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 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:

Screen Time: THE TOP 10 MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE FILMS SO FAR...

Four years ago we ranked Marvel Studios' output up to that point as it ended its second 'phase' in preparation for Phase Three. In that time the number of movies has nearly doubled so, rather going through the entire list, we've whittled it down to ten as we near the completion of Phase Three with Avengers: Endgame.

The line-up for Phase Four hasn't been officially confirmed (although the Eternals and Shang-Chi appear to be in the mix) but we do know that Endgame will be the swansong for certain characters. We'll have an idea soon enough of what the future holds but until then here are the ten movies we feel are the very best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far (with links to our original reviews too!)...

The Paradoscars 2018

The Paradoscars have been a running for 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 2018:

The Paradoscars 2017

The Paradoscars (the awards formally known as the Paradox 'Oscars') have been a thing for over a decade now, initially in an 'offline' guise before transferring to the world wide web. It's no secret now that we enjoy voting in a best 'things' of the year list, and we enjoy it even more since we invited our readership to join in! While the PCG may have come up with the nominations in each category, the winners were chosen by you. As usual it was a tight race in some categories, but in others (Best Publisher? Again?) the winner left their fellow nominees in the dust.

The winners have now been announced at a local Bournemouth restaurant with a tipsy PCG. While 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’re 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 2017:

On The Pull 18/10/2017

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. Click here for a list of the latest releases.

James R: My pull-list this week has three outstanding titles: firstly, there's Sherlock Frankenstein &The Legion of Evil. It's a mouthful of a title, but a mouth-watering one too - this is the spin-off from the amazing Black Hammer. Any book by Jeff Lemire is a must-read for me and, illustrated by the great David Rubin, this one is very much at the top of my list. Secondly, there's Kill Or Be Killed from the dynamic duo of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. This deft vigilante tale has yet to hit an off-note, and I love a book that I know will be brilliant before I've even turned the cover. The third book has been the unexpected gem of the year  - Magnus from Kyle Higgins and Jorge Fornés. This book has excelled with every issue, and it's my sincere hope that this miniseries isn't the last we see of the cyberpunk-flavoured reimagining of Magnus. I'm also excited that this week sees another chapter in Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen's space epic Descender. This title continues to twist and turn in the best way, and certainly scratches my science fiction itch. I'm also picking up Batman again - following some fantastic issues, Tom King has totally won me over to his take on Gotham, and having Bruce Wayne engaged to Selina Kyle has given this title a new impetus. Finally there's the latest installment of Warren Ellis' reimagining, The Wild Storm. And I must make a geek confession to you all - I missed an issue of this a while back, and while I'm tracking that back issue down, I'm not reading on. Still, when I do, it's nice to know I've got a sizeable slab of Warren Ellis greatness to look forward to! 

On The Pull 12/07/2017

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. Click here for a list of the latest releases.

Tom P: The top of my pull-list this week is definitely Deadly Class #29. We recently ranked it number one in our Top 15 Current Comics and I think it deserves its place there as it really is terrific. Kill or be Killed #10 promises to be another great issue. It's so consistently brilliant I'm in danger of taking it for granted. I'm also excited to read Spider-Men II #1, the debut issue in a five-part series from Marvel. The first Spider-Men series was a real triumph. It packed an emotional punch and proved a fitting epitaph to the Ultimate Spider-Man series which at the time had seen the death of Peter Parker and the rise of Miles Morales as that universe's new webslinger. The 616 Peter essentially found himself in the Ultimate Universe seeing a life that could have been and giving Miles his blessing. A lot has changed since then and now, but it was powerful stuff so I'm keen to see if Brian Michael Bendis and the talented Sara Pichelli can do all it again.

On The Pull 21/06/2017

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. Click here for a list of the latest releases.

Jo S: I've been trying hard to slim down my pull-list lately but call me Ado Annie because I'm just a girl who caint say no! Too much good stuff just jumps off the webpage for me currently so I'll have to leave the diet for another day. A couple of my series are drawing to a close this week: Man-Thing has been a quirky, kitschy delight and The Few, which took some time for me to ‘get’, has absolutely clicked for me now - I already feel like I'll miss this one. The stunning Forever War reaches its penultimate issue this week: the last chapter exhausted me with its deeply absorbing grimness; I'll need a stiff Tizer to hand when tackling this one. Three issue #1s make my cut this week: the premise for Swordquest #1 looks deeply silly but I'm a sucker for a tale of competitive '80s gamers still trying to keep their dream of world celebrity, based on being the best at an obscure cabinet game, alive (watch King Of Kong if you haven't). Also on the nostalgia kick comes Bill & Ted Save The Universe #1. We've just introduced our 12 year-old to the B&T phenomenon (air guitar riff break) and I'm hoping to inspire him to consider the comics medium as another way of accessing tales of his new heroes, at least until they make another movie! I couldn't resist the Wonder Woman/Tasmanian Devil Special - frankly I can't imagine anyone could - so that little sugary fancy has upped my comics calorie count this week too. As Mother advised, I'm keeping regular too, with fibre provided by X-Men: Gold #6, Batwoman #4 and the intriguing Royal City #4 but to her horror, I'm sure, I shall also be scoffing the entire box of pink-frosted, sprinkle-coated, Holes-n-More donuts that is Plastic #3 between meals.

