Absolute Batman #13 - DC Comics

ABSOLUTE BATMAN No. 13, December 2025

Described by its Burbank-based publisher as “Batman’s final showdown with the monstrous Bane”, Scott Snyder’s narrative for “Abomination” probably left many of its readers scratching their heads in mild bewilderment due to Bruce Wayne’s arch-nemesis barely making an actual appearance in the book. In fact, the Venom-enriched psychopath only features in a handful of panels, and during these the masked behemoth is simply depicted sedentarily sat whilst a small team of surgeons rather disconcertingly work on his cybernetically-enhanced spinal cord; “Soon you’ll have my replacement, and he’ll have his new Bane. Then, I’ll finally go home.”

Instead this eighteen-page periodical largely focuses upon Catwoman, and her apparent ‘on-and-off relationship’ with the titular character. Admittedly, this largely dialogue-driven encounter proves pretty interesting at first, especially when it appears that the young woman’s helmet “looks a lot like the gear Black Mask uses”. But this insight also reveals a decidedly disconcerting difference between the American author’s incarnation of Batman to that co-created by Bob Kane, in that the titular character will “cut a deal” will the villainous Falcone to rig a boxing match, just because he doesn’t have any faith that his friend Waylon can win it fair and square.

Quite possibly this comic therefore only comes into its own once the Dark Knight and Kyle team-up together to penetrate the Red Hood Gang’s headquarters at a seaside funfair. This confrontation shows just how formidable a partnership the fighting duo make and contains a pretty surprising revelation in that the criminal gang are led by a shaven-headed Harley Quinn. In addition, Snyder finally hints at just what physical metamorphosis his version of Batman has undertaken having almost been broken “in a place called Ark M, where they do make monsters.”

Setting aside any criticisms of the storyline though, it’s doubtful many bibliophiles will find Nick Dragotta’s pencils for this publication underwhelming. The illustrator definitely channels his inner Frank Miller for some of his panels – most notably a splash page showing this book’s lead pair leaping through a sunset-lit sky, as well as providing a genuine laugh-out-loud moment when Catwoman captures Alfred Pennyworth and almost strangles him with her tail.

The regular cover art of "ABSOLUTE BATMAN" #13 by Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin

Conan The Barbarian: Scourge Of The Serpent #1 - Titan Comics

CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT No.1, October 2025

Despite being proudly proclaimed by “Titan Comics” as the start of a “new Conan epic”, those readers well acquainted with the prose works of Robert E. Howard will doubtless find everything which occurs within this twenty-two page periodical disconcertingly familiar – especially those scenes depicting a young Cimmerian getting caught stealing from the museum of hapless Kallian Publico. Frustratingly, this is primarily due to almost all of “Stealing Faces And Finery” simply being an adaption of three of the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre’s short stories, rather than anything new which the Jim Zub has penned himself.

Indeed, apart from the odd piece of tinkering, such as the Nemedian curator actually being seen desperately trying to open up the gift which will soon bring about his grisly death, there’s arguably little to be found within this publication that isn’t inside the opening stages of “The Shadow Kingdom”, “The God In The Bowl” and “The Haunter Of The Ring”. Of course such reworkings are perfectly legitimate for the officially licenced British Publisher to undertake. Yet such re-treads, especially of a tale as well-known as Conan’s brush with the magistrate Demetrio in Numalia, arguably smacks of this mini-series relying far too much on Howard’s old yarns, as opposed to the Canadian author enthralling his audience with something altogether new.

Furthermore, Conan isn’t debatably even the lead protagonist of this book, with that role surely falling to Kull the Conqueror seeing as it’s the Atlantean’s adventure whose footsteps are the first to be followed. In fact, Issue One of “Scourge Of The Serpent” is quite neatly book-ended by the King of Valusia, as the monarch is joined by the Pict Brule the Spear-Slayer as they uncover a plot to assassinate the incredulous sovereign by shape-shifting serpent people.; “You have shown great skill and bravery. But it is only the beginning.”

