Mary Jane. Aunt May. Uncle Ben. I couldn’t save any of you. Never had the power. Never could handle the responsibility. When I’m buried beside you, will you tell me . . . why you lied to me?

Spider-Man: Reign, from writer and artist Kaare Andrews, is a powerful and emotional journey through the tortured mind of Peter Parker as he enters the last years of his life and begins to confront everything that he has ever cared for and lost.

Thirty years from now, Manhattan has become an independent and politically corrupt city-state. In exchange for almost a decade of no crime, the people of Manhattan have relinquished their power of government, outlawed their heroes, and accepted the merciless justice of a militaristic police force, The Reign. In a final attempt to forever secure the safety of his city, Mayor Waters is just a few days away from activating The Webb, a protective barrier which will envelope the city, allowing nothing to enter or leave. Enraged by Mayor Waters’ plan, J. Jonah Jameson, an insane and washed-up newspaper editor from days long forgotten, returns from his self-imposed exile. He can no longer stand by and watch his once beloved people destroy themselves by cowering before The Reign, and he knows that the only way to save them is to awaken a long-forgotten hero hidden deep within a broken man named Peter Parker.

Written and illustrated by Kaare Andrews, Spider-Man: Reign was likened to Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns from the moment that it was first announced, but it is far more than Dark Knight Returns could ever hope to be.

While Dark Knight Returns is an action-packed gritty vision of Batman’s future, Reign is is a turbulent and emotional tale which defines the values of humanity and what it truly means to be a hero. Once you open the cover, you will find yourself drawn into a turbulent journey through the mind of an aged and emotionally scared Peter Parker as he attempts to justify his life as a hero and come to terms with everything and everyone that he has lost because of it.

Spider-Man: Reign is a powerful, moving, and thought-provoking tale about freedom, humanity, and the responsibilities of a hero. It is a must-have for any fan of the amazing Spider-Man.

You are heroes. More than me. Maybe one day you’ll look around and you’ll see the world like I have to, and you’ll know I did the right thing. Or at least you’ll understand why I did it.

Secret War, a masterpiece by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Gabriele Dell’Otto, is the best graphic novel ever produced by Marvel Comics. Blinded by diplomacy and arrogance, the United States government refuses to acknowledge the imminent danger as a foreign threat continues to grow. How far will one man go to defend his country? The decisions made, and their consequences, will forever change one of Marvel’s most iconic legends.

Luke Cage and Jessica Jones return home to find a strange woman standing by the window. Suddenly, Cage’s apartment explodes in a bright, white light. Cage takes the brunt of the explosion, sparing his wife-to-be. He is rushed to the hospital where he lapses into a coma and is diagnosed with severe trauma to his internal organs. He needs emergency surgery, but the doctors have no way of breaking his steel-hard skin. Cage’s fate is now in the hands of God, and the question on top of everyone’s list is, “Why?”

When Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate), arrives, he is the first to be accused by Jones. Her question, pointedly stated, “Do you know who did this to him? I mean, why are you here? See what I’m saying?”

One year ago, Fury noticed an increase in the quality and power of technology held by some of the world’s deadliest villains, and he was shocked to learn that the funding for that technology came from Latveria, a new Latveria that had supposedly rehabilitated itself in the eyes of the world after the death of its former dictator, Dr. Victor Von Doom. Despite clear evidence of the threat, the President refused to accept the reality of the situation. After Doom’s death, the United States had sent several million dollars in aid to Latveria and even arranged the election of the country’s current Prime Minister, Lucia Von Bardas. The President assured Fury that, if there were a problem, it would be dealt with diplomatically. To Fury, this was unacceptable. He had presented clear evidence that the United States was in danger, and the federal government has refused to acknowledge it. For Fury, there was no choice between diplomacy and the safety of innocent people. He couldn’t let this happen.

Fury rapidly assembled a team of the world’s greatest, yet most misunderstood heroes: Luke Cage, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Black Widow, and fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Daisy Johnson. With no knowledge of the mission at hand, they departed under false identities and rendezvoused with Fury to prepare for the overthrow of Latveria’s government.

