Valiant Son's Profile

A good opening. The first issue brings you into the story, so that you want to read more. There is a sense that Richard's back-story is more interesting and complex than revealed thus far, and I hope that this is explored more fully later on. This is a strong start to a promising new series from DC Vertigo.

The series continues in a strong way with the second issue. The story is engaging, and the art is good (although I agree with another reviewer's comments about the drawing of female characters, which is less strong than their male counterparts). The first issue, suffered a little from uneven pacing, with some plot points rushed over, but this issue is more consistent - and for that I am grateful. This is a good comic, and deserves to be supported, despite some minor gripes.

The story continues to be interesting, although this issue does feel a little light. The injection of flashbacks into the narrative are beginning to fill in a little of Richard's back story, although not in a particularly interesting manner. My comments about the first issue remain, that there is clearly more for us to learn, but what we are offered here in terms of back story is a rather formulaic "maverick applying for promotion" interview scene. The dialogue in this flashback doesn't ring true, unlike the rest of the comic book. Meanwhile, in the present, Richard's descent into an out of control situation is presented convincingly. The art continues to be good and a suitable accompaniment for the tone of the story, but female characters remain less well realised than their male counterparts. This is perhaps also true of the writing. While it may be that Bryan Hill is holding things back for later revelations, it does at present feel that the female characters, particularly Wynn Morgan's daughter ( the fact that I can't remember her name is rather telling), are little more than plot ciphers. This is still a good comic book, but the failings are becoming manifest as the series progresses. I hope that these will be addressed in future issues.

This is really getting good now. The development of all the characters is excellent, and my reservations about how Jennifer was being written are completely gone; far from being a plot cipher, over the last three issues she has been rounded out to be a complex character. Meanwhile, Wynn Morgam's opening speech is perfectly written to convey the flWed complexity of modern identity politics - and the bankruptcy of it, for it as harmful whichever group is utilizing it - while still making him a credible threat. The art too is perfect, and again by slight criticism of depictions of female characters no longer stands. The pencil work is excellent, while the colouring not only creates great atmosphere , but also underlines tone. The colouring is as much part of the story telling as the writing and the pencils. With several duds on their hands, Vertigo should be trumpeting this comix loudly.

That this comic is ending because Vertigo has become a tainted brand is a great shame. This is another strong issue in an interesting story that has a lot more to deliver, but never will because Vertigo put out so much trash alongside it.

This series clearly wasn't intended to be wrapped up in nine issues, and it shows. Bryan Hill has done the best that he could to produce a solid conclusion, but there are weaknesses that result from events outside of his control. Nonetheless, the issue is good. The biggest tragedy in this issue is that we have been robbed of an excellent series due to the failure and collapse of the Vertigo imprint under Andy Khouri. He made a complete mess and has now been given the chance to screw up DC Black Label too (perhaps he has compromising photos of Dan DiDio and Jim Lee).

A perfectly good first issue for a superhero book, but given the increased price for the second issue to $4.99 and Absolute Comics/Red Giant's terrible record on publishing comics on time (there is no solicitation for #3 in December - indeed no solicitations at all from the publisher, and how long have we been waiting for #3 and #4 of White Widow?), I'm just not persuaded to commit to buying into this series. It's a real shame that the failings in their business model are holding this publisher back as they do have some decent content.

An interesting first issue and I look forward to reading more, but it is a little clichéd in the writing of dysfunctional families and abusive fathers. Nonetheless, it sets up the main character well and promises an interesting story to unfold.

The second issue is as good as the first, with an interesting character study of Banjax's protégé, but opportunities are seemingly missed. Raines implies that he had always despised Banjax and this would make for an interesting aspect for further exploration, but it doesn't occur in this issue. It may be that future issues do address this, but not doing so here weakened the issue slightly, for me. Despite these reservations, this is a good series and I have a feeling that future issues will be stronger, having established the world and the conceit in this opening pair.

Another solid, but unexceptional issue. Too much attention is given to the violence and not enough to character.

Swearing is big and clever! Oh dear. This has some nice art, and the colour work is good too, but the writing leaves a lot to be desired. I have no moral objection to swearing, but it is superfluous in the dialogue here. In fact, the dialogue is pretty atrocious even without all the profanity. There is possibly a story worth reading, but on the basis of this issue, it seems to be aiming squarely for the lowest common denominator: swearing; violence; tits! What more could the average idiot want?

As someone who dips into Batman from time to time, my view on the book may be different from the avid reader's. However, the alternative Earth setting should deal with any gripes about continuity and cannon: this is a book that should be judged entirely on its own merit, and in that it is a success. The core of the story is Bruce Wayne's obsession with his parents' murder, and Gordon's broken spirit at the corruption in Gotham. Both aspects neatly dovetail, and the resolution feels real. The art is great: both the pencilling and the colouring. Action is handled well, as too are differing emotions and mood. In fact, one of the strengths of the art is the depiction of emotion on characters' faces. As others have noted, opening up Batman's mask around his eyes has allowed for a much more nuanced portrayal of the character.

Simply brilliant. Superb art, combined with a taught, well-plotted and emotionally strong script. This issue doesn't put a foot wrong. Come on DC, please give us more.

Disappointing. Alfred's decision to try and make the Bruce Wayne clone believe that he killed his own parents is just nonsensical, and even more so is how easily the Bruce Wayne clone forgives him for this. So begins a trail of half thought out ideas and in some places shoddy graphic storytelling, e.g. the double page spread where Wonder Woman gives us an info dump. I liked everything up to the point where the real Batman was shot, but after that it all becomes a bit of a mess. Hopefully the next issue will restore some interest, with a more meaningful role for the Joker.

Moderately better than the first issue, but still a sprawling narrative mess. Joker is completely wasted.

Not for me. I really don't care. It might have been more appealing if there had been a story.

A good opening that is let down a little by the depiction of how Bruce works out what happened; I like the narrative conceit, but the execution is slightly off, so it isn't completely clear how much is guesswork and how much is coming from the journal.

A beautifully written and observed character issue follows last month's interesting, if slightly underrated, opener. Jeff Lemire writes very human characters, and Berserker Unbound continues the work on other titles for which Lemire is justifiably lauded. Much of the criticism that this comic has received is, I believe, born out of people thinking they were buying something that they weren't; many expected a Conan knock-off and have been left puzzled at what they are reading. This is a Jeff Lemire story, so people perhaps shouldn't really be surprised that it is interested in the small moments of human interaction. Mike Deodato's art is also worthy of high praise, and complements Lemire's script perfectly.

Another fantastic issue. Lemire's beautifully observed script pairs perfectly with Deodato's stunning art. Idiotic commentators have bemoaned the fact that there is a language barrier between Berserker and the old man, claiming that this stops the "characters from coming together." Clearly they aren't reading this very carefully because Lemire and Deodato devote several pages to the two men bonding over a drink, despite not speaking the same language, and then Berserker racing to rescue the old man from violent thugs, and then the two men again bonding over the fact that they have both lost their wife and child. Seriously, how on earth is this not the "characters coming together"? Another 'professional' reviewer claims that it is, "a distracting jumble". Really? The narrative is completely linear and solely focused on the two characters. How, exactly, is this a jumble? Perhaps some people aren't able to read as well as they thought they were. The same reviewer then goes on to claim that the story doesn't possess any nuance. This is palpably nonsense: the story is a character piece, which almost by definition makes it nuanced. Do yourself a favour and ignore the 'professional' reviewers (I tend to as a matter of course) who know very little about story structure, characterisation, or sequential comic art, and read this fantastic mini series. It ends with the next issue, but I very much hope that Lemire and Deodato will return with another mini series for Berserker Unbound soon.

A beautiful end to a stunningly drawn, and masterfully written mini-series. Lemire and Deodato Jr. have created a wonderful piece of character work that is something of a fish out of water in the American comic book industry (rather like Berserker is in the comic). This could easily fit into European comics. I loved this story, and hope that more is to come.

Brilliant! There is nothing to fault about this at all: great writing, with well-drawn characters, superb dialogue, perfect pacing, a great central concept, and thought bubbles! (Oh, how I miss thought bubbles). This is an amazing comic.

Another brilliant issue in this original and interesting series. Not one panel is wasted or filler, not one word is unnecessary. Jeff Lemire has done fabulous work with this script, and Dean Ormston's art is pitch-perfect.

Did Jeff Lemire really just kill Talky-Walky? Another great issue, but one that passed by so quickly. The Barbalien plot line was important, and the revelations about Gail were important too, and yet at no point does it feel like the pace slows, or that there is info-dump. Jeff Lemire is a great writer (I love so much of his work) and Black Hammer is a superb example of his abilities that is perfectly matched by Dean Ormston's art and Dave Stewart's exemplary colouring. Black Hammer is close to a perfect comic book, and #8 is a great example if it.

Black Hammer is one of the most inventive, intelligent, emotional and beautifully crafted comics available. Jeff Lemire's writing is superb, delivering a 1950s sci-fi story allied to a heartbreaking story of friendship and love. At the same time, further mysteries are introduced, with questions about what Colonel Weird's role is in the whole affair, and how the Parazone works. With excellent art and colours from David Rubin - which blend well with Ormiston's regular work, while not being derivative - neatly delineating the past and present strands of the story.

Another great issue from (possibly) one of the best comic books of the decade.

T'Challa speaks for the reader on p.7, when he says, "There is none of this about which I am feeling good at all." If Ridley wishes to write a story that is an allegory of European colonialism (with a side serving of fourth-rate sloganeering feminist critique - the female characters surrounding the antagonist being described as, "...my many beautiful objectifications, who are lovingly misogynized."), then I have no problem. It would be nice, however, if he could do it without being so horrendously obvious and on-the-nose. The antagonist is called, 'The Colonialist' and calls the four Avengers, 'Aryan King' (Thor); 'Jingo Commando' (Captain America); 'Commander Hottie' (Captain Marvel); and 'Negro Feline' (Black Panther). This is poor writing. This is very poor writing. On the plus side, the artwork is pleasant enough, if rather undynamic.

This first issue doesn't live up to the hype around the title. I'm hoping that future issues justify so many glowing reviews. It isn't terrible, but the comic is a little slow to get going. While I liked the opening pages, I felt that we were taking a very long time to get to the actual story, without any real character development either. If Nina's (or anyone else's) character had been developed over the pages beyond the opening few, then this wouldn't be so bad, but I felt that I knew her character as well at the end of the issue as I did in the first half dozen pages. It's a slow start, and yet the story is interesting, so I hope that future issues pick the pace up.

Is it better than the very uneven and slow opening issue? No, not really. Nina has potential as a character, but everything takes so long to happen, without anything happening in terms of character development, which might explain (if not excuse) the dull and slow plotting. Sometimes a less than great story is saved by some fantastic art, but that is not the case here. It isn't terrible artwork, but neither is it particularly strong or inspiring. This title has two more issues to persuade me that it is worth continuing with.

