Invincible Iron Man, Volume 1: Ironheart Review (Brian Michael Bendis, Stefano Caselli)

Tony Stark is in a coma but a new hero is ready to step up into the suit: teenage girl genius Riri Williams is... Ironheart!

Space Bandits #1 Review (Mark Millar, Matteo Scalera)

Well, good for Mark Millar selling the IP rights of his Millarworld comics to Netflix for a whopping £25mil! Even if you weren’t aware of that, all the Netflix ads plastering his comics should’ve clued you in that he’s in bed with the online streaming service. Not that the price reflects a particularly high quality to his comics – they remain gussied-up storyboards to be adapted into movies/TV shows. Quantity over quality to get him his millions – har har SUCKERS!

Secret Warriors, Volume 1: Secret Empire Review (Matthew Rosenberg, Javier Garrón)

Set during Secret Empire, aka the most poorly received Marvel event in recent memory, the latest take on Secret Warriors is actually an Inhumans team book that’s about as good as most everything else Inhumans-related: poopoopoo!

Sea of Stars #1 Review (Jason Aaron, Dennis Hallum)

Gil’s a spaceship captain, hauling goods from one place to another, and joining him on his latest assignment, because he couldn’t get a sitter and his wife is gone, is his lil boy Kadyn. Something happens! And they’re separated. Dad’s gotta find his boy - but it looks like a misfit band of aliens has gotten to him first. Boy oh boy, what’s gonna happen next???

Doctors by Dash Shaw Review

A small group of rogue doctors have invented a machine that brings the newly deceased back to the world of the living. Except sometimes the dead don’t wanna come back… and what the docs are doing isn’t technically legal or at all moral anyway…!

Star Wars: Age of Republic - Villains Review (Jody Houser, Luke Ross)

Generally speaking I like villains more than heroes. Beyond evil being compelling in itself, villains have a much broader range for actions that make them more interesting to read about - unless they’re one-dimensional idiots who act predictably in the same way we’ve seen them do before like the prequels villains!

The Bad Doctor by Ian Williams Review

I didn’t like Ian Williams’ first book, The Bad Doctor, as much as his second mostly because he doesn’t give his main character, Dr Iwan James, much to do. Iwan is sort of mildly interested in his colleague, the lady doctor, but not really actively pursuing her – and that’s about it!

Marvel Universe: Time And Again Review (Saladin Ahmed, Tini Howard)

Time for some tacky nostalgia with these decidedly un-special 2018 Marvel specials that take characters back into their past for some pointless stories!

Breakneck Review (Duane Swierczynski, Simone Guglielmini)

Joe Hayward thinks he’s confronting the man having an affair with his wife but he’s really stumbled into the middle of a plot that’ll blow up Philadelphia in just under two hours – what a day, eh Joe?

Deadpool: Secret Agent Deadpool Review (Christopher Hastings, Salva Espin)

The name’s Poo – Steaming Pile of Poo aka Secret Agent Deadpoo(l)!

So a James Bond-type dies in a fire, Deadpool takes his identity and everyone assumes Wade’s the Bond-type, he’s just badly burned from the fire – oh hi-larious (if you don’t know, under the mask, Deadpool looks like a burn victim).

The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis Review

Blimey o’reilly, The Queen’s Gambit was an absolutely stonking good novel – the best I’ve read in ages! Why hasn’t anyone ever told me to read Walter Tevis before?! He’s an utterly fantabulous writer!

Spider-Man: Spider-Verse - Spider-Gwen Review (Jason Latour, Brian Michael Bendis)

Yeezus, can we get mention spiders some more in this title, please??? Spider-Man: Spider-Verse – Spider-Gwen is a taster spider-collection of the spider-character for new spider-readers who liked the recent Spider-Verse spider-movie, so everything spider-here has been spider-printed before in previous spider-collections. I haven’t read any Spider-Gwen before though so it was all spider-new to me. And my spider-instincts to avoid it the first spider-time around were right – it’s nay very good!

Stray Bullets: Sunshine & Roses, Volume 4 by David Lapham Review

When is a banana not a banana? When you’re wearing a fake ‘tache and calling yourself Derek the former gay pornstar, smashed out of your mind on vodka and coke! So what is it if it’s not a banana? I have nay idea and David Lapham won’t tell me on the Twits. If anyone figures it out, please tell me!

