The Infernal Hulk #1 - Marvel Comics

THE INFERNAL HULK No. 1, January 2026

Proudly publicised by its New York City based publisher in August 2025 as “a brand-new take on Hulk” in which “an ancient horror begins its conquest of the Marvel Universe”, and weighing in as the twenty-sixth best-selling comic book of November, many a bibliophile would probably argue that Issue One of “Infernal Hulk” had an awful lot to live up to. Fortunately, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s script succeeds in doing just that by quite literally hurling its audience straight into the thick of things as “the vessel of Eldest” descends upon poor hapless Red Creek, Kentucky, and utterly annihilates the armed forces hastily assembled to meet its threat.

Impressively though, this twenty-five page periodical isn’t simply a senseless, seemingly endless display of gratuitous violence and physical dismemberment either, with the American author cleverly weaving some more ‘humane moments’ into his narrative through the experiences of war hero-turned-local builder David Bridger. This resolute and determined soldier comes across as a character the reader can actually believe in, and resultantly makes the man's gruesome fate towards this tome’s end all the more hauntingly impactful.

Likewise, the creation of the Living City of Gologolthia should hook many a Marvelite with both its grotesque grandeur, as well as the future potential in attracting the attention of such notable super-heroes as Captain America, Spider-Man and the Avengers to its monster-infested streets. Indeed, in many ways “Rise” plays out like a major Summer Event rather than just the debut edition of a new ongoing series, and certainly seems to live up to its writer’s promise that “no corner of the Marvel Universe will be left untouched before the end."

Helping add to the sheer carnage on show throughout Johnson’s sensational storyline are the prodigious pencils of Nic Klein and Matthew Wilson’s colours. Together the creative duo really provide a pulse-poundingly strong sequence of interior visuals, with many a piece of brain matter, internal organ and partially-shredded limb being overtly splattered all over the panel whenever the utterly merciless titular character can get his enormous, purple-hued hands wrapped around a soon-to-be-slaughtered individual; “Bridger. Come down. You said you’d look out for us, Bridger. Remember? You promised.”

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Artist: Nic Klein, and Color Artist: Matthew Wilson

Titans #17 - DC Comics

TITANS No. 17, January 2025

Having rather unconvincingly incapacitated the titular characters' entire roster due to suddenly suffering some “bizarre growth” in the centre of his brain, it probably came as quite a surprise to many of this comic’s readers that the Clock King would subsequently be so easily outwitted just twenty pages later. In fact, William Tockman’s defeat occurs so abruptly at the hands of Donna Troy, that much of John Layman’s storytelling in Issue Seventeen of “Titans” has to heavily rely upon artist Pete Woods padding the book out with a series of lengthy flashback sequences, rather than depict the protagonists making some complicated counter-attack; “No. I- -I didn’t plan for this. I - -I should have anticipated this.”

In addition, just how the former Suicide Squad member is even able to utilise Arsenal’s memories in order to mentally overwhelm the rest of the archer’s team-mates is never explained or explored. Instead, the American author expects his audience to simply accept that the villain has inexplicably gained some sort of extra-sensory, time-manipulation ability following his explosive exposure to Amanda Waller’s stolen super-powers, and is able to almost immediately use it to seek his revenge.

Similarly as unfathomable is debatably Troy’s ability to resist her fears and turn the tables upon Clock King using a shared memory. All the other Titans, including Nightwing, are subconsciously thrown back in time to repeatedly face their greatest nightmares over and over again. Yet somehow Wonder Girl manages to return to a moment “just a few hours old”, and subsequently relive it long enough for the likes of Cyborg, Beast Boy and Starfire to cross over into the recollection too.

Far more successful at entertaining any perusing bibliophiles, though just as bemusing as this publication’s penmanship, are Woods’ aforementioned layouts. The illustrator is very good at bringing some much sought after dynamic energy to Tockman’s dialogue-heavy scenes whenever the criminal is lecturing his helplessly bound prisoners. Furthermore, his splash pages showing the heroes getting beaten up by their most ferocious foes from the past are prodigiously pencilled – such as the horror on Dick Grayson’s face when he witnesses the android Failsafe mercilessly murder Batman with a giant bat-a-rang.

