The Pull List: 28 February 2018, Part 2

15 years ago a group of teenagers stole a map to a hidden treasure and buried it, planning to come back as adults - when the heat had well died down - and collect the treasure for themselves. Now those 15 years are up, and the group has come back together. It's not to collect the treasure, but because one of their number has died - and it may not have been an accident.

Cult Classic: Return to Whisper, by writer Eliot Rahal, artist Felipe Cunha and colourist Dee Cunniffe, is another nostalgic crime book based on children and adults crossing paths. We have already had the likes of 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank and Night Owl Society, and now Return to Whisper adds its own personal wrinkle to the formula.

The balance between youthful flashbacks and present-day adult life works well, and certainly the stakes get raised a lot faster than I had expected them to be. Cunha's artwork has a simple, independent style that seems par for the course for this kind of a book. There are perhaps a few too many characters - and it's difficult to get a handle on at least half of them - but this is a first issue, so there's always time to get to know them. This is a solid book, but not an exceptional one - the US$1.99 price tag works well in its favour though: a cheap opportunity to test the waters. (3/5)

Cult Classic: Return to Whisper #1. Vault Comics. Written by Eliot Rahal. Art by Felipe Cunha. Colours by Dee Cunniffe.

Under the cut: reviews of Action Comics, Rat Queens, Saga and X-O Manowar.

The Pull List: 21 February 2018, Part 2

Back in 2016 comic book editor Shelly Bond was crudely dropped from DC's Vertigo imprint as part of a broader publisher shake-up. Landing on her feet at IDW, she went about setting up her own imprint of original comic book titles. Black Crown has published a couple of books so far, some promising (Assassinistas) and some less so (Kid Lobotomy). With Punk's Not Dead, a new ongoing monthly, I think she has hit the jackpot. If you want a good mature age comic book, this very well may be it. If you want a book to remind you of DC Vertigo at its height, this is even more likely to be your book. Punk's Not Dead has Shelly Bond's editorial insight all over it.

Fergie is a rebellious teenager from a town near Manchester, who - after an unexpected encounter at Heathrow Airport - finds himself visited by what appears to be the spirit of punk singer Sid Vicious. At the same time MI5's top-secret Department for Extra-Usual Affairs is tracking down an imp from hell inside 10 Downing Street.

If you were a fan of Vertigo back in the mid-to-late 1990s, Punk's Not Dead is like putting on a warm, comfortable sweater. It feels immediately familiar, infused with a sense of British pop culture and brilliantly and effectively illustrated. It's funny where it needs to be, and points to a broader supernatural storyline as it goes on. Previous Black Crown books have left me intrigued. This one has me actively excited. (5/5)

Punk's Not Dead #1. Black Crown/IDW. Written by David Barnett. Art by Martin Simmonds. Colours by Dee Cunniffe.

Under the cut: Batwoman, Daredevil, Descender, Doctor Strange: Damnation, Heathen, Invader Zim and Quantum & Woody.

The Pull List: 21 February 2018, Part 1

Bethany is a young woman travelling a medieval European-style world looking for adventure. She claims to be a minstrel, but that is simply a cover to hide her true identity: Bethany is a necromancer.

The good kind of necromancer, that is, and her first quest - to find a missing boy in the forest - gives her ample opportunity to show how one can raise the dead and still be a good person. This new comic series Songs for the Dead has a warm tone and a rich heart, even though both story and art feel a little limited. Coming via independent publisher Vault Comics, it feels very much like early career work.

That is not intended as a criticism by the way, it simply means that it is worth measuring your expectations before diving in. There is potential in the story, and a likeable protagonist, and while Sam Beck's artwork is perhaps not quite at a professional standard his colours lift it up considerably. I found myself rather taken with this book; with luck it will continue. (3/5)

Songs for the Dead #1. Vault Comics. Written by Andrea Fort and Michael Christopher Heron. Art and colours by Sam Beck.

Under the cut: reviews of Aquaman, Batman, Batman and the Signal, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, and Superman.

The Pull List: 23 August 2017, Part 2

We're eight months through the year, and it's looking increasingly likely that my favourite book of 2017 is going to be Heathen. This independent book by writer/artist Natasha Alterici is just a wonderful read. The writing is striking and well characterised. The artwork is absolutely beautiful. As a combined package, with each issue coming in a beautiful matte finish cardstock cover, it's been a hard act to top.

Issue #5 sees Aldis setting out on her own again to secure passage north to the mysterious land of Heimdall. To do that she needs to convince the ship captain Makeda that it isn't a suicide mission, and that means one thing: mermaids.

The use of Norse mythology and fantasy creatures is beautifully done here, as is the very strong range of female characters throughout. Aldis herself was exiled from her own village for being a lesbian, and the book treats themes of female sexuality with heart and respect. Above all else this is simply a phenomenally readable book. It comes too slowly: at the end of every issue I desperately wish to read the next. (5/5)

Heathen #5. Vault Comics. Story and art by Natasha Alterici.

Under the cut: reviews of Batgirl, Doctor Aphra, War Mother and X-O Manowar.

