Space Ghost Annual 2025 - Dynamite Entertainment

SPACE GHOST ANNUAL 2025, June 2025

Weighing in with a fairly hefty twenty-eight pages, David Pepose’s narrative for this “very first Space Ghost Annual” may well have proved rather bamboozling for any readers hoping to just jump on on board the title for their first ride. For whilst the comic’s plot is absolutely packed full of dynamic action sequences and the odd emotional moment, it's far from being an accessible standalone story, and instead just carries straight on “after the thrilling events of Issue Twelve’s second-story-arc finale” with absolutely no exposition whatsoever; “Ever since the dawn of time, chaos and corruption have infected this universe…”

Indeed, even for those long-time fans of this ongoing series the revelation that Robo Corp’s nefarious leader Doctor Xander Ibal has somehow been completely “consumed by the infinite singularity of Ultima” may well come as something of a shock considering that the unscrupulous scientist has only just activated the artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the sheer speed in which the evil computer takes over the minds of almost all of the galaxy’s inhabitants repeatedly begs the question as to how it’s doing such a thing, as well as why it needs a little monkey known as the Binary Language Integrated Prototype to do so..?

Disappointingly, this book also seemingly suffers from some unconvincing developments such as Jace deciding he needs to undertake a lengthy spacecraft chase outside Robo Corp Tower so as to distract Ultima. Bearing in mind the Collective is already capable of simultaneously seeing through billions of different eyes and controls multiple satellites, why would it decide to focus so much of its attention upon a smart-mouthed boy who is clearly distracting it as part of a much wider ruse..?

By far this annual’s biggest asset therefore lies with the pencilling of Jonathan Lau and Andrew Dalhouse’s colours. The artistic duo do a great job in depicting a decidedly disconcerting view of a galaxy where every inhabitant serves a single unified purpose, and this then really helps emphasise the terror experienced by the few citizens who have a natural resistance to Ultima’s mind-controlling power. In addition, this publication’s visuals definitely don’t lack for plenty of zip, whether it be Jan running to reprogramme the Collective at its central core, or Space Ghost blasting into orbit in a desperate attempt to free his brain of the Collective's zombifying signal.

The regular cover art of "SPACE GHOST" ANNUAL 2025 by Francesco Mattina

Moon Knight [2023] Annual #1 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT ANNUAL No. 1, August 2023

It's probably pretty easy to see just why Stephanie Phillips’ "Contest of Chaos" crossover storyline “received mixed to negative reviews from critics” if the plot to this particular “Moon Knight” annual is indicative of the overarching narrative’s questionable quality. For whilst Jed MacKay’s script undeniably contains a high-octane skirmish between the titular character and lesser-known South Korean super-hero Taegukgi, the context for the confrontation, along with some bizarre jumps through various multiple-universe hoops, arguably makes for an utterly exhausting experience; “What the hell is happening to me? Was I a Mummy?”

To begin with the entire “power-packed showdown” is created by both protagonists supposedly being drawn to the New Jersey Pine Barrens by a load of mysterious, mind-bending Etsium crystals. This contrivance in itself is pretty unconvincing – especially as it means Tae-Won must travel over six and a half thousand miles to reach his destination and apparently cross into American airspace without permission. But debatably becomes even more manufactured when “Tiger Division's fearless leader” tries to take some moral high ground as to the Fist of Khonshu being the one who is “a long way from home.”

Disappointingly, Agatha Harkness’ rejuvenated presence doesn’t seemingly work for this yarn either, with the “ancient and formidable sorceress” repeatedly breaking the ‘Fourth Wall’ in order to explain to the audience what is actually going on. This rather clunkily-delivered monologue quite quickly starts to grate upon the senses, as it repeatedly throws the reader out of any moment the quite lively, publication-long punch-up occasionally generates, and predominantly makes little sense anyway – unless any perusing bibliophile is particularly interested in the witch’s class on “pure, uncut chaos magic [being] accreted into physical form” or Marc Spector becoming “the patricidal God of the Moon” having taken his title from “the father he murdered.”

With all this in mind though, the layouts for this comic book event’s fourth instalment are prodigiously pencilled by Creees Lee and coloured by Arif Prianto. Between them the artists provide Don Perlin’s co-creation with an especially impressive-looking costume, and certainly give the twenty-two page periodical a genuinely surreal moment when a beheaded Immortal Moon Knight is beaten senseless with his own severed arm by an anthropomorphic Taegukgi.

Writer: Jed MacKay, Artist: Creees Lee, and Color Artist: Arif Prianto

Moon Knight [2021] Annual #1 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT ANNUAL No. 1, December 2022

Undeniably containing plenty of spooky shenanigans, courtesy of a script which is chock-full of Werewolves, Vampires and super-heroes, Jed MacKay’s penmanship for this annual must have pleased the vast majority of its audience upon its release in October 2022. But whilst the Canadian writer does a sterling job in setting up a seemingly no-win situation for the titular character as he faces arch-nemesis Jack Russell in a supposed battle for Diatrice Alraune’s life, some of the contrivances which need to occur for the Darkhold’s prophecy to occur and subsequently fail are a little hard to believe; “I’ve come a long way from Malibu, Marc. I realised that this curse wasn’t about me.”

For openers, Marlene’s accusation that her daughter’s abduction at the hands of the original Werewolf by Night is all Moon Knight’s fault is a bit far-fetched, considering she is the person who bought the young girl back to America from the safety of France because “I thought we would be okay.” Sure, the adolescent was kidnapped by lycanthropes in order to impel the Fist of Khonshu into a ‘final’ showdown with the Legion of Monsters member. But none of the events depicted within this thirty-page tome would ever have taken place if the woman hadn’t unwisely chosen to attend her ex-husband’s funeral and brought Diatrice with her.

