TOP OF THE PILE: Marvel Mutts #1

My fortnightly pull-list is usually planned out weeks, if not months, in advance as I try to stay abreast of forthcoming releases from The Big Two and my favourite indies of the moment.

However, every so often something slips through the net and I don't spot it until Andy (from Paradox Comics) sends out his weekly list of what's due in that Wednesday.

Marvel Mutts #1 was one such title that had totally escaped my notice, but a quick Google suggested it would be something I might enjoy... and my initial feelings were proved 100 per cent correct once I got the comic in hand.

A print collation of several online Infinity Comics, this gorgeous - and near dialogue-free - anthology of short stories opens with Ms Marvel's adoption of a young cockapoo called Mittens from the Best Buds Shelter in New York City (after she crashes into it during a fight with Kraven the Hunter). 

The subsequent short tales are Mittens' "adventures" with a pack of other Avenger-adjacent dogs that hang out at the Avengers' Mansion, including Lockjaw (of The Inhumans), Lucky The Pizza Dog (Hawkeye's friend), Cosmo (from The Guardians of The Galaxy), and Bats (Dr Strange's ghost dog).

To anyone who is a dog owner there are so many relatable moments in this comic, even if exaggerated through the lens of superheroes, from dogs being afraid of the sound of fireworks to canine expressions of loyalty and love. Even something as simple as playing fetch becomes a global odyssey with the involvement of America Chavez and her portal travel. 

Beautifully written by Mackenzie Cadenhead, with gorgeous art by Takeshi Miyazawa (coloured by Raúl Angulo), Marvel Mutts #1 gets you in the feels with every story, always delivering an upbeat ending perfectly capturing the joy of having a dog in your life.

An uplifting one-shot that contrasts with the general association of violence with the superhero genre, this book is the perfect all-ages title for those wishing to experience the majesty of the medium, grounding the weird science and way-out magic of the superhero genre with the relatability - and responsibility - of pet ownership.

True Grit (2010)

When her father is gunned down by one of his hired hands, headstrong 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hawkeye's Hailee Steinfeld) hires one-eyed, hard-drinking US Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to track down the errant Tom Chaney (Jonah Hex's Josh Brolin) who has fled into the wilderness of Indian country.

On the way, they discover that Chaney is also being sought by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) and reluctantly they team-up in pursuit of the murderer and the gang of outlaws he is running with.

True Grit is the Coen brothers' retelling of the 1968 Charles Portis novel that also served as inspiration for one of John Wayne's most famous westerns.

This is a gritty (excuse the pun), unromantic view of the old west in all its magnificence, from epic, sweeping landscapes to fast, confused, violent conflicts and men driven by greed and a strange sense of honour.

Speckled with authentic-sounding dialogue and heavily accented delivery, this probably isn't a period piece for the casual viewer, but for those of us that love westerns this is one of those gems that sadly doesn't come along as often as we'd like.

Steinfeld is brilliant in the pivotal role of obstreperous Mattie, arguing with everyone and always threatening to contact her lawyer, while Damon and Bridges present two very different interpretations of classic American western archetypes (the U.S. Marshal and the Texas Ranger), with both having their moments to shine.

Cogburn - as we know from John Wayne's take on the character - is a larger-than-life and slightly unpleasant persona and Bridges delivers in spades, with the Coens' script allowing him to talk the talk for the majority of the movie, as he becomes increasingly drunk and unreliable, before he has a chance to show that he can walk the walk as well.

A classic tale of vengeance and retribution, the script and the setting also deliver on the verisimilitude, with the viewer only being yanked out of the moment by a number of close-up two-shots during Rooster's final ride with Mattie which, unfortunately, look as though they were greenscreened - even if they weren't.

Otherwise, the cinematography is flawless and the film is compelling viewing that pulls you in from the opening monologue through to its touching conclusion.

A truly magnificent movie, True Grit belongs in the DVD library of anyone who considers themselves a fan of America's old west.