On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne looks back at Bootblack. Spring, 1945: the war leaves only death and destruction in its wake. To escape the horror of the present, Al, an American soldier, the only survivor of his unit, immerses himself in the memories of his New York life. Son of German immigrants, born in the United States, he was not yet ten years old when, in one night, under the approving eyes of anti-immigrant Americans, he lost his parents and his home in a terrible fire. Turning his back on his origins, Al has no choice but to live on the streets; he becomes a Bootblack, a shoe shiner. New York offers no future for the poor, Al understood that. He is therefore determined to earn more money, whatever the means. But he does not imagine, at that point, that the war which threatens will soon give him an appointment with his past...

On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne reviews The Best of 2000AD Volume Two! The ultimate 2000 AD mix tape has finally arrived! An explosive Judge Dredd adventure, fresh essays by prominent popular culture writers, a graphic novel-length feature presentation, and a vintage Dredd case. In this volume: Judge Dredd hunts untraceable assassins firing Magic Bullets by Al Ewing and Colin Wilson; even robots get the Red Planet Blues from Alan Moore, Steve Dillon, and John Higgins; not even Mega City One's brightest can escape The Vampire Effect; join the front line of the resistance against intergalactic bigots in Gothic masterpiece Nemesis The Warlock! Cover by Becky Cloonan and designer Tom Muller.

On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne writes about the new edition of Deathbed: From Joshua Williamson and Riley Rossmo comes the tale of Antonio Luna, the most remarkable man in the world. As Luna lies on his deathbed, dictating his memoirs to failed novelist Valentine Richards, things get strange when they learn that someone is murdering everyone from Antonio's past who could corroborate his wild tales of alien mutants, mummy ninjas, and cannibal cults! Can this unlikely pair solve the mystery of who's trying to purge Luna from history before his life comes to a close?

On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne reviews Ant-Man: Ant-Iversary - Celebrate the astonishing legacy of the Ant-Man with every hero who ever donned the helmet! Reacquaint yourself with Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, during his early days as a costumed hero! Join the irredeemable Eric O'Grady on an untold adventure set during the events of SECRET INVASION! And in the present day, reconnect with Scott Lang as he tries to stop the villainous Black Ant from freeing the killer android Ultron from captivity! But in the far future, who is the new hero calling himself Ant-Man? And what can he do against an Ultron who has become a god?! Plus: Classic tales featuring Hank at the mercy of the pernicious Protector - and tackling the terrible Time-Master!

On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne reviews Wonder Woman: Trial of The Amazons! After the events of Nubia & the Amazons, the dangers of Doom’s Doorway have found their way to Man’s World and garnered the attention of not one, but all three Amazonian tribes. The Bana-Mighdall consider it to be a weakness in the current regime and have decided to return to the shores of Themyscira to stake their claim over the island. Little do they know, the Esquecida are not far behind, but instead looking for help to combat the evil unleashed. Tempers rise and swords are brandished as the women argue about the best course of action. Now, Queen Nubia must show them all the way to peace by calling for one of the most famous Amazon traditions…the Contest.

On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne reviews The Stone King, from Dark Horse Comics: When you become an adult, you have to prove yourself, at least that's how it works for the Stoneport thieves. Ave has decided to illegally harvest healing moss from the Stone King, a mighty giant who roams the lands. Her theft goes even better than she could have dreamed. The biggest gem she's ever seen is her prize. But what she thought would buy her a ticket to adventure and a better life, brings disaster instead. Now her home is in danger and fixing her mistakes is the city's only hope.

On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne presents an advance review of Mike Mignola, Rob Williams and Laurence Campbell’s Hellboy spin-off, Sword of Hyperborea: From the ancient warrior Gall Dennar, to Sir Edward Grey, to the B.P.R.D.'s Agent Howards, the iconic Hyperborean sword from the world of Hellboy has landed in many influential hands. And this has been no accident. Trace the sword's path through the adventures and encounters that finally brought it to Ragna Rok, at the end of the world, and witness the sword's journey through history.

On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne reviews an advance copy of The Best of 2000 AD: The ultimate 2000 AD mix-tape has finally arrived! Best of 2000 AD is a landmark series from the cult comic, bursting with our greatest stories for a new generation of readers. In each edition, you'll find an explosive new Judge Dredd adventure, fresh essays by prominent popular culture writers, a graphic novel-length feature presentation by global legends and a vintage Dredd case.

On The Comic Crush: Paul Dunne reviews Superman ‘78, from DC Comics! Fly into director Richard Donner's Superman once more in Superman '78! Written by Robert Venditti (Superman: Man of Tomorrow) and drawn by Wilfredo Torres (Batman '66), Superman '78 tells a brand-new adventure in the world of the beloved film. A bright, shining day in Metropolis is interrupted by a mysterious drone that crash-lands in the city and starts wreaking havoc. This looks like a job for Superman! But where did the metallic menace come from, what is its purpose, and who is Brainiac? As Metropolis is invaded by this being and its mechanical drones, Superman must make a life-changing sacrifice and leave Earth once and for all. But once aboard Brainiac's ship, the Man of Steel finds he might not be the last son of Krypton as he believed.