Furthermore, if all the former West Coast Avenger had to do was wait until “the terrestrial alignment or whatever is over” for Russell’s plan to fail, then why didn’t he do just that once Yehya Badr informed him about the prediction’s crucial planetary orientation.? Instead, this publication’s protagonists recklessly smash a silver-laden automobile straight through the front door of Jack’s hideout, violently wade into a pack of werewolves and resultantly repeatedly risk the girl’s life before she testily admonishes them herself once the configuration is over.

Happily however, those bibliophiles able to overlook these quibbles should still find this comic to be a rather enjoyable, pulse-pounding publication, largely thanks to some prodigious pencilling by Federico Sabbatini. Indeed, the Italian illustrator’s ability to sketch Spector’s shrouded alter-ego smacking both Russell and his fur-covered cronies about is one of the highlights of this book, alongside Khonshu’s evil-looking shadow as the Egyptian deity urges Hunter’s Moon to cold-bloodedly kill Diatrice once he finds her.

Writer: Jed MacKay, Artist: Federico Sabbatini, and Color Artist: Rachelle Rosenberg

Alien Annual #1 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN ANNUAL No. 1, December 2023

Described by its New York City-based publishers as “a frightening new chapter in the Alien mythos” which “launches a war between Xenomorphs”, Declan Shalvey’s storyline for this first “Alien Annual” is certainly crammed full of ferocious close combat and buckets of flesh-burning acidic blood. Indeed, considering just how many different extra-terrestrials are shown swarming across the frozen surface of Moon LV-695, only the most studious of franchise fans will arguably have the fortitude and patience to tally-up the thirty-page periodical’s horrendous kill count.

Such an unrelenting assault upon the readers’ senses is probably manna from heaven for any adrenalin junkies, considering that this publication almost entirely consists of panels depicting the different species lopping off one another’s heads or being lethally burnt straight through to their innards. But by the time the plot moves on to the original invaders’ Queen facing off against her prodigal sons’ equally-formidable monarch, many within the comic’s audience will surely have grown numb to such gratuitous violence and yearn for more sedentary scenes, such as when the satellite’s native inhabitants momentarily gather their wits by a drinking pool following their initial fracas with H. R. Giger’s deadly creatures.

Perhaps this book’s biggest hurdle however, lies with its complete lack of dialogue. This intriguing storytelling technique certainly seems to work at the beginning of the adventure, as the Irish writer pens the sudden, fiery arrival of a derelict interstellar spacecraft from the perspective of the planet’s giant, spidery-like denizens. Yet, as the narrative continues with sheet after seemingly endless sheet of six-to-seven panels, many a perusing bibliophile will debatably start losing interest; “Whrrrr! Hssssss! Skreee!”

Undeniably therefore shouldering the lion’s share of this one-shot’s workload is Danny Earls, who for the most part seemingly does a proficient enough job pencilling all the different competing lifeforms. In fact, one of the artist’s biggest successes is selling the surprising difference in size between the Aliens and their much larger intended hosts. This contrast is particularly well envisaged when one of the moon’s carnivores starts biting away at a swarm of incoming face-huggers, and to its horror receives a disfiguring shower of bright green acid for its troubles.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN ANNUAL" #1 by Declan Shalvey

Star Trek: Annual 2023 - IDW Publishing

STAR TREK: ANNUAL 2023, May 2023

For those casual fans of Gene Roddenberry's universe who are unfamiliar with “IDW’s brand-new, flagship Star Trek ongoing series that goes where no comic has gone before”, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly’s narrative for this thirty-two-page annual was probably a bemusing gestalt of all the science fiction franchise’s past incarnations, what with the likes of James Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Tom Paris, Mister Data and numerous other notable characters all being prodigiously pencilled by Rachael Stott throughout this book. True, “the critically acclaimed” duo do at least attempt to explain just how Montgomery Scott happens to be the Chief Engineer of the U.S.S. Theseus following the Emissary of the Prophets’ return from a Bajoran Wormhole. But the script unrelentingly throws so many other “Starfleet legends” at its audience that only the most diehard of Trekkies won't become confused as to just who is real and who is a holographic replica.

Similarly as perplexing is the publication’s plot, which arguably takes an inordinately long time to explain that the experimental starship’s holodeck technology has become self-aware. This notion is definitely an intriguing one that borrows heavily from Naren Shankar’s televised episode “The Quality of Life” featuring some sentient utility robots. However, in order to pad out this over-sized one-shot, the creative team seemingly attempt to have the audience somewhat wearisomely visit almost every iconic vessel ever seen on the small or big screen – whether that be the warp five capable NX-01 Enterprise, the Napoleonic era H.M.S. Enterprise, or Doctor Cochrane’s Phoenix - before penning this revelation.

Quite possibly this comic’s biggest disappointment though debatably lies with its depiction of “Starfleet's youngest starship captain”, who towards of end of the story is probably the closest it has to an antagonist. Repeatedly insisting that things be destroyed, annihilated, and even threatening to kill Sisko at one point with a phaser, this computer-generated duplicate is obviously a far cry from the genuine Jim Kirk. Yet considering that all the other artificial programs made manifest seemingly behave as per their true-life counterparts it seems odd the writers would choose this particular personality as the adversary. Unless its more than coincidence that this book was produced at a time when “StarTrek.com” would feel it necessary to post an article defending actor William Shatner's role from an increasingly popular bandwagon of ill-founded criticism and derision.

