Travis Lanham

Batman Beyond --- or as it was called on my side of the Atlantic, Batman of the Future --- has such a strong fanbase that it's no surprise that it's become a staple of DC's publishing slate since its revival in comics form. DC has provided us with an exclusive first look at Batman Beyond #5 by Dan Jurgens, Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo, and Travis Lanham, which sees Terry McGinnis learning all sorts of secrets as he prepares for his final clash with the villainous Terminal.

In the 2016 Marvel mini-series Vote Loki, readers see what happens when a strong personality with no real beliefs outside of their own narcissism runs for the highest office in the land, and how easily a large portion of the voting public can be swayed into voting for someone based on buzzwords and a perceived common bond.

This week sees Nick Spencer, Ramon Rosanas, Jordan Boyd and Travis Lanham launch a new book over at Marvel in the shape of Ant-Man. Featuring the Scott Lang version of the size-changing hero, the series is pitched as being about a C-List Avenger trying to turn around his post-Avengers career and get a new job, so he can provide for his daughter, Cassie. He has an upset ex-wife, a crappy apartment, a criminal past, and no hopes – and that's how the series begins. With this first issue of the new series - which is on sale now - Spencer takes the jokey tone of his Superior Foes of Spider-Man series and downplays things significantly. While Foes was about villains trying to keep a criminal career going, here we have a hero trying to keep a heroic career going. Or, well, any career at all. It's a familiar concept for anybody reading Marvel at the moment, as most of their solo books are about the very same idea, played out in different ways.