The Pull List: 5 September 2018

The saga of Esther and Ed's awkward will-they won't-they romance hits that stage where Rachel finally decides she loves Ross, but then he comes back from China with Julie in the Season 1 Friends finale. We all know how that ended, and I'm sure there will be a similar resolution here. Giant Days is that kind of comic book, after all. It has the familiarity of a old, worn blanket, and is just as warm.

We don't praise John Allison's writing enough. He develops superb characters, feeding on archetypes, but he also allows them to gradually mature and develop. He tells funny stories that are often done in one issue, but they all feed into longer-term dramatic arcs as his characters fall in and out of love, make mistakes, have little victories, and so on. It feels effortless, but I suspect it's a much trickier job than most of us realise.

Max Sarin's expressive, cartoon-like artwork simply increases the appeal, as do Whitney Cogar's very effective colours. It looks sweet, and that's the perfect tone for these sweet, enchanting stories. A specific shout-out to the Babylon 5 advent calendar: this is a comic with broad, populist appeal, but Allison's a proud nerd at the core. (4/5)

Giant Days #42. Boom Studios. Written by John Allison. Art by Max Sarin. Colours by Whitney Cogar.

Under the cut: reviews of Avengers, Batman, Green Arrow, Immortal Hulk, Justice League, and Star Wars: Doctor Aphra.

The Pull List: 29 August 2018

Still running terribly behind: here are the comics I read from 29 August, starting with Isola #5. Rook and Olwyn have reached the limit of their escape, with nowhere left to go. Hovering between life and death, Olwyn has a vision of her departed brother.

The art in Isola is astounding. It looks like a weird, glossy cross between a quality anime and a Walt Disney feature. Five issues in, and at the conclusion of the first 'chapter' (a trade paperback is out), and the quality hasn't faltered or slipped. This is one of the most attractively illustrated American comics of the year.

The story is evocative and driven by a strong action-oriented momentum. Background detail is being drip-fed to the reader one issue at a time. That cannot last forever, of course. Future arcs (issue 6 is due in January) are going to need to bed down some background context if Isola is going to continue being entertaining. This fifth issue does not quit nail the landing either, and could have done with a firmer footing: either a stronger conclusion or a stronger cliffhanger. Fletcher and Kerschl wind up somewhere in between.

These past five issues have been superb, but something needs tightening up soon if it's going to continue being such a high-quality work. Fingers crossed we get something in 2019. (4/5)

Isola #5. Image. Written by Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl. Art and colours by Karl Kerschl and Msassyk.

Under the cut: reviews of Batgirl, Daredevil, Ms Marvel, and Star Wars: Poe Dameron.

The Pull List: 22 August 2018

These reviews, thanks to work pressures and international travel, are ridiculously far behind. There may come a time when I cut my losses on 2018 comic book reviews, but until then we shall continue plugging along. Here are titles read from 22 August, starting with the new miniseries Batman: Kings of Fear, from Scott Peterson and Kelley Jones.

There have been so many Batman comic books published over the decades that it really can get difficult for writers to find new angles and story ideas. Kings of Fear certainly doesn't kick off in the freshest of fashions: Batman recaptures a runaway Joker, and then has to enter Arkham Asylum to defeat him again. It's standard stuff for the character, although it does dangle some intriguing criticism of Batman's methods at one point that could lead somewhere if writer Scott Peterson is bold enough to extend it fully.

Visually there are some inventive panels and pages, but ultimately how much one likes it will come down to how much one enjoys the art of Kelley Jones. A noted Batman artist of past years, Jones has a distinctive and exaggerated style to which I've never quite warmed. Your taste may vary. (3/5)

Batman: Kings of Fear #1. DC Comics. Written by Scott Peterson. Art by Kelley Jones. Colours by Michelle Madsen.

Under the cut: reviews of Action Comics, Daredevil, Detective Comics, Justice League Dark, Star Wars: Darth Vader, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, and The Terrifics.

The Pull List: 15 August 2018

One day soon, when The Wicked + the Divine has concluded, I am going to go back and re-read the entire series from issue #1. It is such an exceptionally developed and presented work that it just begs for additional scrutiny, and time to really appreciate what an excellent work of narrative art it is. The story is complex and has gradually unfolded in the most effective of ways. The artwork is among the best being published today.