On The Pull 15/03/2017

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.

James R: This week sees one of my pulls reaching a climax, two storming on majestically, and one making a welcome return. From Dark Horse, Matt Kindt and David Rubin's Ether has been a fantastic burst of imagination and creativity, and Wednesday sees the release of the final issue, with Boone Dias seeking to solve the mystery behind the murder of the Blaze. My two continuing books are both from Image. Firstly, East Of West, where Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta's alt-universe Western epic reaches it's thirty-second chapter, and the promised apocalypse still doesn't seem imminent... I'm not complaining by any means; this is one of my monthly highlights, and Hickman's voice remains a unique one in mainstream comics. Kill Or Be Killed hasn't been around as long as East Of West, but I'm just as excited to see a new issue of Brubaker and Phillips' vigilante series. It's a book that started brilliantly and just seems to get better with every issue. Finally, I'm delighted to see the return of Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey's Injection. As a comics fan, you expect Warren Ellis books to run late, and to be fair issue #10 culminated with the promise that 'Injection returns at the end of the year' - but three months into 2017 isn't quite the end of 2016! Regardless, I am happy to see this title come back - hopefully this is one that Ellis will be able to finish off, as it's been great thus far. Whatever is on your pull-lists for the week - happy reading everybody!

On The Pull 08/02/2017

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.

Andy H: One of those quieter pull-lists this week but still plenty of good stuff to keep me happy. All-Star Batman #7 brings another great artistic talent to its pages as Tula Lotay illustrates a Poison Ivy tale. Quite liking the idea of a different artist per character as Scott Snyder steers us through Batman's 'rogues gallery'. 'Rebirth' has been up and running at DC a while now and it hasn't finished knocking out new titles yet. This week we add Justice League Of America: Rebirth #1 to the list. Carrying on from the recent six-part Justice League Vs. Suicide Squad miniseries, Batman assembles a new team made up of Black Canary, Killer Frost, the Ray, Vixen, the Atom, and Lobo. Some great characters (used to love the Ray!) that probably wouldn't make it in solo books but together they could be a great team. So glad DC got rid of the awful New 52 version of Lobo and have gone back to a much more familiar 'Main Man'. 'Rebirth' has been hard work with it's twice-a-month shipping schedule but one of the things I have liked is it's pretty easy to find jumping on points. Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps #14 is one of those points. Good to see Kyle Rayner still active in the GL universe, even if he is the White Lantern now, as he teams up with Hal in part one of 'Quest for the Blue Lantern'. I will pick up the first issue of Kingpin from Marvel, in part due to the art of Ben Torres. It has a noirish quality similar in style to Eduardo Risso. Not sure if it has the chops to be an ongoing series but I'll see the first arc through. It's the penultimate issue of Unworthy Thor and I'm still being blown away by the awesome work of Jason Aaron and Olivier Coipel on this title. It's been said many times but Aaron is producing some of the best, most diverse work in comics at this moment in time.

The Paradoscars 2016

We've run the Paradoscars here (formally known as the Paradox 'Oscars') for a decade now (!) and it was in existence 'offline' for several years before that, so clearly we like voting in a best 'things' of the year list, and we like it even more ever since we invited our readership to join in! While the PCG may have come up with the nominations in each category, the winners were chosen by you. As usual it was a tight race in some categories, but in others (*cough*'Best Publisher'*cough*AGAIN!*cough*) the winner left their fellow nominees in the dust.

The winners have now been announced at a local Bournemouth restaurant with a tipsy PCG. While 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’re 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 2016:

On The Pull 16/11/2016

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.

