates (or perhaps retcons) the story from 1976's Marvel Preview #4.

It remains an intriguing spin on Superman, but is still yet to distinguish itself from the plethora of similar titles out there.

There's a lot of promise in Superwoman, with the previous issue setting up some beautiful character moments and potential pathways going forward. However, the shock twist at the end of the first issue has set this second issue somewhat adrift from those possibilities, created several awkward fits and far too many moving parts for an early issue. Yet much of that promise still remains if the book can harness one or two of those elements and focus in on the things that matter.

It's difficult to pinpoint any one thing that is massively wrong with Teen Titans. It's a solid outing featuring mostly headline characters that do what they say they are going to do on the tin. So maybe that's it: it's a perfectly capable book, but it lacks ambition and scope. There's some bits and pieces there to give bait for future issues, but it's hard to recommend it as a "must read" just yet.

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.

There's no faulting this debut for a lack of ambition, not to mention its environmentally conscious leanings, tackling at least three subgenres before the page count is done. Humour is broad, but consistent, with the aliens perhaps more rustic than the militiamen.

Ultimately, the weird mix of the cartoon influences and wholesome problem-solving still make this a bit of a poor man's Fantastic Four. It desperately needs a hook in the next issue or so, or else this future is destined to be history.

The New 52: Futures End gives DC another slate to wipe down and go to town on, less than three years after they did just that with the entire line. It's a fun gimmick, but with the next 11 months planned out, it also ultimately reveals the folly of this event. The New 52, at its very foundations, was designed to give the DC Universe a new lease on life, completely unfettered from the constraints of continuity and providing new readers fresh stories with familiar heroes. Yet here is an event that might ostensibly give all the characters a whole new world to inhabit, but seems to rely on knowledge that only existing readers can provide.

All prequels have the inevitable problem of working within the confines of a predetermined ending, and the most they can do is illuminate aspects of the characters' pasts. Thor: The Dark World Prelude gives away very little, which is unsurprising given that the film is still five months out of cinemas. It's hardly essential reading, but if you can't wait for your next slice of Marvel Cinematic pie, this might keep the rumblings at bay until the main course arrives.

Artist Cliff Richards (no, not that one) is capable, but like the story itself, it is hardly something you will pondering after you turn the final page.

Best read with a thumping beat and a red party cup full of vodka and Red Bull, time will tell if this evolves into a modern dance-centric fantasy tale.

Trinity of Sin: Pandora #2, despite the "Trinity War" tie-in banners, is scarcely essential reading for current DC fans. The marriage of crime scene drama and supernatural showdowns is not a comfortable one here, and there is nowhere near enough to keep readers hooked.

That said, with a new Wolverine film due out in cinemas imminently, this fairly straightforward adventure would make for a solid jumping on place for anybody simply wanting a monthly book with the most popular X-Man who ever snikt and snikt.

Battle of the Atom has been one of those strange little crossover events that has been fairly consistent with recent issues of X-Men, and while Jason Aaron is the principal writer on this issue, it's very much still Brian Michael Bendis's narrative baby.

MARTIAN MANHUNTER fans will undoubtedly be overjoyed to see their favourite green shape-shifter (possibly after Beast Boy) get his own series again at last. However, it is not the most accessible beast just yet, but with any luck it will morph into something more user friendly in the coming months. Still one to watch.

Ultimately, it's difficult to become invested in the Nazi "heroes", a fulfilment of Frank Miller's fascist visions of Superman and Batman but without the filter of 1980s pop culture. Morrison has woven a complex web of worlds in his grand plan, although one can't help but feel that the Multiverse would have done just fine without too much attention paid to Earth-X.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

This issue of Green Arrow demonstrates the dangers of trying to link stories with arcs beginning in other books, and how corporate synergy has a role to play in mainstream comics. To the credit of Lemire, he mostly overcomes this in a straightforward issue, promising a much bigger story to emerge from "The Outsiders War."

Sorrentino excels in the lush playground of the island's jungle, but gives us some rare light-hearted art in the lead-up as well. The gentle back-and-forth between Ollie's crew (over pizza and beverages, no less!) showcases a brighter side for a comic that has gone to some dark places in recent months, and gives us a nice segue into an origin-defining arc for the increasingly high profile character.

