The Shipping Forecast: May 2020

Every month we spend an evening scouring the pages of the latest issue of Previews and pick the titles we are looking forward to the most. This month it's the March issue which includes comics scheduled to ship in May 2020.

THE UNION #1

Writer: Paul Grist

Art: Andrea Di Vito

Marvel $3.99

Andy H: While there are many, many titles spinning out of Empyre, this is the one I will be picking up. Following in the footsteps of Excalibur and Knights Of Pendragon, the UK has another superhero team; The Union! Featuring Choir, Kelpie, Snakes and Brittania, four heroes from four nations. It doesn't stop there though. We also get the return of a favourite 'old' hero, Union Jack. This new team will be part of the planet's defence as the Empyre saga unfolds. Paul Grist is series writer and I'm really looking forward to his depiction of Union Jack, a character he once submitted a story for but was rejected. He went on to rework this idea and created Jack Staff - looks like it's finally gone full circle.

Mini Reviews 15/03/2020

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

SUB-MARINER: MARVELS SNAPSHOTS #1

Writer: Alan Brennert

Art: Jerry Ordway & Espen Grundetjean

Marvel $4.99

Matt C: The first in a series of one-shots that employs the concept of Alex Ross and Kurt Busiek's legendary Marvels by giving us a regular person's perspective on an icon, here we focus on one of the House of Ideas' originals, Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner. Set after the end of World War II, our way into the story is provided by Betty Dean, Namor's sometime girlfriend of the era. Never quite comfortable with his tempestuousness and aloofness, she watches him struggle with the trauma of the conflict he's just experienced, and if you're familiar with this particular Atlantean you'll know his likely method of dealing with things will inevitably involve some sort of violence and carnage. The artwork has a wonderfully retro feel - befitting of the period, but in a sophisticated fashion - and the script delivers some potent insights into a man who straddles two worlds (above and below the ocean's surface). It brought to mind Chip Zdarsky's recent Invaders series, and how that also delved into the emotional damage of war inflicted on someone who likes to present himself as above such things. It's an affecting read with some wonderfully old-fashioned action scenes (the All Winners Squad turn up and get involved, of course) and it sets a high standard which hopefully the rest of the series will meet. 8/10

Mini Reviews 08/03/2020

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

STRANGE ACADEMY #1

Writer: Skottie Young

Art: Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado

Marvel $4.99

Mike S: Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos present a not-quite original but nevertheless wholly enjoyable first issue set in Marvel Comics’ very own Hogwarts. Throw in a dash of Wolverine And The X-Men and you have Strange Academy, in which the next generation of magic wielders are gathered in New Orleans to learn the art of spell-casting from such faculty members as Doctor Voodoo, Magik and the Scarlet Witch (which might be an interesting mix if current X-Men continuity applies). The first issue introduces a diverse cast, an interesting premise and some stunningly rendered artwork. Young has a knack of writing young characters here while Ramos revels in the fantastical elements of the setting, with wondrous artwork juxtaposed with some creepy moments to provide a visually stunning book. Offering something a little different to the run of the mill Marvel Teen books, Strange Academy #1 is a promising debut with a huge amount of potential as we explore the magical mythos of Marvel, and is guaranteed to bring me back for #2. 9/10

Mini Reviews 01/03/2020

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

GIANT-SIZE X-MEN: JEAN GREY AND EMMA FROST #1

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Art: Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson

Marvel $4.99

Matt C: We seem to be getting a bunch of these 'Giant-Size' issues from Jonathan Hickman to spotlight various integral characters to his 'Dawn of X' initiative, and if the rest are as good as this one, they'll all be essential purchases. Here we have Jean Grey and Emma Frost entering the mind of a fallen X-Man in an attempt to save them and, once inside, we get an almost entirely wordless extended sequence which serves as a tremendous example of the power of the artform. Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson pull out all the stops for a dazzling display of visual ingenuity to tell the story via pictures alone, conveying emotions through expression and action only, and it's beautiful, inventive and regularly breathtaking. Of course Hickman's presence is still felt throughout thanks to the pacing and intelligence of the narrative, which is tangible in every panel. An exceptional issue where you really get the opportunity to linger on the artistry of the medium at its best and just how adept it can be at sequencing static panels to create a moving and exciting experience. 9/10