Writers: Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing, and Artist: Rachael Stott

Dungeons & Dragons Annual 2022 - IDW Publishing

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ANNUAL 2022, August 2022

Enthusiastically described by “IDW Publishing” as a “special self-contained issue that’s perfect for new readers and gaming fans alike”, Jim Zub and Ryan Cady’s two yarns for the “Dungeons & Dragons Annual 2022” certainly seem to live up to their hype. Indeed, as was probably intended, the authors’ exploration of the Feywild Realm will doubtless pique the interest of this comic’s audience so much so that many may well consider purchasing “The Wild Beyond The Witchlight” adventure sourcebook upon which its narratives are inspired; “Once every eight years, a piece of the Feywild returns to enrapture and entertain the good people of this town.”

First up is arguably the meatier adventure of the book, “Lost & Found”, which sees “fan-favourite D&D writer” Zub take the reader on a fun-packed romp full of humanoid rabbit warriors, wyrmling-guarded cottages and super-cute Owl-bears. The penmanship for this thirty-page escapade proves particularly effective as it will surely cause many a bibliophile to initially dislike its lead protagonist Billi Sharpe right up until the young rogue’s mysterious (and decidedly tragic) background story is revealed – after which they’ll probably be rooting her on as she desperately tries to rescue her brother from the clutches of a truly despicable old witch.

Somewhat reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel”, along with a sprinkle of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice In Wonderland”, this fable is also quite cleverly bookended by artist Eduardo Mello, with Kyler Clodfelter tackling all the interior illustrations once Sharpe has taken the plunge through one of Witchlight’s numerous looking glasses. This visual emphasise that both the thief’s world, as well as its rules, have radically changed genuinely helps reinforce her character’s edgy nervousness at being placed in an entirely unknown environment, and also adds an extra element of potential danger to the sneaky lockpick’s perilous predicament.

Perhaps somewhat less venturesome is Cady’s “Something For Everyone”. Possibly best described as “Romeo and Juliet” but with fairies, this ten-sheet ‘short’ provides a fairly straightforward romp concerning a lawful faction of tiny, winged warriors and a pilfering band of similar-sized criminals. Gorgeously sketched and coloured by Vincenzo Riccardi, this intriguing yarn definitely delivers some well-pencilled eye-candy, and helps provide a romantic air to the two lovers' dramatic escape from the inflexible attitudes of their polar opposite cultures.

Written by: Jim Zub & Ryan Cady, and Art by: Eduardo Mello, Kyler Clodfelter & Vincenzo Riccardi

Alien Annual #1 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN ANNUAL No. 1, September 2022

Steeped in just the sort of Machiavellian machinations fans of the science-fiction horror franchise would expect of Weyland-Yutani Corporation, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s script for this “double-sized one-shot comic book” certainly shouldn’t have disappointed most of its audience. But whilst “Alien Annual” undeniably contains plenty of deadly, Xenomorph-based action, courtesy of its narrative following the impregnation of a hapless marine through to the extra-terrestrial’s mass slaughtering of the rest of his military unit, the premise of its author trying to tie this title into the plot of both the films and “one of my favourite [video] games in recent memory” does arguably cause some disagreeable inconsistencies.

For starters, having previously established the character of Gabriel Cruz as a caring, devoted family man haunted by his long working relationship with “The Company”, the Eisner-nominated writer disconcertingly portrays the defence agent’s younger incarnation as a merciless, cold-blooded killer who seemingly has no qualms supervising the fertilisation of a fully-conscious political prisoner, nor the release of this ghastly murder’s subsequent offspring upon the unsuspecting dissidents who have taken control of Nishimura Station. True, the Second Hand Movement are terrorists, and this “Alien outbreak perpetrated by Weyland-Yutani” could be just one of the missions the future Security Chief regrets. But there doesn’t appear to be a moment’s hesitation or doubt as to this experiment’s morality in the soldier whilst everything is going to plan.

In addition, the reason things do go off the rails is because the “large British - Japanese multinational conglomerate” don’t supposedly know that one of their own space station’s actually has an offensive launch capability in the guise of anti-aircraft rocket launchers..? This oversight is debatably bizarre, and although it quickly leads to some seriously devious manipulation of fireteam’s survivors by a homicidal synthetic, the manufactured nature of the predicament repeatedly comes back to haunt the overall narrative, especially when Weyland-Yutani suddenly nuke Nishimura Station after it was initially explained one of their main aims was to recover the orbiting facility intact; “What is it? Intel would have known if these guys were packing rockets!”

Plot-holes aside however, Johnson’s tale does contain some excellent moments of classic "Alien" terror, most notably in the treacherous behaviour of Charlie, who obediently sacrifices his crewmates one by one whenever his programming permits. Salvador Larroca’s prodigious pencilling also does a first-rate job of depicting both the gruesome action, as well as the evident horror on the faces of this comic’s cast as they realise the ghastly fate about to befall them.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN ANNUAL" #1 by Salvador Larroca & Guru-eFX

Fantastic Four Annual #3 - Marvel Comics

FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL No. 3, October 1965

Containing some stunning sense-shattering prenuptial shenanigans involving an all-encompassing cast of Marvel Universe characters, as well as complete and unabridged reprints of two of the “most requested Fantastic Four issues” since the ongoing series first hit the spinner-racks, this weighty tome surely lived up to the New York-based publisher’s boast of being “possibly the greatest annual of all time” when it was initially released upon an unsuspecting public in 1965. Indeed, considering that Stan Lee’s “Bedlam At The Baxter Building!” somehow manages to incorporate the likes of the Avengers, the X-Men, S.H.I.E.L.D., Daredevil and Spider-man alongside a truly impressive rogues gallery of the New York City-based publisher’s super-villains, it’s incredible to believe the then Editor-in-Chief was able to pen anything even resembling a coherent narrative, let alone one which not only contains plenty of ‘screen time’ for its titular characters but additionally produces numerous stand-out moments, such as the Mole Man’s surprise attack from beneath the very foundation of the Baxter Building and his minions’ subsequent defeat by Professor X’s mutant students.

