With South Africa's 2019 convention season kicking off soon, we make our picks of the comic book writers, artists and other professionals we most want to see on our shores, and why. We can only dream about getting to interact in person with some of these industry legends.

Over the years, Darkseid has carved out a presence in multiple forms of media. Now, the lord of Apokolips is about to wage war on your bank account with this pricy new collectible statue.

Much like my buttocks, the comic book industry doesn’t call Marvel and DC the Big Two for nothing! While overall sales always seem to be in flux, Marvel and DC did some good business last year with plenty of sales. Chalk it up to having more brand-recognisable characters or sheer quantity over quality, but the Big Two still managed to enjoy a robust 2018.

From the streets of Gotham to the far reaches of the Multiverse, here's a look at the very best comic book covers this week!

Great heroes can be recognised instantly, but new vigilantes on the block? They often have their work cut for them, as creators strive to create a costume that is unique and doesn’t come off as derivative. One of the best success stories of recent years? Easily Gwen Stacey’s Spider-Woman costume, which has resulted in a character who can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with her comic book contemporaries.

The visionary behind the Empire’s Death Star project had more than enough cunning and savvy style to recognise the importance of capes. That gorgeous swish of material, that luxurious flow of textures that allowed him to revel in the fact that he was better than everyone around him. I don’t care what Edna from the Incredibles said, capes are awesome.

The world may be burning, society is in chaos and technology threatens to strip us of our humanity, but it’s comforting to know that in the end times, comic books are better than ever. This year wasn’t just a fantastic year for the medium, it was the very best that fans had ever seen. Writing felt sharper than a hotly forged sword, the art on display could put the entire gallery of the Louvre to shame and the resulting combination was an explosion of quality.

The other day, a friend of mine asked me to have a look at a box of old comic books that he had found in some forgotten corner of his garage. Comic books from his youth, stored and kept in relatively great condition. Surely, there must have been a few issues in that box of that were worth some decent …