Mini Reviews 23/02/2020

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

WOLVERINE #1

Writer: Benjamin Percy

Art: Adam Kubert, Frank Martin, Viktor Bogdanovic & Matthew Wilson

Marvel $7.99

Jo S: In these days of big Marvel events and multiple high quality Hickman-led X-books, a $7.99 cover price on a late-joining 'Dawn of X' title is going to make your local comic book store owner wince - especially when it's on a big standard like Wolverine - so is it worth the doubled price and should you fork over the cash to hop on this new addition to the Krakoa project? Let me try to convince you... Ben Percy has Wolverine chops: having penned the Wolverine: The Long Night and The Lost Trail podcasts, he followed up the former with a comic book version, and it's clear in this new outset already that he 'gets' our cross-Patch protagonist, opening with a scene of devastation in the Alaskan snow, where Logan is agonising over slaying his own friends and yet is still compelled to chase after the last survivor. A giant side effect of the 'Dawn of X' stories is that Krakoa's regeneration protocols have altered the concept of death for mutant-kind: we know as comics readers that death is rarely final but now it's explicit that 'they will come back' - and yet Percy still manages to give us the full sense of Logan's despair, something of an achievement in this new world. The (first) story is a 'here's the penultimate scene, let's look at how we got here' approach, and each additional piece of backstory we see twists the knife in Logan's heart a little further: Krakoan 'product' is going missing, diverted to feed a growing drugs trade managed by the Flower Cartel, and multiple parties are getting involved, for nefarious reasons or otherwise, in the growing spread of mutie drug Pollen. If that wasn't complex enough a storyline, add a cult of vampiric mutant-worshippers and you have yourself a festival of flower-related infamy. Kubert's art is magnificent - well, I would say that, the Alaskan snow scenes alone are worth it for me, but his fabulous page structure has me hooked throughout as well... But that's just the first story! This is a true double issue, with the staples neatly marking the delineation between 'The Flower Cartel' and 'Catacombs'. Both are issue #1, both penned by Percy, but Bogdanovic now picks up the pencils, as Omega Red, covered in blood which may or may not be his own, storms through a Krakoan portal requesting amnesty - having escaped a nightmarish Paris overrun with the aforementioned vampire cult - to a very mixed reception. Vampire stories are a bit so-so for me generally but Percy pitches this one perfectly, with vampire hunter of the 'nightguard' Louise making a welcome debut, and Bogdanovic and Wilson creating the ideal underground gloom with gory bat-fest atmosphere. So, yes, all in all, this is more than a double issue, the fat cover price may be a little gasp-inducing but the content is much more so, and for all the right reasons. 9/10

The Shipping Forecast: April 2020

Every month we spend an evening scouring the pages of the latest issue of Previews and pick the titles we are looking forward to the most. This month it's the February issue which includes comics scheduled to ship in April 2020.

CATWOMAN 80TH ANNIVERSARY #1

Writers: Various

Artists: Various

DC $9.99

James R: The latest icon to get the anniversary treatment from DC is Selina Kyle, the infamous Catwoman. I’ve always loved Catwoman as a character; not quite one of Batman’s rogue’s gallery, but never someone who could be described as a hero either. She’s Batman’s equal and opposite in every way - most recently, Tom King rightfully realised the power of her character in his Batman run. King makes an appearance here along with a truly phenomenal cast of creators to celebrate 80 years of Ms Kyle. DC have done a brilliant job so far with these celebratory issues (both the Action Comics and Detective Comics ones were must-reads) and with that talent roster, I’d argue that this one looks purr-fect (sorry)!

On The Pull 19/02/2020

New comics are due to hit the shelves on Wednesday so here’s a look ahead at some of the books we’ll be picking up this week along with a full list of titles that will be available from Paradox Comics.

James R: It's one of those weeks where my pull-list is full of gems: that's largely due to the ongoing output of Jeff Lemire but, beyond the Canadian genius, there's some great reading for me this week. First and foremost is Bang! #1 from Dark Horse. Created by Matt Kindt and Wifredo Torres, this book boasts 'action, mystery and altered reality' - how could I say no to that?! Dark Horse are also releasing the next issue of Jeff Lemire and Tonci Zonjic's Skulldigger And Skeleton Boy. This Black Hammer Universe title has been one of the strongest auxiliary books and has lived up to the promise of Lemire and Zonjic working together.

