Paperback in Action

Operation Justice Incarnate By deciding to read this article, you have opened your mind to multiversal awareness. The world you know is but one of 52 universes, currently at the mercy of a force known as the Gentry. Other universes are believed to have already been invaded, revealed in the form of a comic called The Multiversity from visionary Grant Morrison. The Multiversity is a collection of one-shot alternate universe stories, connected by the overarching plot of the Gentry's attack. We watch as the heroes and villains become aware of the other universes by reading the same comics you hold in your hands, eventually forming a multiverse-wide team known as the Justice Incarnate. Multiversity #1 and Society of Super-Heroes The story is bookended by two chapters with blockbuster art by Ivan Reis. In the first of these, we are introduced to multiverse monitor Nix Uotan, the heroes of other worlds, and the grotesque Gentry. This kicks off the rest of the book, and the e...

Art by Bosslogic The status of Superman in the DCEU has been up in the air over the past week, with nobody really being sure whether Henry Cavill will reprise his role as the character after  this THR article  was published. Michael B. Jordan, who starred as the antagonist in Marvel's Black Panther , is rumoured to be a candidate for the new Man of Steel. The question is: should he be? Superman is undisputedly the most iconic superhero ever created. Everybody knows what he looks like, and even the slightest amendments to his costume have been met with uproar by some. Therefore, if DC were to drop a film trailer starring an African-American Superman, we'd all notice that things aren't quite the same as what we're used to. Val-Zod and Calvin Ellis But that doesn't mean that Superman can't be black. In fact, it'd be a smart move from DC to take advantage of the world's pre-existing idea of the Big Blue and make his race part of the narrative. ...

DC's Caped Crusader might be the world's number-one favourite superhero, and today is the time of year where we take a moment to appreciate just how awesome this character is. Since his debut in spring 1939, Batman has starred in an abundance of iconic stories, some of which have been the topic of posts on this blog.  For this reason, I thought I'd make it an annual tradition to round up all of my Bat-favourites on the Dark Knight's special day. However, I'm a strong believer that Batman needs a Robin, so I'm naming it the Dynamic Duo Awards and accompanying the winner of each category with a runner-up. Without further ado, let's light the Batsignal and begin! In  a previous blog post , I declared Grant Morrison's run the ultimate Batman comic - but which parts did I like best? Well, it's Batman & Robin that I believe provided the greatest take on the Bat-mythos. Colourful and campy yet also dark and violent, this masterpiece i...

Martian Manhunter, ten years before the attacks in Justice League of America Comics have always reflected real-life events and political climates. Many Golden Age creations were a reaction to the Second World War, whereas the pioneering comics of the Modern Age were commentary on the latter years of the Cold War. 17 years ago today, the world was met with new fears and concerns as the result of a horrific attack on the World Trade Center, which led to what could be considered a new era of comic books. The immediate response from the comic book world to the September 11 attacks were books that directly addressed the issue and gave condolences to those affected. Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man #36 , which had a plain black cover, had both heroes and villains working alongside the emergency services in the aftermath of the attack. Over at DC, Frank Miller's DK2  plans were abandoned as he used the series to comment on what had happened. Books that unintentionally paralleled th...

Art by Mikel Janin Out of every single superhero in comics, it is perhaps Dick Grayson who has gone through the most character development. After being the iconic sidekick Robin for four decades, he stepped out of the shadow of the Bat and became Nightwing, a change that has lasted until this day. Over the years, he has also taken on different personas, including picking up the mantle of Batman when Bruce Wayne was out of commission. After his identity was exposed in Forever Evil  and the world believed him to be dead, Dick took on another guise: Agent 37 of Spyral, the shadowy intelligence organisation introduced in the pages of Batman Incorporated . This new chapter in his life was told by writers Tim Seeley and Tom King in Grayson , a brilliant spy saga that further establishes Dick as one of DC's greatest characters. Robin and Nightwing, Dick's previous guises As Agent 37, Dick has to balance tracking down superhuman criminals and his true goal of prov...

The Saiyans on the official release poster The Dragon Ball Super TV series might have finished, but Goku's story continues this winter in the form of a feature film. It will feature the first appearance of popular villain Broly in the mainstream Dragon Ball continuity, opening up the franchise to all kinds of new developments. The question is, what sort of updates could make Broly a more interesting foe? In the final arc of the Super TV series, Goku went up against Jiren, an adversary so powerful that not even mastery of the Ultra Instinct technique could bring him down. This character is the embodiment of the notion that there will always be somebody out there stronger than Goku, giving him something to aspire towards. Broly overpowers Vegeta in his base form To simply make Broly even stronger than that would be a cheap move - you can only be so impressed by how strong a punch is. We're at the stage now where a foe that can hit harder than Jiren would just fe...