The Donut Legion by Joe R. Lansdale Review

Charlie’s ex appears to him one night in a vision - and then he finds out both she and her new husband have disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Signs point towards the flying saucer cult they belonged to but the cult has quite the economical stranglehold on their small east Texas town and few people are willing to help Charlie’s inquiries. And the clock is ticking as the cultists prepare to join their space gods in the stars…

Aero, Volume 1: Before the Storm Review (Zhou Liefen, Keng)

Lei Ling is a super architect by day and a superhero by night - and sometimes the day too - called Aero. She has wind powers and not because she eats fast food constantly. The villainous Madame Huang threatens Aero’s hometown of Shanghai and only Aero can save it - and does, quite easily, often. What is this trash? Oh, another failed new Marvel superhero.

My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness by Kabi Nagata Review

In June 2015 Kabi Nagata was 28 years old and had never had sex, a relationship or a real job - so she decided to get the sex thing over with by hiring a female escort! My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness explores Nagata’s numerous mental health issues and neuroses that led to her predicament - among other things - and how she overcame it.

One-Star Squadron Review (Mark Russell, Steve Lieber)

Seeing Steve Lieber’s name on the cover of any book is usually a good sign as he’s drawn some of the best funny comics of recent years - The Fix, Superior Foes of Spider-Man, Jimmy Olsen - but seeing Mark Russell’s name is more of a red flag. He started out writing some decent comics but has only written forgettable dross since then - including this book, One-Star Squadron, which even Lieber’s excellent art can’t save.

On His Majesty’s Secret Service by Charlie Higson Review

Old Charlie the Sausage-Fingered got the metal hat he’s been pining for his whole charmed life last month and the Ian Fleming Estate celebrated it with this James Bond tie-in, On HIS (because HER was another Bond novel back when the Lizzie queen was on the sparkly chair - you can tell I’m a royalist, what?) Majesty’s Secret Service. And it was not a good book.

Boy's Abyss, Volume 1 by Ryo Minenami Review

Reiji’s about to graduate high school but, though he has the grades to go to university, he can’t bring himself to leave his long-suffering mother to deal with her dementia-addled gran and violent shut-in brother all by herself. Stuck behind in his futureless small town where he’s beholden to childhood bullies and a low-paying construction job, one of the few rays of light in his bleak life is his favourite idol band, Acrylic. So why is the lead singer of the band suddenly working in the local conbini…?

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane Review

It’s the summer of 1974 and, as the desegregation of Boston’s public schools is about to take place, a young black man is murdered one night by a group of white kids. As police begin tracking down and interviewing the white kids, one of them - Jules Fennessy - remains missing. Jules’ ma, Mary Pat, begins her own search for her daughter and for the truth of what really happened that night.

Black Adam, Volume 1: Theogony Review (Christopher Priest, Rafa Sandoval)

Black Adam gets the space cancer so, before he dies, he decides to pass the mantle onto a descendant: a New York med student called Malik White. But Malik doesn’t want to be the new Black Adam. And Black Adam is still fighting for his… “life”?... in the afterlife! What’s going onnn…

An Honourable Exit by Eric Vuillard Review

Before America had their calamitous war there, the French had their turn at failing to hold onto Vietnam in what’s known as the First Indochina War, starting in 1946 and ending with them ceding colonial control of the country in 1954. Eric Vuillard’s novel about this war, An Honourable Exit, reveals the ghoulish parade of French politicians and businessmen involved in the debacle and their behind-the-scenes machinations that prolonged the conflict for as long as it did.

The Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 3: Hobgoblin Review (Zeb Wells, John Romita Jr)

Hobgoblin rides again - but with both Ned Leeds and Roderick Kingsley around, which one is Hobby this time? Also: crossovers galore and the prelude to Dark Web!

Devil in a Coma by Mark Lanegan Review

In March 2021, rocker Mark Lanegan got the ‘vid shortly after moving to Kerry, Ireland, landing himself in hospital for several months as the virus ran roughshod over him. Devil in a Coma recounts the hellish experience, as well as his equally difficult adolescence, and showcases some of his final poems.

Superman: Space Age Review (Mark Russell, Michael Allred)

Superman: Space Age is a bit like Darwyn Cooke’s New Frontier except it’s not set in the ‘50s but the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. We follow Superman and the usual DC cast as they do their thing through the years and history plays out more-or-less as it does in our timeline - except for the world ending in 1985 when the Anti-Monitor destroys the universe (a nod to the original Crisis on Infinite Earths that came out in ‘85).

The Twilight World by Werner Herzog Review

Towards the end of World War 2, Lieutenant Hiroo Onada was tasked with staying behind on Lubang Island in the Philippines to sabotage tactical locations like the airfield and bridges to impede the Americans and prepare for the Japanese Imperial Army’s return. That was early in 1945 with the Japanese surrendering unconditionally on 2 September later that year. Except nobody told Onada and so he continued to fight, believing the war was still on - for nearly 30 years! - until he stopped in 1974.

The Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 2: The New Sinister Review (Zeb Wells, John Romita Jr)

Peter’s birthday party is interrupted by Doc Ock…’s robot arms. But where’s the Doc? And when Adrian Toomes’ granddaughter finds out about her granddad’s supervillain past and disowns him, he suspects Spidey’s involvement - and the Vulture sets out to get revenge.

Close to Home by Michael Magee Review

Sean is a twenty-something Irish university graduate struggling to find decent-paying work in Belfast. His prospects are further dampened when he punches some guy at a party and he’s taken to court for assault. Also in Sean’s life is his older brother Anthony, whose spiralling drug abuse masks a horrible past, and his childhood friend Mairead, who dreams of leaving Ireland behind and making it in Berlin.