From DC, I'll be picking up one of my favourite current titles: Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen was one of the surprise packages of 2019, and I'm relishing every issue of this - inventive, funny and one of the reasons why DC picked up 'Best Publisher' at the Paradoscars! I'll also be getting the last issue of Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino's Joker: Killer Smile. The Gideon Falls team have easily transferred their magic to the Clown Prince of Crime, and this has been the best Black Label title thus far for me.

It's that man Lemire again at Image this week - I'll be buying the latest issue of Family Tree, the intriguing horror title that he's created with Phil Hester, which has started strongly, and really hitting its stride as the mystery begins to reveal. Finally, Titan Comics brings me a treat - the latest chapter in the Blade Runner 2019 saga. This book has been far better than I'd dare hope, and as a huge fan of the movies, I've loved seeing the universe explored and expanded with such verve.

Mini Reviews 16/02/2020

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

THE MAN WHO F#&%ED UP TIME #1

Writer: John Layman

Art: Karl Mostert & Dee Cunniffe

AfterShock $4.99

Jo S: If you've followed my short career in comics reviewing so far, you may be aware that time travel is one of my little bugbears BUT, in my defence, my only real problem with it is where it is discovered at the eleventh hour and used to solve an otherwise unsolvable plot problem. Here, in John Layman and Karl Mostert's new outset, the time-scrambling shenanigans are in place from the start, with the opening page featuring the titular 'man', in trainers and a backpack, being chased through streets of folks wearing stovepipe hats by what appears to be a Mongol warrior riding an armoured stegosaurus. Which is not a sentence I expect to use twice in my life. To anyone who has read John Wyndham's short story collection The Seeds Of Time, especially, 'Chronoclasm', this story rings familiar: Sean Bennett, cruelly undervalued lab assistant, hops into the time machine created largely based on his own work, whizzes back in time a little way, and returns, having made only the tiniest of adjustments, to a world which is clearly very much more different than he intended. Mostert's art reminds me very strongly of Martín Morazzo's work, crisp and fine-lined, with lots of nice detail in historical costume but, combined with Cunniffe's bright daytime colours, it conspires to feel a bit flat and empty in places. Couple that with a distinct feeling of 'I know where this is going', I'm not totally sure this one hit home for me as fully as it might. I'll give it a second issue though - who knows what a small adjustment in the time stream will bring. 6/10

Mini Reviews 09/02/2020

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER #1

Writer: Greg Pak

Art: Raffaele Ienco & Neeraj Menn

Marvel $4.99

James R: I will start with one of my semi-regular declarations: I love Star Wars. Virtually all of it (Caravan Of Courage and the infamous Holiday Special are the exceptions) but truth be told - I love anything to do with the tales from a long time ago and a galaxy far, far, away. I say this, as of late it seems the online Star Wars discourse has become incredibly negative and hate-filled, and I for one find it pretty distasteful stuff. The last few years as a Star Wars fan have been a delight for me, and I've loved both the continuation of the Skywalker Saga, and the vast majority of the expanded universe stories in both books and comics. This week, Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco give us another example of why Disney-era Star Wars shouldn't be dismissed out-of-hand. Following on from Charles Soule's superb run on Darth Vader (and keeping with the new Marvel focus), this issue takes us inside Vader's head as he reacts to Luke's refusal of an alliance at the iconic climax to The Empire Strikes Back. The thing that I enjoyed most of all here was that Pak (like Soule before him) is using the comics both to enhance the Prequels and also to create new layers for the iconic characters. The stand-out sequence for me was Vader watching Luke fall through Cloud City, and seeing his figure replaced first by Padme, and then by Shimi, his mother. Pak and Ienco use the language of comics beautifully here, and it immediately sold me on the title. It's not an absolute smash by any means - I felt the action sequence at the end felt a little too 'by the numbers' and even though I like Ienco's work, I don't love it like I did Giuseppe Camuncoli's art in the last iteration of the book. However, it's definitely a strong start, and with Soule's run on the main Star Wars title, this makes for a compelling double-header, and will certainly give me my Star Wars fix until Disney+ (finally!) launches here next month. 7/10