Despite some minor misgivings, GREEN ARROW is heading in the right direction under Percy. Free from the burden of another globe-trotting adventure, and delightfully free of blonde triplets, this grounded approach is where Ollie should be, and here's hoping Percy stays on this course long enough to give us some status quo. References to the Tacoma light rail and killer whales are no more on the nose than Grell's lingering shots of the Pike Markets, and it is to Grell that Percy appears to look when he approaches this character. This can only be a good thing, and we can't wait to see what he has in store for the next arc.

Much of the issues appears to be a long setup for the return of a familiar character on the final page. It’s heralded by a full-page glory shot of the character spouting their new codename, a wonderfully impactful moment that would have even more power if Percy hadn’t used the exact motif to announce the arrival of the "new" Merlyn last issue. Even so, Percy and his rotating art teams continue to provide a classic version of Green Arrow, even if it’s a little too "greatest hits" at times.

All's well that ends well in what amounts to a fairly goofy conclusion, where even the bad guy gets a happy ending at Christmas.

Venditti is thrown in at the deep end with not just Green Lantern, but also by taking on responsibilities for Green Lantern Corps as well. In the final pages of this issue, we are given a whiff of what Venditti has in store for us in the coming issues, including the introduction of a new villain for the Forever Evil event in September. It is far too early to tell if the series is in safe post-Johns hands just yet, but it is undoubtedly pointed in the right direction.

Kindt leaves us with little doubt that Sinestro's story is far from over, and while this issue adds little in the way of new perspective on the character, it does provide a handy overview for one of the most essential villains in the DCU. If anything, there's just as much scope for exploring the fate of Lyssa Drak in future issues as there is Sinestro, but the fate of the two now seems to be inexplicably tied. However, as much as these issues have worked as a curiosity, it will be far more rewarding to return to the main narrative next month to see how the events of "Lights Out" relate to larger issues in the DCU.

It's an inauspicious start to the second chapter of Venditti's Lantern tales, neither bringing the same impact or promise of a major shift ahead of it. Instead, it feels very much like an epilogue that didn't fit into a single issue.

We still have faith that Morrison has a grand plan in mind, so perhaps the best course of action is to just strap in and hope for the best.

Steve McNiven and Sara Pichelli's art is incredibly striking though, particularly shining on the sleek designs of the Guardians' ships and suits. There's also a double-page spread filled with a holographic image that is a showstopper, but perhaps that is because it is also filled with almost 20 of Bendis's word balloons. This might be a changed group, but let's hope that nobody is forgetting the fun and irreverence that made the last series so critically successful.

Valerio Schiti's art convincingly conveys the outlandishness of this space saga, although his cartoony choices for Rocket and Groot in particular make them feel as though they've stepped in from another book entirely, and partially undermine the drama of one of the best cliffhanger endings of the series to date.

It's hard to tell at this early stage if the familiar set-up, with two factions splitting off over the potential use/misuse of the powerful Black Vortex artifact, is a retread of similar Avengers/Guardians/X-Men encounters over the last few years. Yet the book hits the ground running with some gorgeous art by Valerio Schiti, especially during the sequences in which a character is "touched" by the power, and some lovely moments between Kitty and Peter Quill.

Harley fans will truly dig it, and already be in line for the inevitable National Peanut Day Special just in time for September 13.

There's probably still a desire for most readers to find out what happens next, but if they are anything like this issue then they certainly have no sense of urgency.

The introduction of the Red Mist might have been one element too many, but for the first time in a while, we are interested in what comes next.

Romita's art is still deliberately gritty, but it comes together as whole with greater clarity here. Definitely worth a look, and a must-read for fans of the series.

In D4ve, the narrative told us that the weird thing about robots was that they ultimately adopted the nuances of their human creators. If we follow that line of thinking, then Hot Damn is the thematic sibling to the creative team's previous outing, and we have only just scraped the surface of what it has to offer. Whether this is a redemption story of a bit of fantasy tourism is yet to be seen, but the final hook of this debut has damned us to return for another look when the sophomore issue hits.

