Paperback in Action

Art by Alex Ross "I am suggesting, Captain...that in its rage, its pain, in the shadow of its Armageddon...Your mortal world may have produced something very close to a god." ...And if a bruised and battered Thor is telling you that, you should be very worried. Marvel's biggest and baddest horror hit returns in  The Green Door , the sequel to Al Ewing and Joe Bennett's  Immortal Hulk . Second volumes are make-or-break for ongoing comic series - so does this instalment live up to its predecessor and encourage you to stick around, or will it scare most readers away? At the end of the first book, the Hulk absorbed a dark force into himself that took the shape of Bruce Banner's father. He still believes he's in control, and continues to seek answers surrounding the mysterious 'Green Door', but the emerald giant is becoming increasingly sinister and thus has a price on his big green head. Remember that "Hail Hydra" thing from a few y...

I've long thought that comics and animation go hand-in-hand. When reading a graphic novel, you're animating it in your head, filling in the gaps between panels. Animation also leads lots of people to become comic fans, such as anime series inspiring fans to follow the manga on which their favourite shows are based. This was certainly the case for me - I was raised on Disney, which led me to anime, which led me to comics. So, out of every animated film I've ever seen, which ten stuck with me the most? To do a proper countdown would be impossible - I'm not even 100% sure which one of these movies is my favourite. For this reason, I've decided to put them in order of release date, starting with... Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Out of every film on this list, Isao Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies should be essential viewing. It's not necessarily an enjoyable film - in fact, I felt sad for days after watching it. Based on Akiyuki Nosaka's short...

Art by Ian Williams "We debate with the world, and ourselves, all for show, but at the end of the day...We might as well shut up and get on with it." GP Lois Pritchard mulls over the advice from her deceased father's girlfriend as she considers how to respond to a letter from her estranged mother in the little down time she has away from the Llangandida Health Centre. Her life isn't easy, as Doctor Ian Williams makes very clear in his new graphic novel, The Lady Doctor . Maybe she's not the best doctor out there Like Jon McNaught's  Kingdom , The Lady Doctor is a minimalist slice-of-life comic - (almost) each page is made up of only three colours, and there's lots of emphasis on the mundane, like cups of coffee and pens. The difference lies in the fact that Dr. Pritchard isn't on holiday, and probably hasn't been for a long time. As a general practitioner, she spends her days looking at lumps and bumps and dealing with the most impati...