In the 38th issue, a lot of questions are raised. Someone dead may be alive. Someone may be giving up godhood. Someone else has gone missing from, well, pretty much everywhere. Things are clearly nearing the ultimate climax, and it's all getting rather intense.

Every time I praise this series I find myself compelled to start with Jamie McKelvie's artwork. Simply put, there's no one in the industry who captures emotions on face than he does. He accentuates the emotion of Gillen's scripts immeasurably. He makes the characters seem real. I don't know how many more issues we've got to go, but he's making every one of them an absolute treasure. (4/5)

The Wicked + the Divine #38. Image. Written by Kieron Gillen. Art by Jamie McKelvie. Colours by Matthew Wilson.

Under the cut: reviews of Aquaman, Batman, Batwoman, Beneath the Dark Crystal, Doctor Strange, Justice League, Ninja-K, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Wars: Poe Dameron, Usagi Yojimbo, and The Wild Storm.

The Pull List: 8 August 2018, Part 1

Imagine the thinnest of stories draped over a sales catalogue; that is essentially what you get from Sandman Universe, a fairly expensive launch for DC Vertigo's new line of fantasy and horror comic books based on Neil Gaiman's famous series The Sandman. In the Dreaming, the mystical world where everybody from humans to gods go to dream, something is going terribly wrong. The search to find Daniel, the Dreaming's immortal ruler, takes Matthew the raven across worlds and to the set-ups of a raft of new stories and adventures.

I completely understand DC's desire to revisit and expand the world of The Sandman. They are launching with a couple of new and old series: The Books of Magic, The Dreaming, Lucifer, and House of Whispers. To be honest, all four look fairly promising in a 'could swing either way' fashion. Also being honest: each little prologue feels exactly like the sort of five-page preview that DC releases online every week. So is there entertainment value here? Absolutely there is. Does it also feel like a bit of a cheap rip-off. Absolutely it does. A hell of a lot like one. How desperate are you to read these new books? (2/5)

Sandman Universe #1. DC Vertigo. Written by Neil Gaiman, Simon Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, and Dan Watters. Art by Bilquis Evely, Tom Fowler, Dominike "Domo" Stanton, Max Fiumara, and Sebastian Fiumara. Colours by Max Lopes.

Under the cut: reviews of Star Wars: Darth Vader, Suicide Squad, Superman, and Sword Daughter.

The Pull List: 25 July 2018, Part 3

Fergie is a Northern English teenager who doesn't know his own supernatural history. He's currently being haunted by a ghost who appears to be Sex Pistols vocalist Sid Vicious, and being hunted down by a distinctive British secret agent who is a victim of supernatural forces herself.

Punk's Not Dead is a great comedy-drama comic by writer David Barnett and artist Martin Simmonds. It feels like a late 1990s DC Vertigo book, which is a near-guaranteed winner for me. I love that period of American comics history, where my favourite books tended to be by names like Morrison, Milligan, Ellis, and Ennis. The English setting, the intricate back story infused by history or pop culture, the mature tone, and the great art all make for a wonderful throwback. This sixth issue is one of the best so far, and provides a lot of much-needed backstory and context. It also wraps up the first story arc, with a collected trade paperback coming out in October.

That's why I'm praising it now: if you haven't been following this book already, and you're of a similar comic-reading vintage to me, it is well worth heading to your local comic shop and pre-ordering the paperback now. It's a fabulous book, and one of my new favourites for 2018. (4/5)

Punk's Not Dead #6. IDW/Black Crown. Written by David Barnett. Art and colours by Martin Simmonds.

Under the cut: reviews of Action Comics, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, and The Terrifics.

The Pull List: 18 July 2018, Part 2

Aisha is not expected to survive in her hospital bed for much longer, but before she can get to her Medina has to survive escaping the apartment building. This is a rocket of a horror comic, sprinting at breakneck speed with everything brought up to a terrifying climax. It caps off a sensational five-issue miniseries.

Aaron Campbell nails the artwork in this finale, shifting style and tone from page to page to match the requirements of the script. As for that script, Pornsak Pichetshote absolutely perfects the ending. This has been a tremendous story about racism, religious intolerance and nightmarish surreal horror. Horror is a hard genre to do in comic book form: it relies so much on the unknown, yet unlike film - which can flash moment of fear at a viewer - or prose - which forces the reader to imagine the nightmare - the comic book delivers still images which can be stared at and examined for as long as the reader chooses. It's a challenge that the writing and art absolutely meet. If you like horror, you need to put the impending trade paperback onto your to-read list.