Strong and interesting opening to this faithful new Blade Runner series.

The concept is an intriguing one, but the nature of the drug is unclear until near the end of this first issue. This may well be intentional, especially with the reveal at the end of the issue, but it did rather leave me puzzled as to why certain types of corpse were being searched for - such as a porn star - until much later. As a result those scenes made little to no sense at the time and left a sense that maybe this wasn't going to be as good as the concept promised. By the end of the issue those fears were assuaged, but as an opening issue it slightly misses the mark to achieve excellence. All of this aside, the premise is an interesting one, and the story multi layered, with meditations on grief and loneliness; organised criminal gangs and inter-gang rivalry; commentary on the nature of modern malaise, isolation and alienation; and a horror that is psychological, rather than simply relying on shock, blood and gore. There are shades of The Wire in the plot about the drugs business, such as the aspiration of one member of the family to upscale the business and make them more professional (who is reminiscent of Stringer Bell), which if properly developed will be most welcome. This is an intelligent and articulate comic book. The artwork is generally good, although the colour palette feels a little muted at times, so that some of the detail in scenes is obscured. This may well result from the nighttime setting of this first issue, but nonetheless the criticism remains. I am also curious about how old the mother of the family is: as drawn she doesn't really look old enough to have children who are - as far as we can tell - we'll in to their twenties. Is this an issue with the artwork being at fault, or is there a textual explanation? This is a very promising title and I look forward to reading more, but it is let down slightly by too many scenes that only really make sense in hindsight. I doubt that this will be a problem moving forward.

With the plotting problems of last issue resolved, there is no narrative confusion here. The same themes permeate the script, and the art continues to impress (with a couple of caveats regarding the level of detail due to the colour palette and the age of characters). Much of the issue is devoted to various flashbacks to build the back story of the characters. While this does help to flesh them out and leave plenty of interest to the reader, it also slows the plot a little. Nonetheless this is another strong issue.

A decent superhero comic book that has "diverse" characters (awful expression) without labouring the point, or making it what the comic is about... that is until you get to the godawful afterword that made me want to vomit. More of the story please, less of the self-congratulatory pontificating bullshit.

It's okay. It does feel a little bit underwritten, however. Narration boxes and thought bubbles are much derided these days, but they can be used very effectively to build a world and a story. They would definitely have helped here. There is plenty about this world that could have been better developed, and I don't care about the characters because I have been given no reason to: they are not three dimensional. It is unclear whether Sarah, the female lecturer, or her daughter (who has no name) are dead at the end of the issue. If they are then they are nothing more than plot devices, and we have been cheated. Storywise, there is a potential waste in the opening scenes. If none of the characters from 20 years ago are returned to then the whole scene is wasteful. This could also have been better written with the female lecturer telling her story around this flashback, along with some other scenes of reactions to the outbreak. Kiamil needs to think more about story structure: at the moment, his approach is overwhelmingly linear. The art is fine, if rather perfunctory, but the colouring is really flat and boring. The issue would also have benefited from having more story pages to build the world and develop the characters, rather than devoting six pages to a preview of a different title; this is something that really annoys me in a comic with a cover price of $3.99! Why am I paying for the publisher's six page advert? There is enough to entice me to read the next issue, but more needs to be done from hereon to make this a world with characters who I care about.

Still overly linear and unimaginative in storytelling terms. It also suffers from the ludicrous situation of one senator (unclear what kind of senator) unilaterally deciding to enact a secret law that allows compulsory testing of the entire population, and then the testing programme being underway on a massive scale in a matter of minutes (an hour or two at most). Oh, and this decision is taken in a meeting at "city hall"! I'm not sure whether Adem Kiamil is completely clueless, or just doesn't care. The problem with trying to make this realistic, is that you then have to more closely follow the rules and logistical practicalities of the real world. What Kiamil does in this issue is insist that his story is really adult and grounded, but then treats events as if we are in a silver age superhero comic, where you can ignore the norms of the real world. This is just dumb, and completely ruins any tension. It is also achingly clear that Kiamil has read classic Chris Claremont X-Men stories, with ideas about mutant registration, and also Joshua Dysart's Harbingers, with the teenagers who have potential super powers. The problem is that he is nowhere near as good a writer as either of these two, and so his influences are blatant, without adding anything new. Oh dear. The more I think about it, the more irritated I am. This isn't good enough. I'll read the next issue, but my interest is waning.

A significant improvement on the previous issues. There are no illogical or ludicrous plot points, and the narrative is clear, if not groundbreaking.

Adem Kiamil is not a great writer and this is not a particularly original story. Kiamil relies on cliched and clumsy narrative devices, like a protagonist recounting an experience to deliver information. (This exact device has been used more than once in the four issues of this series). The story itself is predictable because we've seen it before on many occasions. I was excited about Category Zero, but my enthusiasm has been dashed by a comic that, despite the promises, breaks no new ground, and is clumsily written. Speaking of clumsy writing, the editor could do with learning how to spell and punctuate correctly.

I have been quite critical of this series, but in this issue it feels like Kiamil has started to truly find his feet. The narrative is more assured, characters are starting to round out a little more, and despite some of my criticisms, I would like to read what happens next. I hope that there will be a second run.

A solid opening issue that effectively captures the reader's attention. The artwork in particular helps to convey the emotion of the story. This is good, because my biggest criticism is that the page count is a little light; I would have axed the B story to give more room for setting up and developing Stryker's reaction to receiving his implants. This is a little rushed and it makes less sense as a result: the quality of the art helps bridge the narrative gap, but it can't completely overcome it. Nonetheless this is a well-executed issue in the main, and a good jumping on point for those of us who missed Cyber Force the first time round. I look forward to more.

A great second issue. The story develops nicely, while greater insight is gleaned into the world that the comic inhabits. The art is superb. As someone who normally moans about the current trend for little dialogue, this issue showed how really great art can tell a story without the need for dialogue or thought bubbles, but in so doing, it only accentuates the failure of many other titles when they try to do this. That, of course, isn't a criticism of this comic! Stryker gets little attention this issue, but the limited time he does get is well used to show the differing reactions to their transformations with Carin being exuberant at her new found mobility, while her father his cold and taciturn. This works well, particularly when contrasted with the horrific images of Killjoy's surgery and the anguish displayed by the character as she is revived by the Accuser. This series looks set to be a strong one.

This series continues to go from strength to strength. The first major plot twist is introduced here, and is handled deftly, setting up another narrative thread to be explored in a story which already has many threads, both plot and character based. While it is largely told in flashback, the main narrative is driven on while simultaneously exploring the back story of one of the key characters. This is great writing; too often flashbacks can be interesting, but they are a break from the overall narrative, but here it serves to develop both the back story and the main story at the same time. All of this is supported by some excellent art that conveys theme, tone and movement with flair.

Another strong issue. It doesn't perhaps have quite the kick of the previous two issues, but it is still very strong.

A great issue, which nicely widens the story out and introduces us to another cybernetic hero. The setting in Bogota is an interesting one, with issues around a mysterious cartel and rebel factions adding a further dimension to this story. So strong is this issue that it wasn't until I got to the end that I realised that it hadn't featured a single character from the previous issues. In fact it was the "Next Issue" page, with its picture of Stryker, which brought that fact home. While this is a new narrative thread, it does feel part of the whole. Criticisms by some of a difficult to follow narrative are surprising: I'm not struggling. The art is, once again, great too.

Not quite on the same form as last issue, but still entertaining and and moving the story forwards. This new arc (begun last issue) feels sufficiently different from the first, without losing the overall narrative thread.

The plot with the doctor whose life was saved last issue (by Aphrodite making her cybernetic) is the strength of this issue, but it is also one of the weaknesses: not enough time is given over to it. Instead of a fuller investigation of the trauma caused by this surgery-without-consent, much of the issue is given over to a fight scene. That scene is well-handled, but ultimately rather empty. Has Ripclaw actually been killed? If so then there is more consequence to it, but if so then it was delivered in a rather perfunctory manner. One of my (thus far unaired) criticisms of this title is the relatively short page count. With each issue, several pages are given over to previews for other Top Cow titles. While a little irritating in its own right, it is worse than this, because it undermines the potential within the Cyber Force story being presented. To date it had not significantly undermined the story, but in this issue it does. There simply aren't enough pages to cover the story in a suitably detailed way. It may well be that next issue will spend more time on either or both of these important plot points, but they should have been given more breathing space in this issue too.

The rather lengthy break since the last issue isn't helpful in fitting back in to the story, but despite that annoyance this is a solid issue in moving things forward. My biggest criticism is that each issue feels like a 10 page instalment in anthology comic, rather than a solo title. I've made similar comments before and the problem remains: there just isn't enough happening to justify a whole issue.

A refreshing slice of life comic, with hints of a mystery underneath. The supernatural Harry Potteresque aspect is the least satisfactory, although it doesn't undermine the story, and the main characters are given plenty of life. Looking forward to reading #2.

Off to a shaky start with pseudo-intellectual witterings and a poor structure.

More of the same from last issue.

A moderate improvement. At least I actually felt some connection to some of the characters, which is something at least.

Well, I've finally finished this four issue series and it has only taken me seven weeks to do so. Yes, that's how interested and excited I was! What a load of pretentious nonsense. When I heard about Divinty, I thought it sounded really interesting, and as a big fan of Joshua Dysart's Harbinger series, I was keen to try some other Valiant titles. This one failed to live up to the enormous hype. Kindt offers a vacuous and hackneyed tale that tries to pull off the old trick of sounding deep, while actually having nothing new or interesting to say. It also doesn't help that the story is just so poorly told, with a disjointed narrative that results from being underwritten. I suspect that this was part of the smoke and mirrors approach, so that if the reader was confused by the story they would think it was because it was so deep and they just needed to think more about it. It isn't deep, and I wasn't confused, but the narrative is a mess. The art is actually pretty good. Hairsine's draughtsmanship is strong, with people rendered well, movement being conveyed effectively and layouts that offer solid visual story-telling. In fact, the art is let down by the script, rather than the other way round. One thing I would criticise about the art is the colouring, which suffers from the over-saturation that I've noticed in other Valiant comics.

Overall this series is good, but the colouring is terrible. It is far too dark in the majority of panels and completely obscures the line work. I appreciate that the colourist was trying to convey tone and mood, but when you can't see what is actually happening in a significant number of panels, then they just got it wrong.

A series of largely disjointed and generally uninteresting scenes, with some not very impressive art. There is the hint that this has deeper depths - with shades of Ice Cream Man - and it may well be that this reads a lot better in trade, but as a single issue, and the opening one at that, this is deeply disappointing.