A comical take on a Raymond Chandler-esque plot - where Toomes is a literal vulture, the feline femme fatale is Black Cat, and Kingpin is a gorilla - it's a bit like reading Blacksad under the influence of heavy hallucinogens.

"It's possible that we solicited a six-issue miniseries and are shipping a sixteen-issue series," Hickman recently told Comic Shop News. The fear, of course, is that he's dead on the money, but just in a way he didn't intend. As it has already been revealed that this series will"jumpstart a long-dormant genetic inhuman strain"with Matt Fraction andJoe Madureira's Inhuman later this year. Despite this, it's a cautious thumbs up for this first issue, pointing the Marvel Cosmic Universe in the right direction for a major clash, but still needing to show us the ability to pull it all together.

Ultimately, it's a fable about disillusionment, about seeing that the emperor has no clothes and being unable to view it any other way once glimpsed. It's a promising start for an arc that is yet to define its main point of drama, and for now this serves as a teaser for future issues.

Garth Ennis' revival of the Johnny Red character throws us straight into the dogfights of World War II this time, with a lavishly detailed dogfight from artist Keith Burns gracing the title pages.

What this rebooted Judge Dredd represents is a mystery, albeit one not everyone is going to want to solve. Dredd as a fish-out-of-water is always an interesting concept, and there is plenty here to pick apart going forward. Yet those in the market for a more traditional Dredd story may do well looking elsewhere, as this is less about enforcement and more about exploration.

While not a jaw-droppingly amazing issue, it does encourage readers to sink into the world a little deeper. Fans might not find anything of particular consequence here, but if the aim was to slowly hook in new readers to this classic character, then Matt Smith definitely has us firmly in his sights.

The new line-up may give some cause for excitement, but all of the hoopla in the final 5 pages really just masks a second renumbering next month in the space of a year.

Coupled with some inconsistent art from a whole team of pencillers, it's a slow month for the Justice League. Fortunately, back-up story Shazam! Chapter 12 continues to be one of the best titles in the DC lineup.

The basic building blocks are all here for an interesting introduction to a new world, but this is still ultimately the fundamental dilemma of Forever Evil. It's a beginning of something when it should be the dramatic apex following an already cataclysmic change. With the main story continuing in the pages of the seven-part Forever Evil mini-series, it's just hard to escape the feeling that DC's flagship title is being used here as a sideshow to the main event.

Justice League #40 is an extended prelude, and as such it's designed to tease the next big arc, something that it does incredibly well. Yet it is necessarily coupled with the Divergence giveaway chapter, which is arguably a more compelling prologue than this. That interrelationship weakens both introductions, cheapening the start of DC's next big crossover and taking some of the wind out of the sails. That said, if this first issue is anything to go by, then "Darkseid War" is gearing up to be one of the biggest showdowns on the the far side of Covergence and The Multiversity.

While the first issue in this series may have struggled to find the team's dynamic, Hitch is slowly bringing it together here. There's a genuine sense of threat, and that lack of team cohesion creates a war being fought on two fronts for the fledgling team. It's inevitably leading a climax where the separate parts become a whole, but for the moment leaves the reader with an odd sense of foreboding.

The conclusion to the issue is a cliffhanger that lives up to the promise of the grand beginning, and gives one of the less-defined Leaguers a new threat to contend with. If nothing else, Hitch keeps escalating the stakes of the issue so he has no choice but to bring it down hard when the first arc of the "Rebirth" title concludes next issue.

The problem with the book as an ongoing prospect is that this is simply not a team that ultimately works well together, from a story point of view at least. Seemingly preselected rather than organically grown out of another title, the odd mix don't stand out as individuals. We're mostly looking at you, Vibe

For a while it looked as though Justice League of America, replacing the cancelled Justice League International, would quickly follow the fate of its predecessor. Yet it is also becoming an integral part of the modern DCU. Now free of the boardrooms and discussions that dominated the first issue, the fieldwork proves to be intriguing.

Justice League of America #6 is the difficult middle chapter of the first half of this crossover, mostly serving to set up the introduction of the Justice League Dark chapter next week. To this end, the issue works successfully in building up the pieces of the broader puzzle, but it may leave readers attached to the core members of the team out in the cold. Regardless, the Trinity War remains one of the more thrilling events of the year, and it will be interesting to go back and place this book in context when the entire saga is done.