Andy H: Start off with a Marvel issue #1 this week. Thanos #1. Initially I was thinking, really? A Thanos ongoing? Fair enough we have movie stuff coming up but beyond that? But wait. Look at the creative talent. Jeff Lemire writing and Mike Deodato on art. Ooh, suddenly I'm interested. This is an A-list creative team. Last time I saw Thanos was in the pages of Civil War II, so, despite that series still being unfinished (tut, tut Marvel), this obviously picks up from where that left/leaves off. Sticking with Marvel, it's Amazing Spider-Man #21. So far, so good with the 'Clone Conspiracy' storyline. Great fun for a who's who of Spidey characters and I really like the art of Giuseppe Camuncoli, so I'm a happy Spidey fan at the moment. Superman #11 continues to explore the first meeting of the Super Sons as Robin and Superboy must put aside their differences to save the day. Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason did a great job on their run on Green Lantern Corps and still prove to be a dynamic duo of a creative team. Talking of creative teams, Reborn #2 is out this week by Mark Millar and Greg Capullo. Still a little unsure of this one but love the concept so I'm in for a few more issues at least. Now, I'm not usually the biggest fan of Star Trek in comics but I surprised myself and really enjoyed Star Trek: Waypoint #1 so will be picking up issue #2. It's a couple of short stories each issue and the focus isn't just on the main characters so it keeps it quite fresh. Finally, I have to pick up Infamous Iron Man #2 for no other reason than another bout of Ben Grimm vs. Doctor Doom. This is what comics are made for!

On The Pull 14/09/2016

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.

Matt C: There are a few books on the list this week, and I could take this opportunity to gab on about the latest issue of Wonder Woman or perhaps the sophomore instalment of Black Monday Murders, but this time around I'm going to shine the spotlight on a new series that I feel really deserves your attention: Hadrian's Wall. Kyle Higgins, Alec Siegel and Rod Reis last worked together on the criminally underrated C.O.W.L., the 1950s set tale that mixed superheroics with political corruption to thrilling effect - we trumpeted its brilliance here but sadly it didn't generate a sizeable enough audience to ensure its continuation. It was a major bummer when it disappeared but I'm enormously pleased to see their collaborative storytelling well hasn't dried up and they have much more to offer. This series, described as an 'intergalactic noir', is finite, with eight issues planned, so it does guarantee we're not left with any plot threads dangling. Take a look at some of the preview art here if you need further convincing as it kind of makes the case for adding it to your pull-list itself. If you missed out on C.O.W.L. then make sure you don't miss out on this. And who knows, if it does well enough perhaps Higgins, Siegel and Reis may head back to the world of C.O.W.L. for further adventures?

On The Pull 15/06/2016

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.

Tom P: Weird Detective #1 from Dark Horse is the first thing to pique my interest from this week's various offerings. This new miniseries from Fred Van Lente and Guiu Vilanova sees Detective Sebastian Greene on the streets of New York which have been plagued by a pattern of crimes too weird and bizarre for the average detective. Lurking in the evidence are shadows of loathsome horrors from beyond space and time, and the fact it's 48 pages for $3.99 only sweetens the deal. Next up is Batman #1, the start of a new five-part storyline from Tom King, a writer who I've heard nothing but praise for over at Marvel working on The Vision. I won't miss out on his first big solo work on Batman and you can bet I'll grab that first Vision trade when its released later this year! Lazarus #22 makes a welcome return over at Image with its next chapter titled 'Cull' - it's war for the 15 rich family's who control this scarily plausible dystopian world. DC have got one last treat for me with the Batman: Earth One Volume 2 trade paperback. In the tradition of the #1 New York Times bestselling Superman: Earth One, unmissable collaborators writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank reimagine a new mythology for the Dark Knight, where the familiar is no longer the expected in this original graphic novel.

Ten Forward: June 2016

Every month we spend an evening scouring the pages of the latest issue of Previews and pick the ten titles we are looking forward to the most. This month it's the April issue which includes comics scheduled to ship in June 2016.

SUPERMAN #1

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi

Art: Patrick Gleason & Mick Gray

DC $2.99

Stewart R: Words and art, art and words. First it was beckoning me into their world of Green Lantern Corps and keeping me there. Then it was dragging my eyes and heart willingly through Batman And Robin's emotional father/son drama as they explored Bruce, Damian and Alfred's relationship. So yes, without hesitation, I will be buying and reading Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason's Superman come this new 'Rebirth' as this creative combo have delivered the most consistent and gloriously high calibre DC superhero experiences to me since I've been reading works from the publisher. Doug Mahnke is joining in on the fun as a regular artist (to keep up with DC's challenging/punishing schedule) in tandem with Gleason and that should be a reasonable fit for visual consistency. Tomasi is currently dealing with the mortality of Superman in the current volume so we shall see what sort of rollercoaster he inevitably delivers when the Last Son of Krypton is reborn this June.

On The Pull 13/04/2016

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.

