MOON KNIGHT No. 28, December 2023 It’s hard to imagine many “Moonies” being disappointed with Jed MacKay’s meticulous dismantling of Marc Spector’s super-powered ‘family’ in Issue Twenty Eight of “Moon Knight”, considering just how well he whittles them down one by one. Indeed, in many ways this nineteen-page plot is perfectly penned as the Canadian author launches the likes of Hunter’s Moon, Eight-Ball and Tigra head-first against a formidable array of Black Spectre’s minions, and then starts methodically isolating them with all manner of mayhem and mishaps; “You got us where we need ..read more

DAREDEVIL No. 1, September 2022 Excitedly proclaimed “an all-new era of Daredevil” by its New York City-based publisher, Chip Zdarsky’s storyline for this opening instalment of “The Red Fist Saga” was probably rather positively received by the majority of “Hornheads” in July 2022, as the twenty-page periodical contains a plethora of fascinating plot-threads for them to follow. In fact, it’s arguably difficult to keep track of so many competing narratives, whether it be “Hell’s Kitchen’s guardian devil” departing his stomping ground for the last time, an old law school friend shockingl ..read more

MOON KNIGHT No. 27, November 2023 Neatly demonstrating that Marc Spector’s schizophrenia can actually be a considerable strength given the right conditions, this ‘deep-dive’ into the mind of a physically comatose Vibro must surely have landed reasonably well with this ongoing series’ audience when published in September 2023. Of course, much of this comic’s pulse-pounding pugilism predominantly sits with Yehya Badr rather than the (true) Fist of Khonshu. But both the titular character and his multiple personalities have a much more intriguing role to play in Issue Twenty Seven of “Moo ..read more

BEWARE THE PLANET OF THE APES No. 4, June 2024 Whilst Marc Guggenheim has publicly stated that “this [mini] series was a pleasure from start to finish”, it’s probably a bit doubtful that all that many of the title’s readers took much delight out of the American author’s twenty-page long storyline themselves. For despite depicting a somewhat action-packed clash between the newly conceived Hominidae Empire and its neighbouring human mutant colony, Hope’s Point, Issue Four of “Beware The Planet Of The Apes” relies upon far too many manufactured moments to arguably prove even slightly con ..read more

THE INCREDIBLE HULK No. 11, June 2024 There can surely be little doubt in the minds of any bibliophiles picking up this book that it’s publishing company’s solicitation strapline of Bruce Banner’s alter-ego smashing “Frozen Charlotte once and for all!” is definitely adhered to throughout Issue Eleven of “Incredible Hulk”. True, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s script also depicts the horrific demon's origin story as she torments the hapless residents of New Orleans for literal centuries. But these chilling flashbacks are actually impressively intertwined with the founding Avenger’s ferocious ..read more

MOON KNIGHT ANNUAL No. 1, August 2023 It's probably pretty easy to see just why Stephanie Phillips’ "Contest of Chaos" crossover storyline “received mixed to negative reviews from critics” if the plot to this particular “Moon Knight” annual is indicative of the overarching narrative’s questionable quality. For whilst Jed MacKay’s script undeniably contains a high-octane skirmish between the titular character and lesser-known South Korean super-hero Taegukgi, the context for the confrontation, along with some bizarre jumps through various multiple-universe hoops, arguably makes for an ..read more

CRYPT OF SHADOWS No. 1, December 2023 Penned by Declan Shalvey to “haunt new fans and long-time readers alike this Halloween season”, the second half of “Crypt Of Shadows” opens with a pulse-pounding piece depicting a heavily-fatigued Daredevil fending off a literal army of deadly ninjas in a long-abandoned subway system. Aptly entitled “…Without Fear”, the six-pager quite succinctly showcases both that there is much more to the blind crime-fighter than simply being a phenomenal acrobat, as well as taps into the horror of poor Doctor Ted Sallis’ never-ending existence as the lonely Ma ..read more

CRYPT OF SHADOWS No. 1, December 2023 Apparently returning “with more chilling tales starring your favourite Marvel Heroes”, Steve Orlando’s “Brick By Brick” certainly seems to get this anthology comic off to a somewhat “Creepshow” flavoured start, courtesy of the Scarlet Witch encountering “a terrifying new villain called the Bricklayer!” Admittedly, a man-shaped monster created by having a possessed brick inadvertently lodged in his chest probably isn’t the most convincing of origin stories for a central antagonist. But the American author still manages to imbue the figure with a su ..read more

HORROR COMICS No. 30, November 2023 Described by its San Antonio-based publisher as a “time-travelling horror” story containing “science-spawned monsters”, Dino Caruso and Shawn Richison’s narrative for “Origin Point” is arguably as good as such frightening fiction can get. Sure, it may take readers a moment or two to acclimatise themselves to colorist Paul Little’s dark-hued palette. But once they’ve become accustomed to the disconcertingly dreary surroundings of Doctor Liebrandt’s out-of-the-way lock-up and realise the struck-off surgeon is ferrying human corpses about on a trolley ..read more

DAREDEVIL No. 5, November 2022 For those readers simply dipping into this ongoing series to witness its titular character completely ‘clean the clock’ of the ever- egotistical U.S. Agent, Chip Zdarsky’s script for Issue Five of “Daredevil” should have quite quickly brought them up to speed with Matt Murdock’s present-day life. Indeed, the Canadian author rather succinctly shows the Man Without Fear to have utterly embraced both his marriage to Elektra Natchios, as well as his seemingly formidable mission to establish “a new world order” as The Fist’s king. Of course such bizarre cameo ..read more