Minds are not exactly being blown yet. Immediately hired by A.R.G.U.S, the same secret branch of the US military that is putting the Justice League of America together, it is too early to tell whether the hero, or this book, can stand on its own two legs. Our prediction is a fifth (or is it sixth?) wave replacement for this title, but is worth a look as an a "bonus feature" to Justice League of America #1.

There are some seriously awe-striking moments in King, and the basic premise is unquestionably a lot of fun. So while it feels complete weird to say this in relation to a book that has a bruiser of a leather-bound biker duck and pterodactyl in a Lakers jersey, there's still a vague sense that we've been down part of this road before. Fialkov and his terrific art team have defined the parameters of this strange future world, and what they do with it next will be of particular interest.

"The Korvac Saga" is a classic story that has been adapted in various animated series, but in the context of Secret Wars it's mostly an excuse to throw the original Guardians of the Galaxy against a version of The Avengers.

This is ultimately the hurdle that Lazarus has to overcome, presenting a series of overly familiar situations without sufficient reasons to care about the fairly standard characters found within. The opening hook is an interesting, albeit violent, one and sets the tone for this first issue. There are enough concepts here for Rucka to run with throughout this ongoing, which is why a second look is justified next month, yet this first issue does little to distinguish itself from the plethora of similar books on the market.

Lobo, both the book at the character, certainly works much better in this new incarnation, and there is far more scope and potential for this version than any that has come before. The OG Lobo will undoubtedly have his faithful minions, and that Czarnian will forever remain a part of comic book history, filed under the excesses of the late 1980s and 1990s. New Lobo is still slightly tied to his past, and perhaps a victim of convention, but he's also undoubtedly a fun new addition to the DCU.

Creepy, intriguing and filled with beautiful art, Lot 13 may not have the most original premise, but it is another one to watch from a month of creepy debuts.

Following Marvel Comics Presents and Journey into Unknown Worlds, Marvel revives another classic anthology series for a one-shot collection of stories from top creators.

A surprisingly strong book, and we hope to see more of this from Image.

This series will undoubtedly be more interesting when this tie-in is over.

The intriguing premise is filled with shadow groups, significant symbols, dream logic, and space travel to save a dying planet, but there is a lot going on for a first issue. It's difficult to follow at times, but for now they must be considered puzzle pieces for a greater whole.

In its current format, Looker reads like a TV pilot of a Angel-style investigative mystery series. Coupled with a beautiful Guillem March cover, and equally lush Mike S. Miller interiors, this is one we hope gets picked up for series.

If you are looking for a book that has got all the delightfully bad characters you love simply blowing things up, then New Suicide Squad just might be the title for you. Setting up future rivalries signals some interesting potential storylines, but for now it remains a solid piece of brain candy.

The literal crash-landing of an ending brings the series smack-bang into the rest of the "Old Man" universe, and it's more the potential of a second issue than anything here that is likely to bring us back for more.

While this mini-series isn't an ongoing in the New 52, it could quite easily fit into there without any effort, and pacing issues aside, it is a hell of a lot of fun. Artwork from Cat Staggs, who is best known for her work with the Star Wars/Lucasfilm family, is spot-on for the tone of the tale, bringing life and allure to Phantom Lady without it being just another plastic pin-up. Indeed, it's a strong issue for female artists, with Amanda Conner behind the eye-catching front cover as well. One to keep an eye on.

Power Lines might not always be a wholly original debut, but it is nevertheless an important one. Robinson throws out some intriguing plot points that warrant further investigation, and it's clear that there's a deeper mythology that he is itching to explore. It's a tough criticism, but Power Lines does suffer in comparison with Robinson's superb work of the last few years, but perhaps that it is because it doesn't slap you in the face with its uniqueness just yet. Then again, the social relevancy and racial issues that the book raises before you even open the cover will be as faraway a world as The Empty for a number of readers, and if Robinson can put those issues on the readers' agenda in a lovingly illustrated superhero origin, then Power Lines may yet have a few surprises up its sleeve.