Admittedly, the basic premise behind this comic’s narrative is undeniably contrived with Doctor Doom “skilfully manipulating my high-frequency emotion charger” so as to “fan the flames of hatred in the heart of every evil menace in existence” and resultantly create “a veritable army of the most deadly villains alive” with which to destroy Reed Richards’ famous quartet. Yet the utter simplicity of the ‘hokey’ plot point does allow for the reader to be rapidly immersed in the mad machinations of the “paranoiac” Puppet Master, and no sooner has his poison-armed pawn been subdued by Nick Fury’s undercover agents, than Ivan Kragoff and Harvey Rupert Elder make their separate moves to bring Su Storm’s imminent wedding ceremony to a deadly end; “Ahh! The coast is clear now, my beauties! And so, the time has come for the Red Ghost and his Super Apes to finish the job they’d begun many months ago!” This rapid succession of threats and foes is so successfully implemented that any thoughts as to the dubiously manufactured nature of the script is swiftly forgotten and replaced with a genuine sense of awe at Lee’s sheer vision, with even Attuma, “merciless warlord of the deep”, deciding to seize the moment and threaten the land-dwellers with an invasion of his trident-carrying legions.

Of course, just how enjoyable this carousel of costumed crime-fighters and malevolent Machiavellian evil-doers would be without the dynamically-charged pencilling of Jack “King” Kirby is hotly debatable. The Manhattan-born artist’s breath-taking visuals for this comic provides every punch, kick and energy blast portrayed with just the sort of bone-crunching energy one would expect from an illustrator “widely regarded as one of the medium’s major innovators.” Whilst his incredible splash-page “photo of a journey thru the Fourth Dimension” which depicts the Watcher transporting Mister Fantastic to “a laboratory whose wonders beggar description” was certainly worth the twenty five cent cover price of this book alone.

Written by: Stan Lee, Drawn by: Jack Kirby, and Inked by: Vince Colletta

Moon Knight Annual #1 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT ANNUAL No. 1, November 2019

“Continuing the Acts of Evil summer annual event”, where “new rivalries are formed between heroes and villains” in novel match-ups, Cullen Bunn’s narrative for this thirty-page periodical probably disconcerted many long-term Moon Knight fans by transporting the street-level vigilante far from his usual stomping ground of New York City’s dirty night-time alleyways, and somewhat surprisingly re-casting the ex-mercenary in the role of Khonshu’s champion of time. True, Marc Spector’s subsequent battle against Kang the Conqueror so as to prevent the Thirty-First century scholar’s reality-changing plan to rule a world that was “not what is meant to be” undeniably provides the titular character with plenty of pulse-pounding opportunities with which to demonstrate his proficiency in armed combat. But some within this annual’s audience may still have found the West Coast Avenger’s numerous trips through time and space a step too far for a super-hero ordinarily grounded by his very personal struggle with multiple personality disorder; “And I can’t help but wonder if this is just another surreal dream.”

For those bibliophiles un-phased by Moon Knight’s time travelling excursions however, this publication contains several sense-shattering sequences which debatably demonstrate just how much of an influence Don Perlin’s co-creation has had upon crime-fighting throughout the ages. Whether it be Silver Gulch, Utah in 1874, London 1896, Boston 1776, or Ancient Rome in 300 BC, the Cape Fear-born author’s storyline parades such a perplexing plethora of alternative Fists of Khonshu throughout this comic, that in some ways it is disappointing that so many of these incarnations are only seen for the briefest of sketches as opposed to featuring in a mini-series based upon the ex-United States Marine’s persistent bouts of pugilist with Nathaniel Richards’ technologically advanced alter-ego. Indeed, the intriguing background behind just why the Egyptian God has a gun-toting champion leading Silver Company in a fight “to steal the Fuhrer’s prize” in Germany 1945, or a swashbuckling agent sea-faring their way across the high seas of the North Atlantic in 1710, are surely worth exploring across an issue or two in their own right..?

Perhaps therefore this comic’s only true weakness, apart from the odd disappointingly pencilled panel by artists Ibrahim Moustafa and Matt Horak, is Bunn’s bemusing conclusion which somehow sees Moon Knight both summon an army of his predecessors to his side, as well as sacrifice his Mesopotamian self, simply to thwart Pharaoh Rama-Tut’s future personification from connecting with the scarab, the ankh and “this sceptre which focuses time.” Just how the super villain becomes “entombed in time forever” is never explained, nor how Khonshu “ensured that Kang and the first of my knights will never exist at the same instance again.”

The regular cover art of "MOON KNIGHT" Annual No. 1 by Philip Tan & Rain Beredo

Justice League Dark Annual #1 - DC Comics

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK ANNUAL No. 1, September 2019

Although Ram V was absolutely correct in his pre-publication publicity that this comic contains “a story about Swamp Thing and The King of Petals and the greater events of The Justice League Dark storyline”, the “award winning author” was arguably doing his narrative to the thirty-eight page long “A Carious Bloom” something of a distinct disservice. For whilst “this one-of-a-kind story” unquestionably features plenty of Alec Holland’s horrific-looking alter-ego, as the anthropomorphic mound of vegetable matter ponders the fall of the Parliament of Trees and exchanges barbed comments with a somewhat disconcertingly all-knowing John Constantine, it is undoubtedly this book’s fascination with the emotionally draining fate of Doctor Oleander Sorrel which provides it with a hook few perusing bibliophiles could surely resist..?