In the present, Peter Parker (Spider-Man) has been having nightmares of himself and other heroes fighting hordes of technology-powered soldiers. He joins Matt Murdock (Daredevil) on a trip to see Cage at the hospital when they are suddenly attacked by two technology-powered villains. Meanwhile, Steve Rogers (Captain America) barges into Cage’s hospital room after being attacked in front of his home. He is shocked to see what has happened to his friend, and immediately lashes out at Fury screaming, “Damn you for what you did to us!”

Something happened on that mission one year ago. Something that only Fury and Rogers remember. And those who were harmed during that operation, those who lost the war, are back for revenge. What was Fury willing to do to protect his country, and will he be able to face the consequences of his actions? Does the end ever justify the means?

Brian Michael Bendis’ story is a dark tale packed with mystery, drama, and action. The dark, emotional, and character-driven drama of Secret War has led it to be agreeably titled as, “The Darkest Chapter in Marvel Universe History”.

Gabriele Dell’Otto’s art is beautifully painted on every page. It brings the emotion of every scene to life and captures the darkness and characterization of Bendis’ story in a way that I have not seen since Alex Ross’ work on Kingdom Come.

Secret War is a must-have for any fan of great artwork and a great story. It is a tale of right and wrong, of sacrifice, and of consequence, the ramifications of which will be felt for years to come.

Tell me Batman, you let one Robin die. Want to go for two?

Batman: Hush is a dark and captivating tale by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Jim Lee. Batman: Hush takes you from the darkest corners of the Dark Knight’s mind to the deepest depths of his soul as he faces his toughest challenge yet. When nothing is as it seems, who can you trust, and will you be able to live with the truth?

The Dark Knight was born of tragedy. The loss of Bruce Wayne’s parents forged an iron-hearted soul within him, one which sought to punish those who would bring tragedy to others, but this dark soul within Wayne was not invulnerable. It would be changed again by tragedy, on the day that both Bruce Wayne and Batman mourned the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin, a death in the family.

Years later, Batman flies through the night sky in pursuit of Catwoman, when a Batarang screams through the night and severs the only tether between the Dark Knight and the sky. He falls hundreds of feet into the maw of Gotham City. Battered, broken, and barely conscious, the Dark Knight is not without his protectors. He is safely returned to the Batcave and diagnosed with a near-fatal skull fracture. Aware of his condition, Batman taps the name “Thomas Elliot” in Morse Code.

Thomas Elliot, a brilliant surgeon and childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, brings him back from his near-death experience. And, for a while, everything appears to be normal. Even a long-desired romance begins to blossom between Batman and Catwoman, as secrets are shared and identities are revealed. In the midst of a romance that should have happened long ago, the Dark Knight is caught off guard by the actions and manipulations of a mysterious man who knows the Dark Knight’s most closely guarded secrets, a man known only as Hush. Batman’s quest for the identity of Hush will bring him to face all of his arch-nemeses, the diamond-crushing strength of Superman, and even the grave of a long-buried companion.

Batman: Hush is a dark, gripping, and powerful tale, written by Jeph Loeb and penciled by Jim Lee. Loeb’s captivating story takes the Dark Knight on a journey of discovery that leads him to face all of his fears and re-defines the depths of his soul, while Lee’s artwork brings the Dark Knight to life in a Noir-ish atmosphere with characterizations and emotions that practically tell the story for themselves.

The story and artwork of Batman: Hush combine to make a reading experience that feels more realistic than your average comic. The story is immersive, with enough detail and depth to make you feel as if you relate to each character and event in some way, and enough mystery and intrigue to captivate your attention throughout the entire novel.

Batman: Hush is a must-have for any fan of the Dark Knight. The Absolute Edition of Batman: Hush, released in October of 2005, features all twelve issues collected in one hardcover volume with oversized border-less pages and makes the perfect addition to any graphic novel collection.