Sadly even the pencilling of “Ironclad” Ivan Gil may well leave some bibliophiles wanting a bit more help to make sense of some of the storytelling, as the Canadian author leaps between the three different plot threads with little apparent reverence as to whether his audience has had time to take in what has just transpired. Of particular note are the opening panels depicting James Gordon’s extreme physical reaction to Michael O’Donnel showing him an ancient blade - a scene which will doubtless require a couple of rereads to make any sense, and even then it's only later on in the comic that his extraordinary outburst appears semi-convincing.

The regular cover art of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT" #1 by Roberto De La Torre

Space Ghost #11 - Dynamite Entertainment

SPACE GHOST No. 11, March 2025

There’s a lot of all too familiar plot points to David Pepose’s narrative for Issue Eleven of “Space Ghost” which arguably suggest that the American author has disconcertingly run out of fresh ideas for his “Defenders of the Spaceways” before the ongoing title is even a year old. Indeed, considering that this twenty-two page periodical opens with the titular character once again leaving his three demoralised sidekicks behind for fear of them being injured during one of his adventures, some readers probably thought it prudent to check to ensure that this particular tome wasn’t somehow chronologically set in the central protagonists’ past; “Do you remember what he said when he agreed to make us his partners?”

In addition, the former crime reporter simply regurgitates a number of the cosmic vigilante’s most formidable enemies without even bothering to explain to the audience just how the majority of them ever managed to escape custody, or join forces with the ever evil Doctor Xander Ibal. Such evident omissions genuinely make it almost impossible for Pepose’s penmanship to prove even semi-convincing; especially when it concerns the supposedly dead Zorak who shockingly just turns up alive and well on the planet Orkon having viciously slain poor Commander Kovacs.

Similarly as unsettling though has to be the sheer serendipity of Space Ghost’s latest full-blown argument with his proteges, which results in the trio angrily departing their home in a spaceship just as the giant space mantis arrives to kill his arch-nemesis. This rather obvious manufactured moment provides the “award-winning writer of Punisher” with the opportunity to once again recycle one of his seemingly favourite twists, by having the adolescents dash back to their badly-beaten mentor just as he’s about to succumb to the injuries caused by his unrelenting enemies.

Fortunately for those who picked this particular publication up off the spinner rack, Jonathan Lau and Andrew Dalhouse are on top form, with both artists imbuing this rather fast-paced affair with all the pulse-pounding panels its script requires. In fact, it’s debatably a pity that the pair weren’t given the sheet space of a second issue to work with, as so many thoroughly enjoyable clashes between Dax and his ‘Rogues Gallery’ are frustratingly crammed into just a couple of pictures rather than be given the room they deserve – such as when he cleverly uses the Widow’s Web to smash the woman straight into an over-confident Brak.

The regular cover art of "SPACE GHOST" #11 by Francesco Mattina

Bring On The Bad Guys: Loki #1 - Marvel Comics

BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: LOKI No. 1, September 2025

The fourth of “seven villainous one-shots”, Anthony Oliveira’s narrative for “Bring On The Bad Guys: Loki” probably proved a bit too sedentary with fans of the God of Mischief. In fact, seeing as the central plot thread revolves around the creation of “The King In Yellow” anthology novel (by Robert W. Chambers) in 1895 A.D., the Lord of Lies doesn’t really have a great deal to actually do until the story’s very end when he mercilessly stabs “a poor, lost descendant of Khonshu’s crumbled order” to death inside a packed French theatre house.

Up until this moment of cold-blooded murder, the Asgardian is largely consigned to the side-lines, with much of this twenty-page long yarn sadly becoming bogged down with the dialogue-driven relationship between Swedish baritone Jonathan Nilsson and the play’s nightmare-troubled writer. So stationary a script really doesn’t seem to do the duplicitous Laufeyson much justice at all, and even tries to convince its audience that the deity’s sole motivation for not killing the lad straight away, and thus ridding himself of his debt to Mephisto, is simply because he wants to hear the youth’s finished yarn; “Oh, forgive my ill manners. I am the Vicomte De Farbauti, and I think I can spare more than that, boy.”