Black Order: The Warmasters of Thanos Review (Derek Landy, Philip Tan)

Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight, Black Dwarf, Ebony Maw and Black Swan are Thanos’ five dreadlords – The Black Order. Awwww, sooo metal y’all! They tough, they hit stuff, they… boring. There wasn’t much to their “characters” when Jonathan Hickman was writing them and there ain’t much more added to them by Derek Landy!

Star Wars: Age of Republic - Heroes Review (Jody Houser, Cory Smith)

Could the prequels have been good without old Georgie boy at the helm? Maybe – but in the hands of writer Jody Houser, these new stories set within that age remain resolutely cancerous!

Stray Bullets: Sunshine & Roses, Volume 3 by David Lapham Review

Beth, Orson and Nina have successfully ripped off Harry and made it out of Baltimore. They’re headed Somewhere Out West – but not before stopping off in Florida to get a sawbones to look at Orson’s broken hand. And of course hide out from Harry’s enforcers – Spanish Scott and Monster – who’re hot on their trail. And that’s where Beth’s deadbeat mom Annie comes in: the Queen of Palm Court!

Stay Review (Lewis Trondheim, Hubert Chevillard)

An engaged couple holiday at a coastal beach town – and then a strong wind sends a metal sign flying the chap’s way, decapitating him! That old chestnut, eh? Why do all these stories start the same way!? I’m just joshing of course but the laydee decides to… Stay (oho!)… in the town and have the… Stay (ohhh twice!)… that her dearly decapitated planned her to have anyway – I guess we all deal with grief differently? She meets a local eccentric called Paco who, after finding out who she is, decides to cheer her up.

Prodigy, Volume 1: The Evil Earth Review (Mark Millar, Rafael Albuquerque)

Edison Crane’s wicked smaht. Then aliens want to invade and Satanic cult and Mark Millar really likes Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade and crap. Edison beats em all and whatever.

The Lady Doctor by Ian Williams Review

Lois is a small-town doctor in Walesland wondering if she should become a partner in her practice - and then her estranged mother shows up after twenty years apart! Pobol y cym, wha she dooo?

I really liked Ian Williams’ The Lady Doctor. This dude’s a real life doctor AND this accomplished a cartoonist? Some people, eh?

Batman: Shadow of the Bat, Volume 1 Review (Alan Grant, Norm Breyfogle)

Shadow of the Pants collects several Alan Grant Batman comics from way back in the day, and they allllll suck! Woohoo!

Buy a Bullet by Gregg Hurwitz Review

An evil Silicon Valley rich douche is beating on his girl – time for James Bond Jason Bourne Jack Ryan Jack Reacher Jack in the box John Wick The Equalizer Taken Other Tough Guys Beginning with J Evan Smoak aka Orphan X to stick his righteous gun-toting nose in!

Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey Review (Matthew Rosenberg, Leinil Francis Yu)

Hold onto your hats everyone: Jean Grey is BACK?! But this character NEVER returns from the dead – that’s why she’s called Phoenix half the time! And it’s been years since we’ve seen Jean – why, I bet there’s an entire generation of comics readers who’ll be utterly lost as to who this “Gene Gray” person is!

Cover, Volume 1 Review (Brian Michael Bendis, David W. Mack)

Comics creator Max Field is recruited by CIA operative Julia to be a spy – and that’s the “plot” of Cover! Because Brian Bendis’ characters are as overly chatty as ever, like in titles such as New Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and All-New X-Men: waffle, waffle, waffle, oh shit, the book’s over and I forgot to add a story – classic Bendis!

The Green Lantern, Volume 1: Intergalactic Lawman Review (Grant Morrison, Liam Sharp)

Grant Morrison writing Green Lantern is, on paper, a perfect match. His enormously inventive storytelling coupled with an unlimited array of alien characters and a protagonist with a magic ring that can do anything? It should be a home run. Except it’s not, unfortunately.

Stray Bullets: Sunshine & Roses, Volume 2 by David Lapham Review

Baltimore mob boss Harry killed Nina’s boyfriend and made her his coked-up mistress. Now, with her best friend Beth, Beth’s boyfriend Orson, and the questionable young enforcer Kretchmeyer, Nina’s gonna make Harry pay. The plan: obliterate Harry’s deal with the Bolivians, rip him off for millions in cash and drugs and skip town. Except the gang are all fucked up on various substances - what could go wrong??