This has been a fabulous debut for Pichetshote. I cannot wait to read what comes next. (5/5)

Infidel #5. Image. Written by Pornsak Pichetshote. Art by Aaron Campbell. Colours by Jose Villarrubia.

Under the cut: reviews of The Avengers, Justice League, Star Wars: Poe Dameron, Vs, and The Wild Storm.

The Pull List: 11 July 2018, Part 1

Carter Hall's investigation into his past lives takes him to the British Museum - and an unexpected slip back thousands of years to ancient Egypt.

Full credit to writer Robert Venditti, who has certainly committed one hundred per cent to his strategy of untangling Hawkman's tortured and contradictory back story by making all previous takes on the character true at the same time. It will take time to see if this plan results in a satisfying story - which is always the bottom line - but this second issue feels more focused than the first, and does show off the concept in a clearer fashion.

Of course the larger selling point for this new volume of Hawkman is Bryan Hitch's artwork. It is tremendous, as Hitch's work generally is, with a strong combination of splash pages and smaller panel-based art. It's well inked by Andrew Currie and Daniel Henriques, with solid colours by Jeremiah Shipper. Even if this time-crossing storyline stumbles, it will at least look great while it does. (4/5)

Hawkman #2. DC Comics. Written by Robert Venditti. Art by Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, and Daniel Henriques. Colours by Jeremiah Shipper.

Under the cut: reviews of Daredevil, Ms Marvel, Oblivion Song, and Star Wars: Darth Vader.

The Pull List: 27 June 2018, Part 1

It is genuinely odd, given the success of Black Panther in cinemas this year, that the response from Marvel Comics is not simply to relaunch the book with a new volume (sensible enough) but to relaunch it as a far future Star Wars-esque space opera with a whole new generation of namesake characters flying around in space fighters in battle with a galactic Wakandan Empire.

Of course it's a great and fresh take on the property, with a fast pace and a huge imagination in re-working old elements in new ways. This issue is dominated by a space dogfight, which could potential be a one-note bore. Instead writer Ta-Nehisi Coates uses it to express T'Challa's character and temperament.

The real star, however, is artist Daniel Acuña. His strong use of Afro-futurist imagery, and effective design, provides a rich enhancement to Coates' story. The book looks tremendous, and has a definite 'big budget' kind of blockbuster look to it. It's a strangely timed book, but absolutely a very welcome one. (4/5)

Black Panther #2. Marvel. Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Art and colours by Daniel Acuña.

Under the cut: a bumper crop of mini-reviews focused on Batgirl, Descender, Invader Zim, The Man of Steel, Mera: Queen of Atlantis, and Star Wars: Doctor Aphra.

The Pull List: 20 June 2018, Part 1

In the last issue of Batman, the Joker tried to hold an entire church of worshippers hostage so that he could ask Batman where his wedding invite was. It was a superb single-scene issue, showcasing a conversation between hero and villain. This latest issue provides the second half: a bomb's gone off, Batman is unconscious, and Catwoman swings into action for a one-on-one all of her own.

It is truly superb: this two-part prologue to the forthcoming Bruce-Selina wedding is insightful, clever, beautifully thought-out, and emotionally powerful. While the last issue focused on Batman's direct relationship with the Joker, this issue focuses on the Joker's relationship with other other Gotham City villains - and what it means to be Batman's enemy.

Mikel Janin and June Chung's visuals make excellent work of what could be a visually limited story: two badly injured people talking with one another while both running risk of bleeding to death. Together I think they're the best storyline so far for Tim King's Batman. (5/5)

Batman #49. DC Comics. Written by Tom King. Art by Mikel Janin. Colours by June Chung.

Under the cut: reviews of The Avengers, Justice League, The Man of Steel, and Star Wars: Poe Dameron.

The Pull List: 13 June 2018, Part 1

A 12 year-old boy who likes to call himself Remco gets taken by a bright light in the woods, and wakes up in the surreal Cloud Hotel, hidden in the sky and populated by other children. While Remco seems able to return back down to Earth and come back again, a girl named Emma seems trapped there forever.

Cloud Hotel is an original graphic novel from the award-winning writer and artist Julian Hanshaw. It is a distinctive and moving work, one soaked in surrealism and melancholy. Partly inspired by a childhood experience, Hanshaw tells a story that feels poetic, funny and weirdly unsettling. It's quite hard to put a finger on it, but it's a story that I like.