Indeed, rather than simply being a tale concerning the super-heroic exploits of a monstrously transformed swamp monster, an edgy "supernatural advisor", a member of the Bureau of Amplified Animals and an Amazonian Princess, this “Justice League Dark” Annual instead provides its audience with a completely compelling, yet equally chilling, literary journey involving an agonised parent’s worst nightmare. Certainly, it is hard not to feel overwhelmed with emotion for Natasha at the loss of her young son to cancer, or the grim fate of the woman’s distraught husband when “his walking grief” wants to spend time at her sisters and seemingly never returns to therapeutically mourn their dead child with him; “I poured myself into work after that. Hours spent planting strains into the ground. I did not eat. I did not sleep.”

Just as enthralling as this comic’s tearful plot is Guillem March’s beautiful storyboards, which go a long way to help pace out the despair-laden drama across such a sizeable, well-populated periodical. Frantically panelled one moment to depict the quick-fire banter between Swamp Thing and the Hall of Justice’s most recent addition, as well as infer the panic of Oleander’s beating heart as he races through his home looking for his upset wife, the professional illustrator from Spain also occasionally slows things down to a much more settling, sedentary pace courtesy of a lavishly-sketched flashback sequence showing a grim-faced, bespectacled Sorrel experimenting upon his blessed flowers all on his lonesome, or a fantastically-colourful and well-detailed drawing of the short-lived King of Petals, eerily stalking full of bloom through the undergrowth of his former life’s garden.

Story: James Tynion IV & Ram V, Art: Guillem March, and Colors: Arif Prianto

The Green Lantern Annual #1 - DC Comics

THE GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL No. 1, September 2019

Featuring a demoralising dialogue-driven narrative which focuses far more upon internal family squabbles and worsening “sex lives” than it does depicting even a semi-followable super-hero story-line, Grant Morrison’s “The Wireless Ones” is hardly the “you must not miss” publication “DC Comics” advertised it as being in July 2019. Indeed, considering that this thirty-seven page periodical’s premise is bemusingly based upon an agitated extra-terrestrial taking advantage of Uncle Hip spiking his relatives’ punch in order to film some juicy gossip for a “web project”, it’s arguably hard to imagine a less compelling reason to pick up such a tediously weighty tome and read it.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that this “Green Lantern" Annual is not without its merits, as the apparent return of both the radio-wave based species, the Kwyzz, and Howard Jordan Junior’s garishly costumed alter-ego Airwave certainly inject its unimaginative plot with some much needed pizazz and plenty of frantically-paced action. However, even two such welcome guest appearances from the Burbank-based publisher’s zany past doesn’t help this comic make any more actual sense as its titular character is somehow prevented from talking to his ring by the blue fuzzy “radio police”, and the mere presence of the Justice Leaguer’s young “sidekick” seemingly allows the villainous Zzyptzz to transform into a veritable monster of terrifying transmissions; “You defeat my enemiezz -- Now I are free. Today we reclaim the world which izz ourzzz!”

In fact, the vast majority of this ‘reborn tradition’ struggles to provide any literary logic whatsoever, with the Scottish author penning Hal making a miraculous recovery from his painful debilitating inflictions just in time to thwart an alien invasion, courtesy of being visited by the ‘ghost’ of a microwaved Helen, and Airwave’s ability to cancel his opponent’s frequencies being fuelled by the argumentative nature of his persistently squabbling elders. To make matters worse though, at the adventure's conclusion the one-time reanimated member of the Black Lantern Corps demonstrates an ability to readily reconnect Jordan with his power-ring, and ensure an emerald-energised satellite system sends their fizzing foe into space on a repeated feedback-loop. Luckily, this solution allows the freshly-arrived diminutive Radio Lantern of the Unseen Sector to make a timely arrest, but additionally begs the question as to why Junior didn’t terminate the interference crippling "Uncle Hal" at the start of the long-winded battle and simply save this book’s audience such a soul-destroying, strength-sapping slog…

Writer: Grant Morrison, Layouts: Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Finishes: Trevor Scott

Catwoman Annual #1 - DC Comics

CATWOMAN ANNUAL No. 1, July 2019

Any fans of Selina Kyle’s alter-ego who hoped this super-sized thirty-eight page periodical’s pulse-pounding cover was just a taster of the excitement to come within the comic’s narrative, must arguably have been bitterly disappointed by “Joelle Jones’ first Catwoman Annual” and it’s disconcerting over-reliance to tell a truly dreary murder investigation “through a variety of points of view.” Indeed, apart from an all-too brief confrontation between the titular character and the Immortal Man, absolutely nothing occurs whatsoever which even vaguely attains the adrenaline-racing illustration of the jewel thief, resplendent in her Michelle Pfeiffer cinematic costume, stretched out across the bonnet of a fast-moving police patrol car as it hurtles down the road at break neck speed with its emergency lights flashing.

Instead, this ponderous tome contains an unconvincingly contrived concoction of “conflicting stories” which would have its readers believe the female burglar would simply bring back a partially-dead drug addict to her private flat so as to help the young woman go ‘cold turkey’ and then inexplicably train Chesa’s unwelcome friends to steal for themselves simply so they can all ‘stick it to the man’? Such motivation debatably makes little sense whatsoever, especially when the likes of the truly detestable Amanda Burress are initially caught by Kyle trashing her lodgings, breaking her ornaments, wearing her jewellery and drinking her champagne; “A lot of people worked very hard to get all these things. People that always did what they were told. People that worked a job, made good investments, just so they could have these things.”

