So today's storm in the geeky teacup seems to be the new Catwoman comic. Its disgusting! Its pornographic! Its sexist! You know, the usual bullshit whenever a comic dares to come out with a female lead who doesn't look like a librarian. Well, like a stereotypical librarian. The one librarian I know is pretty foxy (hello Whittle).

So even though it wasn't on my must read list from DC's new 52 I picked this up and read it. Bit bad of me as a comic nerd I know... actually READING a comic before giving my opinion on it, but what the hell.

Lets go through the main complaints I've seen online. Gotta spoil a bit to explain, but before we do, lets get one thing straight. Im not some sad bastard wanking off over drawings. That said I see nothing wrong with a bit of T&A in comics. You ever read the original Rocketeer comics? There's some STUNNING art in there that looks like it should be on the side of a World War 2 Bomber plane. Same as I have no problem with Batman's six pack or The Flash basically being a naked Olympic swimmer sprayed red. Comic characters dont have to look like real people. If they do then you get Alex Ross books which for me lose a lot of the magic of comics. Give me stylised characters over photo real cosplayers any day. Anyway, lets get into it...

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So, last week’s column saw me looking at Stormwatch #1, finding myself left wanting with the obvious lack of mention of Apollo and Midnighter’s sexuality, or in fact any way of differentiating them from Superman and Batman in their now shared universe; and also, looking briefly at DC’s claims of improving diversity.

Then, last Wednesday, DC finally released Batwoman #1. So, today’s column is very much a sequel to last week’s, as we again delve into DC’s diversification claims, and look at somewhere DC are actually doing it right.

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Link: http://www.walkerofworlds.com/

Green Lanterns are intergalactic space cops. Mostly aliens but also three humans who have been gifted with a green ring that is the most powerful weapon in the universe. It is limited only by the wielder’s imagination and is fuelled by willpower, which its creators, the Guardians, believe is the most powerful force in the universe. Others disagree. In fact there is a whole emotional spectrum out there that has created a number of other Lantern Corps using different emotions as power sources. The Sinestro Core is fuelled by Fear, others by Hope, Love and so on and each is a different and appropriate colour. Then there are the Red Lanterns who are fuelled by Rage. The previous Green Lantern comic series has touched on the Red Lanterns, but this is the first time they’ve had their own ongoing book. It’s also focused on the creator of the Red Lanterns Corps, Atrocitus, who we’ve only seen as a villain so far. This is the first story told from his perspective and to me, it’s an interesting point of view.

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There’s a problem with recommending this book to people. Russell T. Davies.

You see, having been a nerd with access to the internet for a while I know he brings out strong reactions in people. A lot of them totally f*cking wrong of course (I’ve read him being accused of racism and homophobia FFS), but still, many out there aren’t fans of his writing so as a result won’t give this book a shot. That’d be a shame.

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Link: http://www.thelengths.com

With the release of the third issue of Howard Hardiman’s latest work, The Lengths, I thought maybe I’d tell you all about it, let you know how good it is, so that you would all go and get it.

And let’s be clear; I am going to be telling you how good it is and insist that you get your copies ASAP.

The Lengths tells the story of Eddie, a young, art school drop out living in London, and his relationships. As if that wasn’t dramatic enough, the crux of the story pulls us in deeper to an emotional world of emotional twists and turns that ensnare Eddie, and the reader too. Because Eddie is also Ford, a male escort, drawn into this world by a powerful fascination with another male escort, Nelson.

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I have to start this review with a disclaimer; I consider the writer of Sugar Glider, Daniel Clifford to be a good friend of mine. I occasionally offer him some bad advice and lackluster support, which is why he felt it necessary to give me a mention in the special thanks section at the front of the second issue of Sugar Glider. This will in no way affect the way I write my review, you can try to bribe me with your 'special thanks' Clifford but we both know this book is all you and artist Gary Bainbridge and I'll judge it as so ;-)

Sugar Glider #2 starts with our hero, Susie Sullivan, still reeling from her first foray into super-heroics, battered and bruised with her family now aware of and condemning her desire to become Newcastle's finest vigilante. On the delicately, well designed cover there is a pull quote that top's the page "The Empire Strikes Back of Comics has arrived", this comment is so acutely accurate, with issue one things ended on such a downer with everything falling down around our heroine. So, does this mean this next installment should be 'Return of the Jedi'? I can't even decide whether that would be a good thing or not?

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Call of Jaurez: The Cartel
Ubisoft: Techland
FPS Released: 22 July 2011

After feeling like Clint Eastwood in the previous installment, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood I was excited when this latest installment in the franchise hit the shelves and went to Blockbusters to give it a try. Did it fire the six shooting smash that the previous version delivered, leaving you friskily looking at the mrs with your best “Hey Blondie“? I gave the game the zonalcrew dissection to see if it was worth our money.

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The first half of this book is a stylish and entertaining history of comics.. I was already familiar with the history of comics but Grant Morrison brings an intelligent and insightful perspective to it. At around the half way mark the history of comics catches up with his own life story which then proceeds to engulf the narrative.

I would never have bought an autobiography of Grant Morrison but that is essentially what the book is. It's filled with self-indulgent details about his life. At one point he tells us about what he used to have for breakfast in 1986. He has a tendency to write himself in to his fictional works and he could not help but put himself at centre stage again.

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Welcome back to another edition of your weekly guide to what’s hot in your local library. It seems our beloved leaders are still at each others throats, and Bones shows no signs of admitting he’s wrong (Go Team Daredevil).

I’ve decided to make this weeks as fair as possible, and so have decided to review a book from each camp. To make things even more equal both books are written by the same man, the legendary Frank Miller.

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Link: http://www.witchdoctorcomic.com/

Every now and again something happens to each and every one of us that stirs a passion inside, something that has perhaps lapsed or maybe we never knew was there.

Let me tell you a little story about a guy who had collected comics for eleven years up until the age of twenty three.

When he was twenty three his girlfriend at the time was pregnant with his first child and they had just recently moved in together after dating for around three years.

Money being low and a new house on the go with a baby due soon too, he took the adult decision (pushed and prompted by his partner at the time) to sell all his comic books and graphic novels. And that was that, he was not to even step foot into a comic book store for another decade, let alone buy a comic.

In case you haven’t already guessed, the guy I am telling you about is me; those were my comics and my fallen passion.

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