His distinctive art style certainly marks its territory as an independent work. There is a sense of the grotesque about his characters, all with deep-set haunted eyes and squared-off heads. His use of panel layout is exceptional, particularly in some of the book's particularly odd and inexplicable moments. It may feel like a bit of a puzzle in terms of narrative, but it has a superb handle on tone. (4/5)

Cloud Hotel. Top Shelf/IDW. Story and art by Julian Hanshaw.

Under the cut: reviews of Darth Vader, Hawkman, and The Man of Steel.

The Pull List: 6 June 2018, Part 1

In 1967 Australia, a crashed alien spacecraft is uncovered in the middle of the Maralinga nuclear test site. 60 years later, a satellite clean-up mission in Earth's orbit discovers another spacecraft drifting in space. What is inside that ship links both time periods, but it will take 1967's Group Captain Gilmore, Allison Williams and Professor Rachel Jensen - along with the Seventh Doctor and his companion Ace - to find out how and why.

Titan Comics' range of Doctor Who tie-in comics returns with revised trade dress and a new three-issue miniseries featuring Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor. Let us not beat around the bush: this is hands-down the single best issue of Doctor Who that Titan has published to date. It is smartly written by McCoy-era TV script editor Andrew Cartmel, giving it an immediate authenticity and pitch-perfect tone. It is being published in extra-length issues, allowing for more plot per issue - and that really helps. Christopher Jones' artwork is exceptional, and captures the TV characters perfectly - and it's more than just the Doctor and Ace, since Gilmore, Williams and Jensen all return from Ben Aaronovitch's 1988 TV serial "Remembrance of the Daleks". It's a welcome return: they always seemed like they should have returned on TV.

A back-up strip sees the Doctor and Ace revisit the Psychic Circus and the werewolf Mags - a strip made oddly special by the artist being Jessica Martin, the actress who play Mags on television in "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy". Her art is not outstanding, but it's a cute touch. It's all just a bonus, however; the core storyline is essential for any discerning Who enthusiast. (5/5)

Doctor Who: The Seventh Doctor #1. Titan Comics. Written by Andrew Cartmel. Art by Christopher Jones. Colours by Marko Lesko. Backup written by Richard Dinnick, art by Jessica Martin.

Under the cut: reviews of Batman, Doctor Strange, Scales & Scoundrels, and Star Wars Adventures.

The Pull List: 23 May 2018, Part 2

About a year after he started, Donny Cates' run as writer on Doctor Strange comes to a sudden and unwanted end. With sales continuing to decline across Marvel, desperate times have apparently called for panicky measures. For Doctor Strange that means abandoning its recent renumbering to align with its original run, and with only 10 more issues left before its 400th issue I fully anticipate that Mark Waid's incoming run will get launched again to meet it.

Still: issue #1 is still a few weeks away, and issue #390 is here as a welcome and rewarding epilogue to both the Cates and previous Aaron run. There is an unfinished conversation with companion Zelda to be had, and - in a flash of pure comic book brilliance - an unexpected encounter with Spider-Man.

Frazer Irving's art and colours are sublime and emotionally superb, but it's the weird interruption by Peter Parker that absolutely nails the issue. It's gut-bustingly funny stuff, including a two-page segue illustrated by Chip Zdarsky, and provides the perfect contrast to the more thoughful conversation in the rest of the book. This has been a fine run for Doctor Strange, and it's a shame to see it end. (5/5)

Doctor Strange #390. Marvel. Written by Donny Cates. Art and colours by Frazer Irving and Chip Zdarsky.

Under the cut: reviews of Delta 13, Justice League: No Justice, Poe Dameron, Shadowman, Super Sons, and X-O Manowar.

The Pull List: 23 May 2018, Part 1

I am an absolute sucker for space opera comics. Anything involving intergalactic empires, freedom fighters, alien species, laser gun fights, space battles - if it's in that general area, it will probably be in my wheelhouse. It is often great when a superhero comic starts to play around in that area too. I adored the "Planet Hulk" storyline in The Incredible Hulk, as well as the most recent volume of X-O Manowar, and one of the best monthly comics of DC's "New 52" initiative was Tom King's superb The Omega Men.

