Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

Comics Guides

The Great Pretenders: Looking Back at the Scarlet Witch in Uncanny Avengers

by Leave a Comment

As the Disney+ series WandaVision is released, Comic Book Herald critics will explore Wanda Maximoff’s comic book history, and where the character may be going moving forward, in an ongoing weekly series we’re calling “The Great Pretenders: What To Do With Marvel’s Scarlet Witch?!”

Wanda Maximoff’s fall from grace was more gradual than is generally acknowledged, but for our purposes, it mostly took place through the stories Avengers Disassembled, House of M, and Decimation. After causing countless calamities with her infamous “no more mutants” line, an amnesiac Wanda ended up in Wundagore, then engaged to Doctor Doom in Latveria, before regaining her memories in The Children’s Crusade.                     

As such, though Wanda seemed to be on a path to healing as far back as 2010, it’s been quite an uphill battle. As recently as the Empyre crossover, her mix of good intentions with an apparent inability to take prudent advice once again combined to create catastrophe, which could leave a lot of fans wondering if she learned anything at all in the many years that took place between these arcs. The answer to that, of course, is – kind of. It’s complicated. [Read more…] about The Great Pretenders: Looking Back at the Scarlet Witch in Uncanny Avengers

10 Best Comics To Read With WandaVision!

by Leave a Comment

Obviously there are pretty darn good reasons for it (*gestures at… everything*), but it’s been an amazingly long time in media years since Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Homecoming ended MCU Phase 3. Here we are a year and a half later, and it’s time to kick off Phase 4 proper with WandaVision on Disney+, the first MCU foray into episodic streaming (shouts to Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, and Marvel Netflix for lingering in “is this MCU?” limbo for years!).

Whether you’re prepping for the show’s launch, binging between episodes, or catching up after the whole season has concluded, it’s a great time to dig into Scarlet Witch and Vision comics throughout Marvel history. Now, based on trailers alone, WandaVision is clearly heavily influenced by Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez-Walta’s Vision, and, if you’re to believe the cottage Easer Egg industry, the reality-warping possibility of the 2005 Marvel event House of M. [Read more…] about 10 Best Comics To Read With WandaVision!

The Best Marvel Comics of 2020!

by Leave a Comment

Gauging a publisher’s success in 2020 is a fool’s errand, although Marvel Comics has held relatively steady throughout the tumultuous, pandemic impacted year. There are few (if any) new series launches that have taken comics by storm, but last year’s good books have either remained strong or improved.

The line is significantly bolstered by the post House of X / Powers of X X-Men lineup of comics, with a remarkably high batting average across a “Dawn of X” wave that’s grown over 10 series. Likewise, Immortal Hulk continues making its case for Marvel’s best comic, and properties from Guardians of the Galaxy to Deadpool received creative overhauls and shots of adrenaline. [Read more…] about The Best Marvel Comics of 2020!

The Greatest Daredevil Stories of All Time!

by Leave a Comment

There’s something innately compelling about the character of Daredevil. From his powers being the direct result of his disability to his superheroic hope often being weighed down by chronic depression, the internal contrast lived out through stories that tip back and forth between swashbuckling daring-do and grimy urban crime illustrate a flexibility that has kept the character dynamic for decades.

Daredevil is one of the most artistically consistent comics throughout all of Marvel. While the character has never reached the staggering global success of someone like Spider-Man, few other comics can boast the murderers’ row of talent that has brought The Man Without Fear to life. Of course, the character has experienced some fallow periods over the years, such as the decade prior to Frank Miller’s time on the title or the mid-90s, there have been so many great, long Daredevil runs over the years, each comprising a specific multi-year arc and also filled with many great smaller stories. [Read more…] about The Greatest Daredevil Stories of All Time!

My Lists of 20 Favorites in 2020!

by 1 Comment

To ring in the new year, I’ve made a bunch of lists of 20 good things from 2020, a year that will be remembered for not having anywhere near enough good things.

Since my actual favorite comics of the year are elsewhere in CBH’s best comics of 2020, those won’t be included here. Otherwise, enjoy the selections below and Happy New Year! [Read more…] about My Lists of 20 Favorites in 2020!