The Down River People Review (Adam Smith, Matthew Fox)

Shortly after his father dies, Myers is visited by his estranged mother who invites him to visit her mysterious swanky church down river - but what will he find there?

Batman: Detective Comics, Volume 2: Arkham Knight Review (Peter J. Tomasi, Brad Walker)

Bats are mysteriously dying across Gotham City - could it be connected to the return of the mysterious Arkham Knight? Time for Batman to do some detecting!

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún, Volume 1 by Nagabe Review

In fairytale world there is the cursed land, where only monsters dwell, and the uncursed land, where humans live. The girl lives on the other side - the cursed side - somehow untouched by a curse but guarded by a cursed creature. Their quiet lives are disrupted by soldiers hunting the cursed…

The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manai Review

Sidi is an elderly beekeeper in a remote Muslim village living the quiet life. But den! Giant hornets arrive and start slaughtering his beloved bees. Coincidentally, his unnamed country has just gone through the Arab Spring and democracy suddenly appears. But den! Here come the Islamic fundamentalists. What’sa humble beekeeper to do?!

Batman, Volume 2: The Joker War Review (James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez)

Joker’s got Bruce Wayne’s fortune - what does he do with it? Wage “war” on Gotham. This is The Joker War. Zzz…

Lovesickness by Junji Ito Review

In a small Japanese town, teenagers believe that if they wait in the street for a stranger to pass by, hide their face, and ask for their fortunes to be told, they will find out what love the future holds in store for them. Except a beautiful - but cursed - boy walks the streets and soon the town is dealing with a spate of teen suicides brought about by… Lovesickness!

Batman: The Detective #1 Review (Tom Taylor, Andy Kubert)

A new terrorist group wearing white Batman cowls has appeared in merry old England, hijacking and killing innocents - Batman joins the new Knight and Squire to save the day!

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, Volume 2 Review (Haro Aso, Kotaro Tanaka)

And, after a great start, the second book of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is unfortunately a disappointing follow-up! There are two storylines here: Akira and Kencho go looting for a new giant TV to game on and get locked up with some flight attendants - and one of Akira’s items on his list just happens to be to wine and dine a flight attendant (why flight attendants - is this a Japanese fetish?!). The other involves Akira following his dream of becoming a superhero - with inevitably whacky results.

Seven Secrets, Volume 1 Review (Tom Taylor, Daniele Di Nicuolo)

The Order of the Seven has always protected the Seven Secrets with one Keeper and one Holder assigned to each secret, enshrined in a suitcase, and kept far apart from each other across the planet. Except now the secrets are being targeted by deadly enemies - and the fate of the world is in danger! New Holder, Caspar, joins the others in keeping the secrets safe - but for how long?

The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage Review (Jeff Lemire, Denys Cowan)

A mysterious ring sends The Question on a trippy journey through the past that will make him face the question: who is The Question really?

Geiger #1 Review (Geoff Johns, Gary Frank)

What happens when superhero comics creators take Mad Max and Fallout and smoosh it all together with the capes and masks? You gets Geiger!

The Breaker Omnibus Volume 1 Review (Jeon Geuk-Jin, Park Jin-Hwan)

Si-Woon is a high school kid being picked on by bullies. If only he had a martial arts master who could mentor him in how to fight back. Oh wait, he totally does: his new substitute English teacher, Chun-Woo Han! But what’s a martial arts master doing moonlighting as a teacher…?

The Sundial by Shirley Jackson Review

The Sundial is the last Shirley Jackson novel I haven’t read and that was the only thing that propelled me to finishing it: so I’d never have the foolish urge to pick it up again and finish it sometime in the future. It’s over, it’s done, I hated it, and - like her previous three, rightfully lesser-known novels, The Road Through the Wall, Hangsaman and The Bird’s Nest - I’ll never read it again.

Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar Review (Kieron Gillen, Jacen Burrows)

Marvel acquires yet another licence: Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000, and I HAD to check this one out because it was pushing my nostalgia buttons hard - I was a huge fan of all things GW when I was a teen. I spent wayyyy too much money on the severely overpriced tiny models and spent hours, sometimes entire weekends, painting them and even playing the actual games with them on occasion. Also Kieron Gillen sometimes writes a good comic and Jacen Burrows’ art is always good. So was Marneus Calgar good? Unfortunately not.

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey Review

Matthew McConaughey’s explanation of the term “Greenlights” is indicative of the book overall: you get a sense of what he means without really knowing for sure what it is. Because, like taking nearly two pages to explain essentially positive thinking/luck, McConaughey spends an entire book rambling from genres like memoir to self help to spirituality without really committing to any, and, despite talking about himself the entire time, when you get to the end, you don’t really feel like you’ve gotten to know him at all. That said, there’s enough entertaining stuff in Greenlights to make it a decent read.