The team of DeConnick, Rios and Bellaire work together on a dream-like narrative, one that is almost too dense in some ways. Like Hickman's East of West, DeConnick's Pretty Deadly is full of hidden meaning and concurrent stories, and while we're sure that they will gradually reveal themselves over time, DeConnick seems keen to share a whole bunch of them which the reader at once.

Brunswick doesn't overdo the insider references, and Willard is a well rounded character. Bogdanovic crafts this plastic world of LA around him at an appropriate level, and his parallel comic within a comic is deliberately familiar and derivative.

This is an annual that only properly works if you are already invested in the title. As such, it's not a bad issue, just realistically Red Hood and the Outlaws #20.1, with little more revealed than Green Arrow and Roy knew each other once, and they disagreed over some things. It has piqued interest enough to see where this series goes now, and perhaps on that level it has succeeded.

There's a lot of promise in Red Thorn, especially if it takes the time to allow some of these individually great concepts to breathe on their own. Isla comes fully formed out of the gate, and the mystery it initially presents is genuinely compelling. The only issue is that Baillie undercuts some of his own drama by over-explaining a climax, albeit one that does neatly set us up for the next chapter.

Sex is a pornographic soap opera, moving along an inch at a time and only teasing us with something bigger to come. Perhaps when it is finally all in place, we'll be able to see if these few extra inches make all the difference.

Mark Millar's ready-for-Netflix bounty hunter with a heart of gold comes roaring out of the gate in a blaze of futuristic bullets, combining the writer's penchant for bold character in high-concept scenarios.

It's a no-frills enterprise with no alarms or surprises, but also incredibly fun in the process. It may not get you rethinking everything you ever knew about Sheena Queen of the Jungle, but it may just get you reading her again.

Silk never quite got the attention that she deserved, with Spider-Gwen casting a long shadow in their similarly-timed debuts. Yet Cindy Moon's search for identity has been a far more solid lead than most debut characters, and this third chapter in the multiversal "Spider-Women" crossover (with Spider-Gwen and Spider-Woman) makes room for some character growth.

Silk was a major development for the Spider-Verse that was somewhat overshadowed by Spider-Gwen, so this issue goes a long way to tying off Silk's threads and solidifying her place in the Marvel Universe. With the revelation of the identity of the mysterious guardian angel figure following Cindy, the direction of the next arc is set too. Silk is by no means a blockbuster, but provides more of the grounded Spider-Man style stories that the globe-trotting webslinger has since outgrown. In other words, it's perfectly comfortable ground for Spidey fans everywhere.

Christos Gage plays to the strengths of the Flash Thompson/Agent Venom character, crafting him into a natural born leader that even Parker defers to, but this issue spins its wheels a little given that Steve Rogers already gave Venom that validation last month.

The series now has the momentum the first couple of excellent issues promised, it's just a shame that this issue had to spin its wheels a little in order to get there.

It's taken a few issues, but Peter David has finally set Miguel O'Hara apart from the now full dance card that is the Marvel Spider-Verse.

The fourth installment in the "Spider-Women" crossover hits the midway point, but loses a little of the momentum that was gained in the Spider-Gwen and Silk issues.

Not the radical reboot that Ultimate Spider-Man was in 2000, instead it's a back-to-basics approach from writer Robbie.

Stalag-X #1 begins as a solid concept for the series, and it will be interesting to see what direction Anderson and Sears take it after spending much of this issue setting up the world.

While this is all simply a tease for the film, it does make us lament the absence of an ongoing Star Trek television series. We'll just have to content ourselves with comic books for now.

It's early days yet for this limited series, and how these crews interact and to see whether the Tipton's can balance the big personalities on both sides of the conflict.

With the comics of Star Wars, Darth Vader, and the other related mini-series currently being exemplars of how to do a licensed tie-in, Kanan the Last Padawan struggles to meets this quality, being left as it is to beat its own drum. Leaving us on a cliffhanger for the final chapter, there's more than enough here to keep fans of Rebels hooked for more, even if it feels like a lengthy one-shot stretched out a bit too thin.

There is nothing necessarily wrong with STARFIRE in and of itself, but for readers already well versed in Conner and Palmiotti's Power Girl and Harley Quinn (or even Terra for that matter) there will undoubtedly be a sense of the familiar about it. Here's hoping it will grow into its own entity in the coming months.

