By Andy Williams

How do you even begin to redefine the origins of Batman, a character with one of the most defined and well-known backstories in comics? There have been films, TV shows, and one particularly well-regarded comic by Frank Miller, who redefined the story in the mid-1980s. And with the latest DC reboot, Scott Snyder finished his own version just recently. But how could he even begin to imagine creating a different Batman origin for The New 52?

In order to best explain where this story comes from, it’s important to briefly look back across the history of Batman and how he began. In the Golden Age, Batman’s origin was effectively as we know it. Orphaned by a criminal in Crime Alley, this darkness pushed young Bruce to a life beneath the cape and cowl. 

However, the character took severe swings in tone throughout its existence – from the light-hearted nature of the ‘66 Bill Dozier/Adam West show to the return to master detective under the watch of Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams. That was until Frank Miller, on something of a hot streak with his now legendary Daredevil run, created one of the stories that redefined not only a character but a medium, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. He then tackled Batman’s origins with Year One.

By Emlyn Roberts-Harry

For those unfortunate people out there who aren't reading it, Rat Queens is a recent series from Image about an all-women adventuring party in a comedic, Dungeons & Dragons-inspired world. It's smart, touching, genuinely hilarious, and one of the best new books out there. And it has a cast of awesome ladies who aren't subjected to any of the usual clichés of women in comics.

They're tough without being emotionless; attractive without being sexualised; and they get to wear clothes which are actually practical for dungeon crawling. Where almost all the women in superhero comics are exaggeratedly slim with disproportionately large breasts, here we actually have a variety of body types. There's a reason why this comic has cultivated such a huge and outspoken female fan base, and why so many people are cosplaying as these characters. It's because Rat Queens encourages female readers to see themselves in the characters by presenting as many different kinds of women as it can, rather than demanding that all women conform to the one generic standard of beauty we so often see.

By Ross Antony Barnard

This evening I stood on the platform of Finsbury Park Tube station, as I always do, with one part of me quietly chuckling away every time I hear the word Cockfosters. And the other focusing on the strategic positioning of my legs. You know, *just* in case someone happens to speed down the platform all elbows, causing me to topple into the path of an oncoming train. It could easily happen – accident or not – couldn’t it?

Then I came home to Neil Gibson's So Easy, an extract from volume five of Twisted Dark. And it made me think that my oh-so-cautious mindset isn't as absurd as I once might've thought. 

By Sam Hurcom

In the last few days, DC have announced that Batgirl is getting a bit of a makeover. So long the tight latex one piece and somewhat impractical high heel boots, hello a cool (dare I say trendy) looking tween, with Doc. Martins and a utility belt that could rival Adam West’s costume props any day of the week.

But it isn’t just a change in costume that DC have undertaken. It’s something a little deeper and, unfortunately, long overdue.

Over the last few decades, the vast majority of leading heroines and female super heroes have been depicted with ever larger breasts, skinnier waists and revealing costumes. You could say it’s become a bit of a comic book tradition. As a heterosexual twenty-something-year-old, I’m hardly the most frigid person when it comes to this subject. But it does seem to be becoming an ever more prominent (often totally over the top) aspect of the medium. And, as traditions go, it’s undoubtedly not a good one.

by Sarah Wagner

An epic weekend at the London Film and Comic Con was made even better when we were granted an interview with Batgirl writer, Gail Simone.

By Emlyn Roberts-Harry

When someone says ‘superman’, chances are that 99% of people will immediately think of a man in a cape flying through the sky. Superman is one of the most immediately recognisable figures on the planet, and it says a great deal about the talent of those who have written and drawn him over the years that he's remained so iconic.

But, as is the case with many of the most successful comic book superheroes, the real reason for his status is not his powers, but the psychology behind the character and what he represents. Essentially, he’s the personification of altruism, inspiring humanity to be the best that we can be. But it's remarkable that this is what we think of when we hear ‘superman’.

The word was coined by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in his work Thus Spoke Zarathustra, over 50 years before Action Comics #1 hit the stands. For Nietzsche, the superman (or ubermensch) is the man who is ‘beyond good and evil’, who frees himself from artificial, constructed notions of morality and stands above everyone else as a result.

By Sam Hurcom

Yes, I can already hear you, murmuring and sighing at the first glance of the title. ‘Why the hell would anyone deny that Stan Lee and ‘the King’ were anything but geniuses? Isn’t it bloody obvious?’

And of course, you’re right – at first glance it is bleeding obvious. With careers spanning decades, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created and developed some of the comic world’s most iconic characters and story lines, from Spiderman and Captain America to The Fantastic Four. So it’s easy to see why both are regarded as legends of epic proportions.