I don’t care that you cheated on me. I don’t care about any of that. I’m not heartbroken. At all.

All I care about is what the fuck this psycho wants now.

Shannon Crane, NAILBITER RETURNS #9

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DC’s still into their Future State initiative so it’s just independents for me this week.

BARBALIEN: RED PLANET #3

Barbalien continues to flee the Martian bounty hunter Boa Boaz–and continues to develop a relationship with a young activist under an assumed identity. But past and present collide when Boa begins targeting people in Barbalien’s life.

The BLACK HAMMER universe spin offs are a delight, almost without fail, and this one ‘s just as good as we watch Mark Markz grapple with telling the boy he loves just who he really is, all the while being pursued by a . . . well, a manhunter from Mars!

COLONEL WEIRD: COSMAGOG #4

Trapped in a cosmic pattern and losing his mind, Colonel Weird has a final revelation taking him back to where everything started–and reveals the way toward freedom.

And talking of the BLACK HAMMER spin-offs, another one comes to its conclusion with Colonel Weird appearing to finally find the way out of the Para-Zone and his endless wandering thanks to the help of a long lost friend with whom he’s reunited. Really enjoyed this mini-series, part Adam Strange homage, part mind-bending trip through weirdness, it’s worked a treat.

NAILBITER RETURNS #9

Who is the mastermind behind the resurrection of the Buckaroo Butchers? Why do they hate the Nailbiter? The Nailbiter and family must uncover their secrets before they turn a whole city into raging serial killers!

Well that mastermind is revealed at last and while it’s a bit of a cheat – a character we’d never really heard of until the last few issues – it’s done well enough that it’s forgivable. It’s gruesome and horrible, just as NAILBITER should be, but it says “To be concluded!” on the last page – is next issue the final one?!

SYMPATHY FOR NO DEVILS #4

Winston Wallis – the last human in a world of monsters – has an uncanny amount of good luck. Conspiracy surrounds him as he rushes to solve the murder of an innocent man…er, uh, monster.

Despite the fantastical setting – a futuristic city where only a single man lives amongst monsters – this series has been riding on the hard-boiled detective tropes every issue and this one, where the killer is revealed, follows the same pattern. Don’t get me wrong – it’s done well and looks good, just don’t expect anything blindingly original plot-wise.

Which asshole wants to cop to dropping a house on us?

Prizefighter, COMMANDERS IN CRISIS #4

With DC full ahead with their Future State initiative that I’ve ducked out of, it’s a week of Image comics for me.

COMMANDERS IN CRISIS #4

As the Crisis Command faces off with Empathy’s assassin, the deep conspiracy behind the murder steps out of shadows. It won’t be enough just to avenge Empathy’s death: to save the world, the Crisis Command will have to RESURRECT AN IDEA! The first wild arc concludes with a bang!

I’m really enjoying this maxi series from Steve Orlando and Davide Tinto; the writing’s fun and lean, with good dialogue, and the art matches it perfectly. Alternate universes, a multiverse in peril and a handful of heroes trying to stop it – what more can you ask?

CROSSOVER #3

Monsters and robots falling from the sky! Mysterious (and familiar??) superheroes joining our intrepid gang on their journey to event ground zero! CROSSOVER continues with the series’ most explosive and shocking issue to date! Don’t miss this one, folks. If you do, it just might drive you…mad.

Now that’s a last page reveal, folks. This series promised guest stars that would surprise you and this issue pays off a hint from the first couple but not in the way you’d expect. Donny Cates cheekily drops in characters from his cancelled-too-soon series PAYBACKS from a few years ago, and amongst the mayhem, still manages to tell a great story.

INKBLOT #5

The mysterious cat wanders further backward in time into an ancient jungle. Ten young sorcerers make camp, but the youngest of the group wanders off in search of a cute little cat.

Charming, I think, is the best word for this series. It was a bit of a gamble – a tale in a fantasy world of a cat who walks through realities and time, and the wizard who finds her – but it’s struggling to find a coherent storyline at the moment. It’s nicely done, though, so not too disappointing.