As a spiritual successor to Marvel Team-Up, it's more of a "Spider-man Versus The Marvel Universe", but there's loads of potential fun to be had here.

In some ways, "Son of Superman" is still an odd arc to start off the Rebirth version of Superman, effectively reintroducing the old-school through the eyes of a potentially powerful new character in his own right. At the same time, while Tomasi and Gleason don't rely on prior knowledge of the characters, their assumptions of what readers know about these "classic" versions is a potential roadblock given that it's been at least five years since this version of Supes has been "current." Even so, there's an undeniable classicism in the book, and only time will tell if it's drawing deep on the legacy, or simply caught up in the spell of nostalgia.

While Superman Unchained is yet to distinguish itself from the other Superman titles already available, an increasingly insurmountable task after 75 years worth of stories, Snyder is taking the slow-burn approach that ultimately paid off with his first arc of Batman. This is, after all, the first story of what we imagine to be a lengthy stand on the character. Yet in many ways this highlights the difficulties of telling a new Superman story within the confines of continuity, even one as recent as the New 52. To paraphrase another work with 'unchained' in the title, it has our curiosity, but it's yet to fully receive our attention.

The Superman: Lois Lane one-shot may not be a quantum leap in storytelling for DC, but it is a step in the right direction for the New 52. Instead of committing to another event or full series, this offers a safe environment to try out a narrower focus for the plethora of characters yet to be reintroduced or given the light of day in the new guard. Indeed, while the story itself may not immediately set sales lists on fire, the format is a perfect package for future focal points in the DCU.

If Gabriel Rodriguez never did anything beyond the artwork for Locke & Key, he'd still go down in comic book history as one of the greats. His debut effort as both writer and artist in The Sword of Ages has tried to tackle a lot of ideas, giving way to some unintended story confusion.

A crossover this early in a book's run usually suggests flagging sales, or a poor quality of writing. Talon is victim to neither of these maladies as a top 100 book, so we wonder if this mini-event is timed a little early. It robs the book of some of the momentum it has been otherwise convincingly building up, and this issue is a little awkward in trying to make the segue.

After a less than spectacular start, Jason Aaron's Thanos Rising has incrementally improved as it recounts the tragic tale of a man led astray by a woman.

Writer Brian Buccellato doesn't vary the old-school formula much, and this is perhaps one of the strengths (and weaknesses) of the material. Knowing readers will come to this with a sense of history, but newer ones may not get that the character pre-dates the works it influences. Either way, the straightforward narrative is a good little mystery yarn, and remains engaging throughout. Ronan Cliquet's art elevates this pulp fiction somewhat as well, bringing the vivid hyper-realism of dime store novel covers to every single page.

It's an incredibly tight first outing, if not an entirely unexpected one.

By virtue of it being an issue of exposition, some of the forward momentum is put on hold and The Dark and the Bloody is forced to spin a couple of its wheels this month. Nevertheless, there are still more questions than answers, with the supernatural undercurrent opening up even more puzzles on the Middle Eastern side of the tale.

Despite the absence of any true motivating factor for these characters, and only a superficial understanding of what makes them tick at this early stage, The Green Team intrigues enough to warrant a second look. How these sometimes vapid creatures will transform into a team, and what if any interaction they will have with The Movement, is yet to be seen. It's by no means perfect, and it might be about the 1%, but it's possible that 99% of people will probably enjoy it.

The Movement is a bold experiment for mainstream comics, and is something that would be more at ease with the (admittedly disintegrating) Vertigo or even over at the rival Image Comics. Yet perhaps DC, Simone and Williams should simply be praised for pushing the concept of what a DC Comic can be, and building something entirely new. Whether this is a book for the 99% or 1% is yet to be seen.

The series will be worth a third look next month, with the hope that it progresses the story elements slightly, although there's an increased sense that we are just delaying the inevitable unveiling of some returning heroes.

