Spoilers: I'm not going to be deliberately spoiling the endings of stories, but these reviews will contain some details of plots, especially for issues that begin multi-issue story arcs. As a rule of thumb, I won't be revealing anything I personally wouldn't want to know prior to reading an issue.

Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs Zombies #5 ~ The struggle to survive continues as the heroic (if argumentative) trio of Paige, Brittany, and Jamie seek refuge in a mansion which turns out to be inhabited by a band of fellow survivors - all of whom are black, and know what happens to black people in a horror movie when white folks are around. If that sounds like a concept liable to come off wrong and just be generally offensive, nope - the writing is too smart to mess up, and the humour is pitched just right (especially the debate over whether black characters have reached equality, survival-wise, in horror or whether modern exceptions remain just exceptions). On top of that there's a giant guy in a hockey mask crashing around, and Brittany, wandering about in a daze, is set upon by some foliage that's seen Evil Dead. In other words, just business as usual - it's Scream for zombie movies and turned up to eleven, with tropes flying around like body parts in a chainsaw scene, ably illustrated by bold, energetic art. This issue is available online here at Indyplanet.

SheBuccaneer: Collected Voyages One ~ Collects issues #1-6 (reviews here: #1-3, #4, #5 and #6), plus 13 pages of covers, pinup art, and live pinups featuring Crystal Mantecon, and a two-page chart of SheBuccaneer's voyages as a ye olde world map (with cute details like Australia being still called 'New Holland' and so on). With the amount of storytelling the Hughses packed into each issue, this volume isn't one you'll breeze through in no time - it's a good solid chunk of comic books, and sure to delight any fans of hearty heroines and dauntless pirates.

Justice League: Cry for Justice #4 ~ The various strands of this story really start to come together here - Congo Bill and Starman's quest takes a turn that'll put them and the other heroes on the same track pretty soon, Ollie's concerns over Hal and Ray Palmer's methods (specifically the treatment of prisoners) come to a head, and Prometheus's methods are made clearer in a way that pretty plainly lays the foundation for the oncoming endgame. Batwoman is also a presence, although not directly so, in a way that's assuaging my concerns about whether she'd really have much to do - she's very Batman, fittingly enough; on the other side though, Miss Martian is introduced this issue, which seems a bit late in proceedings (mind you, James Robinson evidently had a pretty good idea what he's doing, so I may be wrong to worry there). Mauro Cascioli's art continues to be spectacular, with this issue showing off some great use of panel sequences in static talking scenes to convey a sense of momentum and gravity to what's otherwise a bunch of portraits with words above them. And just to top it off, Zatanna - though present in only one panel - looks smoking hot. What more could you ask for in a comic?

Top Cow Bible ~ Top Cow's got more than a few heroines to its name - being one of the newcomers (compared to Marvel and DC, anyway) in the business the balance between guys and gals isn't so heavily skewed in the male direction, so this is a worthwhile purchase even if you're not interested in the boys. The main body of the 'bible' - actually an illustrated encyclopedia - is split into two sections, the first covering Top Cow's shared universe (the one Witchblade, The Darkness and so on all operate in), the second covering those comics that Top Cow has published that happen in their own separate continuities. Everything is listed by title, not character, but everyone's given their due - I looked first at the Witchblade section, since I'm still interested in it even if I'm not a reader anymore, and within its section all the major characters are given their own pages. There's also a small section in the back giving info on various new properties in the works, and - this is a great feature - a proper alphabetised index at the back, to make looking someone up really easy. If you're a follower of Top Cow and want to know more about their universe in general, or if you like comics and are the kind of person (like me) who likes reading reference for its own sake, this is a slickly put-together volume, and good value.

Models Inc. #2 ~ Issue #1 didn't impress me - my firm belief that the world of fashion is moronic sums up why pretty effectively - but with a murder at the end of it, I was a bit curious, and this issue was just rewarding enough on that basis for me to not regret buying it too. You have to put aside how dumb Millie was to pick up a gun in the first place, but with that forgiven there's a decent murder investigation story going on, and if the bevy of models don't seem to be taking it especially seriously, they're at least not doing anything outrageously stupid (by superhero standards; one of them's dating Johnny Storm, and his presence kind of justifies the scene where they decide to do some snooping on their own). North Norrell, the sleazy detective from issue #1, and Millie's lawyer, get some good material too, and the art continues to be mostly strong, albeit with a couple of wonky faces here and there in some panels.

Amazing Spider-Man #607 ~ I decided to pick this up since a) it looked like the Black Cat story (at least, the immediate one) wrapped up here, so it wouldn't really be worthwhile to wait for the trade paperback that collects it, b) there wasn't much else to read this week, and c) just look at the cover. Meow indeed. The issue is, really, just good old-fashioned fun - Spidey's on the trail of a bad guy with a plan, Spidey and Cat combine forces, there's some peril and a fight scene, and in the end they figure out what the evil scheme is (it's clever enough to be entertaining) and save the day. The only real complaint I have is that two pencillers worked on the issue, and they don't seem to agree on the design of Black Cat's boots - it's a minor thing, but it looks weird and kind of jolted me out of the story when I spotted it. Still, the art (otherwise) is good, the writing is clever and fast-paced, and I'm glad I picked up this little two-issue storyline.