The Horror of Collier County by Rich Tommaso Review

I’ve tried to read Rich Tommaso’s comics many times – the art is appealing, the concepts intriguing – and yet I’ve failed each time. This time though I made myself read the whole book to find out whether he just started badly and got better or whether he was simply another bad writer who could draw. You’ve seen my rating – it’s the latter!

Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz Review

Gregg Hurwitz is yet another writer who read the Jason Bourne books and said “Me too!”. Evan Smoak is Orphan X, an orphan raised by a secret wing of the US gov’mint to become a soldier in the shadow wars. After one mission too many goes against his principles, Evan goes rogue. Today Evan helps those in need of his very special training – a heroic vigilante known only to desperate innocents and, very briefly to evil-doers, as The Nowhere Man.

Nichijou, Volume 4 by Keiichi Arawi Review

Ah well, it had to happen: an unfortunately crappy book from Keiichi Arawi, my favourite new creator. The fourth volume of Nichijou doesn’t have nearly the amount of fun sketches that I’ve gotten used to reading in this series.

Shadowland Review (Andy Diggle, Billy Tan)

Andy Diggle joins the ranks of decent writers who’ve produced a crappy event comic with Shadowpants!

The Park Bench by Christophe Chabouté Review

Christophe Chaboute tells the story of a park bench’s “life” - the people who walk past it, who sit on it, who they are, what they’re doing, and so on. And it sounds gimmicky and contrived but it’s actually a very poignant “read”. I say “read” because there are no words but there’s something very powerful about silent narratives - think the first five minutes of Up or the animated short Paperman. They’re incredibly moving and deeply memorable sequences in large part due to their simplicity in communicating arguably the most extraordinary emotion: love.

Astonishing X-Men, Volume 7: Monstrous Review (Daniel Way, Jason Pearson)

So, as much as it might seem like I read, I actually read even more that I don’t bother to rate/review! Why not? Well, I’m conscious that a lot of what I post, while all 100% my honest opinions, tends to skew to the negative and I really don’t need to add to that with books that made zero impression on me!

Criminal #5 Review (Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips)

A new story arc begins in Criminal #5, Cruel Summer (aka the death of Teeg Lawless), and it’s a great beginning to what looks to be another scorcher from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips!

Stray Bullets: Sunshine & Roses, Volume 1 by David Lapham Review

Stray Bullets is a tricky series to talk about. The numbering almost seems pointless given how random David Lapham picks up his story - he doesn’t tell things chronologically. For example this first part of Sunshine & Roses (aka Book 7!) takes place between the first and second books (Innocence of Nihilism and Somewhere Out West), both of which came out in the late ‘90s! This is a storyline that’s been going on for 24 YEARS and shows no sign of resolving itself anytime soon.

Identity Crisis by Ben Elton Review

If you say something controversial on social media, YOU DIE! At least that’s what literally happens to the beleaguered characters in Ben Elton’s latest novel, Identity Crisis.

Nichijou, Volume 3 by Keiichi Arawi Review

Keiichi Arawi is one funny dude and he’s created a bunch of genuinely hilarious books - his third volume of Nichijou is definitely his best, most consistently funny yet.

Batman: Detective Comics, Volume 9: Deface the Face Review (James Robinson, Stephen Segovia)

Yup, it’s another one of those “art’s good, writing stinks” (ie. 90% of most comics) reviews!

Die, Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker Review (Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans)

Six kids find themselves magically transported into a D&D-type board game. Two years pass - and only five kids return to the real world. Twenty-five years later, the five are transported back into the game only to find their missing sixth friend has become the evil grandmaster of the fantasy world - and, this time, they must FINISH THE GAME! Which means, uh… they have tea and cakes and sing lovely songs about fish fingers…? I think it’s meant to be menacing or something.

Lucifer Volume 1: The Infernal Comedy Review (Dan Watters, Max Fiumara)

I’ve never read the Mike Carey Lucifer series or seen the TV show (and I’ll probably never do either now) so I don’t know if it’s because I’m so unfamiliar with the character and his story (couldn’t tell you if this is a continuation of the previous books or a reboot) or whether Dan Watters is just that incompetent a storyteller but I had absolutely no fucking idea what was going on in Lucifer, Volume 1: The Infernal Comedy!