Add to that list Marvel's latest relaunch of Black Panther. It's set 2,000 years into the future. The Wakandan Empire stretches across huge tracts of space, enslaving other races and ruling with a violent and oppressive fist. Into the environment comes a new group of rebels and freedom fighters, styling themselves after heroes of Wakandan history and all dressing like Black Panthers.

It's a great idea, and feels like a genuinely fresh take for Marvel at a time when the publisher is really beginning struggle with its sales. Hopefully this new story will catch on, because it really feels like a model to open the Marvel Universe to a much wider range of stories. Ta-Nehisi Coates writes one hell of a first issue, and it's very effectively illustrated by Daniel Acuna. I'm hooked. (5/5)

Black Panther #1. Marvel. Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Art and colours by Daniel Acuna.

Under the cut: reviews of Detective Comics, Doctor Aphra, and The Terrifics.

The Pull List: 25 April 2018, Part 3

Doctor Aphra is the best Star Wars comic on the market today. It towers over Poe Dameron, vaults beyond Darth Vader, and even tops the regular Star Wars book. It does this because it smartly follows its own protagonist: Aphra only exists in the comic books, and so we don't know her future. We read Darth Vader knowing he will one day die over Endor; we have no idea what fate has in store for Aphra.

This book gets to use Star Wars' toys without also using its constraints. It can play with convention, and throw up all manner of surprising and inventive situations. It can also be wonderfully and bleakly funny while doing it. It also gifts Star Wars with what I believe is its first canonically non-heterosexual protagonist.

This issue brings the "Remastered" storyline to a wonderfully unexpected and satisfying conclusion. It's not only funny but gripping; there is a real joy is seeing how Aphra gets her way out of her latest life-threatening predicament. With luck this book will continue for a long, long time. (4/5)

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #19. Marvel. Written by Kieron Gillen and Simon Spurrier. Art by Emilio Laiso. Colours by Rachelle Rosenberg.

Under the cut: reviews of Doom Patrol, Mera: Queen of Atlantis, and Sacred Creatures.

The Pull List: 25 April 2018, Part 1

Breen is an MI5 agent on the run after a mission to the Middle East resulted in the disappearance of his partner. The only clue he has to go on is the rumoured espionage organisation known only as "the Village".

The Prisoner is more than 50 years old now, but it remains one of the best television series ever produced. The series starred Patrick McGoohan as the pseudonymous Number Six, a secret agent held prisoner in a highly surreal and isolated village, whose authorities press him incessantly for the reason he resigned from the secret service in the first place. It is such a delicately prepared work that it would be near-impossible to replicate its qualities decades later.

Peter Milligan certainly doesn't manage it, with an ill-advised attempt to give a real-world introduction to the Village, something that simply punctures the entire mystique of the original. There is an overriding feeling that Milligan is trying to make sense of The Prisoner, and that is exactly the wrong thing to do with this sort of property. Colin Lorimer's realistic art and Joana Lafluente's gloomy colours do no favours either. (2/5)

The Prisoner #1. Titan Comics. Written by Peter Milligan. Art by Colin Lorimer. Colours by Joana Lafluente.

Under the cut: reviews of Batgirl, Darth Vader, Detective Comics, and Dungeons & Dragons: Evil at Baldur's Gate.

The Pull List: 18 April 2018, Part 1

1,000 issues is a pretty big deal for any publication. Action Comics finally crosses that threshold this month, the first of America's superhero comics to do so, and in celebration DC Comics has made the issue an 80-page anthology celebration.

Sure it is more expensive than a normal issue, but it is also a veritable "who's who" of Superman writers and artists, each presenting short but effective stories. Collectively they really nail precisely why Superman is such a great character. Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund present a series of testimonies over why Superman is such a hero. Patrick Gleason and Peter J. Tomasi use splashes pages to make a speed run through Superman's 80-year career. Marv Wolfman resurrects an old Curt Swan strip to moderate effect.

Two of the most effective strips come from Geoff Johns, Richard Donner and Olivier Coipel - telling the story of the famous Superman-catching-a-car image - and Tom King and Clay Mann - really pushing the moniker "man of tomorrow" to a certain extreme. The issue ends with a short prologue for Brian Michael Bendis' forthcoming run on the Superman books: it looks intriguing, but there's honestly only enough there to grab the reader's attention.