Matt C: Is there anyone out there still saying Marvel don't have anything to offer the discerning superhero fan post Secret Wars? I know there was a worry before that the 'soft reboot' (or whatever we're calling it) wouldn't result in much worth talking about, but surely the likes of The Vision, Mighty Thor, Doctor Strange, Old Man Logan and Black Widow have convinced us this is most definitely not the case. It's to the writer of Old Man Logan that I'm going to first of all this week for what I think/hope will be the next book to add to the aforementioned list: Moon Knight. The previous volume of the series had some terrific arcs from Warren Ellis and Brian Wood and now it's Jeff Lemire's turn to liven up the world of Marc Spector. The scribe behind Sweet Tooth and Descender has elected to throw Spector into an insane asylum, calling into question whether his life as a supernatural superhero was ever real. I know it's always a gamble picking up a new title (or a relaunched title even) but I've got a good feeling about this one so my advice is to get on it now before realising a few months down the line that you made a mistake not picking it up. The other new book to be aware of is Black Road #1 which sees Brian Wood, alongside his The Massive collaborator Garry Brown, return to the Viking genre for the first time since Northlanders. Again, there's no guarantee it'll be great, but take various factors into consideration (Wood's past form, it's a new Image book, for starters) then the odds of it being a quality book are very good indeed.

Do You Remember The First Time? CAPTAIN AMERICA #1

In Do You Remember The First Time? we take a nostalgic trip back in time to discuss a seminal purchase that introduced us to a character, title, creator, or even a hobby.

Tom P: Cap never really clicked with me until Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting and Frank D'Armata showed me what I was missing out on with Captain America #1 in 2005. This run has proven to be incredibly influential and its fingerprints can be seen all over the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The book effortlessly blends the spy and superhero genres. It starts with a killer hook as the Red Skull makes a sinister deal with General Lupin, who is, in my opinion, one of the greatest Marvel villains. He's a radical rouge Russian selling KGB-developed weaponry to the highest bidder. It sets up the start of a creepy and uneasy alliance between the old Soviet general and the Nazi fanatic effectively mirroring the uneasy truce between Russia and Germany at the start of World War 2, the conflict Captain America was created for. It’s a plan that eventually leads to the death of Steve Rogers following the events of the Civil War crossover. Many misremember his death as occurring within the pages of that miniseries (which gives the third Captain America movie its title) but it was in this particular run of comics that Steve famously met an assassin’s bullet (whether or not the upcoming film takes this plot point on remains to be seen!). It also features the first appearance or the Winter Soldier, a secret weapon of the Cold War that becomes the backbone of the entire narrative, eventually revealed as Steve’s old partner Bucky Barnes, leading him on a quest to free his old friend.

From The Vaults: SUPERMAN: RED SON #1-3

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

SUPERMAN: RED SON #1-3

Writer: Mark Millar

Art: Dave Johnson, Kilian Plunkett, Andrew Robinson, Walden Wong & Paul Mounts

DC

Tom P: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice will see Clark, Bruce and Diana unite on the big screen at long last. For my money, one of the finest clashes between DC's biggest players ever written is Mark Millar's Superman: Red Son. An 'Elseworlds' tale released in 2003, it asks what if instead of landing in Smallville, Kansas in the good ol' US of A, the ship containing baby Kal-el crashed down on a collective farm in the Ukraine in 1938, landing in the loving arms of Josef Stalin's communist Russia. This changes the course of the Cold War as he sculpts a socialist utopia that spreads across the nations of the world, with one exception: America. It really is a brilliant use of both comic lore and 20th century history that I fully recommend you should read.

"Superman: Pride of the Soviet state, symbol of our military might. Let our enemies beware. There is only one super-power now!"

On The Pull 03/02/2016

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.

Kenny J: New York obviously isn't big enough for two versions of Spider-Man. As Peter Parker flits around the world, tending to matters of science and international business, those who miss the teenage angst adventures of Spidey can hopefully take a little solace in Miles Morales. Like the Ultimate book before it, Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli bring us a wall-crawler for the 21st century and to be honest I think I prefer it. I'll definitely be taking a look at Spider-Man #1 this Wednesday to see what will befall Miles now Bendis has the toys from both universes to play with. The third instalment of Uncanny X-Men also hits stores this week. The second issue was better than the first and I'm hoping this new one continues in that vein. It was great to see Mystique and this team consists of some of my favourite X-Men. I just hope there is enough of an intriguing story to come back for a fourth chapter. Even if Marvel are once again decimating their ranks I need some mutants in my life! One book that is nowhere near being dropped is Doctor Strange. I have said it before but it needs reiterating that this is by far the most fun and imaginative book I’m reading at the moment. It seems Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo are having a blast making it. Add to that a slowly unfolding but gripping storyline and this is my must read recommendation.

The Paradoscars 2015

This is now the 9th year we've run the Paradoscars here (formally known as the Paradox "Oscars") and it was in existence 'offline' for several years before that. Yep, we like voting for a best 'things' of the year and we like it even more ever since we invited our readership to join in. So, while the PCG may have come up with the nominations in each category, the winners were chosen by you. As ever, in some categories the voting was very tight, in others (*cough*'Best Publisher'*cough*) the winner left their fellow nominees in the dust.

The winners have now been announced, once again at the local curry house with a tipsy PCG. While 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’re 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 2015: