Action Comics 18 = ★★★★✩

Extra-sized issue. The 5th-dimensional attack from beyond space and time on Superman is over. Well, if it's possible to actually ever end. To be honest, I think I need to read all 18 issue of this run together to get the plot straight in my head. It's been a cut-up narrative with events out of sequence that appear to tie together in this final issue of Morrison's run (just take a look at the cover to get an idea of how jumbled the narrative is). It does score lots of praise for the amount of Superman lore it manages to cram in. It's probably a run that will read much better as a trade.

Legion of Super-heroes 18 = ★★★✩✩

LoSH has improved. Really. There's a sense of something decisive actually happening now. In this issue we're told this when Cosmic Boy makes the point that they've not faced anything so catastrophic since The Great Darkness Saga. While the plot is pretty engaging - this issue is essentially different teams of legionnaires dealing with the technological breakdown caused by the failure of the quark relays (yes, some technobabble) - the art is uneven and distracting.

Batwoman 18 = ★★★★✩

Batwoman goes up against Mr Freeze and manages to step on Batman's toes in the process. Trevor McCarthy does a pretty good job as artist on this issue. It did have an low-key, abrupt ending as if the last couple of pages had been cut off to make room for the publicity for Action Comics. It's a filler between the Medusa arc and whatever's happening next (presumably the return of Kate Kane's insane sister, Alice).

 Constantine 1 = ★★★★✩

I'm skeptical about this comic. Constantine fans have long since given up on the New 52 version incarnation depicted in Justice League Dark and, once Vertigo's Hellblazer was concluded, it's been argued that DC had sanitised the character. Have to say that I was surprised how much of a bastard Constantine comes across as being in this issue. It's also the first of DC's "Dark" titles that actually seems to have a genuine sense of dark, threatening magic - so far, the other titles seem to be "Dark-lite". There's also enough menace and mystery left at the end of this issue to keep me on for the first run. I certainly didn't think I'd be doing that.

New Avengers 4 = ★★★★★

What a nasty fix the Marvel Illuminati are in. Sit back and think about what these "heroes" are up to and you could quite easily see characters like Doctor Doom among their ranks. Hickman poses some awful questions of morality. They mind-wiped Captain America in the last issue!  I'm enjoying the cosmic scale of this title plus the appearance of Galactus is presented with the sense of scale and awe that recaptures his first appearance in the 60s.

Avengers 8 = ★★★✩✩

In the long run this story will undoubtedly have pay-off. The mixing of the New Universe - particularly Starbrand - and the Avengers works pretty well. Hickman seems to have very similar cosmic-apocalypic stories going on in both New Avengers and Avengers and it'll be interesting to see if there's any crossover between the two titles. Dustin Weaver's artwork is lithe.

Daredevil 24 = ★★★★★

Such a brilliant run. All I can do is keep repeating that Waid and Sammee are a perfect creative combination (as seen in their recent Rocketeer collaboration). This issue of DD begins to show the mysterious figure behind everything that's happened to Matt Murdoch over this run. My money's on it being Bullseye being in the iron lung-like sarcophagus.

Wonder Woman 18 = ★★★★✩

Despite the number of different artists who worked on this issue it maintained a similar artistic "look" throughout. Finally, Diana and the gods she's teamed with find Zola's baby. I'm still no wiser who the baby actually is - or who the crazy god is who attacks Poseidon (or even the person floating in the water who looked like s/he was going to be rescued by helicopter).

Superior Spider-man 6 = ★★★★★

When I saw the cover I thought it was going to be all comedy and little "superior" (Doc Ock) Spider-man. It was - as always with Slott's plots - really well executed. Spidey goes up against two tricksters called Screwball and Jester. Doc Ock has a number of issues from his childhood involving being bullied that find their expression through some spidey-violence that encourages the Avengers to get pretty worried. The initial comedy causes the ending to be much more severe than it would have been. It ends in a very dark place. Ramos draws Spider-man perfectly.

All-new X-men 9 = ★★★★★

So. Very. Good. Stuart Immonen's art is outrageously decent. The whole issue centres on the 60s X-men attempting to deal with their present-day situation. The ending - which ties in with Bendis' current Uncanny X-men issue - works really effectively. Immonen actually draws the new costumes so they look ultra modern and menacing - and a constrast with the simple, niaive  60s-inspired outfits of the younger team.

Nova 2 = ★★★✩✩

Formulaic. Boy discovers the powers of the Nova costume. What's apparent is that Marvel take about 5 issues today to tell an origin story that 30 years ago would have been done in one.

Captain America 5 = ★★★★✩

Steve Rogers has now been in Dimension Z for 12 years! He's also almost transformed into a version of Arnim Zola (he has a massive digital head growing in his chest that talks to him). Rogers has an adopted son, Ian, who he has trained to survive. This issue has Cap beaten up repeatedly. As crazy as this comic is, it's a great read. As always with Cap, he's at his greatest when at the point of losing.

Justice League = ★★★✩✩

Dull. It's a team tryout issue. The reveal of a female Atom and the start of the New 52 incarnation of the Metal Men improves this issue slightly. I can't see the need to introduce more characters into the JL (though Martian Manhunter should be there). The Captain Marvel backup is much better - particularly because Gary Frank's art is so good. [★★ for Justice League; ★★★★ for Shazam]

Justice League of America 2 = ★★★★✩

This was surprisingly good - I don't know why I'm expecting JLA to nose-dive into cancellation. What we get here is the start of the team working together and it's mostly good.

Saga 11 = ★★★★★

Fiona Staples nails the art every issue. This is no exception: it's beautiful to look at. I think the colouring of the comic plays a major part of this. All I can say without spoiling anything is that the cliffhanger at the end of last issue is resolved but something awful  - and upsetting - takes place.





SCORING 
✩✩✩✩✩ = Awful.
★✩✩✩✩ = Poor.
★★✩✩✩ = Average.
★★★✩✩ = Good.
★★★★✩ = Very good.
★★★★★ = Excellent.