Altogther it's a welcome and charming salute to DC's original superhero. Fans should find plenty to enjoy here - plus the wide range of alternate covers are wonderful. (4/5)

Action Comics #1,000. DC Comics. Written by Dan Jurgens, Peter J. Tomasi, Marv Wolfman, Geoff Johns, Richard Donner, Scott Snyder, Tom King, Paul Dini, and Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, Patrick Gleason, Curt Swan, Butch Guice, Kurt Shaffenberger, Olivier Coipel, Rafael Alberquerque, Clay Mann, Jerry Ordway, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Kevin Nowlan, and John Cassaday. Colours by Hi-Fi, Alejandro Sanchez, Dave McCaig, Jordie Bellaire, Trish Mulvihill, Brennan Wagner, and Laura Martin.

Under the cut: reviews of Batman, Ms Marvel, and Star Wars: Poe Dameron.

The Pull List: 11 April 2018

Vep has been taken from her home to serve the alien masters on Eriatarka. There she begins to learn about her environment and meet other students in the academy.

There is more than a small sense of Moebius about Prism Stalker. It has the same sort of world-building and surreal design. It hints at back story and context rather than spell it out to the reader. While the end result might feel a little confusing, I think to a large degree that is part of the book's charm. It's wonderfully strange.

Sloane Leong's script and artwork already feel more confident and effective in this second instalment. The art still looks somewhat haphazard, but the colouring pulls everything together. When Leong's art sings, it really makes an impression - it's just a pity it doesn't manage to hit those highs on every page. Nonetheless there is an indefinable appeal to Prism Stalker that lifts it well above the individual merits of art or writing. It has a weirdly effective cadence to it. (4/5)

Prism Stalker #2. Image. Story and art by Sloane Leong.

Under the cut: reviews of Darth Vader, Detective Comics, Doctor Strange, Ninja-K, Oblivion Song, Sleepless, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Vs.

The Pull List: 28 March 2018, Part 2

In the concluding part of "Mayor Fisk", New York City mayor Wilson Fisk prepares to sell the entire city to its criminal underground - unless Daredevil and an assembled group of local superheroes can intervene. Meanwhile, Blindspot finally confronts Muse, the deranged super-villain that cost him his eyesight.

And, of course, things do not go according to plan. This extra-length climax swings left just when the readers expect it to head right, leaving this celebratory 600th issue at a genuinely surprising cliffhanger ending and a wonderfully open sense that almost anything can happen to Daredevil and the Kingpin in the issues to come. It's a well-paced and dramatic finale. Ron Garney and Matt Milla's artwork and colours are bold and impactful. There is also a nice little back-up strip at the issue's end, by writer Christos Gage and artist Mike Perkins that acts as a small ode to long-running sidekick Foggy Nelson.

It's impressive when a comic book hits a milestone as massive as 600 issues, and for a character as strong and effective as Daredevil it is well-deserved. Now there's the wait to see what happens next - and to find out how many issues before Marvel reset the numbering all over again. (4/5)

Daredevil #600. Marvel. Written by Charles Soule. Art by Ron Garney. Colours by Matt Milla. Backup written by Christos Cage, art by Mike Perkins, colours by Andy Troy.

Under the cut: reviews of Batgirl, Doomsday Clock, Mera: Queen of Atlantis, and Star Wars: Doctor Aphra.

The Pull List: 21 March 2018, Part 1

Aric attempted to unite a warring planet, but then failed to lead it. Now he is fighting for his survival against a team of bounty hunters that have been paid to kill him on the same planet's behalf. In order to survive, Aric has finally re-united with his armour. Now all that is left is to see if he does survive.

Matt Kindt's epic 13-issue story arc comes to an explosive conclusion as Aric fights for his life, while flashbacks finally reveal the heartbreaking season for his arrival on Gorin in the first place. It's a well-rounded and emotionally satisfying conclusion; one that ties up loose ends, sets the book into a fresh direction, and still finds space for action.

X-O Manowar has been Valiant's best book this past year, and I'd urge anybody with a desire for a well-illustrated and epic-scale space fantasy to track down the trade paperbacks and give it all a read. This should be an ongoing example to future comic book writers on how to shake up an existing superhero book and give it a fresh style and angle. (4/5)

X-O Manowar #13. Valiant. Written by Matt Kindt. Art by Ryan Bodenheim. Colours by Andrew Dalhouse.

Under the cut: reviews of Batman, Descender, Star Wars: Poe Dameron, Shadowman, and The Spider King.