Mini Reviews 02/02/2019

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

AVENGERS OF THE WASTELANDS #1

Writer: Ed Brisson

Art: Jonas Scharf

Marvel $3.99

Mike S: I was little sceptical approaching this title: I am not a fan of the over-saturation of a market but after enjoying both Old Man Logan and Old Man Hawkeye (but swerving Old Man Quill because – well, it’s Quill!) I was both looking forward to and, perhaps, a little wary. However, Ed Brisson provides a debut issue that introduces our key players well, albeit with some necessary exposition to fully establish the world we’re inhabiting. We have a new Thor, a thoughtful young Hulk, a new Ant-Man and a Doctor Doom to provide the necessary menace, along with a final page that promises even more shocking developments. The art from Jonas Scharf is expressive when focusing on characterisation and suitably epic when we’re immersed in the action scenes. It has a kind of raw grittiness in places, which is apt considering the title’s location. Particularly noteworthy, as a fan of Jane Foster’s tenure as Thor, is the treatment of Dani Cage as the new Thor, especially in the way Brisson seems to be clearly establishing the fundamental division between Dani’s opinions on the Doom situation and that of her Asgardian alter-ego: an interesting divide that might (or might not) foreshadow later development and conflict. An enjoyable read that certainly promises much moving forward. 8/10

Mini Reviews 26/01/2020

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

BIRDS OF PREY GIANT #1

Writers: Various

Art: Various

DC $4.99

Jo S: I've developed something of a soft spot for DC's compendium format books, they seem somehow to have captured the near impossible skill of drawing together a collection of mini-stories in a way that allows each the space to shine in its own right whilst also hanging together nicely on a theme. The six stories here are a neatly tessellated fit: there's variety between big name writers like Gail Simone and Robert Venditti and those perhaps less well-known, such as the Benson sisters, whose story 'Gotham City Limits' is a perfect blend of wholesomeness, heroing, heritage and campfire horror stories, and the artists for each story are clearly carefully chosen - Isaac Goodhart's facial expressions in 'Disguises' are exquisite, for example; Harley's cringing smile as she tries to deal with her old friend's humble-bragging made my toes curl. The upcoming Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) looks set to ensure that the aforementioned two-tone trickster will be absolutely everywhere again, having been one of the few good things about the Suicide Squad movie, but here she (and Poison Ivy too) demonstrates the complex attitude to good and evil that makes her appealing. In Simone's 'Fight or Flight', she talks about how everyone's a little bit grey, not fully in the light or fully in the dark (although her 'Mistah Jay' she accepts is "like, dark dark") and her behaviour throughout is complicated, caught between wanting to do right and her perpetual taste for mayhem. Huntress, Batgirl and Black Canary get to take leading roles in their own stories too - Layman gives a nice twist to Huntress' duel with Deathstroke - and I was especially pleased to see stories from my two favourite writers side by side, with Matt Rosenberg moonlighting on a Black Canary story which must surely draw on his music business experience, and Joëlle Jones helping Harley mastermind a breakout from Arkham - as she says: "Safe is boring. I'd rather have an ADVENTURE!" 7/10

The Shipping Forecast: March 2020

Every month we spend an evening scouring the pages of the latest issue of Previews and pick the titles we are looking forward to the most. This month it's the January issue which includes comics scheduled to ship in March 2020.

SPIDER-MAN NOIR #1

Writer: Margaret Stohl

Art: Juan Ferreyra

Marvel $3.99

Jo S: Obviously, from my point of view, all the best one-liners in 2018's excellent Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse movie went to His Royal Porkness, Spider-Ham, but he did get a run for his money from the deadpannest of deadpan characters, Spidey Noir. It's great, then, to see a character who takes all the shiny goodness of the Spider-Verse and all the gritty darkness of Crime Noir and crams them together in the kind of crossover which, like peanut butter and marmite, shouldn't work but just… does, getting his own series after a while in the shadows. Margaret Stohl has listed a series of tasty elements we can hope to see in this compact five-parter, including all the classics we would expect from a crime noir series - but as that list includes 'punching Nazis' I probably need say no more...