Still deeply disappointing. Cantwell and Culbard clearly want this series to seem quirky and profound, but it is just pretentious and vacuous.

This is a really strong first issue that effectively sets up the concept, poses questions and begins to deliver some answers. In many regards this is a model for other writers to refer to; often first issues pose questions, but to begin delivering answers as well, while still leaving plenty of interest for future issues is the mark of a writer of quality. The comic doesn't suffer from the common problem of not really knowing what is going on. The use of multiple locations is also effective in establishing the scale of the evolution problem, and is deftly handled by writer and artist together. Despite the many threads to the plot, none of them feel under-developed, and characters feel real and interesting. The artwork is great, effectively telling the story alongside the text and adding significantly to the mood and tone of the comic. I tend not to like art that is heavy on line work, but it is pitch-perfect for this story. Finding the right style of artwork for a story is something that perhaps doesn't always get the attention it should, but it has clearly been thought through here. As well as being perfect for mood and tone, the art also plays a key role in telling the story. Comics should be a perfect synergy of writer and artist, and in this case it is. The story is a fusion of science fiction, horror and thriller that is expertly handled. Comparisons to David Cronenberg are justified, and this is high praise indeed - but it is not derivative of Cronenberg. Simply, superb!

The standard of the first issue is maintained in the second. While there is body-horror, the story extends well beyond this in its thematic scope. The art and script continue to work in synergy to produce a first rate comics experience.

A decent opening issue that tells an interesting sci-fi tale. The series gets stronger, although it does feel a little lightweight, and would benefit from a bit more space to fill in some of the background. Sadly, Comicbook Round Up don't have the remaining five issues up to add reviews for.

Execrable. Truly awful. This is supposed to showcase all the female "talent" working for Marvel. It doesn't. What a load of pointless, navel-gazing, self-congratulatory, garbage. There have been excellent female writers working in the comics industry, but none of them appear to have contributed to this steaming turd. The "pro" reviews rating it so highly are replete with the names of the usual shills who show little to no critical faculties, or self-respect. Their opinion isn't worth anything, as demonstrated by their many self-important reviews. Words simply fail me.

The comic looks good, with fine art and excellent colouring. The story is promising, although as a British person, I did find the "America is the home of liberty and equality" message to be both annoying and ludicrous, especially given the inclusion of Jesse Owens as a character - a man who when he won his gold medals in 1936, was not only shunned by FDR on his return home, but was also legally a second class citizen in large sections of the USA. Toning this down would have helped considerably. Nonetheless, this is a good comic, and if they can be just a little less parochial and jingoistic in future issues then it could rise to the realms of excellent, rather than good.

Yeah, it was okay, but ultimately very disappointing after a fairly strong opener. The professional critics seem to be drinking the Kool-Aid, however, with their ludicrously portentous comments about it being so fitting for our times etc. Seriously, this is a very stylised comic book that presents a highly unlikely counterfactual for a Second World War that is lost by the Allies. Furthermore, the Trump government (of which I am no supporter) is not Nazi, nor is it fascist. These are silly labels put on things by soft left "liberals" to connote that something is "bad". Can we review this comic book for what it is, rather than indulging in poor quality political rhetoric? This issue is fine at what it does, which is, essentially, to present an elongated action sequence. The art is good and the action is rendered well, but ultimately it is hollow and boring. Can we have some story, please? Finally, right at the end, we actually get some plot development. The plaSStic men are easily the best thing about this series so far, and their use at the end reminds us that there is an actual story. Having dismissed the sentinel knock-off in this issue, I hope that we will get back to it. Oh, and please, can we stop calling them "Ratzis"? I get the joke, now can we move on?

Yes, there's another battle/fight scene and yes, they are still calling the Nazis, "Ratzis" (which is just so silly), but this issue is so much better than the last. The character back story is limited, but it is something. Much more interesting is the time spent on the Nazi characters. Like other reviewers, however, I'm still left wanting something a little bit more from this series; it is jus a bit too tame.

Perfectly entertaining, but the series has yet to sing. The series should be offering more than this, but it all just feels a little bit light. There have been some very nice moments so far, but there are often pages where not much happens. These are criticisms of the series as a whole, and this issue actually has a bit more going on, but the story feels like it is treading water. For a series called, "Freedom Fighters" they haven't made much of an appearance so far. I wouldn't mind this too much if there was some interesting world building going on, but the world building has stalled somewhat. I'll keep reading as it remains a good series, but it has the potential to be excellent.

This is such a frustrating series. There is plenty of good stuff that is just waiting for its potential to be realised, but at present it just feels so-so. The lack of proper character development is a huge drawback and makes it difficult to care about the Freedom Fighters: none of them are in any way memorable or distinct from each other aside from their different powers. That isn't enough to make them individual; if all that distinguishes them is the superficiality of superpowers then they become completely interchangeable and serve only to provide deus ex machina resolutions to situations. This has always been the risk with superheroes if not well written. Equally I want more than a dog whistle villain. Yes, the Nazis were terrible, but unless you show us why this particular iteration are so awful then they too just become a plot cipher. We are almost half way through this series now and time is running out to make it what it truly could be. I fear that Venditti may have squandered the opportunity here to make something special and memorable.

And so another mediocre issue passes. The interchangeable superheroes have a fight. Ho-hum. The art looks really good, but the writing lacks depth, subtlety and characterisation. If this was a golden age comic then it would be understandable wartime propaganda, but it isn't. Six issues left to produce something worthwhile...

Another month and another mildly diverting issue of Freedom Fighters. There are still no actual characters amongst the team, and the Nazis continue to be cut and paste baddies. Sadly the art is also less good than in previous issues (although still not bad). I've said in previous reviews what I think of the simplistic politics and jingoism, so I won't labour the point again here, but suffice to say that the use of black characters is fine - if rather obvious - but awareness of National Socialist race theory and policy is not something that Venditti displays much of. Ho hum.

An improvement on last issue, especially with the art. Having said that, this series is still not reaching the heights that some are claiming. Black Condor is finally developing a character, but he is the only member of the team who is. As part of a series, each issue of Freedom Fighters should form part of a larger narrative, but they don't. Like its predecessors, #8 fails to bring through threads from previous issues: this fundamentally weakens it. I'm still reading it at the eighth issue, so it clearly isn't terrible, but neither is it all that great.

And so another issue of mediocrity passes. Yes, the Nazis are bad (hardly groundbreaking commentary), but they are also utterly one-dimensional. There is no subtlety or nuance in any characterisation on either side, and the heroes of the piece are utterly forgettable plot ciphers; why should I care about any of the heroes when none of them have any character, outside of being heroes (something we are told rather than shown)? Resultantly, when you place one of those characters in jeopardy there is no reason for the reader to care because they have no investment in the character. As a comic, this is the worst kind of jingoistic drivel. It is so sad that a story and team with such potential has been wasted in this way. Venditti's run on XO Manowar is sat waiting for me to read, but after this garbage, it is way down on the list.

Fine. Joëlle Jones artwork shines, while her writing is simply present. The comic looks great, but the story is barely there. Yet again, I wish for the days before "de-compressed story-telling".

The second issue looks great still, but just confirms that there was only enough story an 8 page backup strip.

Gary Frank's art is great (as always), and Johns' script is competent. This issue fails, however, in making me care; there is nothing here to make me want to read any more. I'll give it another issue, because Johns and Frank have a pedigree that shouldn't be dismissed lightly. Nit-picks: 1. How are the dogs able to survive in the open? Have they undergone a mutation too? Seems unlikely. 2. How is Las Vegas left standing following a nuclear holocaust? There is no evidence of any damage.

As a first issue this gets many things right. A mystery is set up, the back story of the two main characters is teased at, those characters feel real (not something that can always be said), the mood of the comic is clearly established, and the plot moves forward. The art is very stylized, and for me, a little too grainy; it can be difficult to define exactly what is happening in some panels.

The art is, frankly, beautiful, especially the scenes in Azoth. Wow! I love the use of colour! The story is engaging too. There is plenty of present-world potential for the kind of future society presented, and it speaks to the modern world and some of our(?) fears about the future. I do, however, have a little trepidation about future issues and the potential concentration on the events in Azoth. The "real world" presented here is engrossing and worthy of plenty more attention in future issues - only time will tell if my hopes for this are borne out. I'm a little embarrassed to say that I nearly didn't buy this title because it sounded a little bit passe and not really my cup of tea. Within three pages I was glad that I had given it a go. I can't wait for issue two.

Hmmm. The art is still great, but the story in the second issue is a bit uneventful until the last page. For an issue that focuses so much on setting up the team and exposition, I feel like I know next-to-nothing about them, and that the exposition is unclear. This latter issue is partly the result of some clunky and at times unclear dialogue, which serves to undermine clarity, and prevents the narrative from moving forward. A bit more polish in the script is needed. My concern that so much focus would be on Azoth, with the "real" world being under-utilised was certainly borne out in issue two, but this may not always be the case; I hope it isn't, as there is real potential, particularly in the way that Azoth and the "real" world interact. There still remains an interesting comic book here, but the second issue is a disappointing instalment. Hopefully things will get back to the first issue's standard next time.