In light of the new Superman movie I thought it good to try and review a couple of recent books that actually make for a good read with the “boy in blue”. As you can expect DC has been slowly but surely building up it’s back catalogue of stories for consumption by the masses in advance of this movie being released. The great thing for us is that they’ve brought in top talent to write and draw their stories. For Tomorrow is the first time I’ve bought a Superman universe book since ‘The Death of Superman’ storyline back in the early 90s. I’ve tried to look in on what they were doing throughout the years, but most of the stuff left me cold to be honest. It’s like DC was just content to keep the name out there but never attract A-List talent onto the books, with the odd exception here or there.
So DC uses their biggest artistic gun on their biggest character. Makes sense, I just wish I knew why it took them that long to figure this stuff out to be honest with you. Jim Lee on Superman is like printing money. The question of course is who would write this thing? I remember when it was announced that Azzarello would be taking over the reigns of the Superman chariot thinking:

That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. Azzarello HATES Superheroes! What kind of self-hate story is he going to bring for the archetypal Superhero?

Even though this isn’t Azz’s first foray into the realm of the superhero, the other work (like Broken City, his Batman run with Eduardo Risso) lended itself a great deal more to his crime noir, in-your-face, nitty-gritty stories he tells so well. For all those wondering what a typical Azzarello story is like, go and read 100 Bullets. That’s what the man does best.

So how do you combine the style of a man that’s built his reputation and his fan following on conversations at bars and in seedy back alleys of major cities around America, with the ULTIMATE action comics artist? Well you put them in the mixer, you add Williams on inks and you get Alex Sinclair to do the colours, push the button and cross your fingers magic comes out the other end.

So how does Azzarello’s story fare? Well I know full well why it wasn’t the most popular of stories by the Superman fans. The simple reason is because Azz decided to pit the character in a situation that he’s not really been in properly, the political arena. The story follows Supes as he decides that things are going in the wrong direction in the ‘middle east’. It’s Iraq, they can call it whatever they want in the DC Universe but we all know what he’s talking about. Instead of the US army Azz has put Superman to deal with the guns and get rid of the dictator. Of course this isn’t your dad’s Superman. Things don’t always work out as simple as that.

On a mission to save Green Lantern (great story I’ll review it sometime) he leaves earth for a while. When he gets back over a million people have disappeared, including Lois Lane. Azz introduces Daniel a priest who Superman is confiding his story to, as we’re not really entering this story on the ground floor, but after things have happened and are getting the information at the same speed as Daniel.

Supes is determined to get the weapon used in the Vanishing to bring back his wife but things don’t go his way, and he’s caught in a struggle between dictators, cyborg bodyguards (looking like something out of the Authority to be honest with you, very liberally taken from Frank Quietely), the entire Justice League and I’ll leave you to discover who else (it’s the last page of the book). The story is definitely one that needs to be read all in one sitting (once the second trade is out) because that’s what Azzarello does best. He makes sure that you don’t get all the little subtle things he adds to people’s dialogue, body language and expressions. He uses the story and the page in a very clever way.

Enough about the story, because most people didn’t get this book for the story, but to finally see Jim Lee draw Supes. His Superman like you would expect is larger than life. He demands respect and stands tall and chiselled amongst everyone else around him. Lee adds a great amount of detail to the city itself by giving it that bright feel (aiding in no small way by the exceptional colour palette of Alex Sinclair) Metropolis is a breathe of fresh air compared to the dark and gritty Gotham from his Hush storyline. One thing that I seriously noticed Lee do well this time round (I have been reading and following his work for over 10 years now so I know what he’s done in the past) is the fact that the expressions he put onto his characters ring true. They’re not wooden and you can really tell everything about the character from ow he’s standing to his subtle smile straight away.

I actually waited for the trade paperback on this book on purpose. The last time Jim Lee did his run on Batman, the hardcover production values were absolutely ABYSMAL. Seriously. Pages looked to be falling out the second I opened the bloody book. So I waited for the trade to come out before jumping into this series. It’s a good time to be a Superman fan to be honest because the talent working on the character has seriously gone up since the last time I ventured around these parts.

