Writers: Paul Dini, Stuart Moore, Royal McGraw

Pencils: Don Kramer, Andy Clarke

Inks: Wayne Faucher

Colours: John Kalisz, Nathan Eyring

Perhaps more than any mainstream comic property, Batman is perfectly suited for short stories, due in parts to the character being firmly rooted in the noir/crime genre. The Bruce Timm and Paul Dini animated series encapsulated this dimension of the caped crusader better than any other interpretation, and writer Dini returns here with more minor cases. Overall, this isn’t as good or cohesive a collection as his previous Batman: Detective, though it does continue on loosely from that book.

Both 'Shark Bite' and McGraw's 'Triage' maintain the detective element, focussing on the Dark Knight's cerebral proficiency – and his Sherlock Holmes repertoire of criminal aliases – rather than his physical prowess. By reinventing the Riddler as Batman's rival sleuth, Dini emphasises this further. It's also a great direction for Edward Nigma; he was always more the intellectual prankster than the sadistic psychopath that has become the norm for Gotham's rogues gallery. By beating the Bat to his crimes, Riddler is still provided an outlet for his intellect. I for one hope that they do not revert Nigma back to his usual antics any time soon, as is usually the way with Bat-villains.

In 'Double Talk' and 'Kind of Like Family' Dini offers us a new, femme-fatale take on the Ventriloquist. The character has been on hold since Arnold Wesker was killed by the Great White Shark, but the domineering puppet Scarface has resurfaced, now controlled by (or controlling) Peyton Riley / Sugar, a Jessica Rabbit style moll with a penchant for exploding decoys. Like Wesker, she plays second fiddle to Scarface's plans, and is as much a lost soul as any of Gotham's scum.

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Script: Guillermo del Toro, Mike Mignola

Cast: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, John Hurt

As much as it may agitate the bitter pro-auterist cinephile, there's a lot to be said for imposed creative restriction. If the excessive Brontosaurus chase in the recent remake of King Kong proved one thing, it's that failing to contain a man of Peter Jackson's imagination and aptitude on such a vast project will only result in on-screen indulgence.

Likewise, Guillermo del Toro's Spanish efforts, particularly The Devil's Backbone and the awards darling Pan's Labyrinth, have regularly proven far more intimate efforts than his Hollywood offerings. Admittedly, I've loved those too; but there was the sense in both Blade 2 and the original Hellboy that despite his unarguable talent, our favourite Mexican (sorry Benicio, Speedy) does not know when to stop. During Hellboy II's more cluttered moments it could be argued that the director doesn't know when to hold back the ideas, but I for one am grateful for his shortcoming.

Like Jackson's did with Kong, with Hellboy II del Toro pays tribute to the movie monsters of  old; Harryhausen, Hammer and even anime such as Princess Mononoke. Unless you were a twelve year-old weaned on videogames and reality TV it was difficult not to be worn down by Hellboy's succession of monster fights, with the more interesting character moments each feeling like an interval between the last creature encounter and the next. Del Toro has added twice as many such fights to this predecessor, yet Hellboy 2 never loses focus of its characters. The monsters themselves are possibly the most ingenious and original seen on screen, all presented with an appreciation and affection not before captured outside of a Harryhausen creation.

Director: Dave Filoni

Written by: Henry Gilroy, Steven Melching, Scott Murphy

Voice Cast: James Arnold Taylor, Matt Lanter, Ashley Drane, Tom Kane, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson

There's a noticeable lack of grandeur in the very first minutes of Clone Wars. Gone is the scrolling text, replaced by a recap montage and a Starship Trooper-esque commentary which would feel more at home in Futurama. Has this been a Matt Groening production we would already be laughing, in on the joke. Yet this is Star Wars, and Lucas and his many subordinates are not big on satire or irony. Or indeed the declining public perception of their space opera universe

In probably the weakest plot to have graced any Star Wars spin-off, Jabba the Hutt's son Rotta (though he is more frequently referred to as "Stinky") has been kidnapped by the Dooku led Separatists, who hope to dominate the Hutt trading routes. And, er… that's about it. Cue ninety minutes of action as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda jet off to save him. Set between Episodes II and III, this film is more in tone with the former, with the reckless and difficult to like Anakin continuing to demonstrate why he should never have been trained in the ways of the Jedi. On the plus side, the woeful Lucas trade politics have been trimmed down; though they're still present in one cringingly out of place scene.