The regular cover art of "TITANS" #17 by Pete Woods

White Tiger: Reborn #1 - Marvel Comics

WHITE TIGER: REBORN No. 1, December 2025

Published by “Marvel Worldwide” to celebrate Hispanic and Latin America Heritage Month, this one-shot special certainly seems to do a good job of assimilating all of the titular character’s dysfunctional backstory, and setting the current wearer of the amulet of power up as a future force to be reckoned with on the streets of the South Bronx. In fact, in many ways Daniel Jose Older’s narrative for “White Tiger: Reborn” arguably reads more like the opening issue of a brand new ongoing series of adventures, rather than just a twenty-page limited release, and doubtless left many a bibliophile desperate to learn more about Ava Ayala’s new found powers, as well has her exploits alongside the private detective Nathaniel Blackbyrd.

Of particular note has to be the way in which the “superstar writer” has the “fifth incarnation of White Tiger” initially demonstrate her naivety to crime-fighting by falling hook, line and sinker for D’Spayre’s spectral shenanigans. Then impressively regain her composure when she realises the Fear God is simply feeding off her dead brother's past sorrows. Such intelligence shows there’s a lot more to this particular human mutate than just being a hot-headed, angry at the entire world vigilante, and provides some conviction to the notion that the woman won’t just be borrowing the mantle of the White Tiger, but actually owning it.

Also helping to successfully sell this yarn is Bruno Abdias, who does a splendid job of showing just how catlike Ayala’s physical movements are. Admittedly, some of the panels showing a disembodied ghost of Hector look a bit cluttered and clumsily composed. However, by the time D’Spayre is receiving his just comeuppance the Top Cow Talent Hunt Winner has clearly gotten into his stride, and does a marvellous job of super-imposing the claws of a great cat over the White Tiger’s far less sizeable fists; “This power surging through me! It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt!”

Far less impactful, though still a fun enough experience, is this publication’s second tale “Song Of The Coqui” by Cynthia Pelayo and artist Moises Hidalgo. Rather simplistic in its basic plot, as a group of Roxxon operatives storm a seemingly harmless talk at the Bronx Zoo, this five-pager shows just how much of a guiding light Hector’s phantom may well be in the future, and also brings Aya closer to her estranged cousin-turned-predecessor Angela Del Toro.

The regular cover art of "WHITE TIGER: REBORN" #1 by Mike Hawthorne & Federico Blee

Titans #16 - DC Comics

TITANS No. 16, December 2024

Set during the aftermath of DC Comics’ “Absolute Power” major storyline in which “Amanda Waller seized power and launched a worldwide crackdown on superheroes”, John Layman’s script for “Stitches In Time” doesn’t waste much sheet space in bringing any readers ignorant of the four-issue mini-series up to speed with its consequences. Indeed, for those within this nineteen-page periodical’s audience who never even encountered one of the 2024 event’s numerous tie-in titles, the sheer sense of disorientation with the super-team’s sudden roster changes must have been incredibly disconcerting at best; “You’re okay with this, Donna? Me coming back onboard the Titans?”

Foremost of these ‘swaps’ is debatably Arsenal’s unexpected decision to re-join the group, and then immediately begin to become upset when he realises that the Flash isn’t staying on, or that Nightwing will be leading him. Whether intentional or not, this discontent, coupled with Roy Harper’s arrogantly brazen attitude towards an extra-terrestrial incident aboard the Justice League’s Watchtower marks his character out as being particularly disagreeable, and simply doesn’t bode well for those bibliophiles who buy this book for its ‘family feeling’.