He had not turned his back on us. He stands in the sky . . . faith rewarded. He is returned . . . and - dear God. The threat of Armageddon hasn’t ended. It’s just begun . . .

Kingdom Come, a DC Elseworlds masterpiece by writer Mark Waid and artist Alex Ross, is the best graphic novel ever produced by a major comic publisher. A philosophical tale of Armageddon in the DC universe, Kingdom Come is filled with biblical parallels which cast our heroes and antiheroes into haunting roles that we are all too familiar with.

The world of Kingdom Come begins several years after the mainstream continuity of the DC universe. An aged and maddened Joker rampages through the Daily Planet, claiming the lives of ninety-two men and one woman. Magog, a modern-age antihero enraged by Superman’s inaction, arrives at the scene of the massacre and ends the Joker’s life in front of a stunned Superman. The resulting controversy leads the people of Metropolis to choose Magog as the man who would best safeguard their future. They choose the man who would kill over the man who wouldn’t, and this choice will cost them dearly.

Disheartened by the changing times, and unable to change with them, Superman made a decision to turn his back on humanity and live in exile in his Fortress of Solitude. Following Superman’s example, many of the Earth’s greatest heroes similarly retired into exile. In their absence, a new breed of antiheroes, inspired by Magog and completely devoid of any concern for human safety, emerged to conquer anyone who who would oppose their own definition of righteousness. These events set the stage for Kingdom Come.

Ten years later, a relentless attack by Magog and his Justice Battalion on a weary and beaten Parasite leads to a cataclysmic nuclear explosion which destroys the entire state of Kansas. In response to the catastrophe, the safe coexistence between humans and meta-humans is questioned by those with enough authority and firepower to end it, and a derelict hero returns to set right the wrongs that had been committed in his absence. The war has begun, and Armageddon is not far behind.

Kingdom Come’s haunting and emotional story is told through the eyes of Norman McCay, a Pastor who begins to lose his faith and feels as if he has betrayed his congregation, as he can find nothing to comfort them in this time of crisis. He is guided through time and space by the Spector to bear witness to the events that will lead to Armageddon and to judge those responsible. The weight of this responsibility causes Norman to question the true meanings of humanity, faith, and evil.

Mark Waid’s story offers an imaginative look into the future of the DC universe and effortlessly blends it with the book of Revelation. Biblical scripture from Revelation, foretold by Norman McCay and his dying friend, Wesley Dodds (the former Sandman), is masterfully woven into the story and paints an eerie future for our childhood heroes.

Alex Ross adds his powerful imagination to the story by beautifully illustrating his vision of the future heroes. Ross is legendary for the quality of his artwork, his use of paints, his imaginative vision, and his attention to detail. Kingdom Come is his best work.

Alex Ross’ beautiful artwork fills all two-hundred and twelve pages of this novel, masterfully illustrating every emotion, every struggle, and every sacrifice, while Mark Waid’s story is gripping, passionate, and powerful.

Kingdom Come is a story about what it truly means to be human, and the sacrifices we make in order to achieve what is right. It can easily reach a common ground with any reader, and reach into the soul of even those who perceive themselves to be soul-less.

John Wesley Shipp stars in the movie and I remember thinking that he was the perfect casting of the character as he really looked the part physically. At the time I really couldn’t tell whether his acting was any good as I was more interested in the stories and the effects and whether or not he was going to dump that whiney bitch of a girlfriend and get it on with the nice British doctor woman, you know the standard trapping of these types of television series.

The problem with watching it now (over 10 years later) is that things do actually look dated. From the clothes to the hairstyles that looked so modern back then look a bit much. The real problem for me however with the series is the acting, which often times makes me cringe that’s really not the way to see a

One thing I will say that did make me smile a great deal because I think it’s a great bit of dialogue right at the end of the movie was how he’s there talking to his nephew who’s just lost his dad and he says something along the line of:

Don’t ever worry, whenever you’re in trouble, you can count on me, and I’ll be there in a Flash.

