Star Wars: Jedi Knights #10 - Marvel Comics

STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS No. 10, February 2026

Supposedly revealing “the great mystery of the fan-favourite series… at last” Marc Guggenheim’s debatably overly simplistic narrative for Issue Ten of “Star Wars: Jedi Knights” probably left its readers with far more questions than actual answers. Indeed, the rather bizarre twenty-page-plot appears to unconvincingly blame the anger-fuelled advice of Count Dooku for all of Qui-Gon Jinn’s problems on Sinsara without ever really demonstrating just why the Jedi were subsequently banned from visiting the planet ever again.

True, the legendary Jedi Master definitely causes the Order to leave a dark stain upon the world’s surface when the future Sith Lord cuts down a good dozen or so of the criminally-inclined Behru during a past adventure. But to be fair to the small army of lawbreakers were about to kill both the “political idealist” and his young Padawan if he didn’t defend himself; “Step away and stand down. Or I will not be responsible for the consequences.”

Furthermore, the much-hyped “Saga of Corlis Rath” ends with Jinn simply talking his foe down and then letting the deadly assassin leave despite having cold-bloodedly murdered Master Fondar Etzis. As Obi-Wan Kenobi points out himself this show of clemency arguably makes little real sense, no matter how guilty Qui-Gon is supposedly feeling for his old Master’s mass slaughter, and leaves the crime of killing a wholly innocent Jedi Knight – as well an attack upon Mace Windu and Aayla Secura, go disconcertingly unpunished.

Lastly, many a bibliophile will probably be scratching their heads as to exactly what a young Jinn did wrong in the first place to cause Dooku to have to step in to save him. Apparently the Padawan was allowed to fight his seemingly unarmed opponent in the past with his light-sabre. Yet wasn’t permitted to knock his foe off of their feet using “Jedi witchcraft!” Just why this rule was put in place is never explained, nor why the Count of House Serenno is responsible for his inexperienced protégé utilising such a ploy during the fight.!?!

Disappointingly, even Madibek Musabekov’s pencils are a little questionable at times for this book, courtesy of some dubious flashback sequences which never really make it clear just how Qui-Gon is temporarily disarmed during his dual, or why the then Padawan’s subsequent sabre-strike causes such outrage – particularly when it clearly doesn’t kill Rath, just momentarily incapacitates him.

The regular cover art of "STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS" #10 by Madibek Musabekov & Jesus Aburtov

Superman/Spiderman #1 - DC Comics/Marvel Worldwide [Part Two]

SUPERMAN/SPIDER-MAN No. 1, May 2026

Arguably providing part of the meat within this Superman/Spider-Man sandwich, Christopher Priest’s “Pages” is something of a surprisingly odd tale which attempts to show Peter Parker’s symbiote-suited alter-ego that he is actually a comic book character. Indeed, the entire premise behind this eight-page plot is that Superboy Prime requires “your friendly neighbourhood” crime-fighter’s spider-sense to help him find his own world from “inside one of millions of turning pages.”

Coupled with several mind-bending panels pencilled by Daniel Sampere which depict the unlikely duo flying through a vortex littered with various printed publications, as well as a somewhat bizarre appearance by the High Evolutionary as the villain of the piece, it’s doubtful that many within this yarn’s audience will find its narrative very satisfying. Furthermore, the tale frustratingly ends just as the pair settle their differences with one another’s motivations and decide to tackle Herbert Edgar Wyndham’s cybernetic form head-on; “If we take out Evo’s sentient armour, we might have half a shot at this…”

Unfortunately this stance of ending the story just as the lead protagonists form an understanding with one another also badly haunts Sean Murphy’s “Beyond The Cobwebs Of Tomorrow”, as it concludes just as a disconcertingly thin-looking Superboy, Batman (Beyond) and Spider-Man 2099 form an alliance to take down Lex Luthor “in the near future.” This five-pager genuinely has plenty of potential with such an intriguing roster. But then literally comes to a disappointing stop once the Kryptonian youngster decides to lead the trio off to find the ever devious owner of LexCorp somewhere in outer space.