Oh my that was bad. I can't believe that an editor let something like that go out. The narrative is a complete mess, but even worse are the characters and the dialogue. This truly is execrable. Where do I begin? Narrative structure:- The first panel leads directly on from last issue, but there is nothing to remind us what happened a month ago. Readers should not have to re-read the last issue to work out what's going on. Zoe, you are writing a monthly comic, not a graphic novel: there is a difference and it is an important one. As the issue progresses not much happens, but we are treated to some random scenes that may make sense in the larger picture, but so poor is the writing, that they don't. The art is at fault here too; panels don't help to tell the story in any meaningful way. Yes, it looks good, but only in terms of individual panels, not in comic book story-telling terms. I honestly had no idea what was going on for much of the issue. Characters:- Far from the assertion by Sean Blumenshine (DC Comics News) that the comic has, "characters that are engaging and fun," I have only encountered incredibly annoying whiney and "sassy" characters who do not engage me at all and are about as fun as having eczema. Indeed, these characters seem to exist only to wise-crack (in a pretty unfunny way too) or to opine at how bad they are at life. Nobody is bad at life; life is a state of being. What makes it really obvious that I don't engage with any of these truly awful characters is that I can't remember any of their names, even while I'm reading the comic, let alone five minutes after I close the back cover. Dialogue:- Oh we have some true corkers this issue! "I'm just as pathetic at being an oracle as I am at being a functional adult..." "Where are we and why does it smell like depression?" "Oh no. We're wendigos who eat the flesh of dorks who ask too many questions." "I love that I can protect my family by smashing shitheads with my magic powers." "I'm a human blooper reel..." The one that so neatly summed up how I felt about this issue, however, was this, "As the Oracle of Garbage your domain's magic deals with reclaiming power from hopeless and otherwise lost causes." As well as that being terrible motivational self-help bullshit, it also had me saying that I was currently reading the oracle of garbage and that there was almost nothing that could reclaim its power: it really was a lost cause. I've already mentioned one professional reviewer, whose opinion is the polar opposite of mine, but here are a few more choice quotes: "With the technological conspiracies growing around her, Goddess Mode #3 solidifies itself as a gung-ho story of empowerment..." (Megan Peters, ComicBook.com). Yep, a gung-ho story of empowerment! Well, I guess it fits the modern media narrative. It's just a shame that it is utter drivel. "GODDESS MODE #3 has deeper and darker storytelling by Zo[sic] Quinn." (Sydney Cooper, Comicsverse). Deeper and darker story telling? Where? Did you read a different issue from me? Where, exactly, was the deep and dark story-telling? "An issue full of increasing drama and deep mysteries..." (Trey Campbell, Comic Watch). The biggest mystery is how this book ever saw the light of day, closely followed by how anyone can keep a straight face while praising the writing. How on earth has this comic, let alone this issue, received 10/10 reviews? What are these people smoking? I'm not convinced many people are reading this title either. The first issue got eight user reviews or ratings on here, the second got one (mine) and the third likewise. I won't be writing a review for Issue #4 because I'm out. I liked the first issue: it was full of promise, but I also cautioned that it could all go horribly wrong. I'm sad to say that it has, but even more disastrously than I imagined. This is sub-par Young Adult nonsense. Vertigo have a turd on their hands, and after the troubles with other titles this year, the 2018 relaunch is looking pretty tawdry and tattered. There are some comics that Vertigo are publishing which do what they should, but Goddess Mode is not one of them. In case anyone is uncertain, I did not like this comic.

A good start. King sets the story up well, and Hester's art is suitably moody and atmospheric (credit to Bellaire for colours too). The pacing is good and Slam Bradley's monologue works well in pitching this in the crime noir genre. I hope it continues to develop well.

An exciting first issue. The story moves at pace, and the end of the issue left me much more interested than I was at the outset. That is no bad thing at all! I finished the issue eager to read the next - that is a fairly strong recommendation as to the potential within this title. Where this goes next will really decide whether this is a must-read comic-book, or not, but the potential is there.

As with many second issues the plot isn't significantly advanced. This seems to be a problem with modern comic books, where writers don't seem to know quite how to move things on in the second issue. What we get is fine, if a little perfunctory. Using a high speed chase renders some exciting art, but it is all a little underwhelming, as narratively it feels like we're treading water. I hope that issue three will offer us a little more, or my pull list might become one comic lighter in a month or two.

Ignoring the shockingly dull all-action car chase #2, Hardcore has been an entertaining series so far, and #4 builds on this. Indeed, there is more depth to this issue and it feels like things are being set up for a much more involved story moving forwards. I hop this is so, as there is great potential here.

Rob Sheridan pre-empted this first issue by announcing that it was hard on Christianity, as if that made him some kind of hero. The truth is that it labours a very thin metaphor about all religion (although cites The Bible). The critique of religion barely deserves that epithet: it is heavy handed and uninspired. You don't have to be religious to find the comments tedious, you just have to have a brain and an open mind. These childish comments almost destroy the comic, but it is saved in the last few pages by the emergence of an actual story that promises to deliver an epic quest - if the writer can get over his childish ranting. The art is very strong, except for the scene where Thirteen nearly has her arm cut off, and seems completely unfazed by the prospect! I assume that was just a poorly realised panel, rather than deliberate, although the sheer nastiness of the character in bottling a male character who tries to chat her up may suggest otherwise. As well as the tone of this scene suggesting that we should support such disgusting behaviour, it also hints at a character who is so overwhelmingly tough that nothing can stop her. It is, like Sheridan's infantile anti-religion diatribe, an unpleasant aspect that I hope won't be developed, and hints at a narrative thread that is fair from being about true justice in society, which the writer makes pretensions towards. There is potential in this comic book, but the writer will need to grow up and focus on giving us a proper story if it is to succeed. I really hope that it does, but given other recent Vertigo offerings (American Carnage and Lucifer excepted) I am not confident it will happen.

I'm a little surprised at references in pro reviews to "original" sci-fi concepts; clearly these people have not read or seen much sci-fi! It isn't particularly original, but it is doing a fair job of telling an interesting story. Better than the first issue, and with only one moment where I sighed at the silly gender politics. If Sheridan can keep focused on telling the story, then this will be a good title.

It's fine, but nothing more.

Rob Sheridan delivers an anti-male virtue-signalling diatribe to add to his collection of cliched and none too subtle messages. I struggle to understand the self-loathing that inspires this kind of drivel. Present day identity and agenda politics (mixed with a heavy-handed plea for policing of speech) from smug authoritarian phoney liberals does not make for good fiction. As a genuine liberal it astounds me that these people are so deluded. On the positive side the art is good, especially the colouring. It's just a shame that the writing is so poor.

I'll say this for High Level, it has been more readable than a lot of the crap that Vertigo has published in the past year (although not even close to American Carnage). Having dialled back the phoney liberalism this issue, Sheridan does an adequate job of telling a vaguely interesting story. If it weren't ending next issue, however, I probably would have dropped it a couple of issues ago. The problem is that when it is bad it is pretty terrible, and when it is good - like here - it is only moderately good.

A great opening to a new chapter in the story of the X-Men. As a Chris Claremont devotee, this is a Quite different and I can't help but still feel pangs of nostalgia for those glory days. However, accepting that things must move on, this looks to be a great way of doing it and I'm really pleased that Professor X is shaping up to be a real dick, because he always was!

It's well written, interesting and with fantastic artwork, but I'm not sure whether I actually like it. I'm not a fan of retcon and ultimately this is a huge retcon.

An interesting story is told in this issue, but I am tiring of the over-arching plot. Hickman's handling of characterisation is virtually non-existent (as I commented on in PoX #3) and the X-Men as out and out baddies just doesn't sit well with me. Truth be told I took an extended break from these series after the second issue of each, because they just don't feel like X-Men. X-Men is my all time favourite comic book series, but what we are getting here isn't in keeping with that history, nor is it an accessible jumping on point for new readers. I fear that I may not stick with Hickman's run; I'm not done yet (I'll complete these series and give the new titles a few issues to impress me), but I fear this may be the beginning of the end for me.

An excellent issue. Far superior to anything that Powers of X can offer because it uses characters who we have decades of history with. If Hickman had written just this series and ignored the inferior PoX then I would be a lot happier; only a little re-writing would have been necessary to achieve this, and the extra page count could have come from cutting down the pretentious info dumps. The mutants under Xavier are the architects of their own downfall, and perhaps it is this that Hickman is driving towards. I hope that it is and that we get there sooner rather than later, because the X-Men I started reading over 30 years ago would never behave in the way that they have I this new version.

A disappointing fourth issue. The cliffhanger at the end is interesting in the formation of a larger narrative, but the story within this individual issue is weak. There is no background as to why Chris is experiencing this torture after death, and frankly I don't care either because he isn't a character who I have ever heard of before. This series has some nice moments, but it is reaching for more without getting there. It may achieve that goal in the next run, but on present form it is torn between being an anthology series or having an over-arching plot. If it is to be the latter, then more of the Ice Cream Man is needed in each issue. If it is to be the former, then it needs better constructed stories than this one.

This is better than the last issue, in that it holds together more as an issue in its own right, but my previous criticisms are still valid. Things just happen without any explanation. I don't need everything to be explained, but I do expect events to be grounded in an internal logic, and they aren't. I'm losing patience. This title has the potential to be very good, but Prince appears to be settling for shocking images and cod-profundity.

An improvement on the last two issues, particularly as the Ice Cream Man is actually relevant to the story again. I can see where Prince is going with this, and it might work if he can avoid the nonsense of issues four and five.

The return to form, begun last issue, continues. The over-arching narrative is once again engaged with, and the individual story is very well told.

A strong start to Al Ewing's Hulk run. I've come to it late because Hulk was never really a character I was particularly that bothered about. I enjoyed reading some issues as a child, particularly the earliest ones, but otherwise most of my contact with the Hulk in comics came from his appearances in other titles. Having heard so much positive talk about Immortal Hulk, however, I decided it was worth trying, and I am not disappointed. Great art from Joe Bennett and an emotionally intelligent and well plotted script from Ewing, combine to produce a gripping new take that harks back to the original, while building something new.

Interesting in building the bigger story, but as an issue in its own right, this is less than the the issues that preceded it. The shifting art styles help with the narrative, but less so with presenting an engaging story: some are better than others, but "The Bartender" really isn't up to the standard I expect from a comic published by one of the hig two.

This is a troublesome first issue to review; there are hints at some really interesting plot points to come, but it feels like they are well hidden in a sea of meh. The art doesn't help, sadly, as it is pretty awful, especially the drawings of the children. It looks like someone trying to copy Dean Ormiston's work on Black Hammer, but not having anywhere near his talent. Jeff Lemire is one of my favourite writers, and there are some positive signs, so I will continue with this for a few issues at least, but it is off to a rather unsettled start.

Moody and atmospheric. The concept is interesting and the story well-written. The art is good, but some of the characters are a little indistinct from each other in some panels. The colour palette is perhaps partly to blame for this, as it washes out features a little, but then the pencil work needs to anticipate that. Overall, though, a promising start.

This issue continues to hold my interest, while offering some - although by no means full - explanations for what has gone on so far. At this stage it remains to be seen whether these half-explanations are because more will be drip-fed over coming issues, or because they haven't been fully thought through. I'm hopeful that it is the former, rather than the latter, because the quality of the writing in other regards is strong. My previous criticism of the art - that sometimes characters are indistinct from each other - is still present, and in fact is worse in this issue. Here there are problems in knowing what is going on because of the multiple narratives switching around. As characters are hard to identify from the art it makes it hard to follow the narrative, but not because the writing is hard to follow. This is an area that needs some serious attention, and undermines my enjoyment of what is a really interesting comic book.

A good issue to round off the first arc. The resolution is interesting, if not wholly original, and the artwork in this issue a little better than the previous three - at least I can differentiate easily between characters this time. It still feels, however, like there is more to offer from this comic; the writing is interesting, but the whole thing feels a little cold. While that is desirable because of the isolated setting, it isn't in the characters, none of whom have made any real impression on me. I'm looking forward to the next arc, but something needs to be done to make these characters more distinctive and more interesting.