That’s a good geek moment and in many ways reminded me that this series was fun to watch, as long as I’m hot hypercritical about it.

Grant Morrison is a very tough act to follow. When he’s on fire he’s better than most writers in the comic book field, when he’s not on fire, he’s just really really weird. Unfortunately for Joss Whedon, Grant was firing on all cyclinders for his run on New X-men. He just made the X-men that much cooler and I will be reviewing his series in due time for sure. However since I just finished reading Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s foray in the world of the X, I thought it would be better to review this book first. The volume in question collects all 12 issues from Joss Whedon’s run, in a new book called Astonishing X-Men (last time this name was used was during the Age Of Apocalypse run).

To be honest Joss was fighting a loosing battle from the start. I’ve already read some unbelievable X-Men stories in the last couple of years. Epics by the likes of those two scottish bastards, Morrison and Millar. They’ve already recreated the characters several times over and given them distinct voices and shown us these characters in a whole new light. How exactly was Whedon going to shine? His solution was to go back to their superhero roots, costumes and all. This is after Morrison gave them the leather coats and just made them a team and made the school feel like a school, so I didn’t really buy the reasons that Whedon came up with.

Whedon then decided to do something very cool in creating a completely different villian that the X-men had to tackle. Ord had the potential to be a great villian, however he just came across as weak in the eyes of these little humans everywhere. He was being talked down to when he should have been ripping heads off and just being pure evil. Instead he’s slightly well mannered in some cases. Also what’s with the name? I mean seriously, wtf is Ord?

As always however Whedon does concentrate on the character interation because that is what he is at his best. That is where he shines. It’s when the characters are talking with each other, when they are arguing with each other, that is when I enjoyed this book the most, and to his credit he does this better than just about anyone else attached the X-franchise. The story follows a core collection of X-men who are trying to become accepted as Superheroes again in the Marvel Universe. Their mentor (Professor X) is not around (for some reason, I don’t really follow the x-universe closely enough to know what the deal is there), so it’s up to Scott to lead the team. He’s brought in Kitty Pryde onto the team as well.

Some of the ideas that Whedon introduces are interesting, however even I’ve seen some of these ideas before, and like I said I’m not even a hardcore X-men follower, so it’s a bit weak to see this sort of thing again. I don’t want to be too specific because I try and write spoiler free reviews.

Ultimately I’ve got to say that Joss failed me in the overall story he chose to write, the villian he’s chosen to create and introduce and the final ending of the series didn’t come across to me as something great. I tend not to write bad reviews about writers, however I had very high hopes for this series, and maybe that’s the problem. It’s not a bad book per say. It’s just not as amazing as the first set of stories by Morrison, or the first 30 issues of Ultimate X-men by Millar. If I was to rate this series on it’s own it would seriously rank very high up there, but because I’m comparing it to stories that were written 1 to 2 years ago, it’s not that high.

John Cassaday handles the art chores and I’ve got to say that the man is great as ever. He is a pro and his work oozes with character. Not every panel is superb but the overall feel you get from the book is this larger than life feeling to the characters. His facial expressions are spot on as always to the extent that Whedon doesn’t have to use thought dialogue or whatnot to get some of his other ideas across.

On board for the ride was Laura Martin (or as I have known her for years, Laura Depuy). Laura is easily the best colourist in the business, bar none. When she was Crossgen exclusive it was very hard for the Planetary team to continue that level of quality. Luckily Cassaday made it a point to have her on his side for this series. She seriously elevates the artwork in ways I honestly can’t help to describe. You’ll notice that for the ‘cover’ of this post I’ve not put the cover of the book itself, but rather my favourite cover of the entire series which is the one to issue 2. It just shows the subtle use of colour and just how powerful the imagery all can be when the colourist is that the top of their game.

This team has commited to actually coming back to this series and continuing the story where they left off. I’ll probably be getting it because I have faith in these creators to deliver a fun yarn, it won’t redefine the characters for me, but it’ll be a good few hours of escapism of the prettiest order.