Well, this is not going to surprise anyone. 1. Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone – “Fortnight” 3. Taylor Swift – “The Tortured Poets Department” 4. Taylor Swift – “Down Bad” That’s the maximum three tracks from “The Tortured Poets Department”, which enters the album chart at number 1. Taylor Swift hasn’t missed number 1 with a studio album since 2010 – and yes, that’s counting the “Taylor’s Version” releases. She doesn’t manage a clean sweep of the top 3, with Hozier hanging in at number 2. “Fortnight” is both the official single and the opening track, and so gets the most streams. It’s only ..read more

X-MEN UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC #136. By Steve Foxe, Steve Orlando, Phillip Sevy, Yen Nitro & Travis Lanham. I’m sorry, but this is part sixteen and I lost the will to live long ago. Go see previous instalments if you want a fuller explanation of why, because nothing is changing. RISE OF THE POWERS OF X #4 (annotations here) and X-MEN: FOREVER #2 (annotations here). Over at the main event, the heavily intertwined Rise of the Powers of X #4 and X-Men Forever #2, both written by Kieron Gillen, come out at the same time. I know Marvel like a number #1, but it would probably have made ..read more

As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition. WOLVERINE vol 7 #48 “Sabretooth War, part 8: Alone Together” Writers: Benjamin Percy & Victor LaValle Penciller: Cory Smith Inker: Oren Junior Colourist: Alex Sinclair Letterer: Cory Petit Editor: Mark Basso COVER / PAGE 1. A symbolic image of Wolverine being torn apart by two sets of hands – which the caption indicates are “two Creeds”. I haven’t got a clue what this has to do with the issue, or which two Creeds they had in mind. (Victor and Graydon would be the obvious ones in terms of their role in the s ..read more

As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition. X-MEN: FOREVER #2 “Quiet Council” Writer: Kieron Gillen Artist: Luca Maresca Colour artist: Federico Blee Letterer: Clayton Cowles Design: Tom Muller, Jay Bowen & Kat Gregorowicz Editor: Jordan D White COVER / PAGE 1: Rachel, Cannonball, Jubilee, Exodus and Arakko fight a Stark Sentinel. PAGE 2. Paul Neary obituary. PAGES 3-5. Mother Righteous’ homunculus dissolves, and Professor X sends a message to the White Hot Room. This scene takes place roughly alongside page 6 of Rise of the Powers of ..read more

As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition. RISE OF THE POWERS OF X #4 “Sentinel X” Writer: Kieron Gillen Artist: R.B. Silva Colour artist: David Curiel Letterer: Clayton Cowles Design: Tom Muller & Jay Bowen Editor: Jordan D White COVER / PAGE 1: A distraught Professor X, in his Cerebro helmet, in a field of flaming skulls. Presumably that’s Krakoa in the background. PAGE 2. Paul Neary obituary. PAGES 3-6. Professor X frees Mother Righteous and kills Rasputin. This picks up directly from the end of issue #3, where Professor X was persuaded ..read more

DAREDEVIL #56-57 (September & October 1969) “…And Death Came Riding!” / “In the Midst of Life…!” Writer: Roy Thomas Penciller: Gene Colan Inker: Syd Shores Letterer: Artie Simek Colourist: not credited Editor: Stan Lee With the Starr Saxon storyline that he inherited from Stan Lee out of the way, Roy Thomas moves on to his own stories. Thomas often liked to dust off forgotten characters from earlier issues, but apparently he didn’t find Daredevil’s rogue’s gallery all that inspiring. Instead, he bombards the book with new villains during his run. First up is Death’s-Head, not to be confuse ..read more

So before you ask: the chart week runs from Friday to Thursday, so that means Taylor Swift doesn’t show up until next week’s chart. In the meantime, we’ve got quite a busy week – and mostly decent new entries on the singles chart, too. 1. Hozier – “Too Sweet” Two weeks. I don’t fancy his chances for a third, but you never know. 6. Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” Well, that’s interesting. Sabrina Carpenter has three previous hit singles to her name – “Skin”, the questionable answer record to “Driver’s Licence”, which got to number 28 in 2021; “Nonsense”, which managed a week at number 32 in 202 ..read more

X-MEN UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC #135. By Steve Foxe, Steve Orlando, Phillip Sevy, Yen Nitro & Travis Lanham. Well, apparently we’re going with Sunspot versus Gideon as a huge showdown that everyone’s been waiting for. And… I mean, it’s a storyline from thirty years ago that hardly ever comes up. Even I barely remember anything about it. Seemed like a big deal in early X-Force, never came to anything much? Something like that. At any rate, it’s the sort of continuity reference that’s fine for a bit of background colour but hardly carries the weight of being the hook for an issue. You’re  ..read more

As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition. DEAD X-MEN #4 “Hyperballad” Writer: Steve Foxe Artists; David Baldeón, Bernard Chang & Vincenzo Carratù Colour artist: Frank Martin Letterer: Cory Petit Design: Tom Muller & Jay Bowen Editor: Jordan D White COVER / PAGE 1. The X-Men fight their alt-Moira. PAGE 2. Paul Neary obituary. PAGES 3-4. The X-Men and Moira are dragged back through time. Issue #3 ended with the cyborg alt-Moira from issue #1 attacking the X-Men and their local counterparts in Moira’s fifth life. This turns out to be a bit of ..read more

As always, this post contains spoilers, and page numbers go by the digital edition. FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X #4 “The Turn” Writer: Gerry Duggan Artists: Jucas Werneck & Jethro Morales Colour artist: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Travis Lanham Design: Tom Muller & Jay Bowen Editor: Jordan D White COVER / PAGE 1. Moira and Cyclops fight. PAGE 2. Paul Neary obituary. PAGE 3. Data page (!). The opening quote is Magneto’s line “Promise me you’ll watch Charles… Three began Krakoa. Moira betrayed us. I… deserted my post. Now Charles is alone with his dream.” This is from Magneto’s death sce ..read more