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.

On The Pull 18/03/2020

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.

Jo S: Blasting my 'one new start per week' rule pretty much into space, my mid-Mad March list racks up an inexcusable four issue one bonanza. I'll skim over Starship Down as you can catch the skinny on that in my Cover To Cover review, plus I talked about Artemis And The Assassin #1 for the Shipping Forecast too.

The other halves of my new start double date are: Wicked Things #1 - John Allison and Max Sarin spin out of their Giant Days success with a story about Charlotte Grote, former child detective now teen framed for murder. Our own Andy H is still struggling to come to terms with the completion of the Giant Days main series and his misty-eyed reviews are enough to have me taking the chance at this new start - and, c'mon, you expect me to pass on something called X-Ray Robot? Michael Allred writes and draws a story of a futuristic robot science hero who can see through dimensions - oh boy, that sounds too good to miss!

Something Is Killing The Children hits issue #6 this week  and, after the traumatic events of #5, you could be forgiven for hoping for a little peace for our monster-hunting crew but, let's face it, those murderous forest dwelling nightmares don't take a day off! Last month's BANG! #1 was an original, twisty, hyper-clever take on the international spy genre from the brilliant mind of Matt Kindt making issue #2 unmissable, and while we're talking brilliant creative minds, Jeff Lemire continues to grow his Family Tree: his skill for making people living in an impossible physical world feel real and relevant is astonishing.

Cover To Cover: STARSHIP DOWN #1

STARSHIP DOWN #1

Writer: Justin Giampaoli

Art: Andrea Mutti

Dark Horse $3.99

Jo S: Dark Horse are placing themselves firmly into the mainstream of comics with big title successes such as Umbrella Academy, Hellboy, Stranger Things and Black Hammer on their roster, along with the Berger Books imprint (curated by Karen Berger of Vertigo fame) providing some more ‘out there’ but accessible choices. Released this week then comes Starship Down, aimed square at fans of the 'sci' part of sci-fi, and packed tight with elements that tick boxes on my coming-back-for-more list.

Anthropologist Dr Jocelyn Young has been called in to a top secret site, apparently for her opinion on a set of ancient cave paintings but, as she is choppered in to the remote Siberian mining facility where the dig site is located, it becomes evident that there is much more to it than the initial briefing.

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

On The Pull 26/02/2020

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.

Jo S: This week's list is such a cracking mixture of all my favourite goodies, I'm like a labrador given opposable thumbs and the run of a pet store - I don't know what to tear open first! Marvel are offering me hit after hit: my beloved Spider-Ham reaches his miniseries halfway point, the surprisingly excellent Tarot (no, still not that one) has its issue #3 and the Hickman X-revolution continues apace with the main title in the 'Dawn of X' event leading the way; X-Men is proving to be a masterclass in world-building and story innovation. Were that not enough, the second issue of Kelly Thompson's challenging new solo character, Star, appears this week: the first issue was unexpectedly dark and interesting - not at all what I expected from the cover - and showed how Thompson's skill in characterisation is a precious asset in the Marvel creator pantheon.

I'm also picking up Giant Size X-Men: Jean Grey & Emma Frost; two of my favourite characters (also Storm featuring strongly in the previews art), under the skilled guidance of Hickman and Russell Dauterman, and it's a slot-in to the current superb X-Men events - that's too tasty for me to pass up on.

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)!

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

Screen Time: BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)

BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)

Cast: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, Ewan McGregor.

