Wanton violence

Wesley Gibson is living a life of quiet desperation until he discovers he's the son and heir of the world's greatest assassin. Will he deny his destiny to become a hero? Er, no: he'll use it to make money, have sex and exercise his disgust at society through violence. Mark Millar's WANTED series amusingly subverts the classic hero's journey, turning it into a headlong pursuit of ego-centric pleasures and super-villainy. Yet it's the thrilling work of artist J G Jones that gives it real impact. Today, comics art typically has cinematic pretensions, but few examples realise it with such success. The forthcoming film starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy will have to work hard to better Jones's visual triumph.