By far this anthology’s biggest surprise though is surely “Jimmy Con Carnage” which rather unceremoniously plonks photographer Jimmy Olsen before J. Jonah Jameson at the Daily Bugle. Penned by Matt Fraction and drawn by Steve Lieber, this astonishingly brief anecdote initially appears to be a rather fun, tongue-in-cheek account of “Superman’s Pal” trying to get a picture or two of Spider-Man before he’s fired from his new job. However, things very quickly turn decidedly dark once the young man unwisely takes a stroll down a blind alley in Manhattan and is quite literally disembowelled to death by the mass-murdering Cletus Kasady/Carnage before his trademark Superman Signal Watch can update its firmware.

Writers: Christopher Priest, Sean Murphy & Matt Fraction, and Artists: Daniel Sampere, Sean Murphy & Steve Lieber

Star Wars: Jedi Knights #9 - Marvel Comics

STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS No. 9, January 2026

Whilst the character of Qui-Gon Jinn has arguably always been depicted as something of a head-strong, “maverick Jedi Master”. It is probably to fair to say he has never been shown to be downright rude, especially to those around him. Yet that’s precisely the sort of disagreeable attitude Count Dooku’s former protégé appears to suffer with in Marc Guggenheim’s script for Issue Nine of “Star Wars: Jedi Knights”. Indeed, considering that the basic premise of this comic’s plot is presumably to illustrate the marked difference between the “well-respected member of the Jedi Order” and his eventual Sith-corrupted master, the “Force-sensitive human male” appears at times to be just as rude and arrogant.

By far the best example of this hubris comes when Ginn decides to pay the Jedi Archives a visit on Coruscant and encounters the Chief Librarian Jocasta Nu. During this meeting Qui-Gon not only quickly dismisses the possibility that the learned bookworm can assist him with his research into “whether it’s possible for someone to alter their appearance.” But then condescendingly rejects the elderly woman’s belief that his assassin was a Sinsaran when the killer was; “But this man looks nothing like that species.”

Furthermore, many readers may well be scratching their heads as to what a young Ginn was supposed to do next during a lengthy flashback sequence to his days of being a Padawan, when the incredibly aggressive and hostile leader of the Behru attacks him after he’s tried to “negotiate a mutually beneficial cessation of hostilities.” It seems pretty clear that his would-be killers don’t appreciate anything except brute force. However, the supposedly older and far wiser Qui-Gon admonishes the Count of House Serenno for advising him back in the past to subsequently fight the murderous criminals once the Jedi’s good intentions had failed.

Equally as unsettling as the American author’s penmanship for this twenty-page-periodical is debatably many of Madibek Musabekov’s design choices – the first of which has to be the disconcerting pencils showing Ginn waking up from a hospital bed, as opposed to the artist possibly considering having the Jedi Knight be treated for his near fatal injuries inside a Bacta tank.? In addition, some bibliophiles may well feel that the illustrator’s handling of a young(ish) Dooku and Qui-Gon look little like their usually recognisable selves, with Obi-Wan Kenobi’s future master appearing far closer to that of Luke Skywalker than anyone else.

The regular cover art of "STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS" #9 by Madibek Musabekov & Jesus Aburtov

The Infernal Hulk #8 - Marvel Comics

THE INFERNAL HULK No. 8, August 2026

There’s probably some sort of reasonably acceptable plot lurking beneath the surface of “Beasts Of The Sanguine Tree” considering that within its narrative the “Earth's Mightiest Heroes reunite to stop [the] Infernal Hulk.” But due to Adam Gorham’s debatably disappointing pencils, many of its readers will surely struggle to enjoy its multiple plot-threads; most notably that involving Skaar and a sudden horde of underground dwelling goblins; “The Rutlings are not your concern. Leave this place.” 

To begin with it’s not made terribly clear from the Canadian illustrator’s layouts just what is happening when the titular character pays a visit to the resting place of Reverend Jonah Deveaux, and somehow utilises the Pious Gardener’s tree-growing abilities along with those of Glob Herman and the Multiple Man to create an enormous fruit-bearing conifer. Clearly this nefarious giant plant is going to cause the planet's population some problems in the near future. However, it’s genuinely difficult to see just what is going on with the ever growing evergreen from the various panels sketched of its diabolical birth.