Amongst the familiar faces there are several new additions to the Star Wars universe. Though she originally appeared in the more inventive Genndy Tartakovsky 2003 Clone Wars series, Dooku's Sith apprentice Asajj Ventress has a far more prominent role here. Like Darth Maul she's a visually impressive villain with a cool lightsaber gimmick but little in the way of personality; she's emrely evil for evil's sake. Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's sudden and unappreciated padawan, is clearly aimed at the younger audience. Spunky, motor-mouthed, and somehow less annoying as the film progresses, she's far from the ext Jar Jar Binks, and is arguably one of the few characters in the entire prequel chapter with any spirit. More suited to the Jar Jar comparisons is Ziro the Hutt, who is best described as a blend of Jabba the Hutt and South Park's Big Gay Al. Even in this Henson-puppet populated universe, he's one of the most bizarre aliens ever conceived; thankfully his screen time is short.

Writers: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Matt Fraction, Sean McKeever

Artists: Ramon Bachs, Angel Medina, Terrell Bobbett, Kano, David Lafuente, Lee Weeks, Rick Hoberg, Stefano Gaudiano, Clayton Crain, Salvador Larroca, Gary Martin

Colours: Paco Roca Matt Milla, Paul Mounts, Dan Kemp, Angel Medina, Scott Hanna, Bruna Brito

As a bullet riddled Aunt May lies in critical condition – okay, so there was only one bullet; a little hyperbole never hurt anyone – Peter Parker gets introspective, in this flashback themed collection which focuses on his relationship with the symbiotic suit, Eddie Brock and Venom.

With the controversial retcon that is One More Day approaching, Back in Black does not present a particularly strong good case for why Spider-man should remains as is. Webbed up in his past, the character is definitely in need of a fresh start. The reasons for Spidey's return to black, other than a ephemeral boost in comic sales, are never clear; he appears to have ceased all Aunt May-related revenge intentions.

First we have the Robert Louis Stevenson tinted 'The Strange case of…' in which B-list villain Mr Hyde is attempting to recreate a Spider-man of his own. It's the typical of the unimaginative, insincere plotting that has dragged the Spidey titles down since Straczynski's departure. Next up is the 'The Last Temptation of Eddie Brock,' by far the best of this lot, in which a terminally ill Brock plots to rid the world of its greatest evil - that's right, Aunt May. Since selling the symbiote Mac to Gargan (the Scorpion) Brock has become suitably pathetic, though not nearly as sympathetic as writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa wishes him to be.

Dear Mr Lucas,

Keep up the good work, and please do not commit seppuku on my behalf.

Yours sycophantically,

Fitch

PS. I am well aware that you, George, probably had nothing to do with the game, other than nodding your beard in consent. But I will still line your wallet further this September when the full game is released… because I am weak.

Writers: Brian Azzarello, Josh Olson, David Goyer, Greg Rucka, Jordan Camera Goldberg, Alan Burnett

Cast: Kevin Conroy, Gary Dourdan, David McCallum, Parminder Nagra, Ana Ortiz

Watching Gotham Knight I felt as though I had been lied to, by both the marketing campaigns and the DVD packaging. The stories are interlocked in as flimsy a way as imaginable, and are jarringly inconsistent; in one short Gotham City resembles the futuristic cityscape of Blade Runner, in another the Neo Tokyo from Akira, with Gordon's office set amidst neon pagodas. Batman's costume changes throughout, as does Alfred's appearance.

Nor does the feature fill any gaps between Batman Begins and the Dark Knight, as has been sold us. The appearances of Scarecrow, Killer Croc and Deadshot (unrecognisable from his comic counterpart) are too brief to have any significance, while several tales feel out of place with Nolan's mythos, such as one in which Wayne, drawn to resemble Ryu from Street Fighter, receives training from a mysterious Asian woman.