Arguably far more successful than this comic’s penmanship, are the layouts of Jethro Morales – at least at first. The visual artist does a solid job of depicting the menacing fate awaiting Loki should Thor Odinson invade the Dread Lord’s realm and take him back to Asgard. But debatably by the time the illustrator is busy pencilling the hapless Nilsson’s demise at the hands of Sister Sorrow, some of his line-art appears a little rigid and rough around the edges. Indeed, some of the panels appear so cartoony, that some bibliophiles might even look twice to see whether a second person was brought in by Senior Editor Tom Brevoort to help with the interiors.

Much more pulse-pounding and action-packed is this publication’s secondary tale entitled “The Last Lord Of Darkness”. Written by Marc Guggenheim and drawn by Michael Sta Maria, this five-pager rather succinctly shows a deeply sorrowful Sorana being momentarily tempted to betray Mephisto with the help of K’un-Lun Master Guo. Together, the creative team do a great job in showing the ferociously-fast close combat skills of the two fighters, and ultimately just how far under Hell’s malign influence the Latverian-born sorceress has fallen.

The regular cover art of "BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: LOKI" #1 by Lee Bermejo

Absolute Batman #12 - DC Comics

ABSOLUTE BATMAN No. 12, November 2025

Fully focused upon the frightening fate of Bruce Wayne’s closest friends at the hands of a totally deranged Bane, Scott Snyder’s script for Issue Twelve of “Absolute Batman” is perhaps understandably a bit of a choppily-paced affair. Indeed, every time the titular character opens a hospital room’s door and gasps in shock at the bed-ridden body before him, the storytelling arguably resets itself in an attempt to outdo the gratuitous, physical mutilation which has just preceded it; “Eddie, We need to get you to a hospital. You – AAAGH!”

Unfortunately though, so unstoppable an assault upon the audience’s senses – following up so closely upon the body horror inflicted upon both Waylon Jones and the Dark Knight himself, is arguably much too much all at once, and resultantly doesn’t leave any time for the reader to dwell upon each supporting cast members’ life-changing injuries. Furthermore, even once the ghoulish carousel of broken bones, badly burnt flesh and partial lobotomy is over, the American author debatably doesn't allow any of the trauma to actually sink in, before throwing the Venom-poisoned Caped Crusader head-on into a confrontation with Catwoman instead.

Admittedly, such a scintillating speed of events definitely holds the attention throughout the eighteen-page periodical. But the impact of so much bloodshed would surely have been far more poignant if perhaps poor Ozzie, Harv and Eddie’s fortunes had been delivered in a far more piecemeal fashion throughout this multi-part narrative. As it is, few bibliophiles will probably have even had the time to process Jones’ future as a giant crocodile before they’re inundated with Oswald brutally being “almost two feet shorter” and Harvey suffering “third-to fourth-degree burns across the left side of his body.”

What is impressive about “Abomination” are Nick Dragotta’s pencils, which somehow manage to capture all the distress caused by Bane within the confines of a single comic book. This is a publication which has little room to spare for double-splashes or even a handful of panels per page. So when the artist does deliver a single picture, such as Batman and Alfred Pennyworth standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the darkness awaiting an unseen assailant, it should cause any onlookers to pause momentarily to admire the moment, before plunging on back into the morass of tiny pictures.

The regular cover art of "ABSOLUTE BATMAN" #12 by Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin

Fantastic Four #12 - Marvel Comics

FANTASTIC FOUR (FACSIMILE EDITION) No. 12, February 2026

“Arguably one of the first Marvel Crossovers between titles”, Stan Lee’s script for Issue Twelve of “Fantastic Four” clearly contains a number of mesmerising moments – not least of which is the eventual battle between the titular characters and Bruce Banner’s gamma green alter-ego. However, the twenty-three page long narrative does seem to take an eternity to reach so cataclysmic a confrontation, and also features a fair few eye-raising scenes which make it very much of its time; “Miss Storm, a pretty young lady can always be of help -- just by keeping the men’s morale up!”