Mini Reviews 19/01/2019

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

IRON MAN 2020 #1

Writers: Dan Slott & Christos Gage

Art: Pete Woods

Marvel $4.99

Matt C: A pure nostalgia purchase for me. I remember fondly the reprinted Barry Windsor-Smith Machine Man miniseries (appearing as a back-up in the UK Transformers comic in the 1980s), set in 2020, when 2020 was a not-too-distant sci-fi future rather than the comparatively humdrum present day. The links to that series and this one turn out to be pretty tenuous at best; Machine Man is involved and the Iron Man of 2020 - Arno Stark - is the lead character, but beyond that it's got nothing to do with his original appearance, instead spinning out of events in the current Tony Stark: Iron Man title. Having not followed that series there was some catching up required: current Tony Stark is an A.I. apparently, while Arno Stark is attempting to quell a robot rebellion. This isn't a new concept of course - the sci-fi genre is packed with tales of artificial lifeforms attempting to prove themselves sentient beings and free themselves from slave labour (a strong recent example was the short-lived Magnus reboot by Kyle Higgins and Jorge Fornes from Dynamite). There's not much going on here beyond the expected beats, and pretty much all the characters are unlikeable to some degree, so unless you're already invested in the current Iron Man status quo then this can be easily skipped. 5/10

Mini Reviews 12/01/2020

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

STAR #1

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Art: Javier Pina, Filipe Andrade & Jesus Aburtov

Marvel $3.99

Jo S: Anyone thinking "oh, new female Marvel superhero, she's called Star, that'll be cute, girly, inspiring, aimed at kids etc" has a whole new think coming with this opening issue, a spin-off from Thompson's Captain Marvel series. Ripley Ryan is the most damaged of damaged supers, deeply traumatised following her kidnapping by Nuclear Man, she is the repository of a Reality Stone and, before the start of this, her first solo story, has already used it, almost destroying the whole of New York - helluva debut! Captain Marvel stopped her (by punching a hole in her chest) but, as we begin this story, Ryan/Star is somewhere between powered dropout and evil supervillain; pretty much everyone has an axe to grind with her, and every time she is pushed to use her powers the result just makes the situation worse. Thompson's wisecracking monologues balance the utter desperation of Ripley's situation: getting to write Loki (loved his li'l horned baseball cap, very low-key Loki) must have been a treat and she 'gets' Jessica Jones' black sarcasm perfectly (using mind control on Ms Jones proves exactly as ill-advised as you might suspect knowing her history). As her pile of poor decisions grows, things are looking bleak for any possibility of Star's redemption, and it seems as if the slippery slope towards villainy is becoming yet further greased. Of course, hope appears at the final moment, in the form of a character who knows more than a little about redemption from villainy. A fascinating first issue for a genuinely new leading character, with lots of potential to break the mould: I'm truly excited to see where Thompson takes this. 8/10

Mini Reviews 05/01/2020

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

STAR WARS #1

Writer: Charles Soule

Art: Jesus Saiz & Arif Prianto

Marvel $4.99

James R: I thought I was finished with Marvel's main Star Wars line when Jason Aaron stepped aside from the core title (personally, I felt it was the last time it captured the magic of George Lucas' universe) however, with this relaunch, it's clear that the right man now has the reins. Charles Soule is a terrific writer, full stop (I was an early advocate of his great OGN Strongman, illustrated by Allen Gladfelter), but he brings a tangible magic to his Star Wars work, managing to add to the rich tapestry of a Galaxy Far, Far Away while never being derivative. Soule is also one of the architects behind this year's 'Project Luminous', a series of interconnected books and comics that might signal the future of the Star Wars movies. This first issue wisely sees the focus moving from the adventures post-A New Hope and centring on the events immediately after The Empire Strikes Back. The narrative also introduces us to a new nemesis for the Rebels in the shape of Imperial Commander Zahra, along with the welcome return of Shara Bey and Kes Dameron (Poe's parents, first introduced in Greg Rucka's Shattered Empire in 2015). Soule also puts Luke front and centre here, and his doubt over what he should do following Darth Vader's revelation will clearly take up a lot of the narrative to come. Jesus Saiz does a fine job on the art, managing to capture the likenesses of actors associated with the characters while still imbuing them with his own style. All told, it's a fine first chapter, and I'm very much on board to see where Soule takes this story. 8/10

Screen Time: TOP 10 COMIC BOOK MOVIES OF THE DECADE

The last ten years has seen comic book properties make an unprecedented impact on popular culture, primarily due to the the characters and concepts' cinematic interpretations. There have been high points, there have been low points, but here we present what we consider to be the best ten comic book movies of the decade...