Likewise the majority of onlookers will arguably have to wait until Doctor Banner calls General Thunderbolt Ross’s daughter by her first name before they twig Bruce is actually phoning up his ex-wife in Munchie, Indiana. This ultimately fiery exchange between the former couple is then made all the more bemusing by “your friendly neighbourhood comic artist” drawing the clearly angry woman either purposely self-harming herself by digging her fingernails into her arm as she attempts to make contact with her father, or inadvertently reopening the wounds she caused a few nights earlier when she freaked out over being unable to open a pot of ice cream.

Perhaps the biggest head-scratcher though is just how easily it appears the Avengers manage to penetrate down through the Earth’s crust in one of their quinjets and quickly discover the subterranean level lived on during “another Age of Monsters.” Now admittedly the planet’s surface has been somewhat recently ravaged by the Infernal Hulk’s recent (re)raising of the Living City and Iron Man’s “overpowered strike force.” But according to Gorham’s all-too brief depiction of Tony Stark piloting the flying vessel their journey is simply a matter of moments before they crash-land near the cavern hosting the mystical, all-healing tree supposedly made from God’s Blood.

The regular cover art of "INFERNAL HULK" #8 by Nic Klein

Superman/Spider-Man #1 - DC Comics/Marvel Worldwide [Part One]

SUPERMAN/SPIDER-MAN No. 1, May 2026

It’s probably a tough task to open up a publication specifically touted as celebrating fifty years of DC/Marvel crossovers. But Mark Waid’s “Truth, Justice And Great Responsibility” arguably does it rather well, thanks largely to its American author wasting absolutely no time in explaining how the two leading comic book franchises somehow share a merged existence together, and instead simply throwing his audience knee-deep into an enthralling adventure which sees Doctor Octopus and Brainiac joining forces to ensure that “world upon world will bow before the genius of Otto Octavius.”

Furthermore, the notion of the Daily Bugle’s photographer and Daily Planet’s reporter sharing an assignment together makes perfect sense, and logically allows the story’s protagonists to soon get into combat with their deadly adversaries. Splendidly sketched by Jorge Jimenez, these face-offs even contain a few surprises for fans of such team-ups, most notable of which is Superman encountering Doc Ock wielding a set of arms powered by synthetic Kryptonite; “I read about you… before the accident that turned you..! It’s not too late… to reform..!”

Similarly as scintillating has to be this anthology’s second yarn “The World’s Finest”, which rather cleverly follows the exploits of Lois Lane and Mary Jane as their beloveds battle a giant Sentinel-248. Penned by Tom King and dynamically drawn by Jim Lee, this nine-pager provides a genuinely intriguing insight into the lives of two of the central protagonist’s most beloved secondary cast members. Indeed, the sheer number of coincidences between the two characters is sincerely surprising as the women swap numerous notes with one another as to how dangerous their lives are.

In addition, the tale features a rather impressive cameo by Gambit, as the X-Man comes to both Spider-Man and Superman’s aid as they tackle their huge indestructible foe. However, this short-lived appearance by the smooth-talking Cajan mutant is also particularly welcome as it subsequently provides Lois with a wonderful moment in the spotlight as she scrambles around in her handbag for the set of playing cards she uses to gain detainee access with a guard at Stryker’s Island - a deck which is immediately put to good use by Chris Claremont’s co-creation, and brings the pulse-pounding punch-up to a suitably satisfying end.

Writers: Mark Waid & Tom King, and Artists: Jorge Jimenez & Jim Lee

Star Wars: Jedi Knights #8 - Marvel Comics

STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS No. 8, December 2025

It’s debatably somewhat difficult to determine whether Marc Guggenheim purposely penned the central character in this story to be so dislikeable, or if the American screenwriter just inadvertently caused Soona Taj to be the main reason behind poor Seera Longa and Berem Khana’s pointless deaths. In fact, the New York City-born novelist actually does a good job of making the two “recently knighted” secondary cast members pretty disagreeable too when they place the entire onus of becoming a Jedi upon the shoulders of one so insanely young; “How can anyone that small make a decision so huge?”