Director: Cathy Yan

Runtime: 109 minutes

Certificate: 15

Release Date: 7th February 2020

Jo S: Harley Quinn, powered with nuclear level energy by Margot Robbie, was the standout highlight of the otherwise fairly forgettable Suicide Squad, and now Birds Of Prey really allows that character to rule in the way she truly deserves. Robbie owns the screen: unhinged, eccentric, vicious, tortured but also gleeful, joyous, even tender; she has recreated the cinematic Harley Quinn from scratch. A story about stepping out on your own, this movie is much more about its subtitle than the titular team but that is absolutely not a criticism: Harley has earned her spotlight and here she takes it by force, with even Ewan McGregor's gangster Sionis (alter ego the Black Mask) taking something of a back seat role. That's not to say the supporting cast aren't also fantastic: Chris Messina's trophy-scarred Zsasz is terrifyingly creepy and Jurnie Smollett-Bell plays Black Canary with sensitivity and enormous physicality. Rosie Perez' Montoya is a jaded alcoholic cop (though the movie takes a rise out of itself by pointing out the corniness of this repeatedly) and Winstead and Basco both bring something special as characters who are trying to find their place having left something traumatic behind them.

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...

On The Pull 22/01/2020

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.

Jo S: My list this week is a delicious selection box of tasty morsels, with a little smidgen of each of my preferred comics genres. Kicking off in the horror zone, Hill House Comics' A Basketful Of Heads is really coming along nicely, with the origin of the cursed-enchanted axe starting to unfold and the quiet little town in which it has been hidden turning out to be riddled with secrets. Alongside that little fright-fest I'm going to give Kidz #1 a try; Ablaze comics are making a niche for themselves converting European comics for the US market and the art and premise for this (a handful of boys have survived the zombie apocalypse, and then the eventual zombie famine, but have their world shaken when a couple of girls join their group) appealed to me.

My sci-fi thirst is slaked by issue #3 of Far Sector, a Green Lantern story with some really inventive world building, and Kill Lock #2 - the first instalment of the latter drew my attention initially because, well, robots, but then delivered a feast of beautiful art matched with writing full of heart and intrigue, a surprise from leftfield and a real treat. Up in the Big Two zone, James Tynion's helming of Batman navigates us into Riddler territory with Guillem March and Tomeu Morey supplying the art this time, and while I'm in Gotham, I'm going to do a little homework in preparation for the upcoming movie, by snagging the Birds Of Prey Giant #1 - I don't know much about this team (other than the ubiquitous Harley Quinn) so I'm going to start a little research project on Huntress et al here. Marvel supplies just Marauders #6 for me this time - this series has been excellent so far.

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

On The Pull 01/01/2020

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.

Jo S: The feeling that I've got my pull-list working tightly has been reinforced over the last couple of months - it's almost as if I'm finally getting the hang of this lark - but the first pull of the brand new year (and a new decade, depending on how you count it) must surely be the zenith, with just exactly the right balance of miniseries coming to a close, rich and tasty ongoings and a couple of fresh starts which have me all a-tingle.

Ruby Falls wraps with its final quarter this week: it has been an 'almost' for me - there are so many things to love in this mining town story of shadowy memories of a murder lost to time and collective secrecy, and I'm hoping the concluding issue satisfies my minor concerns about the smoothness of dialogue. Ruby Falls is joined by Lois Lane to complete my very short list of non-Marvel titles (just how it falls sometimes, I guess).

...and then there's Marvel! Daredevil and Doctor Doom power ahead in the list: I've enjoyed the quirkiness of the Doom title so far - the story is super-entertaining in a way I didn't wholly expect - and this Daredevil series has been superb, I'm especially enjoying the Wilson Fisk scenes as he tries to maintain control whilst being outclassed by those he seeks to exert influence over. I'm also staying with some of the 'Dawn of X' titles: the X-Men themselves and the magnificent Marauders, which might have been considered to be something of a makeweight initially but is actually forging a path of its own in the event, led by a resolute Kate Pryde (no longer Kitty!).

Creator Chat: MATT ROSENBERG

In Creator Chat, we talk to one of our comics creating heroes, about their first memories of comics, who and what their influences are and which three comic book characters they would choose to go for a beer/coffee/milkshake with.

In this maiden episode, Jo chats with Marvel writer Matthew Rosenberg. Matt has written a host of titles in a meteoric career, from 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank to Uncanny X-Men via Kingpin, Rocket Raccoon and more. His new series, Hawkeye: Freefall, launches on January 1st 2020 and, as a big supporter of local independent comic book stores, he accepted our invitation to chat about that and much more.