Not Cullen Bunn's best work. The plotting is a little obscure and the breakneck pacing only helps to undermine clarity, particularly thanks to the time jumping. There needs to be some expositional material to establish certain things, but sadly this is missing. Hopefully the next issue will be better scripted, or I may not be sticking with this one. On an additional note, this took me five minutes to read: that simply isn't value for money on a $3.99 comic. I really like other stuff by Bunn, but at the moment, this title falls short.

Wow! That was execrable! Last issue took me five minutes to read and this one only took three minutes: that's $1.33 per minute of "entertainment". As value for money goes, this title is way off. It doesn't help either that it is really badly written. Cullen Bunn has written some comics that I really enjoy, but this is just rubbish. We jump around all over the place with dialogue that manages the triple feat of feeling inauthentic, not serving a narrative, and not actually having characters engage in conversation. And speaking of the characters, I don't care about them one little bit because Bunn has given me no reason to do so as they are barely even one dimensional. The art is okay, which is why I've given as high a score as 3. Awful. I can't bring myself to read any further issues.

A promising opening. The art is solid and the script generally strong (with one or two shaky bits of dialogue early on). This is well-plotted and is shaping up to be one of the must read of late 2019.

The dialogue between Clark and Bruce in the opening pages is dreadful. Taylor has demonstrated this trait towards trite and glib dialogue before; clearly he think it is sharp, witty and deep, but it isn't: it's just tedious. And tedious is the perfect word to describe this comic as a whole. We get very little happening alongside smatterings of sub-CW dialogue, where every character over-emotes about their feelings.

A stupid, illogical plot sits alongside poorly realised characters and abysmal art. That the message in the book is deeply divisive, and comes from a bigoted place, only worsens what is already unfit for publication. Truly execrable.

A great first issue that has snappy, witty dialogue, believable characters, superb art, and a story that actually makes sense, with the issue having a well constructed plot that works on it's own as well as the first part of a greater story. Kieron Gillen provides a masterclass in comic writing: something a lot of today's writers could do with, and Dan Mora delivers a truly exciting form of visual storytelling.

Another excellent issue. Kieron Gillen does it again!

Another excellent issue. Gillen's script continues to shine with wit, while Mora's art works perfectly to tell the story visually (and it would be remiss not to note the fantastic colouring from Bonvillain). This is a comic to really enjoy as you read it, and then reflect on brilliantly written and drawn it is.

The premise is interesting, albeit a little bit weird. There is nothing wrong with that per se, but some aspects are going to need a bit more exposition as the reader is thrown into the world and things are just mentioned without any kind of explanation. While that is quite naturalistic it doesn't really work in fiction, especially where that fictional world is almost completely different from the reader's experience. This opening issue falls just on the right side of the line where lack of exposition slips from being intriguing into just being annoying. The art is somewhat cartoonish and does not really fit the story's tone. Ultra realistic art would not fit either, but this is just a bit too cartoon-like for me. None of this is to say that I disliked the comic. It is an interesting opener and I want to read more, but there are some narrative deficiencies that I hope will be address as the series moves forward. The art I can live with: if I must.

A better second issue follows the first. The art is still a little off-kilter, but less annoyingly cartoonish in this issue. It's hard to define why this might be, given that it is the same style - perhaps the colouring helps more here. This isn't to say that the artwork feels completely right, but it doesn't feel as wrong as in the first issue. The issue also feels tighter narratively. While nothing particularly ground breaking happens, what is presented is a taut a d serves a clear narrative purpose. The first issue was a bit of a mess in this regard, but equally annoying was the throwing multiple ideas and features of the world at you without any explanation. Thankfully, the script doesn't go down the same road, but rather builds on some of the weirdness already presented. There still remains the problem of why Riggs would be given this command, but if we overlook that for the present then what we get in #2 is much more palatable.

A gripping and interesting read. Criticisms that it is too wordy don't really wash with me, given that one of my criticisms of many modern comics is that they have too few words. The art is a bit hit and miss, however, with the colouring being a part of the problem; I understand the choice of muted dirty tones, but it does make for a rather unappealing visual experience. Nonetheless, there is plenty to like about this first issue, and have me looking forward to the next.

Oh! What a confusing, and disappointing, mess. Maybe things will be cleared up in the future, but the problem here is that, as a single issue, this just doesn't work. It is overly convoluted, such that there is not really much of a story to follow. Hickman needs to keep in mind that this is an episodic form of storytelling, and each episode must be coherent in its own right: sadly, this issue isn't. Professor X is still a complete dick, which I like, because frankly he always has been an obnoxious paternalistic asshole. Other characters are, however, unclear. Too much new is introduced without time for it to bed in. The exposition sections are, like the main narrative, confusing: not enough is explained for them to be helpful, while too much is revealed for them to be skippable. As a result they just frustrate the reader. I like Hickman, and think he is a good writer, but this is bad writing. Hickman has forgotten that his primary role is to tell an interesting story, and not to try and make himself seem more intelligent than his readers. Writers who do that are just pretentious. The art, by Silva, is also significantly less good than that by Laraz on House of X. It isn't terrible, but switching between the two titles the difference is stark. I really liked House of X #1 and was excited about reading this. Unfortunately it is a horrible mess. I hope that we aren't going to get more of this in future issues.

Still lacking in narrative focus, and suffering from info dumps. Powers of X is (thus far) the significantly weaker of the two Hickman X series. Silva's art too, is inferior to Laraz's, on the sister title. Another reviewer referred positively to the story telling as being, "mystery box". I hope that this isn't so (although I can see why they felt that) because the JJ Abrams mystery box is a sham: it is all style and no substance, with no adequate resolution. I hope that future issues of Powers of X will gain a tighter focus, as I'm losing patience.

A noticeable improvement on the previous two issues, both in terms of the writing and the art. The former is due to the fact that there is actually a complete story this time (albeit one that gets told in only 20 pages - the info dump pages aren't fooling me into believing that I'm getting more story). Sadly I don't really care about the characters as they appear and then they are gone; Hickman has some way to go with writing characters in these series, as House of X is only slightly better. Silva's art takes a huge step up in quality, so that he now seems a suitable companion to Laraz on HoX.

I've said it before with this series, Hickman needs to remember that he is telling a story that is being read in episodic format; an issue that has no narrative structure outside of the greater whole is a failure. This issue is both boring and unintelligible in it's own right. My patience is wearing very thin with some of this pretentious twaddle. I can't help feeling that there is a lot of hype surrounding this new X-Men series and many people are too scared to shout when the emperor appears without his clothes, for fear of looking unintelligent or as outsiders.

This issue does feel a little more functional than the previous three; they needed to move the plot on and add some new characters, along with a little more mystery. This is a tall order and one that isn't quite pulled off as effectively as we might have hoped for. The shifts between different plot threads and time periods are not as clear as they could be. As a result, the narrative becomes a little confused in places, and while this is resolved within a couple of panels each time, it is jarring and undermines the overall experience. It's still a really good superhero comic, but it feels like a little more attention to the art and editing could have resolved these problems.

My complaints about the last issue are gone this time around. The issue delivers a number of important plot points that move the narrative on and continue to build the tension, while also finding time for some moments of levity. The art is strong too, being detailed and evocative of a bygone age, while still being modern. I am really enjoying this series.

A little bit of a muddle, unfortunately. This has been a really good series, but the preponderance of new super heroes weakens things. I don't know who half of these characters are anymore, and as a result, many become one-dimensional. If things had been kept a little smaller then the great strengths of the earlier issues would have been maintained. I hope that Chapter 2 will give the characters more space to breathe, and not try to fit so many different plots in at the same time. There is lots to like in this series, but it is a little bit too much, such that it has started to crumble under the weight of characters and ideas.

Well, late to the party I may be, but better late than never, and in the case of this comic, that is definitely true. I was a little trepidatious about getting this given the golden age characters: my concern born out of the fact that generally the simpler plots and general tone of positivity that I associate with the golden and silver ages not really being my cup of tea. How wrong I was to be uncertain, and how right I was to give it a go. While the superheroes within may be from decades ago, they are interesting characters who display depth and personality. The tone too is anything but light and breezy: there is a real sense of menace and character motivation is meaningful. Add to this a plot that suggests at much greater complexity than the source material, and this comic feels modern, while bearing a clear heritage. This is a first rate opening effort and I am definitely eager to read more.

A good issue that moves the story on nicely, while delivering new characters (bar their fleeting appearances in #0). The art is really strong, but the writing lets the issue down a little: there are some sudden jumps between pages in a couple of instances that look like there is a missing panel or two. I'm left wondering if panels got excised at a late stage in the editing to get it to fit the page count. If so, that is pretty amateurish. It's a shame, because there isn't a lot else to criticise. In other respects the writing is strong, with dialogue that nicely straddles the golden age origin and the modern day - neither is overplayed.

An exciting and well-executed third instalment. This comic book is really strong, and each issue appears to be delivering on the core concept. The writing and art are both of a very high standard and complement each other well. Having set out their stall in #0, the creative team continue in the same form and style.

A disappointing, uninspired, and derivative first issue. There was nothing new in this comic. This has been done hundreds of times before. I appreciate that this was just the origin story, but it wasn't a particularly good or interesting one, and there really was nothing to make me care about reading more. This isn't a bad comic, but neither is it a good one. The writing is functionally good and the art is passable, if irritatingly cartoony. I'm out.

A promising opening, with the script showing a penchant for philosophising that stays just the eight side of navel gazing. Stylistically it is very reminiscent of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, with the art looking like the film, androids being feared, and a first person narration. The risk here is that it borrows to heavily from this source in the future. If Kindt can avoid this, and keep the introspective philosophy from becoming self-indulgent, then Rai promises to be an excellent book.

An intriguing first issue, which poses plenty of questions about the world we are being shown. What the waves are is obviously at the centre of these, but it is not alone: what form does civilisation now take; where is Bec, Ty and Stef's mother; is Bec's loss of a limb related to what happened a decade ago; will Ty make contact with the other children? These are only some of the questions in my head. I certainly look forward to beginning to find out some of the answers. This is a well-written comic, which not only sets up the questions but also does an excellent job of building likeable and believable characters within only a few pages. This is something many of the writers of big two books would do well to study. One last question: if Vault Comics can produce a $3.99 comic on such high quality paper (with a card cover!) on their low print runs, why can't Marvel manage to improve the shitty quality of paper used on their $3.99 (often higher) books?

A great second issue that builds beautifully on issue one.

This continues to be a great story.

The story is interesting and the art strong. It does suffer a little, however, from some odd scripting, which causes confusion.

Good, but the scripting issues I noted from the previous volume remain. Some things are not explained either visually or in the text, which leaves you with a sense of disorientation.

