In most mainstream superhero fiction, the United States of America has superheroes. Lots of them. When France, England, China, and other countries also have their own metahumans, things can get…tense. Over the decades, many comics projects have explored what it might look like for powerful nations and superpowered people to secretly work with and against each other, but the best in the metahuman-meets-superspy genre was DC Comics’ 2006 series Checkmate.

For the last few years, a wave of legislation has been decriminalising the recreational use of marijuana all across the United States.

Cannabis advocates have long said that it should never have been illegal. The story of how the substance became outlawed in the first place combines willful ignorance, petty careerism, and good old-fashioned racial prejudice.

David Walker is busy. He’s co-writing Naomi, a new high-profile series from DC Comics, along with Brian Michael Bendis and artist Jamal Campbell. He’s also working on Image Comics’ enthusiastically received Bitter Root with co-writer Chuck Brown and artist Sanford Greene. But, despite the fact that the veteran writer has worked with one of the Big Two and the biggest outlet for creator-owned comics, Walker’s announced his gutsiest move yet: launching a self-publishing company.

Back in 1986, I subconsciously decided I liked a new Marvel Comics heroine without actually reading any of her books. Her name was Dakota North and, 32 years later, I’ve finally read her series.

The best Batman artists always do something cool with the Dark Knight’s cape. It’s a given. Norm Breyfogle did that and so much more, re-inventing almost every visual aspect of Batman’s mythos.