This was it – the final issue of the final story arc in THE BOYS where Wee Hughie and Butcher had their final face-off. Thing is, Hughie was badly wounded, and Butcher had broken his neck meaning they could do nothing more than talk for pretty much the whole issue – but what an issue. With a single issue left in the series, this was where Butcher had his final words and Wee Hughie understood what sort of a man he was at the end of it all. Damn fine writing.

Elsewhere, DC was heading in to the second year of the New 52; the GREEN LANTERN titles were dealing with the Rise of the Third Army, a story arc that I can honestly not remember a great deal about; Dan Jurgens took over FIRESTORM but even he wouldn’t be able to do much with it; and TEEN TITANS revealed the blood-soaked origin of Wonder Girl . . . because why not?

Tally this month was one from Dark Horse, one from Dynamite, and 16 from DC.