Lamentably however, this publication's plot only gets worse once the thieving fiends decide to strike out on their own and steal a valuable antique spear from a seemingly insecure mansion with “outdated security”. This building unfortunately turns out to be the home of Klarn, a caveman who has lived for fifty thousand years, and who just happens to be inconveniently sitting deep in the shadows of his living room when the hapless intruders enter. Three broken wind-pipes and a mystifyingly surreal suicide pact frame-up later, and Catwoman is suddenly being hunted for their murders by the Villa Hermosa Police Department.!?!

Sadly, Jamie S. Rich’s decision to utilise the talents of a number of different artists only seems to add to this storyline’s sheer sense of befuddlement, with Elena Casagrande’s pages in particular proving a real disappointment. In fact, only Scott Godlewski’s clean-lined sketches seem to really imbue Selina with any of the dangerously lithe grace associated with her nefarious nocturnal activities, and even this prodigious pencilling is put to the test by Jones’ decision to have Superman make a bizarrely artifical cameo at the publication’s very end…

Story: Joelle Jones, and Artists: Elena Casagrande, Hugo Petrus and Scott Godlewski

Detective Comics Annual #2 - DC Comics

DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL No. 2, July 2019

Somewhat worryingly starting out like a pale comic book adaption of the 1993 American animated superhero film “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm”, Peter J. Tomasi’s script for this second “Detective Comics Annual” will undoubtedly have caught a fair few of its audience out with its satisfyingly sudden departure from Paul Dini’s “cinematic continuation of Batman: The Animated Series” that the skull-faced killer cold-bloodedly murdering criminals in “Manchester, Paris, Zagreb and… Greece” is not in fact the late Judson Caspian’s daughter, Rachel. But rather something altogether unexpected, which takes both bibliophile and Dark Knight completely by surprise, whilst simultaneously adding yet another intriguing addition to the DC Universe’s already rich collection of global underground assassin-themed organisations; “I have made the Reapers an unstoppable international implement of vengeance.”

Mercifully though, such an enjoyable subversion of expectations doesn’t mean that the opening two-thirds of this whopping thirty-eight page periodical make for a lack-lustre reading experience either. For despite many doubtless thinking they’ve seen Bruce Wayne “assume billionaire playboy mode” and act the buffoon in the presence of an unsuspecting heiress a hundred times before, the “Blackest Night” co-writer’s narrative still provides plenty of ‘fresh’ insights into the Caped Crusader’s world courtesy of a visit to the Bat-Cave located in Pyrgos, Greece, and a charmingly melodramatic scene involving Alfred Pennyworth acting as a drunken Judas goat so as to lure the unsuspecting super-villain out into the open. Indeed, this somewhat highly-anticipated dip back into the Black Casebook of the costumed crime-fighter is simply packed with pleasing action-sequences, such as Sophia turning her philanthropist passenger green with some reckless high-speed driving across Crete or the Great Detective’s meticulous exploration of the “bookstore near the Ephorate of Antiquities.”

In addition, artists Travis Moore and Max Raynor really manage to bring the sheer savagery of this latest incarnation of the Reaper to dynamic life, as well as pencil Batman at his physical best, kicking his scythe-wielding opponent straight in the chops with some satisfyingly bone-crunching sound effects. This publication’s cataclysmic conclusion is especially worthy of praise as the creative collaboration, alongside colorists Tamra Bonvillain and Nick Filardi, really help imbue the “veritable shopping list of automation” known as the Reaper Prime with all the die-hard menace one would expect from an formidably-augmented killing machine.

Story & Words: Peter J. Tomasi, and Artists: Travis Moore & Max Raynor

Batman [2016] Annual #3 - DC Comics

BATMAN ANNUAL No. 3, February 2019

Touted by “DC Comics” as “an epic tale that promises to be one of the most Alfred stories ever told”, Tom Taylor’s narrative for this third Batman Annual certainly places “Bruce Wayne's loyal and tireless butler” at the very centre of the action, as the billionaire industrial’s aide-de-camp not only tirelessly continues to provide his friend with “whatever you need”, but also suffers “a mild concussion, some bruising, a nasty cut to his shoulder, [and] probably a fracture or two in his hand” when he is called upon to protect a severely injured Dark Knight from a couple of Gotham City’s low-life ne'er-do-wells; “All he’s done for this city. All he’s sacrificed. Gentlemen I suggest you change careers. Or your next deserved thrashing will come from a man who is far more punishing and far more proficient at it than I am.”

Mercifully however, such is the quality of the Number One New York Times bestselling comic book author’s penmanship for this publication that even the more sedentary scenes of Pennyworth simply lying in bed anxiously awaiting Master Bruce’s next radio transmission, methodically populating the vigilante’s back-up utility belt or slavishly checking the air pressure on the Batmobile’s tyres are almost as captivating as the ex-Special Operations Executive’s bout of pugilism, especially as these laborious chore-filled sequences increasingly build-up a sentimental picture of the genuine love and caring which the Caped Crusader’s “moral anchor” repeatedly demonstrates he has for his crime-fighting ward. Indeed, this entire over-sized thirty-seven page periodical is clearly dedicated to depicting the fact that the “Batman’s most trusted ally and confidant” has set aside any semblance of a normal life just so he can better serve a masked man whose sin-riddled metropolis “demands so much of him.”

