Kieran Shiach

It’s the third Monday in May and you know what that means… Good Miracle Monday, everyone! Today of course marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of when Superman defeated the great and powerful C.W. Saturn, and the people of Metropolis learned the meaning of joy. Although our collective memory of that monumental day remains hazy, throughout the world humanity celebrates with a day dedicated to friends, family and recreation and --- if it brings happiness --- reflection. The holiday first appeared in Superman: Miracle Monday, a novel by Elliot S. Maggin, published in 1981, which follows a time-traveler named Kristin Wells from the 29th century who journeys back to discover the origin of the holiday and accidentally becomes wrapped up in its very events. While Miracle Monday has become a holiday for Superman fans in the vein of April 27th for Alien fans or May 4th for Star Wars lovers, it remains a fairly obscure piece of the franchise's history that has only been referenced on a handful of occasions.

In a blog post on Friday, Darwyn Cooke’s wife Marsha announced that her husband had been undergoing palliative care following treatment for an aggressive form of cancer. It was confirmed the next day that Darwyn Cooke passed away in the early hours of Saturday, May 14, surrounded by friends and family at his home in Florida. Cooke’s loss is felt throughout the comic book industry, not just as a creator and cartoonist, but as a friend, colleague and idol. Darwyn Cooke’s iconic and unmistakable style represented the very best the industry could offer, and the world is a much poorer place without him.

Since the dawn of the Silver Age, legacy characters have been a staple of superhero fiction, and having a new character step into a well loved roll can open up new opportunities for writers and artists to tell different kinds of stories. In this new regular feature, I’ll be looking back at some of the notable and not-so-notable heroes and villains to assume some of the most iconic mantles in the superhero genre. This week we’re going behind the armor to take a look at the various Iron Men of the Marvel Universe, including some of Tony Stark’s very best friends, some of his very worst enemies, and the family member he never knew he had.

On this day in 1940, DC Comics published Batman #1, which, as well as being the first appearance of The Joker, also featured the first appearance of the character we would come to know as Catwoman. Selina Kyle has been one of the most versatile characters in not only Batman’s canon, but the whole DC Universe. She’s been a hero, a villain, an ally, a lover, and for over twenty years she has been a leading lady in her own right.

Batman ‘66 sure is getting around a lot these days, having recently crossed over with other classic '60s properties like The Green Hornet and The Man From UNCLE. Now, this summer, Gotham’s greatest crimefighters are teaming up with the sharpest spies from across the pond in Batman ‘66 Meets Steed And Mrs. Peel.

WrestleMania was this past weekend, and outside of perhaps the infamous "Attitude Era" of the late-'90s, it's never been more socially acceptable to proudly admit that you love the King of Sports, professional wrestling. The Rock is the biggest star in Hollywood, the Total Divas are taking over E, and John Cena is viral meme superstar; wrestling has officially broken through to the mainstream again. It's also never been a better time for comics about professional wrestling, a far cry from the days of the old WCW comic or the weird one where Chyna is a bodyguard in her spare time. We've assembled a list of five of the best independent comics about wrestling, if you're still in the mood for some pro-graps after watching The Granddaddy of Them All.

Marvel Comics has been teasing its big Spider-Man event for 2016, "Dead No More" for a few months now, but over the last week information has slowly trickled out in the form of teasers by Alexander Lozano, seemingly showing Spider-Man's closest loved ones and deadliest enemies returned from the grave. The last of the teasers has been released today and with it comes the reveal of the return of Peter Parker's greatest enemy.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is in theaters worldwide right now, and whether you loved or hated it, it's certainly an interesting take on The Caped Crusader and The Man of Tomorrow. A great many independent comics have taken the core ideas of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and other iconic characters and given them a unique spin that could only be explored outside the confines of DC Comics mainstream continuity. If you're looking for superhero stories with a bit of an edge, we've got five of the best to recommend to you.

All the WonderCon buzz this weekend is about DC Rebirth, but DC Comics dropped some more information about another line of comics this weekend in Los Angeles, namely the new Hanna-Barbera titles. At a panel on Friday, we got a closer look at some of the titles, including Amanda Conner’s designs for The Flintstones, and a detailed look into how bizarre Wacky Raceland is going to be.

From humble beginnings in the UK small press scene, to his work on one of the most iconic Batman and Joker stories of all time, and his instantly recognizable covers on a range of titles, legendary artist Brian Bolland has blazed a trail through the last forty years of comics history.

Superman is often defined by his powers or his quite literal alienation, but the Man of Steel is so much more than that. Superman represents the potential of humanity through his kindness, his empathy and his generosity. All of these qualities he learned directly from two people, Jonathan and Martha Kent, and when you change anything about that dynamic, you wind up with a very different Superman. In John Byrne’s classic reinvention, Man of Steel, there’s no mention made of ancient Kryptonian family crests; instead, Clark sits down with his dad and designs a logo based on the “Superman” name already coined for him by the Daily Planet, while Ma works on the costume. It isn’t all fun family crafts however, as it’s Pa Kent who takes Clark aside when he’s young and inspires him to be more than just a high school football star.

When Chris Pratt was cast as Peter Quill, AKA Star-Lord, in Guardians of the Galaxy, he was seen by many as an unconventional pick for a universe-saving superhero. However, Pratt proved that he’s got what it takes to save the world, and now he’s calling on you to step up and make the world a better place, and in return you get a chance to visit the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 set!