Furthermore, the American author doesn’t portray poor Garfield Logan in much of a good light either, with the hapless shape-shifter being depicted as a bit of a well-meaning buffoon who inadvertently puts his team-mates in jeopardy when he enrages a massively-fanged Tamaranean Carcaline. Admittedly, this mix-up is perhaps penned for laughs by the former editor for “Wildstorm” – or at least to inject a predominantly dialogue-driven comic with a bit of action. But any sense of humour is soon dispelled by the Question’s seething response to Beast Boy’s behaviour, and her all-too quick retort that it's not the first “sloppy mistake that could easily have ended in disaster” that he’s made recently.

Disappointingly, even Pete Woods’ pencils and colours arguably don’t help sell the word-heavy narrative either, with the Harvey Award-nominee’s clean lined figures appearing a little stiff-looking during some of the action sequences. Having said that though, the artist’s use of blurred figures to emphasize a sense of depth to his panels is absolutely first-rate, with the Clock King kicking Arsenal unconscious being one of the visual highlights of this entire publication.

The regular cover art of "TITANS" #16 by Pete Woods

Alien Verses Captain America #1 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN VERSES CAPTAIN AMERICA No. 1, January 2026

Announced at San Diego Comic-Con's Retailer Panel in July 2025, this four-part mini-series’ opening issue perhaps a little surprisingly focuses far more upon Baron Wolfgang von Strucker’s desperate search for a new weapon which will turn the tide of World War Two in the Red Skull’s favour than anything America’s Sentinel of Liberty is concerned with during 1944. But in doing so, Frank Tieri pens a thoroughly absorbing expedition to find “the fabled city of Attilan”, and a genuinely terrifying introduction to Twentieth Century Studios’ deadly race of killer xenomorphs.

Indeed, buried beneath the Himalayas and assaulted from every side by a small army of lightning-fast Facehuggers, it actually appears that the High Commander of Hydra himself may well succumb to the merciless aliens – just as the hapless Inhuman royal family apparently did some centuries before him. Fortuitously however, at least for the goose-stepping fascist super-villain, the human mutate’s Satan Claw provides the war criminal with just enough of an edge to escape such a horrible demise with a single, captive specimen, and subsequently plunge an already exhausted France into utter darkness; “Les monstres. We were…used as test subjects, oui? To breed… whatever those things are.”

Of course, the titular Captain America does eventually make a rather memorable appearance at this comic’s very end, when he thwarts an infant alien’s attempt to successfully escape Sergeant Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos. However, rather than be warmly welcomed by his fellow veteran, Steve Rogers (and Bucky Barnes) are quite shockingly met with angry resentment and hostility – something which bodes ill for the Silver Age of Comics characters working well together throughout the rest of this adventure.

Equally as on-form as this twenty-five-page periodical’s Brooklyn-born writer is artist Stefano Raffaele, whose layouts do a first-rate job in capturing all of Strucker’s uncompromising haughtiness and the Xenomorphs’ sheer deadliness in either a claustrophobically confined tomb or the initially idyllic, open space of a French village. Of particular note though has to be the Italian illustrator’s ability to harness all the chilling cold a reader would expect of anyone foolish enough to hike the snowy mountaintops of the Earth's highest peaks whilst doggedly looking for a potentially mythical, long-lost civilisation.

Writer: Frank Tieri, Artist: Stefano Raffaele, and Color Artist: Neeraj Menon

Conan The Barbarian #25 - Titan Comics

CONAN THE BARBARIAN No. 25, November 2025

Despite an arguably slow start to this “spectacular extra-sized twenty-fifth issue”, and a rather worrying insistence by its Canadian author to simply depict a series of nostalgic-flavoured flashbacks featuring some of Conan’s earliest adventures, “The Nomad” eventually takes on an intriguing life all of its own, and actually ends on a rather clever note that will surely have many a reader returning to this comic’s opening page for a re-read. Indeed, Jim Zub’s plan to craft a mysterious, almost hypnotic, white-skinned wanderer as the actual chronicler who pens the Cimmerian’s numerous exploits throughout the Hyborian Age is really well executed, and soundly sells the notion that the hooded wanderer’s gift of immortality to Aquilonia’s monarch is far more complex than merely making the aged King physically exist beyond the norm.