The Pull List: 7 June 2017, Part 1

Atlantis declares Corum Rath as their new king, putting Arthur in serious trouble. With two successive wars with the surface world just ended, and relations still very strained, a war-monger for a king is pretty much the last thing the kingdom needs. Arthur could help - but his people have abandoned his leadership.

There is solid entertainment value in Aquaman #24, which brings some long-running Atlantean tensions to a head. Dan Abnett's script relies on that long build-up rather well, and the artwork (by a combination of Briones, Eaton and Faucher) is reasonably attractive and tells the story well enough. Sadly it all feels a bit repetitive. There is an over-reliance on Atlantis in Aquaman going back for many years. There are numerous creative directions in which one could take a comic book about a water-breathing super-human who patrols the world's oceans. Only a few issues ago Arthur and Mera uncovered a portal to an ocean planet on the other side of the universe. That seemed ripe for exploration and adventure, but as soon as it was revealed that portal was closed.

I adore the Aquaman character, but I feel as if successive writers simply do not quite now the best way to push the character forward. I am enjoying Abnett's run, but I want something more interesting than what he is currently providing. (3/5)

Aquaman #24. DC Comics. Written by Dan Abnett. Art by Philippe Briones, Scot Eaton and Wayne Faucher. Colours by Gabe Eltaeb.

Under the cut: reviews of Batman, Green Arrow, Heathen and Spider-Man.

The Pull List: 12 April 2017, Part 1

The young viking woman Aydis has succeeded in freeing the goddess Brynhild from captivity, but has been captured and kidnapped by Freya and the Valkyries for her trouble.

There is a remarkable quality to Natasha Alterici's miniseries that is quite difficult to pin down. It skirts the edge of becoming an all-out sex-filled work of erotica - particularly in this issue, which reveals a Valhalla packed with scantily-clad lesbians - yet Alterici always pulls the book back to focus on characters and story, and a rich heartfelt tone of hope. The artwork is wonderfully subtle and almost gentle in style.

Perhaps best of all is just how distinctive and unique the book seems to be. It has an enormously strong identity and style that has made it stand out against all of the other comics I have been reading this year. When the time comes to consider the year's best books, Heathen is already a top contender. (5/5)

Heathen #3. Vault Comics. Story and art by Natasha Alterici.

Under the cut: reviews of Action Comics, Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, Copperhead and Detective Comics.

The Pull List: 29 March 2017, Part 1

Recently DC Comics has undertaken a bizarre re-imagining of the Hanna Barbera cartoon properties, reworking children's entertainment from the 1960s and 1970s into odd re-imaginings aimed less at children and more at nostalgic thirty-somethings. Post-apocalyptic Scooby Doo has been a bedfellow with a Mad Max-esque Wacky Races and a cross-over Space Ghost/Johnny Quest mash-up. I have heard - but cannot confirm for myself - that their satirical new version of The Flintstones is actually very good, but to be honest the entire concept of these books do not interest me. A crossover between Banana Splits and Suicide Squad, however? That is a concept so completely wrong-headed and egregiously stupid that I felt compelled to check it out for myself.

More fool me. Suicide Squad/The Banana Splits is a train wreck in comic book form. Over-priced at US$4.99, its story by Tony Bedard is weak and superficial and its attempt to cross over the two properties takes the easy way out. It drags the look and tone of the Banana Splits aggressively towards Suicide Squad rather than work within the sharp contrast between the two properties. Ben Caldwell's pencils are generic and ordinary. There is a backup strip in the book's final third that launches another Hanna Barbera re-imagining - Snagglepuss as a gay 1950s playwright - but it is a little too short and simple to make any real kind of impact.

If you are going to deliberately produce a ridiculous crossover comic, it is important that you commit to the stupidity and make the most ridiculous comic that you can. Here DC pull their punches. Here they catch themselves in the middle. This book is garbage. (1/5)

Suicide Squad/Banana Splits #1. DC Comics. Written by Tony Bedard. Art by Ben Caldwell and Mark Morales. Colours by Jeremy Lawson.

Under the cut: reviews of Black Widow and Heathen.

The Pull List: 22 February 2017, Part 4

A few too many comics books came out last week, so we're off on a rare fourth instalment of The Pull List. Reviews of this week's comic will come along soon. let's start with Joyride.

After the pretty destructive events in issue #8 of Joyride, the book took a narrative jump forwards in issue #9 to show where the characters were a year later. Issue #10, released last week, focuses on love-struck teen Dewydd, now a walker-in-training on a mission to rescue his brother.

It is a smart and comfortable development for the character, rounding him off and giving him a greater strength and resolve. It is also great to see his relationship with his brother fleshed out. That all occurs within the framework of an inter-galactic prison break-in, with excellently devised aliens, technology and vehicles.

Marcus To does an excellent job with the art on this series, balancing the need to present realistic and sympathetic characters with wildly imaginative settings, aliens and planets. The book has consistently been wonderful to look at, and a large degree of its success comes down to his work. Irma Kniivila's colours complement the art beautifully. This is one of my favourite comic books at the moment: all science fiction fans should be reading it. (5/5)

Joyride #10. Boom Studios. Written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly. Art by Marcus To. Colours by Irma Kniivila.

Under the cut: reviews of Action Comics, Black Road, Descender, and Heathen.