Paperback in Action

Art by Jon McNaught Admittedly, Jon McNaught's Kingdom isn't the sort of comic I usually read. Not a single superhero can be found across its 128 thick pages, except in the form of a Spider-Man beach towel or a Batman key-ring. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed each and every panel, and have found a new love for quirky indie comic books. Kingdom struck a chord with me because of its subject matter: British holidays. I grew up as far as you can get from the coast, so trips to the seaside have always been magical to me. In this book, McNaught dissects that magic into its constituent parts to take the reader back to those sunny days. ...Perhaps not always sunny The most striking thing about Kindgom is the sheer number of panels, which McNaught uses to highlight the mundane and paint an incredibly accurate picture of a British holiday. In the caravan, for example, we zoom in on the lights, the kitchen sink, and the shells and pebbles accumulated on the coffee table. ...

Art by Patrick Gleason If you're not a Superman fan yet, then you should start reading now - the finale of the groundbreaking  Superman: Rebirth hits shelves this month. Crafted by the incredible team of Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason, this series is the finest example of a Man of Steel comic since the insurmountable All-Star   Superman , and will be held as the gold standard for decades to come. Tomasi and Gleason's Superman series spins out of the events of The Final Days and Lois and Clark . It tells the tale of the Superman of years gone by, returning to pick up the mantle following the death of the most recent take on the character. This Clark Kent lives with his wife Lois and son Jon under the name of the Smith family - they've gone undercover due to complications surrounding there being two Supermen. Something old, something new The whole "old Superman, new Superman" business isn't as confusing as it sounds. For the most part, the story...

Art by Lee Weeks Following the demise of the New 52 Superman in 2016's Final Days   event, DC Comics brought back the classic Clark Kent that the world knows and loves. It was up to Dan Jurgens, one of the most influential Superman writers in recent history, to explain exactly what he'd been up to while he was gone. In Lois and Clark , it is revealed that this Superman had been around since the start of DC's New 52 reboot, having been sent there by the usually-villainous Brainiac. When he saw that this new universe already had its own Man of Steel, Clark decided not to reveal himself, and lived in secret with his wife Lois and their infant son. Lois and Clark's son, Jon Yep, that's right - the biggest addition this book makes to the Superman mythos is giving Clark a son. His name might not be in the title, but the story is very much centred around little Jon Kent (or White, the family's undercover name) and the struggles that the Super-family must ...