The Shipping Forecast: February 2020

Every month we spend an evening scouring the pages of the latest issue of Previews and pick the titles we are looking forward to the most. This month it's the December issue which includes comics scheduled to ship in February 2020.

BANG! #1

Writer: Matt Kindt

Art: Wilfredo Torres

Dark Horse $3.99

James R: Matt Kindt was responsible for some of the most inventive comics of the last decade - his epic work on MIND MGMT alone showcased what a unique talent he is. I’m thrilled to see him starting the new decade in clearly scintillating form. BANG! boasts a pitch that is simply irresistible: ‘A secret agent with memories he couldn’t possibly possess, a retired mystery writer who solves crimes in her spare time, and a man of action who takes mysterious drugs to keep him ahead of targeted disasters and a seemingly omnipotent terrorist organisation’. SOLD! I would have loved to see Kindt illustrate the series too, but in Wilfredo Torres he has an excellent co-creator, and this is definitely my number one pick for the month.

The Paradoscars 2019

The Paradoscars have been a running for well over a decade now, so the process should be familiar to many. We pick the nominations and then you get the chance to vote for your favourites.

The winners have now been announced at a local Bournemouth restaurant with a tipsy PCG. Whilst all the nominees deserved the limelight, we feel the winners have come out on top because they deserved to be there – in other words, they are the best of the best.

Thanks to everyone all of you who voted, especially considering many of our nominees weren’t more mainstream, predictable choices, and we do hope you all come back for more passionate opinions on our beloved medium next year.

And so here they are, the winners of the Paradoscars 2019:

Mini Reviews 15/12/2019

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

THE RED MOTHER #1

Writer: Jeremy Haun

Art: Danny Luckert

BOOM! Studios $3.99

Mike S: While I usually stick to what I know, the one thing that can sometimes lure me away is the ever-growing horror genre. I have flirted with sci-fi comics, dabbled in the occasional steampunk along the way, but horror always provides me with my favourite non-mainstream/non-mutant titles. So it was with anticipation that I looked forward to BOOM! Studios’ new series, The Red Mother, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint! From the opening scene of the floating corpse to the genuinely spine chilling final page, this was a masterful first issue. Despite my aversion of anything in or near my eyes (you’d think I would have given this a wide berth then but no – far from it!) I loved the concept, found the character interactions to be both real and believable, and fully felt for Daisy in her trauma. There was a growing sense of dread that is so often missing from modern horror titles, as tension is allowed to simmer and build without explosions of movie-style gore littering the pages. Equally powerful is Luckert’s art, with lifelike characters contrasted with the more supernatural elements. The gradually increasing use of red in the latter half of the issue combined with the excellently paced script to crank up the tension and dread for the shocking and creepy ending. Like all good horror tales, the debut issue raises far more questions than it answers but that is what I loved about The Red Mother #1: a thrilling, chilling opener to what I hope will my newest horror comic hit! 9/10

Mini Reviews 08/12/2019

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the not so good, and those that lie somewhere in between.

SUPERMAN: UP IN THE SKY #6

Writer: Tom King

Art: Andy Kubert, Sandra Hope & Brad Anderson

DC $4.99

Matt C: There's been a lot of chatter across social media during the last couple of weeks following the appearance of an article that suggested DC Films were struggling to find a way to make Superman relevant in the modern world. Plenty of people quickly came out with their own thoughts and ideas, enough to prove that the Man of Steel is as relevant as he's ever been, but if only there was a way to encapsulate all those positive ideas in one single, easily digestible package? Well, luckily for DC Films, Superman: Up In The Sky is a prime example of exactly why the original superhero is still the best. Over the course of six issues (originally published in the Walmart-exclusive Superman Giant) writer Tom King has coalesced all the traits that make Clark Kent and his alter-ego so inspiring, so uplifting and so necessary.  In what is ostensibly a mission across the universe to free a kidnapped girl, King has explored various aspects of Clark's personality, from both external and internal perspectives, highlighting his resilience, his tenacity and his implicit need to do the right thing, no matter the cost. Andy Kubert and co provide images that not only soar when required but also focus on the 'humanity' of Clark and those around him. It's one of the best Superman tales in years (ever?) and if DC Films took a look at this and still couldn't figure out how to make the character relevant again, perhaps they should pass on creative control to those who do, because fortunately, some people get it in such a way that they can build a unifying belief in an audience that a man can still fly. 10/10