This series is building nicely, with an interesting story, some nice character tension and appealing art. My only gripe is the modern American speech patterns in the dialogue, which is irritating and takes me a little out of the story. This is set in Japan (presumably prior to the twentieth century) and would be more immersive if some thought had been given to how to represent that in the dialogue.

This issue dips slightly on the previous three, due to slightly uneven pacing, with the second half of the issue delivering the important character and plot points. Nonetheless, this remains a really strong series.

Still a good series with an interesting story, but my irritation at the modern American dialogue remains: it isn't just anachronous it is jarring.

In her afterword to this first issue, Ann Nocenti refers to comics as being visual poems, and this comic certainly has that feel to it. This is an intelligent and contemplative comic, whose characters and story promise depths as yet unseen. This is a great opening chapter, and I look forward to reading future installments.

Late to the party I may be, but I'm really glad that I did turn up in the end! This comic feels so fresh, thanks in part to the writing, but perhaps even more so to the art. The characters are interesting and engaging, the universe is bonkers, and the dialogue is witty. The rave reviews are well-deserved.

This is still an entertaining issue, in a mildly diverting way. There are two major problems however: it is nothing more than that, it is just diverting filler, and even more significantly it exposes the underlying problem with the series, which is that Vaughan is making it all up as he goes along. He does this in an entertaining way, but there is no great plan behind it. The arrogance of this is quite breathtaking, as he writes a meta-narrative about a writer who says of his book that he just wrote himself in circles until he hit the required word count. That is exactly what Vaughan is doing and then having the gall to glory in it and stick two fingers up at the reader by highlighting it to them. The gay porn panels are ridiculous and there simply to shock and titilate, just as the sex scene was in the previous issue (or rather the post-coital discussion, which was vulgar for the sake of being vulgar). One professional reviewer - Brett Mobley from PopMatters, hang your head in shame - has written the most egregiously pretentious pseudo critical analysis of these panels it has ever been my misfortune to read. This is the kind of twaddle that hacks and failing undergraduates write. The scenes are there to shock and titilate and that is all. There is no logic or subtext here because the writer hasn't actually invested time and thought into proper world building. Everything is being made up as he goes along.

The central conceit is an interesting one, but this first issue nearly lost me as a reader. I now understand what was going on on the first 18 pages - and can now appreciate them as humorous- but as I was reading them I increasingly felt that this was a series I wouldn't be continuing with. The fantasy world was so corny that I simply didn't care about anyone and wasn't interested in finding out more. If the future of the series is to avoid this game then things may be okay.

With the annoying and corny fantasy world of the game from last issue consigned to dust (hopefully) the story picks up in this issue. Amala, the sentient NPC, is an interesting character, and more so than any of the humans. Indeed, issue two's big problem is that none of the humans are particularly believable. This is in no small measure due to some low quality dialogue, but also stems from a lack of logical motivation to their actions; these are not characters, they are ciphers who can be used to advance the plot. In fact the sentient NPC is more rounded than the humans. It is possible that this is a deliberate decision by Groom, either as a form of meta-commentary, or because we are actually seeing a world within a world. The latter of those would be an interesting reveal a few more issues in, but it could just be sloppy writing.

After a somewhat flawed start, the world in Self/Made starts to come fully to life. My previous criticisms of characterisation are gone, and the dialogue and plotting are near perfect. I'm glad that I did stick with this series, because if it continues in the same vein as this issue, then this promises to be a great comic book.

The first two issues were a bit shaky, but #4 builds on the excellent #3. The dialogue is strong and the characters are interesting and believable. One of the particular strengths of this issue is that the situations the characters find themselves in don't feel contrived. Having been critical of Groom's writing in the first two issues, I really have to hand it to him that this title is now very strong, and the art too is excellent.

A so-so issue. One of the things I really dislike in comics (or any other storytelling) is when a character is introduced merely to serve a plot point, and sadly this happens here.

What a massively disappointing end! Sadly, Groom has fallen into the trap of being too convinced of the cleverness of his conceit, and as a result we get a silly, contrived, and utterly unconvincing ending that is tagged on to a pointless and silly issue. And then to top it all off, an epilogue that teases that it was all someone's dream. God help me, this is the writing of a 10 year old.

Stunning art and colours from Tradd Moore and Dave Stewart, with an introspective opening to an intriguing story from Donny Cates. Looking forward to issue 2.

I came for the art. I stayed for the story. This is possibly the most beautiful comic being published at the moment. Tradd Moore and Dave Stewart are at the top of their game: this is a partnership that should be joined up and used more often by Marvel. Donny Cates' script is also superb, with Silver Surfer's monologue being the pre-eminent feature, and also the highlight. Perhaps the only thing holding this issue back from a perfect score is the fact that the story doesn't move on all that much.

Creepy and disturbing.

A promising start. Not the best script from Zdarsky, but it is way better than the art. Wow, the art is bad.

I've read worse, but this is quite slow moving and the characterisation feels a little off in places. It also suffers from having to bring in characters from multiple Star Trek series for no good reason other than fans will (they assume) like it. The art is serviceable, but character likenesses are not very strong. Lanzing and Kelly's Star Trek: Year Five series handled those much better.

Harlan Ellison's ego aside, what this series has shown is that the broadcast version of this story was the better treatment. This is an interesting take on the story, but it lacks the same emotional resonance as the broadcast episode, and has some odd characterisation for Spock in particular. Edith Keeler barely features as a character (unlike in the TV episode), being little more than a plot cipher, and the substitution of a drug-crazed McCoy in the TV episode once again adds much more emotional resonance. I appreciate the opportunity to read what Harlan Ellison originally envisaged, but I'm also grateful to the producers of Star Trek for adapting and revising his original script.

Captures the original series and its characters perfectly, while setting up an interesting story and moving things on (as a year five series should). Great art too. Excellent!

Another excellent issue. Everything is so well done, with high quality art, intelligent script and highly accurate characterisation, dialogue and tone. This really is excellent. I hope that this standard is maintained and this series runs for a long time.

This title continues to be the most fun comic I am currently reading. The change in writers has in no way harmed the quality. This really is proper Star Trek. IDW are doing a superb job.

Not quite as good as the previous issues, with a somewhat weak resolution to the two part story, but still a good comic that very effectively evokes 1960s Star Trek, and is a lot of fun.

A decent set up for the story, but the conclusion in the next issue will really decide how good this one was. At this stage this is easily the weakest of the three stories so far, and is not helped by some odd art choices in the opening scenes on the planet, which seem to have Kirk randomly beaming around so that he moves significant distances - repeatedly - during a conversation with Spock and McCoy. One thing that kept taking me out of the story was Jody Houser's ludicrous use of "they" when referring to the Tholian child. Doing so made the dialogue clunky, and required re-reading of the speech bubble to be clear about the meaning. Houser clearly worried about mis-gendering a fictional alien (2019 really is getting tiresome)! The English language has a perfect solution to this artificial problem:"it", when dealing with the singular. Of course, 1960s Star Trek would simply have had Uhura decide whether or not the Tholian was male or female. This would have been entirely in character and likely lead to a nice exchange with Kirk, where he humourously questions her choice. Either way, it doesn't matter, but what does matter is wrapping yourself up in linguistic gymnastics to avoid offending the fictional Tholian, when there is a simple solution.

This two parter, while by no means bad, has easily been the weakest of the stories thus far. Both Houser's script and Califano's art are inferior to the creative teams that have preceded them. Despite this, the series remains great entertainment, and, but for Houser's ludicrous use of "they" when referring to the single Tholian (which once again took me out of the story and had me re-reading speech bubbles), it does feel like an episode of 1960s Star Trek.

A strong opening to this new story, which moves the over-arching season plot along nicely. Star Trek: Year Five is one of the best titles being published at present.

Overall, this continues to be an excellent series, but, not for the first time, modern identity politics makes its anachronistic way into the narrative. This undermines the comic as it takes the reader out of the story. There is no way that this kind of thing would have been presented in 1960s Star Trek in this way: it is so heavy-handed. Please, editors, end this nonsense.

Sadly a weak resolution to the previous issue. Not only is the plot weak, but so too is the characterisation. Sulu's behaviour towards Chekov didn't ring true, but by far the most egregious example of poor characterisation was with Spock, who didn't behave like Spock in a single panel that he featured in.

Overall, a decent story, even if the likenesses are not as good as they were when this series started. However, I was once again thrown out of the story when the Tholian child wasn't just referred to as, "they", but a big point is made about this with the Tholian child getting angry at Scotty for misgendering. This nonsense began with Jody Houser's story in #5-#6, but it is getting ridiculous now. Please take your nonsense identity politics elsewhere; for a series that prides itself on being accurate to the TV series this is a huge mistake as none of this would have been a feature.

So-so. In the early issues, this series was the comic I rushed to read each month; it was the most genuinely fun comic, which also rang absolutely true to the TV series. Then identity politics and other modern day nonsense began to creep in. While this issue is not the most egregious example of this trend, it is a shadow of former glories. The story is okay

Everything that has been going wrong of late with this series, is epitomised here: characters acting out of character; silly 2020 obsessions (identity politics especially) rearing their ugly anachronistic heads; illogical plotting, and weak storytelling; revisionist of the TOS timeline and universe. I used to really enjoy this series, but now I am getting annoyed.

A dull plot with characters acting out of character once again. This time it is Harry Mudd's turn to be nothing like the roguish petty criminal and con-man that he was in the original series. He isn't even drawn in the same likeness, but rather in the likeness of the actor who played him in the ill-considered Star Trek Discovery "Short Trek" episode. (FWIW I don't hate Discovery, but it is a very different show from TOS). Further problems arise with the thinly-veiled swipes at constitutional originalists and Trump. I support neither, but it is so heavy-handed that it is laughable, especially as Kirk is now a mouthpiece for the anti-democratic left, who believe that the only voices which should be heard are their own.

A fun and entertaining comic, with some really nice art. My main criticism is that the story is wrapped up a bit too quickly: the pacing isn't quite right. Really, this could have done with being a double sized issue as there was perhaps too much time spent on reintroducing the characters (good as this was) for the main story to have room to breathe. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this, and I'm definitely on board for a new Stargirl series.

A sophisticated and expertly crafted spy noir horror comic. I have been eagerly awaiting this one, and I wasn't disappointed. The script is excellent, with Herring's internal monologue blending seamlessly with the dialogue and perfectly matched art.

An effective first issue, which sets up the premise and begins to build the characters. The art is good too. Looking forward to issue two.

Develops nicely from the opening issue, with the moral quandary facing Kiera being explored. In places other characters feel a little two dimensional, but over all this remains an interesting and different comic. I'm looking forward to the next issue.

What a massive disappointment! After four solid and engaging issues, the final part is the comic book equivalent of a photo montage scene. How many splash pages? I am staggered that this was what was served up: one of the most egregious examples of failing to deliver a proper conclusion to a story that I can remember (in any medium). It is now clear that Carlos Giffoni didn't actually have a story to tell. He had an idea for a gimmicky variation on a tried, trusted, and well-worn story about imperialism and despots, but there was no new story. Thanks for wasting my time (not to mention my money), Carlos. I am so disappointed.

A perfectly pitched opening issue. Rucka's script is clever and funny, and allows for Dex to emerge as a genuine character: not just a plot cipher. I'm interested in both the mystery and the lives of Dex and her younger brother.

The opening issue was great, and with #2, Greg Rucka continues to deliver a wonderful crime comic. The writing is sharp, witty and delivers individual voices to each of the characters. Matthew Southworth's artwork is also strong, although perhaps not quite up there with Michael Lark's work on Gotham Central (which it is very reminiscent of). Everyone who likes crime comics should read Stumptown.

The story takes a little bit of a dip with the third issue; this one feels a little bit like there isn't enough story for the issue. Nonetheless, it is still very good.

A solid conclusion to the story, although perhaps lacking a little of the punch of the opening issue

"Your son could be the greatest hero this world has ever seen." Why? What is it about the birth of a half-Kryptonian, half-human child, that could possibly lead Wonder Woman to make such an astonishing statement? Batman then goes on to tell us that, "His unique physiology. Kryptonian and human. He could be... more than Clark." Why? His unique physiology would much more likely make him weaker than Clark, given the way that Clark's powers work. What utter nonsense. This is sadly another example of writers telling us that character x is incredibly powerful or heroic, without actually showing us. This lazy, stupid and sloppy writing is becoming all too common. "You're powerful enough to be the cure." So said every authoritarian and totalitarian movement in history. This isn't about being on the left or the right. This is the thinking of all totalitarians and dictators; they believe that they have identified the problems with society, that they have the solution to those problems, and that they have a moral duty to force that solution on everyone else. These people are not heroes, and it seems that Jonathan Kent isn't going to be a hero either. Now, it could be that Tom Taylor is writing a character arc that sees Jonathan move down the path of totalitarianism and ultimately come to realise the hubris and the folly, but I'm not convinced. Others have written comics about superheroes going bad because they think they have the right to force people to behave the way they want them to, and maybe this is what Taylor is doing, but it doesn't feel like it yet. In fact, it feels much more like the current destruction of the X-Men (I had hoped that their supremacist and separatist state might be revealed for what it is, but it seems if that was Hickman's plan - and who knows if it was - he lost the argument over editorial direction). In terms of basic competence in writing a comic, Taylor doesn't do a bad job, but neither is it anything especially good. The art is equally competent, without offering anything exceptional. I don't like where this is going, and for the record, I do believe in anthropogenic climate change, I do believe regulation of industry, and I am a trade unionist, but I am also an actual liberal who believes in freedom and democracy.

So Earth isn't Clark Kent's planet because he wasn't born there? What an amazingly racist comment. Taylor displays his asinine view of the world by effectively arguing that somewhere is only your home if you were born there. Wow, that is so incredibly racist. Does Taylor actually believe that someone can only be American if they are born in the USA (I am from the UK)? That's the kind of xenophobic nonsense spouted by the kind of groups that Taylor claims to abhor. I don't think he actually holds this position, but he is too limited in his thinking to have actually worked through the logical consequences of what he has written. Apparently, Superman, hasn't, "step[ped] up" to deal with the problems of the world. There are 80 years of comic books that show otherwise, but never mind. What Taylor means is that Superman hasn't forced his views on the entire planet, but maybe Jonathan Kent can. I really really hope that Taylor is writing a character arc about the abuse of power: an arc that challenges the stupidity of 'might is right', which is what Jonathan is currently espousing. Jonathan believes that because he has the power to force people to live the way he thinks they should, then he should use that power in that way. This is classic totalitarian thinking. The rescue of the drowning asylum seekers follows the conversation with Clark Kent in the Fortress of Solitude, in which Clark concedes that he hasn't been the hero that Taylor and Jonathan think he should be. Placing the sequence directly after this conversation is done to juxtapose the heroism of Jonathan against the failed heroism of Clark. This is an interesting revisionist view of history, because Clark Kent/Superman has many times rescued people in similar distress, and done so irrespective of the potential political fallout. So, Jonathan isn't a greater hero than his father, but Taylor desperately wants the reader to think so. There is a half-way decent set up for an interesting story with Bendix in the next issue, but it is at risk of drowning under the weight of all the nonsense that precedes it.

The collapse of Infantino Tower is an obvious metaphor for the shaping of a 'New Order' in DC Comics. Carmine Infantino is synonymous with the history of DC, as an artist, editor and publisher. The metaphor is both obvious, and laboured, with (real) Superman identified as trying to prop up the old system, "My dad is stopping it from toppling, but he can't stop it from collapsing in on itself." (Real) Superman is wrong about trying to keep the old tower from falling: Tom Taylor has already told us in previous issues that Superman has failed. "Soon my dad - my hero - disappears from history." What an interesting choice of phrase. Superman will disappear from history, not Superman will no longer feature in history. Stalin was keen on disappearing people from history. Jonathan displays a curious approach to heroism by breaking off from trying to identify the nature of the threat, to take a personal call and then head off to meet his new friend. These are hardly the actions of a great hero. I don't actually have an issue with the stand that Jonathan takes over the refugees. My only quibble is over whether or not they were claiming asylum. If they were, then there are legal procedures to establish asylum claims. If they weren't, then they don't necessarily have the right to remain. No nation can ever just accept all migrants without question; national resources and infrastructure are finite. These points aside, this issue is okay. I've read a lot worse. I've also read a lot better.

This is bad. This is really, really bad. The story is almost non-existent; the dialogue cringey; the line-work poor. Honestly, the colouring isn't great, but it's the least of the problems with this issue.

The artwork is better than last issue, as is the colouring. The script is better too. Nothing really happens, though. In this instance, Taylor's script is the victim of the current trend for incredibly decompressed story-telling.

I've been very critical of this comic previously, and while this is not the best thing ever, it is a perfectly competent comic. The story makes sense, and Jonathan Kent's authoritarianism is actually used intelligently.

There is a vaguely interesting story here. When Bendix first appeared in #2, I noted in my review that there was a half-way decent set up for an interesting story, and this issue moves us fractionally further on in that story. It is vaguely interesting, but the pace is deathly slow. To some extent this isn't entirely Taylor's fault, being more a problem with industry-wide comic writing. Like the majority of comics today, this issue delivers what would have been delivered in two or three pages once upon a time. Taylor isn't the originator of this problem, but it doesn't stop it from being a problem. Having eschewed a lot of the nonsense of previous issues in this one, there is some hope for this comic.

Originally I just gave this issue a rating and left my review at that, because I just didn't have the energy to bother commenting, and that pretty well sums up how I feel about it; this is not an objectively bad comic, but it isn't a good one either. The environmental allegory at the heart is laboured and painfully obvious, while the more potentially interesting story about Bendix and his connections with Luthor is glossed over. When it comes to Jay Nakamura, I'm afraid that I just really don't like the character. He's self-involved and obnoxious.

BORING! Aside from the perennial problem of modern comics taking an issue to tell three pages of story, the story itself just isn't very interesting. Dull. Dull. Dull.

The first thing to say is that I hate having to read a completely different title to get the first (or any other) part of a story. It is a disease that has long afflicted comics. It's even more of a problem when that other title is as bad as Nightwing #89. This issue is as dull as the previous one. I think this might be the comic that finally persuaded me to give up on modern DC. I'll just get on with reading all of the Legion of Super-heroes from the 1970s-1990s; New Teen Titans by Wolfman and Perez; post-crisis Superman and Batman etc. Those were good comics, but this isn't.

A good first issue, which is reminiscent both in the art, and the writing, of European comics. This is no bad thing at all, and is indeed a recommendation.

An intriguing concept which certainly grabbed my attention, but the layout is a little dull. The art is good, but the layout is too formulaic and pulled me out of the story. Nonetheless, I wanted to read the next issue.

A better second issue than the first. The story is interesting and the art is strong. The story is reminiscent (in some senses) to other post-apocalyptic sci-fi from across different media (Terry Nation's Surivors - BBC TV - springs to mind), with addressing issues of power and authority in the post-apocalyptic world. The art continues to be strong, while my previous criticism of the repetitive layout (which took me out of the story in the first issue) doesn't afflict this second instalment. I want to read more, and am waiting (only just) patiently for the next issue.

This continues to be a good comic, but the third issue feels a little lacklustre. In places the art is off, with people being drawn in odd postures, or with slightly strange proportions. This is a shame, as the art has been pretty decent to this point. (I am startled by at least one professional review that highlights the art in this issue as being particularly good). The story is good, and the script fairly good - although occasionally the dialogue doesn't feel too natural. The twist towards the end is fine for developing the plot further, but is rather heavily signposted earlier in the issue. Overall this is still an interesting comic that I want to read more of, but there are some areas that could do with a little attention.

ETA: As of 16th October, I'm still waiting for some sort of resolution to this story, because #4 is not it. Has this book been cancelled? Is there going to be another volume? Who knows, because the comic book industry treats its customers with contempt, by giving them no information. And they wonder why sales are declining!

The story is very much limited by being a one shot. Morrison sets up some interesting ideas, like Overman's remorse and questioning of the regime, but can't really go anywhere with it because he's run out of pages.

I enjoyed the first issue, and this second is also interesting. Deconstruction of the superhero is a pretty old trope and I can't help but feel that it could do with a rest, however: this isn't Watchmen. Jim Krueger is a decent writer, but he isn't in the same league as Alan Moore, and nor is he Jeff Lemire, whose Black Hammer is one of the best comics of the decade. If the writing can steer the fine line between being about this now forgotten group of heroes and the emotional and personal problems of those heroes, then it promises to be a good addition to the cannon. On the strength of this issue, however, I have my doubts, as far too much time is spent on Caul's past. It isn't that this is bad, or that Krueger does a bad job of it: it is just that we've seen it done so many times before and some of the greatest writers in comic books have already done it better than he can. The art is a separate problem in it's own right. Let me be honest, the art is awful. I can live with the sketchy pencils (although I am getting tired of all of the artists who think that it is cool, but just aend up being third rate derivatives) and the low-rent inking. The lack of detail in facial expressions is a huge turn off, as I see little coming out of the visual story telling and comics are a visual medium. My biggest problem, however, is with the colouring. Oh, dear God, is the colouring abysmal! Everything is just so dark! It is almost impossible to work out what is going on in the majority of panels due to all of the black and brown. This hampers the story telling no end, and could well be the nail in the coffin for this series. Well-Bee's pencils and ink are bearable, but please employ a professional colourist to sort out this shit. I want to read on, but my patience will only last so long. If the colouring is fixed then I can overlook some of my other criticisms, but if it isn't, then I may only be around for another issue or two.