Impressively, such saccharin-sweet sentimentality could so easily have proved a sickeningly unstomachable read, particularly when it ends with the revelation that a battered Bruce, stoically recovering from a near fatal punctured abdomen, has tasked “Cassandra and Duke to patrol the city in my stead” so as to allow Alfred to have Father’s Day off. Yet on this occasion, both the Australian’s writing, as well as artist Otto Schmidt’s first rate pencilling, is so emotionally-charged and sincere, that the entire comic masterfully manages to come across as nothing more than an unpretentious, truly heartfelt tribute to the bottomless adoration Bill Finger’s co-creations clearly feel for one another.

Writer: Tom Taylor, Artist: Otto Schmidt, and Letters: A Larger World's Troy Peteri

Nightwing Annual #1 - DC Comics

NIGHTWING ANNUAL No. 1, October 2018

Rather replicating the disturbing scene from the Wachowski Brothers’ 1999 science fiction action film “The Matrix” where Neo has a bug-shaped robotic probe violently ‘drawn’ out through his navel by team-mate Trinity, Benjamin Percy’s opening scene for this “Nightwing” annual certainly must have pulled in the comic’s audience with this significantly tense hook. However, just as soon as Barbara Gordon has painfully extracted the phantasm controller wrapped around the titular character’s heart, then the Oregon-born writer’s narrative suddenly performs a disconcerting deep-dive into both the terrifying techno-babble world of the ‘darknet’ and the costumed crimefighter’s recent battle against “the shadowy, high-tech organisation known as the Dark Web.”

Indeed, for any of this publication’s readers unfamiliar with Dick Grayson’s exhausting battle against “the smart city overhaul of Bludhaven” in his ongoing contemporary book, or those perusing bibliophiles simply attempting to use the thirty-seven page periodical as a ‘jumping on’ point, the subsequent dialogue between the former flying circus acrobat, Batgirl and Vicki Vale concerning memory malware, bleeding-edge tech, neuro-images, electro-physiological data, firewalls and encryption must have become unpalatably overwhelming, and arguably lost any audience interest which the comic’s frantically-paced beginning created; “I’m going to send off a focused electromagnetic pulse that’ll stun it into submission. Then I’ll use what is essentially a hyper magnetic vacuum to suck it out of your body.”

For those within this magazine’s audience who have an understanding of the story-line’s past events though, or are simply willing to ‘go with the flow’, “Deadline” undeniably delivers plenty of pulse-pounding predicaments for the original Robin to overcome, whilst simultaneously exploring the possibility of Bruce Wayne’s legal ward developing an intriguingly intimate relationship with Gotham Four News’ leading reporter. This mix of Otto Schmidt’s dynamically drawn dilemmas and lip-stick smudging flirtations undeniably provides plenty of entertaining moments to make this comic’s $4.99 cover price somewhat stomachable, with Nightwing’s roof-top rodeo with one of the Dark Web’s automaton agents or confrontation with Vire, “the psychic embodiment of malware who can unearth your darkest secrets”, being just two.

However, there is debatably little excuse for editor Katie Kubert permitting this lengthy tome to finish on the inconclusive cliffhanger Percy pens concerning a shocked Grayson discovering that his seemingly outmanoeuvred opponent actually holds Vicki Vale captive, and thus facing the heart-wrenching choice of actually aiding the Wyrm in an unspecified task or knowing Batman’s one-time romantic interest “will be… deleted.” On paper such a ruse may well have seemed like a perfectly plausible tactic to lure casual comic book collectors back to the Teen Titan’s title so as to sate their curiosity concerning ‘what happens next?” But for many, this ploy arguably will have backfired and simply caused anger, frustration and resentment at being expected to purchase additional editions just to discern what “the greatest motorcycle race in the cosmos” is all about..?

Writer: Benjamin Percy, Art & Cover: Otto Schmidt, and Letterer: Dave Sharpe

The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #42 - Marvel Comics

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL No. 42, April 2018

Whether it be due to the return of a “small team of career criminals” who “were among Spider-Man's earliest foes”, Peter Parker joining forces with J. Jonah Jameson’s former secretary at the Daily Bugle, Betty Brant, or simply Dan Slott’s narrative for “Bury The Ledes” instigating the titular character’s return back to Empire State University, many of this comic’s 43,935 owners arguably must have felt a pang of nostalgia whilst reading this tale of “a mafia conspiracy that stretches back decades!” In fact, even the book’s simplistic story involving an investigation into just why “someone tried to fabricate a moment in history” by inventing the Battle of Blood Creek during the American Revolution is told by the Berkeley-born writer in a manner somewhat similar to the way Web-Head’s tales in the Sixties were told; “The good ol’ days. Where I met Gwen and Harry…”

Admittedly, that doesn’t sadly mean there aren’t a few artificial contrivances scattered throughout the plot with which to detract from its overall enjoyment, such as Ned Leeds’ contact, Prescott, supposedly being one of the few living people in New York to actually know about “a vast network of abandoned passageways running under the city”, or the sudden appearance of “the long-hidden leader of the shadow arm of the Maggia, the Undermob”, Ernesto Karnelli, who has apparently operated “completely off the grid” for decades. But such 'conveniences' are forgivable given some of the grandiose set-pieces they create within which Spider-Man is able to dutifully demonstrate his awesome athleticism and other arachnid-based super-powers.

Quite possibly less forgivable though is the inconsistent artwork of Cory Smith, which seemingly drifts between some superb panels depicting an astonishingly agile wall-crawler leaping over numerous fire-escapes during an agreeable chase-sequence, to pencilling a badly misshapen Parker fending off the angry protestations of a security guard who “invested my entire pension in your company! In Parker Industries! And you went and wrecked it!” This inability to competently sketch the Daily Bugle’s new science editor really grates upon the nerves, and only later resolves itself courtesy of Slott’s script placing the “Marvel Worldwide” “company mascot” in full costume for this publication’s dynamically-drawn conclusion.