The initial mockumentary conceit of This Damned Band doesn't always work, and in fact holds the reader at arm's length. Yet it's also a fun way to introduce a large ensemble in rapid order. The bigger issue might be that it conveniently forgets its own mock form, so that when it returns to a "to camera" interview it is jarring and once again takes us out of the story. It could also be said that much of the future of the series relies on buy-in of the final panel, which will presumably set the course of the next issue. However, as a jet-fueled piece of art rock, it captures an era well, and that alone gives this grounds for further exploration.

As we wait patiently for the next few months for the next chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the main achievement of this prequel mini-series has been to make us more anxious for the final product. Teasing us with the barest of hints, this is not essential reading for the enjoyment of the next film, but it will provide rabid fans with some welcome character development and backstory.

Ray Fawkes begins this ongoing series on something of a back foot, having to carry the weight of exposition for not just this character, but the factors leading up to the Trinity War as well. In a comics universe that desperately needs more strong female characters, it is also unfortunate that the 'origin story' of this one is the akin to the fable of Eve, a woman whose curiosity leads to thecorruptionof humankind. At this early stage, it is difficult to see what purpose Pandora will serve beyond the Trinity War, but it is encouraging to see DC finally introduce an original series that promises to tie together some of the loose threads that have been left dangling for two years. However, like Marvel's Age of Ultron, we suspect this event is going to be another case of several comics being an extended advertisement for each other.

This may not fully satisfy Runaways fans, and nor should it be considered essential reading for the Age of Ultron crossover event. However, taken in the context of that series, this provides the human (or in this case, android) backbone to what has so far been the arguments of gods. It's a capable standalone issue, but its real heart lies as a companion to the bigger event, and it might be worth waiting to see this as part of a bigger Age of Ultron collection which will no doubt drop later this year. For now, keep your fingers crossed that this marks a hint at a new Runaways book (or at least a Victor Mancha book) in the Age of A.I.

Between the Japanese setting and Ayane’s army of cats, there is little doubt that Zub has his eyes set on an otaku audience. Drawing on a number of tropes commonly found in anime and manga, Wayward is comfortingly familiar without being especially groundbreaking. The creators are playing to their strengths, and Zub sets up just enough to make this worth a second or third look in the months to come.

What if Avengers Vs X-Men had been good? It's a question we all pondered during last year's painfully drawn out prologue to another saga, and the chance to revisit it initially seemed unappealing. It's still not much of a necessity, but Palmiotti's story of a group of X-Men and Avengers attempting to work together to stop the Phoenix and a common threat makes far more sense than the original punch-up

With Avengers Vs X-Men distilled down to its barest of essentials, Jimmy Palmiotti brings this "What If" to a satisfying conclusion, complete with the body count that has come to be expected of these alternate timeline stories.

There's no chance of claiming that you don't get some bang for your extra bucks, with this 56-page story packing a lot in between its $5.99 cover price. There's almost too much going on, pulling on the gaming mythology, that bit of Lovecraft and plenty of Easter eggs to keep the story afloat.

Jason Starr wastes no time in throwing in a few mandatory "fucks" in Logan's thought bubbles, the MAX equivalent of a HBO sex scene, but his direction seems to have more substance than that. While it is difficult to find a new direction for Wolverine these days, perhaps this new series will allow Marvel the flexibility to tell some new stories without outraging continuity police.

Punctuated by vividly colored splash pages, and one magnificent page of Connor floating in the void, there's still a lot to unpack here - something that hopefully Bendis and company get to sooner rather than later.

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.

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.

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.

Percy's GREEN ARROW appears to be a slow burn, and we get the sense that not all of the pieces are in place just yet. For now, it's difficult to be anything more than cautiously optimistic about this new beginning, with only a handful of hints as to where the comic is headed. What we need now is some status quo, rather than a new direction every few months. The character of Green Arrow has always been in constant flux, as well he should be, but the post-Convergence DCU provides the perfect opportunity to take some time to rebuild this character from the ground up.

Undoubtedly one of the most promising additions to the New DC Universe, it's also a little slow to get going as well. The real crux of the issue doesn't get going until the third act, by which stage you've either invested in the character or you haven't. We suspect this is going to be a slow burner, and definitely one to keep checking back on as the months go by.

A fun diversion, but it will be good to get back to Wood's main story in issue #7.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.