Foremost of these early Sixties setbacks has to be the treatment of Invisible Girl and her inability to even stay visible whilst watching recorded footage of the Incredible Hulk. Sue’s entire development arc throughout the comic is simply to stand on the side-lines and only step in when either a befuddled armed soldier gets close to shooting at anything which moves, or an utterly oblivious Russian spy is about to blow away Aunt Petunia's ever-loving blue eyed nephew with a handy "atomic-powered weapon". Indeed, Mister Fantastic’s eventual wife doesn’t even fight the founding Avenger, preferring instead to impotently run away from the behemoth whenever she gets within arm's reach.

Similarly as disconcerting has to be the American author’s depiction of the Thing and Human Torch – both of which debatably come across as being disagreeable and dislikeable. Admittedly, Ben Grimm's hot-headed attitude to show-off his great strength does result in him rather enjoyably duking it out with “a company of infantrymen” directly outside the City Symphony Auditorium. But this clash is soon resolved courtesy of a lungful of sleeping gas, and quickly gets swallowed up amidst a series of increasingly dialogue-driven scenes featuring General “Thunderbolt” Ross.

Luckily Jack Kirby appears to be desperate to imbue as much of this “book-length epic” with his legendary, pulse-pounding pencils as his panels can take. The aforementioned punch-ups between the super-group and Hulk, as well as the Thing’s bout against the American military are packed full of adrenalin-fuelled action. Furthermore, the prolific artist does a first-rate job in depicting the mental aspirations of Reed Richards’ team-mates once they meet their formidably-strong adversary, and even manages to make the re-designed Fantasti-Car appear as “impressive-looking” as Captain Nelson’s superior officer suggests.

Script: Stan Lee, Art: Jack Kirby, Inking Dick Ayers, and Lettering: Art Simek

DC K.O. (Local Comic Shop Day 2025 Ashcan Edition) #1 - DC Comics

DC K.O. (LOCAL COMIC SHOP DAY 2025 ASHCAN EDITION) No. 1, November 2025

Unashamedly acting as a promotional gimmick for “DC Comics” major comic book event “DC K.O.”, this five-page pamphlet probably utterly bemused those readers who knew absolutely nothing about Darkseid somehow destroying the future. For rather than providing them with any sort of explanation as to how “a universe-shaking five-level gladiatorial arena” has shockingly emerged on Earth, Scott Snyder simply throws his audience straight into Superman’s preparation for his opening bout, before suddenly dragging them back to a time when the Man of Steel was still oblivious to the sense-shattering machinations of Apokolips’ absolute ruler.

Indeed, the vast majority of this “exclusive Ashcan special edition” focuses upon Clark Kent, Diana of Themyscira, Lois Lane and Bruce Wayne all sitting around a boardgame harmlessly ribbing one another as the dice rolls flow. So idyllic a moment is genuinely heart-warming, as it’s nice to see the Burbank-based publisher’s Trinity enjoying one another’s company. But a fair few bibliophiles would surely have preferred some sort of account as to how Darkseid acquired “his ever-growing Omega powers”, or an explanation as to just why so many of the “greatest superheroes in the universe” are willing to “enter the arena in a thunderous tournament where the stakes are sky-high.”

Of course, the main aim of this publication is to generate curiosity in the actual mini-series, and as a teaser this title performs that role rather well. Of particular interest has to be the American author having Superman choose to ‘up’ his power levels even more than normal by wearing some “knuckles with miniature suns raging inside” – something which strongly suggests that the ‘Boy Scout’ is taking absolutely no chances during the imminent tournament.

Quite possibly less satisfactory though are some of Javi Fernandez’s layouts, which debatably make it hard to ascertain just who is who inside Lane’ apartment. Clark is pretty recognisable. However, Diana’s dark hair so closely resembles that of the award-winning journalist for the Daily Planet, that when Lois does emerge from the kitchen as a brown-haired, rather homely-looking lady, it’ll probably take a few onlookers a moment or two to realise just who she is. In addition, Bruce Wayne simply melts into the background due to a complete lack of facial detail, and disappointingly doesn’t even make an impact once inside the Bat-Wing racing to confront Darkseid.

Writer: Scott Snyder, Artist: Javi Fernandez, and Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez