In Avengers #34 (3 Jacks) usual writer Jonathon Hickman take a break and leaves 2000 AD’s Al Ewing in charge to tell a tale about the all-new, post-Marvel NOW Superman-esq hero Hyperion (Wikipedia informs me there have been “six notable versions of the character”, but I am only familiar with this one). It’s a decent tale with some nice touches, such Hyperion scanning a carpet to find the deadskin (and therefore the DNA) of a missing child. What really sold me on this book though was Dale Keown’s artwork. Hickman has stated they he wants to develop Hyperion into a character that isn’t “a poor analogue for Superman” and in this particular issue Keown’s style, whilst not particularly flashy, deserves praise for drawing a Hyperion that looks… almost puppy-dog like. There’s something really naive and uncertain drawn in Hyperion’s facial features, a vulnerability you rarely see in Superman or other God-like heroes. Despite Hyperion’s incredible power he looks like he could do with a cuddle, and despite being a father to the children of the savage land, he feels like he needs a father figure himself. Not an outstanding story or villain in this issue, but Hyperion’s character work means a solid 6. http://jackcooperwriting.wordpress.com/

AVENGERS #35 is a frustrating comic. Parts of it are everything you want it to be, but overall it feels like a wasted opportunity. Hickman has been slowly building his layered sci-fi epic over the past few years in both this series and New Avengers, and the marketing for this issue along with its awesome cover would have you believe that this is where shit finally kicks off. Instead we spend most of the issue fannying about with Sunspot and Cannonball as they smile at each other and drink coffee. I'm not against quieter character moments, but is this really the time and the place? I've been so patient with Hickman's run and here we are issue 35, where the cover boldly claims "In 8 Months... Time Runs Out", and there's no old-man Steve Rogers, no new Captain America, no Hulk. I imagine Marvel will want to entice new readers with this issue, but it's not until final third (literally - the last 10 pages of a 30 page issue) that things start getting awesome. And awesome they are, which is why this book still gets 3 Jacks. I love the Illuminate plot, I love that (BIG SPOILER) Sue Richards is leading SHIELD and chasing down her husband, but this issue just feels like a false start overall. jackcooperwriting.wordpress.com

Last week I banged on about how good the weekly series Batman Eternal is, and this week it’s no different. This issue starts tying together several different plot threads together nicely, whilst also have the sheer cheek and confidence to introduce yet ANOTHER great new character to the Bat mythology. It’s also one of the best Catwoman tales I’ve read in a while, providing a deft character moment involving a snow leopard and satisfyingly setting up her future status quo (which has already been shown in Batman #28).

BATMAN ETERNAL #24 focuses exclusively on the character of Spoiler. I'm aware Stephanie Brown is a fan favourite, but I've had limited exposure to her since I started buying Batman comics in 2007. The problem with this issue is it gives me no reason to understand why she's held in such high regard (reading her Wikipedia biography was more interesting than this issue) It's not a dreadful issue, the action flows nicely and I love the her-dad's-a-bad-guy angle, but ultimately it feels more like fan service as nothing really happens to move the plot of the series forward.

There’s been a bit of buzz on the web about “God Hates Astronauts #1″, and after dropping several titles recently I decided to take a punt on it. Boy am I glad I did. Issue one perfectly encapsulates what comic books can do that TV and film cannot. For starters he premise is beyond ridiculous; a group of farmers who want to have sex with chickens are hunted down by a half-human-half-cow-all-ghost-superhero who works for NASA, whilst up in space a tiger that likes to eat cheeseburgers is killed. The art is great too, simply because it’s crammed full of beautifully realised images from the imagination of some-one who doesn’t seem to give a fuck. Maybe it sounds too whimsical for your tastes but it works because the humour and pacing is spot-on and the. I love to write lazy, not-entirely-accurate “it’s like blank meets blank” descriptions, so if “Grant Morrison meets Adventure Time” works for you then pick up this book.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: FUTURES END #1 did absolutely nothing for me. This is a continuation of last week’s Justice League United Futures End issue which I criticised for its boring “comic-book-by-numbers” ending, and unfortunately it does nothing to take it in an interesting direction or make me care about the characters or outcome. I am a huge fan of writer Jeff Lemire, (“Sweet Tooth” and his “Animal Man”/”Green Lantern” runs are fantastic) but it seems like he phoned this one in. Nobody’s perfect I guess, but this felt like a proper waste of money.

Only one Marvel review this week, and it seems I am in complete disagreement with the majority of critics and Marvel fans. I've really enjoyed “Original Sin” and issue #8 was more than a satisfying finale. Maybe I’ve enjoyed it because I’m not as precious about Marvel as I am DC. I’m also very laid-back when it comes to continuity, and like to take individual runs as their “own stories” before being bothered about the wider implications. Original Sin worked for me. It has a visually memorable villain, an intriguing attack on the heroes, some crazy twists and turns and good dialogue between the random team-up of heroes. Add to that a lack of tie-ins, crossovers etc and Jason Aaron’s event is one of the best I’ve read from Marvel.

Every issue of SATELLITE SAM feels like a bonus episode of Mad-Men. There’s sex, humour, deception and style packed into every story. I’ve really grown to love (and hate) the characters, enjoying the voyeuristic insight into their seedy lives, which makes it shame that the end of this issue reveals that it’s seemingly all coming to an end very soon. One of my favourite characters gets a very rough ride in this issue, and the attack on him and his family hits hard, I hope he gets some sort of redemption before it all wraps up. http://jackcooperwriting.wordpress.com/

THE MULTIVERSITY: SOCIETY OF SUPER-HEROES #1 is the second book in Grant Morrison's Multiversity series, and here we meet the inhabitants of Earths 20 and 40. What becomes apparent in this issue is that part of Multiversity's charm is also it's weakness; each issue focusing on a different parallel Earth(s) is an exciting concept and whilst this issue is far from dreadful, I'm just not that taken with the pulp-era vibe of Doctor Fate and co. There's some great moments in this issue, especially with one of my favourite characters Vandal Savage, but if Morrison were to write a second issue of the SOS, I'd hold out for his take on one of the 50 other Earths instead.