A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans
What is a marauder? One who roams about living off what they’ve plundered from others. Apparently, maraud in French means “rascal” or “rapscallion” which was once pared with “rampallion” (now “ramp”), meaning an “ill-behaved woman”—a notion Captain Kitty Kate Pryde might be coming to appreciate! 😉
[Read more…] about (Re)Read Hickman’s X-Men: “I’m on a Boat,” Marauders #1
In the second half of Hickman’s debut X-Men issue, the story returns to the Orchis Forge in a big way, though subtle (apparently my favorite adjective when describing Hickmanian storytelling). It’s reestablished here that Orchis is a “last gasp” supremacist hate group, and it will be nigh-untoppable as the ultimate organization of antimutant bigotry. Further, its existence is possible only in the absence of S.H.I.E.L.D., or at least as run by Nick Fury (Sr. or Jr.) or Maria Hill. (Which should make us wonder about the possibility of the super-spy organization’s eventual return.)
[Read more…] about (Re)Read Hickman’s X-Men: “Pax Krakoa” (X-Men vol. 5 #1), Pt.2
“I’m loyal to nothing, General—except the dream.”
—Captain America in Daredevil #233 by Frank Miller
“The dream is old. Older than Captain America. And the dream is what matters. Even if the shield is tarnished, even if Captain America is tarnished … the dream is eternal.”
—Daughter of Liberty “Hera,” Sharon Carter, in Captain America #12 by Ta-Nehisi Coates
With Captain America #30 out now, Ta-Nehisi Coates, one of our all too few critical public intellectuals in the 21st-century United States, the Star-Spangled Avenger sees his most meaningful and entertaining era since Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting arrive at a conclusion that feels both classic yet timely. This comes as no surprise to readers who have followed the series over the past three tumultuous years, since July 4, 2018; throughout the run, Coates’ taut storytelling and clear meditative narration struck a fine balance between inspiring hopefulness and sobering clarity.
Coates’ Cap run
We have arrived at the Dawn of X! After our exhaustive coverage of HOX/POX, it’d be nice to look back with a piece on general takes on the whole maxiseries—even just looking at Hickman’s overall patterns of timelines, narratives, and imagery would be interesting. But. We spent a long time on the opening of this new era…
So, for now, let’s renew our momentum by diving right into the Dawn of X.
[Read more…] about (Re)Read Hickman’s X-Men: “Pax Krakoa” (X-Men vol. 5 #1), Pt.1
Before stepping back to Year 1000 in POX 5, let’s briefly look at this devastating cover to POX 6. Already we’ve speculated about this image, that it speaks to the potential tragic fallout of Moira’s own hubris. (Why would she otherwise be the one left standing?) The only other thing to mention for now is that those trees do resemble cherry blossoms, symbolic for the Japanese of the ephemerality of life.