This aversion for the main trio arguably makes it a tad tough to feel much pity for the Force Users when they rather naively fall for a space pirate ruse and land aboard the villains' vessel expecting to simply fix their ship's engines. Sure, the soon-to-be-dead heroes were initially trying to help its crew – which even the young child understands they must do. But the pair genuinely appear to be holding their own against their would-be-killers until the infant decides to ignore their order to safely remain aboard their T-6 Shuttle and promptly blunders right into the middle of a desperate firefight.

Such disobedience also makes it somewhat hard to swallow Kelleran Beq's claim that the Youngling is apparently “a very brave little girl” after he has to conveniently arrive to ‘save the day' and free her from a cell. This high praise however is then sensationally overshadowed when Soona suddenly manifests enough power to hurl the pirate’s captain to his doom, and then, without any training whatsoever, uses her force abilities to call one of her dead recruiters’ light-sabres and outrageously joins the supposed "fan-favourite Jedi" in his battle against the remaining bandits.

Easily this comic’s most intriguing element is therefore Madibek Musabekov’s layouts which depict the narrative exclusively from the perspective of Taj. This technique certainly is quite unusual from how most books are presented these days. Yet is also means that anyone can plainly see Seera’s shocked expression at seeing Soona appear behind her when the Jedi Knight is busy fending off the pirates, and her resultant death due to being fully focused upon the child rather than the laser-gun-toting despots trying to kill her. To make matters worse, the author desperately tries to fool his audience by suggesting that that the Pirate were “just lucky” when they gunned down Longa and Khana, when through the pencilled panels it's clear that the tiny child's presence caused both their downfalls.

The regular cover art of "STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS" #8 by Madibek Musabekov & Jesus Aburtov

Deadly Hands Of K'un-Lun #4 - Marvel Comics

DEADLY HANDS OF K'UN-LUN No. 4, July 2026

For those bibliophiles whose heads weren’t spinning following this comic’s opening summary of events, the book’s subsequent twenty-pages of almost endless kung-fu fighters and immortal weapons most surely will. Indeed, whilst the New York City-based publisher may claim that this issue of the mini-series is “its most epic chapter yet”, it is also arguably it’s most disorientating instalment too as Danny Rand pops up out of no-where to momentarily save the day and approximately “fifty Iron Fists” summon their inner chi to help the now one-armed Lin Lie transform into some sort of living armament; “Go, Pei, keep Shou-Lao’s egg safe!”

Of course, some critics of Yifan Jiang’s script may well point out that few readers will actually understand much, if any, of what the numerous plot-threads throws at them - such as just how the likes of Elektra (Daredevil) and the White Tiger ever joined the multi-dimensional fight to thwart Chiyou’s return to the Earth in the first place. But for those onlookers who enjoy simply being caught up in a publication-long, pulse-pounding punch-up, “Instant Karma” undeniably delivers and is well worth holding on tight for.

In addition, it’s hard not to get completely wrapped up in the writer’s enthusiasm for having so many of the Marvel Universe’s top martial artists battling it out against one another in a single title, even if the author’s numerous attempts to explain just what is going on via a plethora of text boxes falls significantly short of its purpose. The best thing for a reader to do really is to just let any semblance of sense wash right over them, and to merely enjoy the evident big bad guy’s apparent fall from grace once “Tiger’s faithful daughter’s necklace” is smashed into so many impotent, red-coloured beads.

Similarly as smashing as this comic’s scintillating speed and adrenaline-fueled action has to be illustrators Paco Medina & Alessandro Miracolo’s prodigiously pencilled panels, which bring life to so many different faces and figures. The pair somehow seem to miraculously imbue the entire cast of warriors within this book with both palpable emotion and convincing determination to succeed, as well as help push the audience along whenever the penmanship debatably doesn’t really manage to make it terribly clear just what is happening during a deadly tussle or encounter.

The regular cover art of "DEADLY HANDS OF K'UN-LUN" #4 by Leinil Francis Yu