Man Without Fear: The Death Of Daredevil Review (Jed Mackay, Danilo Beyruth)

Hit by a truck and told he’ll never walk again, Matt Murdock resolves to hang up the mask and tights for good – Daredevil is DEAD! What’re you rolling your eyes for? You don’t believe Matt Murdock will remain a cripple – that this is how his story ends? That Marvel would decide to get rid of one of their biggest characters so anticlimactically? Come onnnnnn, it’s f’reals, dawg! It’s… yeah it’s bullshit.

Black Panther - Killmonger: By Any Means Review (Bryan Hill, Juan Ferreyra)

He mongs kills like a fishmonger mongs fish – it’s the vastly more interesting character than the title character from the Black Panther movie, Killmonger! Bryan Hill and Juan Ferreyra’s origin story shows how Erik Killmonger came to hate Black Panther, Wakanda, etc. and generally turn into a bad egg. And it’s a pretty decent read which shocked me as I’ve come to expect anything Black Panther-related to be near-unreadable!

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware Review

Rowan accepts an extremely well-paid nanny position for the wealthy parents of four young girls at their Scottish country house. But that was in the past - Rowan’s currently in jail awaiting trial for the murder of one of the girls. She says it wasn’t her. But was it - or was it the ghosts of the old house?

The Sentry: Man of Two Worlds Review (Jeff Lemire, Kim Jacinto)

Spinning out of Doctor Strange of all titles is this limited series of Marvel’s garbage Superman knockoff, The Sentry! But it’s not really fair in describing him as Superman – if Clark Kent hated being Superman and frequently turned into Zod then Sentry would be like Superman! Yeah, he’s a bit of an odd duck is old Sentry boy.

Return of Wolverine Review (Charles Soule, Steve McNiven)

I didn’t think Return of Wolverine was going to be good – and it wasn’t; nothing Charles Soule writes these days is – but I was curious to see how they’d bring Wolverine back from the dead. I expected time travel to be the clichéd get out of jail free excuse and surprisingly it wasn’t, so props to Soule for that! What it turned out to be though, revealed at the end in a vague, nonsensical page from the villain of this story, was unsatisfying and dumb.

Star Wars - Boba Fett: Death, Lies, & Treachery Review (John Wagner, Cam Kennedy)

A no-nonsense, gun-toting hardass wearing a helmet he never takes off, stalking across a futuristic wasteland and demolishing anything in his path – Judge Dredd is… Boba Fett!

Plastic Man Review (Gail Simone, Adriana Melo)

Gail Simone and Adriana Melo’s Plastic Man miniseries is disposable trash! The story is all over the place - Plas takes it upon himself to be the guardian to an annoying street urchin and goes looking for her (or “him”, as the kid prefers to be labelled, though I don’t buy that kids that young and not on social media give a shit about gender pronouns), only to later drop the kid.

Middlewest, Book One Review (Skottie Young, Jorge Corona)

Abel decides to run away from home and join a travelling carnival of magicians, talking animals and robots because his dad’s an abusive prick – and also a giant wind monster (and not the kind that shows up after eating a plate of beans)! But Abel’s not safe as wind monster dad sets out after him…

Avengers: Time Runs Out, Volume 4 Review (Jonathan Hickman, Kev Walker)

Alriiiight, Time Runs Out has finally run out of books! Well, I don’t think it was worth it unfortunately – Jonathan Hickman just isn’t my kind of writer and the series has been a mess throughout. One of the best Avengers titles ever written? Pfft – one of the stinkiest!

Cari Mora by Thomas Harris Review

I’d give this zero stars if I could - what an unbearably tedious load of twaddle Thomas Harris’ new novel, Cari Mora, was!

Wolf by Rachael Ball Review

Set in 1970s England, Hugo’s dad dies in an accident and the family moves into a new, smaller house and deal with grief in their own way. Except Hugo has a plan: to build a time machine and bring his dad back. And he’s going to need the help of the Wolfman next door…!

The Dreaming, Volume 1: Pathways and Emanations Review (Simon Spurrier, Bilquis Evely)

That moody emo git Dream has buggered off on a jolly out of The Dreaming! And wouldn’t you Adam’n’Eve it, an ever-widening crack has suddenly appeared across the realm, the portal no longer keeps out danger and scores of strange blank people (“soggies”) are flooding the land. Coincidence – or just a clumsy Trump/wall metaphor? Anyhoo, Merv Pumpinhead’s taken it upon himself to find a new leader from a questionable source (though the name should’ve raised a red flag!): Judge Gallows. And who is the Dreaming’s latest denizen – the mysterious dream outlaw Dora?