Comic Books Comic Book • Page 454

(thinks about it)

Yeah, I can see it. Could be interesting if it happened.

 

It's an especially compelling angle when you consider he's Charles Xavier's redheaded step-brother abused by his father, who's very masculinity-in-crisis and gets the whole Cyttorak glow-up to be a big, strong man. And, his name is literally "Mark of Cain," lol. He's a guy who's been cast out and wants to prove his worth.

There's also the fact that he's canonically a big Dazzler fan and got freaked out when he thought he killed her once. And, that time he gave Black Tom some of his buff Cyttorak power as a birthday present. And, that time some nerd blog thought Black Tom was Dracula on the X-Force relaunch cover, and they textually had him complain to Cain about it. It's a whole, very cute vibe, imo! Tini Howard had to fight hard to make Betsy and Rachel a couple, though, and Juggernaut is a big Marvel IP, so we'll see if/when they can get that officially past the corporate overlords.

If it happens, I hope they can get Fabian Nicieza to write at least part of that story, since he's a big part of that history. He was going to be the one who confirmed Northstar on page with a quiet moment at home with his partner, but then he left Alpha Flight and sex pest Scott Lobdell infamously wrote it as Northstar in a 90s action pose declaring "I AM GAY!!!"

 

Haven't read any western comics in a good while but James Gunn's video the other day got me interested in checking out Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and I absolutely loved it. I really love when Marvel/DC have a great self contained series with a brilliant writer/artist team. Much easier to drop into than most of their ongoing stuff.

Anyway it's got me looking forward to reading more comics and I noticed that Deadly Class is finished now! That was one of my favourites but I stopped after Vol 6 to wait until it was all out so I need to go through that soon.

 

Read Robin & Batman too which was also great. Really loved the art and I think it's the first comic I've read that's more from Robin's perspective than Batman's. Actually made me appreciate the character more haha.

 

Nguyen’s art is fantastic. Would highly recommend the other Lemire/Nguyen books if you liked Robin & Batman. They aren’t superhero books but very good.

 

Torn between wanting Cannonball to be a big part of X stories and wanting him to be happy haha. I also don’t want Jubes to not be in the next X-Terminators but that might not be coming until next year at the earliest.

 

Descender has always been something that's stood out to me when browsing comic shops. I need to start that soon.

 

I’ve been binging MMPR and related comics for the last few weeks. Near the end of the MM and PR split now. This comic line is amazing, like holy shit. I can’t believe this is so good.

Descender is so so good. Little Monsters is fun so far too.

 

Dustin Nguyen & Derek Fridolfs is *chefs kiss*

 

I kinda feel like, if both Dazzler & Jubilee are options, they probably don't have concrete plans for another X-Terminators in the immediate future.

I also feel like, with the "Fall of X" on the horizon, it's not really worth voting a particular way because one wants a certain character to stay in a certain book/place, lol. They're clearly entering into a phase where a lot of pieces will be in flux.

And, yeah, my preference for Cannonball being in use is him doing more cosmic stuff at the moment, more so than taking a "main" X-Men roster slot.

 

But they said X-Terminators will be back


No I know I’m clinging onto false hope but fuck X-T was so good I need more. Cannonball, I just want more of. Serious lack of Cannonball at the moment. But I’m not sure I want him on the X-Men. Would love if they just went for it and had a Shi’ar book starring Cannonball and Smasher.

 

Love everything Jeff Lemire is doing. He has a whole universe brewing with Andrea Sorrentino (who is quickly becoming a favorite artist) and that's been a lot of fun. Descender/ Ascender are both excellent and I'm also really digging Little Monsters.

 

The best modern teen superhero. I’m biased from her getting going right when I was making my first proper pull list, but dang, those initial arcs were so special to follow in real time.

Don’t think she’s had a particularly great direction since G. Willow Wilson stepped off her book, but she’s now a supporting character in that excellent Zeb Wells Amazing Spider-Man series. So, between that and her popping up in other media, I’m hopeful she’s got more great stuff on the horizon.

 

Just finished volume two of Paper Girls. It's a bit more fast paced than the show and the future factions' conflict is explained a bit earlier, but I don't think it's necessarily better or worse, I just appreciate that the show took a different approach to the same story.

Edit: finished volume three. This is very different from the show. Really interesting stuff.

 

I adored Paper Girls. Read it in one sitting. Haven’t seen the tv show yet, though.

 

i'm just starting to get into comic collecting and adding this to my pull list at my local shop each week, etc.

anyone else use comic geeks? if so, add me! coreypichu's Profile | League of Comic Geeks

also feel free to check out my pulls/collection and recommend me stuff!

 

Didn't know that even existed. Gonna sign up lol

 

oh yeah, it's incredible. unfortunately my comic book store hasn't integrated, but a lot of them have. so you can just add things to your pull list from the site and they set them aside for you at their location.

 

My shop uses Comic Hub, which I don’t think does any sort of public profile thing. It’s nice being about to preorder comics, either ongoing or an individual issue. Also got the weekly “Last Chance to Order” section for things on FOC. Too bad publishers and the whole general direct market thing is a mess, which means sometimes variant covers aren’t posted or clearly indicated as “open to order” vs incentive cover, lol.

 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/buy-one-get-one-free-image-comics/_/N-2xm2

B&N BOGO Image Comics

 

Some Superman stuff I’ve read recently:

Superman and the Authority by Grant Morrison & Mikel Janin
Is Morrison the best Superman writer of all time? Uh, yeah, probably! Love the Doc Savage pulp and Silver Age sci-fi vibes. Also love that it ends with a “to be continued,” but in a way where, if you don’t read the work of the writer carrying the torch, it’s still a satisfying finale.

Superman/Batman: Supergirl by Jeph Loeb & Michael Turner
I was a big fan of the late Michael Turner as a teen and have a Witchblade issue he signed. Unfortunately, his former Top Cow aesthetic is a weird vibe for a return of young Kara from an adult perspective, and Loeb’s writing is bleh. Still, that Turner art with Steigerwald colors really hits in a very specific way.

Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman by Dan Watters & Leila Del Luca
I truly wish Jon Kent’s ongoing Superman adventures in “canon” were as good as these couple science-fiction-meets-myth issues, instead of what we’ve got. I like viewing this as the proper follow-up to the above Superman and the Authority.

Superman For All Seasons by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale
Not two Loeb books in one week! But, like… the late, great Tim Sale was a legend for good reason! Some brilliant illustrations and solid Smallville storytelling.

Superman: Kryptonite by Darwyn Cooke & Tim Sale
Turner, Sale, Cooke… lots of creators in these books who I’m sad are no longer around. For All Seasons is the tighter and more iconic Sale Supes book, but there are a lot of days where I could say I like this one more! It’s a charming lil early adventure in Clark’s career.

Superman: Action Comics - Metropolis Burning / The House of Kent by Brian Michael Bendis & John Romita Jr.
These dozen issues by Bendis and JRJR are certainly imperfect, but they’re a lot more fun than The Internet would have you believe. Aging up Jon and revealing Clark’s identity were such compelling story beats that should be appreciated more.

 

Ritesh Babu has been working on a 5-part series on DC Comics and the whole messy history of Crisis/continuity nonsense. And, it’s brilliant. Some of the best criticism on superhero comics I’ve ever read.

Here’s part one:
DC and The Matter of Crisis, Part I - Comic Book Herald

Part four just dropped today, looking at Death Metal & Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths & Flashpoint Beyond, and it’s both deeply insightful and appropriately harsh.

 

I read a lot of DC books these days, but nothing makes me drop a series as quick as a DC event. It's amazing how bad they have been at them the last couple of years.

 

I still love events for better or worse. The novelty works for me.

Except like the Lazarus Rain one that's going on now, or Future State...I don't like a bunch of disparate stories that are just setting up stuff. I like a cohesive story.

 

Honestly, Future State was a more interesting line of comics than any of the shitty crises DC has cranked out to plummeting returns, lol. Some seemed pretty obligatory, and I haven’t read that much yet, but the best ones (especially in the Superman Family ) were super compelling.

The fundamental problem, which this series of essays has wonderfully articulated, is that these things are all cyclical, insular nerd debates about continuity that forget to have a story. Absolutely ludicrous that Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Death Metal, and Doomsday Clock all “restored the multiverse” and “restored the JSA.” It’s all about “fixing” a continuity that’s been “fixed” back & forth endlessly since the 80s, and especially this past decade.

Just make good, fun, interesting comics with these iconic characters you own! It shouldn’t be that hard, lol, my gosh.