Dir: Timur Bekmambetov

Script: Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Chris Morgan

Cast: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Kretschmann, Konstantin Khabensky, Marc Warren, Terrence Stamp

I must confess to having had a difficult time reading Mark Millar's superhero satire Wanted the first time around, and further difficulty in reviewing it. How could I objectively rate a book that excels in storytelling and artistic prowess, has a one-off universe that is second only to that of Moore's Watchmen, is witty, ingenious and startlingly original… and immoral to the point that I felt genuinely sick while reading it?

Though Russian director Timur Bekmambetov's American debut has a first act that is practically lifted directly from comic to big screen, his film takes a series of turns that will not only surprise those familiar with the source material, but gives the film a disposition of its own. The Fraternity, a group of super-charge assassins that take their hit list from the Nostradamus inspired Fates, who read individual's destinies form a magic loom (no, really) are less morally vacuous than their costume-clad comic counterparts, arguably the good guys in an clandestine kind of way.

Enter bored office drone Wesly Gibson, who is integrated into the Fraternity when his father Mr. X is assassinated by rogue agent Cross. James McAvoy is the antithesis of the action hero, and intestinally so; diminutive and pallid, it is his transformation into a superhero that is the film's strength, as Wesley literally has his new perspective on life beaten into him.

Originally published 2001, DC

Writers: Chuck Dixon, Scott Beatty

Pencils: Pete Woods, Marcos Martin, Walter McDaniel, Andy Kuhn, Ron Randall, Rick Burchett

Inks: Andrew Pepoy, Mark Farmer, Alvaro Lopez, Walter McDaniel, Andy Kuhn, Ron Randall, Mark Lipka, Dan Davis

Colours: Tom McCraw Gina Going

The Joker has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Escaping high-security prison the Slab with a legion of "Jokerized" inmates, he plans for one final showstopper of a performance.

Large scale crossovers events are always difficult to collect in trade paperback format, as is evident in The Joker's Last Laugh. The plot weaved in and out of the majority of 2001's Bat-titles and, without reading those supplementary issues, we are forced to forever play catch up. Integral characters are alive one moment, and revelled to be dead four pages later, and it's never apparent why superpowers such as Superman and Green Lantern are reluctant to offer aid. It's a wholly unsatisfying experience. Marvel's recent X-title crossovers, such as Age of Apocalypse, have been gargantuan, pricey compilations that have given us the complete picture. DC should have opted for something similar or not bothered at all.

I must confess that it does irritate me when casual graphic novel readers bemoan a book for inconsistent art – as any collector of monthlies will tell you, it's something that comes with the industry – but the decision, whether deliberate or from desperation, to have a separate are team for each of issue is pushing it a bit too far. The book wouldn't look so bad were the art team coordinated; instead, we have six drastically different incarnations of the Joker, and Batman shifting from a classic to contemporary outfit mid-scene. One minor character, Dina Bell, even manages to change from redhead to brunette to blond and back again; that's some ability.

Story: J. Michael Straczyinski

Pencils: Olivier Coipel

Inks: Mark Morales

Colours: Laura Martin, Paul Mounts

In the midst of Civil War, many fans believed that Thor would make a triumphant return, and sway the win for the Registration Act opposition. Unfortunately, the resurrected Son of Odin turned out to be a cybernetic clone, of all things, created by Reed Richards and Henry Pym to give the illusion that the God of Thunder would support their regime.

One year later the genuine article is back, and he's not to happy about said copyright infringement. Thor has been summoned from his eternal slumber by Donald Blake, who explains that when their personas were separated by Odin, Blake was transported to the void Thor now inhabits, but was returned to New York City when Thor broke the Ragnarök cycle. Thor returns to Earth, where he discovers that many of his fellow Asgardians are not dead, but hidden in human form.

J.M. Straczyinski wisely sidesteps the ridiculousness of it all by planting tongue firmly in cheek. The scenes between our burly Norse gods and their yokel neighbours teeter over the territory of parody, but are fun nevertheless.

Story: John Whalen

Art: Mike Hawthorne, Tomer Hanuka (covers)

Colours: Tanya and Richard Horie

Creations of mad scientist Anton Arcane, the abominable Un-Men first appeared in the pages of Swamp Thing. They were later re-imagined in the early nineties mini American Freak, the events of which this new incarnation continues a further decade on.

John Whalen’s contemporary interpretation of the Un-Men wisely reboots the concept while keeping a few familiar faces around. Readers not familiar with Swamp Thing or previous Un-Men titles will not feel left out of the loop. Like many Vertigo titles that sprouted from mainstream DC titles, it is unclear but unlikely that this book takes place in the regular DC Universe.

When "natural-born" performing freak ‘Bertoldt the Amazing Gill-Boy’ is found murdered, the U.S. Department of Energy, which has overseen the one-time H-bomb test site, sends Agent Kilcrop to the city Aberrance, refuge to a large proportion America’s freak population.

Writer: Greg Pak

Pencils: John Romita Jr., Al Rio, Lee Weeks, Sean Phillips, Leonard Kirk, Rafa Sandoval

Inks: Klaus Janson, Scott Hanna, Lee Weeks, Tom Palmer, Leonard Kirk, Gary Erskine

Colours: Christina Strain, William Murai, Moose Baumann, Guru eFX

After the sword & sandal fantasy departure Planet Hulk, World War Hulk feels long overdue. Given the recent conflicted nature of Earths Mightiest Heroes, the Hulk is, comparatively, one of the few Marvel characters with his head screwed on… and he’s hell-bent on flattening Manhattan and converting it into a gigantic coliseum.

That’s about as rational as World War Hulk gets. As Hulk returns from the planet Sakaar, which he believes was destroyed by the Illuminati (Iron Man, Reed Richards, Doctor Strange and Blackbolt) he vows only to enact his vengeance on the quartet responsible for his exile. Buildings topple, cities burn, aircrafts explode, yet in a bizarre logic exclusive to the Marvel Universe, we are to believe that not one soul falls victim to New York’s ruin.

A prologue clarifies both parties’ reasons for entering this conflict, but only further emphasises how skewed Marvel’s popular characters have been since Civil War, with every hero obliged to take a side for the sake of narrative convenience.

Top cow, 2003

Story: Mark Millar

Art: JG Jones

As Batman once put it: "Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot." Which probably explains why they always lose. That, and no matter how impenetrable Thanos, Darkseid or Victor Von Doom believes his recently renovated fortress to be, no matter how impeccably ingenious his new scheme, Earth’s mightiest will always join forces to kick sand in the eyes of our lonely megalomaniac.

In the nature of all good sci-fi, Wanted asks “what if” the world’s supervillains were able to reconcile and join forces, utilising their trademark dirty tactics and unrelenting resourcefulness to overcome their virtuous adversaries? They’d win, right?

One regular afternoon, unfulfilled white-collar worker and Eminem look-alike Wesley Gibson discovers that his father was the infamous villain The Killer, and that he has inherited not only his father’s money and mantle but his superhuman marksmanships skills. Like Neo from the Matrix, this represents the escape he has always longed for, and he accepts his role under the Fraternity, a consortium of every super powered villain on the planet, without looking back.