On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne reviews Rick Remender and André Lima Araújo’s A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance, a uniquely atmospheric murder mystery with sudden bouts of brutal violence: When an unassuming man stumbles upon a dark-web contract assassin's vicious plot to kill an innocent target, he turns himself into one. The Professional meets Road to Perdition in this story of a family's unlikely guardian being hunted by rich and powerful men who are used to getting away with everything.

On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne reviews The Defenders! When existence itself faces extraordinary threats, it needs an extraordinary defence! That's when you call...the Defenders! Doctor Strange and the Masked Raider gather a non-team of Marvel's weirdest, wildest heroes for a mission that will uncover the hidden architecture of reality itself! This cosmos was not the first to exist - but if the Defenders can't track Marvel's oldest villain through the deepest trenches of time, it might be the last!

On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne reviews Ted Naifeh’s Witch for Hire. When a series of high school pranks get out of hand, teen witch Faye Faulkner is the only one who can solve the case in this spooky YA graphic novel! Faye isn’t popular, and that’s just fine by her. She spends her lunches at the Loser Table with the other social rejects, aka her best friends, and brushes off the uninspired taunts from the cool kids. But when lonely freshman Cody finds her way to Faye’s corner of the cafeteria, it sets off a peculiar chain of events . . .

On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne reviews The Secret Land from Dark Horse comics! Two lovers torn asunder by World War II face a terror from beyond the stars in this cosmic horror. The war is over, Katherine is dead, and Ben is trying to move on. But then the Navy receives a message from her. At a base in Antarctica, the Third Reich is plotting its return, powered by strange and foreboding technology. Katherine is there, and Ben is coming to get her.

Milli and Mae don't really know how their people came to live here. No one does, not even their wise and gentle Father. On Milliken's twelfth birthday, their father takes the two girls on an overnight skate down the trench-a coming-of-age ritual to teach them how to fish the frozen river, how to hunt the wild Trenchdogs that wander its frigid banks, and how to give proper thanks to their frozen Gods-The Colden Ones. It's the trip of a lifetime until the girls push beyond the borders of their humble land and awaken the Trench's deadly defender...The Snowman!

On The Comic Crush, Paul Dunne reviews The Nice House On The Lake Vol. 1: Everyone who was invited to the house knows Walter well, they know him a little, anyway. Some met him in childhood; some met him months ago. And Walters has always been a little off. But after the hardest year of their lives, nobody was going to turn down Walter’s invitation to an astonishingly beautiful house in the woods, overlooking an enormous sylvan lake. It s beautiful, it’s opulent, it’s private so a week of putting up with Walter’s weird little schemes and nicknames in exchange for the vacation of a lifetime? Why not? All of them were at that moment in their lives when they could feel themselves pulling away from their other friends; wouldn’t a chance to reconnect be nice? In The Nice House on the Lake, the overriding anxieties of the 21st century get a terrifying new face and it might just be the face of the person you once trusted most.

On The Comic Crush, we review Soul food Sunday: At Granny’s, Sunday isn’t Sunday without a big family gathering over a lovingly prepared meal. Old enough now, our narrator is finally invited to help cook the dishes for the first time: He joins Granny in grating the cheese, cleaning the greens, and priming the meat for Roscoe Ray’s grill. But just when Granny says they’re finished, her grandson makes his own contribution, sweetening this Sunday gathering―and the many more to come. Evocatively written and vividly illustrated, this mouthwatering story is a warm celebration of tradition and coming together at a table filled with love and delicious food.

On The Comic Crush, we review Kang The Conqueror: Only Myself Left To Conquer: The time traveller called Kang the Conqueror has led many lives across many eras. He has been a pharaoh, a villain and a warlord of the spaceways - even, on rare occasions, a hero. Across all timelines, one fact seemed absolute: Time means nothing to Kang. But the truth about the Conqueror is much more complex! Kang is caught in an endless cycle of creation and destruction, dictated by time and previously unseen by any but the Conqueror himself. A cycle that, once revealed, could finally explain the enigma that is Kang. It begins and ends with an old and broken Kang sending his younger self down a dark path. But is there any hope that he can change the tragic fate of his great love, Ravonna Renslayer, and find his way to a better future?

On The Comic Crush, we review Batman: The Imposter. Bruce Wayne’s mission as the Batman has only been under way for a year or so, but he can tell he’s making a difference. Unfortunately, he’s made some powerful enemies. All the traditional power brokers of Gotham resent the disruption the Batman has brought to town…and it seems one of them has a plan to neutralize him. There’s a second Batman haunting Gotham’s rooftops and alleys—and this one has no qualms about murdering criminals, live and on tape.

On The Comic Crush, we review Batman The Detective as part of our Year of the Bat celebrations! A horrific tragedy in the United Kingdom sends a very personal and deadly message to the Dark Knight-one that will draw Batman out of Gotham City to investigate! From the moment he lands in Europe, Batman will face a difficult investigation and unheard-of adversaries and gain the assistance of a partner once more-all in the hunt for the villain known as Equilibrium! New villains! New allies! A thrilling overseas adventure begins for the Dark Knight!

On The Comic Crush, we travel back through time and the cosmos for The Eternals : Jack Kirby reveals a secret history of heroes and horrors as humanity's cousins, the Eternals, and the Deviants, vie to inherit the Earth! It's a time of titans, terror, and time travel as only the King could conceive!