Furthermore, once the Animex Honorary Award-winner steers his ship away from merely retreading Robert E. Howard’s original short stories such as “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter”, the mix of old monsters and new predicaments proves rather exhilarating – especially when it comes to the ape-like Thak crucifying the barbarian whilst the terrifying Satha the Old One evilly watches on; “Life’s blood-rich wine still stings my palate, and I have not yet had my fill.”

Also well worthy of a mention, and a revisit, is the tension gradually built up by the disconcerting presence of the traveller before he ‘strikes’ during a grand feast. Admittedly, such is the patience shown by this book’s writer to reach this point in his narrative that a fair few bibliophiles might start to get a little tired of all the apprehension supposedly filling Conan’s royal courtiers. But with hindsight, the disquiet of Pallantides, the outrage of Publius, and loving concern of Zenobia, all help establish just how serious the situation is whilst the “tattered man” dwells within the grand gates of Tarantia.

Lastly, much of this “fully painted” periodical’s success also rests upon the shoulders of Alex Horley, whose artwork genuinely captures all the rich, colourfully vibrant life a sword and sorcery fan might envisage when visiting Howard’s Flower of the West. Of particular note has to be the illustration on canvas of this tale’s ‘antagonist’ dutifully approaching the Capital of Aquilonia, with the diminutive figure being absolutely dwarfed by the city’s huge walls and ornate entranceway.

The regular cover art of "CONAN THE BARBARIAN" #25 by Alex Horley

The Incredible Hulk [2023] #30 - Marvel Comics

THE INCREDIBLE HULK No. 30, December 2025

Whilst this “end of an era” certainly seemed to enjoy some success in October 2025 by becoming the thirty-third best-selling comic of the month, it’s probably not all that likely that the majority of its readers agreed with its New York City-based publisher’s claim that the book was a “landmark issue”. Furthermore, despite the title’s claim in its solicitation, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s script doesn’t really feature the return of the Abomination either. But rather disappointingly, just poor Emil Blonsky’s corpse being possessed by Eldest; “Your flesh is mine!!! All flesh is mine!!! Give it to me!!!”

However, arguably this twenty-page periodical’s biggest problem is that it simply doesn’t address any of the ongoing series’ numerous plot-threads, such as the fates of Betty Ross, Doctor Voodoo or even Charlie Tidwell. In fact, none of these supporting cast members even appear in this heavily publicised “rematch to the death”, and are simply shelved off-screen in favour of Eldest apparently having the power to shockingly reach inside the founding Avenger’s chest cavity and quite literally pull Bruce Banner’s gore-splattered persona from out of it.

So sickening a spectacle is certainly as stomach-churning as it is dramatic. Yet even in victory, the Hulk’s arch-nemesis is then regrettably shown to have battled her way through countless gamma-infused characters for nothing, as the firstborn of Vinruvie soon discovers that the Mother of Horrors has actually withered and died whilst languishing in chains many moons ago. Such a lack-lustre fate for a villain who has repeatedly been plugged by this comic’s American author as being so formidable she was even capable of deposing the One Above All must surely have struck many as being something of a major cop out – and doubtless done purely to ensure the majority of this title’s audience move over to the writer’s next project “Infernal Hulk”.

Far more entertaining than this book’s narrative are Nic Klein’s layouts, which provide a truly eye-wateringly painful bout of fisticuffs between Banner's green skinned alter-ego and the aforementioned Eldest/Abomination. Any onlooker should really fell the exchange of bone-shattering blows, especially once the Green Goliath takes hold of a truly gigantic chained skull, and unceremoniously bashes Blonsky’s animated cadaver straight into the next panel.

The regular cover art of "THE INCREDIBLE HULK" #30 by Nic Klein