Unhappily, this comic’s biggest disappointment however, has to be the “bonus story by Broadway playwright David Hein” which makes a complete mockery of “one of Spider-Man's most unique and prominent powers.” Ordinarily ‘described’ as “a tingling feeling at the base of his brain”, the Canadian songwriter instead would disconcertingly have this annual’s audience believe Peter’s persistent spider-sense specifically tells him what the problem is, whether it be something as straightforward as “when my alarm clock is about to go off” or a “dust bunny”, through to “this guy is made of sand and wants to kill you!”

Writer: Dan Slott, Penciler: Cory Smith, and Inker/Finisher: Terry Pallot

Doctor Strange [2015] Annual #1 - Marvel Comics

DOCTOR STRANGE ANNUAL No. 1, November 2016

Whilst hardly the worst-selling comic of September 2016, this “Doctor Strange” annual must still have come as something of a major disappointment to its 44,778-strong audience, on account of Kathryn Immonen’s inability to decide just what sort of comic the twenty-page periodical was going to be. For although a good proportion of the plot seems to be a fairly unambitious tongue-in-cheek tale of the Master of the Mystic Arts having repairs completed upon 177A Bleecker Street, “or what’s left of it”, the narrative also ventures into his emotionally turbulent relationship with Clea and the potential dissolving of their mystical union.

Such sensitive stuff really seems to jar with the prevailing jokey tone of “To Get Her, Forever”, as the Sorcerer Supreme’s frustrating anger, which previously had been quite amusing when directed towards Wong and an unanswered doorbell, quickly makes for rather uncomfortable reading when turned upon Strange’s former “disciple and lover.” Indeed, the titular character’s increasing aggression towards Umar’s daughter actually escalates from him banging about plates and kettles to finally holding a kitchen knife up to the silver-haired woman’s face; “I am trying to make us some tea.”

Equally as unsuccessful, is the Canadian writer’s attempt to bring some demonic menace to the piece, courtesy of Xycorax the Contractor..? This grouter’s manifestation is supposedly entirely due to Stephen’s failure to read the fine print when he hired the builder and signed a binding contract consigning the house and his servant “straight to Zanax”. Luckily for all though, Clea just so happens to have created “an incredibly powerful object” with which the monster can be vanquished, and disconcertingly this enchanted document co-incidentally arrives through the letterbox at precisely the right moment…

Sadly, Leonardo Romero’s drawing does little to improve this publication’s entertainment either, with the comic book artist’s slightly cartoony style appearing to be strikingly similar to that of Chris Samnee, but without the simplistic charm. In fact, there are times, such as the sorceress’s flashback battle with the interdimensional Empirikul or Wong’s bedroom brawl with Xycorax, where his pencilling is so painfully poor as to be reminiscent of an amateur adolescent’s sketch book.

Writer: Kathryn Immonen, Artist: Leonardo Romero, and Color: Jordie Bellaire

Star Wars Annual #1 - Marvel Comics

STAR WARS ANNUAL No. 1, February 2016

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly focusing upon unknown Rebel operative Eneb Ray and his infiltration of Coruscant as opposed to any of the infinitely more recognisable and more marketable “Star Wars” characters, this “Marvel Worldwide” Annual still managed to sell an impressive 89,635 copies in order to become the tenth best-selling comic book of December 2015; an accolade Kieron Gillen’s ‘Spy-fi’ narrative arguably well deserves. For whilst the Stafford-born writer’s undercover agent initially proves rather pompously disagreeable, due to his disguise as Imperial tax-collector Tharius Demo and selfish regret that although “the Rebellion has heroes” he doesn’t “get to be one of them”, the “prying” mole soon gets to demonstrate his far more laudable qualities to this title’s significant audience when Princess Leia orders him to penetrate the Arrth-Eno prison complex and smuggle “Senator Nadea Tural and the anti-Imperial senators” incarcerated there off-planet before they’re executed.

So “very difficult” a mission, understandably conducted by Organa’s secret agent in absolute silence, could potentially have lead to something of a rather tedious excursion considering that letterer Joe Caramagna exacerbates the experience by failing to populate its dozen or so panels with any sound effects whatsoever. Fortunately such external secretive noiselessness is not however replicated by Ray’s inner turmoil and questioning as to just “how many rebel spies are… actually on Coruscant”; a worry which provides the British author with plenty of opportunity to genuinely flesh out this thirty-page periodical’s central protagonist via numerous thought bubbles.

Those fans tiring of such a rather reticent read though are eventually rewarded with more blaster beams and “political assassination” attempts than even an enraged Wookie could handle once the leader of the Galactic Empire makes an appearance. Indeed the entire tone of the book abruptly changes to one of all-out action as the seemingly sullen Eneb transforms himself into a dynamic gun-slinging risk-taker upon hearing that “the Emperor’s just walked into our crosshairs” by “having a final conversation with the [captured] senators in an hour’s time.”

Equally as responsible for so successful a publication as Gillen’s constantly surprising storyline, has to be Angel Unzueta’s extremely clean-looking pencilling. The Spaniard not only somehow manages to imbue the Rebel agent with an air of arrogance befitting someone posing as an all-powerful Imperial bureaucrat. But later effortlessly adds a grim determination and then desperate desire to Ray’s visage as it becomes abundantly clear to the “hero” that “I’m not even the same species of monster” as Palpatine.

Writer: Kieron Gillen, Artist: Angel Unzueta, and Colorist: Paul Mounts