A fun first issue that is in keeping with the TV show. It doesn't excel, but it is an entertaining read.

Too quick and neat a resolution undermines the good work put in to getting the tone and characters right.

These comics have been fun. They do a fairly good job of reproducing the tone and characters from the TV series, and the stories are entertaining enough if a little lightweight. If you are looking for some diverting entertainment, and are an Orville fan, then they are worth your time, but a comparison with the contemporaneous Star Trek: Year Five (from IDW) exposes the weaknesses.

Some have complained about the slow pace and the "zen-like" scenes with the unnamed soldier. Both of these are positives for me. The story is interesting and I like the long set-up. This is world-building and enjoyable. Looking forward to a series that takes its time in building its story, rather than delivering everything at a frenetic pace.

This is all a little bit narratively muddied. It isn't clear what is going on, and this is a shame as there is an interesting story waiting to get out. The action is well rendered, but it all comes at the expense of plot and character development. Hopefully issue three will restore my faith, as issue one was really good.

Well, it looks good. What, in the name of all that is holy, is going on? Narratively, this comic is a complete mess. Things happen and people speak in military jargon. This is not story-telling. There are also absolutely no characters either. There are a couple of plot ciphers, but just because they have faces and names (which are completely unmemorable because there is no character attached to them) does not make them characters. What a horrible mess. I really liked the first issue; it was other-worldly and rather zen-like in places, but that appealed to me. However, even that has now gone, we just have garbled nonsense instead of a story. What a huge shame.

What a mess. This issue was slightly better than the last, but there is still no narrative structure. While deeply unfashionable these days, some thought bubbles and narration boxes would help to give the story some structure and perhaps even resolve the problem of there being no actual characters. I really wanted to enjoy this, but it just annoys me with each successive issue. There are ideas in the story that I would like to see explored - such as the augmentation of whatever the soldier plot cipher is called - but I have no faith in Laroche being able to actually deliver on it. What a huge shame. Laroche needs to find a writer to work with, as his talents don't extend to that, I'm afraid. This comic just got dropped from my pull list.

This third issue doesn't live up to its predecessors. The story is thin in this issue and also a little confusing. There is too little explanation for what is going on and too many new characters introduced. A shame, but hopefully things will return to their previous standard in subsequent issues; there is still a lot to like in this title.

It was alright. It passed a few minutes: and in that lies part of the problem with this issue. Passing a few minutes should not be the objective of a comic. This issue can be read in five minutes because so little of any import happens. The story barely moves on and nothing new is done with character either. Back in the eighties and nineties this content would have been dealt with in four pages of a comic like 2000AD, and I would still have several other stories to read in that issue. I can't help feeling cheated.

Well, that was 100% okay. The first couple of issues were really engaging, but then we've had several issues with little really happening, and a lot of wasted panel space. I know that this comic is supposed to be amazing, but I'm getting ready to shout that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes.

I really want to join with others in saying how great this is. The concept of the main story is a great one, but honestly, in this first issue, it doesn't really go anywhere, but rather seems to revel in its own cleverness. Frankly, it comes across as a little bit smug. Yes, Earth Alpha did remind me of reading Batman as a child, but at the same time it was too accurate, so that I was simply irritated by it. I'm hoping that having set things up, the following instalments will deliver on the premise in a better way. The pastiche of the "silver age" is simply too heavy-handed in this issue: it is too knowing, while the modern Miller-esque Earth Omega gets too little attention. It all starts getting interesting at the end of the strip, but then it is cut short because of the need to cram in a pointless "silver age" Stinger strip (wow, I can live without that). Giving those extra pages to the main story may well have delivered a more even first instalment. As for the Grant Morrison prose story? Oh sweet lord, save me from ever having to read something like that again! Grant appears to have turned in one of his efforts from when he was 12 years old and his English teacher said that the class had to use similes and adjectives in their story. It is full of nuggets of pure turgid reaching for competence. Morrison can write great comics, but his prose is awful. Some of my particular favourites of clunkiness are, "Every tattoo told a story, of course - the winking, lascivious merman he'd earned after his battle with the Fish-Priests of Mandaloo told the story of Basic Instinct, the 1992 erotic thriller, starring Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas." Awful. "On his hairy, burly forearm, a long dead Azerbaijani miser had inked a gaunt and spectral Grim Reaper, clad in sepulchral sacerdotal robes, with a full-length scythe clenched in one overly-knuckled fist; this stark image condensed the complete story of the 1998 Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan vehicle You've Got Mail..." Please, shoot me now. (And what on Earth does "overly-knuckled" mean? FFS). Truly terrible writing. The magazine approach is clearly different, but it all feels so forced; "Look at me! Look at me!" it cries. I appreciate that AHOY want to set their stall out as something different from other publishers, but this is just too try-hard for my liking. I will read the next issue because the central premise of The Wrong Earth is an interesting and strong one, but Tom Peyer has a lot of work to do from hereon if he is to realize the potential. And please, no more arch "silver age" backup strips, and definitely no more of Grant Morrison's school work.

Well, it is better than the smug and heavy-handed first issue, but there is still a little bit of a way to go for it to be worthy of the hyperbole heaped upon it. The main strip is better than last time, and may be worthy of an extra point out of ten, but the backup strip is pretty rubbish (although better than last issue) and the prose efforts are utterly inconsequential and pointless, but still better than the dreadful Grant Morrison effort that we were treated to in issue 1.

The main strip is good, although still nowhere near deserving of the hyperbole heaped upon it: it really is just too arch. The story, however, is developing nicely and the potential for the next issue is significant, given the cliffhanger ending. I can't comment on the back-up strip or the prose "stories" as I've completely given up on them after the last two issues. Maybe I'll go back and read them at some point, but as there are loads of genuinely good comics available, I may well not.

Visually, this is a really interesting and exciting first issue. The pencils and inking are very strong, but the colouring takes things to the next level. If only Sevy had spent as much time on the script, because narratively this is a complete mess. What is going on? There are shades of Saga in the narrative structure (but Brian K. Vaughn is a better writer). There is no exposition, but rather an internal monologue from the main character, which fails to explain anything. Sadly, Sevy has fallen foul of the modern comic book disease: far too much nonsense is spoken and written about the need for few words in comics. I'm here to call bullshit on that: comics are part visual and part verbal; people who argue that words are unnecessary, simply haven't read that much in the way of comics. It is possible to tell wordless stories, but most American comics need narration, thought bubbles and speech bubbles to tell the story. For the love of all that is holy, can we please restore some sanity? My comments above may be seen as hyperbolic, but I maintain that they are valid. This could be a really interesting story, if only some thought had been given to the verbal story telling.

Overall a good opening issue, which sets up the premise nicely and raises a level of intrigue. The art is good, but suffers a little in two areas: faces are not different enough from each other (especially amongst the soliders) to be clear who is who, and the colouring is overly dark, which makes the nicely detailed pencil and ink work less distinct than it should be.

A decent enough opening issue. The premise is reasonably interesting, even if it borrows rather heavily from the Mad Max aesthetic. It is hampered, however, by some horribly clunky dialogue, not least when the doctor meets the colonel: Scott, Charles, nobody in the history of the world has ever had a real conversation like that! You are both experienced writers, so how about more subtlety with your info dumps? I fear that the hype surrounding this comic may prove too much for it to bear. The shill reviewers will award plaudits upon every issue, displaying little to no critical reason, and, on the evidence of some already published, there will be plenty of pseudo-intellectual pretentiousness within. Meanwhile, readers will find generally okay comics that can't get near the heights promised, and will start to lose faith. A more moderate media response may actually help this series to grow and develop. I'll be reading the next issue and expect it to be generally entertaining, but little more.

Multi-layered and complex, as may well be expected. This certainly isn't a comfortable read, but it is a thought-provoking and intelligent one.

Brilliant. Simply, brilliant. All characters are well-written, the plot is well-constructed and beautifully paced, the art is excellent, and the dialogue is superb.

Another brilliant issue.

The tension ramps up with V's broadcast, while all the other fantastic features I have highlighted in previous issues remain as strong here.

There is a change of pace with this issue, but the quality of Moore's writing remains as strong as ever, and the character complexities deepen.

A fair opening. I only bought it because it was written by Christopher Priest, and while the first issue was fine, I'm hoping that subsequent issues build something more fulfilling.

The opening issue was good, but in places the dialogue between Vampirella and her psychiatrist became a little confusing. The art too, was a little inconsistent. Neither of these concerns exist in the second issue. Issue 2 of Vampirella by Christopher Priest and Ergun Gunduz is a strong story, making Vampirella a "serious" character with an interesting story to tell. I'm pleased with my decision to buy into this series, which was based on Christopher Priest as a writer, and the now notorious interview where he rightly put Chris Arrant in his place.

A strong start to a promising new series. At times the need to maintain mystery results in some instances of slightly illogical actions, but generally the comic is well written, and the artwork is excellent.

The second issue builds on the strong opening, and delivers just enough of the back story (which had been a little too carefully avoided in issue one). Once again the art is very strong, and helps to sell this as a strong superhero comic.

A great first issue. The pace is perfect, and the story and world suitably set up without any feeling that things are being rushed or dragged out. The art is pretty excellent too, with characters being well distinguished from each other, and clearly defined expressions which change according to what is happening (not something that is always the case in comics). There is almost nothing to fault here.

The second issue maintains the high standard of the first. This is an interesting world, of which we learn more while the narrative develops. Alongside this is good character development that feels real, despite the unreal technology; with the right technology in our world, the behaviour of these characters could easily be expected. Once again the pacing of the narrative is strong. So many comic books deliver second issues that feel like they are filling time, or rush headlong into heavy exposition of back story (because the first issue was so much spectacle to grab readers' attention): that is not the case here. The first issue was well-paced so the second was able to breathe while furthering the narrative. I continue to be impressed. What is surprising is that some of the professional critics only seem lukewarm about this series. Perhaps that tells us more about them than it does this comic.

More action-dominated than the first two issues, but still moving the narrative on. Character development suffers a little because of the action heavy focus, and this drags it down ever so slightly from the previous standard, but this is a minor gripe, and I'm sure that if read as a trade it wouldn't be noticeable. This is an excellent series and this is a very strong issue of it.

A great issue to finish the first book in a great series. Superb writing and fantastic art. This is one of the best science fiction or superhero titles currently being published.

A noticeable improvement on the Future State Wonder Woman story. Yara Flor starts to show more of a personality, and although the pacing was a bit off, there actually seemed to be a story for this one worthy of a single issue (whereas Future State didn't even warrant a full issue, let alone two). Of course, the art looks great.